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
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MWt .
S.W. 3RD b YAMHILL ST.. PORTLAND. OREGON
TAKE ELEVATOR TO 2ND FLOOR 3RD ST ENTRANCE
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