Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1979)
« Jordan promises police brutality charge investigation Com m issioner Charles Jordan wishes to express to Albina residents as well as to all Portland citizens that he is concerned about recent reports o f police brutality, is investigating and will take appropriate action. Jordan staled that he has received complaints from citizens but that he has been provided no concrete evidence that police brutality is oc curing. However, the number o f complaints and the fact that some are from people he knows well, force him to conclude that some abuses are occuring. Jordan states that, as in the past. complaints are received but witnesses willing to testify are few. “ I f I have evidence that o ffic e rs are in tim idating or provoking citizens, I can take action. W ithout it I can not.” Jordan plans to conduct in vestigations o f police behavior him self, meeting with complainants and reporting findings back to them. Previously, complaints were directed to the Internal Affairs Division and the complainant received a response from the Police Bureau, usually a form letter. “ I know this hasn’ t been very s a tis fa c to ry ,” Jordan ex plained. “ The people who contact my o ffic e w ith com plaints or questions expect a reply from me and from now on they will get it.” Jordon w ill not conduct in vestigations himself and will not in terview the police officers since that is a violation o f the union contract. He w ill talk to complainants and witnesses and w ill review the in vestigation reports from Internal A f fairs. Another policy he plans to change is to investigate cases in which a suit is threatened. For many years the policy has been to avoid investigating complaints where the citizen might sue. The fear has been that if a suit is filed, the investigation record will be subpeonad and used against the o f fice r. “ We w ill do our own in vestigation regardless o f whether a suit is filed. If the officer is wrong, he is wrong, and if the investigation file is used to prove he is wrong, that w ill have to be." Jordan met with representatives o f the police union Tuesday to discuss w ith them the com plaints he has received and to ask their help. " I will tell them what kind o f behavior I won't tolerate, where I draw the line. and ask the help o f the good officers to insure that my policies are carried o u t." If he is to discipline the few o f ficers who are causing the problem, he w ill need community support. “ I can’ t do it alone. Chief Baker can’ t do it alone. I need the support o f the union, o f the police officers, and o f the public.” Com m issioner Jordan also met with representatives o f the Albina M inisterial Alliance to assure them o f his concern. He is looking fo r ward to meeting with a community group that has been organized in response to the allegations o f police brutality. That group, organizied by Ernie Owens, w ill meet again tonight at King N eighborhood F a c ility , but Jordan w ill not be invited to attend. “ We do intend to ta lk w ith the Commissioner, but we are gathering more evidence and want to plan our course before we speak to h im ." Owens askes that persons who are witnessed police harassment or abuse call him at 287-1974. A ll persons who contact him w ill be advised of the meeting w ith Com m missioner Jordan. PORTLAND OBSERVER Volume 9 Number 42 October 25. 1979 10Cper copy USPS969 880 Affirmative action officer joins PSU staff by Stephanie Michael The enactment o f 1964 Civil Rights legislation created a broad scope o f interpretation concerning discrimination on the basis o f race, color, religion and national orgin. Since that interpretation little has been done to educate the public fully concerning the responsibilities o f such laws. The same can be said describing the duties o f Equal Em ployment Opportunity and A ffir mative Action officers. As o f October 15th, Portland State University appointed a new A f firmative Action officer following a national search. The candidate selec ted was M ajor M otris, a former assistant to the president o f a University in Massachusetts. Morris says his job at PSU w ill consist o f developing and carrying out com pliance mandate according to federal and state laws. He says there is an agreement between contracting in stitutions such as PSU or any other institution that receives federal fun ds. Morris says he will be helping to coordinate and assure compliance at PSU according to all federal execu tive orders. Morris says, " I would like to provide enrichment where it is needed. 1 still have to discover what the total program is at Portland State before I do anything. I am the responsible agent to the president. I will be making recommendations as well as adjustments. I feel there is never enough broadening, especially in an ever changing educational system. Affirm ative Action and compliance is something that is an educational process that needs to be entered everywhere.” Analyzing retrospective facts about civil rights laws and their ef fect upon America, Morris says he is still very optimistic. He says other wise he would not be wasting his time working in the area o f civil rights, trving to improve the existing con ditions. “ Basically Blacks, and many other minorities are still in the same position. Yes, we have seen more visability concerning minorities in some areas. That is a fact because I ain here. Ten years ago that would not have been the case. But I can say things are starting to recced. It ap pears we are going through a backlash. It use to be that on television there had to be at least one Black on every show, now we are disappearing to the point back to the 195O’ s. In essence, there won’ t be any Blacks or very few on the tube. Statistics show that Blacks are no better o ff and in some cases worse o ff particularly concerning unem ployment.” “ Cases such as Bakke and Weber, • >' had no direct impact on A f firmative Action laws, especially in the area o f higher education. The Bakke decision brought down a very narrow decision in terms o f the University o f California at Davis af firmative action program. The fin ding just revealed that race cannot be a sole criteria. But then, the W'eber decision turns right around to deal with racial quotas. What these cases did was bolster what seems to the sagging underterms in our society. The suits revealed the negative general opinion against civil rights. C ivil rights has always been regar ded in a benign state. Some people have always figured maybe it will go away, but it won’ t.” M ajor Morris says, through history there has been a limitation by some people in their brother and sisterhood. Morris says these people never took it upon themselves to MAJOR MORRIS educate the p u b lic to the real meanings o f civil rights. The idea o f handouts or a preferential treatment program were broadcast instead. The american people have been eluded to the idea that someone is being given something and that something is being taken away from them. “ Most people think their rights are being Paul Cook joins Tri-Met board Paul Cook has been named by Governor Victor Atiyeh, to fill an unexpired term on the Tri-Met Board o f Directors. lyabo. daughter of Kent and Opal Moore, takes a teacher's eye view of the classroom . Photo. Richard Brown C ook, 43, vice president and manager w ith First State Bank o f Oregon, Portland main branch, will complete the term o f Florice Walker, who resigned earlier this month. Subject to Oregon Senate confir mation, he will serve in Ms. Walker’s board position which represents sub- district 5, Northest Portland, M u lt nomah County. The term runs until Dec. 3. 1981. Cook has been with First State Bank o f Oregon since February, 1979. Previous to that time he was business manager w ith The C o r p o ra tio n fo r Youth Enterprises, prior to its move from Portland to Washington D.C. He previously was a vice president o f First N ational taken away from them to be given to an alien group. I know that some people still regard Blacks as creatures from outer space, as well as other minorities. Always when there is an economic crisis, those who are in power . focus on the me syndrome much more heavily.” (Continued on page 2 col. I) Young visits Bank o f Oregon. Cook is currently vice president and board member o f the Urban League o f Portland and is a past Portland City Planning Commission commissioner and a former Portland Rose Festival A ssociation board member. The seven-member Tri-Met Board o f D irectors is a p olicy-m aking group which handles all business concerning the Tri-M et service area. M rs. Andrew (Jean) Young, Chairman o f the International year o f the Child, will visit Portland on November 2nd. She w ill tour child development and education facilities and deliver an address on “ The Im portance o f Family Involvement in the Childhood Education Process” at the University o f Portland. The address, at 4:00 p.m., is free o f charge. say it w ould be undem ocratic to force companies to do something they d o n ’ t want to do. And the people do not support opposition to a pa rth e id , so it w ould be un democratic to force them to. But this is using democracy as an excuse to ju s tify e vil. Because you see, i f democracy was really the issue, then the President w ould say to the people, “ Look here, we have a problem in South Africa, and I want your support on this.” And so this government must carry out an education process to educate their people that it is wrong, it is immoral to .support an immoral government in South Africa with investments. I see no education. Just the excuse that we are a democratic state. Secondly, they argue that those in vestments w ill do good foi the Africans in South Africa. That, in actual fact, if you stop them it is the Africans that are going to suffer. I say those Africans are suffering enough. Well, inflict that little ad ditional suffering also. Or, if you are really dong it for the good o f the Africans, then don’ t remove those dividends, just pass them to the Freedom Fighters. Really, investing in South Africa is blood money. So I ’ ve never supported either the wel fare argument - that this helps the Africans -- or that democratic gover nments can’ t do it because they don’ t have the power. Interview with President Nyerere The political vision of Africa's top leader by Laurie Garrett Garrett, an award-winning radio reporter, fo r Pacifica Radio.) (E D IT O R ’S N O TE : Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere is often regarded as on o f the two or three most important leaders o f the Third World, and certainly as the political giant o f Africa. He is the acknowledged leader o f the African Frontline Slates, and as such has been the key personality in African liberation movements fo r almost 20 gears. Nyerere is also the key theorist o f "African Socialism. " In the following interview, con ducted at Nyerere's home in Dar Es Salaam. Nyerere discusses U.S. policy tn South Africa, the U.S. elec tions, the issue o f African tyrant dic tators, socialism, and the challenges facing a developing peasant African nation gripped by the oil crisis. This interview was conducted by Laurie Q.: I know you ure hasitant to speak about the political affairs of another nation, but you made it clear in your book. Crusade fo r Liberation, that the Third World aw aits eagerly the results of an American Presidential election. How will you be view ing the elections in 19807 NYERERE: Our position is always that elections in the United States affect our interests, and therefore we shall give it keen in terest. Rut let me put it this way (and I hope there w ill be no misunder standing about it): The United States is capitalist. It is imperialist. It’ s a superpower Hegemonic The moral stature which was put forward by President Carter made life very easy for us because here is a person you can sit down and talk to and he will understand what you are talking to him about, and if we say, "W e are not fighting for communism in Southern A frica ,” he will under stand that we are not fighting for communism. If I differ with him he w ill not think that I have horns. So, it can make personal relations easier. I ’ m not sure it makes all that much difference in policies. Policies are the policies o f the power structure o f the United States. And so, we o f the Third World naturally always take an interest in the elections o f your country and who is going to be elec ted, but if the United States is disap pointing the Third World, the problem cannot be Carter The problem is the system'. I don’ t know whether one is being fair or not, but I say a good President makes life easier for us. Because you can sit down: you can discuss. But the problems o f Tan zania w ill remain the same. The problems o f the Third World will remain the same. Why? Not because o f the person who is in the White House, but because o f the power structure o f the United States. And this w ill continue, elections or no elections. Q: The Carter Administration - even the progressive wing repre sented by Andrew Young - has actively supported South African investm ent. How have you viewed the Carter South Africa policy? NYERERE: We have discussed this problem, and I have not agreed with the Carter Administration. You see, there are two rationales given for continued investment in South Africa. The first is democracy. They Q.: Turning to Rhodesia, many Western observers predict that that country faces years of civil war after majority rula is placed In power The scanario calls for fighting between the forces of Nkomo, Mugabe, end Muzorewa. And this outlook (Please turn to page 2 col. 3)
