I
Mayor, people discuss budget cuts
OBSERVER
Volume 8 No. 43 Thursday. October 28.1978 10c per copy
Mayor Neil Goldschmidt and city
staff met with citizens at a "Town
Hall M eeting" to explain tax cut
ballot measures 6 and 11 as they
relate to the C ity’ s budget.
Goldschmidt, who favors Measure
11, said both measures shift taxes
from property to the income tax, but
that Measure 11 w ill bring less
drastic cuts to the city. He estimated
that the real adverse effects o f
Measure 11 will not be felt for four
or five yers.
Measure 11, he estimated, would
remove about six per cent from the
property tax funds available to the
City. A potential risk is that because
the state w ill pay h a lf o f each
homeowner’s property tax payment
up to $1,500, the state w ill not have
money available to supplement city
funds.
I f Measure 6 passes, the C ity
would lose about thirty per cent of
the funds it now receives from local
property taxes, m aking drastic
budget cuts necessary. An added
danger in Measure 6 is that i f a new
tax were needed, a two-thirds vote of
the Legislature or the voters (or
both) would be required. Measure 6
also, because it would require state
income tax funds to make up the
deficits in city, county, school
district and other budgets, would
move fiscal control to the state level.
In a press conference Tuesday, the
Mayor stated that police, fire and
streets could probably absorb ten per
cent cuts without serious side effects.
The exact amount lost to the City
i f Measure 6 passes will depend on
the fo rm u la devised by the
Legislature to distribute the $15 taxes
collected per thousand dollars
assessed evaluation. One proposal is
to give the school districts $10.50,
the cities $2.25, counties $1.50 and
community colleges .75. Estimated
general fund needs for the City o f
Portland for the 1979 - 1980 fiscal
year are $93.8 m illion. Measure 6
w ould probably cut about $22
million from the budget.
Goldschmidt invited the public to
gain understanding o f the decisions
facity the Council by attempting to
cut thirty per cent from the City
budget.
He cautioned that about 73 per
cent o f the funds collected from
property tax go to fire, police, streets
and park maintenance and i f all
other services were eliminated these
also would have to be cut.
In a sample o f fifty citizens, only
twelve were able to remove 30 per
cent. The average cut was only twen
ty per cent. The average citizen in the
sample cut 4 per cent from police,
3 */ j from fire, 5 from streets, 3 from
parks.
Goldschmidt endorsed Measure 11
as h-ving the least serious effect on
the C ity, and stated that even i f
Measure 6 were not on the ballot, he
could support this proposal.
Goldschmidt assured those per
sons present that the City w ill con
tinue to provide services regardless
o f which, i f either, o f the measures
passes although it would more d if
ficult under Measure 6. “ We w ill
provide services either way. We
w ill make it work. When you go to
vote you should feel very comfor
table knowing that we w ill do what
you want us to do.”
Organizes prison protest
Commissioner Charles Jordan; Tom Brown, Deputy
Grand Master, and Grand Master Joe Henderson invite
Jim Kordalis and Jeffery Brown to a bicycle marking clinic
to be held at Knott Street Community Center on Saturday,
October 28th, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The clinic.
sponsored by the Oregon Grand Lodge of Prince Hall
Masons, will mark youngsters' bicycles to insure their
identification should they be stolen. It is part of the
crime prevention program sponsored by the Masons and
the Portland Police Bureeau.
Casson accepts California church assignment
Reverend Ellis C. Casson has ac
cepted an appointment as Pastor o f
First African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Santa Monica, California,
by Bishop H. Hartford Brookins.
Casson, currently a civil rights of
ficer for Region X o f the U.S. High
way Department, was most recently
pastoring in Everett, Washington.
He served as associate Pastor o f
Bethel African Methodist Church in
Portland for ten years and previously
pastored churches in Great Falls,
Bremerton, San Francisco and San
Bernadino.
Casson, who was raised in Port
land. received his bachelors degree
from Seattle Pacific College, where
he was selected " A lu m n i o f the
Year’ ’ fo r 1972. He received a
Bachelor o f D ivinity degree from
Evangelical Seminary.
Casson is vice chairman o f the
State Board o f Education, formerly
a member o f the Governor’s Com
mission on Youth, the State Human
Relations Commission, and the Port
land Planning Com m ission. He
was president o f the Portland Branch
NAACP, from 1970 through 1976.
He has served on the boards o f the
Urban League o f Portland, Model
Cities, the Y M C A , the N ational
Council o f Christians and Jews, and
the National Association o f C ivil
Rights Workers. He is on the board
o f St. Vincent Hospital.
Neuman replied, "1 consulted with
my colleagues — though not with all
of them.” Neuman said he had con
sulted with six o f the seven Board
members. The Open Meeting Law
requires that all Board decisions be
made in public meetings.
Herb Cawthorne, representing the
Community Coalition for School In
tegration, had asked the Board to
advise the Coalition when a response
to the Coalition recommendations to
be made on November 27th can be
expected. The Coalition asked that
the recommendations be acted on in
time to be instituted for the 1979-
1980 school year.
The Coalition also requested that,
in lig h t o f statements that the
Coalition’s preliminary report con
tained errors and misinterpretations
o f fact, the School District point out
any errors and provide proper in
formation. A ll o f the information
contained in the report, was obtained
from the School District except in
formation gained from responses on
an independent survey o f students,
parents and staff.
In a prepared response fo r the
Board, Neuman refused to entertain
any discussion o f an estimated time
line fo r discussion and action on
recommendations for desegregation.
"Since the School Board does not
at this time know what the final
report and recommendations o f the
Coalition will be, it is not possible to
predict at this time the exact time
line o f the School Board’ s response.
In other words, we cannot predict
our response to a report which we
by Valentine Nemcek
"Communications media seldom
portray the conditions which are
most troublesome to authorities. The
story usually ends with the arrest o f
the culprit. The viewer or reader is
not told how many festering months
o r years the defendant spent in
detention prison aw aiting tria l
because
of
co u rt
calendar
congestion; n or is he to ld how
prolonged incarceration contributes
to the overcrowding and the un
speakable conditions which breed
hatred o f society among the inmates,
guilty and innocent a like . . . ”
fro m "O u r Cities Burn While We
Play Cops and R obbers,” by
Judge Bernard Botein
Reverend Ellis C. Casson
PPS turn down Coalition request
Steve Buel, candidate fo r the
Portland School Board, questioned
the adherence o f the School Board to
the Oregon Open Meeting Law.
Addressing the School Board,
Buel questioned the process leading
to a formal statement by Chairper
son Jonathan Neuman to a request
from the Community Coalition for
School Integration. Stating that a
response to an in q u iry from the
public should come from the Board,
Buel asked i f the "lo n g , lengthy
response by the Chairperson" had
been taken to the Board and whether
it had been approved by the other
Board members.
Daniels trial ends in hung jury
have not received or seen.
"S om e recom m endations, ob
viously, may be o f a type and quality
that permit very prompt response,
indeed. Other recommendations may
requiaC considerably more extended
time for response. Whatever the time
or response, we may agree or
disagree with the analysis, findings,
or recommendations which the
Coalition makes.
"B u t when the Board receives the
Coalition’ s final report on Novem
ber 27, 1978, it intends to be diligent
and thorough in its response and to
make its response as prom pt as
possible. The subject o f integration is
one with which the Board has been
engaged fo r almost fifteen years;
much progress has been made, and
much progress remains to be made.
What we have sought and will con
tinue to seek is improvement in our
integration programs for the benefits
o f all children.
“ We do not know, based upon
our reading o f the preliminary draft
o f September, 1978, i f the final
report w ill be factual, comprehen-
(Please turn to Page 4 Column 3)
room packed w ith special police
security personnel, the trial o f James
Daniels Jr. came to an end. An
estimated $5,000 to $10,000 was
wasted by the State in an effort to
prove a $91 theft occurred from an
undercover patrolm an posing as
drunk at the Hooper M em orial
Detoxification Center where Daniels
worked.
The six person ju ry split four
to two fo r acquital on this mis
demeanor charge in dicating the
State’s inability to prove their case.
A dditional charges o f escape and
resisting a police officer also resulted
in a hung jury vote o f three to three.
The defense attorney, S. Lynn
Parkinson, replied to these charges
with arguments indicating the poten
tia l fo r a frame-up while James
Daniels testified that injuries in
curred by him during the arrest were
the result o f a beating at the hands o f
the police on that August morning.
The em inently fa ir c o n tro l
exhibited by Judge Joseph Ceniceros
was a bright spot in the shadows
surrounding a case which should
never have been brought to trial. The
weakness o f the case was exemplified
by the inability o f the District A tto r
ney’ s office to produce the $91, by
the lack o f corroboration that the
undercover officer had the money
when he was taken to the
detoxification center, by poor police
search techniques and by contradict
ing police testimony.
Yet, the District Attorney’ s office
pressed forw ard, disavowing any
(Please turn to Page 2 Column 4)
On Monday, October 23, 1978, af
ter six days o f testimony in a court
Discrimination
meeting called
A ll persons interested in the
problems o f racial discrimination
in the Portland area are invited to
a meeting to be held on Novem
ber 6th at 7:00 p.m. at 8 N.E.
Killings worth.
The meeting is sponsored by
Michele Albert, Melvia Wilson
and Arthur Bradford, themselves
the victim s o f discrim ination.
“ We are concerned that persons
who are discriminated against
because o f race do not know their
rights, do not know how to file a
complaint and do not know what
to do to insure that their com
plaints are investigated and taken
to court,” Ms. Albert explained.
Ms. Wilson said that i f those
attending the meetaing wish, a
group could be organized to in
form the public. Although those
who believe they have been
discrim inated
against
are
specifically sought, all persons
who are concerned about racial
discrimination are urged to at
tend.
Commissioner Charles Jordan and friends are hosting a Recep
tion for Governor Bob Straub from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday,
October 29th, at Cascade Center, Portland Community College.
Commissioner Jordan urges all citizens to attend the reception,
meet and talk with the Governor,
Black candidates for office will be introduced. Refreshments
will be provided (there is no charge).
Rhodesia bombs Zambian refugee camps
by N. Fungai Kumbula
Last week, Ian Smith along with
Ndabaningi Sithole, one o f the three
figureheads in the so-called tran
sitional government in Rhodesia
were here in the U.S. Some o f us had
the misfortune to even see them on
TV. For those who did, you had a
rare chance to sec what a mass mur
derer looks like.
The two, o f course, had come to
the U.S. at the invitation o f S.l.
Hayakawa, Jesse Helms and 25 of
their colleagues in the Senate. The
idea was for them to present their
side of the case. So they spent the
past week meeting with government
officials, business people and the
media as well as anyone else who
would listen. The thrust o f their
message was that, they in the internal
government, were the good guys and
those on the outside, the guerrillas,
were the savages bent on destruction.
Over and over again, Smith
reiterated the point that he had
satisfied his end o f the bargain, met
all the demands set forth by the U.S.
government for turning Rhodesia
over to m a jo rity rule. He was,
therefore, demanding that the U.S.
fo llo w through w ith its own
obligations. He said form er
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
had promised him that once he
(Smith) had accepted the concept o f
"one person, one vote,” then the
U.S. would recognize the govern
ment set up in Rhodesia, lift sanc
tions and resume trade with her.
When contacted. Kissinger denied
he had ever made any such concrete
offers to Smith, that he could not
have done so since he did not have
!
the authority to do so on his own.
Secondly, Smith’ s agreement in its
present form falls far short o f its
originally intended objective. What
may have been acceptable two years
ago is not even worth negotiating any
more. Political fortunes are won and
lost almost overnight in Zimbabwe.
The present agreement might have
been an excellent idea fifteen years
ago but, now I wouldn’t even touch
it with an insulated ten foot pole.
It is against this backdrop that the
next episode in our continuing saga
takes place. This past weekend,
Rhodesian bombers suddenly in
vaded Zambia and started bombing
guerrillas "targets". And, as usual,
they invited the media for a field day.
As expected too, everything worked
like a charm: the papers covered this
like it were some historic event, a
heroic e ffo rt. The Sunday Orego
nia n ’s headline ran: "Rhodesians
smash rebel bases in Zambia." Not a
word about the violation o f Zam
bia’ s territory or the disregard for
her sovereignity!
An independent observer who was
in the area, however, sent a story o f
a very different tone. The "guerrilla
bases," it turned out were nothing
more
than
refugee
camps,
Rhodesia's usual targets. As we all
know, refugee camps are sitting
ducks for bombers. If you gave me a
bomber, gave me a crash course on
how to run it and then showed me
some refugee camps to bomb, I
could demolish them too. Where
there is no answering fire, one can
make repeated forays with impunity.
One o f the camps hit was a girls’
refugee camp and the other housed
boys. These poor souls had tied hun
dreds of miles, dodging bullets most
o f the way only to be slaughtered in
their sleep once they reached
" s a fe ty ." The first thought that
crossed my mind as I was reading
about this atrocity was: *1 wonder
what the Hayakawas’ , Helms’ et al
are thinking now while their hero is
slaughtering these innocent souls?’
This is the kind o f monster they in
sisted should be given an audience.
W ould they have insisted on
H itler’s coming to the U.S. to ex
plain his reasons for the holocaust?
What would they say i f the tables
were turned: if it was Kaunda send
ing bombers into Rhodesia to kill
innocent little white boys and girls?
Would the world stand idly by? And
would the newspapers still be writing
about ‘ Zambians smash rebel bases
in Rhodesia'?
I am convinced that in such a case,
there would no doubt be a Zaire type
"rescue" mission. As long as it is
white killing Black, we hear the ad
vocates o f "c a u tio n , patience,
negotiation" etc., but when it is
Black killing white, then these same
advocates
recede
in to
the
background to be replaced by the
hawks.
The cowardly raid into Zambia
and the others into Mozambique are
acts o f desperation. Smith, having
failed in his attempts to woo the
U.S., now realizes that the game is
up. So, like a wounded lion, he wants
to show that he is not finished yet.
Because he cannot " f i n d " the
guerrillas who have so effectively
eroded his authority, he now turns
on to such “ visible targets” as the
refugees and the missionaries. Aided
and abetted by such tra ito rs as
Muzorewa, Sithole and Chirau, this
sort o f thing can only be expected to
worsen as the situation continues to
deteriorate. Also, as the Western
press is suckered into this devilish
plot, the murderers will continue on
their merry way and the only big
losers arc the "visible targets", the
people o f Zimbabwe and all peace
loving people around the world.
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