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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1979)
Community honors Martin Luther King January 15, 1979 would have been the 50th birthday o f D r, M artin Luther King, Jr. had he not been murdered in Memphis. Several Por tland events will celebrate the an niversary o f Dr. King’s birth. The Albina Ministerial Alliance, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar- ••• %• ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • i= • a • • • • eW a • a a • • • • • • • • a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Reverend John Jackson, President o f the N A A C P , Portland Branch; L»cius Hicks, President-elect o f the N A A C P , Portland Branch; Herb Cawthorne, Director o f the PSU Educational Opportunity Program; and D r. Richard N . Hughes, Executive Director o f C U E. The ser vice will be held at Mount Olivet Baptist Church, 116 S.E. Schuyler at 5:00 p.m. The M a rtin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund will present films and discussions from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. at Portland State Univer sity, Smith Memorial Center, Room 298. The Concerned Letter Carriers will sponsor a ’’Heritage Ball” for postal employees, dedicated to Dr. King, on January 13th beginning at 8:30 p.m. at the Police Athletic Club. A feature o f the Ball will be the presentation by Postmaster Benjamin W . Luschcr of a plaque of the new Martin Luther King stamp to former State A ffir mative Action Director Harold C. W illiam s. “ Velvet” will provide music. KBPS-1450 A M (Portland Public Schools radio) will honor King with a 90 minute National Public Radio special to be broadcas t January 15th at 7:30 p.m. “ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Man and His Times” will feature Dr. King’s 1967 Massey Lectures, recor Participants in the service are ded several months before his death. a » • • • ••• • • • •• a •• • x * x v x -x w x % « « w \< w > x < \w x v x « « # < « « « « < tf.x « < w ^ iw . ship Fund o f Oregon and the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon will hold their tenth annual birthday ser vice as part o f the national observan ce o f Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Day. again on January 17th. The broad cast will feature guest conductor Henry Lewis, the nation’s first Black conductor o f a major orchestra, with the Buffalo Philharmonic and opera stars Marian Anderson and Clamma Dale. The program will feature selec tions from Beethoven, Strauss, Debussy, and Copeland. An Open House to honor Dr. King will be held at the M artin Luther King Neighborhood F acility on January 15th beginning at 8:00 a.m. and lasting into the evening hours. The Open House is sponsored by the King Community Education Project. The M a rtin Luther King com memorative stamp will go on sale at the Portland Post Office. i I I The M a rtin Luther King com memorative stamp will go on sale January 15th at the Portland Post ••• O ffice and other Post O ffices throughout the nation. & £ I School Board passes the buck PORTLAND OBSERVER Volume 9 No. 2 Thursday, January 11.1979 10c per copy Tueaday'e ice atorm craataa Intricate patterns. coating each leaf and branch, but leaves destruction The lectures reflect his philosophy and strategies for nonviolent but revolutionary social change. After nearly three decades of spearheading the struggle for human justice and the civil rights o f Black and poor people, Dr. King eloquently explains his theories on how to achieve worldwide peace and equality. K O A P -T V , Channel 10, will present a live tw o-hour concert honoring King on January 15th and and misery in its waka. In a board meeting described as an “ orchestrated, unanimous farce” by one citizen, six members o f the Por tland School Board began action on recommendations presented earlier by the Community C oalition for School Integration. Presiding over the tightly controlled meeting. Chairman Jonathan Newman infor med the public that the Board would consider eight areas o f the C o a litio n ’ s recommendations — leaving the issue o f desegregation through school pairing until the January 22nd meeting. Also, board member Frank M cN am ara would present a m otion on “ com munication” . It was soon apparent to the audience that the motions -- which were similarly worded -- had been previously determined. There was lit tle discussion, no amendments o f any significance, no subtitutes or conflicting m otions, and almost unanimous decision among the six board members particip atin g . Chairman Newman and other board members frequently referred to motions that were yet to be made. Denouncing the B oard’ s resolutions -- most o f which were vague and requested the Superinten dent or endorsed the Superinten dent’s “ intent to” -- Board member W a lly Priestley declared that he would not participate and took a seat in the audience. Priestley said he found it incon ceivable that a Board that is elected to make policy, and hires a Superin tendent to administer that policy, would then “ endorse a Superinten dent’s ‘intent to’ . ” Saying he had never been so proud o f a citizen’s organization as he had been o f the Coalition’s participation, dedication and demeanor, “ I find this an ab solute insult that the board would respond in this way.” Prior to leaving his seat, Priestley charged the D is trict with d iscrim ination against Black children. “ The study o f the Com m unity C o alitio n for School In tegration has identified discrimination in the Portland school district. Regardless o f the reasons for or the source o f this discrimination, it is the responsibility o f the Board of Education to act to elimate prejudice and discrim ination in the school system.” Priestley gave as evidence o f discrimination: the involuntary tran- fer of Black children for desegregation while no white child has been assigned to a Black school for desegregation; not using the formation o f middle schools on the borders of the Black community to integrate Black school because that would have necessitated the movement o f white children into Black schools; separate reorganization policies for Black and poor white areas than for middle and upper class neighborhoods; one -way busing. Referring to the voluntary transfer o f white students into Albina schools, he said, “ This policy determines that the right o f Black students to attend q u ality , desegregated classes is dependent on the good will o f white parents.” W h ile Newm an interrupted Priestley’s remarks several times to ask how long he intended to speak, the remainder o f the Board sat in silence with expressions denoting from disgust to boredom. The Board members then proceded to introduce thier motions - - which had been duplicated prior to the meeting - and disposed o f them quickly in spite o f number o f con cerned and angry responses and questions from the audience. Although the C oaltion’s recom mendations had been specific and detailed — with the basis for the recommendations well documented - - the Board’s motions failed to deal with those recommendations. They referred to the Superintendent’ s response to those recommendations - - but left the decisions to the Superin tendent. __ .. City/County Task Force tackles family violence C ity Com m issioner o f Public Safety, Charles Jordan and County C hairm an Don C lark announced jo in tly the form ation o f a C it y / County Task Force on the Preven tion o f Violence. According to Jor dan, the Task Force will have as its first goal the id e n tific atio n o f problems and the development o f a coordinated network o f community services to alleviate the problems associated with family violence. The Task Force will meet to for mulate a community plan o f action in the area o f family violence, par ticularly in the areas o f child abuse and spouse abuse. “ A ttentio n is finally beginning to focus on this of ten-neglected and pervasive problem which has perplexed law enfor- ment and social service organizations for years,” said Jordan. “ Federal and state legislation is beginning to address the needs o f the victims of this violence and the need to break the cycle o f violence which is often handed down from one generation to the next. What we need to do now, is to bring together all o f those in dividuals and organizations in the community who have some concern or responsibility in this area and through study and cooperation deveivp - . — '"»nitv response tothe Priestley sponsors King bill State Representative W a lly Priestley will introduce a bill in the Oregon House o f Representatives making Martin Luther King’s birth day, January 15th, a state holiday. Representative Priestley, who has sponsored this legislation in previous sessions, has seen growing load in terest in a King holiday and believes this to the session that will bring suc cess. “ I f we were to honor Dr. King by making his birthdate a state holiday, it would be a renewal o f our dedication to his dream. D r. King tried, more than any other person in this century, to bring this country together’ -- Black and white, rich and poor -- and to bring an end to the evils of racism, poverty and war. “ A state holiday on M artin Luther King’s birthdate would give us an opportunity to pause, not only in respect, but to evaluate our efforts in striving for the goals he set for us.” Representative Priestley is spon soring a bill, Joint Resolution No. 1, to ratify the constitutional amen dment giving voting representation in Congress to Washington, D .C . problem.” Jordan indicated that he is hopeful that the Task Force will seek and receive federal funds to coordinate com m unity services. He added, however, that at present, the role of the City has not been determined. “ I don’t believe that it is necessary or best for the C ity to operate the program. The important thing is that the services are available to those who need them,” he said. Jordan announced that the Chairman o f the Task Force would be Multnomah County District A t torney, H arl Haas, whom Jordan described as a leader both vocally and nationally in the development of programs to assist the victim o f crime. “ This leadership is needed in the development o f a program such as this,” Jordan said. Other mem bers o f the Task Force include: Chief Bruce Baker, P o rtlan d Police Bureau; Multnomah County Sheriff Edgar Martin; State Representative Gretchen Kafoury; Charles Kurtz, D ire cto r, M u ltn o m a h County Division o f C hildren’s Protective Services; and Steve Schell, M etropolitan Emergency Services N etw ork. A seventh member will represent the Domestic Relations Division o f the Multnomah County Circuit Court. School Board actions: Desegregation Administration Coalition recommendations - (ex cerpts/ The District should develop a c o m p r e h e n s iv e school desegregation/integration plan. The implementation o f this plan should be the responsibility o f one ad ministrative office directly under the Superintendent. The office should report annually to the Board and should work closely w ith the Coalition. Board response: Resolved, the Board endorses the Superintendent’ s intent to 1) increase the overall respon sibility o f the office o f the Assistant Superintendent for Community and Staff Development in coordinating, supervising and m o n itoring the District’s integration efforts; 2) create in the office o f the Assistant Superintendent for Community and Staff Development a new position o f D eseg reg atio n /in teg ratio n C o o r dinator to assist in the coordination and monitoring o f aspects o f the District’s integration programs; 3) improve the procedures for collec ting, filing, monitoring and repor ting information with respect to the District’s integration efforts; 4) submit to the Board o f Education a comprehensive annual report on the D is tric t’ s desegregation/in tegration activities. The Board requests the Superin tendent to report back to the Board with respect to the foregoing. Curriculum Coalition recommendations - The District should include the teaching o f minority cultures with a special emphasis on Black culture under its heading " M a jo r category” in the Social Studies and Language Arts subjects for K -12 in Scope and Sequence, the basic curriculum guide for the schools They should com mission an independent survey o f elementary classrooms to determine the extent to which minority culture is taught. Board response: Resolved, the Board (a) endorses the Superintendent’s intent to 1) instruct the Curriculum Depar tment to survey the extent and quality of instruction in the area o f minority cultures; and the Board also requests that the survey include the extent and quality o f such instruction in both elementary and secondary schools; 2) instruct principals to encourage teachers in their buildings to include multi-ethnic themes in lesson plans and instruction and to evaluate teachers with respect to their per formance in this regard; 3) im prove procedures where possible to identify instructional m aterials appropriate fo r m u lti ethnic education and further their selection and purchase in sufficient quantities for classroom use; 4) require that District committees continue to review new textbooks considered for adoption for com pliance with the District’s criteria on bias. (b) The Board requests the Superin tendent to report back to the Board with respect to the foregoing. Resolved that the following policy is adopted and shall be added to the Policy Book, series 5000: M ulti-Ethnic Education - Standard o f Performance A . The competent teacher in subjects w ith m ulti-ethnic dimensions in cludes appropriate m u lti-eth n ic themes in lesson plans and instruc tion including historical or other in fo rm atio n as to cultures having significant impact on the w orld, (Please turn to page 2, col. 4) Assassination committee confirms conspiracy theory by Peter Date Scott PNS — The conclusion o f Con gressional accoustics expert* that shots were fired at President John F. Kennedy from more than one location provides the first scientific corroboration to the long-argued theory that a second gunman was in volved in the Dallas murder. It also raises serious questions as to why the Warren Commission gave such scant attention to — or overlooked entirely — critical evidence contradicting the single assassin theory. According to the Warren Com mission, Lee Harvey Oswald fired three and only three shots from a location behind the President — the sixth floor o f the Texas School Book D epository. Commission experts determined that Oswald could not have fired more than three shots at the President with the gun he used. But new analysis of tapes recorded by the Dallas police at the time o f the shooting has now lead accoustics experts for the Congressional Sub committee on Assassinations to con clude that a fourth shot was fired from a grassy knoll in front and to the right o f the President. The Commission, which examined only transcripts o f the police tapes, had never analyzed the original recordings. According to indepen dent researchers, the Commission investigators — who had already of fended the highly sensitive Dallas police in preliminary interviews — were anxious to avoid further offense by demanding the original tapes in stead o f the transcripts. From the start, however, the Commission was aware o f other evidence which cast doubt on — if not completely refuted — the theory that only three bullets were fired. and all from the School Book Depository. • M an y, perhaps most, o f the witnesses in Dealey Plaza who testified about the origin o f the shots pointed not to the Book Depository but to some position further west, along the grassy knoll. One testified he had actually seen someone suspicious leaving the scene. And a Dallas policeman told the C om mission he had met a man on the knoll who had identified himself as a Secret Service agent — although there were no Secret Service agents in the area. • The three films taken by eyewit nesses o f the incident confirmed that many bystander* — including a m otorcycle policem an from the parade — ran up to the railway yard at the top o f the knoll, immediately after the shooting. • Orders by law enforcement of ficials recorded in the transcripts of the Dallas police tapes directed their men to the railroad yard and to the top o f the triple underpass — points both farther west and in front o f the President’s cavalcade rather than to the rear and the area o f the School Book Depository. • Doctors who first treated the President at P arklan d H ospital reported that he had been struck from the front by a bullet in the throat. Dr. Malcolm Perry, in sworn testimony supported by other doc tors in the trauma room, told the Commission that the throat wound was “ rather clean cut” and thus characteristic o f an entrance wound rather than an exit wound. In addition to these facts perhaps the most compelling evidence avail able to the Commission suggesting that more than three shots were fired was the existence o f nine injuries resulting from the shootings: three to the President, five to Governor Con nally and one to James Tague, a bystander. The explanation evolved by the Warren Commission for how three bullets inflicted all nine wounds hinged on what critics have called the single bullet theory: one bullet accounted for seven wounds suffered by both the President and the Governor. That bullet was allegedly recovered unscathed on a stretcher in P arkland H o sp ital where it had fallen out o f Governor Connally's thigh. But many experts have since questioned this theory, including Dr. Cyril Wecht, the coronor o f Pitts burgh and a member o f the panel of medical expert* convened by the present House Committee. Wecht points, in p artic u la r, to the testimony o f C onnally, both im mediately after the shooting and in subsequent interviews, that he was shot some time after the first bullet hit the President. Connally’s recollection is strongly corroborated by the famous Zaprud er film, one o f the three films taken by bystanders during the shooting, which shows the Governor reacting to the impact o f being shot not simultaneously but just after the President. Besides challenging the “ single bullet” theory, the Zapruder film also supplied visual evidence to corroborate those witnesses who claimed shots had been fired from the front rather than the rear o f the President. That evidence is the so-called head snap suffered by the President after the fatal shot which shattered his skull. Immediately after the 313th (Please turn to page 6, col. 1) 0
