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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1976)
o r v r e g o u L tT o ìr y tugene, Oregon 97403 PORTLAND Racial charges hit 4-C Council OBSERVER Voi. 6 No. 19 Portland, Oregon Thursday, March 25, 1976 10c per copy Huston-Ti I lo tio n Choir tours The Huston Tillotson College Choir will make two appearance* in Portland. The above "W hite only" sign in downtown Portland was discovered by Congressman Bob Duncan, who notified the Mayor's office. The Mayor's office referred the m atter to the Metropolitan Human Resource Commission. Later in the day a call was received by Commissioner Charles Jordan, who went to the scene and saw that the sign was posted on a porno bookstore. The Commissioner found the sign "more repulsive than shocking. The hate letters and phone calls I receive constantly remind me that there are sick people out there." The business license for the pornographic bookstore. "Book A Rama" is issued to Davis Martinez. The Metropolitan Human Relations Commission is investigating the matter. H uaton T illo ta o n d e riv e d ita name through a 1953 merger of Samuel Huston College and Tillotaon College, both of which were located in Austin. Huston Tillotaon College celebrates its one hun- dreth anniversary during thia Bicenten nial year. In observance of this milestone in the history of this outstanding Black college, the Concert Choir is on a tour of the western states. The choir will present a concert of varied types of religious music from the late Keniassance to contemporary selec tions, including Black spirituals and gos pel selections. In commemoration of the nation's Bicentennial, the presentation will be highlighted by a rendition of "Ballad For Americans", a modern can tata based on the four hot spots in our national history: the Revolution, the growth of the nation, the Civil W ar and the Machine Age. The cantata is by John Latouche and Earl Robinson. Following the cantata will be the well loved "Battle Hymn of the Republic." The choir is under the direction of Cleon M. Waters, a native of Sand Springs, Oklahoma. M r. W aters received a bachelors degree from Langston U n i versity and a Masters degree from Philips University, Enid, Oklahoma and did further studies at the University of Texas. Huston Tillotson College is jointly re lated to the United Methodist and United Church of Christ denominations. Tickets for both concerts are available from M r. Ed Johns (282-8702) or from Reverend Edsel Goldson (288 5173 or 288-9833). Donation is $3.00 per person or $5.00 per couple. All proceeds go toward the College 1776 Campaign Fund. The Monday, March 29th concert will be at Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church, 3138 N. Vancouver at 8:00 p.m. and the March 31st concert will be at the First Congregational Church, 1126 S.W . Park Avenue at 8:00 p.m. Lillie W alker, Director of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Model Cities Infor mation and Referral, charged the 4-C Child Care Program with racial discrimi nation before a subcommittee of the L e g is la tiv e In te r im C o m m itte e on Human Resources. She explained that 4-C was established with Model Cities money, which substan tially paid for the tri-county program. Approximately $1 million in Model Cities money went to 4-C, but when the Model Cities funds ended. 4-C support for the programs was withdrawn. Money was obtained from the City of Portland to provide temporary minimal support ser vice*. Tw enty seven percent of the children served by 4-C programs in the four county area are in Model Cities pro grams. Although 4-C had an accumulated fund of an estimated $900.000. moet of which was Model Cities money or federal funds resulting from matching with Model Cities money and in-kind contributions from Model Cities area schools, 4-C choee to close its office in the Model Cities area. During this period that these 4-C em ployees, mainly Black, were being ter minated, new white employee* were hired for similar positions in the down town office. Only three Black professionals have been hired by 4-C for it* downtown office in its five year history, and two of those were transferred from the Model Cities office. N either lasted more than six months. 4-C receives moet of it* funds from federal and state sources, but little attention has been paid to affirmative action requirements. A fte r the hearing, Steve Lowen, di rector of District I I 4-C, said he does not do hiring and often does not even know who is being considered untu after they are hired. He said selection is done by committee. Section 2.1.2 of 4-C personnel policy says the Executive Director shall ap prove or authorize hiring and will issue a letter of hire to all professional personnel. Charges have been made that in recent hiring the employees are called “con tractors" to avoid proper and legal personnel hiring practices. Lowen also denies hiring these individuals. Another stipulation of the personnel policy is that the Executive Director must approve contracts or authorize hiring prior to signing of contracts and that they will be supervised by the Executive Director. The determining factor by common law whether a person is a contractor or employee is that employees are subject to the employer's will, both in services performed and in how they w ill be performed. Even if the employer allows the employee considerable freedom of Emanuel investigated ROBERT GETCHELL Robert Getcbell heads YMCA Ronald K. Getrhell, Manager of the 67th and Glisan Branch of the U.S. Bank, was elected President of the YM CA Board of Directors at the organization's 108th Annual Meeting at the Benson Hotel, according to W illiam D. Stuber. Executive Director. Getchell also serves on the Board of the International Consumer Credit Associa tion, Tenth District, and maintains mem bership in the Hollywood Kiwanis, M t. Hood Ski Patrol and Mountain Rescue and Safety Council of Oregon and the American Institute of Hanking. He replaces C.H. Shattuck, Jr. as President of the YM CA Board. Shattuck was honored at the dinner. Other new Hoard officers include John Russell, Vice President for the Health Education and Fitness Division; H.S lAce) Harmer, Vice President for the Youth, Family and Camping Division; W illiam Findlay. Vice President for U r ban Services Division; Charles Kamp- mann, Vice President for Finance and Property; Howard Somers, Vice Presi dent for Development and Planning; and Thomas Tongue, Corporate Secretary. Also elected to the Board of Directors were W illiam Greaby, Joel McNulty. Dr. Clarence Carkner, Marlene Bayless, John Bryson. Paul Dixon. Alice Ann Morden, and Lisa Morrison. In other business, the membership voted to change the legal title of the corporation to "The Young Men’s Chris tian Association of Columbia -- W ill* mette" and to grant a vote to all members sixteen years of age and older. A fart finding committee has been The employees have presented specific appointed by Roger Larson, administra cases of discrimination and Dan Mc tor of Emanuel Hospital, to investigate D erm ott of S E IU Local 49 has offered to charges of racial discrimination made by provide supporting evidence. members of the Black Workers Com Housekeeping workers have alleged mittee of Emanuel Hospital. that Red Top, the company that has Members of the committee are: Rever contracted to manage the Housekeeping end John Jackson, chairman; Reverend Department, has implemented a program 0 . B. Williams; Ellis Casson; D r. W alter to break the union and to force the Reynolds; Hazel G. Hays and Vern workers into harder work and worse Summers. working conditions. They claim they are Naomi W righten and W ilma Graham, doing almost double the work required by who are acting as spokespersons for the Good Samaritan Hospital and the Uni Black Workers Committee, were given versity of Oregon Medical School Hospi extended leaves of absence with pay to tals. They say that not only their own assist in the investigation, according to health but hospital cleanliness is suffer [.arson. They also are barred from the ing. "On weekends we have 45 rooms, hospital grounds. and sometimes one woman will have an The conflict came to a head when the entire floor to herself." workers called a meeting with Larson on “W hen you are expected to do more March 1st and presented a list of eleven than is physically possible in eight hours, concerns dealing with racial discrimina you get discouraged and finally say. tion in employment and in treatm ent of T here's no way to do it, so why try'." patients. They also presented five de Since the allegations were made. Cleo mands dealing with an investigation and Green, a Black woman who has been establishment of guidelines. employed by Emanuel as a housekeeper A fter further meetings and expressing for nine years, has been terminated, his opinion that the hospital's relationship allegedly for not keeping her area clean. with the community has improved, Lar Persons who have known and worked son appointed the committee to investi with Mrs. Green have known her to be a gate the charges. (Please turn to p. 2 col. 6) movement, it la an employer-employee relationship and not a contract relation ship if the employer has the right to control the method and result of the services. One of these committee hired individ uals announced that she was taking the position and quit her job before her personnel interview. 1Ljs person also allegedly wrote the job description. Lo wen declined to reveal who the selection committee members were. Mrs. W alker point* out that a* 4-C employees assigned to Model Cities were being laid off and other* were being hired to fill similar job* downtuwn, her office often did not receive notice of vacancies until after the jobs were advertised in the paper* or until others were hired. The personnel policy, also denied by Lowen, say* "Announcements should be sent to the executive director aa soon as possible to allow adequate time for in-house applicants who may wish to apply before the position is made avail able to the general public." When Steven Lowen, the new director, took charge of the D istrict I I 4-C (M u lt nomah, Washington. Clackamas and Co lumbia Counties) in January of 1975 the relationship between 4-C and the Model Cities provider agencies has deteriorat ed, according to Mrs. W alker. She ac cused the 4-C board and staff of delegat ing its decision making power to other organization* - the Confederation of Pro v id e r Agencies and the M u ltn om ah County Children's Commission. The Con federation of Provider Agencies is con trolled by from tw elve to fourteen of the 56 participating provider agencies. “Mo del Cities directors don't have time to spend the tw enty or so hours a week to be decision makers in this organization." Recently one member cf the Multno mah County Children’s Commission al- ledgely screened 200 applications for a 4-C position, and this individual was not even a member of the 4-C Board or stiff. While the three existing family day care programs, one of which is in Model Cities, are faced with closure due to lack of administrative funds, 4-C has hired two persons in the downtown office at salaries of $900 to explore the feasability and need of establishing additional family day care programs. Family day care is the certification of family home* to care for young children and supervision of the care. There are funds to pay the day care mothers but there are no funds to pay the administrative costs of the programs. They hired two people to go out and set up new programs. How can they organize new systems that also will have no support fund*?", Mrs. W alker asked. Title 20, Part I I say* “state* should be required to expand services with existing contractors before developing new ones." Lowen admits that the existing family day care programs will probably have to close on June 30th due to lack of funds. Mrs. W alker said the Model Cities programs are not getting the administra tive support that they should from the 4-C district office. They receive fiscal service, a limited amount of child de velopment services, and little else. 4-C receives funds for administrative and supportive services. The Information and Referral system in the downtown office was beefed-up as the Model Cities Office was phased out, yet during the past year only five to ten referrals were made to Model Cities programs by the central office. Full time County Representatives pro vide services for programs in Clackamas County and in Washington County, but Multnomah County has no representa tive because a suitable person could not be found among over 200 applicants. Was it because Model Cities had requested a part-time representative or because a highly qualified Black social worker had applied for the position? (Please turn u> p. 2 col. 4) I A w 4 a i 1 s • ■■ J Schools honor Bicentennial The Portland Public Schools w ill pre sent a “Bicentennial Bash” on A p ril 2nd at the Memorial Coliseum. Nearly 3,600 elementary and high school students will participate in music, dancing, drills and drama. "In Thia Our Land: Portland School's G ift to the City” is the theme for the program, which is under the direction of the school district Bicentennial Commis sion. A. Verne Wilson, longtime music supervisor and Evaluation's Specialist, heads the production. Featured on the program will be a 2.200 voice elementary school chorus and a 700 student high school chorus. There will also be 80 in the A ll-City Alumni Orchestra, 510 in drama, dance and drill groups, 56 in color guard groups. 60 in rhythm band, 46 in bell-ringing group*. Each school w ill have it* own booth in the Exhibit Hall, each with it* own Bicentennial theme. Only 7,000 seats will be available for the show, with tickets available through the schools at a cost of $1. An unlimited number of citizens can view the booths and displays in the Exhibit Hall at no cost. Flu epidemic called unavoidable Public health official* in the United States have concluded that some sort of influenza pandemic is unavoidable by the fall of this year based on their studies of the swine flu variety that killed a soldier at Fort Dix, New Jersey, three weeks ago. These officials have confirmed that the new strain is so dissimilar to existing virsuses that practically no one is im mune or resistant to it. Although it has been determined that the Fort Dix strain is at least as contagious as most other flu varieties, it has not yet been confirmed if the new virus possesses the killer viru lence of the 1918 strain which it closely resembles. That strain caused a pandemic which left tw enty million dead in 1918-1919. The recent sharp rise in death rates from the Victoria flu pandemic in New York and Raction is a first approximation of the effects of accumulated deteriora tion of living standards in the form of cuts in municipal services, nursing home care, decrease in the value of social security payments, frozen wages, etc. In the past year, cut* in New York City's municipal services came to $600 million. As the result of this winters Victoria flu, the city's death rate has «increased by twenty percent, with most of the flu and flu related deaths among the elderly. An epidemiologist from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. Georgia, who has been monitoring the new flu strain has confirmed the need for government investment in purchase of vaccine for free distribution as an immediate priority. "The data we have now strongly indicates that the swine flu will be next year’s pandemic. Very likely, we won't get any more information on its virulence until it breaks out widely in September or October, and by then it will be too late to begin large-scale vaccine production. That has to begin now," he concluded, "and the pharmaceutical companies will only do it if they have government guarantees of purchase.” Since it was first discovered a month ago at Fort Dix, evidence of the swine flu has now been found in over 260 men in the camps, with a th irty percent infecti- vity rate in the platoons of the four original cases. Epidemiologists investigating the Fort Dix outbreak insist that the disease must have originated outside F ort Dix and was discovered there only because of U.S. Arm y testing. According to a spokesman for W alter Reed Hospital, now investi gating the cases at F ort Dix, “There's no question that the new swine flu is transmissible from human to human. As for whether it exists outside Fort Dix, you bet it does. By now it must be seeded to dozens of other bases, to say nothing of the population at large. The only reason it was picked up first by the m ilitary was because we test more frequently for i t " A worried epidemiologist at the U.S. Public Health Service explained that a sample testing of the population should be done to get an accurate reading of the present outbreak of flu, “but our federal funding is limited and shrinking, so all we can do is wait for samples to be sent to us from doctors. A * you would expect from such a system, we end up with a spotty and inaccurate picture. It's the same with plague, encephalites, and many other diseases." The Advisory Committee on Vaccina tions for the U.S. Public Health Service met on March 10th to review the latest data concerning the swine flu and to make a recommendation on vaccine pro duction. A fter hearing the evidence, the committee decided to adjourn without making a recommendation and to recon vene in a few weeks. A leading spokes man for the Public Health Service confid ed after the meeting that the general opinion was that the vaccine w ill be recommended. “There's no way we can take a chance on this one. The evidence we have in no way eliminates the possibility that we are dealing with a 1918 type organism." The effect* of the current “Victoria flu" epidemic confirm that the world-wide depression has taken ita toll. A * the working population is starved and over worked, resistance to disease drops. Deaths from Victoria flu have risen nearly seventy percent in the United States and G reat Britian in the past week. In Britian, 1,900 dead in seven days, and the overall death rate is up December there were twenty million fifteen percent. In the United States dead world-wide; one half million in the more than 1,200 have died and the United States. disease is increasing in frequency in the O nly an im m e d ia te move to the M idw est production of vaccine and an improve A look at the 1918 catastrophy gives ment in the standard of living will stop ample explanation for the epidemiologists another Hemic of like p ro p o rtio n s fears. In 1918, as now, the world was devistated by depression. From 1913 depression through the chaos and au sterity of World W ar I, living standards had plummetted and food consumption had dropped to about famine level in Asia and Europe. The 1918 swine flu most likely began in Having found the City of Portland out Asia, but like ita 1978 counterpart was *f compliance ia a recent Equal Oppor first diacovered at an U.S. A rm y post. tunity review, the U.S. Department of The flu started in March and spread into Europe via U.S. troops, from there to ■mW a with d ty and Asia, and then back to the United States officiai*, the civilian population. By July through N o te August, 1918, it bad increased -^ ^ s n e d the Atlantic, letting the East Coast ports spreading within week* through the civilian populations. By October of 1918, the entire nation was engulfed in a major epidemic with soaring death rates. By of the Mask community. The group w fl review the city's 1975- 1*7« H U D sppM r s t i , , . see what the city to tbo fows HUD