I
I
?ortiand Observer
Civil Rights leaders oppose Senate Bill 1
Southern civil rights leaders have
issued a warning to the «lark community
and to civil rights advocates across the
country concerning legislation pending in
this session of Congress which they say
could turn the U.S. into a police state.
The legislation is titled Senate Bill 1.
Issuing the joint statement were
veteran civil rights figures Julian Bond,
John Lewis, Reverend Ralph Abernathy
und Bernard Lee. Abernathy and Ia*e are
President and Vice President, respec
lively, of the Southern Christian Leader
»hip Conference.
Bond, Lewis, Abernathy and Lee were
active figures in the civil rights move
men's of the South in the I960», They
said that if passed, Senate Bill 1 "would
be a monumental set back to the civil
rights gains of the last twenty years.”
They railed it the most dangerous
legislative threat to the rights of all
Americans ever to come before the
< ongress. and said it would strike
hardest at Blacks and minorities.
Senate Bill 1 is a reworking of the
entire U.S. criminal rode that was
introduced in its original form into the
( ongress by former President Nixon. It
is pending before th? Senate Judiciary
Committee.
Its supporters include
President Ford, Senate Democratic lead
er Mike Mansfield, and Republican leader
Hugh Scott.
The civil rights leaders said. “Senate
Bill 1 would outlaw many of the methodr
of mass, nonviolent protest of the 1960's.
It would encourage government harass
ment such as that directed against the
late Dr. M artin Luther King by the FBI
Senate Bill I would silence press
ex|>osure of government secrets, and
would turn concepts of criminal justice
upside down.” They said Blacks would
"face an ominous series of repressive
laws in today's struggles for justice if
Senate Bill I is passed.”
According to the statement. Senate Bill
1 protects government employees who
commit illegal acts, calls for widespread
wiretapping, provides a mandatory death
penalty and harsher prison sentence,
with less parole or probation.
The four said Senate Bill 1, • 753 page
bill, "is so filled with the repressive taint
of the Nixon policies that amendments
cannot save it.”
They called for
immediate efforts by people concerned
with justice to defeat the measure.
W ith the second session of the 94th
Congress underway, we wish to sound
the alarm to the Black community
concerning Senate Bill I
the criminal
Justice Reform Act now pending in the
U.S. Senate.
We are facing the possibility of a vote
and passage of Senate Bill 1 in 1976. We
feel its enactment would be a monumen
tai set back to the civil rights gains of the
last twenty years, and a disaster to the
rights of all Americans.
We believe Senate Kill 1 provides the
legislation basis lor a police state in
America. Yet most people know nothing
about the repressive provisions of Senate
Bill 1. This is a dangerous situation.
There must be a strong, organized
outcry against attempts to pass this bill.
We are calling on Black leaders and
organizations, and all groups concerned
with justice, to work now for defeat of
Senate Bill 1. All work for civil rights and
justice is imperilled by this bill.
We in the South especially sense its
dangers.
Senate Bill 1 would outlaw
many of the methods of mass, nonviolent
protest of the 1960's. It would encourage
government harassment such as that
directed against the late D r. M artin
Luther King by the FBI. Senate Bill 1
would silence press exposure of govern
ment secrets, and would turn concepts of
criminal justice upside down. Black and
minority people especially would lose by
this bill's passage. We would face an
orninuous series of repressive laws in
today's struggles for justice if Senate Bill
1 were law.
Senate Bill 1 was drafted and intro
duced in its original form by the Nixon
Administration. I t would enshrine into
law many of the repressive policies of
that administration. Senate Bill 1 is now
supported by President Ford, Senate
Democratic leader Mike Mansfield and
Republican leader Hugh Scott.
Senate Bill 1 is the most dangerous
legislative threat to the rights of all
Americans perhaps ever to come before
the U.S. Congress.
Some feel its
repressive sections can be taken out by
amendment. We feel Senate Bill 1 is so
filled with the repressive taint of the
Nixon policies that amendments cannot
save it. I t must be killed in entirety.
Senate Bill 1’s provisions on civil rights
enforcement are better than current law.
But it is not possible to buy good civil
rights sections with a police state law.
Further, its mandatory death penalty,
harsh prison terms and excessive sen
tences have no place in civilized law.
P R O V IS IO N S
• Under Senate Bill 1, organizers and
participants in protest demonstrations
could be charged under “riot" provisions,
charged with "obstruction of government
functions" or even “instigating overthrow
or destruction of governm ent/’ N u
merous sections infringing on rights to
assembly and protest include 1111, 1112,
1115, 1116, 1302, 1328. 1334, 1861, 1863.
1831, 1103, 1002 and 1003, 1833 and 1834.
• Under Senate Bill I. vast amounts of
wiretapping would be authorized against
the citizenry, under broad authority
(Chapter 31). W ider lattitude for use of
entrapment activities by government
agents is provided (Section 551), as well
as increased "contempt" penalties and
Thuraday, February 12, 197«
Pag* 3
Joe Joseph
use of “immunity" statutes frequently
used against ;<olitical dissidents (Sections
1333, 3111).
• Senate Bill I provides an “official
secrets" section which would allow the
government to prosecute news media
members, government workers and
publishers who publicize secrets em bar
rassing to the government (Sections
1121. 1122. 1123, 1124).
"Official
mistatement of law" and "public duty”
sections would insulate public officials
and government servants from prosecu
tion for illegal activities, such as some of
those involved in W atergate (Sections
542, 544 , 552).
• Senate Bill 1 provides for a manda
tory death penalty (Chapter 24). The
death penalty has always fallen hardest
on poor, Black and minority people. This
is especially so in the South
as the
disproportionate share of Black and
minority people on death row in North
Carolina today shows. This is "cruel and
unusual" punishment for a select group of
people, and it is inherently racist.
• Senate Bill 1 provides mandatory,
long prison sentences, de-emphasises
rehabilitation of criminal offenders in
favor of vengeful punishment, and allows
greater lattitude for the use of forced
confessions (Part I II , and sections 1811,
1823, 3713 and 3714). I t does nothing to
establish effective control of handguns
(Section 1823). And it provides over
broad authority foe use of deadly force by
authorities to prevent escape from arrest
or jail, regardless of the crime alleged or
grounds for suspecting the accused
(Section 541).
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Sheriff attends FBI Academy
Sheriff Lee I ’. Brown. Director,
Multnomah County Division of Public
Safety, announced that FB I Director
Clarence Kelly has selected Captain
Edgar E. M artin to attend the 105th
session of the FBI National Academy
M artin is Assistant Director under
Brown.
M artin has been a Deputy Sheriff for
ten years, advancing through the ranks
to become Captain in April, 1974. He has
been Commander of the Training Aca
demy and recently chaired the Task
Force on Ih r coin < nt, <f#9e10|>ri)<*nt and
implementation <>f*l
¿?Mult- j * '
nomah County is the first county sheriffs
office to implement team policing, and the
first to commit the entire department to
the program. M artin was graduated from
Oregon College of Education in 1965 with
a Bachelor of Science degree and received
a Master's of Education degree from the
University of Portland in 1973.
The FB I Academy runs from April 4th
to June 19th, 1976 at Quantico, Virginia.
Subjects of instruction include; be
havioral sciences, firearms, physical
training, management, criminal law,
budgets, and unions.
■*Zr (9**
Wv V TT.'a X » « b « m
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Black Political Assembly called
The National Black Political Assembly
has completed the format and schcduli
for what may be one of the most
significant national meetings in the long
history of Black people in America. Some
6.(MX) delegates and observers are
expected in Cincinnati, Ohio for the Third
Bi Annual National Black Political Con
vention, March 17th 21st. 1976. The first
convention was held in Gary, Indiana in
1972.
The theme for the 1976 Black
Convention is "Which Way Black Nation;
Towards a 76 Political Strategy”. The
convention will focus on the building of a
mass based independent Black political
movement for 1976 and beyond.
A fter preliminary Convention Com
mittee meetings and Platform Hearings
on Wednesday, March 17th, the Conven
tion activities will formally begin on
Thursday, March 18th. with a Testi
monial Luncheon hosted by the Cincin
nati Chapter of the National Assembly.
The Testimonial will be a "salute to
Theodore M. Berry", veteran Civil Rights
freedom fighter, a past Deputy Director
of O.E.O. and former Mayor of the City of
Cincinnati, Ohio.
B
Cincinnati. Ohio.
The Opening Session of the Convention
and the Official Seating of the Delegates
will take place on Thursday evening at
the
Cincinnati
Convention
Center.
Among those who have been invited to
participate in the Opening Session are:
Iaro n e Bennett. Author Lecturer and
Senior Editor of Ebony
Magazine;
Congressman Ronald V. Dellums of
California; and. former D.C. School
Superintendent and long time community
activist, Barbara Sizemore. A broad
cross section of National Black lx-aders
and representatives of African nation?
have also been invited to be present at
Opening Session as Official Platform
Guests.
The two nominees are Barbara Wiggin,
and Sister Mary Gregory Hanson. Ms.
Wiggin is a secretary and bookkeeper for
First Union Management, Incorporated
which manages Mall 205. She has also
served as secretary for the Wilkes Study
e
T\
Convention activities on March 19th.
will consist of a series of fourteen Infor
mation and Issue Oriented Open Forums
with panels of experts from the National
Black Community dealing with a wide
range of topics from the Concerns of
Black Women, Youth and Senior Citizens
to issues in Economic Development,
Politics and Education.
I— n i n i
Women join planning board
Don Clark, Chairman of the Multnomah
County Board of Commissioners, an
nounced that he is nominating two
women from East County to serve on the
County Planning Commission.
I
Group. Sister M ary Gregory is a former
hospital administrator and has served on
various health advisory and regulatory
agencies.
The vacancies were created when
Robert Shoemaker and Patricia Wessin
ger resigned in January,
The current members of the Planning
Commission are Gerald Brewster, Wil
liam Cooley, Gussie McRobert, Ixiuise
Miller, Lee Moore, Charles Sax, and
Victor Gilliland.
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ric3.i
Home sweet Hummm.
A lot of homes these days fairly
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But, there's one thing everybody
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From here on out. everyone will
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Conservation of electricity won't
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And right now, this summer, is
the time to start tightening up your
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stripping. Take o look ot whot storm-
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The tips for saving energy go on
ond on. But they oil odd up to
money saved. And you don’t
necessarily hove to spend a bundle
fo
something-
So, if "Home Sweet Hummm" has
you wondering whot to do, ond
you’d like the best money-saving
advice in town, coll your local
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ho-hummm about conserving
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Pacific Power
1