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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1981)
» “ * • •» K rs F ra n ce s S ch5?n- t . ’.’. v - 'r a '. t y o f For •! e children o f Atlanta and fo r all children who are hungry, suffer and live in fear. Citizen coalition forms, while police demonstrate Representatives o f m in o rity organizations met Wednesday evening to take the firs t steps tow ard form ing a com m unity coalition to investigate police/com- munity relations. Convened by Raul Solo-Seelig, chairm an o f the Hispanic Political Action Commit tee, at the request o f the Black United Front and others, the group agreed to pursue the potential o f a city-wide coalition. Am ong the possible issues of study are: administration, training, civilian îeview board, employment. The issues will be further identified, then each participant will obtain the endorsement f his organization. The issues selected will become the basis fo r form ing a com m unity-w ide coalition. The plan - expressed by Armando LaGuardia, chairman o f the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission - is to create an organization that can study the issues, obtain factual inform ation, make recommendations to the City, and gain public support fo r its recommendations, in a manner similar to the Community Coalition for School Integration. In the meantime, the P ortland Police A sso ca tio n is planning a march o r Friday m orning to demonstrate support fo r O fficers Craig Ward and Jim Gallaway, who were term inated fo r their par ticipation in the “ possum incident” . Stan Peters, union president, said the incident was unacceptable and required discipline but that te r mination was “ excessive and inap propriate” . In itia lly thieatening to sue on behalf o f the o ffice rs, Peters has announced that he will seek binding a rb itra tio n so that an outside ar bitrator w ill determine whether the terminations were justified. Com m issioner Charles Jordan announced last Friday that the two officers would be terminated, that six officers have been cleared and that the investigation ot the remaining two officers continues. Jordan denies racist intent in the incident, saying that police harassment is also directed at white citizens in other parts o f the city. He said that because o f the unique power the police have to stop, detain and arrest citizens and to carry guns, such harassment cannot be tolerated. PORTLAND OBSERVER April 2. 1961 Volum« XI Number 24 250 per copy City HCD proposal draws fire Citizens again fired com plaints against the C ity ’ s Housing and Community Development proposal at Wednesday’ s C ity C ouncil meeting. Most disagreements con cerned citizens participation, w ith drawal o f neighborhoods now ser ved, and funding o f “ se lf-h e lp " projects. Presenting the proposal to the C ouncil, H C D d irector Chuck Olson said reduction o f ap proxim ately $2 m illio n w ill cause reductions in staffing and in fu n ding o f projects. In assessing needs, his staff has determined that middle income neighborhoods are achieving their rehabilitation goals but low income neighborhoods need help and “ we need to recognize this factor.” The response is to limit funding to low -incom e areas, to increase assistance to rental property, to fund economic development projec ts and to consider n o n -p ro fit self help projects. He proposed rem oving Piedm ont, W oodlawn and parts o f Sabin, Foster-Powell, Concordia and St. Johns from the H C D program . Also the home security locks program , sidewalk ramps fo r the handicapped and street trees would be discontinued. Preston-Kennelworth and a part of Foster-Powell would be added. The Community Economic Dev elopment Task Force - a coalition of com m unity and neighborhood organizations including the Black United Front, COSSPO, Urban In dian C ouncil, P A C T, Northwest District Association - called on the City to produce a manual to inform citizens about HCD and to develop a citizens board. They asked that assistance to rental units require protection o f current tennants, that HCD money not be used to sustain public works, and that a process be developed for non-profit agencies to apply fo r funding fo r self-help projects. The League o f Women Voters recommended funding fo r rehabilitation and development of dow ntow n housing sponsored by non-profit groups. The Sabin and Piedmont neigh borhood associations objected to being removed from HDC funding. Piedmont asked to be designated as an “ inner N ortheast” neigh- hood rather than “ outer N o rth east” . Sabin objected to having its area s p lit, w ith part no longer eligible, when funds could be direc ted at the needy through income regulations. Sharon M cC orm ack, speaking fo r the Northeast C o a litio n o f Neighborhoods, asked that H C D give proper n o tific a tio n p rio r to removing neighborhoods and that Piedm ont and Sabin be retained. Other suggestions were: retain locks program, retain handicapped ramps and lighting, provide better in fo r m ation fo r neighborhoods. Mrs. McCormack said a clear definition o f “ economic development" and a p olicy as to what services can be provided by H C D are needed. "C itizen participation is hampered because we d o n ’ t know the policies.” Linda Johnson o f the Black Committee for Economic Develop ment recommended an advisory board made up o f persons elected by affected neighborhoods and that first source agreements be required o f assisted businesses Steve Rudman o f R A IN ex plained that local government w ill bear more o f the responsibility o f dealing w ith social and economic problems and should be a "provider fo r” rather than a “ provider to ” , The role of local government should be to assist citizens to develop volunteer programs to help them selves, and to provide technical assistance and seed money. With the anticipated loss ol other federal funds, HCD money - which has been used m ainly fo r single fam ily housing rehabilitatio n and public works - is seen as one o f the few rem aining sources fo r neigh borhood development. March against racism The Black United Front w ill hold a March Against Racism on A p ril 4th, the anniversary o f the assassination o f Dr. M artin Luther King, Jr. Beginning at noon in A lb e rta Park, 19th and Alberta, the march w ill conclude with a rally at King Neighborhood Facility. The march w ill be held in con- ju n c tio n w ith the N ational Black United Front and chapters across the nation to protest the continued and increasing racism. Reverend Herbert D aughtry, national president o f BUF, said in Portland last week that the march will address three main sources o f violence — abuse o f police power, terrorism and mass k illin g s - as well as the more subtle variety. Making up for the WIZ fascinates Nia Gay, who found her way to "The Tinman'a" dressing room during Portland performance. (Photo: Richard Brown) Little joins law profession the ever-growing importance o f law in this society and how inadequately we were represented and decided to do something about it. She went back to Lewis and C lark Law School and spent four years o f some very rigorous studying. “ It was very hard going back to school w ith all o f my household responsibilities. The attitude o f the professors was something else; something like T V ’ s ‘ Paper Chase.’ Law school assumes incompetence on the part o f the student. I had been w orking fo r several years, I was an adult and I knew I was a competent professional woman but I had to sit and endure fo r four years o f being told my head was full o f mushl (my husband) B ill was very supportive, however, both Financially and morally.” By Fungai Kumbula It would be quite accurate to say that lawyers run this country. A cursory look will reveal that a good percentage o f the Senators and Representatives are form er prac tising attorneys or have some legal background. Then there are the judges that interpret the laws and punish offenders. In industry, cor porate lawyers are becoming the most pow erful new elite. As the country tilts towards more and more litig a tio n , the legal profession assumes greater and greater sig nificance in our daily lives. The legal profession is like every ither segment o f American life in te sense that it too has very little m inority representation especially ihe private sector. In the public sec tor, m in o rity representation is slightly higher due to state and lederal requirements for the hiring of minorities. The private sector has no such obligations and there is, in the entire state, probably one Black male who would fit into the accep ted concept o f the “ downtown law MONICA LITTLE p a rtn e r.” There are no Black females. Even in the public sector, there are only a handful o f Blacks. It was this realization that drove M onica L ittle to school after she had graduated w ith a degree in public administration. She realized M onica graduated from Lewis and Clark in June o f last year but even then her problems were far from over. She sat fo r the Oregon Bar Association exam so she could be licensed to practice in Oregon. That was an experience in itself. In (Please turn to Page 4 Col I) * R o n Marla Davia apanda a aunny Spring day In tha RUNT garden. RUNT provldaa training and damonatration projacta In homa anargy alternative#. (Photo: Richard Brown) • r M B
