Page 2
Portland Observer
Thursday. March 20. 1975
'I
«
HWIM VinJLS ÈWS (öl? I Ä <
WE SEE THE WORLD
By Harold C William.
THROUGH BLACK EYES
J
Demand investigation!
Rickie Johnson, a ge seventeen, w as the fourth
Black yo uth k ille d by P ortland p o lic e o ffic e rs ir
the last six m onths.
A fa ta l sh o o tin g by the
p o lice w as once a rare occurance
N o w it seems
to be b e co m in g a co m m on re a ctio n to a n y
stressful s itu a tio n .
It is d iffic u lt to b e lie v e th a t it w as necessary to
shoot Rickie Johnson in the back o f the head. If
the shot w as necessary fo r th e p o lic e m a n to
p ro tect h im se lf, c o u ld n 't he h ave a im e d o the r
than fo r the h ea d o f this s ix -fo o t-tw o yo u n g m an.
W hy, in fact, d id the o ffic e r e n te r the house
w h e re he kn e w th e ir m ig h t be a rm e d teenagers?
W hy w e re n 't th ey just in fo rm e d th a t th ey w e re
surrounded and th a t th ey w e re to co m e o u t o f
the house. The w h o le a ffa ir sounds a little too
co n trive d - as if a c o n fro n ta tio n w as desired.
The co m m u n ity m ust d e m a n d an in v e s tig a tio n
o f its p o lic e fo rce -- not just o f his sh oo ting or o f
this o ffic e r, but o f the a ttitu d e s p re v a ilin g in the
force that m ake this typ e o f a ctio n possible
W e ca nn ot h e lp but w o n d e r if this increased
callousness on the p art o f th e p o lic e o ffic e rs is
re la te d to the fa ct that Portland has a n e w C h ie f
o f Police.
As we predicted . . . .
The Public W e lfa re D ep artm en t has n am ed its
n ew N orth Branch m a n a g e r — a C aucasian m an
fro m Seattle, as w e p re d icte d last w e e k.
This
was an o p p o rtu n ity to h ire a Black in a
m a n a g e ria l p o sitio n , but W e lfa re w as not ready.
We p re d ict the re m a in d e r o f the m an ag ers at
the N orth Branch o ffic e o f the H um an Resource
Bureau w ill also be w h ite .
The o p e n in g o f this branch o ffic e , to serve
N orth Portland, is an o p p o rtu n ity fo r the State o f
O regon to g a in som e m in o rity e m p lo y e e s in
m a n a g e m e n t a nd supervisory positions, but this
o p p o rtu n ity w ill go u n fu lfille d .
C oncerned citizens, Black a nd w h ite ask w h y !
M ayb e G o ve rn o r Straub should ask C le ig h to n
P enw ell, N ick Peet, and John Burch.
Reason not valid
C om m ission C h a irm a n Don C lark has ju s tifie d
his p la n n e d closure o f E d g e fie ld M a n o r by his
re p u d ia tio n o f th e ''s e p a ra te but e q u a l" d octrine .
The d o ctrin e o f "s e p a ra te but e q u a l" was used to
d e p rive Blacks o f th e ir rights. The "s e p a ra te but
e q u a l" fa c ilitie s th a t w e re fo u n d u n c o n s titu tio n a l
by the Suprem e C ourt p e rp e tu a te d the fo rce d
se gregation o f a ra cia l gro up .
U nder the
"s e p a ra te but e q u a l" d o ctrin e , e n fo rc e d by la w ,
Blacks had no choice but to use se greg ated
fa cilitie s.
The "s e p a ra te but e q u a l" d o c trin e c a n n o t be
used to describe a co un ty o p e ra te d n ursing hom e
serving thfe poor.
The in d iv id u a ls liv in g at
Edgefield M an or do have a choice — th ey co uld
live in one o f the p riv a te ly o p e ra te d nursing
hom es th a t accepts w e lfa re recipie nts. They have
chosen E d ge fie ld M a n o r because o f its re p u ta tio n
fo r p ro v id in g su p e rio r care.
C om m issioner C lark's e ffo rts to p la ce the
in d ig e n t e ld e rly in the m ainstre am o f m e d ica l
care is co m m e n d a b le , but not if it takes them
from su pe rio r fa c ilitie s to m e d io crity . The reason
the poor, m in o ritie s, and others w h o are isolated,
a tte m p t to g et into the m ainstre am is to im p ro ve
th e ir co n d itio n .
It is u nre a so n a b le to close E d ge fie ld M an o r
n ow because o f a hope th a t so m e da y a ll
residents o f M u ltn o m a h C ounty w ill have access
to h e a lth care
That g o a l is still a hope, not a
re a lity .
W hen e ve ry in d iv id u a l in M u ltn o m a h
C ounty is tru ly a p ort in the m e d ica l m ainstre am ,
w h e n no person in M u ltn o m a h C ounty suffers fo r
lack o f m e d ica l care: w he n e ve ry e ld e rly person
recieves q u a lity re sid e n tia l care -- th en w e can
b e g in p la n n in g fo r the closure o f E d ge fie ld
M anor.
W ith the p re v a ilin g g o v e rn m e n t a titu d e to w a rd
social a nd h e a lth services -
both fe d e ra l and
local — w e d o u b t th a t this d a y w ill soon be
a chieve d.
s I Another Point of View : ■
C h an ce f o r w o m e n ’s lib
The b iz a rre case o f Joan Little, a 2 0 -y e a r-o ld
Black, co n victe d o f first d e g re e m urde r a n d n ow
lin g e rin g in d e a th ro w in a B e au fo rt C ounty,
N orth C a ro lin a ja il, jolts the fa ith o f those w h o
b e lie v e in the w o rn o u t b e d tim e ta le that |ustice is
b lin d .
O f course it sh o u ld be in a d e m o c ra tic
society. But it isn't.
Miss Little, in w h a t has b eco m e to be k n o w n as
the " ic e - p ic k " m urde r, w as a w a itin g a p p e a l o f a
c o n v ic tio n
fo r b re a k in g a nd e n te rin g .
A
6 2 -y e a r-o ld n ig h t g u a rd w as fo u n d stabbed w ith
an ice p ick in a c e ll fro m w h ic h in m a te Joan
Little had fle d .
Local n ew spapers d e p ic te d the
n ig h t ja ile r, an o ld fa rm e r a nd e x-tru ck d riv e r as
the v ic tim o f w a n to n m u rd e r by a Black w o m a n
w ho had been im p ris o n e d fo r th re e m onths
p e n d in g an a p p e a l on a b u rg la ry charge
B e a u fo rt C ounty m e d ic a l e x a m in e r, c o u ra ­
g eo usly spoke o ut in his autopsy report.
He
re v e a le d that, w h e n he fo u n d th e |a ile r's b od y
the n ig h t g u a rd w as n ake d a b o ve the w a is t; one
hand w as c lu tc h in g his d ro o p e d trousers; his
shoes w e re in the c o rrid o r o utsid e th e c e ll.
A d d itio n a l d e ta ils su pp orte d Miss Little's c la im
that she had stabbed the ja ile r in try in g to fig h t
o ff an assault.
O th e r w o m e n h e ld in th e |a il
have described sexual abuses to w h ic h this n ig h t
ja ile r had su bjected
them .
And
it
w as
estab lish ed th a t the ¡a ile r lo n g ke pt an ice p ick in
his desk.
D espite these closures, a B e a u fo rt
C ounty g ra n d ju ry in d ic te d Joan Little fo r first
d e g re e m urde r.
C o n v ic tio n on th a t ch a rg e in
N orth C a ro lin a calls fo r an a u to m a tic d e a th
sentence.
H ere is a classic case fo r th e W o m e n 's
L ib era tion M o v e m e n t fo r its a d h e re n ts to sh ow in
p o sitive a ffirm a tiv e a c tio n , not in rh e to ric a l
flo u ris h h ow m uch th e y a re co nce rn ed w ith the
rights o f w o m e n . This is an a p p ro p ria te occasion
fo r th em to p ro ve b e y o n d the sh a d o w o f d o u b t
th a t th e ir c o m m itm e n t is not restricte d to class,
cast or race a nd th a t th e ir co nce pt o f lib e ra tio n is
an a ll-e m b ra c in g p h ilo s o p h y w h ic h has its roots
in th e m oral p rin c ip le o f h um an e q u a lity .
Joan Little faces th e w ra th o f a w h ite
c o m m u n ity w h e re to be Black is a sin w h ic h no
la w o f G od or m an can w ash a w a y . If th e hearts
o f the W o m e n 's Lib are not to u ch e d by this
im p e n d in g tra g e d y , th e n th e ir c la im to the pursuit
o f justice fo r w o m e n has n e ith e r d e p th nor
consciousness b e y o n d class, cast a n d the w h ite
/a c e
universe.
When one describes her,
one can't help but say “she
is the mother of eiviliia
tion". and the "Queen of the
Planet Earth". The mother
of the community, with a
helping hand, and an open
heart.
Always willing to
stand for those in need She
is none other than Mrs.
Clara Mae People.
but she never bows to the
whip of injustice. She has
been to the mountain top,
and she is still dreaming
hoping, praying, and work
ing, toward a unity of
people in the community.
When awards are given
she seldom if ever, comes
up for recognition, but
when it is time to work, her
name becomes a song of the
by V e rno n J o rd a n
Who will be laid off?
That's a question on a lot of
people's minds these days
as the economy continues to
deteriorate and unemploy
ment continues to climb.
It's also a question that
could be an explosive one,
deepening the already
troublesome fissures in our
society.
And it is a question of
immediate significance to
employers, unions, minority
employees, federal officials
and the courts, because of
the conflicting claims of
seniority and affirmative
action.
Most large employers are
bound by union contracts
that say layoffs must be in
order of seniority
first
hired, last fired. They are
also bound by the law. in
this rase the Civil Rights
Art of 1964. which forbids
discriminatory employment
practices.
It was due to this law
that many Blacks, women
and minorities got the first
crack at jobs previously
reserved for white males.
To make up for past
discrimination, many com
panics have agreed with
fed er a l a u th o r it ie s to
undertake affirmative act
ion programs designed to
increase the numbers of
minority employees.
Now a recession struck
company is caught in a
dilemma: who to lay off.’ If
they lay off older white
workers, they violate seni
ority provisions of their
union contracts. If they lay
off Blacks who have less
seniority, thanks to the
earlier refusal to hire, the
company reverts back to its
lily white work force and
violates affirmative action
a g r e e m e n t s w ith th e
government, as well as the
Civil Rights Act.
Caught in the middle are
workers of both races who
face layoffs in a job market
that offers no opportunity
for alternative employment.
There are already some
signs of deepening racial
bitterness as some workers
are victims of layoffs that
don't affect the other rare
as much. If this situation
continues, we would see a
lethal combination of racial
conflict and economic hard
ship, an explosive mix.
Several rases have al
ready come before the
courts, but with contra
dictory rulings.
In one
case, the court ruled that a
company could not lay off
its Black workers because
tion, has to give way to the
higher conflicting right to
continue Black employment
such action would perpetu
ale the effects of past
discrimination. In another
case, the judge ruled that
the seniority system should
predominate and it's just
too bad if that works
to make hardships on Black
workers.
U ltim ately, these and
other casses will come
before the Supreme Court
which may hand down a
definitive ruling that sets
clear guidelines for em
ployers.
But by then it
may be too late
and
there is always the chance
that this Court will issue a
ruling that rebuilds the
discriminatory walls that
excluded Black people from
equal employment oppor
(unities
In the Griggs case, which
dealt with pre hiring tests,
the Court ruled that em
ployment practices "neutral
on their face, and even
neutral in terms of intent,
cannot be maintained if
they operate to 'freeze' the
status quo of prior dis
crim inatory em ployment
practices..."
I read that to mean the
"neutral" operation of sent
ority system that operates
to freeze Blacks into a
last hired, first fired situa
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opportunity.
Manager, workers, and
government officials ought
to recognize that the ulti
mate solution lies not with
the courts but with adop
tion of enlightened policies
that share the burdens of
this sick economy.
If a
company is in such bad
slatis as to have to lay off
workers, there are ways to
spread the effects.
Some include sharing the
work with everyone, work
ng a shorter week to avert
layoffs, "skip week" plans in
which workers take turns
bring laid off; voluntary
layoffs for workers with
seniority in com panies
whose jobless benefits al
most cover their take home
pay anyway; rotating per
lods of unemployment for
all with guaranteed rehiring
incentives for early retire
ment. and federal tax in
centives for companies to
keep up fringe benefits in
shared work plans.
All of these and others
ought to be considered and
steps taken to insure that
this recession does not lead
to total disaster for all
working people.
If Y o u A r e n ’t G e ttin g
The O b s e r v e r
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The N e w s
ANYWAY YOU LOOK AT IT
IT’S YOUR NEWSPAPER
Henry Bramwell of New York was appointed as Federal
Judge...Helen Evans became the first woman in Ohio and one
of two Black women in the country to serve in a state cabinet
position.
Ms. Evans was named Director of Industrial
Relations by the Governor...Lutrelle F. Parker was
nominated as Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Patents
& Trademarks...Dr. Eddie G. Smith is a Member of the
Board of Regents, National Library of Medicine. Public
Health Service in the United States Department of Health.
Education and Welfare...Berkeley G. Burrell is a member of
the Commission on Productivity and Work Quality...Dolores
Wharton of Michigan was named to the National Council of
the Arts...Three Blacks were appointed to the tw entf five
member Ameriran Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Council:
Maya Angelou of California, Alex P. Haley of California and
Betty Shabazz of New York...Winfred Mundle is Legal
Counsel to the Washington, D.C. Board of Elections. He was
President of the Capitol City Republication Club...Lilian
Warren has been named to the National Board of Directors of
Women Helping Offenders.
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opinion of the individual writer or submitter and does not
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Seniority vs Affirmative Action
(From C hica go D e fe n d e r 3 /8 /7 5 )
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2201 North Killingsworth, Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing
address: P.O. Box 3137. Portland, Oregon 9720b. Telephone:
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« «
I a
ALFRfD L. HENDERSON
E ditor/P ub lish er
Many people have been
applauded, for their contn
buttons to the community,
but in the recognition that
has been given to others, a
very important person has
been overlooked.
To me she is the "Mother
of the Community", with an
open heart and an extend
ing hand to the needy. She
is a lady that takes people
seldom seen and makes
them the most visible. She
takes the humble, and
makes them giants in sta
tue. she has assisted people
in many ways.
She often works with a
yoke of controversy around
her neck, she is always
pulling the plow of hope,
C«»y_________________
S tate
Z ip
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