Portland observer., July 27, 1978, Page 3, Image 3

Portland Observer Thursday, July 27, 1978 Page J
Behind the wall
l urry Raker 435021.
O. S. P. Correspondent
The Regional Office of the United
States Departm ent o f Justices,
during the past two weeks, have been
the guests o f the Oregon State
Penitentiary.
H.C. Cupp, Superintendent, has
opened the doors to the Community
Relations Services o f the Justice
Department from Seattle, to look in­
to any com plaints on racial
d iscrim in a tio n by any o f the
minority inmates.
Bob Lam b and W illia m E.
Talbert, conciliation specialists, have
been meeting w ith O .S.P. A d ­
ministration, staff and inmates to
determine how much validity there
may be to Black inmates’ in fo r­
mation given to Benjamin Hooks,
Executive Director o f the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, when he visited
O.S.P. on July I, 1978.
Lamb and Talbert were called in
by a letter w ritte n to them by
Reverend John Jackson, President
o f the NAACP Branch in Portland,
who also accompanied Hooks on his
visit. Jackson wrote, ‘ ‘ M r. Hooks
also implied that the Portland Branch
should continue to discuss and at­
tempt to deal with some of the local
problems raised by the number of
persons in residence.” The letter by
Jackson stated that “ I’ m not going
to attempt to list all o f the fourteen
various items they had gathered at
our Saturday m orning meeting.
However, 1 hope your represen­
tatives, with the expertise that 1 do
not have, although not to exceed
my concern and interest, can detect,
advise and take whatever measure
necessary to make an e ffo rt to
eliminate the growing unrest.”
Upon meeting w ith the Black
inmates who made their complaint, it
was suggested that representation of
the Indian-American and Chicano
culture group be called upon to see
what grievances they also might have
to offer.
The duties o f Lamb and Talbert
are to first see i f there are valid
grievances, then to see what
established channels are already
available to solve them and if those
channels arc effective enough to do
the job. Otherwise — can this in-
~ solution handle its own problem in
Eemeli Erunkhn 440071,
Assistant O. S. P. <'orrespondent
elim inating any grievances w hich
might be alleged.?
Second, if the alleged m inority
grievances are strong enough to be
valid, then in what manner can
Talbert and Lamb’s agency assist in
eliminating the problem? Both in­
mates and staff welcome the Com­
m unity Relations specialist, and
mecings have been held throughout
the prison at every chance possible.
At this time, two main issues have
been agredd upon by inmates and
O.S.P. Administration — the need
for minority sensitivity training to be
added to the personnel training
sessions at O.S.P. and the need for
minority groups and organizations to
become involved in assistsing the pr-
son to meet the needs of the minority
prisoners in all areas.
Lucious Hicks IV, and Al Wingfield
discuta O.S.P. vocational training
programa.
Lucius Hicks, Director. Portland
State University Educational Center,
Eugene Jackson. Director, N orth­
west M in o rity Contractors Asso­
ciation; and A1 Wingfield of NMCA
were the guests o f O.S.P. officials on
July 18th.
The Black community leaders sat
down in a meeting in the O.S.P.
E ducational D epartm ent w ith
Charles Keaton, O .S.P. Reha­
b ilita tio n
Program
Manager;
Joe Fabis. Prison Industries
Manager; Bud McGuire, Vocational
T ra in in g Supervisor; and Steve
Gassner, acting Education Director,
to discuss ways Black inmates at this
Julius D. Snowden 438013,
Poetry Editor
Now get all the extra economy
of a big, new 4 0 lb. bag.
prison may receive positive training
and success skills while incarcerated
which w ill serve their needs when
released.
This first o f a series o f meetings
was coordinated through the efforts
o f Keaton and the Portland Obser­
ver. Both foresee much of their ef­
forts and concerns will be focusing in
on the Oregon Black community
leaders, organizations and businesses
m assist this institution meet the
taken on a tour of O.S.P. Vocational
Training and Industrial area. Hicks
and Jackson related that they were
impressed and look forw ard to
working hand in hand with prison
officials to encourage Black inmates
to take fu ll advantage o f prison
programs, so that they may become
eligible for programs to be developed
on the outside.
Vern Duncan, State Superinten­
dent of Public Instruction and Dr.
W il Gamble, Biochemistry Depart­
ment, Oregon State University (also
member of Corvallis NAACP Chap­
ter) were guests o f the O.S.P. Law
Class for a session on the need to in­
tegrate law courses in to grade
schools.
The tw enty-three inmates ex­
pressed their opinions that i f a
greater impact had been placed on
law studies in their elementary and
secondary educational subjects, it
m ight have been a deterrent to
whatever crimes they committed.
Most o f the men directed their
statements to today’ s youth and
y o u th fu l offenders. M any have
children o f their own whom they are
concerned about not receiving
adequate training and education in
our state school system on how to
respect and use the laws.
O ther subjects discussed w ith
Superintendent Duncan were:
busing. Proposition 13, the Bakke
decision, and effective teachers for
‘slow’ learners.
A t the end of the session, it was
quite evident that, Duncan had spent
a fru itfu l evening with these inmate-
students. Well apparently he valued
the discussion, because the Superin­
tendent has made arrangements to
attend another meeting next month.
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on the big new 4 0 lb. bag of
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CO U PO N EXPIRES
JANUARY 31,1979
Hearing reveals death penalty inequities
housemaids and employees. Also,
July 18. 1978. A hearing in Bay
know n as the A tm o re -n o im a ii
Brothers, charged with the killing o f
a hostage guard during the protest.
The guard was unharmed until State
troopers launched a shooting assault
on the prisoners, who were trying to
negotiate with the warden about
communication with members o f the
press, clergy, and legislature. The
purpose o f the protest was to let the
people o f Alabama know about the
brutalities being committed in their
name by officials of the state, in
hopes that the public would begin to
call for changes in prison conditions.
Imam was tried under an 1862
statute mandating the death penalty
for a prisoner convicted o f murder
while serving a life sentence. Imani’ s
former life sentences were handed
out in 1971 and were a result of
charges concocted against him
because his family had moved into
an a ll-w h ite B irm ingham neigh­
borhood. Those sentences are also in
process o f being challenged, in
separate court proceedings.
Imani’ s death penalty trial took
place in rural Baldwin County, near
Atmore Prison Farm. He was tried
before an all-male, all-w hite, all-
over-age forty jury. Ihe state was
unable to establish any prool against
Imam at trial, other than the fact of
h.s participation in the protest. In
fact, at a July. 1975. pretrial motions
hearing on the case. Assistant Attor
ney General George Van Tassel
stated, “ It is not our positions that
this defendant (Johnny Harris) was
actually holding the k m le or
anything else W e don’ t contend that
this defendant stabbed this guard
(he most im portant legal issue
A ccording to the U S. Con-
stitution, a person is entitled to a
jury o f his/her “ peers. This has
been interpreted by the courts to
mean that juries must be drawn from
a group o f names, or a “ pool,
which is randomly chosen from a
cross-section o f the com m unity,
using such sources as voter
registration lists, phone books, and
city directories. Everyone whom the
ju ry commissioners (in charge of
placing names in the pool) do not
hearing raises much question
whether he ever had a chance of
being tried by a jury of his peers. In
Baldwin County, where he was tried,
there are 5.023 Black people and
33,707 white people over age 21.
Blacks make up 15.2 percent o f the
population. However, they make up
only 7.7 percent o f the names in the
jury pool. This means that they are
underrepresented by 49.3 percent, or
that just about half o f the Black
people in Baldwin County are ex­
cluded from jury duty. Black women
are 8.2 percent of the population,
but make up only 2.9 percent of the
names in the jury pool.
In Escambia County, where Imam
and the other A tm ore-H olm an
Brothers were indicted, the percent­
age of underrepresentation is similar
or worse. A ccording to iden­
tifications made by Sheriff Scotty
Byrnes, Blacks make up only 9.9
percent of the jury roll, while they
are 28.5 percent o f the county
population. This represents an ex­
clusion of 66 percent. According to
another survey, Blacks constitute
they never entirely renew the jury
pool.
Throughout the hearing, state
lawyers implied that most Black
people in both counties are convicted
felons or “ habitual drunkards” and
therefore ineligible for jury duty.
Another major issue raised during
this
hearing
was
that
of
discrim inatory application o f the
death penalty. Bill Bowers, a noted
researcher fro m
N ortheastern
University in Boston, testified on the
history o f the use o f the death
penalty in Alabama. 82 percent of
executions in Alabama between 1927
and 1965 were o f Black people.
Blacks executed were younger than
whites, and fewer Blacks had appeals
taken.
Bowers also testified about race-
of-victim studies he is currently con­
ducting. In 1976, 94 percent of 400
homicide arrests in Alabama were of
people o f the same race as the victim.
Two percent o f the arrests were of
whites accused of killing Blacks; four
percent were o f Blacks whose alleged
victims were white. Although they
1518 NE KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1
284-7997
Facts of Importance
VOLUME II
JULY 1978
Most questions asked regarding our June statement in the Observer
were: How do we treat persons afflicted with alcoholism?
We treat alcoholism by the uses of a four phase modality, Phase A
through D, along with the Triple R concept (Rights, Respect, and
Responsibility).
PHASE A:
When persons come to the EXODUS program as clients they start out
in Phase A. After the intake procedure, various crises, emergency and
supportive help is provided; further diagnosis is recognized, while a cer­
tain amount of confidence developes between the client and the
EXODUS program. During this phase the client is prepared to enter
PHASE B
Here the client makes a commitment to adjust his habits one at a time
to a more constructive and productive selection through process coun­
seling and other supportive prescriptions. The Triple R (Rights, Respect
and Responsibility) concept is used as a measuring model by which the
client can objectively balance his Rights to his Responsibilities through
Respect At present we have no Phase B clients.
PHASE C:
After a client has successfully gone through Phase B he enters Phase
C, which is a direct supportive service to help the client when he runs in­
to difficulties regarding job, family or friends.
PHASED:
.
.
Is a forever follow-up service to let the client know that, even though
he/she has completed the EXODUS program, if help is ever needed we
are here, and no "blame factor" is at stake. This is done through periodic
mailings and group activity invitations.
The EXODUS program has been in existence for almost four months.
It has gained approximately 110 clients, and has expanded to include a
A D VER TIS IN G
O W N E R SH IP
A ll advertising copy and illu ­
strations prepared by the Obser­
ver becomes the property of the
Observer and may not be
reproduced fo r any other use
without explicit prior approval.
day care facility and a residential center
Yes, we are effectively treating alcoholism by the hour, by the day, by
the month. Our clients appreciate your support, contributions and
donations.
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