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-
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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
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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
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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.
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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)
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