editorial / opinion
Africa*. Itzy Bitzy Tidbits
by
,Y
Fungai Kumbula
Reconsider police review board
Back in the sixties there was a lot of talk about
Citizen Review Boards to police the police, in
vestigating charges of brutality and harassment
During the civil rights demonstrations and the
Vietnam war protests many honest and upright
citizens fell under the police club
Police Departments conspired with the FBI and
other government agencies to spy on and at
tempt to destroy legitimate citizen organizations
Portland had its own police riot at the PSU
campus and more recently the "shoot-out at
Van's Olympic Room. The killing of a series of
young Black men was followed by other police
errors which brought injury or death to innocent
people. These cases, when investigated, were
always found to be acceptable
Lately reported instances of police brutality
and harassment seem to be on the rise. Or is it
just that more cases are being reported and
discussed publically?
How much of the seemingly increased police
activity is due to political tension? Several years
ago a North Precinct captain told a Sabin Neigh
borhood Association meeting that Albina and St
Johns would eventually war with each other over
jobs and other economic gams - so the necessity
for a citizens' Precinct Council to advise the
police of hot spots
Along with valid and necessary aspects of
neighborhood crime prevention, the spy system
was discussed. Although neighbors should look
out for neighbors, when does it cross over the
line and approximate what one neighborhood
organization leader suggested -- buying cameras
to take pictures of suspicious looking people
waling down the street?
The new captain expressed concerns about
conflict between boycotting and non-boycotting
Blacks, while denying any increased police
presence during the period that the boycott was
being planned and discussed. Many citizens
question that denial.
W hile charges of brutality are increasing,
nothing seems to be done. Frustrated citizens file
complaints and receive form letters.
During the Ricky Johnson inquest police o f
ficials admitted that when tensions are high -
during the chase or the capture - expressions are
used, vulgarities and racial epitaphs - that in
dicate the true feelings of some police officers. Is
it just a few bad apples or is there a lack of
discipline from the top?
Can't the Chief control his men, or doesn't he
believe the reputable people who claim they have
been abused?
A police review board is something the people
should seriously consider. If hard times are ahead
- as predicted by economic forecasters - then
now is the time to get control of the police.
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The jubilation we had felt at the
overthrow o f self-styled emperor
Jean Bedel Boka_ssa of the then Cen
tral African ’ Empire' has been in
terrupted in mid celebration by some
o f the first moves made by his suc
cessor, David Dacko. To begin with,
he is retaining Bokassa’ s entire
cabinet.
W hat
madness
has
possessed him to retain a group o f
ministers who formed the core o f
probably the most ruthless regime in
this whole miserable world? The
logic excapes me. It also makes me
wonder what son o f changes we can
expect when the system Bokassa left
behind is left intact.
Dacko has also indicated that the
CAR (Central African Republic) will
pursue the p ossibility o f opening
d ip lo m a tic relations w ith South
Africa. If he does, the CAR would
be only the second African nation to
open an embassy in Pretoria. The
only other one is Malawi. This would
be a great disservice to all Africa and
would do a lot o f harm to A frica ’ s
e ffo rts to com pletely isolate the
apartheid regime. It is true that un
der Bokassa, the C AR had
established considerable economic
ties with South Africa and it is also
true that several A frican countries
clandestinely trade with her but none
has gone so far as to recognize the
illegal apartheid regime. Not even
such countries as l.esotho, Swaziland
and Botswana that are completely or
partially surrounded by South Africa
have gone that far. Here's hoping
that Dacko reconsiders his hasty de
cision and backs out before he finds
himself on the outside looking inn.
Bokassa himself, is now in the
Ivory Coast after being kicked out o f
France where he had tied Io alter his
overthrow He is a dual 1 rench-Cen-
deliberately sought out Mozambican
m ilitary targets as well.
This can be seen as a feeble at
tempt to divert attention from the
horde o f problems facing him at
home. The white exodus continues
steadly at the rate o f a thousand a
month. Desertions from the mostly
white led army are said to be on the
increase. His extension o f the draft
to include Blacks who, up till recent
ly have been exempt, has met with
very little success. What popular
support he still claimed among the
Africans has evaporated as more
people see him for what he is: a mere
standin for Ian Smith. At the confer
ence being held in London, much to
the h o rro r and co nsternation o f
some o f his closest aides, he con
tinued to fight for the rentention of
whites’ privileges at the cost o f Black
advancement.
London: A little progress has been
reported from the conference taking
place in London. Muzorewa, with
the surprising backing o f most o f the
white delegation with the sole excep
tion o f Smith, finally agreed to a new
proposed c o n s titu tio n that w ill
reduce the roll o f the whites. The
Patriotic front, for its part too ac
cepted the proposed co n stitu tio n
which still reserves 24 seats out o f
120 for the whites. Supposedly, the
guerrillas agreed to this compromise
because they did not wasnt to appear
intransigent and thus offer Britain a
way out (B rita in could then very
easily have excluded the PF from
further negotiations and recognized
the
M uzorew a-Sm ith
clique).
However, whites w ill no longer have
veto power under this new
arrangem ent. It is s till being
negotiated and is far from being fully
accepted by either side.
tral African Republic citizen. He was
such a fiercely loyal French ‘ citizen’
that, when Charles de Gaulle died,
he (Bokassa) openly wept ‘ ‘ M on
pere!” (Mv father) at his grave. He
also served in the French army and
was an unabashed adm irer o f
Napoleon but, when he fled there,
the French were too embarassed and
they kicked him out. So far, Felix
Houphet-Boigny, virtual dictator o f
the Ivory Coast and also another
fiercely pro-French “ leader” , has
refused to extradite Bokassa back to
the CAR to stand trial.
E q u ato rial
Guinea
Macias
Nguema, the dictator o f Equatorial
Guinea who was toppled August 3rd,
has been executed. He was tried and
sentenced to death by c iv ilia n -
m ilita ry tribu na l. A fte r his over
throw , he fled with a number o f
followers to his birthplace in the in
terior o f Guinea but, soon after
wards, his followers deserted him
and when he was captured, he was
alone. A fitting end to one o f the
most arrogant and most brutal mur
derers o f modern times.
Uganda Idi Amin is still missing.
After all this time, he has not been
located. He, supposedly has been
seen in such varied places as Libya,
Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, Uganda and,
somebody swears he saw him in Los
Angeles headed toward Hollywood.
Could he have been looking for San
Clemente? I t ’ s taking a little time but
Uganda seems to be settling down at
last.
Rhodesia: The dimunitive, arrogant
and misguided bishop continues to
grapple with an unwinnable war. He
has made a number o f raids recently
into Mozambique and Zambia again
k illin g m ostly innocent civilians.
This time, however, he seems to have
Young leads successful African trade mission
Reprinted from "The Rap Sheet",
official publication of the
Portland Police Association and the
Oregon Council o, Police
Associations.
Warren charges police brutality
(( ontinucd troni page I col. 6)
was happening. I had never seen such
ignorance or such racism. I didn’t
believe it could happen.”
Warren said he tried to tell them
they should he helping him find his
daughter, not arresting him , but
when his questions were met with
laughter and snickers, he gave up.
He was booked into the jail and
released on bail. When he went for
his first court appearance, he learned
no charges have been filed. He was
treated the next day for injuries to
his throat and hand.
The police report tells different
story. According to the report w rit
ten by R W Morris, when he and his
partner arrived they found Warren in
the house using the telephone.
Morris asked him to leave and when
he refused, “ I placed my hand on his
left elbow and started to lead him out
and he grabbed Officer Paniley. I
then told him he was under arrest
and when we tried to handcuff him,
he refused lo let us. He was subdued,
taken down and handcuffed.”
Warren says the police did not tell
him why they approached hun, that
he was under arrest until he asked
w hile in the squad car. No ex
planation o f the police behavior
toward him was made, he said.
Warren, who is an insurance agent
for Prudential, was employed by the
Boy Scouts for seven years. Ihe first
year he was Executive for the Big
Thunder District - recruiting boys
and leaders, training leaders and
raising funds, f or six years he was
District Executive for the Explorer
program Besides operating his own
district including much o f Portland
and Southern Washington, he coor
dinated the la w Enforcem ent
programs throughout the state.
W arren is a L ions C lub past
president, a 12nd degree Mason, a
Shriner and a member o f the United
Way board, a resident ol Beaverton,
he has a son in pre law at Willamette
University and a daughter at Sunset
High School.
Warren said he intends to sue the
City. “ I hae worked closely with the
Portland Police Bureau and with
other law enforcement agencies. It
was a shock to experience the
ignorance, the b ru ta lity , and the
racism practiced by these officers.”
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LAGOS, N IG E R IA —On his last
visit to Africa, United States Ambas
sador to the UN, Andrew Young has
b u ilt “ bridges” between Black
America and West A frica that will
have a significant p o litic a l and
economic impact by opening doors
for business opportunities in West
Africa, a region plentiful in natural
resources.
Nigeria was the th ird stop o f a
seven-country trade mission, led by
Young, along with Louis M artin,
Assistant to President Carter lo r
Black Affairs. Seven ot the 23 chief
executives of American firms selected
for the mission are Black. They in
cluded: Theodore A. Adams, Jr.,
Unified Industries, Inc., Alexandria,
V irg in ia ; Clarence A vant, Tabu
Productions, Los Angeles, C a lifo r
nia; Ofield Dukes, Ofield Dukes and
Associates, Washington D.C.; John
Grayson, U N IVO X-C alifornia, Inc.,
Los Angeles, C a lifo rn ia ; M arion
O liver Greene, J r., International
Business Services, Inc., Washington,
D.C.; Thomas Wood, TAW Inter
national Leasing Corp., New York;
Edward Henry Jones, International
Commercial Resources, LTD ., New
York.
Young's political stature and un
the itinerary were the Cameroons,
Kenya, Tanzania, and Senegal.
In L ib e ria , where President
W illiam Tolbert, Jr. told Young he
was "considered a son o f Africa, and
we salute you for all you stand for,
for all you've done," Young received
the Star o f Africa. The award, one o f
Liberia’ s highest civic honors is given
for “ distinguished achievements in
the service o f fellow men.”
It was appropriate that Young visit
Liberia first since the small West
A fric a n country was founded by
freed slaves in the 19th century.
The mission spent two days, most
o f which centered on business
meetings in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,
described as the French Riveria o f
Africa.
In Lagos, the Nigerian govern
ment expressed its interest in in
creasing its business endeavors with
American firms.
Despite his controversial resigna
tion over an unauthorized talk with a
Pl.O representative to the U N ,
Young, as a result o f this mission,
has made an impressive mark as a
U.S. statesman with the foresight
and initiative to forge international
alliances that will go far in benefiting
Blacks and the nation.
paralleled popularity with A frican
dignitaries gave the mission the aura
o f a head o f state visit. Adding to the
Economic power and influence o f
the trade mission were John Moore,
C hairm an o f the Export Im port
Bank, and Bruce Llewellyn, who is
Black, President o f Overseas Invest
ment C orporation. Both represent
more than SI billion in funds avail
able for African business investments.
The trade mission and its success
will only add to Young’s track record
in opening lines o f communication in
the hope o f forming lasting ties with
A frican nations in m utually bene
ficial alliances. Moreover, the clout
o f the mission, coupled with the in
clusion o f Black businessmen, w ill go
far to merge Black Americans with
their African brothers and sisters in
economic ventures and exchanges
that w ill strengthen Blacks’ political
and economic position domestically.
Young said he was “ extremely
pleased” by the reception o f the
trade mission and the substantive
and productive business discussions
held with top officials and business
leaders o f the first three countries
visited— Liberia, Ivory Coast, and
Nigeria. The remaining countries on
National
Champs
(Continued from page 1 col. 6)
Roy P ittm an o f the Peninsula
W restling Club, both were bright
prospects when they started.
Nine year-old Darren won first
place in the City o f Portland cham
pionships; First Place in the State
Championships; First Place in the
A .A .U . Junior Olympic Regionals in
B utte, M ontana and firs t place
A .A .U .J u n io r O lym pic Grand
Nationals. It might be noted that
Darren has never placed less than
Third Place in any competition.
On the other hand, you have the
oldest o f the two brothers, Dwayne,
who’ s wrestling record is just as im
pressive as his brother’ s, Dwayne
won First Place in the federation
regionals; First place for the City of
Portland. He placed second in State
competition and won second place in
the A .A .U . Junior Olympic Grand
National Championships.
Both young men work out three to
four hours a day, five days a week,
to keep the competitive edge. The
season starts in September and ends
in July. Their parents Bctlie and
Lovine Briggs continue top support
the boys in their hectic schedules.
As far as the boys are concerned,
their ultimate goal - the Olympics!
I he chances excellent!
i l-.S. I u tili ! " know iii"i.
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