^ * 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
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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 .