Portland observer., March 19, 1981, Page 2, Image 2

Page 2 Portland Observer M arch 19, 1981
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Racial harassment in
lue
ground, or just verbally abused - all fo r a minor
P o rtla n d needs to take a lo ng lo ok at its
tr
a ffic in fra c tio n or fo r b e in g in th e w ro n g
po lice fo rc e and th e re la tio n b etw e en the
place at the w rong time.
police and the Black c o m m u n ity . For years
Those w ho are in a position to observe a c­
there has been increased concern about police
tions on Union Avenue and other busy streets
harassment and brutality, particularly against
are aware of increasing police harassment.
Blacks but also against others who are seen as
There are those - locally as well as nationally
vulnerable.
-
th
a t say th is w ill be a lo n g h o t su m m e r.
The Bureau is involved in an investigation of
Unem ploym ent, lack of program s for those in
its narcotics officers that has already led to the
need, rising living costs - all w ill lead to tension
conviction of one officer for drug sales. It also
and fru s tra tio n . This is a tim e fo r increased
brings serious questions about the legality of
understanding and tolerance on the part of the
the police raid of the O utsiders m o to rc y c le
p o lice and th o se w h o are in p o s itio n s to
club which resulted in the death of a police o f­
d e te rm in e p o lic y and p ro g ra m . The w o rs t
fic e r. A num ber o f c o n v ic tio n s based on
possible scene in co m in g m o nths w o u ld be
evidence p ro vid e d by these o ffic e rs are
violence promoted by the police.
questioned.
Those w ith in th e P o lice B ureau and th e
W hat is operating w ithin the Police Bureau
p o lice u n io n w h o w o u ld like to d is c o u n t
that allows officers who apparently joined the
charges or racism aga inst ce rta in police o f ­
fo rc e in good fa ith to tu rn to crim e and
fic
e rs sh o u ld n o w be w illin g to a d m it th a t
brutality? Is it the absolute control over other
racism and ra c is t a c tiv ity does e x is t. T he y
hum an beings? Or is it a sym ptom of a sick
should be willing to w ork w ith the com m unity
society?
- including the Black United Front - to correct
The h ig h ly p u b lic iz e d a ct o f ten o ffic e rs
placing four dead oppossums in fron t of a local th o se p ro b le m s th a t re fle c t p o o rly on all
policemen and endanger the public.
Black owned restaurant has shocked and ap-
W e believe th a t all o f the p o lic e m e n in ­
pauled a large p o rtio n o f P o rtla n d 's
vo lve d in the h a ra ssm e n t o f B u rg e r B arn,
population.
The idea that grown men - paid and pledged b e fo re and d u rin g the o p p o ssu m in c id e n t,
to uph old the law and p ro te c t the people - should be te rm in a te d fro m the police fo rc e .
would kill helpless, peaceful animals and use Their actions have gone beyond w h a t is a c­
their dead bodies to harass a Black business ce p ta b le fo r p u b lic e m p lo ye e s. The C ity
man is alm ost unbelievable to many of P o rt­ should also consider bringing criminal and civil
land's residents who have not been exposed to charge s a g a in st th e m
- c o n s p ira c y ,
a steady d ie t o f p o lice b ru ta lity . It is n o t ha ra ssm e n t, in tim id a tio n , m isuse o f c ity
shocking to those w ho have witnessed Black equipment, etc.
men and w om en snatched fro m th e ir cars,
U nless the line is firm ly d ra w n n o w , th e
knocked up against the w a ll, pushed to the police w ill become a law unto themselves.
Racism as national policy
The nations of the w orld are aghast at the
murders of Black children in Atlanta - a series
of killings that is unprecedented. It is seen as a
symptom not only of the racism that pervades
US s o cie ty b u t o f the c o n d u c t of the US
toward the world.
A t a tim e w hen half the w o rld is hu n g ry,
there is ta lk o f increased use of fo o d as a
political tool. Recent examples are the wheat
b o y c o tts of the S o vie t U nion and Iran.
A n o th e r prim e exam ple th a t has con tin u e d
nearly 20 years is the US b o y c o tt of Cuba -
forbidding shipment of any goods, even food
and medicine to Cuba by the US or its allies.
The n a tio ns of the w o rld are concerned
about the Reagan A d m in istra tio n 's attitudes
and policies tow ard the Third W orld. Reagan
has announced his pre fe re n ce to im prove
relations w ith South A frica - an ally through
many wars and a provider of minerals essential
to the US war e ffo r t. Reagan also favors
removal of the law that forbids US interven­
tion in Angola on behalf of South Africa.
On the eve of his visit to Canada, Reagan
cancelled the Law of the Sea Treaty which had
been worked on for years and was ready to be
sig ned. This tre a ty w o u ld h a ve "co n tro lle d
m ining on the sea flo o r and insured that the
Third W orld shared in the benefits. Reagan is
more interested in pro fits fo r the US m ining
corporations than in seeing th a t the w o rld 's
resources go to feed hungry children in poor
nations.
The continuing North-South discussions in
w hich the ''have n o t” nations are seeking a
m ore equ itable d is trib u tio n o f w ealth - fa ir
prices for natural resources and wages, debt
cancellation, realistic loan procedures, control
of their own economies, etc. - are endangered
by the US refusal to participate unless Cuba is
barre d . This d e c is io n re fle c ts a desire to
maximize US profits regardless of the cost of
human suffering.
These policies reflect the racism at hom e.
The president still has not spoken out against
the rising racial and religious harassment. He
has spoke n o u t a g a in st b u s in g , has m ade
jokes ab o u t Black w e lfa re m oth ers, has cu t
fu n d s fo r school lunches, jo b tra in in g , fo o d
stamps, education, etc.
Acts of racial harassment and brutality can­
not be seen as isolated incidents. They are fast
becom ing the policy of our nation -- at home
and abroad.
CIA in Africa
Early in February Joaquin Chssano, foreign
m in is te r of M o z a m b iq u e , ch a rg e d S o u th
Africa w ith creating a dangerous situation in
Southern Africa that could lead to a war w ith
unpredictable consequences.
Speaking to the M inisterial M eeting of the
Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries in In­
dia, Chissano said South Africa is attem pting
to d is tra c t a tte n tio n fro m its o w n in te rn a l
problems by fostering problems elsewhere and
is trying to intimidate countries in the area that
support Namibian independence.
He accused S outh A frica of consp iring to
destabilize progressive g o v e rn m e n ts in the
area.
Last weekend Mozambique accused the US
of using its embassy as a CIA base to plan the
o v e rth ro w o f th e g o v e rn m e n t and the
assassination of its president.
The US (CIA) and South A frica have been
heavily involved in Angola. Are th charges by
M o za m b iq u e an in d ic a tio n o f fu rth e r
collaboration between the two?
Portland Observer
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and critic of discriminatory practices and policies a sentmal to
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>
«4TKM AL
Neighbors meet no (K)nock
By Fungai Kum bula
There was one a wise old A fric a n
K ing in the heart o f A fr ic a in the
good old days before the white man
(in his suprem e w isd o m ) came to
‘ •c iv iliz e ” A fric a . The K in g had a
beautiful Queen who had done him
the u ltim a te h o n o r o f bearing him
seven sons and a daughter. King and
Queen, therefore, had everything to
be happy and contented about, but
they had one nagging problem : the
child re n could never agree on any
one th in g ; they were fo re v e r
quarreling.
The King and Queen were worried
that after they were dead and gone,
th e ir b e a u tifu l and peaceful k in g ­
dom w o u ld p ro b a b ly be w recked
asunder since none o f the child re n
could get along. They were sure i f
they le ft the th ro n e to P rince
Musekiwa, the oldest, Prince Farai,
the second oldest was likely to break
away and take part o f the kingdom
fo r him self. They were alm ost sure
th a t P rince F ad zai, T e n d a yi and
Kudzai w ould do the same and the
result w o u ld be a fragm ented and
much wrecked Kingdom o f U m tali.
One day the King called all o f his
sons together and showed them a
huge bundle o f wood. He told them
he fe lt the tim e was dra w in g close
when he would have to go and jo in
his forefathers and so he felt it was
tim e fo r h im to decide w ho was
going to be King after he was gone.
Im m e d ia te ly , the Princess started
arguing about who should succeed
th e ir fa th e r. The K in g held up his
hand and said, ‘ ‘ I have alrea d y
decided who w ill be King after me.
Do you see the b u n d le o f w ood?
A n y one o f you w ho can c a rry it
acros the courtyard w ill be the new
K in g .”
W ith that, each o f the seven sons
went and attempted to lift the wood,
but it was to o m uch fo r any o f
them. A fte r they each had their turn
and fa ile d, they sat down suddenly
to hear what their father would say.
“ W ell, it looks like none o f you
are s tro n g enough to be K in g o f
U m ta li. M aybe 1 w ill have to look
o u ts id e the ro y a l f a m ily , ” but at
this p o in t. Princess Tsitsi who had
been watching, stepped forw ard and
said, “ W hy d o n ’ t you try carrying
the wood together? I f you cannot do
it s in g u la rly , is n ’ t it ju s t possible
th a t m aybe the way to go is to
cooperate?”
Looking sheepishly at each other,
the b ro th e rs got up and easily
picked up the bundle o f wood and
carried it across the courtyard. The
K ing smiled and said, " T h is is the
one lesson I hoped you would learn
before 1 died; that your strength lies
in u n ity . As lo n g as you w o rk
together, you w ill always be strong,
prosperous, in flu e n tia l and in v in ­
cible.”
U po n the death o f the K in g (he
was b rie fly succeeded by his Queen
but she did not live too long having
lost her beloved husband) the seven
sons reigned over U m tali fo r many a
long and prosperous years.
The above is an ancient A fric a n
story that has been passed through
countless generations o f A fric a n s
and
A fric a n
descendants
th ro u g h o u t the w o rld . (T h a n k s ,
A rt!) The lessons to be learned from
this simple story are as valid today
as they were when it began to make
the rounds a thousand or so years
ago. H o w e ve r, lo o k in g at o u r
people to d a y , one w o u ld have to
c o nclud e th a t e ith e r th is sim ple
lesson has not been learned or it has
s im p ly
been
ig n o re d ,
w ith
disastrous results fo r us all.
A case in p o in t is the o n -g o in g
c o n flic t between S o m alia and
E th io p ia . H ow long that has been
going on is hard to docum ent. The
reasons fo r the c o n flic t are ju s t as
hard to p in dow n. W h a t is not so
hard to see is the suffering the con­
flic t has b ro u g h t to b o th n ations.
C u rre n tly , the H o rn o f A fric a
(where both countries are) has the
w o rld ’ s largest refugee population.
Estimates range as high as 4 m illion
which would make it larger than the
p o p u la tio n o f the e n tire State o f
Oregon; all refugees!
The s u ffe rin g o f the people is
h e a rt-re n d in g ;
c h ild re n
so
emaciated from hunger you cannot
only count all the ribs but you can
a ctua lly see the backbone sticking
through the stomach! In most cases,
bloated stomachs, an unmistakable
sign o f severe m a ln u tr itio n , are
evident everywhere. The hands are
so s k in n y they lo o k as fra g ile as
matchsticks.
The mothers trying to breast feed
these p itifu l infants, some o f whom
are tw o and three years o ld , look
ju s t as emaciated themselves. It is
hard to tell the adults from the in ­
fa n ts . I f the c h ild re n get to eat
once a week (once a week!), they are
lu c k y . In th is o n -a g a in o ff-a g a in
w ar, as in every other w ar, it is the
women and children who suffer the
m ost. The people who are waging
the w ar, as alw ays, escape u n ­
scratched.
The E th io p ia -S o m a lia con ’ > t
essentially pits the Soviets on th<.
one hand and the Americans on the
other. Needless to say, both super
powers w ill escape unscratched but
what o f the A frica ns - the Somalis
and the Ethiopians? Isn’ t it time our
leaders learned that as long as we
allow it, we shall always be used as a
te stin g g ro u n d fo r the latest and
most lethal weapons? What do they
care i f all Ethiopians and all Somalis
are to ta lly a n n ih ilia te d ? They are
o nly A fric a n s . "W e must stop the
co m m u n is t menace, rig h t? O r
Communism forever.”
W hat’ s happening to our A frica n
heritage? Do we fo rg et th a t as re­
cently as 96 years ago, there were no
such states as S o m alia, E th io p ia ,
Kenya, Uganda or any o f the little
A fric a n countries; that A fric a was
just one vast continent w ithout any
real rigid boundaries? Do we forget
th a t a ll o f A fr ic a ’ s cu rre n t b o u n ­
daries were d ra w n up in B e rlin ,
Germany, in 1884 so the Europeans
co u ld m ore syste m a tic a lly cut up
and exploit the A fric a n continent?
N ow th a t we supposedly have
th ro w n
o ff
the
w olves
of
co lo n ia lis m , isn ’ t it about tim e we
w ent back to the A fric a o f
yesteryear? An A frica when we were
a ll A fric a n s firs t and "S o c ia lis ts ,
C a p ita lis ts , upper class, m id d le
class, professionals, laborers, and
whatever other labels we have begun
to apply to ourselves, second?
A fte r all, what is a Somali? What
is an E th io p ia n ? A re n 't they a ll
A fric a n s like Zim babweans, Z am ­
bians, and Zanzibaris? D on’ t we all
have the same objectives, the same
goals and face the same problems?
A fric a lags behind developmentally
now because o f these a rtific ia l d if­
ferences we place am ongst o u r­
selves.
1 w o u ld c e rta in ly hope th a t we
w ill see o u r p lig h t and m ake the
necessary c o rre c tiv e measures
before it is too late. The suffering o f
a ll those women and c h ild re n is a
nightmare that haunts me night and
day, especially as I te ll m yself it is
A fric a n k illin g A fric a n fo r the
benefit o f an outside power.
Princess T s its i, where are you
now when we need you so?
Chasing the Cat
By Calvin O. L. Henry
"T h e cat is out o f the b a g ," and it
is d iffic u lt fo r some o f the people’ s
representatives to appreciate it.
The cat, in this case, is racism in
O reg on . The le g is la to rs are the
people’ s representatives and the eyes
are upon th e ir actions d u rin g th is
1981 Legislative Session.
It was G overnor V ic A tiye h who
let the cat out when he gave his State
o f the State message on January 12,
1981, b e fo re a jo in t house o f
Oregon Legislative Assembly.
R eally, the cat has always been
out in the open since the days o f the
Oregon T e rrito ry . But O regonians
have la rg e ly ig n o re d it because it
was being expressed o n ly in the
stories and co m p la in ts o f the v ic ­
tim s . T h e ir s to rie s, o fte n d id not
w arrant the atte ntio n o f the media
and the press. H ow ever, when the
highest state o ffice reveals the truth
a bo ut the ca t, it is hard to be
ignored.
A tiye h reported that Oregonians
witnessed shocking and dam nable
in c id e n ts o f ra c ia l in to le ra n c e in
1980. He stated, " n o th in g defiles
h u m a n ity as m uch as outrageous
acts o f racism. That such terrorism
could happen in Oregon today is a
sobering rem inder o f the dorm ant
seeds o f b ig o try ."
A p p e a lin g
fu rth e r
to
the
Legislature, Atiyeh noted, "...w h e n
that covert bigotry is manifested in
m a lic io u s and w a n to n ra c ia l
harassment...when citizens fear fo r
the safety o f their lives and property
then we m ust be prepared to do
m ore th an sit back and call those
depraved persons w ho are re ­
sponsible ‘ cowards’ and 'bullies.' ”
G overnor Atiyeh called upon the
1981 Legislature " t o make the act o f
racial harassment a crime in Oregon
- a fe lo n y , punishable by fin e or
im prisonm ent or b o th .” He urged
them to join him in a resolute stand
against b ig o try , in the name o f
justice and equality.
Some legislators have quietly ex­
pressed th a t A tiy e h was using
iso la te d
in c id e n ts
of
ra c ia l
harassm ent fo r his p o litic a l f o r ­
tunes, and th a t his p ro p o s in g the
ra c ia l in tim id a tio n b ill, H B 2479,
was o n ly a p a rtis a n gesture. The
G o v e rn o r is a R epublican and the
Oregon Legislature is controlled by
the D em ocracts. B u t, should the
c rim e o f ra c ia l in tim id a tio n be a
Democratic or Republican issue?
One State Senator was very upset
w ith A tiy e h ’ s comments concerning
those " is o la te d
in c id e n ts o f
r a c is m ." T his Senator stated that
the G overnor showed a rare liberal
side o f h im s e lf fo r c iv il rights and
he q uestioned the s in c e rity o f
Atiyeh. Yet, this Senator was w illing
to introduce his "M e x ic a n friend
to individuals in the C apitol Coffee
Shop.
A State representative wanted the
G o verno r’ s racial in tim id a tio n b ill
assigned to his committee so that he
could k ill it in committee.
And some groups and individuals
are saying that the G o v e rn o r’ s b ill
m ay be in v io la tio n o f the F irs t
A m e n d m e n t, freedom o f speech.
Should this be le ft to the courts to
decide?
H B 2479 provides that a person
com m its the crim e o f in tim id a tio n
if , in te n tio n a lly and w ith in te n t to
in tim id a te another person because
o f such other person’ s race, color,
religion, ancestry or national origin,
the person: causes physical harm to
the other person; by w ord or con­
duct places, o r a tte m p ts to place,
the other person in fear o f imminent
physical harm; or tampers w ith, in ­
terferes w ith , damages or destroys
the p ro p e rty o f the o th e r person.
This is the G overnor’s b ill.
Incidents or revelations since the
G o v e rn o r’ s State o f the State
message
adds
a d d itio n a l
ju s tific a tio n s fo r the passae o f HB
2479 by the Oregon Legislature.
Racism in Oregon is b la ta n t. It
exists in h ou sin g, p u b lic ac­
com m odations, education and em­
ploym ent. Open signs o f it can be
seen in econom ic deve lo pm e nt,
p o litic s , the trades, la b o r u nions
and the c rim in a l ju s tic e system.
Groups like the U rban League and
the N A A C P have been w o rkin g to
rem ove a ll fo rm s o f racism since
their establishment in Oregon.
In response to A tiy e h ’ s message
to the L e g is la tu re , the e d ito ria l
w rite r o f the C o rv a llis G a zelle -
Times noted, "W h a te v e r inspired
the remarks, the Governor was right
in urging the lawmakers to allow the
state to step hard on those w ho
je o p a rd iz e o thers because o f the
c o lo r o f th e ir skin. The state must
p ro te c t a ll o f its residents and
visitors regardless o f their o rig in .”
It is hard fo r anyone to disagree
with Van Eisenhut, managing editor
o f the Statesman-Journal, when he
stated, "N e w s o f ra c ia l and
religious b ig o try is unpleasant. But
re p o rtin g it is necessary i f a
newspaper is f u lfillin g its respon­
sibility to the community it serves.”
The cat must continue to be exposed
by the press, as the incidents occur.
What Governor Atiyeh did was to
appeal to the com m on decency o f
the people o f Oregon through their
leg isla to rs. O ther p u b lic o ffic ia ls
should fo llo w s u it. He said w hat
m any O regonians w anted to say.
And the Legislators should not let
the people down.
A n d the G o v e rn o r should be
commended fo r his bold approach
to p ro tect the citizens affected by
racial harassment. The cat reflects
on all Oregonians.