EDITORIAL/OPINION
Portland Boxer goes to South Africa
by N. Puntai Kumbuhi
M n a a ha* haen tn the i
The year of the child
Tan years ago a greet deal of planning and
money want into child care. The llaadatart con
cept, beginning in the early 'flOa, demonstrated
that early attention to the educational needs of
young children would bring positive results in
later years. A great now emphasis on young
cniiaren asveiopea.
Training programs such as the Concentrated
Employment Program (CEP) provided child care
to trainees with the realization that only with
proper child care could parents concentrate on
training and employment.
It was even felt, for a while, that maybe every
child has a right to quality child care - and that
right should be provided by government along
with free education. One step in that direction
was the Model Cities child care plan which
provided tree child care tor all residents of the
model neighborhood who required it because of
training, school, employment or special needs
There was a great proliferation of child care
centers in Oregon, with special attention to
quality. Supportive services were recognized as
essential — nutrition services, transportation,
health and dental care, staff training, counselling.
etc. Persons who care tor children in their homes
- family day care homes - were recognized as an
integral part of the system, were certified, super
vised and offered the same support services.
Then the times changed and federal asaiatanoe
waned. The State got into the act and soon
became the chief tunoer and regulator of child
care. The child care system was steadily
destroyed until, if the new Childrens Services
Division child care plan is adopted, it will limit
subsidized child care to families on welfare and
force those children from child care centers to un-
supervised family dav care homes.
The work of twenty years will have been loot
and child care in Oregon will be back where it
was in 1960.
The Governor anti many Legislators say there
is no money, that the State must adopt an
austerity budget. Of course it is an established
tact that the loss of child care will mean the loas
of jobs - more welfare - children without their
basic needs — and greater future costs for
education, health care, corrections, etc.
Oregon has neglectea its children and now is
prepared to abandon them.
LUTHE«
a lot lately. The last time was whan
th e Reverend Jeaae Jackson o f
Operation P U S H (People United to
Save H um anity) got the State De
partment to revoke a visa issued to
one Kallie knoetze As Jackson put
It: knoetze represented the worst in
the S outh A fr ic a n syatem (con
sidenng just how bad that system is,
th a t’ s q u ite a d is tin c tio n !) H e ,
(k n o e tx e ) is a fo rm e r policem an
who. during the Soweto riots o f June
1976, shot and crippled a fifteen
year-old Black p u p il, one o f the
thousands w ho were p ro testing
South A frica’s apartheid laws.
knoetze was subsequently ’tried’
and cleared o f any wrong doing in
the shooting- H e was. how ever,
found quilty o f intimidating Black
witnesses who were scheduled to
testify against two o f his friends. For
this, he was fined about $100.00.
Because o f these two incidents, he
quit the police force and started to
concentrate on boxing. A M ia m i
promoter arranged for him to fight a
local heavyweight contender by the
name o f Bill Sharkey as part o f a
series o f elimination bouts to decide
the successor o f M uham m ad A li’s
W B C heavyweight crown when the
•Greatest finally retires (for good?).
Because same judge issued a tem
porary restraining order, knoetze
was able to stay in the country until
after the fight took place CBS paid
S 100,000 to televise the fight.
One o f the positive things about
this whole epuode was the attention
that was focused on South A frica as
result o f this furore. A lot o f people
were educated about apartheid tor
the very first time m their lives. It
also brought to lig ht one other
sneaky way that the South African
regime has been using and continues
to use to gain acceptance and respee
lability in the rest o f the world.
Despite all protestations to the
contrary — such arguments as “ po
litics and sport do not mix” — the
reverse is true. I f you disapprove o f a
country’s politics and still meet on
the sports field, that can correctly be
construed as tacit approval. When
you disapprove o f somebody, you
ostracize him /her completely
W ith this rather lengthy back
ground, we can now turn to the
peculiar case o f Portland's own M ike
Colbert. Colbert is a local brother
who is gunning fo r the American
middleweight title. Leas than a year
ago, he was ranked No. I by R IN G
magazine, boasting, a 20-0 record.
B u t, then he ran in to a M a rv in
Hagler in Boston who fractured both
sides o f his jaw . H e ‘ retired’ but
returned after a four month hiatus to
defeat Edgar “ Bad News" Wallace
and Roy Dale. Last October, in Las
Vegas, he was d efeated fo r the
second time in his career, this time by
a Rudy Robles whom he says he had
taken tot) lightly.
A fter these two setbacks. Colben
feels he needs to make a comeback.
A t 29, he has to stake a claim to that
crown before it slips away forever. 1
might also add the fact that he is an
engineering student at Portland State
University so he is by no means a
dummy. Matter o f fact, he wants to
make enough money from boxing so
he can go to school without having to
’scrounge’ around like some o f us
poor mortals do. So far so good.
T o hasten his return to the top.
Colbert has decided to go to South
A fric a to fig h t some obscure
A frik a n e r called C harles W e ir.
T h a t’s right. The brother is leaving
for Johannesburg on Saturday! He
has. no doubt, heard all about South
A frica. H e has. I am sure, heard our
fervent appeals to boycott South
A fric a , but, obviously, the dollar
won again. The lure o f the dollar was
just too great. Let’s briefly look at
the implications o f this trip.
Gne thing is already patently clear:
M ike Colbert is going to make ex
cellent propaganda material for the
South African regime. The fact that
he is Black is going to make him even
more valuable. Either way it goes, hi
ts going to p ro p el an u nkn o w n
Afrikaner into the spotlight. A lot o f
athletes refuse to compete against
South A fric a n s as a w ay o f
pressuring the regime to abandon
apartheid. Colbert’s trip is going to
weaken that resolve: now others will
be pressured into fighting or com
peting in South Africa. Those who
had been undecided bui leaning to
wards ignoring the Africans’ plight
will be able to use him as a rationale:
• If Colben goes, why shouldn’t we?’
W hen he gets there, the South
African media will have a field day.
He will be a star’ alright, to be dis
played before the whole world. I f he
wins, the fact will be downplayed —
"after all. Colbert has access to the
best boxers in the world so it’s fan
tastic that Weir, obstracized as he is.
was able to last that many rounds."
I f he loses, on the other hand, they
will never let him forget the fact. The
whole world will hear one more story
about the •superiority’ ot the white
man — or is il the ‘ inferiority' o f the
Black? The dice is L O A D E D .
The Africans will be sorely dis
appointed. Some o f us who have had
the chance to conic over here and see
our long lost cousins have painstak
ingly written home to refute all the
propaganda about Black America we
have been force fed since childhood.
I like to think we were making head-
wav but. when Colbert steps o ff the
plane in Johannesburg, our efforts
will be dealt a mortal blow. Those
Africans watching him will be won
dering i f the 400 -y e a r forced
separation has irrevocably broken up
the African Family.
I have nothing against C olbert
striving for a shot at the world title
and I definitely rejoice when one of
us gets over but I do have a lot against
him standing in the way of African
emancipation. I am quite sure he
would not have stood silently on the
sidelines if. during the Civil Rights
demonstrations, I had come in waltz
ing with the enemy. I am sorry,
brother. 1 am very sorry
ite not cause fo r rejection
Letters to the Editor
T o the Editor:
Jim Daniels parole violation questioned
T o the Editor:
Recently an attempt was made to
publicly discredit Multnomah County
Commissioner, Dan Mosee. in a tet
ter to the Oregon Journal Editor by
the President o f the M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty D e p u ty S h e r iff’ s Asso
ciation. Peiter Van Dyke.
The Journal, dated February 16,
1979 misquoted Dan Mosee concern
ing James Daniel's, Jr. tooth being
b ro ken and knocked out w ith a
flashlight by one o f the guards.
Mosee had received thorough infor
mation from concerned individuals
concerning James D a n ie l's case
history. Mosee has repeatedly re
quested a retraction ot the Journal's
misquote This request has not been
honored to date. A fter Multnomah
County S heriffs officers refused to
show Daniels some form o f police
identification upon several requests,
fo u r o f the o ffic e rs th o ro u g h ly
“ brutalized’ ' Daniels He was then
placet) under arrest on the Hooper
Detoxification parking lot.
Reterence was made by Van Dyke
that since undercover officers weTt
placed a trie detox center, that the
thefts o f money ceased w ith the
arrest of Daniels The fact is that
tttere have been Irequent thefts long
b e fo re D aniels was hired as a
paramedic. Thefts have taken place
after Daniels arrest, one situation in
volving a theft o f S200 by two white
male detoxification workers in which
no police action was taken. Naturally
if there have been police surveillance
of possible thefts, such as the arrest
of James Daniels, taking a chance
with thefts will drop o ff for fear of
being caught.
Because the Oregon Parole Board
continued to hold Daniels at Rocky
Butte Jail (fo r over six months) after
a mistrial and hung jury, concerned
people requested ol Mosee to look
into the James Daniels case, for it
appeared mere had been a miscar
riage o f justice.
Oregon P arole B o a rd ’s reco m
mendation of revocation o f James
Daniels life parole was made with
questionable “ valid paroie hearing
procedures ’ Daniels was denied de
fense witnesses in his b ehalf, yet
hearing’s o fficer. Robert W allace,
allowed M u ltno m ah County three
prosecution witnesses to te s tify
without being sworn in. Daniels had
refused to participate in an unjust
hearing, yet the hearings o ffic e r
made the recommendation to New
York to revoke his parole. Since the
petty theft charges were dropped, the
New York Parole Board had no re
course but to release Daniels from
custody There was no tegai reason
to hold D an ie ls , fo r New Y o rk
ahided by its paroie rules, “ Where
there Is no conviction, there is no
violation of paroie.’ ’ Also the influx
o f tellers of community suppon to
New 5 oTk Paroie was the final deter
m inin g fa c to r o f James D aniels
release from pnson without a final
paroie hearing.
As it was pointed out by Ruth
Spencer of the P ortland Observer.
“ Multnomah County is again prac
ticing the Black Exclusion Law o f
1858,” by forcing James Daniels to
sign a waiver ot extradition to stay in
ja il in d efinitely. C alvin H enry, a
Sunday columnist for the Statesman
J o u rn a l in S alem , observed on
February 11th that . . . “ the Daniels’
affair points out a historical assump
tion. the inability o f Blacks to get
fair and equal justice in Oregon.’ ’
As a conscientious public servant,
Dan Mosee was only uoing his job to
see that James Daniels’ individual
rights were upheld and that he as
many others receive fair and equal
justice in Oregon.
L . Laura Somlyo
)« t Place
C o m m u n ity S a m a a
O N P A 1973
PORTLAND OBSERVER
ALFREDL HENDERSON
Fdltor/Publtahm
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B o t i A d RasuN»
O N P A 1973
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«iMKtn Tn-County Araa P aatm aatar Sana aooraax cnanpa» to
Itta Portland Ir t u m r r P O Box 3137 Portland Oregon 87206
6th Place
Baer Editorial
N N P A 1973
The P o ru an i (M u m e r t ofhetai poeiaon a ma reeee n onty m ne
Uhona« ctxum Anv Ottar metenä, tnrouphoat h a pagar a me
optnaon ot the indendual wrMar o- su om i tia r and d o m no,
racaaaantv rahac• the opm nn ot the Portland O ttn rvr
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Herriot« E d ,t o r a l A w a rd
N N A 1973
2nd
M tl
3rd
u n it
O N P A 1976
N a u o n tl A d v a rta m p R apraaantetive
A m a lg a m a te d PuBSataee Inc
N e w Vota
3rd Piar.«
C o m m u n ity CaaPotatap
ONPA 1976
mimmo
•r, Me, -
1 agree with Herb Cawthomc that
it's time that everyone m Portland
(n o t ju st the B la c k c o m m u n ity )
grows up when it comes to local poli
tics. O u r d efin itio n s o f m a tu rity ,
however, are obviously dissimilar.
His idea d f m atu rity is foT the
Black com m unity to dessert Evie
Crowell, a Black woman, and vote
for a white man because she didn't
vote the way he wanted her to on one
issue. This is as grown up as any little
boy who lakes his marbles and leaves
the game when things don’t go his
way.
11, too. am a member o f the Com
munity Coalition for School Integra
tion. Although 1 am not a leader in
the Coalition as Cawthomc is, I am
every bit as Firm in my support and
probably as emotionally involved in
it os he is. I am white, but have
m inority children who have suffered
inequities because of the current inte
gration programs o f the Portland
Public Schools.
I could have wrung Evie C row ell’s
' neck when she voted against the
Coalition. It was one o f the disap
pointments of my life. Unlike Caw-
thorne, however, 1 had talked to heT
at great length about the Coalition
and tried to persuade her to vote tor
it. Unlike Cawthom c, 1 know that
her vote, although I don’t like it, was
made with integrity and much soul
searching. It was also a very brave
vote, because she knew beforehand
what the reactions o f many o f her
own people would be and that it
would cost her some o f their sup
port.
1 also know that Evie Crowell was
the one person who went out on her
own, got the names (randomly) of
administration transfer families that
she didn’t know, and talked to them
to get their opinions and feelings on
the issue. She didn’t just talk to her
friends and supporters
W h y does C a w th o m c support
Steve Buel — a white man — against
two Black women? Why does he at
tack Evie Crowell when everyone else
on the Board except W ally Priestley
voted against the Coalition?
Cawthomc was a leader of a gToup
o f people who attacked C ro w ell
when she was first nam ed as a
possible successor to Gladys McCoy.
In all the noise and thunder at that
tim e, no one raised any concrete
criticism o f her, but attacked her
visciouslv because she didn’t “ repre
sent the Black c o m m u n ity /' I
couldn't figure this out. because her
credentials included a long list of
work and recognition w ith in the
neighborhood and within Black or
ganizations. 1 couldn't, and believe
me. 1 tried, find out at that time what
they had against Evie Crowell. At
that time I was not her friend or her
supporter, and 1 tried very hard to
find out wnat the " d irt" was against
her. I could find nothing except that
she wasn't their buddy and she didn't
say exactly what they wanted to hear
all the time. Other people arc always
willing to do so to get votes and to
hear the applause. In politics, this is
very dungeruus, as history tells us. It
is not very grown up ai all to be that
simplistic about politics.
Sincerely Yours.
Joan Harvey
Inmate supports conjugal visits
T o the Editor:
I t ’s tim e to support a b ill on
private visits in the penal system here
in Oregon.
The pros and cons o f such a bill
shouldn’ t be so questionable, but
seen in its true light. Already in the
hard core joints, like C d lifo m ia .
M e x ic o and o th ers, the ad
ministration understands this natural
need to express, for the act ol expres
sion.
It tru ly m atters to me th a t a
private visit unit be set up for the
husband and w ife . T his request
should be honored. People in society
should understand, crime is easy to
obtain and crime does not remove
the vows set down by law between a
husband and wife Anyone can be a
convict under the law system in the
State of Oregon
You can become a convict by way
o f driving, drinking, drugs, or many
different ways. Now-a-day crime can
find you as fast as you can find
crime.
W e ’re not asking for your total in
volvement because we're sure that
some o f you will pick this letter out;
set yourself up to judge convicts, as
If you were God himself A ll we’re
asking » that you write your opinion
to us. your newspaper, radio, etc.
and let people know if you’re for this
right. Let your Governor know
Crime does not mean that every
man, woman and child are truly bad.
I f you truly believed we were so bad
I ’m sure the people o f Oregon would
have found a way to terminate us.
But still you have hope that this
penal system w ill work I ’m sure
there is someone inside O .S .P .,
O W C C , OSC1 you can relate to for
one reason or another.
P enal systems do not co n tro l
sexual activity. Sex can not he con
trolled or used as a controller while a
person is incarcerated, please believe
me. You are wrong if you believe
that.
The fact that a person has lost
his/her freedom and placed in an ab
norm al setting is where you have
some control — but then only the
body is locked away you can never
kill the mind
We have a problem to deal with
and society is geared on many dif
ferent complex problems. The wife
and husband question will be around
until there’s a good answer. Other
wise, the fight goes on.
W e understand that we are locked
up behind these walls. Bui yet we still
w ant to com plete our roles as
husbands and wives. Surely you
wouldn't want your husband or son
or lover doing that o f us (roles as
husbands). You know that they seek
only one fulfillment. We only want
by law, what has been taken away
without a hearing. And if the above
statement effects any man. well I
must have said the truth.
W rite to us and ask how you can
help. This won't cost you taxpayers a
dime.
Opinions are o f my own, and not
the total penal system, but shared by
the group who are concerned about
the aging wile, and her loneliness.
Deone Washington #37528
(Editor's Note: A bill supporting
con/ugat visits in state correctional
institutions has been introduced bv
Kepresentative Wallv Priestley J
NAACP
(Continued from page I col 4)
Betty White.
By-laws Com m ittee Chairm an -
Lorna Marple; Office Management
C o m m itte e - C levo nn e Jackson.
The Youth Council meeting will be
held on March 25th at 3:00 p.m . at
Moore Community Center, 5430 N.
M o o re . B enita Payne is Y o u th
Council President.
T h e N A A C P is o ffe rin g free
assistance with income taxes each
Saturday until A pril 14th. Help can
be obtained at the office, 2752 N.
Williams Avenue, between noon and
2:00 p.m.