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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1976)
P»«* S Portland Observer Thursday. January 15, 197« We see the world through Black eyes A day of rededication Mountain needs rules On the anniversary o f the birth o f M artin Luther King, Jr. w e must once ag a in rededicate ourselves to the ideals fo r w hich Dr. King lived and died. Dr. King was a m an w ho, w ith his ow n inner strength and b e lie f in the hum anity o f m an, led a vast m ultitu d e o f p eople w h o had no p o litic a l pow er or influence and little m oney, but w ere a b le to m ove the conscience o f a nation. Though po lice dogs, fire hoses and w ire taps w ere used against him , he never doubted the eventual trium ph o f truth. Dr. King was a man w hose philosophy was so p o w e rfu l, w hose goals w e re so prevading, that he was harassed, slandered and perhaps m urdered by the g overnm en t o f the U nited States. And w h a t was this philosop hy that was so feared by United States o fficia ls? M erely that the vast m a jo rity o f A m ericans are good and that w hen they are exposed to the su ffe rin g they are in flic tin g on others, they w ill bring a b out change Dr. King's m ovem ent w e n t beyond the quest fo r c iv il rights fo r Black Am ericans. He directed his efforts to w a rd u n ity o f a ll p e o p le w ho w ere suffering the d e b ilita tin g effects o f poverty and he sought to id e n tify the country's oppression in V ietnam w ith its oppression a t hom £. For this he was m urdered. On this anniversary o f Dr. King's birth w e must rededicate ourselves to carry on his w ork. We must strive to see that this nation re d e fin e its priorities — that the econom y is re b u ilt to insure m e a n in g fu l e m p lo y m e n t fo r those w h o can work? and an adequate incom e fo r those w h o cannot. The w ealth o f the nation must be used to b e n e fit the people - not the fe w w h o w o u ld liv e o ff the s u ffe rin g o f the m ajority. W e must e xtend our sights beyond our ow n borders - to see the su ffe rin g o f our brothers in A frica and the Third W orld caused by our ow n econom ic p olicies and the secret po lice tactics devised to protect them . The anniversary o f Dr. King's birth should m ean m ore to us today then ever before. W ith the nation in deep depression, w ith our overseas aggression increasing, w ith our secret p o lice o p e rating at homes, it is m ore than ever necessary that w e keep our eye on the goal. O nly through continuous perseverance and d e dicatio n w ill w e ever be ab le to say w ith conviction — "F ree at la s t." Three teen-age boys have been lost on Mt. Hood for m ore than tw o weeks and hope o f th e ir rescue dims. Since they w ere last seen, on January 1st, storms have raged and m ore than fifte e n fe e t o f snow have fa lle n on the m ountains. W e are g e n e ra lly opposed to the personal restric tion o f personal freedom , but it does seem that there should be some e ffo rt to prevent this type o f tra g e d /, w hich happens a ll too often. Surely the forest service could rhake some restriction on clim b in g on the m ountain during stormy periods and p a rticu la rly d uring the w inter. Not o n ly can the lives o f these three young m en be lost, but th e ir decision to take a w in te r hike, and th e ir parents' approval, endangers the lives o f hundreds o f men w h o clim b and fly over the m ountain in an e ffo rt to fin d them. We pray that these young m en w ill be fo u n d safe, but w e hope their ordeal leads to some consideration o f regulations that w ill he lp prevent future tragedies. Freeway brings danger The B anfield Freeway is a m enace! Not only are the lanes narrow , but d u rin g w et w eather - w hich is most o f the »ime - the outside lanes are alm ost unusable. W ater covers an area tw o or three feet w id e on the outside lanes, forcing the tra ffic tow ard the center line, and in m any places covers h a lf o f the lane. Unsuspecting motorists d riv in g through these deep ponds o f w a te r are en g u lfe d w ith a sheet o f w ater. It seems that w ith as m uch m oney as was spent re b u ild in g this fre e w a y, proper d ra in a g e w o u ld have been installed. It is another e xa m p le o f poor p la n n in g and tem porary expendency w hich costs m oney but does not solve the problem . I »M W**HCIMUMT o i O IO M D ffoeu For more than 66 years, black Americans, faced with threats to their civil rights, have turned to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The N A A C P response to these threats would fill volumes. It ranges from the end of lynchings, the abolition of jim -crow , the 1954 school integration decision, equal access to public accomo dations and the extension o f voting rights, to guarding the rights of blacks on the aircraft carrier, K itty H aw k, and participation in winning the largest back-pay award ever for black steelworkers in Alabama. The means to maintain and increase civil rights gains for all Americans are threatened because the N A A C P and its programs are now throttled by inflation and the continuing national eco nomic crisis. Yes— when we’re in trouble, your civil rights are in trouble. Only you and your like-minded fellow Americans can help maintain the Association in times o f stress as the firm and unwavering civil rights bulwark. To continue the work o f the N A A C P , send your contribution today Margaret Bush Wilson Chairm an of thè Board 1st Place Community Service O N P A 1973 Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth, Portland, Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208 Telephone: 283 2486. 1st Place Best Ad Results O N P A 1973 Subscriptions: $5.25 per year in the T ri County area. $6.00 per year outside Portland. 5th Place Best Editorial N N P A 1973 Second Class Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon ME MEIER Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association MEMBER AasoeOioo - F ate Os if f MS It is no surprise that J. Edgar Hoover hated M artin Luther King. Jr. Hut even in this cynical age accustomed to dirty tricks and deceit, it is shocking to learn the desperate and despicable lengths Hoover and the F B I went to in order to destroy King. During the time when I worked with D r. King, we knew that the FBI had sent spies into the Southern Christian Lea dership Conference and we suspected that we had been bugged as well. In re»-»nt weeks it has been revealed that the F B I went much further that they organized and carried out a campaign designed to destroy D r. King. ThV F B I tried to prevent a college from giving King an honorary degree, they hatched a plan to keep the Pope from granting him an audience, and tried to undermine the financial support for the S.C.L.C. The F B I did not stop at trying to destroy King as a civil rights leader. Nor did they stop at a slanderous whispering campaign planned to destroy D r. King's personal reputation. They went so far as to send a note and tape recording to King Shotguns in all police cars. W hat’s next? Portland now stands out as a racist militia aimed at the poor and minority groups. Honestly, who do you think the shotguns will be used on? Right. And to think most hunters use shotguns for large game animals. But. of course, minorities are regarded by many as Animals. I am ashamed of this city; the Bay Area got rid of Chief Baker because of his racist tactics there. I t now seems that the city of Portland has retained him when others would not. W hat does that make the city of Portland, a very, very, racist city. Citizens remember Kent State, some times it's not the Rlacks or other minorities...Students you know how you are usually regarded as niggers. 1790 Broadw ay, N ew York 10019 2752 N. W illiam s A venue, Portland 97212 5701 A rizona Drive, Vancouver 98664 A L F R E D L. H E N D E R S O N Editor/PubUsher by Bayard Rustin Against Dr. King in late 1964 in an effort to drive him to suicide. Paradoxically, the revelations about Hoover's six year campaign to destroy Dr. King make it clear that it was not King's reputation that was damaged by this effort but the reputation of Hoover and the FBI. Hoover’s suspicions about King, if they could be called that, tell us more about him than about King. Certainly in his later year's Hoover was a petty man, jealous of his reputation, and deeply resentful of any criticism. It is unclear what aroused Hoover's suspicion of King, but perhaps it was the very largeness and charity of King’s character. If it could be said that King and Hoover were foes the way in which they conceived of their contest and the manner in which they reacted to each other show the stark contrasts between the quality Of man that each was. 'W hile Hoover used a federal agency to carry on a personal vendetta against King M artin was engaged in a great battle for social justice through non violence and Christian love. One incident during my ten year association with D r. King illustrates this difference. Apparently angered by Dr. ,’s criticism of the F B I for appointing .ervative agents to investigate civil rights violations in the South. Hoover publically attacked King as the "biggest liar" in the country. Many of King's advisors myself included, urged M artin to make a counterblast at Hoover, demand that Hoover produce evidence to bark s charge. But public denunciation was com pletely alien to Martin's character. Whenever someone was in error and especially when they wrongly attacked him, M artin always sought a personal conference to attempt to reconcile the differences Thus he met with Hoover and asked the FB I chief to explain just what he had done that Hoover considered deceitful. Hoover, of course, was unable to supply any basis for his attack. I don't imagine that M artin would have been too alarmed at the knowledge that the FBI was out to destroy him. What would have disturbed him and what should disturb us today is that all the time and effort devoted to tearing down King could have saved the lives of many people who were killed during the great crusade to gain civil righta. I hi* good that men do does live long after they have died. Dr. King did much good in his life. It is our responsibility to make sure that that good continues and that it be expanded. For what King did will be regarded one hundred years from now as one of the greatest contributions to mankind. M artin took the stategy of non violence a step even beyond Ghandi. He showed that it is possible for a minority using the principles and tactics of non violence to win concessions from the majority, an effort Ghandi attempted but failed to achieve in South Africa He showed that it is possible to secure justice and that it is realistic to dream of a better world. Dear Editor: Roy Wilkins Executive Director The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in its Publisher's column (W e See The World Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w rite r or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. The Campaign is on his right and Reverend Ralph Jackson on his left. R a c is t m i l i t i a Jesse Turner Treasurer Portland O bserver D r. M artin Luther King marches in Memphis, on March 29, 196H. five days before his murder. Reverend Ralph Abernathy Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award N N A 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership O N P A 1975 Xfpk Ms. F.J. Sandy Yuvienco Not Everyone Subscribes To The Portland Observer but then, not everyone comes in out of the rain. How About You? SUBSCRIBE NOW WISDOM is. giving to the March of Dimes Tri-County area Other Areas $5.25 $6.00 Nome Address .................................... City ........................... Birth defects ore forever. Unless you help. ▼ h i * s e a c s f o g i a n u r i o ■ ▼ t m u p u b * i * m u p I State PORTLAND OBSERVER 2201 N. K illingsw orth Street Box 3137 a Portland, O regon 97208 (503)283-2486
