Pag« 2 Portland Obaarvar Novambar 9.1990
EDITORIAL/OPINION
A little of this and a little of that...
By Fungai Kumbuta
It can be done!
Purpose and Service
The election results can be analyzed and
interpreted in many ways. Black people would
do well to regard the changes that loom before
us as just one more of previous episodes
produced by the political maneuvers of the
forces of power.
This nation has been, for a number of years,
incuring social deficits in excess of all others.
Now the issue for all humanity is whether
humanism will be strengthened or totally
obliterated.
The concerns of the Black and other non
dominant ethnic populations in America have
been to reduce the deleterious effects upon
themselves caused by punitive and abusive
facets of white racism.
The recent politcal contests reveal quite
clearly that this is still the all pervasive issue
affecting institutions and social functioning
thorughout this nation.
Now is the time for the less-chance peoples
of the United States to become engaged in
plans, programs and actions that w ill
counteract the negative and degrading thrust
characteristic of the policies of all previous
political administrations. Those of us who are
the targets and victims of chronic, systematic
discrimination and disregard must be involved
in acute organized and consistent efforts to
insure that habitual patterns of governmental
disrespect and rejection will no longer prevail.
The PPS Monitoring and Advisory Commit
tee's usefulness can and should be measured
by the extent that devisiveness, confusion,
conflict and frustration are reduced in the
school district.
A leadership role in the Black community
should be filled by the schools but only if the
schools are given legitimacy by Black parents.
Achievment and social adustment of children
are yardsticks for measuring whether these
schools are legitimate.
Parent and com m unity organizational
participation will help schools provide uplifting
sources to Black children.
Teachers are the mainstay in providing
academic instruction to children. The
Monitoring and Advisory Committee must be
careful to recognize those teachers who are
devoted to children and dedicated to their
profession.
Teachers of broad socialization and
experience should be encouraged and assisted
in helping other colleagues with less under
standing and experience. Every effort must be
exerted to prevent principals from having to
feel they must work under unwarranted
pressures.
The Committee should avoid contributing to
feelings of hostility on the part of anyone.
These protections are important and should
not be compromised. In a comparable
manner, the same level of consideratipn must
be extended to parents and concerned
community groups.
Letters to the Editor
County executive considers minority appointments
To the Editor:
I was very pleased to read in your
October I6 edition that my efforts
to increase minority representation
on M ultnom ah C o u n ty’ s citizen
boards and commissions have not
gone unnoticed by the P ortland
Observer. I am very proud o f the
progress we have made, and I plan
to continue to increase the number
o f minority members on our citizen
boards.
You might be interested to know
that 16 per cent o f the members of
the County's boards are m inority
citizens. This group includes Blacks,
Hispanics, Native Americans and
Asians. Of those 59 people, 3 serve
on two boards; and two o f those
three were appointed specifically to
represent one board on another
board.
I would like to describe the
appointment process in my office
for the benefit o f your readers who
may be interested in serving. On a
quarterly basis, we sent a list o f
vacancies to the press and to in
terested citizens and organizations.
My staff accepts applications and
recommendations for appointments
and may also solicit them from the
community. After conferring with
the staff and members o f the citizen
board, and interviewing candidates
i f necessary, I make the appoint
ments.
That appointment is then sent to
the Board o f C ounty C om
missioners for their confirm ation.
In
m aking appointm ents,
I
especially consider the need to
m aintain
representation
of
m inorities and women in all
geographic areas o f the County.
Anybody may call or write my
o ffic e to discuss boards and
commissions and apply
fo r
consideration for appointment. I
encourage all interested citizens to
do so.
Thank you again fo r your
recognition and support.
South Africa: As puppets go,
one David Thebehali must rank
right alongside the Muzorewas and
Gatsha Buthelezis. Thebehali is the
“ mayor” o f Soweto, the sprawling
ghetto just outside Johannesburg.
He looks Black and, like Buthelezi
and the other puppets before, he
was appointed by the racist South
African regime to the mayoral post
in an effort to diffuse Black intent.
Two weeks ago, in a shameless
display o f how low he has sunk to
get the “ massa's” pat on the back,
Thebehali invited Piet Koornhof,
the white “ Minister o f Cooperation
and Development,” to Soweto to
receive the Freedom o f the C ity
award! Commented one disgusted
protestor, " I t ’ s a pity Koornhof has
been granted citizenship by a man
who happens to have none; so both
o f them are insane.”
In spite o f the very stringent
security measures, the AN C
(liberation movements), in a well
planned and perfectly timed action,
blew up the main ra il line that
carries the bulk o f Soweto’ s
comm uters to w ork. The blast
occured just before Koornhof was
to arrive, m aking sure that the
hundreds o f stranded commuters
w ould be on hand to protest.
Though K o o rn h o f managed to
sneak in by helicopter (to avoid the
protestors), they still managed to
disrupt the award giving cermonies
time and time again. Both Koornhof
and Thebehali were subjected to the
full force o f the protestors’ anger.
The language hurled at Thebehali
would be too strong for a paper this
respectable. No self-respecting
individual would dare follow in his
shameful footsteps.
N a m ib ia : A newspaper editor
from Namibia who recently fled to
neighboring Angola has provided
fresh details about the extend o f the
struggle in that other troubled
nation. Ambrosius W. Amutenja,
e d itor o f O M U K W E T U , an
Ovambo language newspaper, had
recently published a “ H it L is t”
giving the names o f prom inent
Namibians who had been targeted
fo r assassination by a squad o f
Supports police, schools program
Portland Observer
he, too, had been added to the list o f
condemned persons.
The death squad is code named
“ K oevet,” A fricaans fo r “ One
W ay" and Amutenja fled after he
had been alerted that a Col. Johann
van der Merwe, head o f the
“ Security Police” was after him.
The Windhoek (Namibia) observer
carried the account o f the
Am utenja’s escape and the details
surrounding his departure.
M r. Am utenja’ s account o f his
escape blows a huge hole in South
A frica’s contention that it controls
all o f Namibia because, after fleeing
Windhoek, he stayed for ten weeks
w ith SW APO guerrillas inside
Namibia while they waited for the
opportunity to flee. This was the
same tim e that South A fric a n
terrorists were in southern Angola
bombing civilians while claiming to
be killing so many SWAPO cadres.
In a trip that took almost two weeks
and during which Am utenja was
escorted by as many as 200 SWAPO
freedom fighters, he says they did
not encounter one South A frican
terrorist!
Two o f the people on the “ H it
L is t” died sh o rtly after the
p u blicatio n o f the list. David
.Sheehama and Matheus Elago were
killed w ithin days o f each other
under some s till unexplained
circumstances. The list also includes
some
prom inent
business,
professional
and
church
personalities. A p p a re n tly, their
vociferousity has begun to hurt the
apartheid regime where it lives. That
“ you can k ill a revolutionary but
you cannot kill a revolution” is a
lesson South A fric a stubbornly
refuses to learn even with the Smith
example still so fresh.
Kenya:
This
year
Kenya
celebrated
17
years
of
independence. I f she were a person,
the parents w ould really be
beginning to worry. However, for
all o f her years o f "independence,”
she seems worse o f f now than
before 1963, at least in some
respects. The latest incident to rouse
the ire o f every self-respecting
A fric a n concerns the case o f
American sailor Frank Sundstorm
o f Coventry, Rhode, Island. He was
accused o f and subsequently,
confessed to , the m urder o f
M onicah
N je ri,
an
alleged
prostitute. They were supposed to
have an argument over how much
Frank was to pay for her services. In
the ensuing dispue, he stabbed her
to death.
Brought before white high court
judge L.G.E. Harris, Sundström,
also white, was released on paying a
$70.00 fine! $70.00 for the life o f
someone? $70.00??? Under Kenyan
law, he could have been sentenced
to death. Reaction to this gross
miscarriage of justice was strong as
shown by the number of letters to
the editors o f local newspapers.
Most readers questioned how the
judge could ever again sentence
anybody else to death in light o f
this. One writer queried: “ Had this
man been a Kenyan living in the
U.S. would he have received such
“ justice.?”
South Africa: Louisa Theron
married husband number one in
1978. She must have liked the
experience because in 1980, she
m arried husband number two.
Unfortunately, the law caught up
with her and she had to do some
explaining, (she was charged with
bigam y). Though she pleaded
guilty, she asked for leniency be
cause o f extenuating circumstances.
She said when she asked fo r a
divorce from husband number one,
he beat her mercilessly and
threatened to k ill her i f she ever
brought up the subject again.
When asked husband number two
for a divorce, he had a heart attack.
He suffered a second and a third
coronary when she asked him again.
Pleaded the defendant, “ It was
simply impossible to get a divorce
from either husband. One would
have killed me and the other would
have killed himself.”
The judge agreed to take the case
under advertisement.
Thoughts on Black, Hispanic Commissions
(Continued from Page I Col 4)
to recommend to him the structure
fo r such a C om m ission. The
committee was given ninety days to
complete the report.
Observer: H uw did the commit tee
To the Editor:
gather its data and information?
step into that revolving door.” Now
Deputy Chief Brouillette showed a
Crime is on the increase, prison
Toran: The committee decided to
it seems that the Portland Police
sincerity I personally have not
populations throughout the country
conduct Town H all meetings
Department has hit on a possible
witnessed before in any justice
have risen to overflowing. County
througho ut the state and to
solution to this problem. Being a
system branch o f County, State or
jails and juvenile detention homes
d istrib u te
questionnaires
to
convict at OSP I must say 1 was a
Federal government. We were asked
have passed maximum capacity.
participants
in
the
meetings,
as
well
skeptic, so I took the opportunity to
to help in any way possible. We as
Most o f the country faces the same
as to other concerned individuals.
hear Deputy Chief Brouillette and
convicts can produce good results in
dilemma - what is the solution to
Each committee member served as a
Commissioner Jordan address the
the community. We have children
crime? It is common knowledge or
c o o rd in a to r/p la n n e r o f a Town
problem and their possible solution
too. So Com m issioner Jordan,
should be that our society has
Hall meeting in the area where he/
to the Legal Processes Class here.
Deputy Chief Brouillette you have
always dealt with crime after the
she resides.
The CJO (Com m unity Juvenile
my support and 1 hope the
fact and not before the fact which
Observer: What were the results?
O ffice r program) seems to place
communities in and around Port
makes it a little late for both law
Toran: O verw helm ingly, the
importance on relationships and
land support you as well.
breakers and victim . And justice
participants in the meetings and the
proper understanding o f authority
My hat o ff to you. I'd suggest
Systems have a revolving door
respondents to the questionnaires
in law enforcement and at the same
anyone wanting information on this
which once entered into is extremely
desired
two separate Commissions
tim e develop a good attitude o f
program contact Chief Brouillette.
difficult to exit from.
to address the common and unique
oneself toward
the various
It’ s your children he is thinking of.
Until now, very few have offered
concerns o f the two groups.
programs of the C.J.O. For the first
W'hy else would they put in a new 85
any possible solutions to the
Observer: What has been the
time I see a public service law
million dollar prison 10 years from
problem "how to prevent crime and
Governor's response?
enforcement
agency
getting
now?
at the same time save a potential law
Toran: The Governor responded
involved in the social problems.
Flick Mervrovick
breaker from making that one fatal
by
establishing tw o separate
Both Commissioner Jordan and
H42527 OSP
Commissions by Executive Order.
Since only the legislature can
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Observer: What is the purpose o f
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Observer; How many people will
serve on each Commission?
Donald E. Clark
County Executive
organized or supported by the South
African regime. Since publication o f
the list,.Amutenja had learned that
Toran: The Executive Order
states that each Commission will be
comprised o f nine members. The
Commissions w ill reflect statewide
representation.
Observer:
W ill
the
two
Commissions work together?
Toran: I believe that the
Commissions w ill see the need to
form coalitions to address some of
the problems that each share in
common.
Observer: W ould a M in o rity
Commission be a belter approach?
Toran: When special C om
missions are formed, it is of extreme
importance that the Commissions
have some credibility. I believe that,
in itia lly anyway, the way to
establish this credibility is to have
Commissions that address the
special interests and needs o f each
group and to be seen as credible by
the groups that are being served.
Presently I believe that women,
Indians, Hispanics and.Blacks feel
that separate Commissions w ill
more lik e ly achieve the desired
results rather than a jo in t
Commission serving all o f their
interests. Ideally, this society w ill
respond to the plight o f minorities
in such a way that fu ll equality is
achieved. When that occurs, then
special Commissions w ill not be
necessary.
Observer:
When
w ill the
Governor appoint the Commission
members?
Toran: Probably before the end
o f the m onth. S ta ff work is
cu rre n tly being done on those
in d ivid u a ls who applied fo r
appointments. 1 must say that I have
been really impressed w ith the
individuals who have expressed an
interest
and
applied.
The
Commissions w ill require a
tremendous time commitment, and
these individuals have said, “ We are
willing to do it.”
1 see these Commissions as an
o p p o rtu n ity fo r Blacks and
Hispanics to influence those
decisions that affect our lives. To
me, this is important and necessary
as we move into a period of time in
this country where race relations
w ill be affected by the social and
economic conditions o f the times. It
w ill be im portant that groups
support the Commissions and be
available to serve on Task Forces to
help carry out the charge o f the
Executive Orders. We have the
o p p o rtu n ity
and
com m unity
resources to help make the
Commissions successful.
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