Paga 2 Portland Observer February 12.1961
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Past promises foil solutions
It m ight seem strange to some to see w hite
parents at the school board meeting clamoring
for busing. It only points out that - as so many
Black spokesmen have said - the problem is
not busing but who rides the bus.
We agree w ith the school board's decision
to rescind an earlier policy that w ould provide
bus transportation only for children living one
and a half or m ore m iles fro m s c h o o l. The
c u rre n t p o lic y p ro vid e s tra n s p o rta tio n fo r
children who live a mile or more from school.
This p roblem p o in ts o u t som e o f the
d é fic ie n c e s in the p re vio u s sch o o l a d
m in is tra tio n . In e ffo rts to coerse n e ig h
borh o o d s in to a cce p tin g the m id d le -sch o o l
reorganization, the previous a d m in istra tio n
made a lot of prom ises - in clud ing providing
tran sportatio n forever. N ow , only tw o years
later, the new adm inistration is faced w ith a t
tem pting to keep those promises and also cut
budget.
A n oth er good exam ple of the previous ad
m inistration's lack of direction and planning is
W a sh in g to n /M o n ro e High School. To spend
m illio n s to c o n s o lid a te W a s h in g to n and
M o n ro e , in c lu d in g b u ild in g re n o v a tio n and
planning and a d m in istra tive costs, and then
three years later to talk about closing it is in
c o n c e iv a b le . The sam e fa c to rs - d e c lin in g
enrollm ents and d e ficie n t budgets - were as
prevalent when the decision to spend m illions
on W ashington/M onroe was made as they are
n o w . There have been no g re a t u n fo rse e n
changes.
Those w ho say the previous adm inistration
was expert on finance must be kidding.
It's all a matter of race
For decades efforts have been made to give
the U .S . c itiz e n s w h o live in W a s h in g o n ,
D .C ., a basic rig h t - re p re s e n ta tio n in
Congress. D.C., now has one Congressman,
who cannot vote, and no Senators.
For decades e ffo rts w ere b lo cke d by
S outherners w ho co n tro lle d the c o m m itte e
c h a irm a n sh ip s in C ongress. E ffo rts w e re
blocked because the majority of the citizens in
D C., are Black.
N ow there is an a m e n d m e n t to the U .S .
C o n s titu tio n th a t w o u ld a llow D.C its tw o
Senators and Congressman, w ith the right to
vote.
W ashington D.C. collects more taxes and
has a larger population than many states, yet
has no representation in government.
A little know n fact is that the young men of
D.C. lost their lives in the V ietnam w ar at a
higher percentage than all but one state, or as
Representative G ratton Kerans of Salem told
the O reg on S e nate C o m m itte e on H um an
R esources T uesday, the re sid e n ts o f D .C .,
"gave the blood o f their children at a higher
rate, yet have no vote and no rig h t in d e te r
m ining national p o lic y .”
T w o years ago the O regon L e g is la tu re
refused to ratify the D C., am endm ent. W ill it
ratify this session? It is all a question of race.
Steve Kafoury - City Council
Next Tuesday, February 17th, is e le c tio n
day. Portland residents w ill be asked to select
a City Commissioner to fill the vacancy left by
Frank Ivancie when he assumed the o ffice of
Mayor.
The three fro n t runners are believed to be
form er State Senator Steve Kafoury, County
C o m m issioner Earl B lum enau er, and c o m
m unity activist Margaret Strachan.
The three front runners have similar political
philosophies, making the selection more d if
fic u lt K a fo u ry and B lum enauer, w h o bo th
served in the O regon legislature, had sim ilar
vo tin g records. M s. Strachan has long been
involved in neighborhood w o rk, serving for a
tim e as d ire c to r o f the N o rth w e s t N e ig h
borhood office.
Steve Kafoury is our our choice. W e respect
the fact that he has had the courage to provide
le a d e rsh ip on u n p o p u la r issues. He has
w o rk e d and live d in th is c o m m u n ity ; he is
available to the citizens of this com m unity.
W e urge y o u r vo te fo r S teve K a fo u ry fo r
City Council.
Come to breakfast
The first Legislative Breakfast, sponsored by
the Observer, was held at Bourbon Street last
S aturday. Guests were Senator Bill M cC oy
and Representatives Jim Chrest and Howard
C h erry. The o cca sio n p ro v id e d a liv e ly
d iscu ssio n and the d is s e m in a tio n of m any
facts.
These breakfasts will continue - every other
Saturday - and many of the Legislators w ill be
asked to participate. This is an opp ortun ity to
m eet n o t only our local representatives but
those from across the State.
Too o fte n w e are q u ie t u n til th e deed is
done. This is an opp ortun ity to get your w ord
in early. W atch the Observer for details of the
b re a k fa s t s ch e d u le d fo r S a tu rd a y 21st. Of
course, suggestions are welcome.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
We would like to take this oppor
tunity to express our most heartfelt
thanks fo r publishing our Year-
End Appeal ad in your newspaper
last m onth. We can certainly at
tribute our success in this effort to
your most gracious support which
helped us deliver a vital message to
the Black community.
As you well know any financial
contribution, no matter how small,
w ill boost our leverage and
capability to fight for the cause o f
civil rights regardless o f the political
powers who maintain direct control
over the social and economic con
ditions in our society.
The N A A C P , as the nation's
largest and oldest c iv il rights
organization, has always relied on
the support of the Black community
for its survival. Our task becomes
an even greater challenge in light o f
the new conservative climate in this
country. We are prepared to meet
that challenge but only with the con-
tinued and increased support o f the
constituency we serve.
You have demonstrated your
support fo r our mission in many
wavs aside from this Year-End Ap
peal ad and we hope that we can
continue to count on your help in at
tacking the racial injustices inherent
within our society.
Portland Observer
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Sincerely Yours,
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NAACP
The Portland Observer is a champion of justice, equality and
liberation an alert guard against social evils a thorough analyst
and cntic of discriminatory practices and policies a sentinel to
warn of impending and existing 'acist trends and practices and a
defender against persecution and oppression
The real problems of the minority population wtH be viewed and
presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained ano
chronoically en tren c h ed racism N ational and in ternation al
arrangements that prolong and increase the oppression of Third
World peoples shall be considered in the c o n te it of their e>
pidtation and manipulation by the colonial nations including the
United States and then relationship to this nation s historical
treatment of its Black population
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3 A ' J. ~ *
Africa Update
Bv P uhkui Kumbula
This week we continue with the
events that have taken place on the
African continent over the past year
by looking at East A fric a and the
Horn.
J a n u a ry
6-10:
The
EPLF
(Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front)
engages Ethiopian troops in fierce
fighting, a harbinger o f what is to
come the rest of the year.
Fabruary 21-2: Somalia charges
Ethiopian air raids have hit Somali
towns and reports more sim ilar
raids in June, July, August and Sep
tember. Ethiopia each time denies
crossing the border.
Fabruary 28: Some 6,000 demon
strators march on the U.S. and
Egyptian embassies in Khartoum ,
Sudan, to protest the exchanging of
ambassadors between Egypt and
Israel. Sudanese support for Egypt
is m arkedly moderated shortly
thereafter.
M a rc h 4: Uganda’ s President
Godfrey Binaisa appeals to the in
ternational community for aid for
the 20,000 persons facing starvation
in the Karamoja district o f eastern
Uganda. N eighboring Kenya and
lan/ania also seek emergency food
assistance in late March.
M a rc h 15: Tanzania begins to
pull out some o f its 10,000 troops in
Uganda.
A p ril 22: Rwanda's President
Juvenal Habyarimana foils a coup
attempt and dismisses all but two o f
the m ilitary officers in his govern
ment thus moving Rwanda closer to
civilian rule.
A p ril 24 E thiopia reveals that
over 5 million people are affected by
drought. The refugees fleeing both
the drought and war are now put at
over 2 million.
May 10: Uganda's ruling M ilitary
Gommission oust President Binaisa
fo llo w in g his firin g o f pro-Obote
(current President but then in exile
in Tanzania) Brig. General Oyite
Ojok.
M ay 14: S udan and E thiopia
issue a joint communique promising
im proved bilateral relations and
Sudan promises to seal her borders
to Eritrean guerillas. Relations be
tween the two neighbors had been
strained due to Sudan’ s support for
the guerillas who have been fighting
Ethiopia since I962 to establish an
independent Eritrea.
J u ly 8: M auritius (another
African island in the Sea o f Shaka)
Prime M inister Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam demands that Britain
return the island o f Diego Garcia
preparatory to making the Sea o f
Shaka a zone o f peace. B ritian
refuses saying the island will only be
returned when it is no longer needed
as a militarv base.
Ju ly 26: The UN halts relief sup
plies to the Karam oja region o f
Uganda follow ing harassment and
the killing o f two UN personnel by
bands o f armed gangs.
J u ly 27: The US announces the
signing o f an agreement with Kenya
for access to Kenya’ s naval and air
fa cilitie s. A sim ilar agreement is
signed w ith Somalia in August.
Most A fric a n countries oppose
these agreements for fear this would
draw Africa into the perennial East-
West conflict.
A ugust 27: The C IA reports
Somali troop support fo r Ogaden
guerillas s tirrin g up fu rth e r op
position
to
C arter's
ad
ministration’ s plans for inclusion of
Somalia in the Rapid Deployment
Force strategy.
A ugust 28: The three year-old
alliance between the EPLF and ELF
(Erirtrean Peoples Liberation Front
and Eritrean Liberation Front, two
o f the movements battling to wrest
Eritrea from E th io p ia ’ s co n tro l)
comes to an abrupt end as the two
engage in bloody clashes. By
November,
the
EPLF
has
established clear dominance.
Septem ber 19: The UN Food
and A griculture Organization
declares a food crisis in 2S o f
A fric a 's $0 countries including
Zimbabwe.
Septem ber 29: The white US
sailor who adm itted k illin g an
alleged Kenyan prostitute is acquit
ted by a senile white judge and
released on a $70.00 good behavioi
bond! The sorry judge is subsequen
tly retired.
October 6: Idi Amin loyalist slij
into Uganda from Zaire and capture
several towns killin g a number ot
civilians. The Ugandan army even
tually routs the invaders and drive-
them back across the broder. Nt
word from Amin who, reportedly, i
still hiding in Saudi Arabia.
O ctober
26:
Tanzania'
President Julius Nyerere is returnei
to o ffice fo r the fifth tim e bu.
dissatisfaction with their handling
o f the economy causes half o f the
incumbents to be dumped from of
fice. Zanzibar, the island partner in
the Tanzanian federation elects its
first ever government.
Novem ber
18:
Sudanese
President Jaafar N um eiry visits
E thiopia dealing another blow to
Eritrean guerillas who have always
enjoyed his support in th e ir war
against Ethiopia.
Decem ber 1: E thiopia and
Kenya issue a jo in t communique
pledging m utual support against
"Somali agression.”
December 10: Uganda holds her
first elections since 1962 and former
president M ilton Obote, ousted by
Amin in I9 7 l, emerges the victor.
December 15: Kenya’ s President
Daniel arap Moi pays a state visit to
the Sudan.
A very, very busy year 1980 was.
Next, we shall visit Southern Africa.
Sexuality and the law - Southern style
By Dr. Wanning Marable
Let me begin my rem inding my
readers ihat by taste and temper-
ment, I am a Southerner. My fond
ness for the sunny South grows as
the tem perature in and around
Ithaca. New York drops. When the
Black Student U nion o f F lorida
State University invited me to speak
recently on the anniversary o f M ar
tin I uther King, Jr., 1 readily ac
cepted. Surely the Sunbelt has more
to offer than the chilling climate of
fear that recently pervades Buffalo,
and New York City.
Arriving in Florida, it became ob
vious that other N orthern Blacks
had been returning to the region in
record numbers. Since 1971, the
historic pattern o f Black o u t
migration from the South has been
reversed The regional metropoles
o f Atlanta. Houston, Tampa Bay,
Jacksonville. Memphis and Miami
have become the new islands o f
“ economic opportun ity.” Right to
work laws and a philosophy of end
less corporate expansion reinforce a
kind o f p rim itiv e in d ivid u a lism ,
moralism and evangelicalism, both
in the public and private sectors.
Stating all this, I was s till sur
prised when I read in the morning
newspaper that the F lorida
Legislature could possibly k ill a
state-funded
program
which
rehabilitates convicted rapists. Over
a 13 year period the M entally Dis
ordered Sexual Offender Rehabili
tation Program had treated about
12,000 convicted rapists w ith re
markably successful results.
remarkably successful results.
Critics argue that the program is
too costly. About $20,000 per year
is spent to rehabilitate rapists over a
three year period. This is twice the
cost o f sim ply putting the rapist
behind bars. But as in many things,
the benefits outweigh the costs.
Only 10 percent o f those who under
go the sex therapy program ever
rape again. This contrasts with 75
percent o f all rapists who finish
their prison sentences, go into the
public, and rape again. However,
these statistics may not satisfy
budget-conscious legislators, who
may in the end decide that, women's
saftey is not worth the extra fiscal
expense.
‘ ‘ A successfully treated person
goes out and does not recommit
crimes
against
women
and
c h ild re n ,” stated John W right,
forensic programs supervisor for the
Mental Health Program O ffice o f
the Florida Department o f Health
and Rehabilitative Services. Sexual
offenders who are simply locked up
can and - usually do - commit more
rapes once released. " W h a t’ s the
m oral o b lig a tio n ? ” W right asks,
"H o w do you spend your money?
W hat price are you going to put on
a rape? E videntally, $20,000 for
some legislators may be too high a
price.
A second instance o f the bizzare
and inexplicable relationship
between sexuality and the Florida
criminal justice system was reported
in the Florida Flambeau, the student
newspaper at Florida State Univer-
sity. One inmate at the Union
Correctional Institute at Raiford,
Florida, was serving a th irty year
sentence for sexual assault. The in
mate subm itted to extensive
psychological counselling. A staff
psychologist met with the man in 39
sessions and eventually concluded
that "th e subject has a fa irly high
chance o f success in the free
society.”
The im prisoned m an’ s appeal
before the F lorida Parole and
Probation Board was denied several
weeks ago. The reason: "ch ro n ic
masturbation.”
The Parole Board declared that
the man “ evidenced a pattern of
ongoing crim inal behavior eviden
cing need fo r mental treatm ent.”
Behind bars for over six years, the
masturbating inmate was ordered to
remain in prison for an additional
33 months. David M ack, spokes
person fo r the F lordia C learing
house fo r C rim in a l Justice, in
formed the F lordia Flambeau that
this was the first instance o f extend
ing the date o f prison parole because
of “ chronic masturbation.”
Sexuality and the law does not
seem to mix well in the new South.
Or perhaps the ancient patterns of
sexism and legal apathy toward
progressive social reform have
transcended their origins in the An
tebellum era. In either case, these
recent incidents reveal a failure of
the legal system to protect the
victim s o f sexual crimes and to
promote the rehabilitation o f sexual
offenders.
Reagan: No more free lunches
(Continued from Page 1 Col 6)
more on ownership o f our
businesses -- if you look at it, Blacks
are basically consumers. Again, if
we plan to become com petitive in
the American economic structure,
we had better become producers."
W hat is your a ttitu d e toward
Ronald Reagan and his incom ing
administration?
“ Reagan is the new symbol o f the
system .” said Kennedy, who was
offered an executive position with
the Department o f Housing and U r
ban Development in W ashington,
D C., recently but declined because
he did not want to live back East.
"Reagan was elected because the
people in the system all agreed that
the government was spending too
much money and not getting a
return on A m erica’ s m oney,” he
said. "L ik e I mentioned earlier, the
free lunch is over. Ronald Reagan is
going to separate the lambs from the
wolves.”
Although Kennedy declined the
position with HUD, he says that he
would consider the regional direct-
torship o f the department. Kennedy
will appear on “ Dialogue,” a KPTV
-12 Public A ffa irs program on
February 14th (7A M ) and 15th
(10AM). He will also appear on the
show February 21st (7A M ) and
22nd (10PM).
Police Union/BUF
(Continued from Page 1 Col 3)
Bureau statistics from July to Sep
tember, failing to state whether this
crime index included youth crime.
Crime categorically increases due to
the summer school break. Peters
breaks o ff his assault on the Black
United Front by summerizing that
the Black United Front represents a
m inority within a m inority,
somehow deleating from his per
spective that this same small group
called a one-day boycott from
classes just nine months ago in
which over 5.000 student stayed
home.