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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1977)
■ r t Frances Schoen-Newspapsr Roo» U n iv e r s ity o f Oraron L ib r a ry cugcne, Oregon 97493 Contractors call school board stall PORTLAND O B SER /ER 7 Ne. 14 JK 3, 1977 lf e per espy ASB fund* ••coi church loan :T J American State Bank haa made its second church loan. This one to Mount Gilliard Missionary Baptist Church. The loan will be used to remodel and renovate their building on Rodney Avenue, form erly owned by All Nation’s Church. In presenting the check to Reverend Hampton Calloway, paster of the church, V .F. Booker, President of American State Bank said the bank is especially pleased to be able to assist the church. “The church has provided leadership and stability for the community through out our history. A forerunner in Black economic development, any assistance to the church will enhance the community. As an owner of property, a provider of education, a birthplace for political exper ience, the Black church provides the example and the stimulation toward economic development and capital invest ment.” A recent legal opinion by Mark C. McClanahan, attorney tor the Portland Public Schools finds set asides and pref erences for minority contractors to bo unlawful under the present state laws and of highly doubtful constitutionality and validity under the United States Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of ISM . Requirements that minority enterprise be included in federally funded and assisted projects are based on the prem ise that, because of past and present dis elimination, minority firms are unable to compete effectively in the market place and therefore cannot secure contracts awarded strictly through competitive bidding. By executive order all federally funded or assisted projects are to include provisions for inclusion of minority bus iness. The State of Oregon has a minority set-aside program through which specific contracts are offered to minority con tractors either on a bid or negotiation basis. ORS 279.053 provides a statuatory exemption from competitive bidding if the bid "is awarded persuant to an affirmative action plan.” Oregon Admin istrative Rule 10.146 (Attorney General Manuel) states that affirmative action is a program designed to insure equal oppor tunity in employment and business in cluding. but not limited to, personnel practices of contractors, "set-aside” pro grams and minority business enterprise. The Observer requested a copy of McClanahan's opinion but the request was denied. D r. Ralph Kliner said the opinion was an “un finished" one - a statement from the legal counsel's office to D r. H arry Culp, Business Adminis trator, and that it also contained some suggestions as to how the district could procede toward minority contracting. Although the state and federal govern menta do use “set-aside" programs. Klin er said school districts are governed by some federal laws that do not apply to «tab; and municipal governments.” He said the administration was still working with the Northwest Minority Contractors to find a solution. Eugene Jackson, director of the Northwest Minority Contractor's Assoc iation, said he feels his organization has been stalled, deceived and lied to by the school administration. Jackson said he has been talking with the school district for over two years on ♦hi« subject. During the fall of 1976 he felt progress was being made as D r. Blan chard repeatedly assured him that the district was interested and the two organizations were meeting together. An early draft of the school district proposal, with a goal of achieving ten per cent minority purchasing in five years - said. "More recent legislation embodied in ORS 279.058 and implemented by OAR 127-10-146 permits affirmative action goals for disadvantaged or minority groups to be extended to bidding and contracting practices of public agencies. The district welcomes this opportunity to reaffirm its committment (sic) to stimu lating equal opportunity in business for persons of disadvantaged or minority groups. This document “Program for Affirmative Action in Bidding and Con tracting" (PAABAC) to intended to fur ther that purpose.” On October 20th H arry Culp inform ed Jackson by letter that he had request ed the district’s attorney to draft a complete legal opinion for submission to the Superintendent and Board of Educa tion. Jackson subsequently received another draft of the proposal, dated November 1. 1976, stating in part, "The Board of Education has determined that the fol lowing conditions are contrary to sound public policy for the expenditure of public funds and materially interfere with the attainment of its educational goals per taining to the equality and dignity of *11 individuals: (3) The continuation of a public contracting system whereby a clearly disproportionately low number of its public contract awards are made to business owned by certain minority indi viduals . . ." “I had no idea that they had decided the program was illegal," Jackson said. "The federal and state governments have these programs. The Public Contract Review Board which controls all public agencies' purchasing except the Home Rule counties, has determined that all public agencies shall participate. How ean the school district say it is illegal?” Jackson said he met with D r. Blan chard, McClanahan and other district personnel on January 5, 1977, after the (Please turn to page 2 col. 6) Deprivation, repression causes of crime MS. E D IT H H AR RISO N Dedication aid* learning by Ulyseee M arshal The quest far knowledge can be a disappointing experience if the people who dispense some of it. such as educa tors, are not sincere end devrted. How ever, an interested and concerned educa tor can make school a stimulating and exciting place to be. Ma. Edith Harrison is a devoted educa tor. She is Vice Principal of Roosevelt High School. Ms. Harrison was born in Columbia. South Carolina and graduated from Bene diet College in Columbia. She received her Marters Degree from the University of Oregon and is presently working on her P h D . Ma. Harrison is an ambitious young woman. She wanted to become an administrator "because I like working around young people and with people, and I want to be in a position where I can give input and help make decisions that affect students and the school system.” Ms. Harrison doesn't feel that being a woman has any drawbacks as far as her job is concerned. She says, "I think one's effectiveness or ineffectiveness doesn’t have anything to do with being male or female, but being an individual having the necessary skills, talents or competen cies. to get the work done." So what’s happening with the students at Roosevelt High School? Ms. Harrison says, “W e are really making an effort to involve all students at Roosevelt, and the Black Awareness Week program served as a beach head for all ethnic groups, in the sense of things to come. The Black Awareness program brought about a joint effort of the whole school.” Ms. Harrison is an example of a Black professional whose dedication will en hance the lives of the younger gener ation. D r. Lee Brown, Director of Justice Services for Multnomah County, told a forum sponsored by the Black Cultural A ffa ir s Board of Portland State Univer sity that if the nation is to solve the problem of crime it will have to address the causes of crime. “The conditions in which Black people find themselves are a crime." The poorer the person, the more apt he is to be a victim of crime. Brown said. Victimization studies by the Census Bur eau show that Blacks are more often than Whites the victims of rape, robbery, assault and aggravated assult. The typical victim of crime to the young Black male who to poor and uneducated. The economic impact of crime in 1974 was about $88.6 billion for the nation and $1329 billion for Blacks. As long as there is deprivation and repression there w ill always be crime," he said, calling fo r a national reeognfcfee that the socioeconomic problems that cause crime be addressed. He called on Congress to pass the Humphrey-Hawkins full employment bill, to pass a health care bill, to dose tax loopholes, to ban all hand guns and to address the economic problems that are widening the gap between the incomes of Black and White families. Brown called on the Carter Adminis tration to deal w ith the drug problem through increased funding for treatment programs since the demand for treatment exceeds the programs available. He asked that the Secretary of State take diplomatic action against nations that allow drug export. In the field of corrections Brown recommended th a t L E A A anti-crime funds be made available to communities instead of to the criminal justice system which has failed to meet the problem of crime. He emphasized that there is a lack at Black people in the police departments White power literature invade* Beaverton school A flier published by the National Socialist W hite Worker's Party claiming “There is a race war going on in America” and asking white students to fight for "white power”, has been circulated in Highland Park intermediate school in Beaverton. The pamphlet was given to a student at a pool hall. The student took it to school to show his teacher and either the teacher or - student duplicated it, making at least eight copies available. These copies were circulated among the seventh and eighth grade students. It was not until approximately a week later that it was brought to the attention of Ms. Verna Bailey, Human Relations Specialist for the Beaverton school Dis trict. Ms. Bailey was especially concerned about the literature which vilifies Blacks and Jews, because there are no minority teachers in the district and few minority students. "I was afraid that no one would interpret the contents of the material for the students, and there are no Black people and few Jewish people to offset the stereotypes in the material. There is no information in the curriculum about the history and culture of Black and Jewish people.” Although Ms. Bailey was finally ad vised of the material a week ago, no decision has been made on a plan to offset its influence. “I t came up in the science .-I«»» and there was a discussion of the legality of distributing this type of material, but little done in terms of the content. Ms. Bailey met with the staff and administration and they are going to consider doing something in the language arts or social studies classes. They are to let her know their decision.” Similar material for the Nasi party has been found at the scene of violence - in Cleveland and Los Angeles, where Blacks have been murdered. “I was upset to learn that the same material to being uisiribuLeu in Beaverton, and among 7th, 8th and 9th graders.” The material, claiming white men, women and children are being murdered, tortured and raped by Communist Jewish led Blacks claim Blacks are commiting “war crimes” against White Americans. “The aim of the terrorists in America to the same as that in Southern Africa : To replace White control with Black control.. Now, White America to faced with exter mination from an army of Jew-led Black zombies and mongrqlized commie dogsl” and in corrections. In support of police - community relations efforts he said that police officers must learn that "You have to give respect if you want respect.” He advocates immediate attention to formu lating a stringent policy on police use of arms since many Blacks are shot by police officers. Other areas th a t need attention if young people are to be detered from crime are the inadequacies of the school system and television violence. As important is setting a proper example. White collar crime and governmental corruption cost the nation far more than “street crime." Brown recommended that Btock people take the responsibility to get out the message that crime will not he tolerated in the community. He called on all Blade organizations to come together and add- re tt thtoltoobtom. v Commissioner Charles Jordan told the group that one of the greatest failings of Blacks in positions of leadership to their inability to censor other Blacks who are doing wrong. “The tendency is to come on for Blackness and not to look at it in terms of right or wrong.” Explaining that the Black official fears being ostracized or being called an “U ncle Tom”, he looks the other way. "This is wrong. How much do you turn your back because they are Black?” Jordan said an example is lack of code enforcement in the Model Cities area, which allows the neighborhood to deteriorate. "If codes aren't enforced and the neighborhood is junky, it fosters crime. When someone wants to tear down a ear they go to Southeast or Northeast Portland where a car parked on the wrong side of the street, being torn down, won't be noticed.” Black people are not eager to speak out against crime, he-explained, but tend to it. ITE 5T Ü Ü E N ISÎ /POWER Î T E V ‘ v< •s w THE FUTURE CAN BE YOURS! IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO FIGHT FOR IT. The political edge of Carter's human rights sword by Franz by Ut/ssea Marshall Women are God's gift to earth. They are beautiful, not only on the outside, but on the inside, too. Brenda J. Knapper, an interesting, intelligent, and beautiful lady is an example. Brenda to A Taurus. H er favorite activities include travelling, listening to Gospel Choirs, and working with the contest a n ti of the Junior Miss Black Oregon Pageant. Brenda to a Sales Representative. H e r future plans are: "Only to m a in ta in a positive mental attitude." She wants a fam ily of two. If she has a g irl she will name her Cora, after her mother. Her description of her ideal man to - "One that also enjoys travelling, the outdoors, and doesn't mind being pampered. M y ideal man also has to be ambitious and concerned about my career goals.” “SHE’S SWEETER THAN HONEY” (PNS)--The sharp human rights thrust of the Carter Administration's foreign policy-dramatically symboltoed in the President's recent letter to Soviet dissi dent Andrei Sakharov and his meeting with Vladimir Bukovsky-to. for all its moral concern, thoroughly rooted in the hardnosed world of politics. Despite Carter's public denunciation of the Kissinger tactic of “linkage" trading off one issue for another-the current U.8. push for human rights to inextricably linked to the basic principle of East West relations spelled out in the Helsinki agreements of 1975. That agreement signified Western re nunciation of any interference in the affairs of Soviet cont rolled Eastern Europe. Carter’s embrace of the Soviet dissidents signals a break with that policy A t the same time Carter appears confident that the Soviet's urgent desire for a swift agreement on a SA LT I I pact will prevent the human rights question from undermining strategic military negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. If this proves so, Carter will have broken with one of Kissinger's behind- the-scenes linkages, that of human rights with "progress on SALT.” In its place, he will have created anew one of his own-linking human rights with the re lationship between Western and Eastern Europe. The human rights thrust comes at a time when Western Europe again looms as a key U.S. foreign policy issue due to the growing influence of West European communist parties and the need for a re organization of NATO. But it also comes at a time of delicate problems in Soviet foreign and domestic affairs. A t home, its 10-year economic plan- adopted just last year-to in trouble. Overall economic performance in 1976 was one of the poorer since World W ar II. Abroad, the Soviets face serious unrest in Eastern Europe and are engaged in a frustrating search for a solution to their quarrel with China. Washington has put China policy on the back burner, to the relief of the Soviets, who remember the Nixon/Kissinger tactic of manipulating the Sino-Soviet conflict to the advantage of the U.S. But the relief gained on the Soviets' eastern front to offset by the frustrations on their western front, where they now face U.S. “meddling" in their domestic and backy ird affairs. The U.S. human rights campaign di rectly encourages East German, Czech, Polish and Soviet dissidents a t a time when the populations of those countries are increasingly restless over deteriorat ing economic conditions. Some see this campaign as a deliberate attempt at destabilisation. In fact, it consitutes a repudiation of the spirit of the ”8onnenfeldt Doctrine.” which reeag- nized the Soviets' “organic relationship" to Eastern Europe. That doctrine im plied that the West would recognise Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe, and refrain from interfering in Eastern E u r opean affairs. In exchange, the Soviets were expect ed to stay out of Western European affairs, interpreted as meaning no partici pation by communist parties in West European governments. The Helsinki Agreement, coming up for review in Belgrade thia summer, formalized that doctrine and added the provision that all parties would respect essential human rights. Carter has now seized on that provision to insert a legitimate eredge into the “organic relationship” of the Soviets to Eastern Europe. The human rights rsmpstgn openly encouraged by Washington-highUghta the delicate East European relationship to the Soviet Union. Already, sceording (continued on P.3 col.l)
