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.