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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1977)
2 Portland Thursday, ilcome the ’sinner«’ home W e see the world doubts as to through Black eyes Labor Day 1977 Next Monday is Labor Day, a day set aside to honor the nation's workers. This year finds us not only still in o period of high unemployment but also in a growing controversy over civil rights. The week of September 4th through 10th has been designated as "Full Employment Week" by a national coalition calling for no more than three per cent unemployment within two years. Unemploy ment still is a major problem in this country and effects ell phases of life. It impacts the crime rate, broken homes, business bankruptcy, health services, etc., etc. The affects of prolonged unemployment will be felt for another generation in loss of tax revenue needed for education, social programs and public works. The unemployment rate for Black young people has reoched an all-time high. The overall unemploy ment rate is 6.9 per cent which, although declining, is far too high. A number of new federal programs to deal with youth unemployment are in the beginning stages, but these are not enough. The profits of many American corporations are rising in spite of recession and inflation that have so drastically hurt most Americans. Why don't these companies — insurance, financial institutions, oil, utilities and others — use some of their excess profits to train and hire young people. They are the first to complain about "government give-awoys", so let them try some investment in the youth of the nation. As usually happens in a period when jobs are hard to find, Blacks and other minorities are last hired and first fired. In spite of this fact, those white workers who cannot find work or who do not get the advancement they would like see the few token Blocks the government forces private industry to hire and they become the scapegoats. Although Black unemployment is twice that of whites, and Blacks are still locked out of the more lucrative jobs and professional schools, whites are blaming their own fate on "reverse discrimination". What is even more discouraging is the lack of effort by the white press and the educational establishment to give the people the true facts about "equal employment opportunity" and "affirmative oction". Musicians expelled , For months — or is it years — the people of Portland have waited for the Downtown Mall to be finished. Many envisioned that this would bring a more festive atmosphere to the downtown core — with hotdog wagons and strolling musicians. But rather than encourage music amid the rushing, honking cars that make up the downtown scene, the BPA spoil-sports at City Hall cut off a Navy Band concert held in Terry Schrunk Plaza, between the federal office building and City Hall. The complaint came from the Bureau of Buildings, located in City Hail. Noise control officer Paul Herman reportedly said he liked the music but could hear it two blocks away. What now? Are we going to get rid of the bells that peal the hours downtown, the melody played at noon? Will there be no Rose Parade or no celebration if the Blazers win again? It's too bad when a few "public servants" can't sacrifice a little of their own comfort to allow others some enjoyment. 'Joint o[ Via» Equity and *Ravar»a Discrimination* from New National Black Monitor As so-called "reverse discrimination" cases mount before state and federal courts, expect the white press to directly and indirectly stock the cards against Black Americans. A case in point comes from a New York Timos special which notes blandly as follows concerning the program for restitution to the Untouchables (or Harijans) in India: "like reverse discrimination in the United States, the programs are often controversial in India." Here the Times' notice accepts the racist allegation of "reverse discrimination" as having value on its face and does not even set the term apart with quotation marks. Further, all Americans need to know that "com pensation for past inequities against the Harijans" is written into the federal constitution in India. That we in America have no such provision is a national travesty. All Black Americans should be familiar with — and hold onto — the following quote from classical legal literature concerning the need for, and the place of, equity and restitution which sophisticated racists ore calling "reverse discrimination". Aristotle wrote of the place of equity in public life: "Equity, though a higher thing than one form of justice, is itself just and is not geometrically different from justice. Thus, so for as both are good, they coincide, though equity is to be preferred. What puzzles people is that equity is not the justice of the law courts but a method of restoring the balance of justice when it has been tilted by the law ." (Ethics, Book V. Chapter 10). “the cost of power to the user becomes higher and it is more difficult to construct plants." “Under the route where Bonneville would be purchasing the power from these plants, the federal investment, valued now at $40 billion, would act as quite a backup for financing new plants if some means were found to get the financial capability of the Columbia River Power System in back of th em .” Durocher said the Federal system Northwest power goes south (Continued from page 1 column 6) include the Salt River Project, a large public utility in Phoenix, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Lower Colorado River Bureau of Recla mation. a federal agency whose role is similar to that of the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest. Construction of the line is expected to begin a year to eighteen months and costs are estimated by BPA officials at half a billion dollars. Target date for energize tion of the line was set by BPA in 1964. In a related development BPA also announced that the agency's Draft Envi ronmental Impact Statements on the Alumax aluminum plant and Phase Two of the BPA Hydro-Thermal Power Pro gram was approved by the Department of Interior. BPA said public meetings on the program would begin in a month. Ho talked about Jesus at this particular pTOO* OOnfBTMOB. H a **id , in *iib*t*nca, th at Jttam had aeeaptad thoaa who camo to his throne afte r hesitation and doubt. They came, th at was w hat was important - even though they eame late. In th e W ork comm unity’s struggle to gain respect and recognition from the Portland Public Schools, there are some who have taken a reluctant stance. There are influential people who have continued to w ork behind the scenes, attem pting to manipulate the forces of change in such a way as to fu rth er th eir own ends, regardless of the aims and desires of the people in this community. Among those Black people who have the education and influences to help insure our community w ill be hoard, th ere are some who have abdicated th eir responsibility. In view of this abdication, the tendency might be to retaliate; to strike against these individuals with the m ighty force of ostracism. I t seems almost natural to say. “I f they w ill not come forw ard to support our cause of educational opportunity for Black child ren, then we should not come forw ard to welcome them into our struggle - even though th eir sentiments may have changed.” The tendency to isolate, and ostricize those who have failed to stand up for g reater responsiveness to the concerns of Blacks in Portland's public education M D r. knowledge th at Ms. McCoy has cultivated carefully an image of silence and acquie scence when it comes to advocacy for Black people. She has seldom been known to apply the strong voice of her influence on behalf of the struggle of the Black community. And in the recent controversy over the School Board's plan to lim it Black enrollm ent a t Jefferson, Ms. McCoy's leadership was coaspidous- On June 17th, Education i Board of after for people by forcing citizens to w ait four hours before being allowed to testify, Ms. McCoy defended the so-called N e w man Plan. She emphasised th at it was educationally sound, and th at Black peo ple in this community would have to continue to carry the greatest burden for desegregation. To the surprise of some, she even thrust herself into the middle of the debate, saying “at our next meeting, perhaps I should take the leadership on this subject." In the interim , her mood changed. From a position of loud advocacy for the aspect of M r. Newm an's plan calling for Jefferson boundary changes, Ms. McCoy slid quietly into a position of invisible silence. On July 25th, she not only failed to take any leadership, she chase to any nothing a t all. I t was probably figured as a “no win situation." as the saying goes in politics. I f she spoke, given the momentum of opposition against the plan, she would have damaged her image irrepairably. I f she did not speak, given her eagerness at the previous m eeting, the apparent in consistency would have created even R obert ticed his degrading tones, his impatience, his scorn, his disrespect, and his refusal to r aco g iiiiq tha concern* of those who had labored many hours te make constructive comments to the Board. Nevertheless, W ally Priestley »as the lone member of the Board who had the courage to question the superin- tondont** ***coni” of tha citioan* attend- ing the July 25th meeting. Ms. McCoy remained silent. But now the period of silence seems to be taking a new form. I understand th at Ms. McCoy to actively seeking opportuni ties to share ideas and opinions w ith those involved in the school controversy. L ik e President C a rter afte r he had gained s hard earned nomination to run for the presidency, it seems most benefi cial to welcome all comers to the search for an improved means to implement desegregation policy in the Portland Public Schools. W hether they come late, or w hether th ey w ere present when the foundation fo r this particular struggle was being built, they should be accepted w arm ly and w ith a cooperative spirit. Ms. M cCoy, whose political experience is rem arkably diverse and whose roots in this community go very deep, can contri bute much to the new coalition of groups and individuals involved in studying Portland's desegregation iasuee. H er understanding, I am sure, is sufficient to add direction and strength to any city wide coalition on race and education. W hether late or early, anyone who wishes to join in this journey to improve racial harmony in schools should be and *ppPBCi*t*d. m to th E to n ------------ Guard* d ally w hile inmata dia*? T o the Editor: A man hung himself: Dennis Collins. The guards came in. cut him down. He was purple, he had stopped breathing. He had been dead several minutes. The last man had walked, the tie r orderly had swept. Ten minutes later several men on the tie r began yelling: “M an down! M an down! M an down!" The guard, a new guard, yelled back: “Hold it down!" Several minutes passed. Again men yelled: “M an down! M an down! M an down!" T he guard, a new guard, yelled beck: "W here's he at?” The new guard was told the man was in his cell. The guard finally figured out something was wrong. It's strange th at it took him so long to figure it out. He's usually fast. E v e ry night he pours our coffee; he's so fast th at he slops it all over o u r bars - night afte r night afte r night. Donald D anford «82828 Arab aid not going ta Africa T o th e Editor: T h a t the Black African states have become restive since entering the Arab sphere of influences because of unfulfilled pledges is not secret. They are saying th at of the $10 billion pledged by the oil-producing states to help the develop ing countries, the bulk has gone to other Moslem states, not to them. Aa one b itte r African a t the U .N . put it. the Arab's p e tro d o lla r "to aiming at having colonies in Black A frica”. Another charged bluntly th at the Arabs w ere tyin g th e ir willingnees to help the Black Africans w ith a solid lineup against I*rooL T he Black African said th at "p etro d ol lar diplomacy” practiced by the Arabs bought the African support for the Anti- Zionist resolution. The Africans, be said, could not care less about Zionism, which has been alien to th e ir own history (sad to the racism they have fought for centuries) o r care to continue to make the A rab fight against Israel th e ir own. Israel, to many of them , carried warm memories of the kind of aid they can not buy w ith dollars - petro - or otherwise. T he Organisation of Petroleum E xp o rt ing Countries (O PEC ) figures, ss reveal ad , by the . W o rld S an k , show th a t Iran (Moslem b ut not A rab ) contributed to the developing countries th ree tim es as much as Saudis A rabia. Libya, Ira q . K uw ait and the U nited A rab Em irates combined. M ore than 90 percent of the money from the O P E C states, th e Black Africans claim, has gone to E g yp t. Syria, India. Pakistan, and Bangladesh - and to the A ra b League members in A frica, or to the A frican states which have large Moslem populations. S. Norm an Course To «.he Editor: would essentially act as collators! and there would be a “requirem ent, then, on the Federal system to repay the rates... and all the current investment and earnings capability of the existing Fed eral system goes back as security on the bonds.” B P A officials cited the “inflationary cycle” th at has raised costs of building nuclear power plants the size of Oregon's 1100 m egaw att Trojan power plant to “over a billion dollars a copy.” Dan Schausten said, "W hen the Trojan plant was on the draw ing board in the late 1960’s the original price tag was $225 m il l i o n I t finally came in. when we began operating in 1975. just under $500 million. And the same size plant if it were on the draw ing boards now would run $1.3 to $1.4 billion." Portland O bserver Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth, Portland, Oregon 97217. M ailing address: P .0 . Box 3137, Portland, Oregon 97208. Telephone: 288 2488. acceptance, and he welcomed th eir sup port - even though it was reluctant and Gladys McCoy, the only Black member of the Portland Board of Education, to a I could on the issue J accept her mer in which poke to the Her have accepted itself easier Rocky Rutta Inmota naad* kalp 'bocks’ federal dams (Continued from page 1 column 6) “Interest rates soar,” Durocher said, A fte r President C a rter had secured the to run for the highest office in the land, he w ent to New Y o rk C ity to «bare a preee conference w ith several influential N ew Y o rk paiiti- d a n a M any w ith whom be appeared bad not enthusiastically supported his candi daey. His tone was one of humble to not our only choice. I t may natural, but it may not be mos advanta- 1st Place lest A d Resniti O N P A 197$ I would like to say having a fair tria l here in Multnomah (xiuntv isn't what it to. I t was July 8 6 .197 7 th at I was found guilty of firs t degree Burglary in the Circuit Court of Oregon for Multnomah County, however it was an unusual trial in as much as being found guilty. I ’m nineteen years of age and have never before been involved in aa adult crim inal court, but I would like to bring to your attention a prim e example of a sure enough ra il roeding, which means my constitutional and equal rights not being adherred to. M y name to John W . E lle tt and this le tte r is in regards to my unjust incarcer ation. I was accused of a first degree Burglary which took place in 1975 and eras found guilty of th a t charge by a racist Kangaroo Court and a Klu-Klux- Klan style Judge, Alan F . Davis. The attorney that I had was court appointed and he himself felt I was g uilty, even though I had stated several tiroes to him of my innocence. A fte r hearing him state this I announced to Judge Davis that I desired for this sell-out attorney not to represent me because I felt he was not working toward the best of my interests. I related to Judge Davis th at I thought this attorney was not adequate towards my defense, to which he replied “Shut up and sit down." I attem pted to state my concern about the Judicial prorooriings Judge Davis at th a t tim e stated to me in a very uncivilised manner th a t if I did not “Shut up" he was going to hold me in contempt of court which the records show. I would like to bring this case to the public attention of the injustice that prevails in the Multnom ah County Court House. I t is the ideal of all law-enforce ment officials to make every Black man, woman and child an ex-con in one way or another. I have been incarcerated fo r three months or more and have learned that justice does not prevail for the Black man in Am erica. I am seeking legal advice from my people or anyone who to interested concerning my case and situa tion. I am now under w hat is known as a pre-sentence investigation. I f there to anyone who is concerned about the plight of the Black nation or T h ird party members than hear my pleas for help I would appreciate it very much if you would acknowledge or take actions. Thank you for taking tim e in reading my pleas for immediate help. The charge th at I am charged w ith (first degree Burglary) carries a tw e n ty ye ar m axi mum sentence. P u t yourself in my place for five minutes. W h a t would you do? W ho would you w rite? Thank you for your tim e. Sincerely, John W . E lle tt C /O Rocky Butte Jail 9756 N .E . Hancock D r. Portland. Oregon, 97220 Lika* column T o the Editor: Thanks for many good articles especially I the W a ft I. too. am try in g to help. Thank you for caring. Sincerely, E velyn Collins Subecnptions:$7.50 per year in the Tri-County area. $8.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Psetage Paid a t P o rtb a d , Oregon 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 m aterial throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w rite r or subm itter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Psrtiaa 5th Place Best E ditorial N N P A 1971 $7 JO in Tri-County Area $ 8 .0 0 other Areas NN A1978 o oscure R A L F R E D L. H E N D E R S O N E d ite r/Pubbsber State New York MEMKF Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association MEMMR H A lfN /L L H E V lP f lP E R Zip Portland Observer 2201 N. Killingsworth Portland, Oregon 97217 -, *■ _isf 'Ä -
