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)