Portland Observar February 5. l i t i Paga 3
PORTLANDERS AGREE
WHEN MARGARET SAYS:
“ we need
more jobs
for more people!”
VOTE FOR MARGARET STRACHAN ON FEBRUARY 17
Every vote counts Your vote counts And Margaret is counting on your vote
I Paid »Of by M argaret Strachan for City C ouncil C om m ittee L re d R C how n
B la ck U n ite d F ro n t m a s ts w ith s ch o o l b o ard
responsibility.
m em ber Herb C a w th o rn e to discuss co m m u n ity
Herb Cawthorne was "called on
the c a rp e t" by the Black United
Front last week to explain what is
considered to be his lack of com ­
m unication w ith the com m unity
regarding important school district
issues.
Cawthorne explained the reason
for his vote to delay selection of a
new school superintendent until
next fall, after a new school board
takes office. He believes the board
is too involved in other issues —
budget cuts, a levy, school
closures, etc. - to give adequate at­
tention to a superintendent search.
He also does not belive a good
candidate would come to work for a
“ lame d u c k " board that is badly
divided.
BUF spokesmen were concerned
that the superintendent selection
was put over and most of those at­
tending the meeting opposed
Cawthorne's position.
The main issue, however, was
that Cawthorne had not discussed
w ith any member of the Black
community his decision to reverse
his previous vote on that issue.
Neither had he discussed his new
willingness to renege on the board
promise to place Tubman Middle
School at the Eliot building to
provide a middle school in the
Serious m om ent: C aw thorne listens as citizens discuss w h a t they
community.
consider lack of com m unication w ith Black constituents.
Treasurer P Q
B tn 8 6 ? i
Portland O regon 9 ?0 7 | 5 O 3 ) 2 ? f r J 2 6 7
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(Photos: Richard Brown)
Youth centers promote self-help
(Continued from Page l Col 3)
w ith m inor crimes - s h o p liftin g ,
vandalism , disorderly conduct,
m inor assault and statess offenses
(behavior that would not be crimes
if com m itted by adults) like
possession o f alcohol, running
away, being beyong parental con­
trol,
“ In many o f these situations i t ’ s
clear that the problem is social and
not legal,” Ms. Newhall explained.
“ The operating p rincipal o f the
youth service centers is to work with
voung people as close to home as
possible, in a non-coersive, volun-
lary setting. We function as an ac-
ive alternative to the juvenile court.
\s much as possible we try to keep
ihe young persons, who are m inor
offenders, out o f detention, in the
community, working in a construc­
tive way to resolve bad com ­
m unication problems, help them
sort out the way they w ill relate to
a u th o rity figures, and also help
them improve their personal self­
esteem through involvem ent in a
variety of activities.”
A center s ta ff talks w ith the
youngster, his parents, goes to the
school to see what is happening and
tries to sort out the problem s.
“ It maybe that he just simply can’ t
et along with a classroom teacher
n which case we can help the parent
ind an acceptable transfer
ituation. Or it may be the
oungster needs a tu to r, in which
case we can refer them to the W hit­
ney Young Learning Center or
irovide a tutor; or it might be that
i he young person is coming from a
single parent family and they’d like
io be matched up with a big brother
or sister to do something fuh on
weekends.”
The centers have approximately
an 80 percent success rate w ith
young people referred by the police
or the courts; only twenty percent
are charged with additional crimes.
There is a high co rrelation o f
juvenile crime with lack o f success
in school. Many young people need
alternatives to the regular school
system and the youth service centers
help the in d ivid u a l to tin d a lte r­
natives. “ There are some young
people who have difficulties trying
to cope, p a rtic u la rly in the large
high school settings. They can’ t
respond just because the very nature
o f the institution doesn’t respond to
their needs. We try to'refer them to
other program s.” They also work
toward changes in the school system
that would be more responsive to
the needs o f today’ s young people.
“ We try to work closely with prin­
cipals to allow counselors to come
into the schools to work with kids
who are not able to handle the
school roles to which they are
assigned and we’ ve had some suc­
cess in helping students who have
not been able to find an adult they
can talk to at school. We’ ve been
able to help some young people just
make it through a situation that
might not be best forthem . Many
students are helped to fin d other
situations such as taking classes at
Portland Community College.”
business where young people are
trained in cornrowing, have studied
its cultural tradition, nd are rowing
hair to make money to support the
business. “ I think that is the type of
program the youth service center
does best or - where we put the
young people themselves in the
leadership roles. They develop a
pride in their work, a pride in them­
selves, and there is a spin o ff. By
feeling better about yourself in the
com m unity, chances are when you
get up the next m orning to go to
school you’ ll have a more positive at
a ttitu d e
about
your
own
education.”
The services o f the centers -
located in Lents, St. Johns, South­
west, Inner Southeast and at the
King N eighborhood Center - are
free. Lor information call 248-4356.
Reagan
(Continued from page 2 Col 6)
right to ereae an independent Black
Party, or a Citizens’ Party, and that
we should return “ to the m ain­
stream.” I f we follow this advice of
Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Ralph
David Abernathy, for instance, we
The correlation between lack o f
would be criticizin g Reagan from
school success and crime “ is really
the right instead o f the left.
confirm ed when you look at the
The left must be progressive in the
adult correctional system and see best sense o f the word. We cannot
that a high percentage o f inmates
allow the New Right to set all the
simply do not have basic skills. It
national p rio ritie s fo r the next
cripples peoples’ ability to get jobs generation. We must seize the
and advance in those jobs so they in itia tiv e at every o p p o rtu n ity ,
can be self-supporting. When a making the case for what we believe
person can’ t be self-supporting,
in, and translating that agenda into
when the system shuts those people a social, political, economic force
out, then those people engage in an­ that is capable o f seizing power. The
ti-social acts.”
great Black abolitionist Frederick
An example o f the programs o f Douglass observed: “ Power con­
the Northeast Service Center is cedes nothing w ithout demand; it
Cornrows U nlim ited, a youth run never has, and it never w ill.”
Fred Meyer
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