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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1979)
Page 4 Portland Observer December 27.1979 CELL TALK Behind the W alls by Larry Baker » J5021 O.S.P. Correspondent FROM A PRISON ARTIST’ S POINT OF VIEW By George Nagel In this writing I would like to show my appreciation to those people that have been so kind to me, and have had thoughts tow ard fellow hum anity. They are a credit to mankind. I am an artist and 1 paint landscapes, and have for around thirty years, and to this date I have not had any recog n itio n fo r what I do. Now since coming to OSP I have had the fortune to meet some great people, such as Mr. Whitley, chief o f security, and M r. Charles Keaton, the director o f educa tion at OSP, as well as many others, officers and inmates together. I am in deep gratitude to all o f those who have helped me to decide to use the talent that God gave to me. I feel that each o f these people needs to be praised fo r their effo rts in helping others help themselves. I am not happy to be here in prison but while I am here my plans are to make the best o f what I have, and to utilize the ability that I have in hopes o f bettering myself for the future when I am released back to society once again. learning is a lifetime process and if we can take an objective look at what has transpired in our lives and learn from our mistakes, we will be in a bet David Wright »J9BI6 Assistant Editor ter position to improve if we but try. People, like those I have mentioned earlier in this writing, desire to help if one would but let them. Not all people that are in prison are "cons.” Some o f us just got caught at some wrong-doing and ended up in here, cast out o f life’s race for a period o f time, but that doesn’ t mean that we have stopped living or become o f no use to others, and I thank God that there are some left in the world that really care and have a desire to help some o f us that have lost the game and are now paying the debt that we owe. M y hopes are that someday my paintings will at least hang on the walls o f some o f your homes, m ainly because it gives me joy to be able to make something that is somewhat re lated to life here upon this earth, and to the beauty that was created for each o f us to behold every day o f our lives. I'm not the greatest artist in the world and probably rank very low in the field o f art, but I do the best I can each time I pick up the brushes. My desire is to put a feeling in each o f my paintings so that the beholder will be able to relate to what is said in the work that I have done. In conclusion I would like once again to thank all o f those persons that have given me help in being able to paint once again; it is very, very much appreciated every time I pick up inv brushes. I thank you kindly . By Asmar A bdu Setfullah aka Joe West »40404 through these confines are apt to commit more crimes. They w ill com mit more crimes because prison itself is criminal. It breeds criminal minds, it strengthens the base desires in human beings. If prison or the people who ex tol the necessity in sending men and women to prison ever hope to achieve what they claim to be trying to achieve, then prison and the concept o f confine ment has to become legitimate. Legit imate in its attempts to legitimize the criminal. It’s very frightening as a pris oner to pick up a newspaper and read where some public official is exhorting the need for larger prisons and stiffer prison sentences, etceteia, etcetera. It’s frightening because they don’ t know what it’ s like in here, they don’t know about the loneliness, the denial o f dreams, the homosexuality, the pain— the suffering o f day to day prison life. I f they knew these things o r cared about them then they’ d ask for better prisons to solve the illegiteinacy. Now listen to me; check this out; it’s very im portant that black society, black minds, black people understand/ recognize that prison is a very impor tant issue. It’s important because it’ s the sons and daughters o f black society ISSUES A N D OBJECTIVES The prime objective o f this column is to project— to project the images, voices, screams and pleas that exist behind these granite walls; inside this concrete tombs laugh, cry, dream and and put it in the street, in the classroom, in the church house and in the night clubs that black people fre quent so often. It’ s not an easy task because all prisoners have a tendency to extol the negative and the negativity sooner or later destroys the objectivity o f the reader and the writer. It’ s important that we first under stand and agree upon the fact that all prisons are extensions o f society. That a complex society exists behind these prison walls and bars and that the pri son society isn’ t much different from the society that exists at large. The men and women confined inside the concrete temple; to take the cell talk desire what every intelligent and civil ized person desires— peace o f mind, happiness, to be loved and to give love in return. They’ re not like the images that parade across your TV screen. The great escape takes place only in Hollywood with the big shoot-out cli maxing the end o f the movie. Shirley Woodward. Assistant to the Governor, admires George Nagle's painting. PEOPLE A N D PRISONERS, 1979 1979 has been an extraordinary year at Oregon State Penitentiary. Hie concrete and steel isolation has been penetrated, gates have been opened, and the public has responded to a need. State leaders have walked the compounds, ate in our mess hall and instructed in our classrooms—the most interaction between condoned and condemned in penal history. Inmates having personal access to public officials set a precedent in 1979, one we hope to continue through the 80s. Behind The Walls would like to recognize a few o f these individuals who have volunteered their professional services to this prison over the past yeai. We have chosen quotes from history that we feel are interesting and best portray our feelings about the service these men and women have given us. Judge R obert E. lice M an) Jones, M ultnom ah County C ir cuit C o u rt, talks w ith Larry Baker. The image producers go to great lengths to paint negative pictures o f prisoners— and not necessarily prison— in the mind o f free society. The mind o f society is the mind o f the people, mind is man, man is society. If everybody in free society thinks that prisoners asre bad then there isn’t any emphasis placed on b u ilding better prisons— more humane prisons— be cause common sense dictates that you don’ t keep bad people in good places. So instead o f creating an atmosphere that enables a man to overcoipe the obstacles and weaknesses that lead to his incarceration, we have an atmo sphere than enhances his chances o f re turn to prison. We have an atmosphere that creates perversion, homosexuality, hotnocide and the moral, physical and spiritual genocide o f the human spirit. that the selfish political minds are de stroying under the disguise o f rehabili tation—when we speak o f rehabilita tion or incarceration as it relates to black people, we must underline our thoughts w ith the w ord genocide. “ Don’t take my word for it— investi gate it, research it, check out the ratio and you’ ll find out who’s really com mitting the real crimes in society.” It seems as though someone is intention ally placing all the focus on the little criminals who’ re forced into criminal activities by the big crim inal minds that run the country and produce the images. Prison is a cesspool o f near hopelessness. The men who pass W hich brings us to the issue o f . whether or not we choose to believe the images that are being projeced to us. “ If you are not careful, the newspa pers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are do in g the o p pressing.” — Malcolm X. EXODUS f/c s /r /r .) m r/rr<rr/// n a / a n t / j/lr rr/nte n / / r n /e t 1518 N E KILLINGSWORTH PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1 EXODUS Kay Toran, State Director of Affirmative Action. confer, with Dwayne Samples 284 7997 DECEMBER Pina W illiams, of Portland Public Schools and KGW TV host, raps with inmate on prison problems m i The Lucid Walls of Time «G S Editor: Julius Snowden From the Editor, staff, and our crazy cartoonist we went to wish you all The Grandest of Holidays and a FROM EXODUS Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Julius Remember that in order to fully enjoy this holiday season yo u r m ind m ust be clear so that you will know in what man ner you are presenting yourself to others, and in what manner yo u are receiving others. Excessive use o f alcohol and drugs dis torts your ability to consistently present yourself to others respectfully, and to re ceive others respectfully in the true spirit o f this joyous holiday season. It is resp ect that is fundam ental to peace on earth and good will to all hu man beings.
