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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1979)
Pag« 4 P ortlan d O b servar T h u rs d a y , February 22 1979 Z Behind the Wall I American State Bank Julius D. Snowden 933013 Poetry Editor t u r n A lt e r 935021. O. S P. C orrapondm i No» that the smoke has cleared. The beans are back on the stove The cell doors are clanging And the bells are ringing There is Peace In The Valley. i "The Bank that integration b u ilt'' 2737 N.E. Union 282-2216 avenues as Adm inistrative Proce dures, grievance reports and legal ac tions, i f necessary Oh! Yes, there is that other peaceful choice . . . just walk right up to him and ask. VII II N o» that the five day “ lock- dow n" at O.S.P. has become a thing o f the past the issues and reasons are still being sorted out. 1 » ill attempt to anali/e a few well-known facts to the best o f my ability and publicly express my own personal obser vations. A lot o f innocent people suffered unnecessarily over the past con fusion. And that's exactly what 1 am calling it, a confusion. No visits, no phone calls, no baths or heated meals — no exercise or activities o f any kind — plus the mental tortures it may have brought upon those o f us who might still have families and friends. Our General Office has moved to III First, there is no question that H oyt C. Cupp is the voice o f authority inside the walls o f O.S.P. This Superintendent — with 32 years o f prison experience — is fear less in placing that voice in action. "There w ill be peace in my valley IV For those o f us who unfortunate ly have been well acquainted with this institution — the a a je r portion o f Cupp's 32 years — can readily state this as fact. .As long as Hoyt C. Cupp is the Superintendent o f O.S.P. the man will never bo» to de mands, strikes or threats. Second, if there is the slightest hint or notion, secretly or openly, that anyone is forming a prison inmate council or coalition . . . forget it completely. VI The only logical and sensible way to draw H.C. Cupp’ s attention is through the appropriate and proper procedures established by channels and adopted by many inmates who came long before our arrival. Such 700 N.E. Multnomah Lloyd 700 Bid. «400 VIII Oh! 1 know this may sound to many like a cop-out or even coward ly and that we, as convicts, have a Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney image to protect. But remember Bogart and Cagney didn't have to put up with those damn stale sand wiches twice a day. N or did they have to put up with the guy in the cell next to him singing, "H om e on the Range’ ' on his two string guitar for sixteen hours a day. IX But then again I don’ t think 1 speak solely to the demands that were placed upon this institution. Last rughi the voices o f many o f the inm ate club presidents, who are recognized by Cupp to be the mam voices speaking for the population, expressed their dissatisfaction over the past discomforts. 1 have now the opportunity to make their feelings public. "W e may have lost more than we have gained and any wage striking is totally out o f line at this jo in t. Never again do we want to have the privileges of the men »ho we represent tampered with in such a foolish action." 231-4725 i will* Peggy Graves Personal & Business Insurance While 1 am on the subject o f the dos and don’ ts, let me make this colum n perfectly clear fro m the correspondent’ s point o f view. A weekly newspaper column such as "B ehind the W all” isn’ t normally found in other newspapers around this nation — not one so unique as this one. It touches many people throughout the state and across its borders. It is completely uncensored and is controlled by inmates only. It took many months o f hard work and decent people inside the walls and m the community to establish the credability it carries today. And even though it touches all hands — fro m the G overnor, Legislators, local officials nght on down to front rooms o f the public — this column w ill never be used as a sounding board to advocate violence, prison strikes or demands. Anyone wishing to proceed along those avenues, please submit those articles to the “ Letters to the E d ito r" Column. "B ehind the W a ll” w ill accept constructive and controversial ma terial. A ll rebuttals send to the Port land Observer. In this manner as correspondent, I w ill have . , . Peace in my Valley , too. . . . UNION OR COMPANY DENTAL INSURANCE is a valuable asset. . . your health and (Editor's Note: A list of demands submitted by inmate Jim Abel, was printed in Behind the Wall” lest week. The article outlined the demands and complaints of a group of prisoners calling them selves the "Coalition." Tha ar ticle was printed at the Editor's discretion, along with a mamo from Superintandent Cupp to clarify the reasons for the "lock- down" at O.S.P.) appearance COMPLETE COOPERATION ON A LL D EN TAL INSURANCE CLAIM S WE HANDLE ALL THE DETAILS OF COMPLETING YOUR CLAIM FORMsI no appointment needed Come in at your convenience Cook's Tour of the Legislature by Senator Vem Cook Oregon’ s Legislature, while not producing much legislation at this early stage, is setting more precedence and holding hearings on some rather fascinating legislation. Currently being pondered by the Oregon Senate is the appointment by Governor V ictor Atiyeh o f Kelly Wood to head the Department o f Energy. Oregon voters in the November election gave the Senate clear power o f approval over all such appointments, and some interesting questions are posed, such as how the Senate w ill handle such c o n fir mations when not in session But the Senate is in session now, and should Wood be rejected on the grounds that he is a nuclear power advocate? Some Senators feel that since the position is filled or vacated at the pleasure o f the Governor, and since the Governor is responsible for running the department, that ap pointees should not be rejected on philosophical grounds, but only for rather major flaws. I believe the confirmation is clear cut in the case of the Governor’ s ap pointments to the Port o f Portland commission where the term is four years and removal from office can only be for malfeasance. W ith no chance for future review nor political removal, the Senate not only may, but should scrutinize such nearly- irrevocable appointm ents very closely I did so with the Governor’ s choice, Alan "P unch” Green and voted against c o n firm a tio n , not because o f the charges arising over his former expense account while serving an earlier term as commis sioner. nor because o f the political nature o f the appointment, but be cause of »hat I judge to be a serious potential conflict of interest between his posts as port commissioner and as one o f thirteen directors o f Equit able Savings S. Loan, which board now furnishes tw o port com missioners. I d o n 't like the con n o ta tio n o f "in te rlo c k in g direc torates" among financial institutions and public bodies. At any rate, the whole Senatorial review o f gubernatorial appointees has provided some dram atic mo ments during this session, and is sure to provide more as the Senate sets precedents in following the new law. Tax matters, simmering with the House o f Representatives’ scrutiny o f Atiyeh's tax plan, may soon boil. The Senate will initiate its own tax plan unless demonstrable progress or promise appears immediately with the Atiyeh plan. M y Senate Judiciary committee hearings have dealt with many im portant bills. SB1 would prohibit eavesdropping/recording over a phone line or in personal conference unless all parties are aware it’ s being done and consent. The bill would conform closely to federal law which prohibits such things unless narcotics trade is involved. The Criminal Records bill, SB2, would allow public access to State Police compiled crim inal records. The original records are o f course public but currently only certain state agencies may use the compiled list. A lthough the Oregon News paper Publishers Association backs the bill, to me it smacks strongly o f “ 1984” type government surveillance o f citizens. Hearings have been held, and committee action will take place soon. The “ Free Speech" bill, SB361, would expand the rights o f citizens to propagandize religious or political views in quasi-public places such as shopping center malls and walkways on private property that are open to the public. Most witnesses at the hearing, representing shopping cen ters, were opposed, but I like the bill and it has s ig n ific a n t support because it takes in to account the changing nature o f our society. These areas in question are akin to the public marketplace o f old. SB77 deals w ith rules o f c iv il procedure. The 1977 Legislature created a special council to produce rules for civil procedures that would have the force o f law unless rejected by the ¡9*9 Legislature. Net an issue that command much public interest, it is nevertheless an extremely impor tant matter. Highlights o f the current week: SB265 would extend for five years the ability o f owners o f historically designated buildings to freeze the tax assessment. The questions are how to preserve h isto ric building s and whether the rest o f property tax payers should bear the shifted bur den. SB317 would provide for three instead o f four property tax install ment payments during a year. There appears to be some savings involved with getting all payments into one fiscal year. SB55 has been voted out o f committee. Property tax deferrals by homeowners over age 62 have doubled during the past two years, and the phenomenon w ould be studied. Senators want to confirm that the system is being used as in tended. Hearings are set fo r 8:00 a.m. Monday, February 26th, for SB328 which would increase nurses aide pay in nursing homes, which I believe would be a significant step to 'Depot'salvages materials One persons throw -aw ay is anothers resource. The DEPOT Pro ject proves the point. The DEPOT is a n o n -p ro fit organizatio n that locates and d istrib u te s reusable building materials to low-income homeowners and non-profit agen cies. The material comes from com mercial businesses and private homes that are involved in manufacturing, construction, and remodeling. The DEPOT is a referral service that acts as the coordinator for all transactions. A ccording to M ark Clemons, Project Manager. "T h e first year's activity has only scratch ed the surface in the areas o f avail able m aterial and the use that material can have.” Some o f the materials put into constructive reuse include 2,000 gallons o f paint, 2,600 square yards of carpet, and 14,000 board feet o f lumber products. Ac cording to Clemons, "U tilizin g the DEPOT service requires the breaking o f old patterns. Before putting items in storage or just throw ing them away, a call to the DEPOT can give someone the opportunity to benefit from that material.” The DEPOT has current requests ranging from wood products to car pet, roofing, and cabinets. Materials most often available include win dows, doors, and plumbing fixtures. A ll m aterial referred through the DEPOT is tax deductible and is re distributed to eligible recipients at no cost In a tune o f concern for useless waste, and the growing shortage o f available land for waste disposal, the DEPOT offers an alternative. Call 231-7430 for further information. GIVE TO THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND. A (tin k J is a terrible thing to waste PARK FREE — Any Park n Shop Lot H O U R S .' improving nursing home care. The next Legislative Report Break fast at the M & M Restaurant in Gresham, 137 N. Main Avenue, will start at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, March 3rd. Weekdays 8 :3 0 a .m . to 5 p .m . Saturdays 8 : X a.m . to 1 p.m. Dr. Jeffrey BRADY, Dentist ■ * - . MWt . S.W. 3RD b YAMHILL ST.. PORTLAND. OREGON TAKE ELEVATOR TO 2ND FLOOR 3RD ST ENTRANCE |
