rs
î
Portland ü b e r v t f
Thuraday.
Is the Hessin beer
We see the worl
by Cfaft
through Black eyes
La« ta a k a n ta tha
boHs ef eAecetiee?
$« „,* [M |S rMrtors
According to press reports it was Governor Straub
and the superintendent of the state police who kept
their heods and prevented potential violence at the
Trojan nuclear plent during last weekend's demon
strations. Reportedly, PGE officials colled for immed
iate arrests when the gates were blacked by
demonstrators last Saturday but Governor Straub
denied state police participation until at least
Monday The arrests took ploce - non-violently -
early Monday morning.
The Governor's action was especially commend
able in light of the well-organized opposition to the
demonstration - opposition in the form of telephone
calls to PGE and to public officials demanding
punishment to the fullest extent of the law.
We must not forget that this country was born
through civil disobedience and most of its civil rights
and human rights progress has been made through
legal and illegal protest.
Those who are willing to be arrested and go to jail
for a principle deserve our respect.
The Oregon open meetings taw and open records
taw will work only if public officials let them work
and the people make them work.
After State Senator Die O oener alleged that th»
Port of Portland hod kept a report on one of the
potential bidders on its drydock project secret, Lloyd
Anderson, the Port’s executive director, said he sow
no value in the public hearing the details of "every
stupid subject that the commission might discuss."
This «s reminiscent of a recent letter from School
District attorney Mark AAcC’anohon. circulated to
School Board members and staff. The letter, which
was in regard to McClonohon's earlier opinion that
minority set-asides are illegal, asked that the letter
be kept confidential because there had already been
too much discussion of the issue in the press —
discussion which could be of no benefit.
This policy of secrecy and fear of public scrutiny is
one of the district's major problems. A little bit of
honest and open communication could do a world of
good, but based on the Board meeting of July 25th,
this is not going to happen.
Rank McNamara's remarks at that meeting bared
what may well have been an infraction of the open
meeting law, a law that states that no decisions may
be mode by a public body except m public meetings.
McNamara stated that he hod discussed with
Superintendent Robert Blanchard the Superinten
dent's intention to change his recommendation on
the Newman plan, to defer the Jefferson High
School section until January and allow certain
community organizations to make recommenda
tions. Since Jonathan Newman changed his proposal
to meet Dr. Blanchard's recommendation, we know
that these two hod also discussed the matter
We must assume that Glodys McCoy, who octi vety
lobbied for the Newman plan, and Chairman Robert
Ridgley were in the know. That is a minimum of four
Board members who participated in the change.
Now if these board members discussed this issue
either in person or by telephone and reoched the
conclusion that they should follow the Superintend
ent's recommendation — then the open meetings law
was broken.
Judging from their behavior at the Board meeting
— there were no questions, no discussion — there
were no surprises.
We suggest that the members of the Board of
Education provide an explanation to the people how
such a momentous decision — one that hod been
called impossible by Board members Newman and
McCoy and Superintendent Blanchard only days
earlier — could have been reoched without discus
sion.
The people have the right to know whether their
elected representatives are obeying the law.
Labor ban coatractor
The Carter Administration has barred the Ingersoll
Milling Machine Company of Rockford, Illinois, from
all federal contracts for alleged discrimination
ogoinst women and minorities. This is the first
company to receive such a strong penalty, but
occordmg to Labor Secretary Ray Morsholl, other
companies ore slated for similar action.
Not too long ago, the Treasury Department barred
a Texas bank from all participation in federal
deposits.
These octions are in keeping with Jimmy Carter's
orders that all federal departments and ogencies be
alert to and elimiate discrimination.
President Carter's detractors, those who say all he
has done is appoint Blocks to a few jobs, should
realize that those Black people in crucial positions
are the ones who will make these kinds of actions
possible. Placing Blacks in positions where they have
control over programs and funding will do more in
the long run than a few more social programs.
It takes a while to replace oil those top and middle
level positions in government, but this is gradually
being accomplished and when it is completed we
will find government more responsive to those it is
supposed to serve.
L
P N S - Somalia’s apparent switch from
staunch S o v^ t ally to potential U.S. arms
recipaent strikingly urxferscores not just
the Byzantine nature of politics in the
H o m of Africa but the dilemma the
Soviets are facing in th eir hid for
influence across this continent
U n til recently. Somalia was regarded
as the Soviets’ only true "chest state" is
Africa. Strategically situated along the
Indian Ocean sea routes connecting
Europe w ith the Midoast. Africa and
Asia, this Texas sized country provided
the Soviets w ith key naval and air
facilities in exchange far all its arms.
But Somalia's revolutionary socialist
government quickly cooled on the alliance
when the Soviets began supplying arms
to its b itte r enemy Ethiopia afte r the
U.S.
N ow . w ith Somalia reportedly
phasing out its Soviet forces, the Somalis
may be receptive to President Carter's
recent offer of m ilitary assistance.
The immediate question for the Soviets
is w hether to w rite off th eir Somali
stronghold in favor of the far more
populous and potentially powerful -
though currently beleaguered - Ettata
pinna. But the fang term dilemma Soma
ha poms far the Soviets goes to the heart
of th eir entire African policy.
The Soviets have baaed th eir bid far
African power on tw o main tenets:
offering a preponderance of arms aid over
economic trade and assistance, and de
veloping efam relations w ith govern
m e n u of ideology similar to theirs. The
case of Somalia illustrates how fragile
such associations can bo.
W hile Soviet arms aid has been vital to
the Somalis, who are arming insurgents
in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, the
Souiahs have already been farced to turn
partially toward the W est in the difficult
job of building th eir economy.
A P « * - underdeveloped, largely deso
late b a d . Somalia is a former Italian
the ree le Africo?
colony that despite its wishes is still
dependent on the ex colonial powers of
the West far tra d e in livesloch and
b iflana«
is
to L a M s
advantage of i u 5.000 mile coastline to
expand Ha shipping trade and obtain vital
machinery, transport equipment, chemt
cals and fuel for a crash industnalixaticn
program.
W hile the Soviets have equipped the
Somali port at Berbers. funds from the
European Economic Community - which
Somalia has joined as an associate mem
her - have been crucial to building
deepwater facilities at the capital of
Mogadishu.
And Saudi Arabia. Somalia’s pre-Was-
tarn fellow Islamic neighbor across the
Gulf of Aden, has reportedly been a
major factor in wooing the Somalis away
from the Soviets by offering « 0 0 million
in economic aid.
I f the W est doss get a wedge in w ith
the Somalis, such an alliance could prove
far more durable
"The SovieU just don’t have the
economic clout or desire to be a big
economic factor in Somalia or anywhere
in A frica.* says Bob Price. Africa specia
list at the Institute of International Stu
dies at the University of California Ber
keley. " If the Somalis decide they no
longer need or can count on Soviet arms,
the SovieU w ill be out."
A similar satuatxm developed in Egypt
in 1972 when A nw ar Sadat, then supplied
m ilitarily by the SovieU. turned to the
W est instead in economic desperation.
And. Price predicts, "The same thing
w ill probably happen in southern Africa
when the fight against racism is over and
Soviet arms are no longer needed there.
Even the revolutionary socialist govern
m e n u w ill have to count on the W est, not
the SovieU. for economic trade."
The other basic Soviet tenet in Africa -
friendship through M arxist ideology -
suffers from the fact th at almost all
African soriahs
The Soviet Union, for instance, would
seem to he a natural tdeokepral ally of the
Somalis. But by the same token, so would
Somalia's leftist neighbor Ethiopia
actually iU worst enemy.
W hile Somalia pays official lip service
to socialist solidarity, it is far more
committed to iU dreams of a "greater
Somalia." including its territo ria l rb im s
to the eastern Ogaden region of Ethiopia
and the newly independent enclave of
Djibouti, which Ethiopia also covets.
The Somali flag, a five pointed star,
represents the five te rri'o n e s over which
Somalia b y s claim.
In these nationalistic fights. Somalia
can much more logically look for support
to i u Islamic brothers, including conser
vative Saudi Arabia and pro-Western
Sudan, than to ideological brothers like
the Soviet Union - or certainly Ethiopia.
Elsewhere in Africa, Angola and the
Shaba revolt in Zaire have amply demon
strated that the ideological aspects of
territo ria l disputes are far less important
than th eir capacity for disrupting the
usually fragile power bases of neighbor
ing countries.
Modern African governments, plagued
by internal rivalries and secessionist
m ovem enu spurred by artificial colonial
era boundaries, are struggling mainly not
far ideological purity but simple te r ri
torial survival.
"W e don’t even know the tru e political
color of revolutionary countries tike An
gob and Mosambique." says University
of Nairobi Professor Carl Rosburg.
Right now they're tryin g to consolidate
th eir power and have to rely on the
Cubans and Soviets.
Rhetoric g e u
confused w ith ideology.
Once these
societies become economically and politi
cally stable, then w e ll see how strong the
SovieU are in Africa."
IC b rk Karten,
b Afrfaa.)
Coficordia coma«Mty figlrts boasiag developaieat
(Continued from p. 6 cot. SI
; units on the area. The
that traffic flow
would double, that the addition for more
families would
bring a
need
far
increased police surveillance. and that
the neighboring schools would be impact
ed.
A fte r several meetings w ith the
community. H A P decided not to build.
That fall, the Concordia Neighborhood
A am riation conducted a poll <
O r th em responding. 40.7 p
as th e ir first preference t t
of 'a park on the re maining vacant
property. The second preference (3 0 5
percent) was far ream in g far single
famil y homes so the area would be u n ite r
to the surrounding neighborhood. Nearly
all «rare opposed to privately developed
apartm ent units.
In the meantim e. Russel! Dawson, the
area director of the Departm ent of
Houmng and Urban Development, sought
and received authority from the Secre
ta ry of H U D to sell the property and to
* ''i
or
use the proceeds of the sab to acquire
scattered sites for the construction of
pubbe housing.
Although the Neighborhood Associa
tion had been promised that it would be
informed of any changes in HAP*s plans
far the property, i u members learned of
the pending sab through the press. The
decision to sell was proposed by H A P
Chairman Fred Rosenbouw at the regular
H A P board meeting m March 9. 1977.
In M arch. Alvin Batiste. CC A presi
dent. asked Patricia Harris. H U D Secre
ta ry . to deny permission for the sab of
the property far apartm ent use.
The
local H U D office responded »hat the sab
w ill take place.
In A p ril. W ally P rie s tb y , a resident of
the Cooeordb area asked the C ity Council
to "down sone" the undeveloped property
so it could be used for single-family
housing only. In June. Batiste request
ed a hearing before the C ity Council
regarding disposal of the property.
The CC A contends that since the
property was first acquired by the city
(at no cost) for a park, and was later
taken by the federal government for
tem porary housing (again at no cost) it '
should now re v e rt to the city for use as a
park.
I f the city does not want the
property for th eir use. the Association
would not object to the property being
used for private homes.
They object to multiple-fam ily dwell
ings on the basis th at the neighborhood
already has enough apartm ent units, the
40 units at Dekum Court and a large
complex on Lombard - and further
development of apartm ents w ill detract
from the neighborhood environment.
The property, along w ith Dekum Court
and p rivately owned property on Lom
bard. is an bland of A 2 5 zoned land
surrounded by property zoned for singb-
fam ily homes.
A t a meeting of the Planning
held last Wednesday, the
i agreed to ra v b w the neigh
borhood’s request during the next sixty
days. A spokesman far H A P stated that
no sab would be made during th at tim e.
/i
is
Portland youth wins national scholarship
took place b many fro
tions. liberal eduators bave attem pted to
&
m a capitalist society, esters to the
m ajority; therefore, b school, achieve
eultural heritages tend to be ignored,
creating ap almost insurmountabb abyss
between the m ajo rity and the m inority.
As very young students b a rn , from
exposure in the classroom and reinforce
m eet from ro b models, that the tradi
tioual outcasts of the free enterprise
community (poor, unemployed, m inority,
handicapped, aged, etc.) are just as
warthy^ofequsl opportunity b education.
on the
business as the m ajority, capitalism may
prove to be the beet economic system.
Since the 1900s. when a cultural upheaval
of Justice
Al Hicks
Is ti
P ortland O b server
Published every Thursday by E r ie Publishing Company, 2201
North K ilhn g seo rth . Portland. Oregon 97217. M ailing address:
P O. Box 3137. Portland. ‘ Oregon 97206. Telephone 2 » 2 4 «
■Ï-,
K U t E D L. HENDERSON
I Class I
i Paid at P e rtb a d . Oregee
The P e rtb a d Observer's official position is expressed only is
its Publisher's column i W e See The W orld Through Black Eyes).
A ny other m aterial throughout the paper b the opinion of the
individual w riter or subm itter and does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the P s r tb a
N ew York
Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
Association
NWA? ER
excuse far discrimination in employment
was lack of education or experience, but
as amendments like the U.S. Civil Rights
A ct of 1904 are adopted, th em societies
are farced to examine the real reasons
why most working minorities, women,
sad children a ra employed in menial jobs.
Civil rights groups help stimulate inter
cultural awareness to free enterprise
societies and equal opportunities in edu
cation, recreation, the b w , housing, em
ployment. and polities. Pressure from
* U .8 . Commiaaioo on Civil Rights,
R adal I m b tis a b the P uM k Schseis.
Government Printing Office. Washing
too. D.C. 1907, p. 1.
Northwest M inority Contractors Association
O N P A 1973
(Continued from page 1 col. 5)
1st Pisce
e s t Ad R e m iti
ONPA 1973
Subscriptions$7 50 per year in the Tri-County area, « . 0 0 per
year outside Portland.
puptb, teaching thorn: although peopb
vary in appearance, beliefs, intelligence,
and talent, each person b essentially the
same and deserves the same chance far
happiness b lib .
In times prior, the
equal rights groups encourage local and
federal governments to provide financial
support to thorn who need it, so that
m otivated, disadvantaged students do
not feel defeated by unfavorabb econo
mic conditions.
Prejudice attitudes must be »tim in g
ed in young children through education, if
in the future, f r m enterprise «"-»rtfes are
to provide equal opportunity for all.
When everyone - regardless of race,
income, sex. physical condition, or rob
gw a - is given an equal level of education,
each citizen w ill have an equal opportu
nity to be successful and happy.
5th Place
Beet Editorial
N N P A 1973
I Award
NNA1973
O N P A 1975
m in ority workers in order to meet their
obligations for providing equal employ
ment opportunities.
F ortunately. Hicks doesn't have th em
difficulties all the time. But when non-
compliance or apparent discrimination b
found, eith er in construction projects or
elsewhere, he suggests citizens actively
seek redress through the appropriate
agencies. T h e media can abo play a
watchdog ro b , helping to safeguard the
rights of Americans that have been
established and guaranteed by b w .
M r. Hicks has received various awards
including the Outstanding Civil Rights
O fficer aw ard presented by the National
Council of M ino rity Consulting Engin
s e n , one from the W estern Association
e f M in o rity Consulting Engineers sod be
a im received an Outstanding Perform
sues Rating in M ay of 1970 from the
Regional Adm inistrator of E P A . He has
received awards far outstanding Federal
Service and a Certificate of Appreciation
from th e National Urban League.
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