Pag« 8 Portland Observer July 3, 1880
Cell Talk
Behind the Walls
By Asmar A M u I Sejullah
(aka Joe West 4 4(3404
On
June
20th
U huru
O rganization held a com m unity
forum entitled “ A Two Way Street:
The Black Community and Black
Prisoners.” The main objective o f
the forum was to enlighten the
com m unity on the ills o f the
crim in a l justice system and the
needs o f the Black prisoners con
fined in the Oregon Correctional
System. In behalf o f the total Uhuru
membership and the general Black
inmate population, I ’ m pleased to
report for the first time the Black
com m unity has responded to the
call for assistance.
The meeting began w ith a
historical and psychological critique
given by Professor James W.
Gadena, Dean o f W illam ette
University. Brother Gadena gave a
very indept view o f the crim inal
justice system and its effect on the
lives o f Blackfolks. The highpoint
of brother Cadena's rap came when
he explained how a whiteman can
k ill a nigger and the outcome is
manslaughter but when a nigger
kills a whiteman the outcome is
murder in the first degree. He stated
that the police can kill a nigger and
it's labelled justicifiable homicide
and to round o ff his analogy he
stated that a nigger can kill another
nigger and it ’s just one less nigger.
This is an excellent example o f the
hypocriticalness o f the crim inal
justice system.
Brother Ron Herndon Co-
Chairman o f the Black United Front
followed with a smoking overview
of institutional racism. In essence he
stated that Black people should
never be surprised when they en
counter racism in Am erikan in
stitutions. he stated that the system
is built and perpetuated by racism
and that until Black people become
committed enough to attack it at the
root, it will continue to be the num
ber one obstruction in w inning
freedom. Brother Ron fu rth e r
committed the Front to collective
action
against
the
racist
inadequatacy o f the Oregon
C rim in a l Justice System and its
racist treatment o f Black prisoners.
When one speaks o f Ron Herndon
one w ord sticks in the m ind -
Dynamic. In my mind he epitomizes
what the struggle is all about, his
Blackness runs deeper than the skin.
Next brother Calvin Henery the
c ritic a l president o f the Oregon
Commission on M in o rity A ffa irs
followed with a collage o f criticism
on the apathy o f Black prisoners to
help themselves while incarcerated,
he drea mixed emotions from the
crowd but all things considered he
was right on the money in many
ways. It’ s always difficult to explain
to the oppressed that part o f their
oppression is due to their own un
willingness to face oppression. He
summed up his ta lk w ith a very
strong commitement to get envolved
and offered the support o f his
organization in a maximum thrust
fo r equal treatm ent fo r Black
prisoners.
Last but not least on the speaking
rostrum was sister Freddye Petette,
the Director o f the Portland Urban
League. Believe me when I say that
sister Freddye was not to be out
done by her male counterparts. Ever
since the enslavement o f Black
people in this country the black
woman has played a very instrumen
tal role in the struggle for Black
liberation. Sister Freddye came with
her guns loaded for Polar Bear and
was diligent and vocal in her attack
o f the system. Her voice rolled in
the sweetness o f watermelon but
carried the punch of a heavyweight.
"Brother man this sister combined
by Larry Baker 43502!
O.S.P. Correspondent
speaking expertise with a strong
flavor o f humanitarianim, couple
with with a excellent understanding
o f what it takes for Blackfolks to
survive in the system and you have a
portrait o f sister Freddyt Petette.
She pledged the complete support o f
the Urban League and showed
genuine concern for the problem
that Black inmates face while incar
cerated.
Picture, if you w ill, a room filled
with Black faces - all of them shin
ning with the culmination o f hope
and you'll have a small idea of what
the Uhuru meeting was like. The
only thing that marred the evening
was the lack o f adequate time for
meaningful dialogue. Perhaps next
time we can pick up where we left
o ff at, but in the meantime a list o f
grievances and concerns is being
drawn up to send these brothers and
sisters who gave their love and con
cern.
Also present at the forum were
Chamers Jones and Hazel Hayes o f
the Oregon State Parole Board,
William T. Russel also left us with a
strong commitement and sister Lois
Lewis Berry local Black poetess was
her usual supportive self. There are
many who are unnamed in this ar
ticle but it’ s not a underplay o f their
presence or support.
on behalf o f the entire member
ship o f Uhuru Organization I would
like to thank all parties involved.
Words can never truly express our
graditude but these words suffice,
‘ ‘ prison is a pale constrasting
shadow that smothers the souls o f
Blackmen, until other Blackmen
and Blackwomen rise to shine their
sun on the uglyness o f racism in
prison.” We feel the sun shinning
between these bars and its warmth is
a taste ol freedom.” A ll praise is
due to Allah.
Prison fosters dependency
By Nathaniel Scott
Re-entry,
tra n s itio n
and
recidivism : Words I often heard
while at the Oregon State Peniten
tiary. (OSP) When one is actually
confronted with release, you find
that you are not properly prepared
to deal with the situation, because
no such programs exist within the
State’ s correctional system that
would have enlightened you to the
tremendous psychological strain
that transition entails.
The majority o f us w ill have to
deal in a world o f economics all of
our adult lives and this economic
factor is probably the single most
baffling factor with which one is
confronted. D uring confinement
one’ s needs are remedied through
call outs, lines and wheeling and
dealing to get in a position to be
seen by whatever services arc
needed. One loses the sense o f using
currency, through form s and
monthly spending sheets. One will
make unnecessary purchases,
hastening the depletion o f their
meger hundred dollar gate money,
simply because the built-in security
factor, a side effect o f confinement,
was not decoded, which is virtually
necessary before adjustment can be
obtained. L iving w ith in a fixed
budget is a strange and alien thing.
The ordeal o f not being able to
cope w ith the situation, leads to
frustration and boredom, and one
finds himself drifting towards past
behavorial patterns, where enter
tainm ent and appeasement are
readily available.
One is lost because o f forced
habit: regimentation. A ll twenty-
four hours o f your day have been
allotted. Even your recreation is at
prescribed times, and you find that
those whose company you crave, are
either occupied securing a living or
engaged in other commitments. If,
fo r some reason your jo b is te r
minated or you are released without
one, as w ith term inal leave, job
searching becomes a tiresome and
endless chore. Hostility manifest it
self and the desire to strike a blow at
the establishment seeps into your
brain.
These pit falls and situations can
be laid on the door steps o f the
Oregon Correctional System, and in
my opinion is a tremendous cause o f
recidivism , a factor that w ill not
ease the burden o f the taxpayers
purse string until someone see fit to
present proper orientation upon re
entry into society. To work toward
‘ STORE
over coming these and other stum
bling blocks, 1 enrolled at Portland
Community College and became in
volved in a small amount o f com
munity service work. 1 also began
spending more time partaking o f
free public entertainment; such as
the library, parks, and other such
places that offered arts and crafts. I
became involved in a religious ser
vice group, that offered instant and
verbal action, and that has allowed
me to become aware o f the fact that
others are striving in the midst o f
troubles.
I realize that there is no set pat
tern or blue print for those who wish
not to add to the recidivism list, and
that with each individual the way
will vary. However, it is my earnest
opinion that defeat o f purpose
starts with idleness and one becomes
prone to subjections that lead to
illogical and unhelpful patterns o f
thought.
The creation o f new interests
and/or different values and modes
o f liv in g , sometimes require a
lifetime to accomplish, but unless
one desires to repeatedly be on the
recidivism list and never enjoy the
fruits o f life as God intended, one
must look fo r ways to combat
depression, boredom, frustration,
loneliness and the absence and loss
o f material things. One must even
learn to live on a smaller scale than
one intended. A clear and concise
presence o f mind must be m ain
tained, and one must strive with all
their might to be an individual in
society and not a number at OSP.
As a present parolee whose
dedication is based on principles,
principles o f freedom and equality,
I realize that these principles can not
be realized behind prison walls.
Community
By Glenn Gilbert
438014
...I sentence you for the rest o f your
natural life.
The judge’ s words s till echoed
within me as I walked down the long
hallw ay that took me in to the
bowels of this state penitentiary. It
is too late to say I am sorry, or to
say anything at all. I am here and I
am living this harsh reality. There
are no places to hide even if one
wanted to. There is only the con-
stani visual supervision wherever I
go. At first, I felt paranoia with
everyone looking at me. Even the
convictv look to see who is invading
their animal world. Existence and
survival seem to be the necessary
compliance but the longer I am here
the easier it becomes.
I am no longer the new guy down
the tier as he cries late at night. I too
know o f the abject loneliness that
charges into me every time my cell
door is slammed shut for the night,
so I can sympathize with him in
many ways. But what the hell, he is
only serving a 18 month sentence for
d rivin g on a suspended d riv e r’ s
license and will soon be back outside
these sinster gray walls. I d on’ t
know with any certainty if I will ever
walk out o f here. That in itself is a
harsh punishm ent - the not
knowing.
I try not to dwell on the thought. I
have accomplished much for I now
wake up every morning with a smile
upon my face, m ainly because I
have survived another 24 hour day.
Ya! I gave the state another day and
the days stretch into years and the
years blend themselves in to my
existence. Existence? Why at times I
question my own existence and even
God’ s existence, for how can a just
and merciful God allow this place?
At the same time 1 see the need tor
prisons according to our society that
now clamors for longer and longer
prison sentences without thinking ot
the alternatives.
I am determined to benefit from
this sojorn into another life and
world. I have endless hours for in
trospection and quiet thought. I
have adjusted to the loud endless
ringing o f bells that dictate all in
mate movement. I have found my
niche but I do not necessary like it. I
am not supposed to. I am now
almost com fortable living in this
little cage. I am conforming, but, it
is so very hard. Gne becomes even
more conscious o f the little things
that we lake for granted that are
missing from prison life. The little
things that we perhaps do not even
see or hear, like the rain drop that
falls upon a tree leaf and knocks it
to the ground, thus, allowing it to
complete nature’ s cycle. Or the
laughing sound o f children at play,
the sounds o f living. The barking o f
a child’ s dog as they romp and play.
These sights and sounds are
foreign to me now and I can only
relate with them in memories o f my
own children at play. Now I must
visit w ith them in the sterile
inhospitable atmosphere o f the
prison visiting room. I am so far
removed from my family and loved
ones that it hurts to think about it,
but i t ’ s these very thoughts that
provide the inner strength required
to exist in here.
Strength is required in coping
with the daily decisions that vary
from day to day from “ do I want to
eat breakfast or n o t” to smiling
when confronted by a fresh new
prison guard wanting to exercise his
new found authority.
Even in prison I realize that my
living conditions are not permanent
and are fragile to say the least, easily
upset by the adm in istra tio n or
fellow convicts. We are grouped
together without many individual
distinctions, this bothers me because
I desire to m aintain my own in
E
c
David Wright 4 39816
Assistant Editor
X
O
D
U
dividuality.
Living in prison with a life sen
tence seem iike the end o f the road,
the Irustration o f knowing that I
have a mysterious unknown number
of years before I can begin to utilize
the existing programs available.
Vocational training and programs
that are an asset for a person getting
out and the serious desire to “ make
i t ” are not approved for convicts
with many years left to the parole
board.
There are many small consequen
cial frustrations that make it very
hard to motivate myself in terms o!
rehabilitation and avoid stagnation
and the inevitable warehousing that
occurs.
I live with the same stress
situations that are in one’ s every day
lile but mine are compounded by
the omnipresent prison environ
ment. I live for the day that I walk
out ot here, never to return. This is
a constant thought, that is, when I
allow myself to think any further
than the here and now...
Most skin cancers aie a
result of prolonged over
e x p o s u re to th e sun.
Interested in current books
about African Liberation?
Visit:
JOHN REED BOOKSTORE
In the Dekum Building
519 S.W. 3rd Avenue
Sixth Floor
Or call: 227 2902
S
7 f/#<a/rc n r // a r u / jfttew/mf n / 7'rn/et
1518 NE KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1
284 7997
FROM THE FRONT DOOR
By Tom Boothe
From the front door, I was asked by several readers to restate my solution for solving our
Quality of Education problem, so that it could be presented in larger print, O.K. Here it is in
larger print.
Z believe that i f every adult parent who has a child or children in the educational institutions
in Portland would become accountable, responsible and respectful o f his or her child or
children in such a way as to build a positive attitude in his and/or child or children, this
would solve (50/ fif t y percent o f the quality o f education problem; and then, i f every parent
would attend and communicate with the understandings o f both the child and the teacher
with a constructive positive attitude in P.T.A. meetings; and further, fo llo w his and/or her
child's progress especially, the altitudina l aspects toward co-operation in the learning
process and would make a special effort to be present with a positive attitude at all parent,
student, teacher review meetings, this would solve another (45/ forty-five percent o f the
quality o f education problem. The remaining (5/ five percent would be left up to your child’s
individual temperament, personality and performance.
We as parents must never forget that it is the family and what goes on in the home that will
build the foundation and give your children the confidence, sense of security and the respect
on which to build a positive attitude.
A positive attitude projected from your child can transform an excellent teacher into a great
teacher, and a good teacher into an excellent teacher and a poor teacher into a good
teacher.
The positive attitude in your child is the MAGIC ingredient that should come from the home;
and also lets not forget that our children were students in our home before they entered
public schools and we, as parents were their teachers exclusively, before they started to at
tend public school.
Remember, whether a student is on the streets, or in a formal educational institution, there
are no good, or bad teachers even though some are better than others; there are only those
students who learned to succeed and excel and those who did not.
The net results are those who learn, succeed and excel will set the standards for the future,
and for those who do not learn, succeed and excel will be subject to those standards set by
those who learned.
(Continued from P2 Col 6)
z
RUNYAN'S
As a community, we stand firm in
our resolve, and continue to do so.
And one o f these days soon, a white
defender o f racism, will ask. "W ill
the real Ron Herndon please stand
up ? " and a Thousand Black people
will stand.
STORES
3716 N.E. UNION AVf.
OPEN MONDAY THRU SATURDAY 9AM-6PM
"N o thin g under the tun it
ever accident*!." G. E. Letting
From the front door, my appeal to all who have read this observation is: give your children
values or respect, confidence and a sense of security and teach them a positive attitude is
more important than all the gold in two worlds, and if they have a positive attitude, it is im
possible to learn how to acquire all the gold in two worlds.
Teach your children that blame factors and excuses are nothing more than reflections of a
negative attitude, and negative attitudes only produces poor performance, both in the per
son who has them end in the people who subjected to them.
Teach your children to be constructive and productive, and to produce good and positive
things, and let them know they can only produce good and positive things, by being a good
and positive person, and they can only be a good and positive person by having a positive at
titude, in and out of school.