Thursday. February 24. Ï9T1
Lund
Environment vs jobs
We see the world
through Black eyes
Stop brutality at Rocky Butte
Some time ago an extensive study of the
administration of Rocky Butte Jail was made. This
study, which generally found a lack of policy and
procedures and of training for corrections officers,
caused a big stir at the time it was released.
There hove also been numerous grand jury reports
on crowded conditions and other physical problems.
Perhaps some of these will be corrected by the
building of new jail facilities. Then we have heard
for years that there is not proper medical care or
attention to the physical and emotional problems of
the inmates.
More recently there hove been reports of increas
ing abuse and harossment by corrections officers.
Some of these incidents have come to public
attention, have been investigated, but have not
resulted in criminol indictments ogainst the officers.
Suits have been filed and others are in the offing.
Nearly two months ago we asked that the
allegations of Bobby Jamieson against corrections
officers whom he stated physically and mentally
abused him be investigated. Due to a problem within
his office, Commission Chairman Clark did not
receive Jamieson's request until two weeks ago.
Clark ordered an investigation and report to him to
be completed within ten davs. The result — increased
pressure on Jameison, another alleged beating, and
the "hole".
Usually this type of brutal behavior is committed
by only a few of the guards. Others are more careful,
their abuse is more subtle. Of course not all guards
ore involved in this type of activity - many are
sincere and attempt to do a seemingly necessary job
in a proper manner. But there is no excuse for those
who abuse men who are locked up and have no
defense, who realize that any complaint or question
can result in more abuse.
An internal investigation is being made of
Jamieson's complaints. We can just about predict the
findings.
We call upon Commissioner Don Clark to appoint a
committee to look into the treatment of the prisoners
at Rocky Butte — not the overcrowding, the quality of
the food, or even the lack of medical care. These ore
well known and have been documented over and
over again. We believe the Chairman is concerned
about the men in Rocky Butte, and we call on him to
appoint a committee to study the treatment of the
inmates and to ferret out those guards who commit
the crimes and to gather the evidence needed to
eliminate them.
Everyone at the jail knows who they are.
tfo putíúlw,
but for all those who have helped and
sustained me in my efforts to serve the
community. These include not only dose
friends and associates, but the members
of Bethel who aided me in my m inistry in
the church and the subscribers and
advertisers who have supported the
Dear friends.
Tuesday, the day I was presented the
Russell Peyton Aw ard - was the happiest
and the proudest day of my life. W e have
printed on page 6 some of the messages
received in order to share them with
those who were unable to attend the
lunceon.
I was sincere when I said that I
accepted the award not just for myself
Through the Obsrver we attem pt to
provide a forum for the discussion of
issues of importance to the people, to
provide a voice for those who are not
heard and to give some influence to the
powerless. Thia aw ard w ill serve as an
inspiration to continue with the work we
have begun and a rem inder of the
responsibilities such a public trib ute
bring.
Again. I would like to thank the
M etropolitan Hum an Relations Commis
sion for this honor.
A . Lee Henderson
JLftiMt U> tfoEdtiOl
Verdict wrong
To the editor:
I am a young adult who has seen much
of life's pain and unfairness, but none so
much as watching an innocent man found
guilty.
The man I speak of is James Babe
Wilson, the drug counselor who was
convicted of smuggling contraband into
rocky butte jail. I t sickens me to know of
the injustice done, that has put a beauti
ful man like Babe behind bars. Fm not
just speaking of our judicial system, but
of his working colleagues also. Please.
Protest
keep in mind that I am not a drug addict,
and have never been directly involved
with drugs, but I had a husband who was.
From my first encounter w ith Babe. I
knew he was a man solely interested in
helping others. H e always spoke freely of
his past life, as to insure that people could
change, and th at not all was lost. I was
skeptical at first, but after listening to
Babe andhis past, I could finally see real
hope for us. H is life as a crim inal was
hard and long, but his life of rehabilita
tion has been equally hard, and as for
being long, he never got the chance. It
goes without saying th a t w hatever he
does, he does it to his fullest potential.
In the tw o years Fve known Babe, Fve
never seen anything but honest and an
unexplainable dedication for helping oth
ers. He never had tim e for pettiness in
either life, which is just w hat he has been
convicted of. I am a believer in Babe
Wilson, for he is a believer in people.
Sincerely.
Tracy K r a u s
brutality
To the Editor:
W e, the undersigned, witnessed the
cruel and inhuman punishment done to
Bobby Dean Jameison on Saturday. Feb
ruary 18. 1977 at Rocky Butte Jail. W e
are concerned about Bobby's wellbeing
and others in this tank. C-4.
Thursday they skin searched everyone
in this tank and went through the whole
tank while everyone was at Dinner. A fte r
they took Bobby on Saturday, they also
rolled-up another inmate, W alter Dean,
the next morning. So we are wondering
who is going to be next, and with what
faked-up charge they are going to come
with to get us.
W e the undersigned.
David L. Thayer
Gary P riv e tt
Bill Rogers
Jerry Peterson
Babe Wilson
LaMon Christens
(Editors Note: If anything happens to
these men, who have publically protested
the treatm ent of a fellow prisoner, it will
not be looked upon lightly !
Spare Babe Wilson from this peniten
tiary. A in't nothing here that Black man
needs. A high cement wall, a cold and
lonely cell - some old newspapers and
magazines — couple of old worn-out
letters of yesterday's dreams.
habit cold tu rkey' - and standing at oui
sides, before the judges in Multnomah
County Courtrooms - when no one else
Some of us - Black Prisoners, here -
re«u last week's P srtiasd Observer sad
the statem ent made - “Warehousing
Drug Addicts“, is true. W e’ve witnessed
young Black prisoners here - developing
th eir first fix - to escape this reality.
Some of us - Black Prisoners, here -
remember Babe, who'd pick us up. lying
in the gutters throughout Albina com
m unity - Get food for our families, when
we couldn't. W e'd knock on his door, just
to sleep on his floor - on a chill, rainswept
black ice night - and never get turned
could - or would.
Yes - and even, some of us - Black
Prisoners, here - are fathers of daught
ers walking the streets of Portland -
tw elve and fourteen y e a n of age - givin-
it up for w hat it’s w orth - for a fix and the
price in life th ey’ll have feoav. But w ith a
little luck - she might bump into Babe
and listen about a drug addict's life he
once had to live.
A fte r all. th at child may not be mine,
but yours.
So. spare Babe Wilson from this peni
ten tiary - you, who are Black leaders,
attorneys, judges or just plain good folks
back in our Black community.
A in 't nothing here in this prison that
Black man needs.
away.
Some of us - Black Prisoners, here -
regardless of Babe's recent court convic
tion - remember him sittin’ at our sides,
(From the Black Prisoners at OSP whom
Babe Wilson has tried to help - names
w ith held at th e ir request)
bringing us back to life, kicking a junkies
Portland O bserver
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 2201
North Killings worth, Portland, Oregon 87217. M ailing address:
P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 87208. Telephone 283 2486.
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The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in
its Publisher s column (W e See The W orld Through Black Eyes).
Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the
individual w riter or subm itter and does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the Portland Observer.
A LF R E D L. HENDERSON
Editor/Publisher
National Advertising Representative
ublishers. Inc.
New York
MEM8ES
O re g o n
Newspaper
Publishers
Association
The Dow Chemical plant was to have
been located on farm land across the
Sacramento R iver from Pittsburg, Cali
fornia. The site was 2,700 acres of the
last undeveloped land in the state front
ing on a deep w ater ship channel. W ith
Alaskan oil due to arriv e by tanker in
California in 1878, it seemed a natural site
for the only major petrochemical facility
west of the Mississippi.
But on January 18th. afte r spending »6
m il l i o n on land and »4 million on engineer
ing and environmental studies, Dow
Chemical announced the project had been
scrapped because of environmental red
tape.
The proposed development would have
been a complex of 13 plants employing
1,000 workers w ith an annual payroll
exceeding 115 million. D uring the five- to
eight-year building period. 1,000 con
struction workers would have been era
ployed. W hen the unemployment rate in
California is 8.5 percent compared to 7.9
percent nationwide, the projected jobs
w ere welcome news.
Dow gave up the project afte r becom
ing entangled in the web of 65 separate
perm its from 12 local, state and federal
agencies.
I t is shortsighted to dismiss the case of
the Dow Chemcial plant aa just another
case of bureaucratic bungling. Bureau
cratic bungling it was, but it was more. I t
was the environmentalists versus the
The 1977 Oregon Legislature's pace
picked up quite a bit thia week. W ith the
final day for introducing bills passed,
committees are now grappling w ith a
num ber of proposals ranging from
drought assistance to the allocation of
energy w ithin the state.
DROUGHT
Drought conditions have prevailed in
many western states for the last two
years.
But this year lack of rain
threatens to push Oregon over the brink
into the crisis stage. The Legislature has
already taken stops to conserve w ater
but Governor Straub issued what event
ually may be seen as th e firs t emergency
action on Thursday when he ordered the
closure of Lost Creek dam.
The governor also requested the Legis
lature to take steps to institute a cloud
seeding program in aa effo rt to alleviate
the lack of precipitation and the increas
ingly dangerous dry conditions in our
forests.
AU citizens are urged to do
w hatever they can do to conserve scarce
w ater supplies.
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Leadership
O N P A 1975
N A T U R A L GAS R A TE S
A m ajo rity of the members of both
houses have signed a petition urging the
denial of a portion of the rate increase
requested by N orthw est N atural Gaa.
N N G has said th at part of the request for
an increase is caused by the conservation
efforts of its customers.
Freshman Dem ocrat Clayton Klein,
from Central Point, has circulated the
petition which w ill aak Public U tility
Commissioner Charles Davis to deny th at
portion of the rate request. Klein calls it
“A tra ve sty” th a t such a request has been
made when one considers the cutbacks
Americans have made over the past few
In the language of flower* a
white violet mean*"modesty."
A—ociMon ■ Founded It t d
I t has been predicted that industry will
be driven from the state by the Dow
Chemical experience. I think not.
How ever. I do feel that we must
replace the environmental perm it laby
rinth W ith a process of careful planning
both on the p art of government and
industry. Industry must be encouraged
to locate in places th at provide sorely
needed jobs and in places that make
sense economically. Industry is not the
enemy. Economic privation is.
years to save energy.
A t present 85 Representatives and 17
Senators have signed the petition.
Disabled w a r veterans and veteran's
widows must apply for th eir annual
Oregon property tax exemptions by A p ril
1, the D epartm en t of Veterans' Affairs
cautioned today. Application is filed with
the county assessor.
H .C . Saalfeld. Veterans' Affairs direct
or, said the exemption amounts to »7.500
of the tru e cash value of the property.
E n titled are w ar veterans 40 percent or
more disabled, and unremarried widows
of w a r veterans.
Saalfeld said thia is not an automatic
exem ption. Even though an exemption
was granted last year, the property
owner must file a new application to be
considered for the exemption this year.
I f the taxpayer still has property tax to
pay on h it residence afte r the veterans'
exem ption, and has an income of less than
»15,000 a year, he may be eligible for a
refund under the homeowners and rent
ers property tax refund program. Appli
cation for this benefit must be filed by
A p ril 15 w ith the D epartm ent of Revenue
in Salem. The state income tax packet
contains a refund application form.
Citizen of the Week
•••J»-'
Charles Patterson is a 1956 graduate of Steubenville High School in
Steubenville, Ohio. H e served in the U .S. A rm y from 1956 until June of
1964. stationed in Germany and Alaska.
A fte r leaving the A rm y, he waa employed w ith the Veteran's
Adm inistration in Washington D .C . and Oklahoma C ity. He and his wife*
Barbara, came to Portland in July of 1976, where he accepted the position of
Assistant Supply Chief a t the V eterans Hospital.
Patterson is a graduate of Federal C ity College in Washington. D .C . w ith
a B.S. in Business Adm inistration.
Patterson is a member of the Albina Lions Club. H e likes to read and
enjoys music.
Use all you need
hut save all you can . . .
The People at Pacific Power
$2.50 of your now subscription to
The Portland Observer w ill go to the
regon Black History Project
Tri-County area
7.50 —*
$8,00
Mail to:
Poriland Observer
P.O Box 3137
Portland, Oregon 97208
MEMBER
N e N p A p ER
There can be no question that we must
protect the sir we breathe, our w ater
supply and our invaluable agricultural
lands. W e can do this and still provide for
an expanding industrial capacity. W e can
and must find s way.
A new breed of leader must emerge. A t
present we seem to be caught between
industrialists who resent answering to
the public and environmentalists who are
committed to a no-industrial growth pol
icy. Is it too much to ask for leaders who
appreciate both the environment and the
need for industrial expansion? Must we
be in opposing camps? It's our future at
stake.
rates.
Straub says enactment of SB 820 could
provide lowered u tility rates for 85% of
the state's power users.
1st Place
Best Ad Results
O N P A 1973
H etrick E ditorial Aw ard
N N A 1973
with repeated blizzards. W estern United
States is suffering from unparalleled
drought. W ater, the West'» moet pre
cious resource, is in short supply. This
shortage brings into sharp focus the need
to olan human activity to protect our
physical environment.
ENERGY
Governor Straub took the witness
stand this w eek before the State Energy
and Environm ent Com m ittee to push for
passage of SB 820. T h e bill represents
the governor'a plan to reduce the rates of
the state's residential power consumers.
T he Domestic and R u ral Power A uthor
ity (D R P A ) would m ake the state of
Oregon a large preferred customer of the
1st Place
Community Service
O N P A 1973
5th Place
Best Editorial
N N P A 1973
industrialists, w ith the people caught in
between.
M ore and more, we must have nation
wide recognition of the achievement of
balance among the need for jobs, the
availability of energy and the protection
of the environment.
The w in ter of 7 7 w ill not soon be
forgotten. I t has left no doubt in our
minds th at our energy supply no longer
can be taken for granted.
Presently,
every region in the country is ree cam in
ing its energy position.
N atural gas,
foreign oil and native coal supplies as well
as points of e n try and routes of pipelines
are being assessed and evaluated.
Furtherm o re, I believe this record cold
w in ter w ill bring a m ajor population shift
w ithin the U nited States. People who
have been harboring intentions of some
day moving south or west w ill do so in
substantial numbers.
I fear many who have found the
N o rth ern w in te r intolerable w ill come to
California w ithout a full understanding of
the tragic consequences of joblessness. In
the state of California, this movement is
sure to intensify the need for industrial
development.
Added to energy and jobs is the third
force: environm ental protection. In Cali
fornia, the environm ent not only is
spectacular and w arm but also fragile.
Though all nature is fragile, the lack of
substantial rainfall adds to the destruct
ibility. In this strange w in ter of 1977
while tl,e rest of the country is burdened
From the Legislature
Bonneville Pow er Adm inistration. Under
the plan the state would purchase all of
the needed power for domestic use and
resell th at power to consumers at lower
No place for Babe
To the Editor:
by Yvenn
C ity