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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1981)
1 For the children o f Atlanta and fo r all children who are hungry, su ffe r and live in fear. California legislation seeks to bar Kian, Nazi Legislation w ill be introduced in C a lifo rn ia to curb activities o f groups that advocate unlaw ful violence. Robert L. Harris o f San Francisco, immediate past president o f the National Bar Association, is the principal dra fte r o f the legislation which will be introduced by Senator Diane Watson o f Los Angeles. been involved in drafting legislation to deal with Ku Klux Kian activities. The legislation would make it unlaw ful fo r any group or organizaton (hat advocate imminent lawlessness to meet or otherwise carry on activities in C alifornia. It would punish those who burn crosses or place Swastikas on public or private property. Danie Weber, president o f the California Association o f Lawyers, announced that for several months members o f the association have In response to the claim that the legislation might violate the First Amendment. Harris said it meets all tests o f constitutionality under the First Amendment. It is based on two recent U.S. Supreme C ourt decisions that indicate the circum stances under which unlaw ful ad vocacy can be punished. (Scales vs. US and Brandenbury vs. Ohio) According to Harris, “ fo r more than 100 years the Kian has been hiding behind the First Amendment to preach and carry out its acts or racial violence and nothing legislatively has ever been done to deal w ith its advocacy o f violence which is clearly no First Am end ment, protection. The First Amend ment, is not now, nor has it every been, absolute. It has never protec ted advocacy that is like ly to produce violence nor has the First Amendment ever protected activity that presents a clear and present danger.” He indicated that Black lawyers skilled in co n stitu tio n a l law are prepared to do battle w ith the ACLU and other s who argue that the Kian has a constitutional right to advocate violence against Blacks, noting that "th e lives o f Blacks are at stake.” H arris, who is on the board o f the A C LU o f N orthern California said “ the only reason the Kian has been allowed to exist for over 100 years is because it has Blacks as its chief targets, and if the situation were reversed, w ith a group o f Blacks advocating and killing whites, the ACLU and other so-called c iv il lib e rta ria n groups would not be defending the rights of Blacks to engage in such illegal acts.” “ The commission o f violence against Blacks is so severe that Black lawyers can no longer sit idly by ano usicn to the civil libertarians ridiculous claims that the advocacy o f such violence is protected by the First Amendment. “ This legislation offers a reasonable and co n s titu tio n a lly permissible approach fo r dealing w ith Kian activities that have brought disgrace to this nation while at the same tim e it protects the rights o f persons and organizations who are not engaged in advocating im m inent violence and k illin g o f people.” PORTLAND OBSERNER Mayor discusses development by Mayor Frank Ivancie collections for many, many years. Government spending has increased to keep pace. The federal govern ment has even run up huge deficits because Congress is not required to balance the books. because o f the results o f the 1980 election, the President and Congress Budget cuts are big news these are now seriously considering cut days. But they are not new. In ting the federal budget. fla tio n has already forced many This means that many govern Americans to cut their household ment programs w ill be reduced or budgets. Many Portlanders too. eliminated. Many o f these cuts may But the fact that government is A ll this is coming to an end. State affect Portlanders who rely on now ta lking about budget cuts is and local taxes have stopped in government aid to meet part or all news. In fla tio n has increased tax creasing faster than inflation. And, o f their daily needs. This is one reason why economic development is so important. New jobs are vital for the unemployed. They also help existing businesses by moving more dollars through the community. As Mayor, I have made economic development one o f my top p rio ritie s. 1 have reorganized the city’ s economic development efforts to reduce red tape, cut costly delays and elim inate unnecessary duplication. Economic development efforts have been brought directly into my o ffice through a business ombudsman. And I w ill work to make sure that economic develop- ment takes place on both sides o f The Willamette River from now on. The downtown area west o f the W illam ette River w ill continue to receive attention from City govern ment. I am very interested in revitalizing the Morrison Street area -- the area once considered for the Cadillac-Fairview project - and the Portland Development Commission is currently working on a series o f development options for that site. I am hopeful that a new, workable proposal w ill emerge in the near future. But I am also interested in the area east o f the river - an area I like to call "downtown east.” Several years ago, the City Coun cil created the Economic Develop ment Advisory Committee to advise the Mayor and Council members on economic development issues. I have appointed several new mem bers since becoming Mayor and, at its March 18 meeting, the committee named inner northeast Portland as (Please turn to Page 4 Col 2) MAYOR FRANK IVANCIE Citizens protest police action For the firs t time members o f the Black com m unity took their protest against police harassment and b ru ta lity dow ntow n Wed nesday, w ith a picket o f police headquarters and a mach to C ity Hall for a rally. A lthough leaders o f the march had planned to present a list o f demands and a letter o f support from legislators to the City Council, the afternoon council session was cancelled, so the in fo rm a tio n was presented to the public on the steps o f City Hall. U rging that the citizens be provided competent, sensitive and humane police protection Bruce Broussard, publisher o f the Obser ver, requested the fo llo w in g o f Commissioner Jordan: Eire all officers involved in the “ possum in c id e n t"; appoint a C itizen Police Review Board; ca refully investigate the ad m inistration o f the Police Bureau ith special attention to supervision and training. Ronnie Herndon, Co-chairman of the Black United Front, outlined the history o f racial harassment and abuse by police on Portland’ s Black citizens. He explained that the BUF had requested o f Jordan over a year ago changes in the Bureau's fire arms policy that allows officers to shoot a fleeing suspect, and to refrain from use o f bullets banned in international warfare. Representative Rick Bauman presented a letter supporting the demands, signed by a number o f Portland area legislators. Among the speakers were Luis Alvarez, Executive Director o f the Com m ittee o f Spanish Speaking People o f Oregon, who pledged the support o f the Hispanic community in the e ffo rt to end police abuses against Blacks. Herb Cawthorne spoke to the symbols o f racism inherent in the "possum incident” , explaining that this was a mere symptom - a symbol - o f a deeper racism w ith in the Bureau. The ra lly was announced at a press conference Monday, attended by Herndon; Broussard Cawthorne: Rodney Page, acting d irector o f Ecumenical M inistries o f Oregon; Fr. Bert G r iffin , St. Andrews Catholic Church; Raul Soto Seelig, chairman o f the Hispanic Political A ction C ouncil; Jose C alderon, C hairm an, COSSPO; Arm ando LaG uardia, chairm an o f the M e tro p o lita n Human Relations Commission; Commissioner Gladys McCoy; and representatives o f Im maculate Heart Parish and the National Lawyes Guild. Commmissioner Jordan, who left City Hall as the march approached, returned when most demonstrators had left. Discussing the issue with a few demonstrators and some mem bers o f the press, he reiterated his earlier statement that the public outcry and the " f o u r press con ferences” (there were tw o) were premature and should not have hap pened until after he has announced his d iscip lin a ry decision. At this time the decision is expected to be announced on Friday. Divestment essential to SA By Fungai Kumbula HB 2618 now before the Oregon Legislature is a straightforw ard piece o f legislation. I f it passes, it w ill (1) prohibit state funds from being invested in companies that do business in countries that practice racial discrim ination and (2) en courage investing o f such funds in Oregon to spur the economy and create jobs. C u rre n tly , South A fric a is the only country that has racism written into her constitution; the only coun try w ith in stitu tio n a lize d racism. For that reason, HB 2618 would af fect only South Africa but would be applicable to any other country that may fall into the same category in the future. This is an effort to get the U.S. to begin to live by some o f the ideals spelled out in her constitution. A group of far-sighted Oregon citizens got together and drafted the bill to, lo r once, put this country on the ' ight side o f the coming revolution. U nfortunately, there are also a few individuals bent on confusing 'he issue. The South African “ coun- ’ Ul" was in Salem recently meeting with the Governor and members of the Legislature and, he must have fed them quite a mouthful. Virtually all o f the arguments against the bill now are right out o f the South African shadow M inistry o f M isin formation and Propaganda. Let us examine these arguments one by one and shoot them down: Ite m : N on-interference: We should not interfere in the internal a ffa irs o f another country. A fte r all, we have enough problems o f our own right here in Oregon. We should leave the South Africans to resolve their problems among them selves. Response: The m yth o f non interference was blown the day American companies first came to South A fric a . They have since become part and parcel o f the South A frican system w ith preachments against apartheid nothwithstanding. They provide the money and technology that have made South A fric a the economic giant in Southern AFrica. The crux o f the argument fo r divestment is that taking out the money and technology would deprive the apart heid regime o f the basic foundation of her odious system. I his economic pressure from without coupked with social and other pressures from within are what will finally bring the South A frica n regime around to sanity. So, only when Am erican com panies withdraw from South Africa can they invoke the non-interference school of thought. Ite m : South A fric a has been making some progress towards real change. We should stay on in South Africa and encourage these positive overtures. Response: What change? I f it has taken South Africa this long to get to where she is today, that means we w ill have to wait another 300 years fo r her to get to where the U nited States was 100 years ago. The international media gets all ex cited any time Pieter Botha, the current South A fric a n d icta to r, talks about change. Case In point: Botha talked about (get it? Talked about) abolishing the Im m o ra lity Act which forbids dating, marriage or sexual intercourse between people o f d iffe re n t racial groups. A part (Please turn to Page 10 Col 1) Demonstrators picket City Hall during rally to empheelze demands for disciplinary measures against of fending police officers and for a more humane police force. (Photo: Richard Brown)
