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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 1977)
f/ v " 2 Portland Observer r. J u M ». iv r r ■Ci We see the world through Black eyes The racism of neglect The Portland School Board spent three hours on Monday night attempting to determine whether several communities in the Madison district hod really reached a consensus of opinion on plans for attendance changes in their elementary schools. The final outcome of the discussion was to oik the area office to provide evidence that the community has been informed of prossibie effects in other schools and that it is in agreement with the plan. No such consideration was given to the parents of students of Boise and King schools. Board member Jonathan Newman has proposed a plan to halt increasing Black enrollment at Jefferson, which is now at 45 8 percent. This plan, if adopted by the Board, will prevent students at Boise and King attendance areas who live in the Jefferson area from attending Jefferson. Worse than that, it assigns them to no high school. Where in this large school district is there a neighborhood that doesn't have a high school? Although the student might not chose to attend the high school serving the area in which he lives, he does have that option. These Boise and King area students will not have that option — they must look for a high school somewhere else. And its not as simple as it sounds — they cannot go to any high school which has over the district's average of minorities - 18 percent. This means these students cannot go to Adams, Grant or Washington...and in a few years they won't be able to go to Madison or Lincoln. And to top it all off...this will be called "voluntary desegregation". Another prediction of many Black citizens will also come to pass. The highly financed magnet programs at Jefferson will no lonaer be open to Black students because their enrollment will be kept to the district average, currently 18 percent. What is the difference between these two communities? Why are the opinions of the parents in the Madison district so important when the parents of Boise-King are ignored? This is a very simple case of racism through neglect. The district must desegregate its schools. Jefferson is over 51% minority and apparently the magnet programs ore not bringing in enough white students to keep the percentage below the State's requirement of 50% The alternative - no more Blocks. Desegregation is essential. We don't quarrel with that. But we would like to see less commitment to numerical percentages and more attention to individual children. Perhaps the parents and citizens of the Block community should be consulted about the desegre gation process. We would like to know what happens to these children. What preparations are made in the receiving schools; what demands are made on receiving school staff; what educational and social benefits acrue to these students who year after year bear the burden of the district's desegre gation program? Mandatory sentencing perpetuates racism of HJR 68 are adopted by the people in a House Joint Resolution 68 - Minority Repart 91 - passed the Oregon House last Wednesday by a vote of 41 to IK The bill, aa aawadmsnt to the Oregon Constitu tion. will bow bo considered by the Senate Committee on Revenue and School Finance. Some of the major feature« of the bill include the creation of tax bases for each school district baaed oa “not operating expenditures." These tax bases would ho in effect if the provisions ------ - J - » KM9CK1 n r n n n e a r 1 few '<->« I’tlJ v IIJIW — TI a o , 1977. HJR 68 would provide a school district with aa operating budget, but would prohibit oxeaoa expenditures without approval of local voters. State Basic School Support monies would bo used as an offset to the tax base, thus assisting the local district in lowering property taxes. The Senate also is considering House . u O ' -, o ■■ ' SW3 Bill 8206. which would revise the School Support formula and increes level of state aid. There to ( regarding the formula to ho used fur equalisation. Currently, boato achool support monies are distributed te dist ricts on the basis of 80 pen coots aad »0 percent for Proponents of HB 3209 would like a greater percent of state monies to ho used for equalisation between “wealthy districts” end “puer districts." Pro and Can: U.S. w ithdraw al from K W A SH IN G TO N - Despite the fears of soma senior members of Congress. Presi dent Carter is continuing with his plan to withdraw U.S. Ground troops from South Korea. Last month a largely sypathetic House subcommittee heard tram Major General John K. Singlaug. the top military officer in South Korea who was removed from his post by Carter for tolling a reporter that the administration’s withdrawal plan would lead to a new war. But the same day Signlaub was testify ing ou Capitol Hill. Carter envoys were tolling South Korean President Park Chung Has that the President was determined to remove U .8 . ground forces from South Korea within the next four or five years. U.S. A ir Force squadrons will rem ainin the country. TW$ House Armed Services Committee to expected to ask members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to give their opinions of the Carter plan later thia month. But technically, the w ithdraw aljsmtod^not tries in steel, shipbuilding, electron«, chemical industrias. And they have a much greater access to the Western insustriakxed democracies for advanced equipment and technology." The President's supporters argue that the vital U.S. contribution to South Korea's defense to airpower. which can ba rapidly reinforced by other U.S. air units in the Pacific. The air power will provide both a symbol of the U.S. security guarantee and military assistance ÍB ***** of attack. Aad perhaps more important, the air units would avoid the risk of automatically entrapping th p United States in say new conflict. If North Korea today were to maaa its numerically superior tanks »«d pianos to plunge across the border toward the South Korean capítol ot Seoul, only SO mflaa south, the 14,000 mon of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division would he blocking their path. The Pr ssidsnt weald have only a short time - if any to decide whether to commit the force or withdraw it. Careful weighing of the opttano an with congress prehaUy would ba i Among the bills currently being considered by the Oregon State Senate, are three bills that would require mandatory minimum sentences. HB 2013 would allow the sentencing judge to set a mandatory minimum prison sentence equal to one-half of the maximum sentence in all felony convictions. HB 3041 would require mandatory minimum prison sentences for all crimes where the defendent was in possession of a gun during the crime. This legislation also contains an escalator clause that would increase the required prison term for each subsequent offense: 2 years for the first offense; 5 years for the second offense; 10 years for the third offense; and life inprisonment for the fourth offense, offense. HB 2011 would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years for certain types of murder opposing it would have to light a backfire of public opinion to keep the troops in and life sentence without possibility of parole for South Korea. other types of murder. Should U.S. ground forces ba wttb- The stated purpose for these bills is to reduce crime, both by imposing a threat of penalty that would deter the potential criminal and by putting ffia tlJB. pubhe away repeaters. South Koran's population to more than support another Aston war, particularly Much of the general public believes that crime is twice as large m North Korea's (84.6 not one for the government of Park committed by a few "career criminals". Actually, 54 millim, va. 16.3) and bar economy to four Chung Hen. percent of the felonies in Oregon are committed by times u prosperous. "The American people will net tolerate In defending his plan last month, our fighting another land war in Korea," juveniles. Of 100 felonies reported to the police, Proaiiiont Carter pointed out that South insists Representative James P. Johnson there are only 19.4 arrests, resulting in less than one g m — has "maaatvo, very healthy indue- (R.-Colo.). "So why do we not accept that prison commitment. Of those sentenced to adult penal institutions, 64% have no prior record. When you include white collar crime and crimes against famly and friends, the so-called "career criminal" is of miniscule threat to the general public. These statistics demonstrate that longer prison sentences will have little effect as a crime deterahl. The effect passage of the bills would have, in addition to the need to build several maximum security prisons, wbuld be destruction of those committed to the prison. Since, according to the Oregon C6n$titution, incarceration is for the purpose of rehabilitation, the ideal for mast offender» would be a short term crash program to become self-sufficient and productive. This would have to include counseling, medical care, education and vocational training as well as drug or alcohol treatment. The prisoner would have to know that "rehabilitation" would mean release. This is not the case in Oregon. The people have not seen fit to fund a system that might have some potential for success. The only effect long terms without hope for early release will have is to increase the frustration and hopelessness of the long-term prisoners. There would be no reason for long-term prisoners to co operate with prison officials or to participate in the few programs that are offered. Their presence would be detrimental to the short-term prisoners, so they would have to be separated and "•..urehoused" The 14,000-m an U.S. 2nd Infantry Division an maximum security prisons. None of this could be is stationed north of Seoul. U.S. Phantom of any benefit to them or to society when they are jets are based a t Osan and Kunsan. finally released. The other effect of mandatory minimum sentences would be to further punish those who are at the mercy of incompetent attornies, since those who ore properly represented would have a far better chance of avoiding conviction. The bills would also perpetrate the rocism now existing in the judicial system. At least the Black defendant who gets a forty or fifty year sentence to as well as city representatives, with the prison due to institutional or overt racism has a To The Editor: Chairman Clark’s and Mayor Gold chance for parole. If these bills are passed, we will schmidt's agreement, because moat of our I am responding to an article entitled find the prisons filled with Black men who never hod city appointees were quite recently the opportunity for fair treatment by the judicial "GUcreaae resignation multiplies conspir eriee" in the Portland Observer of May system. M y highest priority for PMSC and the North and South Korea fact and get on with the gradual with drawal?" Calling the Park regime “one ot the moot vicious, one of the moot corrupt regimes in the poot-Worid W ar I I ora," Representative John Krebs (D.-Cahf.) also supported the move "to signal to the rest of the world that we moan what we say when «HT talk shout human rights." Con: I Opponents of troop withdrawal that the continued presence of the U.8. 2nd Division in Sooth Korea to crucial as a symbol of the U.S. commitment to that country. They contend that air uaito based well south of the border do not suffice u such a deterrent symbol. "The North Korean big fltol with Mr ¡'a way’, i t would take a * UJ5. national derision to com mit them to battle,” argues retired Army General G. StfiwuB, former chief of the Korean «"— »“ 4 Whan ha testified oa Capitol HUI tost Gaaaral Staglanb noted th at the 2nd Division to strategically placed dose enough to the harder to deter the North " ‘ the project ed front fine th at ft would not automatic ally become entangled in combat at the would retain full freedom to weigh his commit the force or not as he Opponents also argue that South Ko rea. Japan and other U.S. allies in Asia would be likely to infer from a ground withdrawal that the United States wavering in tits commitment to South Korea. They vividly remember the U A withdrawal from Vietnam and the fo g tlM in 1978. And although opponents do darn the domestic repression of the Park re g im e nor dismiss the importance of human rights aa a U A fornighn policy interact, they eel the strategic risks of a Korean withdrawal outweigh the moral and political benefits of cutting off Park. “The issue io the security of the Unitod States and the strength of its alliances with those friendly countries in the Pacific basin." argued Representative David C. T ra m (R.-La.) ia opposing the troop withdrawal. " I do not m y the issue of human rights aa a U .8 . foreign policy interest, they foal the strategic risks of a Korean withdrawal outweigh the moral and political benefits of cutting off Park. "The tosuo to the security of the United States and the strength of its alliances (with thorn friendly countries in the Pacific basin," argued Representative David C. T ra m (R. -La.) in opposing the troop withdrawal. " I do not say the i of human rights in Korea to not ant. but I think it is a different issue. Id o not think wo should cloud the issue of Amriean Security with that kind of aide © 1977, Congressional Quarterly Inc. JjtÜMt tO tfo &ÍÜM McCready pleads not guilty ®i«rrr CROSSTOW N P U Z Z L E 1st Portland Observer O NPA 1973 Published every Thursday by E xie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth. Portland, Oregon 97217. M ailing address: P .0 . Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 9720B. ^telephone 283-2486. 1st Place t Ad Based ONPA 1973 Subscriptions: $7.50 per year in the Tri-County area. $8.00 per year outside Portland. 5th I Editorial N N P A 1973 I does Postage Paid at A L F R E D L. HENDERSON 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 rite r or subm itter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Nstiowsl Advertising Representative obUshers. Inc New York MEMMR MEMOCR O re g o n Newspaper Publishers Association 1 O fc W Association - Founded IM S N N A 1973 M l O NTA 1975 26,1977. 1 would like the opportunity to clarify some information in that article. You state that. "There are also indica tions that the powerplaying extends beyond the PMSC Board to the local government level, involving City Com miaatooor, Connie McCready." In fact, at the meeting you mention in the article, I made every attempt to it dear that I was not going to get involved in the decision-making of the Board despite the requests that were to me by Board members to do just Yes, I was asked to take action and I said, " It’s not my position to do so, it's the Board's. As you know from the letter written to me by Cleveland Gilcreaae an J published in your edition of May 17, 1977. he that we meet together. No did I get that letter on my desk than the pram waa calling me asking for a response to his resignation. Then a day later they were calling me to ask my to the Board « request that he I felt that the fairest way to ■toy in these cases was t do so based on knowledge, and that the appropriate way to find out what waa happening was to call on the people we appointed to ait oa the PMSC Board. I invited the county people who deserve its services is that the beet possible use of the money is achieved. As long as I am voting on whether to appropriate money to PM8C I will take that responsibility seriously and so what I can to make sure the people's needs are met. Sincerely, Connie McCready Commissioner of Public Works wm 1 KFT WM K W CenSM« r m p m « VA |,h « ,k y au r ph an a b a a k ) a r Subscriba to The Portland Observer Tri-County area * 7 .0 0 Address C ity . other araaa 0 8 .0 0
