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U n iv e r s it y o f Cr "~n L ib r a r y
Harris charges police harassment
PORTLAND
OBSERVER
Voi. 6 No. 24
Portland, Oregon
Thursday, 29, 1976
I Ur per ropy
Joe Harris, candidate for the office of
Mayor of Portland, has charged the
Portland Police Bureau with harassment
and brutality. Harris, who lives at 823
N.E. Mason, has made police brutality
in the Black community a major issue oí
his political campaign.
Harris was arrested Monday evening
and held overnight in jail, then released
Tuesday afternoon on $332 bail.
Harris said he was stopped by Port
land Police for failure to stop for a red
light at Northeast Union and Fremont
at about 10:00 p.m. Harris, who claims
that he did not run a red light, denied
the officers request that he take a
balloon test to determine if he had been
drinking.
According to the officer,
Harris then returned to his car and
drove home. As he attempted to enter
his front door, he was wrestled to the
floor of the porch and handcuffed.
Officer Maroney verified Harris' ac
count of the incident and agreed that
Harris told him a number of times that
he is a candidate for mayor.
Harris was arrested and the breath
test administered, showing a blood al
cohol reading of .03 percent, not enough
to indicate that he was intoxicated.
Harris denied that he had any alcohol
that day.
A community meeting to discuss al
leged police harassment of Harris will
be held Friday at 1:00 p.m. at Matt
Dishman Center.
Harris claims that he was injured by
the police as he was being arrested and
that he was struck by a Multnomah
County Deputy Sheriff at the court
house. Following his release from jail,
he was seen by a physician.
Harris has been a critic of the Port
land Police Bureau and of Police Chief
Bruce Baker. He filed charges against
the police department in 1975, following
an arrest in August on the charge of
“criminal activity involving drugs."
Harris charged that the police gained
entry into his home by indicating that
one was his brother, Roy, and arrested
him based on allegations of another
person that he had used cocaine. *
Harris' mother, Mrs. Roy Harris, Sr.,
said her son had been at her home
watching television before the incident
and previous to that had attended an
Albina Action Center meeting.
She
indicated that her son had never had a
drinking problem.
Emanuel employees file charges
Left to right: Director, John Brockway; program narrator,
Dr. William Harris; producer, Pat Wheeler; and OEPBS
photographer. Ed Geis prepare to film another segment for
the television documentary "Freedom Frontier". This pro
gram explores the history of Blacks in Oregon from the early
1870's to the mid 1950’s. It is through the use of old motion
picture film, photographs, dramatic re enactments, and inter
views that the story is told. (Please see page 5. column 2).
Current addresses NAACP
G loster B. Current, D irector of
Branches for the NAACP, will speak to
the Portland Branch at 3:0t) p.m. Sun
day. The meeting will be held at Mount
Olivet Baptist Church, 116 N.E. Schuy
ler
Current, who is responsible for coor
dination and direction of the local
branches, is second to Roy Wilkins in
the NAACP heirarchy.
Mr. Current is in Portland for the
General Conference of the United Me
thodist Church.
Ellis Casson, president of the Port
land Branch, invites the public to hear
Mr. Current speak. Refreshments will
be served following the meeting.
Committee pushes Brooke for VP
A nationwide movement was kicked
off in Pittsburgh to push the selection of
Senator Edward Brooke (R Mass.) as a
Vice Presidential candidate on the Re
publican ticket with the announcement
of the committee to nominate Senator
Ed Brooke Vice President of the United
States.
The committee's formation and its
campaign strategies were made public
at a news conference during the Pitts
burgh Conference of the Council of 100,
an organization of Black Republican
leaders from across the country with a
large cross section of its members in
attendance, the Council of 100 endorsed
the committee's plans as announced by
Burrell L. Haselrig, Jr., the committee
chairman and host for the Council of
100's Conference.
Haselrig, a prominent businessman
and general contractor in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, said in the announcement,
“Senator Brooke is the person who is
right for the position. He is eminently
qualified. He is a man of unquestion
able integrity and moral character, free
from any taint or wrongdoing."
The committee chairman added that
the committee was formed specifically
to push the nomination of Senator
Brooke as Vice President of the United
States. "We have the explicit endorse
ment of Senators Hugh Scott and Ri
chard Schweiker in this endeavor." Ha
selrig said.
Flanked by members of the Council of
100 and its president, Samuel Jackson,
Haselrig added, “Senator Brooke is not
seeking the nomination, nor has he
asked us to seek it for him. If the party
wants him
if President Ford wants
him, he can hardly refuse." Jackson,
formerly Assistant Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development, is an attorney
in Washington, D.C.
The goal is to obtain a total of two
million signatures by the August Con
vention
40,000 from each of the fifty
states.
Convention delegates are included al
so in the committee' ** r ’JT.-gv. * The
committee plans to contact convention
delegates and others prior to the con
vention as part of the project.
The newly formed com m ittee feels
that Senator Brooke can help to solidify
and broaden the Republic party. Hasel
rig said, "Senator Brooke ran help soli
dify the party and bring with him the
leadership and dynamism that will give
the Republican party the kind of boost
it needs to put the Ford/Brooke team in
the White House in November. As a
group and admirers, we are urging his
nomination."
Two nurses, Naomi Wrighten and
Wilma Graham, and a housekeeping
employee, Jesse Blocker, Jr. have filed
rharges of racial discrimination against
Emanuel Hospital.
The suit, filed in federal court in
(Portland, asks $5 million in damages.
Defendants are Metropolitan Hospitals,
Incorporated, the parent body of Eman
eul Hospital; Emanuel Luthern Charity
Boaid, doing business as Emanuel Hos
pital; and Red Top, Incorporated, which
holds the contracts for housekeeping
services.
Mrs. Wrighten alleges that she was
suspended by the hospital on March
12th after publicly charging the hospital
with racism. Mrs. Graham alleges that
she was suspended on the same date.
Both state that they have been denied
promotion and that they have been
harassed by hospital employees because
of their concern for Black patients and
employees.
Blocker alleges that he was hired in
the sanitation and garbage section of
the housekeeping department, and that
although he was transferred to the
position of floor waxer, he was denieo
an increase in salary. Blocker charged
that he has been harassed and has been
the subject of racial slurs in connection
with his duties as a shop steward for
Local 49 of Service Employees Inter
national Union at Emanuel Hospital.
Follow ing the original charges in
March, Emanuel director Roger Larson
appointed a fact finding committee to
investigate the charges of discrimination
against Black employees and patients.
Mrs. Wrighten and Mrs. Graham were
suspended, according to Larson, to work
with the committee.
The committee
asked to be relieved of their responsibi
lilies and was dismissed, but the two
nurses have not been called back to
work.
Answering complaints by the press
and other individuals that the Emanuel
Black Employees Organization had fail
ed to document cases of discrimination
against Black patients, Mrs. Wrighten
explained to the Observer that many of
these instances of discrimination were
in the area of patient care. “Nursing
care requires touching the patient.
That can be a caring and loving type of
to u c h in g , it can be p u sh in g and
pulling on the person. It can give the
patient a feeling of well-being or it can
leave an atmosphere of not caring.
Some of the white nurses don't want to
even touch the Black patients."
Mrs. Wrighten explained that some
members of the white nursing staff
are known for their neglect of the
patients. "When you put something on
a patient and come back the next day
and it hasn t been changed, you know
something is wrong.”
Mrs. Wrighten maintains that white
patients do receive proper care at
Emanuel, that Black nurses would not
be allowed to neglect white patients and
retain their jobs.
"Many of the Black patients are too
sick or too afraid to complain," she said.
Having taken the problem to the
hospital administration last fall and not
receiving the response they desired,
Mrs. Wrighten and the EBEO took their
plea to the public.
Mrs. Wrighten
states that she now intends to persue
the matter through the courts.
Gilcrease attends White House ceremony
Cleveland Gilcrease, executive direc
tor of the Portland Metropolitan Steer
ing Committee, was one of 35 invited
guests who attended the swearing in
ceremonies for Samuel R. Martinez, the
new director of the Community Ser
vices.
President Gerald Ford swore
Martinez into office in the Rose Gardens
of the White House.
The President stated. "Sam Martinez
brings to Washington more than a de
cade of experience in dealing with pub
lie policy on many many levels. Sam
Martinez and I share a personal com
mittment to help the poor and disad
vantaged Americans served by their
Community Services Administration. Its
programs demand strong and effective
and very imaginative leadership. I am
fully confident, Sam, that you will pro
vide that leadership."
Martinez said during brief remarks
that. “I believe I understand and appre
ciate the com plexities of providing
meaningful experiences for the poor
who want a better life for themselves
and their families.
In terms of re
sources, the Community Services Ad
ministration plays a small role in this
total effort, but a giant role in providing
the delivery systems and serving as a
catalyst and advocate for the programs
that serve our disadvantaged citizens.
Our national resources are abundant,
our human resources equally so, and
coupled with proper initiatives, signifi
cant achievements are indeed possible.
My convictions are firm and I will apply
my energies with dedication and sin
cerity.”
Gilcrease returned to Washington for
the ceremony, after having presided
over the NACD 12th Annual Conference
at the nation's capitol. The Conference
was attended by 2,000 delegates from
across the country. Gilcrease said. "We
carried to the national administration a
petition on behalf of the poor of this
nation. R equesting the im mediate
enactment of legislation to address th
many ills which beset nearly 40 millio;
Americans."
“The petitions,” Gilcrease said, “Cai
ried nearly 300,000 signatures of poo
people and their supporters throughou
the nations, and others are still con
ing."
Keynote speaker at the NACD Cor
ference was Senator Edward M. Ken
nedy who stated, “I wish to express nr
appreciation to your (NACD) President
Mr. Cleveland Gilcrease, for conveninj
this conference, which can serve t<
remind all America that the struggli
against poverty still has a long, lonj
way to go.
"This budget (current administration
reduces education, manpower and social
services by $5 billion. And, this budge!
c.its $3 billion from federal health pro
grams.
“The Administration's political rheto
ric thunders across the land with de
mands for more spending -- even waste
ful spending - on national security; but
where is the concern for the security of
the elderly to walk from their homes to
the market, where is the concern for
the health security of our people and
the security of a quality education?”
Another major speaker at the NACD
Conference was Arthur A. Fletcher,
Deputy Assistant to the President of
the United States for Urban Affairs.
Fletcher spoke at the annual conference
banquet saying. "The Civil Rights Le
gislation, like Court decisions, are not
self enforcing. Unless there are some
human entitities involved, committed to
paying the price of enforcing the law
after it gets on the books, an individual
shows how to use the legislation, his
budget and the human resources so that
it makes it happen, it’ll never happen."
Fletcher continued. “I’m not opposed
to law and order, I just want to start
enforcing the law and bring about some
(Please turn to p. 2 col. 4)
Senator Edward Kennedy and Cleveland Gilcrease
African independence nears: Colonial influence remains
The agreement of France to grant
independence to its last colony, Afars
and Issas. has a historical significance
that has been largely overlooked.
The Afars and Issas is not only the
last French colony in Africa, but its
independence will end direct rule over
Africa from Europe. Rhodesia is tech
nically a British colony but has not been
ruled from Ixmdon for so long that its
dependence is merely legalistic. Nomi
hia is occupied by South Africa, but the
colonial power is white majority regime
in Africa. South Africa is not indepen
dent state that is rejected by Black
Africans for its system of apartheid.
Spain has finally evacuated Western
Sahara, ending its long colonial history
in Africa.
The Afars and Issas are the last
full fledged colonial territory in Africa
and its independence will end the 400
year dominatoin of the continent by
Europe.
The final liberation of Africa will he a
boost to the idea that all people have a
right to govern themselves and to the
organization of the Third World nations
as a political and economic block.
The liberation of Africa will not be
complete until Namibia, Rhodesia and
South Africa are freed from the control
of white minority governments that
impose racist practices on the Black
majority.
Over 400 years of a dehumanizing
colonial control, which pillaged the na
tural resources of the continent, will
have a lasting effect on the new nations.
Even today, the colonial heritage is a
dominate influence in national and in
tercontinental affairs.
Africa was partitioned and divided
among the nations of Europe without
regard'for natural boundaries or ethnic
groups. The border problem has been a
serious one as new nations have gained
their independence. Kwame Nkrumah
advocated the establishment of a conti
nental government before the boundries
became hardened by the new nationa- •
lism, but this concept has not been
followed.
When the Organization of
African Unity was formed in 1963, the
new African states agreed to accept
permanently the boundries drawn by
the European powers.
Where logic,
political experience or ethnicity would
have dictated shifting national boun
dries, the new nations have expended
their resources to defend borders they
admit are arbitrary.
Another evidence of the adherence to
the colonial heritage is the degree to
which African states still identify politi
cally, economically and culturally with
their former rulers. The patterns of
institutions - schools, courts, laws and
modes of behavior differ between the
former French and English colonies.
Nothing shows the influence of the
colonial heritage better than the econo
mic dependence or close cooperation
with the former European "master.”
About 30 percent of Nigeria's trade
goes to the United Kingdom and the
United Kingdom is the main trading
partner of most of its former African
colonies. The same is true of France
and its former colonies. Even Libya's
trade is largest with Italy, from which it
gained independence in 1951.
Even
those nations which won their indepen
dence through violence have maintained
economic ties.
A sense of nationhood has taken root
in the more than forty states. Whereas
there was free travel through Africa,
now borders have been closed with
entry only by permit.
Rivalry for lending favors from the
industrial nations is another block to>
African unity. Unfavorable price move
ments for imports and exports have
hurt their econom ies, making them
more dependent on overseas capital.
The outstanding debt of the African
countries trebled betw een 1965 and
1973.
Capital financing is not the only prob
lem of industrial development. African
nations lack the mass population to sup
port domestic marketing. Africa's share
is about .5 percent of the world’s in
dustrial production, and it has about ten
percent of the world population, distri
buted over a land area of about twenty
percent of the world’s land surface.
More than half the African states have
less than five million residents and only
four have more than twenty million.
Added to this is an overdependence on
particular products.
The area in which the African nations
have made the most radical departure
from their colonial masters is in gov
ernment. The colonial powers had been
repressive, and they did nothing to
promote a republican form of govern
ment, and in many instances handed
over independence to puppet successors.
Today there are three African states
that permit official opposition - Bota
wana, Gambia and Mauritius. Eighteen
states are under direct military rule;
three (Egypt, Algeria and Zaire) are
military governments in civilian cloth
ing; two (Morocco and Swaziland) are
absolute monarchs; and the remaining
twenty are one-party governr. »nt«.
Although the independent nations of
Africa face a myriad of problems stem
ming from their colonial past, none
would deny that independence has not
been of value. Despite the influence of
the colonial heritage, which has reduced
the desire to maintain an indigenous
culture and has produced prejudices,
the African nations have succeeded in
keeping the OAU alive. Last year fif
teen nations established the Economic
Community of West African States to
standardize tariffs and trade procedures
in the West African region. There is
aiso the six nation West African Eco
nomic Community, set up in 1973, the
Central African Economic and Customs
Union, and the Maghreb Permanent
Consultative Committee in northwest
Africa.