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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1979)
^ * 8 * 2 Portland Observer Thursday. May 10.1879 EDITORIAL/OPINION Black men' Black women -------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- by Ronnie Herndon Keep the rate hearing Public Utility Commissioner John Lobdell, re cently appointed by Governor Victor Atiyeh, has said that he m ight eliminate the process of elec tric rate increase hearings. fa th e r than hold a series of public hearings on The Pacific Power and Light Company's applica tion fo r a 15 percent increase, he m ight grant a 9.5 percent increase and cancel the hearings. The logic behind this is that rather than making PP&L w ait for months of public hearings, as well as spend m oney fo r its te s tim o n y at those hearings, the smaller increase would be granted immediately. Therefore, although the percent in crease is smaller, the extra months of collecting the extra money w ould give the com pany as much or more money. Also, the 9.7 percent increase is w ithin the in flation guidelines, and a larger increase m ight be hard to explain to the Carter Administration. PP&L has had a rate increase each year since 1974. These were: 1974 — 20.7 percent; 1975 — 11.5 percent; 1976 - 14. percent; 1977 - 16.7 percent. All were well above the inflation rate and the Portland Consumer Price Index increase. The Public Utility Commission staff has recommend ed an 11.5 percent increase this year. Lobdell's suggestion m ight sound fair enough, and there may be no great difference in the utility bills paid. The real issue is whether the public will have the right to participate in setting the rate structure. The customers have no choice in the electric company they use — in Portland they get PP&L or Portland General Electric, depending on where they live. The customer can't get mad and change companies. The only way for a customer to intervene is at the public hearings held by the Public U tility Commission. If this process is taken away, not only will the people have no forum to present their ideas and inform ation, but they will have no way to determine whether the PUC is doing its job properly. Until the people of Oregon progress to the point where they w ill take over the utilities and control them themselves, they had better hang onto their right to be heard. Is this justice? The people of Northeast Portland w ill meet later this week to discuss crime and liveability. One of the most serious problems facing the U.S. today is crime - not only street crime but w hite collar crime and political corruption. The people of Northeast Portland w ill meet later this week to discuss crime and liveability. One of the most serious problems facing the U.S. today is crime - not only street crime but w hite collar crime and political corruption. Racism, poverty and all of the problems caused by an im balanced econom cy -- an econom y where a few have the money and the power that it brings and the many have little or nothing - are at the heart of the matter. But aside from that — the basic cause o f crime - it is easy to understand w hy there is so little respect for the law. R ight here in P ortland we see w h a t little chance a Black person has when he com es before a white jury, especially if the alleged crime was com mitted against a white person. A Blck man defends him self against an armed w h ite assailant and is found guilty of manslaughter; a w hite man shoots an unarmed Black and it is self defense. The governm ent doggedly pursues a Black man for four years and when all else fails indicts him fo r mail fraud, knowing that fo r a Black indictm ent means conviction. Thousands of tax dollars are spent to convict a man who has devoted his life to helping others while organized crime runs rampant. Y oung people are hassled and tre a te d to profane and racist language by police officers w ho are sworn to protect them. The gang leaders get less prison time than the helpers and in fo r mants get the least of all. The FBI and local police not only have in filtrated civil rights organizations w ith the intent to destroy them, but have participated in crimes against innocent people. Abroad, the CIA has killed, overthrown governments and perpetrated wars. Business refuses to hire and house Black people, relegating them to a life of poverty, while the government refuses to enforce the laws. The p u b lic sch o o ls n e g le c t to edu cate m in o rity children and the children of the poor. So when the subject of crime is discussed, it would do well to consider the criminal justice system and how it can be made just. There are forces in this country that are working overtime to drive a wedge between Black men and Black women. I f Black men and Black women are suckered into turning away from each other, our future and that o f our children will be a iiving hell. Brothers, we must be more intelligent, more sensitive, and more consistent in our relationships with our women. Since we were kid napped and brought here as slaves, this country has used every form o f psychological and physical warfare to prevent and destroy p ositive, m eaningful relationships between Black men and Black women. They did not and do not want any form o f unity to exist among us. After being subjected to over 400 years o f intense propaganda, we are now beginning to believe the lies that have been drilled into us about our women. Brothers, because we have come to believe this nonsense, some o f us are acting like pure fools; we have begun to spread this manure a hundred miles an hour. Some o f the lies go like this: Black women psychologically castrate Black men; Black women don’t know how to treat Black men; Black women are taking all o f the good jobs from Black men. Psychological Castration — The Psychological damage that we suf fer, for the most part, is the result o f being Black in a white racist country. The instruments o f propaganda in this country are not controlled by Black women. Black women do not own or control television networks, newspapers, the motion picture in dustry, school systems and organized religions. Those are the p rim a ry sources that are used to brainwash and confuse all Black folks; Black women like Black men are victims o f this system. Most Black women have always fought side by side with Black men fo r freedo m . M o st Black women have always given unbeliev able amounts o f love, care, and pro tection to their children, men, and each o th er. They have done this Coplay N ow * S o n ic o PORTLAND OBSERVER 1st Place C om m unity Service O N P A 1973 The Portland Observer IUSPS 968-flBOi a pubiiohori every Thurs dey by Ex« Pubhoh.no Company. Inc., 2201 North Kill.ng»worth Portland Oregon 97217, Poet Office Box 3137, Portland Oregon 97206 Second close postage paid s’ Portland, Oregon 1st Place Best A d Resulta O N P A 1973 Subscription« «7.60 per year m Tri-County area. «8 00 per year outside Tri-County Area P ostm aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer, P .0 Box 3137, Portland Oregon 97206 ALFRED L. HENDERSON Editor/Publiaher 6th Place Best Editorial N N P A 1973 The Portland Observer's official position is axpreeeed only in its Editorial column Any other material throughout the paper « the opinion of the individual writer or subm itter and does not neceeeenly reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer H onorable M e n tio n Herrick Editorial A w ard N N A 1973 N ational A dvertising Representative A m a lg a m ated Publishers. Inc N ew Vori. 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place C om m u nity Leadership O N P A 1916 3rd Place C o m m u nity Leadership O N P A 1978 . • . ti,y d m i Met n A fA H e U p JK p ER b u o c ith o n - fou nded l« M I Publishers Association possesses has been viciously used against them. Q u iet as i t ’s kep t, Black women have always been and continue to be one o f the most im p o rta n t psychological sources o f strength, courage, and love for Black men. Black W om en's T re a tm e n t o f B lack M e n “ Black women d o n ’ t know how to treat Black m en." o f ten times Brothers use this as ju stifi cation fo r having w hite wom en. Space does not now p e rm it discussion o f that malady. Like most Black men, 1 was raised by a Black woman; because o f this, I feel I can make a few comments about the treatment I, as well as other Black men, received from Black women. I watched my grandmother go out to do m aid w ork in white fo lks' houses year a fte r year. She, like millions o f other Black women were forced to accept the worst o f the lowest paying jobs in this country. Black women did this not only to put food on the table, but as important ly to give their children a chance at a better life than they had. Along with the physical nourishment, we were daily given by example and lecture, the lessons and values we would need as men if we were to survive in this hostile country. Remember what we once called “ M other W it? ” These women did not suffer and toil to raise us so that we would forsake and condem n th e ir daughters. M o st Black women still stick by their men through thick and thin, which is a m iracle when we realize how in sidiously this country has worked to prevent this. I do not minimize per sonal problems that we encounter with each other. They seem worse now because more and more o f the strengths o f our African culture are being stripped from us; with the loss o f this c u ltu ra l p ro te c tio n and wisdom, we are beginning to suffer from mental and behavioral diseases we were once immune to. While we search for solutions to our problems, never should we forget what the real source o f this misery is — P.S. it is not the Black woman. . Black Women and Jobs — Some misinformed Brothers are saying that “ The Black woman is taking jobs aw ay fro m the B lack m an .** Brothers, in spite o f those few sisters you see in office jobs. Black women still on the average earn less than Black men; Black women still are un employed in higher percentages than Black men. Brothers, if you look real close as you will see that in many cases the jobs that have been taken from you have been given to white women. W e must stop accusing each other o f being the forces responsible for our oppression. W e are surrounded by grave problems that are the result o f unre lenting racism: high infant mortality rates; low life expectancy; high unemployment; poor schools; and a ram paging drug epidem ic; all o f these problems will worsen with the com ing recession. N one o f the problems are insurmountable, but if they arc to be solved Black men and women have to be tighter than the nuts and bolts on the St. Johns Bridge. Whether we decide to have serious relationships with one woman or five women, we must work at bringing strength and in tellig ence to our women — they deserve no less because they have given us all o f this and more. It may or may not be im portant, but I have at one time or another made every mistake that I have described. Most o f us have felt the pain o f a broken heart, some o f us have felt the gut-wrenching ache that comes from being separated from our children. W ithin me this pain is more than offset by the know ledge that the most precious, tender moments o f my life have been shared with Black women and children Black man, all o f this has been said know ing that this system is trying to make us all into sissies. We have no choice but to fight and solve our problems, to do otherwise will be to disgrace M a lc o lm , M a rtin and nameless millions o f Kunta Kintes. Our allegiance must be to our women and children. Jury finds Gilcrease guilty of mail fraud (Continued from Page 1 Column 6) membership list for duplicates and missing ballots, and went with M a r cus Olenn to deliver ballots. He said he had delivered ballots to three o f the persons who had sworn that they had no knowledge o f joining N A C D or voting. He said that he knew ballots had been m arked w ithout permission, but that “ Gilcrease would not have done those things." Gilcrease testifies ir -' w hile everv w r w m eapon n n th ia this co un try w hile every Gilcrease testified that when he agreed to run fo r president o f N A C D , there were less than 250 members in Region X (the N orth west) so he realized there would have to be an effort to increase member ship if he were to have a chance to win. In 1974, after receiving approval o f the P M S C Board, he set up a committee o f staff and supporters. They drew up campaign materials, a p p lic a tio n form s and m aterial about N A C D . He told them to go out and tell people about N A C D , and to recruit members. Money was raised to pay for memberships for low-income people who could not a f ford to join. He said he never instructed anyone to register members without their knowledge and never instructed any one to complete a ballot without per mission. “ Control addresses” were used by all the regions and this practice was approved by the N A C D board because in previous years some people had not received ballots and others had received duplicates. The use o f “ distribution centers,” in sured that not only ballots would be d is trib u te d , but they could be checked against membership lists. By the time o f the 1974 election, the m em bership fo r the region (Id a h o , W ashington, Oregon and Alaska) was approxim ately 1,400. Most o f those who had paid their own fee went to their personal ad dresses, and the remainder to the distribution centers. Andrew Branch, the Seattle C PA who supervised the 1975 election verified that this system was used across the country. Gilcrease testified that when he saw staff members mailing ballots, “ I was very happy and enthused. I had a good feeling.” He said he thought each person had been given per mission to mark the ballot and didn’t take time to check. Gilcrease testified that during that period he was gone from 50-55 per cent o f the time and relied on his s ta ff to follow directions and do their work. The p e rio d 1973-1975 was ex tremely critical, with the Nixon A d m in is tra tio n p u ttin g pressure on Congress to phase out the poverty programs. Gilcrease spent much o f his time lobbying on that issue and also pursuing additional funds for PM SC. Gilcrease explained the use o f the labels. In the 1975 election the C P A had made an error when sending out the b allots. W hen this was discovered, eighteen members o f the N A C D Board decided in a conference call to send out new ballots. Because time was o f essence, it was decided that Gilcrease’s labels be sent to Seattle for the C P A ’s use. (This had been verified by Branch). Gilcrease had a set o f labels because when the ballot labels were made, the presi dent was routinely sent a set o f labels for his mailing use, and these were also made available to any other member that wanted them. Defense Summary Brian Welch, in his closing sum mary, pointed out that the govern ment had five years and unlimited re sources to prepare its prosecution yet there was nothing to link Gilcrease to the ille g a l a c tiv ity except the uncorroborated testimony of witness es who were hostile to him — former employees he had fired. The prosecution brought witnesses from across the country, yet rather then call some o f those who were in town and readily available they re ferred to what those persons had said or might have said to the FBI or the U.S. Attorneys. He mentioned that key witnesses had not been taken before the Grand Jury for sworn testimony, that wit nesses had been told by the U.S. A t torneys that the defense attorneys would harass and attempt to confuse them, that the key prosecution wit nesses had refused to talk with the defense attorneys, that at least one defense witness was threatened with prosecution if he testified. One witness, Beverly Holderby, testified that the U .S . A ttorneys said they would make an example of Gilcrease. Out o f 100 or so available witness es, the government chose as its key witnesses four people who had pre viously been hostile tow ard G il crease and had been fired by him. When testimony was received that Ms. Price and Ms. Kerans had poor reputations for truth, the govern ment brought no evidence to the con trary. No members o f the P M S C Board, the N A C D Board, were call ed to testify. Betty Overton, chair man o f the election committee was not called. Government witnesses were pro vided im m unity, or forgiveness o f their part in any illegal activity as well as forgiveness o f any prior lies to the government. Welch said there was no testimony that Gilcrease marked any ballots or caused any ballots to be marked without permission. Welch maintain ed that if anyone had ever heard Gilcrease say to mark a ballot inap propriately “ we would have heard about it." Although inferred by the govern ment to be wrong, use o f the money, the labels, the controlled addresses were proper and approved by the Board. The hostility o f Linda Campbell, he said, was demonstrated by the fact that a fte r she testified, she stayed in Portland another day, and at noon during the trial reported to the U .S. Attorneys a conversation she just had with Lucas. Pointing out that Gilcrease was a successful man, administrating a $60 m illio n budget w hile at P M S C , whose career had been ruined by the accusations against h im , asked, “ would he have conspired with the likes o f Lommie Price and Pamela Kerans, and then fire them? Does * that make sense?” T he eleven m em ber ju ry deliberated for approxim ately ten hours before reaching a verdict o f not guilty on the eight 1974 counts and guilty on the twelve 1975 counts. One juror had been removed from the jury after other jurors reported that on the firs, day o f the trial he said he had already made his deter mination on his own investigation. This conviction is the termination o f five years o f investigation. Investi gation o f alleged misuse o f federal funds led nowhere, but shortly after that investigation was closed, investi gation o f complaints o f mail fraud in the election began. FBI investigators reported that at one time four agents were assigned to the mail fraud case — interviewing hundreds o f persons who had been involved in PM SC or N A C D .
