Pag» 4
I Qbaarvar Thutaday, Octo*>«<
19> b
For FREE Family Financial
Record Book C a ll. . .
Behind the wall
Larry Baiter 93502!
O .S .P Correspondent
In the beginning was the
»or<
A n d the Word was good.
So be it. Behind The Walls.
By establishment o f the ‘ Behind
the W a ll’ column, many men and
women in prisons have spent endless
hours with lead pencils, ball-points
and reams o f parser scratching out
then own individual articles, subjects
and poems.
It has always been the policy and
procedure o f this column to make it
a known factor that the opinions ex
pressed in any article or poem sub
mitted be that o f the writer and does
not necessarily express the opinions
o f the O .S .P . administration, staff,
inmate population, or the Portland
Observer Now with that out o f the
way.
It has suddenly been brought to at
tention that the Oregon Prisoners'
Legal Services, a L E A A federal fund
ed organization stationed in Salem,
has not been particularly happy on
being exposed o f receiving local fund
ing from the Department o f Correc
tions.
The
primary
purpose
for
establishing the federal funds for the
Prisoners' Legal Services was to
protect any o f the civil rights
belonging to prisoners, and their
families being abused by prison of
ficials. including problems relating
to complaints surrounding medical
care, visitations, disciplinary , parole
hoanngs and religious expressions.
The question that was openly ex
pressed by ’ Behind the W a ll’ was,
how can the attorneys o f the
Prisoners’ Legal Services effectively
fight any o f the above complaints in
state or federal courts against the
same agency that is paying their
paycheck each month?
Many o f the prisoners o f this m-
stitution have expressed grave con
cern over the issue.
Over the past three weeks the PLS
staff and attorneys have been swarm
ing around this institution trying to
convince prisoners that there is no
conflict o f interest being displayed
by PLS receiving funds from Correc
tions.
Convincing convicted prisoners is
one thing, but trying to convince the
Oregon general public is another.
Since it is their taxpaying dollars that
are being used to pay for the
prisoners’ civil rights protection.
Another pertinent question that
should
be
explored
is
PLS’
statement, that they have received
nearly 2,000 requests over the past
two years since they have been in
existence. Just how many o f those
requests have been thoroughly in
vestigated, taken action on. or
resolved? O r is that irrelevant too?
In recent years the public has
placed
a lot o f pressure on our
federal agencies to investigate the
abusage o f federal allocated funds to
service the needs o f unemployed
minorities and the indigent in
dividuals. Many have been vic
timized by agencies that could
promote a gift for gab, stacks o f
paper and political backing. But
the p ro of o f the pudding has always
been m the final results. Produce or
stop exploiting the taxpayers money
behind a cloak o f smooth words and
no action
Gene B. Mechanic, director o f
Prisoners
Legal Services readily
admits that the American Bar
Astzy-iatnin, who previously had
provided local funding over the past
two years o f its four year funding
grant, was not interested in funding
his organization any longer, but he
did not give the reason, W H Y ?
Poetry E dito r
Mechanic, stated P LS approached
the Oregon Legislative Emergency
Board for local funding, and was
turned away. But again he did not
give the reason why. Is there
something being closely hidden from
the prisoners by PLS o f why these
two reputable associations and board
denied their reque«? Are they ’ hip’
to something questionable about the
Prisoners' Legal Services credibility
and reputation and being the right
agency to p ro tea the indigent per
sons civil rights?
N o. Behind the W a ll' will not be
silent
by
any
of
Mechanic's
organization excuses that would
provide the prisoners at O .S .P . with
their civil rights. But how does one
answer W illie W illiam s, a Black in
mate,
when
he
states,
“ The
Prisoners' Legal Services cannot
possibly give effective legal service to
a Black prisoner who wishes to bring
forth a discrimination complaint
against the prison or the Division o f
Corrections. Heck, look who pays
their salary, plus they have a lilly-
white staff. 1 would never refer one
o f my Black prison brothers to them
for any legal assistance.”
W illiam s, a member o f the
p a rliamentary committee o f the
prisons Black Culture Club con
tinued. “ They came to one o f our
meetings just recently and tned to
give us a snow-job or. what they want
ed to do for us. They had two years
to do many things to service the
Black prisoners, why shoot that mess
at us now that the money is tight and
the death penalty is on the state
ballot. M y question is how much
money has Mechanic and his bunch
already ’ pocketed' in the name o f
prisoners’ civil rights.”
There may be some fools behind
the walls o f this prison, but we’ re all
not.
Appointment with the gas chamber
Continued from Page 1 Colum n 3)
“ When I g a out — in 1216 years
- I know I will never commit
nother crim e."
Rod Addicks is another story He
:laims he is innocent o f the murder
or which he has been incarcerated
or hfe. “ There is no doubt in my
nind that if the death penalty had
seen in e ffe a in Oregon. 1 would be
lead ”
.Addicks. who is seeking a release on
he basis that another man has ad-
nitted the crime, feds no doubt that
ns sentencing judge. Judge Dale.
*ould have sentenced him to death.
“ The attitude o f the judge toward
ne and toward my attorney showed
ne that they had me pegged as a cold
flooded murderer — a man who
Killed his business partner for
money.”
Not fitting the common image of
the murderer, Addicks is a college
graduate, middle class and white. “ 1
was even a bit conservative before
this happened to roe I believed the
d istria attorney was supposed to
bring about justice. N ow I know
there is no justice.
Addicks, 37, was convicted o f the
murder o f his business partner,
James T urel, in Portland. Addicks
was convicted along with Dennis Cart-
right, who testified against Addicks.
Addicks who claims no pan in the
murder and no knowledge o f it,
maintains that he was framed by law
enforcement officials. “ I don’t know
the motive — maybe they thought 1
was guilty and arranged the evidence
to prove it. But whatever the reason,
1 have been in prison for four years
for a crime 1 did not commit — and
if there were a death penalty, I would
be dead.
“ I didn’t think they would arrest
me. 1 laughed when they did, it was
so ridiculous. 1 didn’t think I would
be tried or convicted. But here 1 am.
“ I feel sorry fo r all those who are
here because they don’t have an
education or money for a good at
torney. They don’t have a chance.”
Although the Parole Board is
required to set a release date within
six months o f a m an’s imprisonment,
the Board has not set a date for A d
dicks. “ You are supposed to discuss
the crime with them. 1 didn’t commit
a crime and 1 wasn't going to say I
did, so they didn’t set a date. I'm in
here forever.”
A man who is a “ cold blooded
m urderer" is Floyd Forsberg, 36.
Forsberg is a “ professional bank
robber" who admits he killed for
hire. H e claims that he committed
the crime for which Addicks was
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PEGGY JOSEPH
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conviaed.
When Forsberg, who had been at
Leavenworth federal prison after the
murder, said when he arrived at
O .S .P ., he was surprised to meet
Dennis C art right, with whom he had
committed the crime, and to be told
that another man was in prison for
Field Underwriter
ted the crime.
“ But there are some men who
should be locked up and never l a
out. I ’ m probably one o f th em .”
Forsberg
says
he
is
a
“ professional”
bank robber —
committing what was at the time the
nation’s largest bank robbery and
another bank robbery th«’ has been
called nearly
p e rfe a ’ . “ I spent
weeks
and
somaimes
several
thousand dollars planning a robbery.
There is no way I would have had to
kill someone during a robbery. M y
two murders were for hire.”
I f the death penalty had been in ef
fe a for the past 14 years in Oregon
two o f these men — who yrt may be
released to raise families and lead
produaive lives — could be dead.
The third — a man who admits he
was a hired killer — could be free.
NAACP meets
The
Vancouver
Branch
of
N A A C P will meet the Washington
State Hum an Rights Commission at
its monthly public education m eaing
on Sunday, O a o b e r 22nd at 4:00
p.m . at Pacific First Federal Savings
Com m unity Room, 915 Broadway
The public is invited.
The New York L ife agent in your
community is a good person to
know.
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BREAKFAST
MARIE’S
KITCHI
Yes. I would like my child(ren) to at
tend the Inmates’ Community Liaison
Project’s “ Halloween P a rty .”
AT ANYTIME
«
Tuea-Thurs 9:30
a m -* pm — Frl-
Sat 9:30 am -330
am — Sun 6:30
am-3 30 pm
M y name is:______
M y child’s name is:.
Age:---------------------
Name:_____________
Age:---------------------
CLOSED
MONDAY!
Please return to:
C ry o f Love. Inc.
Inmates' Com m unity Liaison
P ro je a
2303 Fairgrounds Rd. N .E .
Salem. Oregon 97303
O r call: 581-0027
SPECIAL
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5 2 4 6 N.E. UNION
2 8 7 -9 3 6 3
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SERVICE COMPANY
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his part in it.
Forsberg, who had been arrested
for escape from a Nevada ja il, had
already confessed to the murder o f a
Bend woman. “ W hen I met Rod
Addicks, and saw him in the visiting
room with his fam ily. I decided to
tell my part in the crim e," he ex
plained.
“ I was told by (Chalmers) Jones
o f the Parole Board that this will add
years to my sentence — 1 won’t g a
out until I ’m an old man.
" I f they had the death penalty, I
don’t know if I would have come
forward and confessed. That is one
reason why I ’ m opposed to the death
penalty. Mistakes can be made, and
how many men would come forward
to d ear them up if they faced death?
“ I f everyone knew that they would
be conviaed and the death penalty
would come in ninrty days — it
might be a deter rant. But with the
possibility o f convicting the wrong
man and the long delays, it would
never work. By the time a man lives
twelve years waiting to be executed
he’s not the same man who commit
283-5012
The Inmates' Com munity Liaison
P ro je a , C ry o f Love. In c., is coor
dinating efforts with the Friday
night support group to present a
Halloween Party for the children o f
inmates in the W illam ette Valley
area. October 29th. Pringle Park,
1:00-3:30 p.m . Sunday afternoon.
There is no publicity about the party
and there is no charge. E xtra goodies
and help with serving at the party
will be welcomed. I f you have fam ily
or friends in the Portland area please
pass the word.
Treats, games and a visit with
Pumpkin M an is scheduled.
We
think it will be an exciting day for the
children. I f you would like your
children to attend please fill out the
slip below and return it to our office
as soon as possible. W e want to
reach as many children in the
W illamette area as possible. Hope to
see you at the party!
E
X
O
D
U
249-8111
S
a r u / tf i e a / m e a / ¿ ‘rn/re
1618 N E KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 97211
284-7997
FACTS OF IM P O R T A N C E
VOLUME V
OCTOBER 1978
SERIES I
Directly, Exodus is working hard to improve the
HEALTH, SAFETY and MENTAL OUTLOOK of
people living in our community.
One indirect result of our work in treating Alcoholism
is the reduction of crime and crime potential; while
increasing the overall productivity of our community
citizens.
Hunters! You can SEE, HEAR and THINK
clearer WITHOUT Alcohol and Drugs.
REGISTER AT:
EXODUS
1518 N.E. KilllngsWbrth
Portland, Oregon 97211