Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 1978)
■ r# Frances Schoen-Newspaper Rooa U n iv e r s ity o f Oregon L ib r a r y tuR ene, Oregon 97403 Reorganization excludes Blacks PORTLAND OBSER/ER Volume 8 No. 1# Thursday. May 4, 1978 The "Jefiersoa Dancers” wfll p o rto n i oa M ay 11th aad 12th la Jefferson High School’, auditorium. Noted for their cross-section al daaee styles, the “Jefferson Dancers" reper toire includes ethnic. jazz, tap, contemporary, ballet aad pointe. Included la the program will bo two challenging pieces by 10e per copy Raymond Sawyer, oae at Alvin Ailey’s ch o re og r a pher s. Tw o pieces by Lowell Smith, a soloist with "Dance Theatre of Harlem", a sensuous Spanish ballet aad the puleating "Foxy" number, will be premiered. Jefferson asks music magnet The Area I Advisory Committee post poned action on Jefferson High School's "Project Beethoven.” As explained by Principal Eugene Doughit. the project would upgrade Jefferson's music pro gram to the status of a magnet. When the Jefferson performing arts magnet was accepted in 1974 it included drama, dance and music but last year the School Board changed the status of the music portion to a "support magnet, emphasizing music only so far as it supports dance and drama. Doughit has found that in recruiting white students from other high schools great interest in music is found and he reports that students entering this pro gram would be in approximately the same ratio racially as the district's population, or six white to one minority. These dance and drama programs have not had as great a drawing power at the freshman level as had been expected, but Doughit believes that professional train ing in music would draw. The program would take students in band, orchestra and voice who have had some training - either in elementary school or privately. Students would have the opportunity to become advanced on their own instrument, study a second instrument, and learn background and theory. The program would offer the conserva tory type of instruction now offered in the limited program at Jefferson. This combines a school district instructor and a professional musician teaching each family of instruments. The new program would add instructors in strings and voice and allow the development of an orches tra on the level of the nationally famous stage band, the "Sounds of Jefferson.” Although they decided not to take action until further study, several mem bers of the Advisory Committee opposed the project out of fear that musicians would be drawn from other high schools and hurt their programs. Beverlee Smith, who enjoys the L in coln pep band, expressed fear that the loss of a few players would destroy that program. Sherrie W arren, a member of the CAC, said Jefferson is just on the wrong side of town. “Special programs would be just fine in another school until Jefferson wants something." Doughit echoed Mrs. Warren's concerns, stating that to attract white students Jefferson needs superior programs. He denied that the program would destroy other high school music programs, saying that few opportunities now exist for students with a serious interest in music, and that the competi tion would build interest in other schools. Union settle* racial discrimination suit Four years ago the United Minority Workers filed a suit in federal district court charging the International Union of Operating Engineers. Local 701, with discriminating against minorities. The suit resulted from the fact that although a member of minority people had grad uated from a federally funded training program and signed with the union for work but were not provided work. On June 24, 1976 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a similar lawsuit against Local 701 under Title V II and joined as an interest ed party the Associated General Contrac tors. The two suits were consolidated in 1977. Although Local 701 denied the charges and the suit has not come to trial, the parties signed a consent decree providing benefits to those who claim to have been discriminated against. Those who will be benefited are Blacks and person with Spanish surnames who registered for work referred at Local 701 or applied for operating engineers' work withe contractor in the geographical jurisdiction of Local 701 between April 29, 1970 and January 1, 1977. These persons may receive priority referral, training or back pay. Persons who have 2,000 hours work or training in the trade will receive priority referral for work. Minorities may choose to take training as an “experienced apprentice”, with a eas t t r iaia g stipend. Those who do not now wish to work in the union can draw back pay up to $500 for each proven good faith attem pt to obtain employment. Nate Proby, director of the United Minority Workers, who filed the action said, “W e are happy that this suit has finally been settled. I t won't mean a lot of money to anyone, but in the future 701 will known that they have to include minority workers. When M helped train minority people four years ago it was with good faith - with the assumption that qualified minorities would be wel comed into the union. W e were wrong. We tried to negotiate with the union but when that failed we had to sue. “As a result of the suit people will get jobs and that the court will insure that the agreement is kept." Those parents of the Albina area who allowed the upper grades to be removed from their neighborhood schools under the guise of “desegregation” will be sorely disappointed when they learn that the Jefferson reorganization plan will not provide a middle school for their children. Since 1970 middle schools have been advocated as a method of desegregation. The model was to send the sixth through eighth graders to middle schools on the periphery of the Black community and to use the space vacated to bring white four and five year olds into Early Childhood Education Centers in large enough num bers to bring the ECE's under 50 percent minority. In the meantime - until middle schools could be established - the Black, sixth, seventh and eighth graders were to be bussed to schools all over the city, sometimes in small groups, and were to remain in those schools and their high schools. Most of these students are not bussed to middle schools - but to kindergarten-eighth grade schools. Black parents were led to believe that once reorganization into middle schools and K-8 schools was accomplished, their stu dents would have middle schools. Many parents have not opposed busing per se as much as they have opposed sending children in small groups, separat ing them from neighborhood friends. The answer was the middle school located out of Albina but in a location where the students from each of the Albina elemen tary schools could go to a middle school together. Now that the reorganization plans from Area I - Wilson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson - have been designed, it is clear that there will be no middle schools in that area for Albina students and that the middle school plan, if adopted, will have little impact on desegregation. The schools included in the Jefferson reorganization plan are Applegate, Beach, Chief Joseph, Kenton, Ockley Green, and Penninsula. The plan recom mended by the school advisory commit tee from among five suggestions is: Ockley Green - middle school; Beach, Chief Joseph, and Applegate - K-5; and Kenton - year-round K-8. The greatest projected racial impact will be to increase the percentage of minorities at Chief Joseph from 10 percent to 16.9 percent; to increase Kenton from 23.4 to 27 percent; and to decrease Ockley Green from 32.7 to 23.8 percent. These projections might not come to pass if there is much exchange of students between the K 8 year-round- program at Penninsula and the Ockley Green middle school because of parents preferring one plan over the other. According to Mrs. M ary Lou Monroe, chairperson of the Jefferson Reorganiza tion Study Committee, those children in the Boise, Humboldt, King and Wood lawn attendance areas that are in the Jefferson attendance area (Area I) will still have no middle school as they will not be assigned to Ockley Green but will continue to be bussed to James John and to westside schools. Students in those areas also will not have the option to attend Jefferson, except those few who live in the area where Boise overlaps Jefferson, since they are to attend the high schools serving the areas where they attend elementary school. Humboldt School, which is now a pre school through third grade school, was included in the reorganization planning since it is in A rea I, but Humboldt students will not be involved in the reorganization. When they reach the fourth grade, Humboldt students are bussed to westside schools. This plan will continue, with these students completing their school careers on the westside. They will not have the option to go to the Jefferson elementary feeder schools and then to Ockley Green, even though they live in the Jefferson attendance area. This also precludes white parents who transfer their children into Humboldt as four or five year olds from leaving their children in m ajority Black programs throughout their elementary years. These children also have to return to westside schools at the fourth grade. Adding to the problem at Humboldt is the overcrowding resulting from the influx of white pre-school children. The point has about been reached where classrooms will have to be added or third graders bussed out. Upper grade Woodlawn students living in the Jefferson area will go to James John and on to Roosevelt. Beaumont In Area I I Beaumont parents are fighting to keep their school K-8. Beau mont was to have been paired with Sabin and Alameda to provide a middle school for those students. However, after Sabin agreed to become an early childhood center, Beaumont decided not to join the cluster - leaving upper grade Sabin students to be dispersed among several schools. Now Bill Beck, Principal of Beaumont and former principal of Sabin, in an effort to gain support for the middle school plan, has promised Beaumont parents in w riting that they will not have to send their children to Sabin. In response to neighborhood residents who oppose the middle school. Beck formulated an election committee with three members of the school advisory committee, which had endorsed the mid dle school plan, and three members from the community. This committee asked that all adult residents of Beaumont be allowed to vote in a secret ballot and that Sabin parents hold a separate election if they wished; and that the vote be merely: "I favor Beaumont as a K-8 grade school” or “I favor Beaumont as a middle school (grades six, seven, and eight only). Beck told the group he would have to clear with the area office. Beck informed the Vote Committee on April 27th that voting will be limited to heads of households; that voters will be separated into four categories - parents of Beaumont students. Sabin residents with students at Beaumont, parents of pre-school children, persons with no school age children. The ballot will say: "I favor changing Beaumont to a middle school serving children in grades six, seven and eight,” and “I favor maintaining kindergarten through grade eight and adjusting the program in the event of budget reduction brought about by further decline in enrollment.” Four members of the Vote Committee have asked that the M ay 16th election be taken out of Beck's hands, calling his decisions a “mischievous departure from the consensus of the committee,” and stating that his proposed ballot shows blatant prejudice, indicating that he is “arrogant and unresponsive to the demo cratic process." The Jefferson reorganization proposal to be presented to the Area I Advisory Committee on May 30th at 7:30 at Beach School and, if adopted, to the School Board in June. Irving Park still needs dirt, juice Parents and team managers continue to be upset over the poor condition of the Irvin g Park ball fields. Officials of the Irving Park L ittle League say they have tried for over two years to get adequate d irt on the basepaths and infields and to get an electric outlet. Two weeks ago the Observer was informed by Paul Keanon of the Park Bureau that the field is in as good condition as all other fields. “I don't blame the kids for not wanting to slide on the hard ground”, he said but added that the Park Bureau does not have sufficient manpower to keep up all the fields. He said Irvin g Park would receive some dirt as soon as it quit raining enough to deliver it. Commissioner Mildred Schwab, who is in charge of city parks, said there is sufficient manpower to take care of the fields and called M r. Gustafson, Keanon's superior. Gustafson also said Irving is in as good condition as the other parks and added that he had inspected it himself. Mrs. Schwab instructed him to give the park extra attention because it gets heavy use. D irt was delivered to Irving Park, but in such insufficient amount to be nearly negligible, according to Ron Sykes, presi dent of Irving Park L ittle League. “They did come and cut the grass, but there is not nearly enough dirt. I can't understand why it is such a problem to get dirt. We have offered to do the work ourselves.” Sykes said has inspected other parks in the city, including the Eliot park used for mush ball, and found them in good condition. “We also asked about an electric outlet and were told by Gustafson that he will L « Harris, Manager of the Pacific Northwest Bell Senior L ittle League Team, aad Ron Sykes, President of Irving Park L ittle League, continue to complain about the Irving Park ball field's unsafe condition. have to look into the feasibility of it. For two years our snack wagon has plugged into a private home because the Park Bureau wouldn't provide an outlet, but we can't continue to do that. W e need the income from the snack wagon to help pay our league expenses. “W e have 350 boys and girls involved in L ittle League and can't even get an electric plug or a load of dirt. I wonder if every park has this much trouble.” Segregation & Isolation prisoners persue legal remedies by Donald Danlord Recently three Civil Rights Act law suits were filed against personnel at Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon State Correctional Institution, and the state's MacLaren School for Boys. The lawsuits allege that the staff at these institutions urge prisoners to kill themselves, force them to manipulate their genitals as prison guards stand by taunting them, strip and tie them to cell bars in isolation for hours at a time, forte them to stand in their own excrement, and destroy prison er's legal and personal mail describing these atrocities. The Prisoners Legal Services of Ore gon is representing prisoners at the two adult institutions and the Legal Aid Services of Multnomah County is repre senting the minors at MacLaren, The lawsuit against O.S.P. centers attention around the Segregation and Isolation (S & I) unit. There are nine plaintiff prisoners and fifteen staff defen dants. Many of the defendants are the same people who “rehabilitated" Gary Gilmore for so many years before he was paroled to Utah. The S & I unit is a separate building inside the prison complex. Prisoners who receive disciplinary reports for prison rule infraction are housed there. There are 90 one man cells, but the unit is always overcrowded. Prisoners, some of them in need of psychiatric care, are often forced into a cell occupied by another prisoner. Prisoners are often maced for talking too loud or for respond ing to a guard swearing at them. Security is an obsession in the unit. Thick plastic and sheets of metal cover the windows. Analysis Incoming and outgoing mail is rigidly censored. Prisoners are allowed only two visits of 30 minutes (or less) per month. The visitor and prisoner have to yell at each other through a small glass window, while a guard stands outside the small partitioned visiting cubicle and stares at them. No prisoner is allowed to carry messages out of 8 & I. Even the Priest is restricted from carrying messages out of the unit. In 1976 the local Grand Jury came into the prison on three separate occasions to hear testimony about guards beating and torturing prisoners in S & I. The majority of the prisoners who wished to testify were intimidated into silence. Their only communication to the Grand Jury was by w riting the warden; few dared w riting the warden about a staff member he has consistently defended. A few prisoners gave the names of prison ers who wished to testify about staff; the Marion County Grand Jury did not call one of those prisoners, and the S & I unit staff were oxonerated. The same allega tions (minus the staff involvement in rapes) are going to be heard in the United States District Court in Portland. The Penitentiary suit has 102 para graphs. The second paragraph gives a brief outline of the entire lawsuit. “Plaintiffs contend that defendants promote a policy which is purposefully designed to cause the physical, mental and emotional deterioration of those confined in 8 ft I. The S & I environment, plaintiffs argue, violates all standards of basic decency. I t frustrates plaintiffs efforts at self-rehabilitation and increases the probability of future criminal be havior in the community." The day the lawsuit was filed major newspapers began publishing parts of it. The administration of O.S.P. immediately made changes. There have been several major and minor changes. One such change revolves around paragraph eight. “Plaintiffs allege that a person's freedom to practice religion is unjustifiably re stricted while in S & I. . For several months prior to the filing of the lawsuit, the Protestant Chaplain, a career corrections worker, had not visit ed S & I. A few days after the lawsuit was filed, he began visiting regularly each Sunday. Medical and dental care has generally improved, (even though selected indi viduals have been ignored for days while complaining of tooth aches). Prisoners in obvious need of psychiatric care have been taken out of the unit ia a few days as opposed to leaving them there for weeks. Beatings and macings have decreased. One change that has significant meaning to the men confined in S & I for several months or years has been the changing of 40 w att bulbs to 100 w att bulbs. The most obvious indicator of major changes in the S & I treatm ent since the lawsuit was filed is that there have not been any suicides. There is a prison psychiatric unit a few yards from the punishment unit. Hun dreds of prisoners have gone directly from the S & I unit to the psychiatric unit. Some of the reasons are contained in the following paragraphs. Paragraph 48. “Plaintiffs are continual ly subjected to psychological harassment and torment from the guards. Plaintiffs are commonly addressed by guards with racial slurs, obscenities and other de meaning and offensive statements. . Paragraph 49. “Some plaintiffs have been told by defendants that they will ‘never’ be released from S A I . . . " Paragraph 50. “Plaintiff Allen and other prisoners have been urged to ’hang it up' by guards, including defendant Good. . ." Paragraph 51. "Plaintiffs are subjected by defendants to degrading body search es. Each prisoner is searched at least once a week. The prisoners are forced one at a time, to strip nude on the tier, in front of the other prisoners and are ordered to manipulate their genitals and to bend over, spread their buttocks and cough. In the course of these searches, the guards often make derogatory re marks about the prisoners' persona) anatomy.” The Director of the Prisoners' Legal Service of Oregon said in an interview that the philosophy of incarceration in Oregon is shifting away from rehabilita tion toward giving a prisoner his “just deserts.” The first consideration of the prison staff in giving a prisoner his “just deserts” is to isolate him, break his spirit, make him acutely aware of the power of punishment the staff holds over him. Restrictions on the mail and visits, restrictions on a Priest who visits S & I, covering the windows with thick plastic and sheets of metal, are but a few of the methods used to isolate and subjugate a prisoner. Other techniques - forced doubling (putting two men in a cell designed for one), the use of informants to create prisoner against prisoner con frontations, the physical beatings and tortures - are the same as used by the (Please turn to Page 5 Column 1) )
