•SS
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Black groups seek injunction
PORTLAND
OBSERVER
Volum« i No. 44 Thursday. November 2.1978 10c per copy
As six Black organizations prepare
to go to federal court today to seek
an injunction against the C ity o f
Portland, stopping the expenditure
o f $12 m illio n in Com prehensive
E conom ic D evelo pm ent S trategy
(C E D S ) funds, the C ity countered
with a proposal to form a minority
task force.
The organizations sued the City on
the basis th a t requirem ents th a t
representatives
of
c o m m u n ity
organizations be involved as mem
bers o f the C EDS committee in the
planning for the grant proposal had
not been met. One o f the C ED S
requirements is that it povide jobs
and income for economically disad
vantaged and unem ployed city
residents, including minorities and
women.
The C ity ’s new proposal, offered
on October 31st, is that a Task Force
on M inority Needs be formed as a
special
subcom m ittee
o f the
Economic Developm ent A dvisory
C om m ittee (E D A C ) to meet with
representatives o f m in o rity com
m unities and develop specific
measures within the C ED S program
that would:
1) Assure meaningful and con
tinuing involvement in the C E D S
program by minorities;
2) Identify projects or programs,
which meet the C ED S investment
criteria, to be considered fo r in
clusion in the CEDS program by City
Council;
3) Recommend changes in the
adopted C ED S policies;
4) Com municate issues or con
cerns, not within the present scope o f
the C EDS program or C ity economic
development activities, to the ap
p ro p riate agencies and organiza-
tions; and
3) A rticulate the meaning, pur
poses and management o f the Port
land C E D S program to m in o rity
interests in the community.
I f adopted, the C E D S program
would proceed according to schedule
but no project applications would be
subm itted to the U .S . Econom ic
Developm ent A dm inistration until
December 1st.
Indications are that the minority
organizations will reject the propo
sal as an “ a fte r the fact to ken ”
and w ill proceed w ith th e ir suit.
Those filing the suit are: the North
west
M in o r ity
C o n tra c to rs
A s s o c ia tio n , the N A A C P , the
A lb in a W o m e n ’ s L eagu e, the
O regon A ssociatio n o f C o lo re d
W o m e n ’ s C lu b s ,
the
A lb in a
Ministerial Alliance and the United
Black Front.
Straub*. Basic needs a human right
Will Blacks vote?
Only three households living in this three block
strip took time to vote I
The rapidly growing Black population of Por
tland can be the deciding factior in close elec
tions yet many citizens do not use their right to
vote - a right bought by the blood and suffering
of many.
On. November 7th decisions with tremendous
impact on Black citizens will be made. They in
clude Measure 6, the death penalty, flouridation.
A governor, a U.S. Senator and many state and
local officials will be elected.
Will Blacks vote?
“ I have long believed that every
human being has the right to basic
human necessities before any other
human being has the right to a sur
plus beyond his or her needs,”
G o v e rn o r Bob S tra u b to ld an
audience gathered at V anco u ver
Avenue First Baptist Church Wed
nesday night.
Straub told the audience that he is
proud o f his record in Affirmative Ac
tion. " W e have worked hard to open
opportunities for all. I ’ m proud o f
w hat I have done in ap p o in tin g
Blacks to high posts and I ’m proud
o f the way they have perform ed.
Every Black person I have turned to
and asked to help has performed with
distinction and credit to the State o f
Oregon.
“ I have sponsored Affirmative Ac
tion in this state because like former
Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, I
believe we must close the gap between
the promise and the reality in our
land.”
Straub said that in the past four
years his administration has created
enough jo b s to reduce unem
ployment in the state from 12.1 per
cent to nearly 5 per cent this year and
has cut Black unemployment by 40
percent.
Since 1975, there has been a 49 per
cent increase in Blacks employed by
the State and a SI per cent increase
in Black state employees earning
$1,000 per month or more.
" W e ’ve gone a long way toward
creating the social services we need to
provide equal opportunities for the
disadvantaged in this state -- the
young, the old, and the handicap
ped. W e have worked very hard to
create the services th ey need to
achieve their highest levels o f in
dependence.
W e ’ ve been a state o f great
promise, and we’ve worked hard to
solve the problems o f high Black
unemployment and low opportunity.
W e ’ve done much, but it ’ s not
enough. I t ’s not enough so long as
(Please turn to Page 4 Colum n 2)
Prisoners Coalition addresses Rocky Butte conditions
by Valentine Nemcek
" T o those o f you who doubt that
any or all o f these events are true. 1
can only say sleep, innocent child,
sleep. To awake is to become mad. ’’
Roosevelt Williams
Soledad Prison. 1971
Last week R ocky B utte Jail
received a visit from the Division o f
Corrections Adm inistrator, C arl M a
son. The Prisoners Coalition (P .C .)
had their first opportunity to discuss
their plight with an official who can
do something to correct conditions at
the ja il. P .C . spokespersons said
results are not materializing and it
appears they will continue to present
their "inhumane conditions” to the
public through the media.
Promises were m ade but some
issues were evaded and it remains to
be seen if improvements are forth
coming. Once again, outside yard
time was denied detainees. Accord
ing to Mason, this problem, which
has resulted in the detainees getting
outside fo r fresh air only tw o or
three times in ninety days, is due to
inefficient scheduling. Other sources
indicate it is a lack o f manpower.
According to the P .C ., tensions with
in the facility “ mellow for a few days
after being outside” and this results
in benefits to jailers as well as jailed.
Promised by Mason was a shelter
to be constructed to allow detainees
to go outside in bad weather and an
increase in recreational s ta ff and
counselors but meantime detainees
still are not getting outside. The P .C .
stated that one year ago, “ going out
side was a daily routine.” The P .C .
feels that this schedule should be
reinstated.
The authorities response to “ filthy
sanitation conditions” according to
live interviews with the P .C . (radio
station K B O O ) was a “ token” o f
new shower curtains and cleaned
bath mats. Other issues as outlined in
last week’s Observer have not been
resolved.
P .C . spokespersons, representing'
a growing number o f detainees, are
concerned that the overcrowding and
repressive atm osphere c u rre n tly
s u rro u nd ing O regon penal in
stitu tio n s is the a d m in is tra tio n s
opening salvo in a cam paign to
collect public support and funding to
build new ja ils and continue the
growth o f the prison industry. None
o f the statements by the P .C . have
been for a new prison which would
cost taxpayers an enormous amount
o f tax dollars. The solutions, as
noted by the P .C ., are simpler and
can, in some cases, actually save
money.
Overcrowding can be reduced by
controlling incarceration “ for petty
offenses.” A specific instance, say
the P .C ., is the detainee who has
been held for thirty days at $28 per
day for theft o f a lobster. Cost to
date is over $840 and rising, yet “ D ”
and “ G ” tank residents continue to
report men forced to sleep on the
floor.
O ther P .C . members point out
that ending verbal abuse by prison
officials is a no cost item, yet no ef
forts are being made in this area.
D u rin g
M ason’ s
v is it,
he
reprimanded the P .C . for “ going to
the media” instead o f using regular
channels. When it was pointed out
that the P .C . called his office, left a
message w ith his secretary, and
wrote to him , receiving no reply,
Mason indicated he had not received
these com m unications. H ow ever,
one P .C . member recalled a specific
letter he had seen some months ago
with Mason’s signature advising that
co nd itio n s w ould be im p ro v e d .
Mason’s reply that 1 “ don’t remem
ber” didn’t satisfy the P .C . spokes
person.
Additional low cost requests from
the detainees are for paint for the
“ ghetto” tanks, “ D ” and “ G . ”
Also disinfectant to combat athlete
foot problems among prisoners. The
disinfectant "h as been requested
fro m o ffic ia ls fo r th ree m onths
without results.”
According to the P .C ., one m ajor
issue not previously brought out is
the a d op tio n o f contact visits at
Rocky Butte. Currently, visits o f 1/2
hour on Sundays are allowed but
detainees and visitors are forced to
visit through a 6 ” by 12” glass
covered window. As questioned by a
P .C . member, “ H ow can this 1920’s
method” continue to be used as we
approach the 21st Century? Further,
he asks “ the public to imagine seeing
their loved ones under these con
ditions over a period o f months.”
It was pointed out that the Oregon
State Penitentiary has contact visits
and that Rocky Butte has the facility
(the dining room) which is not used
during visiting hours. The “ con
traband problem” could “ be han
dled in the same fashion as when
detainees return from a court ap
pearance.”
History of white racism cause of current Zimbabwe war
by N. Fungai Kumbula
During the early 60’s, when most
o f A frica’s present day nations were
gaining their freedom, a lot o f the
white racists who could not stand to
live under a Black government em
barked on a southward trek. As, in
succession, these nations took con
trol o f their own destiny, the whites
fled, first from Ghana, then Nigeria,
Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi
and Zambia. Ghana gained her in
dependence in 1957, Nigeria in 1960,
Uganda 1962, Kenya 1963, Tanzania
early *64, M a la w i July 1964 and
Z a m b ia O c to b e r 1964. Fleeing
b efo re independence, these u n
desirables ended up in Rhodesia,
A n g o la , N a m ib ia , South A fric a ,
Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and
Mozambique.
Aud/fiu
The Zambezi River, which forms
the boundary between Rhodesia and
Zam bia, however, seemed too wide
for a delicate lady like independence
to leap across. Since all the African
countries
s till
u nder
fo reign
domination were south o f this river
(Rhodesia, Mozambique, Swaziland,
Lesotho, South A fric a , Botswana,
Namibia and Angola), the Zambezi
came to be officially recognized as
the “ line o f demarcation” between
independence and oppression. (O f
course, there still was A ffa rs and
Issas on the H o rn o f A fric a and
G u inea Bissau and th e Spanish
Sahara in West A frica.)
This very real division was first
challenged again in 1967 when
Swaziland gained her independence.
In 1968, L esotho and Botswana
fo llo w e d su it. T h e p a tte rn then
remained pretty much unchanged for
the next seven years. In 1975,
however, the Portuguese were sud
denly ousted from both Mozambique
and A ngola, which countries they
exploited at will for 500 years. They
had also been m ilitarily defeated in
Guinea Bissau the year before. 1967
saw Affars and Issas join the ranks
o f independent African nations also.
So, after 1975, the fleeing racists
fo u nd themselves d riv e n in to
R hodesia,
South
A fr ic a
and
Namibia. Here, they vowed to make
a “ last stand.” And led by “ Good
old Smithy,” who had declared U D I
in 1965 in an effort to prevent op
pressed Rhodesia from becoming in
dependent Z im b a b w e , they fe lt
reasonably secure. A fte r a ll, they
had a much larger and better trained
and equipped army and air force
than any o f their neighbors. A nd
they regarded Rhodesia’s Africans as
being a fra id o f even th e ir own
shadow. They would never dream o f
challenging the white man.
Events over the past few years,
p a rtic u la rly the last th re e , have
shown th a t not o nly have they
dreamed o f challenging the white
m an, but they have also dem on
strated they are capable o f toppling
him from his castle made o f sand. In
(Please turn to Page 7 Column 1)
Carter Rally
President Carter will join Gover
n or Bob S trau b and o th er local
political leaders for a “ Get Out the
Vote” rally at Mount Hood Com
munity College, 26000 S.E. Stark, in
G resham on F rid a y m o rn in g ,
November 3rd.
The outdoor rally is scheduled for
9:30 a.m. in the central mall o f the
college. The public is invited to at
tend, and free p arkin g w ill be
available.
Unthank
Plaza
The late Dr. De Norval Unthenk.
The Housing Authority o f Port
land dedicated Unthank Plaza, its
new eighty unit apartment building,
Monday. The unit, which is named
for former Portland physician Dr. De
N orval U n th a n k , w ill house low-
incom e e ld e rly and handicapped
citizens.
In an agreement with the E liot
N eighborhood A ssociation, H A P
pledged to give preference to former
Eliot residents who were displaced
by urban renewal projects.
Speakers for the occasion were
G o v e rn o r Bob S trau b and H A P
ch airm an
Fred
Rosenbaum .
Rosebaum praised D r. U n th a n k ’ s
m any c o n trib u tio n s to the com
m u n ity , saying that although he
came to P ortland when no Black
doctor could work in any hospital,
he earned all o f the awards and
honors the community can bestow.
Unthank family members view portrait in Unthank Plaza:
Thelma Brown, daughter; Wendy Brown, granddaughter;
Chelsea Unthank, granddaughter (daughter of Thomas);
Marsha Brown, granddaughter; and Lesley Unthank
daughter.