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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1977)
From behind the wall by Larry Baker O.S.P. Carree;'oadea( JUST ANOTHER BLACK MAN’S VOICE - Have the Black people's voices in the Stale of Oregon become aace agaia so weak that no one cares to listen any longer? If so, why? Has it come to the point, aace agaia, that if people who have Black skin, run into problems, there will be no help available? These are some of the questions that should be answered by top officials throughout the criminal justice field in the Stale of Oregon. It is becoming apparent that the above questions need only to be turned into statements for them to reflect the highest form of racism ever displayed in America's history. A Black accused or convicted individual would label such as. T h e Silent T reat ment." But again, it may be too late for anyone to ask any official such a question - because if the answer would be "yes” who’s got the guts or nen e any longer to do anything about it? The Slate of Oregon's highest ranking recognized Black law official. Norm Mon roe. who was employed by Portland's L E .A .A . Impact Program. Oregon Law Enforcement Council in planning and policy, and currently on the Oregon State Parole Board (as stated in the September 8. 1977 issue of the Portland Obeerverl stepped forward to report that we. Black prisoners sitting in prison cells, were not treated as equally in the Oregon Criminal Courts by judges or attornies, that alone should make every decent law-abiding Oregon tax-paying citizen demand that those who feel Monroe's statement is true, go back to court and receive the correct representation or fair trial. Be cause this Black voice of Norm Monroe is not just another "nigger" who is hollering just to be hollering. He was also an Administrative Assistant for the Port land Police Bureau. Blacks throughout Oregon hold the greatest respect for this fellow Black man. Monroe slated, “The fact that 13.2 percent of the prison inmates in Oregon, with overall state population of one percent, shows that the court system does not work for Blacks." Monroe also states. T h e justice system in Oregon is protection for those who already have it and a buffer for them against those who do not have it. Justice is a matter of pure economy. Those who have money can buy a good defense and those who do not have money can not." This clearly means to us. who are Black inmates in this prison, that money buys justice in our Oregon Courts for there is not one Black prisoner behind these walls who has a great deal of money. Monroe also states that $50.2 million has been wasted in this state on correc tion, and that we prisoners have nothing more than custodial care and cannot be rehabilitated - under the conditions of strict confinement and the tensions that prisons bring. How ran anyone tell a man who for recent years planned and made policy for the Oregon la w Enforcement Council that he is wrong? This Reporter ran only comment to Norm Monroe's statement; that if we Blacks who knew we were not guilty of the charges that placed us behind these walls had been given adequate legal representation and a fair trial, many of us would not be on that wasted 50.2 million dollar budget. We, who were in desperate need of decent attorneys, tried to defend our selves in courtrooms because we knew then and we know now that we didn't have a chance with what legal represen talion we were receiving. How long will the Board of Governors, the Oregon Bar Association or the Gover nor of this state allow such treatment to be administered to us? This is a very important question our families and friends are asking. We cannot blame the prisons as greatly as we can the courts, for it was the courts who sent some of us here, without any type of trial at all. How ran a prison rehabilitate an innocent Black man? But it is better that we not address that subject, because it might be viewed as “just another nigger howling” from a prison, and Norm Monroe's factual state ment as just another Black man's voice. But then again, there may be many people within Oregon's criminal justice system who would enjoy the tax paying citizens viewing Blacks in Oregon in such a manner. "BLACK’S BEWARE" by Pete Austin, Jr. *39023 This is perhaps my fifth article in regards to racial problems here at O.S.P. and elsewhere in Oregon. Tuesday. September 29th was just another typical example of what I have been saying. Now about the institution here, in regards to the justice system and minori ties here in Oregon. A 22 men chain came in one day and out of 22 men only eight were Blacks. That in itself is over one third. Oregon having a one percent population of Blacks, doesn't this strike you as a little odd? Most of the Brothers are young men caught up in this system. Minorities are coming in each day. While there are supposed to be programs in the process for helping young Blacks in regard to employment and trades. Blacks are still being victimized every day here in Oregon also here at O.S.P. We are being what is called "warehoused." Blacks are being taken off the streets. All you have to do out there in the free world is leek around you. Where are most of your friends; loved ones? Yes, you are right, in prison, on drug programs, work release programs. Rocky Butte jail, and so on. This State's crime rate is still growing, even though most of the Blacks are now neatly locked away here at O.S.P. This in itself proves we are not the problem. The "Red Neck" Society in which we are living is getting the best of usl Every Black man. woman, and child is caught up in this system of racial conflict. They are even refusing our children a decent education, next we will not be allowed to vote. I t is a sad state to live in, especially when all we want is the freedoms which we should have had years ago! No matter how we talk about freedom, justice, and equality; we are still the minority groups in this struggle. Blacks, poor whites. Mexicans. Indians we are all living in the cesspool of this society. I have never been so color stricken in my life. Being Black is beautiful and always will be, but these dehumanizing conditions are hell, right here on earth. I personally will remain above all this suffering, hardships and disgrace because I am yet Black and Proud. I rerlize who I am, also what I am nnd wouldn't want to be anything else! But what will become of our children, the unnecessary punish ment we receive for being Black. Being from California I didn't really realize all the color conflict still existing anywhere except for the deep South, but folks in Oregon are worse in so many respects, because you try and act like it doesn't exist. Sweeping it under the rug is old hat here and does not help the problem. The revolution time is now, if you don't fight for your freedoms they will be taken one by one. Let us all face this problem with togetherness, let's regroup and fight racism together, be cause together we stand, but divided we will fall. Now is the perfect time to look at ourselves and decide if we are doing anything to relieve any of these racial problems, or if we are just sitting back waiting for it all to come down! Out of all the Black groups to progress, move upward, onward and all that, I have not seen one yet behind these walls. The problem is not only ours -- the Black inmates - but everyone's, even you in the so-called free society. “Help” your Brothers and Sisters behind these walls, because without your help we have already lost the war for freedom! I am one of many behind these walls looking for a future in a free society. "Beware Blacks" you can end up here too! Who is to say they are above it all! I will not submit to the dehumanizing process against us all, I can leave this state upon my release, but can you? Thank you. OCT. 3 |P N 8 | - Imagine yourself a member of a jury, having sat through a long and complex criminal trial. The end is near and the judge reads hia instruc tions to the jury: "You must not consider as evidence any statement of counsel made during the trial; however, if counsel for the parties have stipulated to any fact, or any fact has been admitted by counsel, you will regard that fact as being conclusively provided as to the party or parties making the stipulation or admission." If you are like most American jurors, you haven't the faintest notion what he’s talking about. * What the instruction really boils down to is; "Ordinarily, any statement made by the lawyers in this case is not evidence. However, if all the lawyers agree that some particular thing ia true, you must accept it as the truth." The latter, matter-of fact statement is a revision of a common jury instruction written by Veda and Robert Charrow, a team of linguistic and legal researchers who have set out to turn legaleee into plain English. Their work on jury instructions is part of a larger project conducted at the Arlington, Virginia, Center for Applied linguistics to study the effect of bureau crateee on communication failures in day to day life After testing a group of jurors on their understanding of standard, routine jury instruction, the Charrows concluded that the vast majority of jurors are probably much more baffled after the instruction than before. In a short and uncomplicated trial, says Veda Charrow, a jury may hear 20 separate instructions, each up to 100 words long. In a more complex trial they might have to sit through six straight hours of instructions. To make matters worse, jurors cannot have a written copy of the instructions, but must rely on what they can under stand and remember from listening to one reading by the judge. This imposes a “tremendous memory load" on jurors, say the Charrows. Even if they can understand the instructions, they probably can’t remember them. In testing the jurors, the Charrows used relatively short and frequently used instructions drawn from the list of Cali fomia Bar Approved Jury Instructions. The jurors, who had been called for an actual caae but had not yet done their stint in the courtroom, were asked to explain the instructions in their own words - thus enabling the researchers to detect what the jurors failed to under stand. For example, one of the moat common and important instructions has to do with informing the jury that it must decide what really happened in the caae it's considering, and that it must apply the law as the judge explains ft. The California Bar Approved Instruc lion reads: The 1978 Edition o f... THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC! »U * •k IE6lh year of publication Crammed full o f useful information you won’t find anyplace else! Planting tables weather forecasts .. zodiac secrets astronomical tables unusual recipes and much, much more! OLD Pick up your copy of the all new 1978 Almanac today! T here’ s something o f interest — some thing that's fun — for every member o f your family! INCLUDES COMPLETE WINTER WEATHER FORECASTS FOR YOUR AREA! F it « , O ne D e » » » ’ - I * >' ha »»"*- t»»*> *»• <* » » * * “ FoncMt* ONLY $1 AT NEWSSTANDS EVERYWHERE IF YOU DON’T SEE IT - ASK FOR IT! BEING BLACK AT O.S.P. by Fred Willoughby «38889 My name is Fred Willoughby, I am incarcerated at the Oregon State Peni tentiary doing five years, although I am innocent of the crime. I appeared before the Parole Board on May 10, 1977 and at that time I was given a 27 month date, set on five years, which I feel was very iniquitous. This is my first time in prison. I am a very hard working family man. The minority groups here are not getting equal justice. Since my incarcer ation I have seen several whites that are two and three time losers go before the Parole Board and get lesser sets than the first time minority. The Board only uses the M atrix system on the minorities. I feel the public should know what is going on behind prison walls. If someone would step forward I believe we can put a stop to this unfair system. Incarcerating an innocent man for a long period of time doesn’t rehabilitate him it just creates animosity. There are from three to four hundred Black inmates here and more coming every day. There are only four Black employees working among the white staff of 400 employees. How could the Blacks get equal justice when the odds are about one hundred to one? I have a baby daughter who was born on August 28. 1977. I haven't had a chance to be with her due to my incarceration. M y marriage is falling apart. I do hope some of you out there can understand the hurt we are faced with in here. Court lunguugu confuses jurors, impedes justice by Becky O’Malley ON SALE NOW! “As jurors it ia your exclusive duty to decide all questions of fact submitted to you and for that purpose to determine the effect and value of the evidence." Yet even with this relatively simple instruction, 57 percent of the tested jurors couldn't even attempt to explain "exclusive duty," and another 29 percent tried and got it wrong. Ninety-one percent of the jurors omitted any men tion of their duty being to decide all questions of fact, which is traditionally considered the single most important job of a juror. The Charrow'a revised instruction reads: “You must look at the evidence, and decide from the evidence what the facts of this case are. I t is your job and no one else's to decide what the facts are." The researchers claim that preliminary tests with the revised instructions show an unsurprising result; Jurors do much better if they're instructed in simple, straightforward language. The problem now, aays Veda Charrow, is to convince the courts that justice is better served by speaking plainly to the ordinary citizens who are required to participate in the administration of jus lice. Toward that end, the Charrows have started an organization called the Lan guage and Law Roundtable. Members include linguists, psychologists, lawyers and a judge. They aim to persuade all courts to abandon the archaic language which creates such confounding barrier* between the American legal system and the public. Enter the Soundship K-PAM! Sweepstakes Listen and W in ... » A Journey to the Isle of Skye a jet flight to Scotland and its charming Isle o f Skye, relax in rural com fort, then tour Scotland and London on a 14-day Holiday for two. » Your Very Own’Droid! 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