. . K
For the children o f Atlanta and fo r
all children who are hungry, suffer
and live in fear.
□
*
Black voters to picket Senator McCoy residence
Com m unity reaction to the M c
Coy Amendment adopted by the
Senate Committee on Government
Operations was sharp and angry.
The amendment changes the reap
portionm ent plan adopted by the
House, to dilute the Black voting
strength in the district designated by
the House as D is tric t 18. This
district, as adopted by the House,
would have a population 44 per cent
Black.
The d is tric t as redrawn by
Senator William McCoy, Jr. divides
the A lbina community at Fremont
and decreases the percentage o f
Black residents in the resulting
district.
McCoy lives in St. Johns and his
current Senate district includes the
predominately white St. Johns and a
p o rtio n o f the Black com m unity
roughly north o f Fremont and west
of Union, with some sections exten
ding as far east as 15th. Including
the new House District 18 within his
district would increase the percen
tage o f Black in his district and this
is the reason seen for his move to
change the House plan.
Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman of
the Black United Front, called for a
picket o f M cC oy’ s home on Sun
day, June 14th at 2:00 p.m. Hern
don said M cC oy’ s move sets a
historical precedent. “ You w ill not
find an historical example o f groups
dividing themselves to gam power.”
“ Divide and conquer” techniques
have been used to oppress ethnic
minorities but “ the oppressed never
use this against themselves.’ ’ A ll
minority groups recognize that they
have to unite to consolidate their
power.
An example recently cited by
W illiam Rasberry in his syndicated
column carried by the Oregonian is
that o f Senator Doug W ilder, the
only Black member o f the Virginia
State Senate, who is fig h tin g to
prevent gerrymandering attempts in
his state. The N A A C P and the
AC LU are challenging a plan that
w ould
divide
areas
w ith
predom inately Black populations
and add them to largely white
d istricts “ making it almost im
possibly d iffic u lt fo r blacks to in
crease their current representation .
.. in the state house.”
The plan adopted by the Oregon
House was the result o f community
participation. At a forum sponsored
by the Observer and numerous
com m unity organizations, fo u r
plans were presented and discussed.
A t the request o f Lucious H icks,
president of the NAACP, Portland
Branch, the House Com m ittee on
Elections and R eapportionm ent
held a form al hearing in King
Neighborhood Facility.
Hicks, who said his organization
had not studied the issue enough to
make p recommendation, said they
w ould te stify at the hearing and
would support community opinion.
Overw helm ing support was ex
pressed
by in d ivid u a ls
and
organizations who testified at the
House hearing. The N A A C P did
not o ffe r testimony and submitted
no w ritten testimony to the House
or the Senate. Members o f the
Senate Committee on Government
A ffairs have indicated that McCoy
claimed the support o f the NAACP
fo r his plan. Hicks is out o f town
and unavailable fo r comment, but
members o f the Executive Board in
dicate there has been no discussion
o f the plan.
Senator McCoy did not attend the
public forum or the House hearing
in the com m unity. “ I suggest he
visit the Black com m unity to see
what the people w a n t,’ ’ Herndon
said, pointing out that although the
BUF has held weekly com m unity
meetings on a va rie ty o f serious
issues for the past three years, Mc
Coy has never been in attendence.
"T h is charade has gone on long
enough,” he said. "M cC oy does not
represent the Black community; he
doesn’t represent the interests o f the
Black community.”
Why did McCoy request that the
district be changed? "H e is afraid of
Black people. He is afraid o f what
an organized Black community w ill
(Please turn to page 10 col. 1)
PORTLAND OBSERVER
June 11,1981
Volum« XI Number 34
25< Per Copy
USPS 959-680-855
Dedication to education of youth
By Herb Cawthorne
Boise Student Cindy Jackson is presented the
Portland O bserver Jou rn alism T ro p h y, aw ard ed
each year to the outstanding m em ber of the staff
of the school new spaper, Boise Speaks. Present
ing the trophy is Cleo Franklin of the O bserver,
w h ile Principal Dave M cC rea and new spaper ad
visor Beth Nance w atched w ith pride. The aw ard
is based on a c a d e m ic e x c e lle n c e , p a rtic ip a tio n
and service.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
An Open Letter tothe community
By Konald K. Still
Chief o f Police
I am writing this as an open letter
to the citizens o f Portland but also
more specifically citizens o f the
Black com m unity o f P ortland.
Since my appointment as Chief o f
Police on June I, 1981, there has
been a great deal o f speculation
about my concerns for problems in
the Albina community.
I would like to begin by telling
you a little bit about myself. I was
born in Portland, attended Benson
High School. I am married and have
three children I spent three years in
the U.S. Coast Guard and after
joining the Portland Police Bureau
in 1954, I have attended Portland
C om m unity College and received
both a bachelor’ s degree and a
master’ s degree from the University
o f Portland in the A dm inistration
o f Criminal Justice.
Since my appointment as a police
o ffic e r, w orking as a un ifo rm
patrolman, detective, sergeant, and
then as a commander o f various
divisions within the Police Bureau, I
have spent much time in the Albina
community. One o f the major con
cerns that we have in our current
adm inistration is re-establishing
good communications and relations
w ith the com m unity living in
A lbina. I intend to w ork hard at
doing this by talking but more im
p o rta n tly listening to the com
munity.
I have already begun meeting with
several citizens in the com m unity
that I know personally. Some w ill
guess that the people I know are
The youth d rill team, Portland
Stars and Stripes, won a first
place award in the Junior Rose
Festival Parade. W atch fo r this
talented group at the Grand
Floral Parade on Saturday!
—
■ ........................................................................
older and not o f the current
generation. I hope this, along with
other speculation, w ill be kept in
check. I intend to talk to a broad
spectrum o f people and hopefully
develop policies and programs that
w ill both im prove policing and
develop a better community as well
as improve community relations. I
would like to work towards
reducing the long-standing concerns
A lb in a residents have expressed
towards narcotics, p ro s titu tio n ,
burglary, and robbery. At the same
time, the subject o f balancing that
effort with peoples’ civil rights.
Gn June 4, 1981, I placed into ef
fect the following policy statement.
This statement is designed fo r the
protection o f the com m unity but
w ill be a baseline statement to all
Bureau personnel during my ad
ministration. The policy statement
has been read at all the Roll Calls
and posted on all the bulletin boards
and I have personally visited o f
ficers throughout the Bureau per
sonally asking them to fo llo w not
only the letter but the intent o f this
policy.
“ For many years, the mission
statement o f the Portland Police
Bureau included our obligation to
provide three types o f protection:
protection of persons, protection of
property and protection o f c iv il
rights.
“ A ll members are expected to main
tain a sustained and dedicated effort
to assure the peace and safety o f
everyone who lives, works in or
visits our City. We must vigorously
enforce the law. We must reverse
the trend o f rising crime and fear.
“ As we strive to protect persons
and their property, however, we
must always balance these efforts
against our duty to protect civil
rights. In a free society such as ours,
police actions must never be at the
cost o f depriving anyone o f the
rights guaranteed to them under the
(E d ito r’ s Note: The follow ing is
the fu ll text o f a speech by Herb
Caw thorne, delivered at The A n
nual Dinner o f The Urban League
o f P ortland, “ In H onor o f Vern
Chatm an,” Director o f Education
and Youth Incentives, The Urban
League of Portland.)
The spiritually u p liftin g Dr. W.
E. B. Du Bois wrote in 1914 words
which can be said to have set the
background for the life ’ s work o f
the man whom we honor this
evening. Du Bois w rote, “ ...W e
must carefully understand the age in
which we live; above all, we must
realize that this is an age o f tremen
dous a c tiv ity ; that today no race
which is not prepared to put forth
the fu ll might o f its ca refully
developed powers can hope to main
tain itself as a world power. Gn one
p o in t, therefore, there can be no
question - no hesitation: unless we
develop our fu ll capabilities, we
cannot survive.”
G ur quest to develop our fu ll
capabilities depends on leadership
with vision, spirit, and commitment
to education. These words fit Vern
Chatman like a perfectly tailored
suit.
Vern Chatman has a devotion to a
vision. It is his perception o f Black
potential and w orth that is the
driving force behind his tireless ac
tiv itie s over these many years.
Vern’ s vision is deepened by an ap
preciation o f a history fu ll o f in
credible hardships and amazing
triu m p h . His clear eyes discover
daily the beauty o f that which Dr.
Du Bois offered as truth long ago:
‘ ...For three long centuries white
people lynched Negroes who dared
to be brave, raped Black women
who dared to be virtuous, crushed
dark-hued youth who dared to be
am bitious, and encouraged and
made to flourish servility and lewd
ness and apathy. But not even this
was able to crush all the manhood
and chastity and aspiration from
Black folk. A saving remnant con
tinually survives and persists, con
tinually aspires, continually shows
its e lf in th r ift and a b ility and
character. Exceptional it is to be
sure, but this is the prom ise; it
shows the ca p a b ility o f Negro
blood, the prom ise o f Black men
and women.”
To this vision o f trium ph, Vern
adds a vernerable spirit. Vern has an
essential, pervading quality which
excites, rouses, encourages, and
motivates all those w ith whom he
comes in contact. The Chatm an
spirit knows no time; it knows no
sex; it knows no age; it knows no
color; it knows no handicap. He is
the bridge o f the soul. As such,
Vern Chatman links the old with the
new. The wisdom o f the years is
merged with the youthful challenge
o f today and, through Vern Chat
man, our young people have obsor-
bed without fanfair the solidness o f
the past and the excitement o f the
future. The Chatman spirit speaks -
VERN C H A T M A N
it needs no references; it needs no
loud music; it needs no slide show; it
needs no preaching He stands
before the young and, before he
speaks, they understand his spirit.
They accept him as history. His
graceful toughness challenges them.
They seek his counsel. And they
believe him when he tells them over
(Please turn to Page 10 ( ol I )
BUF sponsors police legislation
The Oregon Association o f Chief
o f Police and the Oregon Peace O f
ficers Association have joined the
Black U nited F ront and the
National Lawyers Guild in sponsor
ing legislation to lim it the authority
o f police to use “ deadly physical
force.”
C urrent laws allows police o f
ficers to shoot and k ill felons who
are fleeing from the police. This in
cludes not only a person who is
fleeing the scene o f a crim e, and
therefore is a suspect, but a person
who is jaded for a misdemeanor and
escapes, thereby a u tom atically
becoming a felon.
The law allows a police officer to
CHIEF RON STILL
co n stitu tio n . A ll members o f the
Police Bureau w ill be held account
able to this policy.”
I hope this letter relives some con
cerns whether real or speculated, on
the part o f the Albina community.
We badly need to communicate our
goals to each other. We w ill make
every effort to do so on my part.
(E d ito r's Note: C h ie f S till w ill
be present at the Observer’s police/
community relations forum on June
20th at Bourbon Street Restaurant,
9:30 am .
During the last forum, the Police
Bureau was asked to present plans
to improve police work in Albina.
Among the com plaints addressed
were: excessive force, lack o f train
ing, lack o f Black officers, and the
complaint process.)
shoot a person he believes to be
threatening to kill or seriously injure
himself (the officer) or another per
son.
The new law would allow an o f
ficer to shoot only to save a life, he
could not shoot a fleeing felon un
less that person had just committed
a crime or attempted to com m it a
crim e using or threatening to use
deadly physical force, and he
evidences a threat to kill or seriously
injure the officer or another person.
The o ffic e r w ould have the
discretion to shoot if he believes this
person’ s escape w ould cause im
mediate danger to others.
Currently the law allows a police
County considers emergency rule
The Multnomah County Board of
Commissioners has under consider
ation an amendment to a current
ordinance that would provide pen
alties for disobeying an order by the
S h e riff to leave an area dclcared
closed because o f an emergency
situation.
Chief Charles Fessler, Operations
Branch o f the County, Division o f
Public Safety, explained that the
current ordinance allows the County
Executive, or in his absence, the
Sheriff, to close an area in response
to an emergency. This ordinance has
been used sparingly, only three
times in recent years; the United
Airlines crash when it was necessary
to keep bystanders from danger and
protect the crash scene fo r in
vestigators; the sniper situation at
the Ringside; and a sniper at the air
p o rt. In the latter case, the scene
was closed to keep citizens out o f
the danger area
The county ordinance only allows
an area to be closed when an in
cident has happened - a natural
disaster; an accident such as a wreck
involving hazardous gases; a civil
disorder as defended by law. It must
be declared by the Executive O f
ficer, in this case, Don C lark, and
only if there is danger to persons or
property. It d iffe rs fro m the new
C ity o f P ortland ordinance that
allows a police sergeant to declare
an emergency if he believes a serious
situation might develop.
“ A police officer could not drive
by a park and sec people milling
around, decide there might be
4
4
o ffic e r to shoot when a person is
fleeing the scene o f kidnap, arson,
escape I, burglary I, or the attempt
to commit one o f these crimes. If a
person is seen running from a home
and the o ffic e r believes a robbery
has been com m itted, he can shoot
and kill. If a person steals more than
$200, he is a felon and can be shot.
The b ill was introduced at the
request o f the Black United Front
after a study o f practices and
policies o f the P ortland Police
Bureau. Sixty percent o f all police
shootings, in the last ten years, were
o f Blacks.
Senate B ill 528 is in the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
»
■ ' ’ •
trouble, and close the park,” Fessler
explained.
The area closed is lim ited to the
area the Sheriff belives necessary to
protect persons and property, and
not to lim it the “ ob se rva tio n " o f
the public.
The ordinance says after an
emergency area has been declared,
the Sheriff can: regulate movement
to and fro m the area; lim it or
prohibit movement within the area;
move property in the area; evacuate
persons whenever and to the extent
that the Sheriff finds human lives or
property are endangered; enter into
private property to prevent or
m im inize danger to lives or p ro
perty. The S h e riff can barricade
streets and reaulate traffic
(Kleaseturn to rage iu l o i I)