Portland Obaarvar February 28.1881 Page 3
Police relations take new turn in Atlanta
By Patrick Glynn
A year ago senior citizens in
downtown Atlanta’s Capitol Homes
housing project lived in terror o f a
band o f marauding teenage youths
who snatched purses in broad
daylight, scaled walls at night to in­
vade bedrooms, and kept tenants—
old and young, Black and white —
cowering in their homes after dark.
Now the robberies and burglaries
have ceased Residents safely come
and go pretty much at any time o f
the day or evening.
"Everything has changed," says
Carrie Copeland, president o f the
Capitol Homes Tenant Association.
" Y o u can walk through here at
night. Anybody can.”
The key to the transformation - a
minor miracle in these days of rising
crime — lay in a new policy which
enabled tenants and police to work
together to end what amounted to
an eight-year crime wave in the
public housing project. The Atlanta
Police Department is pioneering the
new approach, and police argue it
goes well beyond the old public
relations e ffo rt undertaken in the
name of "com m unity relations" in
the inid-1969s. Many have argued
these e ffo rts seldom translated
liberal rhetoric into actual policy.
"T h e re has to be a change in
power re la tio n s,” argues Lee
Brown, the city’ s Commissioner o f
Public Safety. "W e have to share
power with the people we serve.”
At a time when pessimism is the
rule in most discussions o f crime --
and p o litic a l leaders talk in ­
creasingly of hiring more police and
building more prisons as only
plausible responses to an insoluable
problem —Brown is arguing that
radically im proved com m unity-
police cooperation can lead to ac­
tual crime prevention.
But he claims that such
cooperation becomes possible only
after a fundamental transformation
in police attitudes. According to
Brown, it was the reduction in
police shootings o f citizens and the
newly cooperative posture o f Atlan­
ta police tow ard the com m unity-
which sets the climate for the effort
o f tenants and police at C apitol
Homes.
The Capitol Homes effort began
last May at the initiation o f tenant
association leaders, who invited
Brown to a meeting on the crime
problem.
Soon, tenant association leaders
began w alking the grounds in
groups twice nightly. I eaflets were
circulated by the tenants’ group to
bureaucracies don’t make much o f a
residents, urging them to keep an
difference in controlling crime.”
eye out for neighbors and to look
H irin g more police, he claims,
after their children with special care.
w ill not reduce crime. "T h a t’ s just
And a bargain was struck w ith
the politicians non-response,” he
residents whereby police agreed to
says.
respond to citizen calls with special
Brown stresses that in real life
vigilance in exchange fo r in fo r ­
police do not actually " s o lv e "
mation about crimes.
crimes. Instead, he says, they
With the assurance of tenant sup­
depend entirely on citizens to report
p o rt, meanwhile, police in itia te d
incidents, id e n tify crim inals, and
foot patrols in the area. They spoke
ultimately testify in court.
to families o f the youth concerned.
Caplan, who has served as con­
Some arrests were made. "T h e
sultant on crime to Republican
message went o u t," says Brown,
Senator O rrin Hatch (R -U tah),
"th a t crime would not be tolerated
notes that the issue o f race is centrl
either by the com m unity or by
in the conflict. But while he agrees
p o lic e .” In two months, says
that "B lacks have had damn good
Copeland, the situation was com­
reasons for fearing the police,” he
pletely turned around. "T h e police
faults Black leaders for not making
department is wonderful,” she says
crime more o f an issue.
now.
"There’s probably still an inverse
Yet relations between citizens and
ratio between those who are affec­
police in Atlanta were not always so
ted by crime and those who are
amicable. Copeland notes that when
worrying about it," he says.
the crime problem first started in the
Others, like American Enterprise
housing project eight years ago,
Institute fellow Robert Woodson,
residents would never have contem­
dispute that conclusion. Woodson
plated turning to the police for help.
argues that crime has always been a
A t that tim e, polict-com m uni»y
paramount issue among Blacks,
relations were tense, citizen com ­
who suffer disproportionately from
plaints o f police b ru ta lity were
its effects. But he says that police
common, and office r-in vo lve d
abuses have left Blacks w ith few
shootings were a frequent oc-
alternatives fo r addressing the
curance.
issue.
Police policies changed in 1974
" I t ’ s always been a dilemma for
w ith the mayoral election o f
B la c k s ," he says. "T h e y have to
Maynard Jackson, who ran on an
balance fear o f crime with fear o f
anti-police b ru ta lity pla tfo rm .
the police.”
Brown was appointed Com ­
In an August poll o f its reader-
missioner in 1978. Under his leader­
ship, Black Enterprise magazine
ship, the A tla n ta department
found that Blacks were "seriously
in itia te d a variety o f programs
concerned about the effects o f crime
designed to im prove relations
on society” and predicted Black
between citizens and police and to
Americans would "become substan­
involve the com m unity in crime
tia lly more conservative on the
prevention efforts. And it appears
crime issue in the 1980s." But while
now to be paying off.
9 0 .1 percent o f the predominantly
The A tlanta experience bucks a
middle-class respondents saw crime
nationw ide trend tow ard police-
as a "m a jo r p ro b le m ," fu lly 85.8
community antagonism. According
percent agreed that police brutality
to the U.S. Justice D epartm ent’ s was a major concern as well.
C om m unity Relations Service,
"Y o u can’ t expect a community
citizen allegations o f excessive use
to be cooperating w ith a police
o f force by police nearly doubled
department which is abusing them,”
between FY 1979 and FY 1980,
observes A tla n ta ’ s Brown. Brown
from 69 to 133. Complaints of racial
says that police shootings of citizens
incidents between police and citizens
have decreased radically in Atlanta
rose similarly from 108 to 206.
in recent years.
Between 1965 and 1975 m illions
"W here there is ill-w ill between
o f federal dollars poured into police
the police departments and citizens,
departments, bringing extensive im­
the fault lies with the department in
provements in the technological
the long run,” he claims. “ You can
“ hardware” o f policing.
eradicate that feeling -- if you con­
"T he improvements in hardware
trol the police.”
were useful," says Gerald Caplan,
The police department in Atlanta
former head o f the Justice Depart­
makes extensive use o f what Wood-
ment's National Institute for Law
son terms "m ediating structures” -
Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
existing organizations in the com­
"B u t it shows that even the best run
m unity -- to aid in detecting and
A
M tA a n O O U ^ M t
NEW!
içmmis i
THE 2 5 HO UR
C O N T A C T LENS
IS HERE
DR LEE P BROWN
preventing crime. M inisters are
trained to intervene with police in
domestic disputes. Postal workers
are trained to detect suspicious oc­
curences on their routes.
In the past year, despite the
h o rrify in g murders and disap­
pearances o f 17 Black children in
the city, overall crime in Atlanta has
remained relatively stable — at a
time when crim e is increasing
nationally at a rate o f about 10 per­
cent, according to FBI reports.
Brown is reluctant to take credit for
the stability, but he does contrast
the "p o w e r-s h a rin g " model in
Atlanta with the simple “ get tough"
approach now favored by neo­
conservative crim inologists who
have argued fo r more and longer
prison terms as a means o f isolating
criminals from the community.
In a report prepared fo r the
Justice Department in the wake of
the riot in Miami’ s 1 iberty C ity last
May, H. Jerome M iron o f Univer­
sity Research C orp, argued that
traditional police responses to rising
tension -- such as flooding streets
with patrols -- actually escaluated
the problem . The report also
proposed "s h a rin g pow er” as a
means o f easing tensions between
the police and community.
"Y o u 'd be amazed at how much
ingenuity and brilliance you have in
the c o m m u n ity ," says Hubert
Williams, the Black Police Director
o f Newark, New Jersey, where
another power sharing policy --
combined w ith an emphasis on
toughness -- also proved successful.
"T he educators and the experts are
not the only ones with knowledge."
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COPYRIGHT 1981 Pacific News Service
U.S. leader in terrorist acts
B y Senator Bill McCoy
Public acts o f bigotry and
terrorism, the threatened or actual
use o f force and violence to attain a
p o litic a l goal through fear, coer­
cion, and intimidation are becoming
more prevalent in the state o f
Oregon. Responsible public officials
and community leaders must speak
out against such acts. I f we do not,
then we lend a kind of tacit approval
to such behavior. We must not only
speak out against committed acts of
bigotry and terrorism , but also
against those who would stand up
and publicly defame a person or
group on ethnic, racial or religious
grounds. We must correct guide our
fellow citizens, whose personal
hatred boils over in public view
against their fellow citizens, onto a
path o f brotherhood and cheerful
acceptance o f those who are " d i f ­
ferent.”
Bryan Jenkins o f the Rand C or­
poration in Santa Monica, C alifor­
nia says that, " s ta tis tic a lly , the
United States is at or near the head
o f the list o f nations most affected
by terrorism. Our perceptions o f the
severity o f terrorism in a country are
determined not by statistics, but
rather by spectacular acts and there
have been few spectacular terrorists
incidence in the United States. The
objective o f terrorism is not simply
campaign of violence designed to in­
spire fear which in turn causes
people to exaggerate the strength
and im portance o f the te rro rist
movement. It is a way of getting at­
tention. Terrorism is violence for ef­
fect. The real targets o f terrorist
violence are not always the actual
victim s, but rather the intended
audience. Terrorism is theatre.”
You are no doubt fa m ilia r with
the Ku Klux Kian and its terrorist
motives. But are you fam ilia with
such groups as the Christian Patriot
Defense League which is headquar­
tered in southern Illio n o is and is
closely affiliated with the Christian
Conservative Church. This par-
ticular group has tenants in com­
mon w ith boh the Kian and the
Nazi.
As a result o f the recent Presiden­
tia l election, there seems to be a
sense in the minds o f some that
evoking the w ord "C h ris tia n ”
ju s tifie d any and all kinds o f
behavior. This is dangerous. Any
church which supports directly or
indirectly, overt or covert acts o f
bigotry or terrorism is a threat to the
State o f Oregon and its people. I ask
you to join with me in persuading
our neighbors to be vigilant in the
fight against bigotry and terrorism
in our neighborhoods and in our
state.
Mercedes Deiz goes to Court
(Continued from page I col. 5)
would have to run fo r it w ithin 4
months o f the appointment. Again,
I said, that d id n 't concern me
because it was my responsibility to
get out and campaign.
A man did run against me for that
first D istrict C ourt job and I was
elected overw helm ingly by the
people during the primary; literally
overwhelming ..about 89 percent.
I was D is tric t C ourt Judge fo r
two years, then a new position
opened in Circuit Court which is the
position I now hold. When my two
years was up, I wasn’ t particularly
interested in running again, but
Judges and attorneys urged me to,
so I ran for the position, and seven
men ran against me! I didn’ t prevail
in the primaries, but I had the top
number o f votes, except that I
didn't get 51 percent, so there was a
ru n o ff. Again the people elected
me.
When I had to run again in 1978
which was for a six year term, I had
no opposition, so I was elected to a
six year term which will terminate in
January 1985.
One o f my philosophies here is, I
d o n ’ t feel that there should be a
District Court and a Circuit Court. I
think this state should have a one
level court because a Judge is a
Judge, no matter what level she or
he is sitting. We have to have the
same knowledge, the same training
and the same legal background.
The im portant thing is not what
I ’ ve done to get where I am
a t...(sm ile)...I couldn’ t have done
anything without my husband and
my children. I'm very happy to be a
Judge. I like it, but I can't imagine
what it would be like not to be my
husand's wife, and not to have my
two fine sons and my daughter. I
wish
I
had
grandchildren,
(s m ile )..I’ m
slowing
down
somewhat now, but why not? I'm 63
years old!
In terms o f prejudice and
discrimination, the whole state can
talk books about that. A terrible
thing is happening in our country,
and those tria ls and trib u la tio n s
which affect every minority person,
obviously affect me too.
I ’ ve learned as the years go by,
how to cope and how to say to any
stupid Oniger (stupid donkey) who
has the nerve to even suggest that a
person should be discrim inated
against...! know how to deal with it.
I’ m a strong woman, but everyone
doesn’t know how to handle that.
I can’ t believe that what we
fought for in the 30s and 40s are all
right back here again in the 80s and
that's disgusting and discouraging! I
pray that all who cares, will not give
up their fight to make things better.
We have to make people understand
we are fighting discrimination and
race hatred because we are just as
good as anybody else.
I was talking with a young man
named Ron Baugh, whom I had
never met until I was in Cambridge
last week. He was telling me about
the State of Boston where he's been
for the last 3 years pursuing a Law
Degree.
Here’ s a town held up as the sym­
bol o f liberty, having a tradition of
doing the right things fo r all
minorities, particular for Blacks, yet
young Black students are afraid to
walk the streets o f Boston. When
Black kids get o ff a bus, from the
South to walk the historic steps o f
Bunker H ill and the beginnings of
this Republic, they are attacked and
assaulted, then driven back to the
bus that brought them up there.
Just to hear things like that, in
1981, to me is incredible! Everyone
was happy that the hostages were
released from Iran; everybody was
talking about the terrible indency
these men and women were subjec­
ted to, and the torture, but yet, we,
right here in our own country, con­
tinue to do some aw ful things to
people just because they don't hap­
pen to have white skin.
The State o f Oregon, I hope, is
not becoming like Boston, however,
it’ s coming more out with it. I read
o f the incidents. The racist reac­
tionaries have come out o f the
closet...they are making all the
noise, saying all the racist sort o f
things that have stopped the great
movement o f the 60s.
SISARETTA YVETTE TALTON
Sisaretta is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kirby
Taiton and is a 1980 graduate of John Adams High
School. Currently a Freshman attending Pacific
University, she is majoring in Physical Education and
health.
She is an active member of Vancouver Avenue
First Baptist Church. While at Adams High School,
Sisaretta sang in the choir and was very active in
sports. She earned an award in sports each year
which included: Freshman year, "R ookie of the
Year” ; Sophomore, "Best Hitter in Softball"; Junior,
"Most Valuable Player in Softball and Volleyball."
Upon graduation from high school, Sisaretta was
presented w ith the Alpha Kappa Alpha "B e tte r
Womanhood Award," and was also the recipient of a
scholarship from the Western Golf Association.
Sisaretta is a member of the Isiserettes, Daughters
of Isis.
• ■
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Power
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
N ext W eek: Judge Deiz answers
her critics.
- 7 ':
‘-a-