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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1978)
K ra t r a n c ia .eno ty o f U n ii V K I iSCHOOißüSi r jr a r y run bi 'È 1 G Æ A 1 f t HHHUK $/, w Safety week Bus safety concerns parents PORTLAND O B S E R /E R Volume 8 No. «1 Thursday, October 12,1978 10c per copy_______ Gilcrease indicted, ’not guilty’ After five years o f persecution, the time for prosecution has arrived. Cleveland Gilcrease, former executive director of the Portland Metropolitan Steering Committee, has been indicted by a federal Grand Jury for allegedly rigging his election to the presidency of the National Association for Community Devel opment. Gilcrease has been under in vestigation since 1974 for such charges as purchasing a tape deck for PMSC’ s leased station wagon, buying an unusual number o f pens, flying first class, etc. After numerous audits by federal agencies and private auditing firms and an in vestigation by the FBI, no evidence worthy o f prosecution was found. Sidney Lezak, U.S. Attorney, later told the Observer that in light o f the activities o f white men in similar positions, the charges made against Gilcrease were petty. “ Yesterday's indictment charges Gilcrease whith manipulation o f the 1975 and 1076 NACD elections by purchasing memberships for persons and having the ballots mailed to cer tain addresses. Then the ballots were allegedly taken to the PMSC office and marked for him. Gilcrease's problems with the press and the resulting investigations came to a head shortly after he was elected to head NACD, an organization that lobbies for anti poverty funds and programs for the poor. Many o f Gilcrease's suppor ters believe that he, like other Black officials, is the target o f a conspiracy and that he was targeted both be cause he controlled millions of federal dollars and because he was one of a group of poverty program directors who were able through a law suit to block Richard Nixon’ s ef forts to dismantle the Office of Economic Opportunity (War on Poverty). Many o f Gilcrease’s supporters believe that he, like other Black of ficials, is the target of a conspiracy and that he was target both because he controlled millions o f federal dollars and because he was one of a group of poverty program directors who were able through a law suit to block Richard Nixon's efforts to dismantel the Office o f Economic Opportunity (War on Poverty). Interviewed by telephone from his Maryland home, Gilcrease told the Observer that he had not yet been in formed o f the indictment. Claiming innocence, Gilcrease said, “ 1 will be in court to prove that 1 am not guilty of the charges. In a way I ’ ll be glad to finally have it all over with and to be able to clear my name.” Gilcrease expressed his appreci- CLEAVELAND GILCREASE atiou for those who have demon strated confidence in him. “ Whatever happens to me, I have the satisfaction o f knowing what I have been able to accomplish for the poor people o f Portland and o f the nation and that is very important to ___ me. »• October 9th to 15th is National School Bus Safety Week. The residents o f Albina have a special in terest in school bus safety since the streets are lined with yellow school busses from early morning until late afternoon. Because Black children are bussed for desegregation and because these children dispersed in small numbers in schools all over the district, busses can be seen going every which way. Parents have complained con sistently about the fact that children must wait in the rain only a half block from King School, rather than being picked up at the school. The answer finally came — seventy-two busses stop at King School every morning. It is physically impossible for seventy-two busses to load at the front door o f King School, so children must wait on the four corn ers o f the school grounds. This circumstance is the result o f the fact that the children from King are transported to forty-three schools. Parents also are concerned be cause their children must wait on busy and dangerous corners for their busses. They have complained about the lack o f bus shelters and the fact that at most schools children are not allowed to wait inside the school building. During the 1977-78 school year a committee of parents, mostly from the Southwest, formed and went to the school board with problems in volving safety and scheduling. As the result, the School Board instructed Superintendent Robert Blanchard to consider appointing a transportation advisory committee. A committee was appointed in June, but the public did not become aware o f the committee’s existence until after school had started. The committee consists o f parents, teach ers, principals and administrators. Although meetings are public, they are not announced and therefore are poorly attended. The October 10th meeting was o f special concern to parents who had planned to attend. Not only was the place of the meeting changed from King Neighborhood Facility to the School District Administration Building after the committee had voted to meet at King, but an illegal private meeting was held prior to the public meeting. SAFETY TIPS As a part o f National School Bus Safety Week, the school district asked drivers to take special care when approaching school busses. The 1978-79 edition o f the Oregon Drivers Manual says: “ Flashing amber lights are turned on by school bus drivers to warn other traffic that the bus is about to stop on the road to load or unload children. “ When the red lights begin to flash, this means drivers meeting or overtaking the bus from either direc tion must stop before reaching the bus (and must) remain stopped until the flashing red lights are turned off. “ This rule applies if (the motorist is) on an undivided highway with two lanes, three lanes or four lanes of traffic. “ There is one exception to the school bus stop law. I f (the motorist is) on a divided highway with two roads separated by a median strip or barrier (the motorist) must stop only if (the motorist is) on the same road as the bus. A painted median strip does not create two separate roads. “ These flashing lights can be used by school bus drivers only when they are stopping or stopped to load and unload children. Bus drivers must not use these lights when stopped at an intersection where traffic is con trolled by a red-yellow-green signal or when the bus is pulled completely o ff the road to load or unload passengers.” Justice visits Mrs. Bertha Hudson, Education Specialist with the Community Relations Service o f the U.S. Depar tment o f Justice, was in Portland this week to meet with members of the Community Coalition for School In tegration and with members o f the community. Mrs. Hudson, who is based in Washington, D.C., discussed many o f the findings o f the Coalition and met with parents who have specific concerns about discrimination in the Portland Public Schools. Accompanying her was W illiam E. Talbert, Concilliation Specialist for Region X. Talbert, who was recently assigned to education, has previously been in Portland regarding police and administration o f justice mat ters. CRS is a branch o f the Justice Department which investigates and attempts to concilliate community tensions and disputes involving minority groups. Ian Smith, Reverend Sithole US visit not fruitful by N. Fungai Kumbula The State Department finally suc cumbed to pressure and issued visas to one Ian Smith and Reverend Mdabaningi Sithole. Since Congress is due to recess soon, there had been threats that if the visas were not issued, some of the senators spon soring the Smith visit would hold up any appointments President Carter A nalysis might make. Also, since both Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, representing the other side had been in this country already, refusing en try to Smith & Co. had raised cries of “ Foul!” that could not be silenced. So, Smith and Sithole have been in the country since Saturday. They have been meeting with senators, newspersons and State Department officials such as Secretary o f State Cyrus Vance and U.N. ambassador Andrew Young. They also have appeared on a number o f TV programs such as Issues and Answers and the McNeil and Lehrer Report. I watched the lat ter program and, it was incredible, to say the least. There was a time when it was difficult for someone to tell a lie with a straight face. Apparently, for some people, the reverse is true: it is difficult for them to tell the truth with a straight face. I must have watch ed the whole program with my mouth hanging open as 1 listened to the two clowns describe what a good deal the internal settlement is. ( It’s one thing to read what they say and it's something else again to watch them actually say it.) Interestingly enough, even though Smith showed signs o f caution in his assessment o f the performance and potential o f the interim government, Sithole defended it unreservedly. It’s Sithole who is going all out to sell this poor joke to the American public. O f course, most o f his arguments are old hat. What was new though, was the realization of how low the Reverend has sunk in his shameless pursuit o f power. Five short years ago, he languished in jail accused o f plotting the assassination o f not only Ian Smith but his entire Cabinet as well. And some five years prior to that, he had been convicted of a plot to blow up the entire country o f Rhodesia. He had drawn up this elaborate plan to have explosives experts simulta neously blow up police camps, government offices and other vestiges of white control in all the major cities. The plan was so brilliant and so well thought out that had it suc ceeded, the Smith regime would either have folded then or been mor tally crippled. The plan failed because, at the last moment, Sithole removed his deputy who had been in charge of the plan and replaced him with a white confidante who turned out to be a government spy. It got so that the government’s own "a n ti terror” squad was not only sup plying the explosives, but also picking out the targets! A t that time, understandably enough, the name Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole used to strike terror in the hearts of every white person in Rhodesia — about as much fear as does the name Robert Mugabe does now. The name (Sithole) also struck and kindled pride and dignity in the heart of every Black person in Zimbabwe. "Revolutionary par excellence.” Monday night, as I watched that same man defend, not only white privileges, but also a continuation of white domination and Black en slavement, I felt tears (of anger? frustration?) well up in my eyes. It’s alright if he wants to prostitute him self but he has no call whatsoever to put the rest o f us on the auction block also. So far, however, the mission has been unsuccessful. Their aim in coming to the U.S. was to convince the Carter Administration that the interim government is not only workable but is also the best solution to Zimbabwe’s problems. The Ad ministration so far is holding fast to its previously stated position of in sisting on the inclusion of the guerrillas in any agreement before the U.S. w ill recognize any govern ment set up in Zimbabwe and agree to lift sanctions. The only progress so far reported has been the scheduling o f another meeting with State Department officials when the other two clowns in the Executive Council Jeremiah Chirau and Abel Muzorewa arrive later in the week. Since all four (Smith, Chirau, Sithole and Muzorewa) object to an all par ties conference, it appears no breakthrough can be expected even then. The Front Line Presidents, Ken neth Kaunda (Zambia). Agostinho Neto(Angola), Seretse Khama (Bots wana), Samora Marcel (Mozam bique) and Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) had been invited to New York to at tend a Camp David style meeting with Smith & Co. but they de clined. In his news conference on Tuesday, President Carter reiterated the American position. It is a well (Please turn to page 2 col. 4) Mora than sixty young people attended the second annual BlackYouth Leadership Conference at Camp Collins. Organized by Lucious Hicks, the con ference speakers included Darrell Millner, Ms. Carolyn Murray, Lewis Merrick, Joyce Marshall and Nick Barnett. (See page 2, col. 31
