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Barnett eliminated
City Council field narrowed to three
The City Council pared its list o f
six nominees for the vacancy created
by the appointm ent o f C om
missioner C onnie M cCready as
Mayor to three men. The appoin
tment will be made next Wednesday.
Nick Barnett, executive director o f
the Metropolitan Human Relations
Commission; Doug Capps, former
aide to Mayor G oldschm idt; and
firemen’ s union leader Ron Usher
were defeated in early b allo tin g .
F inalists are B ill Stevenson,
Representative Jim Chrest and Mike
Lindberg
Bill Stevenson served four years as
State Labor Commissioner and eight
years in the Oregon legislature. Stev
enson told the Council that he is par
ticularly interested in good housing,
safe neighborhoods and ecomonic
development. He considers many o f
the recent policies developed by the
Council -- energy, housing, trans
portation - to be successful and
would look foward to consolidating
gains.
Representative Jim Chrest cited
his three terms as a legislator and
years o f grass roots involvement. His
concerns include housing, attracting
new industry and keeping jobs that
are here now, p ro tectin g neigh
borhoods, employment, citizen en-
volvement.
Mike Lindberg has served as head
o f Public Works and as planning
director for the City. His priorities
are job s, basic services, neigh
borhood stability.
Nick Barnett, who was eliminated
in the first round o f balloting, told
the Council that although he has a
special interest in the needs o f those
who do not have access to power, he
has a broad spectrum o f concerns in
cluding energy, transportation, land
use and housing Barnett and Steven
son were nom inated by C om
missioner Charles Jordan.
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Volume 9 No. 30
Thursday, September 13.1979 IOC
USPS 959 680
MHRC investigates suspensions
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The M eiropoliian Human Rela
tions Com m ission presented the
P o rtlan d School Board w ith an
Analysis o f Suspension and Enroll
ment patterns based on 1977-1978
suspension data.
Jim Sitzman, Commission chair
man, advised that the District and
MHRC work together to determine
why there is not only a dispropor
tionate number o f Black students
suspended, but suspension statistics
vary greatly between schools. He
commented that differences might be
caused by economic or social factors,
specific students’ behavior, or by
administrative practices. I f racism in
buildings is operating to increase
numbers o f Black child re n sus
pended, this needs to be known.
Mrs Edna Robertson was presented with the
Greater Northeast Precinct Council annual award for
Citizen Participation by Commissioner Charles Jor
dan and Robert Phillips. The award recognizes Mrs.
Robertson's encouragem ent and facilitation of
citizen participation, her assistance in establishing
the Council, her offering citizen's perspectives and
concerns when they cannot be present, and her con
stant dedication to the Council and the public.
The study divides the D istrict’ s
schools into six groups by percentage
ol minority students, percentage o f
m in o rity students who are ad
ministrative transfer students, and
ratio o f Black suspensions to while
s u s p e n s io n s
The study demonstrates that the
extent o f disproportionate rates o f
suspension between m in o rity and
white students is highly dependent on
Teacher rep questions value of Black History
Carrie M iller, director o f the Port
land Federation o f Teachers, speak
ing fo r herself and not fo r her
organization, attacked the School
Board’s recently passed policy on
mandatory training of teachers in
Black History.
The Board policy states that a
course o f in stru ctio n in Black
History, ethnic history and problems
o f social class be designed and that it
be mandatory for all teachers and
administrators employed in schools
involved in the desegregation/in-
tegration program next year, Ms.
M ille r objects to the m andatory
nature o f the policy.
“ My objections to the resolution
are two-fold arguing: I) that in ad
dressing the concerns o f one segment
o f the community, it has violated the
rights o f another, those o f district
employees and; 2) that the proposal
while providing the illusion o f a
means toward social change lacks
sufficient substance to achieve that
change. . .
“ My initial response to #7 o f the
Board's resolution is that it lays a
blanket insult on every educator in
this d istrict. The course require
ments, which appear to admit no ex
ception, im ply that everyone em
ployed, both now and in the future,
by this district is or will be equally
ignorant o f black history, o f other
ethnic histories and area, or will be,
equally insensitive to the problems of
social class. Clearly that is the con
clusion to be drawn when the Board
requires that all its educators run the
same educational gauntlet without
regard to in d iv id u a l experience,
education or special qualifications.
“ Given this conclusion, par
tic u la rly as it affects future em
ployees in the desegregation/inte-
gration program , the purpose o f
items 5a and 9 o f this same docu
ment falls into question. Item 5a
provides that m inority representa
tives and other interested parties are
to be consulted in the selection o f
desegregation/integration staff. Item
9 requires the appointm ent o f a
director o f personnel who will seek
out 'q u a lifie d m in o rity teachers,’
and who w ill, it necessary, ‘ be
prepared to hire special recruiters'
lor that purpose. Clearly, provisions
5a and 9 are intended to recruit into
the cluster program teachers already
presumed to be competent and sensi
tive in the areas prescribed in item 7;
yet there is no provision to exclude
them or others equally q ualified
from repetitive education.”
Ms. M ille r also questioned the
Board’s right to negotiate with the
Black United Front on issues pertain
ing to teacher preparation without
including teachers and their collec
tive bargaining unit, the Portland
Association o f Teachers, in their
discussions.
She also questioned the validity o f
the concept o f requiring knowledge
o f Black History by teachers who
teach Black children:
“ Finally, I question the power o f
these required courses to advance,
even minutely, the laudable goal o f
the Board and the Black United
F ront, that goal being not mere
desegregation, or the attainment o f a
racial mix, but o f integration, the at
tainment o f quality racial contact.
While the certain means to achieve
this goal is still shrouded in mystery,
there are avenues which have been
tried and proven ineffective. Courses
in ethnic art, or literature or history
do not change the human heart.
Bayard Rustin, as far back as 1969
urged us not to be so deceived. Black
demands for Black studies he warned
were at best symbolic rather than
social victories. At worst, lessons in
Black history which focus on the op
pression o f one race over another ac
tually impede social justice. Writing
in Harper's Magazine he revealed, ‘ I
also question both the efficiency and
the social utility o f an attack that
impels the attacked to applaud and
debase themselves. I am not certain
whether or not self-flagellation can
have beneficial effect on the sinner (I
tend to doubt that it can), but I am
absolutely certain it can never im
prove the lot o f the unemployed and
(Please turn to Page 2 Column 4)
practices at the individual schools.
Groups I and V are similar in their
m inority enrollment, yet the average
suspension rate for minority students
in Group I schools is 15.31 per cent,
3.68 times the white suspensions. In
Group V schools there are virtually
no suspensions.
Schools that use suspensions
create conditions where m inorities
are affected disproportionately. The
data suggests that "one cannot solely
credit the disproportionate suspen
sions o f m inority and minority ad
m in is tra tiv e tran sfe r students to
either individual student behavior or
to an association between suspen
sions and the student's socioecono
mic class background. I f improper
individual behavior on the part o f
m inority and m inority administra
tive transfer students was at fault,
then one would find higher minority
suspension rates (than white suspen
sion rates) at all schools. Yet, 39
schools, some o f which have ap
preciable m inority and/or minority
administrative transfer enrollments,
do not find it necessary to suspend
any students at all. Other schools
suspend relatively equal portions o f
m inority and white students. This
would not occur i f minority students,
in general, exhibited behavior dis
proportionately deserving o f suspen
sion than that o f their white counter
parts in these schools.
“ N or can divergence in socio
economic class background alone be
simply utilized as an explanation for
higher m in o rity and m in o rity ad
m in is tra tiv e tra n sfe r suspension
rates. II this were the case, you could
not explain the Group V schools,
which possess a high level o f
m in o rity adm inistrative transfers,
yet suspend no m in o rity students;
nor could it be explained why, in the
G roup II schools, where a ll the
minorities and while students are in
district, and therefore, it is highly
likely that both white and m inority
students share a comm on socio
econom ic
class
background,
minorities are suspended at twice the
rate o f white students.”
M H R C recommended that the
D is tric t closely examine the 39
schools that do not use suspensions
to determine what enables them to
function without suspensions.
I he district should also examine
schools that use suspensions but do
not have a disproportionate number
o f Black suspensions. These are:
Sunnyside, Astor, Vestal, Creston,
Portsmouth.
“ I he D istrict should conduct a
th orou g h investigation o f those
schools that have high percentage o f
m in o rity suspensions.” The in
c re d ib ly high level o f m in o rity
suspensions in some o f these schools,
(Please turn to page 9 col. 3)
Grisby case under investigation
George Rankin, director o f the
Urban League's Project LEAP, has
informed the Observer that the U r
ban League is investigating the cir
cumstances surrounding the allega
tions o f Kevin Grigsby that he was
the target o f racial harassment while
on a Portland General Electric job
site at Boardman, Oregon.
Rankin said the employee quoted
in the press who said this was not an
Urban League problem, nor was it a
union problem—did not speak for
the executive director or the LEAP
program, and his assumptions were
incorrect.
“ It is definitely our responsibility
and we are conducting our own in
vestigation. Our responsibility goes
beyond just placing an apprentice in
a jo b . It involves assuring that
working conditions are proper.”
Rankin said the Urban League has
placed another Black apprentice on
that job site and that he reported that
he has been treated fairly and likes
his job.
Gary Gomez, d ire c to r o f the
Oregon Bureau o f Labor said his
agency is investigating the charges.
Grigsby filed a complaint against
the contractor. Combustion Engi
neering, Inc.
Combustion Engineering, Inc. has
contacted the C ivil Rights Division
in response to the complaint and is
considering a predetermination set
tlement. In the meantime CRD is
continuing the investigation in case a
settlement is not negotiated.
Gomez said he had personally
talked to Grigsby to assure him that
an investigation is in process.
Methadone 'treatment' constitutes genocide
h by
v Don
r if in F
u lle r
Fuller
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money is involved; (b) Too much
Black power (independent o f white
Caught o ff guard by the now suc
control) is involved; (c) Too much
cessful grass roots organization o f
white power (to oppress and exploit)
the Black U nited F ro n t, w hite
is threatened
supremists and “ lib e ra l” w hite
supremists are using Afro-Saxons to
take the offensive against the Black
community. Fighting deep sleep in
Portland’s Black community, which
had been induced by fear o f white
racism was d ifficult, but fighting a
drug induced “ nod" would be im
Who are the “ liberal suprema
possible. That is part o f a long range
cist? ” Those radical chic who
white supremacy plan.
had more successfully in itia te d
The Black United Front might not
any activity that resulted in making
know what the CODA proposal to
ex-slaves p o w e rfu l. Those w hite
establish a neighborhood clinic in
socialists or white communists or
Albina represents, but the way in
white feminists or whatever. Left-of-
which CODA approached the Black
center racists have always held out
community Monday night indicates
the carrot o f hope and dependence,
that the BUF call for a boycott to
while the right-of-center racists ap
improve our minds was a declaration
plied the brutal whip. But all these
o f war.
white folks ride our backs and our
The white supremacy response...
movements to death, our death.
Provide free dope “ to put those
Those white "lib e ra ls" are push
niggers to sleep.” CODA is a drug
ing the dope pushers into the Black
treatment program that provides
community with all the arrogance o f
regular amounts o f methadone to
your standard redneck, racist cracker.
addicts. Methadone is also addictive,
Ite m : No pre pa ra tion , in fo r
some say worse than heroin. Abuse is
m ation, no studies or any other
a national disgrace.
material was made available by the
This was because: (a) Too much
imported (out-of-state) director o f
Analyses
the proposed fe derally-funded
p roject. He appeared unable to
document any o f his assertions with
hard data, and yet wanted approval
that night, Monday, September 10,
1979 This proposed director o f this
proposed project does not live in the
Black community, doesn’t know the
politics o f the Black community and
doesn't love his own people enough
to try to protect us or live with us,
much less respect us. It wouldn’t be a
surprise to fin d such people
politically or otherwise in bed with
our enemies, because they have
demonstrated the mental illness Dr.
Welsing speaks of: self hatred. They
apparently want to be exploited, ac
cording to her theory, and in turn they
exploit us as a people.
Item: Genocide is defined in the
Genocide Convention, signed by one-
half o f the nation’s in the world ex
cept the U.S.: any official a c t.. .in
cluding the administration of drugs,
that would destroy a people.
Genocide means the destruction of
a whole people. A fte r viewing the
film on methadone shown Monday
there can be no doubt that the Black
people have been moved by our ene
• *
mies, from the degeneration o f phy
sical enslavement in America to men
tal enslavement through drugs as a
“ target” population. Giving dope
away to the Black community is an
act o f war that offers no money, and
no mercy should be given to such
enemies o f Black people.
There are addicts in the Black
community. They do need help. But
the approach to treatment must be
built on a drug-free counseling with a
cultural basis. Just as the Native
American uses the "sweat-lodge,”
we must use the values and culture
unique to our people, our com
munity and our families. Education
and prevention are key to a cultural
approach to drug treatm ent we
demand to control as a people faced
with genocide. This cannot be done
in arrogance or without the respect
and cooperation o f the Black people
o f Albina.
These are the issues that were
never presented by C O D A . The
director o f that program must be
able to meet cultural criteria and live
here or be identified as a pusher o f
m ethadone and p im p fo r w hite
supremacy.
t
In t h . FRONT DOOR. OUT THE BACK OOORI Approximately 140
Black youngsters arrive et the front door of Beaumont Middle School
•ech m o rn in g -p a rt of the Portland School District's reorganization/
da.agreg.tion effort About 10 w h it, s tu d .n t. . . c a p . through t h . back
DUtHct ■tt#nd M< T -b ° r SchO° ' ~ * * transportation p r o X T b y £