Urs Frances Schoen-“ ewspaper Room
U n iv e rsity of Oregon L ibrary
t-ugene, Oregon 97433
Courts, police deny minorities equal justice
Minorities suffer unequal justice
at every level o f the n a tio n ’ s
criminal justice system including the
police, courts, and corrections, ac
cording to a four-year study by the
National Minority Advisory Coun
cil on Criminal Justice.
The study said, “ Minorities are
not only more likely to be suspected
o f crime than whites, they are also
more likely to be arrested, less likely
to secure bail, and more likely to
become police statistics. Further, af
ter being arrested, m inorities arc
more lik e ly to be indicted than
whites, and are less likely to have
cases dismissed. If tried, minorities
are more likely to be imprisoned and
more lik e ly to serve fu ll terms
without parole.”
According to the C ouncil, the
basic causes for this are political and
economic exploitation and racism
which have kept m inorities
“ segregated, powerless and at a
marginal level o f existence.”
The main causes o f crime itself,
the C ouncil said, are socio
economic inequities.
“ Crime in minority communities
results from institutional failures,
the impact o f inequality and racism.
Crime also has increased because
many within the law enforcement
system violate the law and exercise
their responsibility in violation of
law and common decency. The
public, including m inorities, hds
become cynical and distrustful o f
law enforcement personnel.'
The Council warned that the con
ditions that are in part responsible
for high urban crime rates will not
soon disappear. Because o f the high
rate of unemployment among urban
youth, those most likely to become
involved in crime, as many as one-
th ird o f m in o rity youth “ w ill
remain in a condition o f hopeless
ness and despair.”
The report made several recom
mendations fo r im proving the
criminal justice system’ s response to
minority concerns including:
- A major effort should be made
to placing more m inorities in
decision m aking roles in the
criminal justice system irf order to
begin to alleviate in s titu tio n a l
racism.
- The federal government should
commit itself to providing full em
ployment, better housing, and equal
access to social, economic and
political institutions.
- More research should be done
on the causes o f crime in minority
communtities.
- Support for community-based
corrections programs should be in
creased.
- Financial support for rninoritiy
students in criminal justice careers
should be increased.
- Support for community crime
prevention activities should be in
creased.
PORTWND OBSERMER
USPS 959-680-855
.
The Union Avenue hassles
By Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
FLIPPING OUT: Young tum bler, Oemetris Gar
net Taylor, seeks thrill by vaulting from the top of
play equipm ent at King C o m m u n ity Park. This
dangerous sport is evidence of the need for direc
ted recreation for neighborhood youngsters w ith
abundant talent and energy. Dem etris landed on
his feet this tim e, but next tim e he could be a can
didate for a body cast or worse.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
According to Joe Reese, owner o f
the Seaport (The Chicken House)
Restaurant and Lounge located at
3909 N.E. Union Avenue, it is very
difficult to operate an establishment
in a negative social environment.
In a recent conversation, Reese
was open about his feelings as a
businessman, the hardships that
come with the business, and how
Black people should utilize Black
businesses more. When questioned
about some o f the problems he has
on (he "A venue," Reese answered
frankly.
"O ne problem is that customers
in the com m unity come into my
place complaining about how the
drunks hanging out in fro n t o f
Johnny and Lennies store harass
them for money,’ said Reese. “ They
knock on your car windows and
curse you out if you don’t give them
anything. I ’ve lost a few customers
behind it. I want to be known for
my good chicken, not for the wine
heads that hang around here."
" I ’ m complaining because people
are holding me responsible fo r
something I have no control over.
Hold me responsible for the space I
control, not what I have no control
over .’ ’ Reese then reminds the
w riter about how he was shot at
twice by a wino with a rifle. He had
chased the wino away for urinating
against his restaurant.
What about the Portland Police
Department, are they offering any
assistance?
" A wino can drink out there on
the corner all day if he wants,” said
Reese. " I f the police catch him, he
usually pours out the drink or if he
is real drunk, the police w ill take
him for a half hour ride and make
him walk back. But all that does is
make the wino that much slicker --
they post guards on each corner and
take turns drinking and watching
out for the man (police). It’s hard to
stop them.
"F o r example, they hide wine in
the m ailbox by wrapping string
around the bottle and drop it in the
box when the police is coming. Once
the police is gone away, they pull it
back up and laugh. When the street
improvement people were out there,
the wino use to hide it in the cones
to avoid police. Winos are too slick
for the police,” said Reese.
W hat other problems do you
have?
“ I have a T ri-M e t bus stop in
fro n t o f my place that has also
caused me some headaches. A ll it
does is congregate the drunks who
use it more than the riders,” Reese
explained. "Everyday, I go out and
clean up all the trash around the bus
shelter. I t ’ s mostly wine bottles. I
wash the windows almost six times a
week.”
Reese says he often wonders why
the Tri-Met people put the stop in
front o f his place because it is the
only one in between Mason and
Fremont on Union.
" I t should be a Shaver," he said.
“ We don’ t get any trade from the
bus, just the hassle with the winos,
the clean-up, and people wanting
change for the bus.”
How has the Union Avenue Im
provement Program enhanced your
business?
“ It hasn’ t helped m uch,” said
Reese. "They spent $12.5 million to
plant trees and put in road dividers.
Sometimes you have to go four
blocks out o f your way to make a
turn. I honestly think that it ’s used
to deter crime. By this being a high
crime area, they finally figured out
how to curb mobility.
" I f the police is chasing you on
Union, they have more o f an oppor
tunity to trap you because you can’ t
make a lot o f turns. And if you’ re
been chased up a street that crosses
Union Avenue, you’ll never know if
it is a through street or a road
divider. This was suppose to be a
state highway project, but the city
had more to do with it than they
did. I could think o f more positive
ways to use that much money. But
to answer your question, it’ s done
nothing for my business."
Reese pauses for a moment, as if
another thought had flashed
through his m ind. “ W hat would
really help my business is for Blacks
in the area to start buying from me
instead o f going to Church’ s or the
Colonel. They would much rather
go there than to come to me The
quality o f my chicken ranks up there
with theirs. We should start suppor
ting each other.” Reese specializes
in southern fried-crispy chicken.
Reese also owns an oil company
and a co n stru ctio n /re m o d e lin g
firm that is located across the street
from the "Chicken House.” Again,
he wishes for more community sup
port.
“ People in N.E. buy oil outside
o f the area all the tim e," said Reese.
“ But when a crisis like the ice storm
hits, those companies don’ t have
time for N.E. customers. Then they
call on me - how come they wait un
til then? They put me in a bind
because I have a limited surplus and
three regular trucks -- if they would
call on me more often, I’d be ready
( Please turn to page 7 col. 3)
Black exodus/ white flight
A disturbing pattern o f resegrega
tion is developing within many o f
the nation's suburbs after a decade
o f rapid Black surburbanization,
according to Rutgers U niversity
Professor Thomas A. Clark, an ur
ban planner and geographer.
Clark is the author o f “ Blacks in
Suburbs: A National Perspective",
part o f a three-year study o f the
movement of Blacks from the cities
to the suburbs.
According to C lark, Black
m igration to the suburbs has
spawned residential patterns that
resemble the housing discrimination
that occurred in the central cities.
Even though the Black families
moving to suburbia are predom
inantly middle class, many have, on
a nationwide scale, been steered to
the older and poorer sections o f
suburban communities in the older
ring of suburbia that surrounds the
central cities. Clark’s study found,
for example, that 42 per cent of all
suburban Black families reside in
housing built before 1950.
Hence, new Black suburbanites
share neighborhoods with poorer
Blacks. The white middle class tends
to reside apart from its Black coun
terpart in the kind o f neighborhoods
that fit the description of the ideal
suburb - one-family housing, tree-
lined streets and expansive lawns.
The racial home-buying pattern in
many o f these older suburban-areas
is predominantly white to Black, or
Black to Black. From 1967 to 1971,
fo r example, 65 per cent o f the
housing sold in certain o f these
areas was sold to Blacks. Twenty-
two per cent o f the houses passed
Hilliard joins Pulitzer panel
By Kathryn H all Bogle
For the th ird tim e W illia m
Hilliard, assistant managing editor
o f the Oregonian, has been selected
to serve as one of the jurors for the
Pulitzer Prizes in journalism.
The Pulitzer Prize jury for 1981 is
made up o f 55 jo u rn a lists from
around the nation who will evaluate
work published in 1980 for awards
in each of 12 categories. The Pulit
zer Prize board receives the recom
mendations o f the jury and passes
its final selections to Colum bia
University.
H illia rd is one o f two N o rth
west journalists to be selected for
the honor o f serving on this panel.
WILLIAM HILLIARD
hands from whites to Blacks, and 43
per cent o f the houses were pur
chased by Blacks from Blacks.
Between I960 and 1977, the num
ber o f suburban Blacks increased by
1.9 million (71.8 per cent), while the
proportion o f all Blacks who resided
in the suburbs increased by a mere
4.2 per cent during the same period.
Clark began his study by asking,
“ Why in the mid-1970s have the
suburbs remained predom inantly
white?’ ’
The following trends and patterns
were found:
Patterns o f Black migration differ
from region to region. The N or
theast had the lowest increase in
Black surburbn growth, while in the
West
the
Black
surburban
population increased by 61.2 per
cent.
W hile Blacks have moved to
suburbia, the median income o f
white suburban families exceeded
the Black suburbian by 44 per cent.
The Black m iddle class is
replacing poor Black surbanites,
who are moving back to the central
cities. For every 2.2 Black persons
moving to the suburbs, one w ill
move out.
Despite the increased income level
o f Blacks' race continues to be a
major factor in determining access
to the suburban housing market.
Clark also predicted a new era of
white flight. “ I think the 1980 cen
sus will indicate that middle and up
per income whites are leapfrogging
father out into the suburban and
exurban realm and they are creating
new suburban localities in which
they can again control the instru
ments o f exclusion.
Street dividers and wine bottles vie for attention
of would-be customers of Union Avenue
businesses,
(Photo: Richard Brown)
Republican Partyteeeks administrative candidates
Thomas Kennedy is receiving ap
plications from persons who are in
terested in appointments to govern
ment positions by the new ad-
m inistrati^fi. These include second
level administrative positions in the
national level, and area and regional
administrative positions - none o f
which come under civil service.
Kennedy was asked by the State
Republican P arty and O regon's
national committeeperson to recruit
interested Blacks. " l a m asking in
dividuals to submit their resumes an
am in the process o f collecting them
now,” Kennedy told the Observer.
The resumes w ill be submitted to
the state party for screening prior to
their going to the administration.
“ P o litic a l appointm ents are not
limited to Republicans,” Kennedy
explained. “ People o f both patties
arc welcome to apply.” Kennedy
welcomes phone calls to his Port
land home, or applicants can call
the Republican Party at 246-8221.