e
Portland
From behind the wall
by Larry Baks
Sahan, O.S.P.
i Asked Of The
Axe:
O8P
1. la there a difference between the
Black Inmate« at O.8.P. and thoee in
other prisons?
What advantage« or disadvantages are
there for Black« at O.S.P.7
When naked to state my opirion con
cerning the difference between the a tti
tude« of Black prisoners at Correctional
Training Facility (Soledad). California, I
find it to be unfair, to rnyaelf. to the Black
men here and thoee in California prisons.
One cannot aak an incarcerated man to
give an opinion of another fellow prison
er. To me it's like asking me to judge and
I can not bring myself to judge another
Black man even when I personally dislike
him.
Instead of judging attitudes of Black
men I would like to atate a few facts
concerning the difference in prison con
ditions. In doing this I hope to enlighten
the readers as to what causes so much
frustration, bitterness and resentment
towards the establishment here at Ore
gon State Prison and at Soledad prison as
a personal experience. Keep in mind that
prisons have only one main function and
it's not to rehabilitate like the establish
ment wants society to believe. The only
function of a prison is to punish.
Each State has its own form of punish
ment. First I wil! show you California's
then 111 show Oregon's prisons are no
more than big businesses with the com
modity consisting of human flesh. Like
any business there’s a man in charge - in
this case it is the warden or in modern
terms, the Superintendent. There is a
chain of command until you come to the
worker, in this case, the prisoner. There
are a variety of methods one can use in
order to control a large group of men, one
is fear and another is pacification. Cal
ifornia uses pacification. In return for
things like being a good inmate one is
ie =
Washington. D.C. to very flexible. The
majority of its population to Black. The
ethnkity status to, 1990 Blacks, five
Caucasians, three Chicano«, and two
What one fails to realise concerning the
native Americans. Consequently, any
true definition of confinement, la that it
remains inferior. Freedom to an Individ thing moving within their channels are
ual's state of mind; in which his acuity to Black sovereign. But, the opportunities
are very vast; counseling, that an inmate
focused on. M y name to Kenny Anderson,
supercedes his askew ways, and motivate
28 years of age; and doing a 7 year
his constructive potentialities. As com
sentence for armed robbery.
I am
pared to O.S.P., well, every Black inmate
originally the product of Washington,
here is cognizably considered ignorant.
D.C.’s own ghetto.
But, ignorance comes in more than one
Generally speaking, the institution in
subtle color.
allotted certain benefits. By that I mean
Back in Washington, D.C., one can be
this, if an inmate to assigned to a job and
assured of at least receiving qualified
in the performance of his assigned duty
training, contrary to Oregon. The only
he does well he's given all the benefits.
benefit an inmate can be reassured of in
He to permitted to remain out of his cell
O.S.P. to animalistic traits, or infinite
until ten-thirty at night, one ten minute
periods of incarceration for many debili
phone call a week, television in his cell,
tating years.
I t ’s very deleterious,
radio, stereo record player, personal
besides being annihilating to a man's
clothe« sent from home or bought
spirit.
through the prison canteen (store), un
The time structure to basically the
limited visiting list, unlimited visits one
same though; but, one can live in reconcil
can receive per month, movies once a
iations of his optimisms of functioning
week, and conjugal visits with legal wife
once again in society. I hear that Oregon
or immediate family members - just to
has a matrix or point system where
name a few.
Now compare that with the fear meth inmates are adjudged from zero to
whatever. Then, if this was the case, you
od of control used by Oregon State
can believe that inmates are being judged
Prison. Here you have only two things - a
through speculation, presum ption,
battery operated radio and one pair of
assumption, and aberration. Consequent
street shoes. One works without pay on
ly, if one has been convicted of numerous
most jobs and if you refuse you more than
crimes, whether petty or felonious, his
likely go to the hole. A man spends about
optimisms are very much a ressurected
14 hours a day in his cell. There are
pessimisms because he may never walk
limited visits and vtoitng lists, no conjucal
on Mars again.
visits.
In other words you are not
In D.C., one has a liberal system and a
allowed to do anything unless staff tell
law was just handed down requiring that
you to.
inmates become eligible to transitional
I’ve tried to give a brief picture of how
releases after completing one-fourth ( 'A)
frustrating, resentful and bitter a man
can become after serving long periods of of their minimum sentence.
But let me reiterate this aspect - there
time in Oregon's Prison as compared to
are repeaters acts similar to habitual
California. . I ’m not saying one is any
better than the other because to me as criminal acts. The imperative difference
through, to that an inmate can be afforded
long as I ’m confined I'll never applaud
an opportunity to exist once again in
any place which confines human beings
society providing that his present per
and calls it rehabilitation. To me there
isn’t a single solitary place on this earth formance to in the direction of reforma
which is worse than a prison cell and as tion. Normally, not too many receive this
nemesis unless they have been a typical
long as I remain behind these bars I ’ll
infidel for profound periods.
never think of myself as a prisoner
I ’m not at all an expert on this matrix
because one is only a prisoner as long as
system, but I ’m very far from being a
his mind is.
novice in this game of chance. The odds
are verily against every crook; whether
petty or white-collar. I ’ve seen what this
system can do to a man; subsequently it
broadened my perception and made me
see way down the road; and. its not
getting any better, so uncross your
fingers and unwind that Nazi emblem.
We’re all here in this abyss of hell.
by Kenny
Thursday. May 12. 1677
37245
Rougeau takes Labor post
Weldon Rougeau. Legislative Assist
ant to U.S. Senator Bennett Johnston,
was appointed Director of the Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Programs
in the Department of Labor.
The
announcement was made in Washington
b ., *>> Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall.
' —
Rougeaia 34wg. native of Lake Charlee,)iC(i
Louisiana. will direct the administration
of laws requiring firms with federal
contracts and subcontracts to provide
equal employment opportunities for
minorities, women, handicapped workers
and Vietnam-era veterans.
As a Legislative Assistant to Senator
Johnston. Rougeau had responsibilities
on the Senate Budget Committee, A fri
can affairs, constitutional rights, finance,
education, government operations, aging,
and minority business.
“As secretary of labor," Marshall said,
"one of my highest priorities to to
strengthen and upgrade the enforcement
of the equal employment opportunity
Weldon Rougeau
programs. The appointment of Weldon
Rougeau as the Director of OFCCP to an
important step toward accomplishing
in Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia during
that goal. I am confident that he will give
the early 1960’s.
the Federal Contract Compliance Pro
Rougeau, who was active in the 1960's
grams the kind of firm direction that it
civil rights movement, was arrested and
needs."
jailed in December 1961 and January
Before joining Senator Johnston's staff
1962 during sit-in demonstrations in
Rougeau was an attorney with Simmons
Baton Rouge, La., and was expelled from
and Aulston, a New Orleans law firm. He
Southern University. He subsequently
has also served as Director of the
received an S.B. degree in Sociology from
Citizenship Education Department of the
Loyola University (Chicago) in 1967 and a
National Urban League; Director of the
J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in
Voter Education Project of Southern
1972. He and his wife Shirley Ann have
Regional Council; and Field Secretary of
four children and live in Wheaton, M ary
the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
land.
Some have weakened, corrupted and
become oblivious. But, for thoee who are
men, be as you are. This to the enmity of
life and the genesis of a resurrected
nightmare.
Behold! the ones that reject my conten
tions are the ones being warehoused
without any knowledge of it. Its plain as
day and night, but yet, very oblivious to
so damn many.
A b o u t 7 0 piece« o f w ood ere used to msks e violin.
AOZfLL’S
Something New
by Pete Austin Jr. 39023
Breakfast Served AN Day
BLACKS B A N N E D IN OREGON
Fair trials have been banned in
Oregon for over three hundred years in
regard to Blacks.
Society says "Not
true," we the victims say very true.
I have done time in Arizona, Texas,
New Mexico and California. The worst
jails I have ever been in are Oregon,
Texas and New Mexico. Oregon is better
is one respect, you don't have to fight for
your food like an animal. I have never
been harrassed anywhere else as much as
in this state. I will not elaborate on my
personal case, even though if I had been
“white”, I would have gotten a better
deal.
“Wake up” Black people of Oregon!
This whole thing has gotten completely
out of hand. Look around you out there in
the free world. How many families are
without their mate? How many more
mother's sons, and husbands and fathers
are going to be so neatly tucked away
here at O.S.P. before you take “Action".
I f you only knew. Blacks in Oregon are
programmed to stay in their place. Have
you noticed that not many Blacks are
even downtown except for waiting for a
bus. The reason for this is that when you
cross the river you are on “white man's
land".
Blacks are harrassed and even arrested
for standing on a corner in downtown
Portland. I know. I t has happened to me.
I have lived and worked in Oregon for
five years and still can't believe what is
coming down on Black men and women
here. In California where I was born and
raised a person is naturally innocent until
proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In Oregon you are automatically guity if
Black and you had better have at least
twenty witnesses to prove you are not
guilty, and these days that jnight not be
enough.
Black peoples rights are being violated
every day. I must stand up for mine.
“Freedom and justice for all,” who are we
trying to fool!
OPEN 8 :00 a.m. to MIDNIGHT
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
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Bob Nelson
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we help you
G R O W ..
Workshop discusses energy
An up-to-the-minute “Report to the
People“ on how the Oregon Legislature is
responding to the energy crisis will be
presented at the Oregon Museum of
Science and Industry on Tuesday evening
May 17th, at 7:90 p.m.
On hand for thia timely presentation
will be Dr. Fred Miller. Director of the
Oregon Department of Energy (DOE);
W alt Pollock. Director of the DOE's
Energy Conservation and Resource Dev
elopment program; and Margery Harris,
a conservation specialist with DOE. The
panel report to sponsored by the OM SI
Energy Center.
The report will focua on bills before the
current legislative session which deal
with energy conservation and develop
ment of energy resources in the atate.
The bills touch on three major areas of
concern - financing and tax incentives for
home weatherization; lighting standards
for public buildings; and the development
of alternative energy sources, including
solar, wind, and geothermal energy. One
interesting piece of proposed legislation
focuses on biomass conversion, a leaser-
known energy alternative.
D r. Fred M iller has been Director of
Oregon's two-year-old Department of
Energy since October, 1976.
Before
joining DOE, he was a Special Assistant
for Transportation Policy Research and
Special Studies at the Oregon Depart
ment of Transportation. He has also been
an economic consultant to the Oregon
State Highway Department and manager
of the Program Analysis and Economics
Services Division of the Department of
Transportation.
W alter Pollock joined the Department
of Energy upon its formation in 1975 and
has been responsible for the Energy
Conservation and Resource Development
program since January of thia year. From
1972 to 1976, he was on the staff of the
Oregon Nuclear and Thermal Energy
Council, a predecessor to DOE.
Margery Harris has been with the
Oregon Department of Energy since
September 1976. Her responsibility, in
part, to to monitor the activities of the
Legislature on energy related matters.
The “Report to the People" on energy
and the 1977 Oregon legislature will take
place in OMSI's Main Auditorium on
Tuesday evening, May 17. at 7:90 p.m.
O M SI Members will be admitted free of
charge. There will be a 12 admission fee
for non-members, and 61 for students.
For further information, call the O M 8I
Energy Center, 2484920.
Cal Ta
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