Mrs Franosa Schoen- awspaper Koon
University of Oregon Library
r u io n q . G r^o on 9 7 4 -3
PORTLAND
OBSERVER
Voluroa 8 No. 43 Thursday. Octobar 19. 1978 10c p a ^ c o p y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Which man would die?
Appointment with the gas chamber
The lives o f three men now
residing in Oregon State Penitentiary
have been closely effected by the
death penalty and by its repeal in
1964. I f Oregon still had the death
penalty — which it very likely w ill af­
ter the November 7th election —
which o f these men would have died?
Larry Shipley, a former resident
o f death row. strongly opposes the
death penalty. " I t is a brutal thing
and really what it does is admit that
society doesn’t know how to deal
with the criminal. It is an admission
o f failure."
Shipley was then taken to O.S.P.
where he was placed in solitary con­
finement with two other inmates
facing death. Each time an appeal
was filed he received a stay o f
execution, then when it failed was
sentenced to die after 89 days. The
closest he came to death was thirteen
days. "O rd in a rily 1 did not think of
death. It’s something you push out o f
your mind, but the last time — as the
time got closer I began to believe it.
By the time that there were only th ir­
teen days left I was climbing the
walls. Then another stay came."
execution when the people voted an
end to the death penalty.
Shipley was later released on
parole, but due to need for money
soon became involved in a series o f
robberies — some o f them armed, " I
knew I would never need to use a gun
during a robbery — 1 was in com­
plete control o f the situation. I
always planned it carefully and knew
the set-up. There wasn’t much chance
o f anything going wrong.”
Shipley said he had given up crime
for over a year — after he was
married and had a child — but let
Blazer rookie Ron Brewer takes a tip from coach Jack Ramsay. (Photo: Steve Nehl)
Brewer; Mix education with sports
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
LARRY SHIPLEY
Shipley was convicted o f murder
and sentenced to death. "T he death
penalty didn't enter my mind when
we planned the murder. In fact, I
don’ t think I even knew it existed."
Shipley, then twenty, and another
youth had assisted a seventeen-year-
old girl escape from a foster home.
Shipley, who had been to the Oregon
Correctional
Institution.
feared
«being returned to prison i f implicated
so the two young men decided to kill
«the girl with a twenty-two pistol.
Shipley believes that with proper
legal counsel he would not have
received the death sentence. "W hen I
was arrested, I was shown the written
confession the other man had made
so 1 confessed There was no strong
evidence, so I convicted myself.”
Shipley explained that he agreed to
plead guilty with the understanding
that he would not be sentenced to
death. A t the last minute his attorney
had him plead not guilty, but he
didn't know why.
"1 was convicted one day and was
brought before the judge the next
day for sentencing. By that time I
knew the death sentence was
possible, but 1 had been told there
would be appeals and was led to
believe it would never happen."
ROD ADDICKS
While Shipley was waiting for his
execution date, another person
LeRoy McGahuey. was executed.
McGahuey had been convicted o f
killing a woman and child. "H e kept
trying to tell everyone that he didn’ t
k ill the child, that the woman killed
the child and he killed her. I f he had
a good attorney and that came out in
court, he probably wouldn’t have
been executed.
"T hat was one man who didn’ t
need to die. We heard on the radio
that Governor Hatfield said McGahuey
didn't ask him to commute his sen­
tence. But that isn’ t true. He wrote a
long letter. A fter we heard that, he
wrote another letter ’ Commute me.’
"H a tfie ld claimed to be a
Christian,
but
I
consider
it
hypocracy when a Christian can sit by
and let a man die. I’ ll always hold
that against H atfield."
The other men on death row were
moved three days before McGahuey’s
execution date, and kept away for
three days after. "W e had no access
to newspapers or a radio, but on the
night he was executed a guard came
running to us yelling, ’They did it.
They killed him .’ ”
"Then we knew they really would
do it.” Shipley still was waiting
FLOYD FORSBERG
himself be talked into one more
burglary by a friend he later found
was a police inform ant. As he started
to enter the building he was surround­
ed and soon found himself back in
prison.
Would he k ill again? Shipley says
no. " I decided a long time ago that it
wouldn't help anyone to sit around
and think about it. Nothing can
bring the girl back. Bu; I hope that I
can make some contribution to
society. 1 always had put myself first.
Now I have a wife and daughter, and
another child on the way. I have
something that is more important
than myself.”
As for death vs. a life sentence.
Shipley has no doubt. " I wanted to
live. It’ s just a matter o f self preser­
vation. Even i f 1 were facing the rest
o f my life in prison, there would be
no doubt about my choice. Even in
here there is a chance to do
something worthwhile.
"There is no rehabilitation in
prison. I f they really want to punish
someone and make them suffer, they
should put him in here. It is a worse
punishment than death and costs
less. But there’s still that desire to
live.
(Please turn to Page 4 Column 1)
Aady Young
visits Oregon
Andrew Young, the U.S. Am ­
bassador to the United Nations,
w ill be the featured speaker this
year at the State Democratic Party’s
Annual Wayne Morse Banquet
Saturday evening,
November
U th. A ll Democratic candidates
for
Federal,
Statewide
and
Legislative office w ill be honored
at the event, which w ill be held at
the Eugene Hotel. Winners o f the
“ Roar o f the T iger" and the M yr­
tle Sykes “ Grass Roots” Awards
for 1978 w ill be announced.
“ I ’ ll never forget where I came
from ,” said Ron Brewer, rookie
guard for the Portland Trailblazers.
“ When I go home it ’ s frustrating to
see guys better than myself still on
the street corners. Some never
finished high school.”
A native o f Fort Smith, Arkansas,
Brewer was picked second by the
Blazers and seventh in the 1978
college draft. He was one o f four
children — two boys and two girls.
His youth was spent growing up in a
housing project trying to endure the
pain and hardships o f poverty.
" I f it wasn’t for the positive direc­
tion o f my family and a good friend,
I would have probably fallen into the
same rut. I was lucky to have had
nice people around me.” Brewer
began playing basketball as a fourth
grader, but he was considered a more
skillful baseball player. His father
Otis once played in the old Negro
leagues.
" I never knew that I had talent in
HOOP until a friend told me that I
couldn’t be stopped i f I put my mind
to it. 1 didn’t believe a single word o f
it, but I went along with his
program.” That friend was Aimer
Lee, one o f the first Blacks to attend
the University o f Arkansas during
the early seventies.
“ One night Aimer and I were
arrested for playing basketball past
the 10:30 curfew,” he said. “ A1 liked
to play at night because it developed
reflexes, quickness, and deep con­
centration. We tried to run, but got
caught,” he laughed.
The Fort Smith Police Depart­
ment finally released both o f them
after they were convinced the
athletes meant no harm. Brewer said,
"T h e social situation was tight then,
but times have really changed.”
As a 6*2” sophomore Brewer tried
out for the Fort Smith basketball
team after several people encouraged
him. He ended up averaging 15.4 per
game and his team finished 26-1. The
next two seasons he scored 20.7 and
25.6 per game as his team compiled
records o f 20-5 and 30-0.
During Brewer’s senior year, Fort
Smith won the class A A 1974 Champ­
ionship by defeating local rival
Conway High School. This event
marked the first time in Arkansas
history that two undefeated teams
battled for the crown. Conway was
led by sharpshooter Marvin Delph.
Both o f the players were high school
All-Americans and All-State that
season. “ Afterwards, I realized that
I had some potential, but I didn’t
know what to do with it , " he said.
Upon graduation Brewer enrolled
at Fort Smith J.C. where he averaged
21.0 a game as he won All-American
honors. The decision to play at home
was easy since his high school coach
Gail Kundert had taken over cage
duties there. By this time Ron stood
6’4” and weighed 170 pounds.
W ith the influence o f Aimer Lee,
Brewer transferred to the University
o f Arkansas under new coach Eddie
Sutton. " I didn’ t go in the beginning
because they had problems, but after
the coaching change 1 saw an oppor­
tunity to play right away,” he said,
"besides he recruited two top players
in Sidney M oncrief and old friend
Marvin Delph.”
In 1976, 77, and 78 the “ three
dunkateers" carried the Razorbacks
as high as number one in the polls
with records o f 20-6, 28-2 and 32-4,
and two Southwest Conference
crowns. Brewer averaged 11.3, 19.1
and 21.5 in his three seasons as
Arkansas made several post ap­
pearances.
A surprise college All-American in
1977, Brewer repeated as a senior in
1978. He also joined a club o f elites
by being named the Southwest Con­
ference’ s MVP in back to back
seasons. In addition to being selected
All-Conference twice, Brewer broke
several records that were held by
long-time buddy Aimer Lee. In
response to his experiences as a
Razorback Brewer said, " I learned
the importance o f team organization
and how each player has a role to
play. Coach Sutton taught us to take
on responsibility, but most o f all 1
found myself as an athlete and a per­
son.”
Questioned about being in the NBA
Brewer stated, " I ’ m still on cloud
nine just being here, I used to dream
about playing with the pros on TV
and buying my family a nice home.
Now it ’s right before me.”
Brewer recently bought his family
the home he had promised them as a
senior at Arkansas. “ My parents
never stopped trying to do fo r us,”
said the 23-year-old Brewer. “ They
had to struggle to make it easier for
me. I ’ m thankful for being able to
fu lfill these dreams.”
(Please turn to Page 7 Column 3)
South Africa» fish removed from Safeway shelves
by Donald M. Fuller
On September 23rd, Safeway Inc.
was charged by the Seattle and the
Portland Black community with
belonging to an “ International
Brotherhood” o f white supremacy
through its sale o f South African
“ Fairest Cape” brand whiting fish.
Worse, by selling the food products
for the racist m inority government to
the Black community o f the United
States, insult is added to injury.
Black community leaders say that the
buying o f this food by unwary
Blacks helps to provide surplus
capital used by the viciously racist
regime to buy weapons to kill other
Black people in Africa.
The "South African Connection”
as it is being called, supplied by
Safeway Inc., is under/investigation
by Albina residents for the entire in­
volvement o f that corporation, but
the available facts are cause for
alarm and concern by fair-minded
people in every community. The facts
are fairly straightforward. Alerted to
the sale o f “ Fairest Cape” fish in
Safeway stores, an aroused Black
community first in Seattle, then in
Portland, launched a protest. The
results are mixed. In Seattle, a
coalition was formed and a represen­
tative asked management to remove
the product from the Black com­
munity. Further, management repre­
sentative, Russell McCurdy, at first
agreed (and then later reneged) to
make a published apology and urge
all U.S. business to refuse to trade
with the government o f South
Africa.
In the face o f what was termed
" . . . arrogant support of the blatant­
ly racist m inority government in
South Africa, “ pickets arrived on
September 23rd, at the Seattle 23rd
Avenue Safeway store, located in the
Black community. Some Portland
Albina area residents attending the
King Tutankhamun Exhibit, saw the
pickets, learned the objectives and
issues, and when they returned to
Portland, they began an in­
vestigation o f Safeway Inc. in Port­
land (Union and Ainsworth). That
same product, "Fairest Cape”
whiting fish, which would bring
profits to South African whites, was
on sale there and as far away as
Wichita, Kansas.
To appreciate the importance o f
the insulting support given by an
unwary or uninformed buyer, in the
(Please turn to Page 6 Column 1)
Black organizatioas sue City, development fund halt
Five Black community organiza­
tions have asked the U.S. District
Court for an injunction against the
City of Portland, to enjoin the City
from spending SI2,080,300 in federal
funds until the C ity complies with
regulations governing the funds.
r *
Andrea Manning, a 1978 graduate of Jamea Monroe High School, wee elect­
ed Freshman Queen, representing 3,000 freshmen at Texas Southern Univer
aity. Miss Manning is majoring in pre-med, with aspirations of becoming a doc­
tor.
Miss Manning was appointed Student Senator by the President of the
Student Government, representing 250 students in deciding on student affairs.
The suit was filed Wednesday by
the Northwest M inority Contractors
Association, the NAACP,
the
Albina Ministerial Alliance, the
Albina
Women's
league,
the
Oregon Association o f Colored
Women's Clubs, and the United
Black Front.
The suit charges that the City
failed to appoint a proper Economic
Development Committee, represent­
ing community organizations, to
develop and monitor its economic
development program.
In May o f 1978, President Carter
announced Portland's designation as
a Comprehensive Economic Develop­
ment Strategy (CEDS) City. By June
30th, the City was required to have a
C ity C ouncil adopted CEDS
proposal. The C ity 's reply to
minority complaints is that the time
schedule constrained attempts to in­
clude minority participation in the
planning.
The CEDS objectives include
creation o f jobs and income for long-
term unemployed and disadvant­
aged, including minorities; develop­
ment o f program activities including
m in o rity
business
assistance
programs.
The o rig in a l CEDS advisory
committee was made up o f thirteen
members — most o f them represent­
ing business. The two Black mem­
bers were Commissioner Charles
Jordan and James Harris, owner of
"B o n Vivant.” According to the
City response, "The selection o f
m inority members to serve on the
Economic Develop Advisory Com­
mittee (EDAC) involved an informal
process o f consultation with key
minority groups. Subsequent to con­
sultation
with
groups
and
organizations, the City economic
planning staff makes recommen­
dations to the Mayor who, in turn,
may solicit additional suggestions.
The appointment o f Bob Turner,
President o f the local OMBE af­
filiate partially at the request o f
EDA, was made by the Mayor and
confirmed by Council.” Turner was
recently added to the now fifteen
member Committee.
The City also maintains that twenty
groups were contacted to review the
proposal, including six "m in o rity
(Please turn to Page 7 Column 4)