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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 1981)
For the children o f Atlanta and fo r all children who are hungry, suffer and live In fear. L Cawthorne gains support for school board suit School Board member Herb Caw thorne has threatened to tile a fed eral suit against the P o rtla n d school d is tric t i f the School Board proceeds to close both Washington? Monroe and Adams High School. A fte r a series o f p u b lic hearings the School Board voted to close only one high school - W a shington M onroe Dean G isvo ld and (. har- lo tte Beeman w ho w ill jo in the Board on Ju ly I has announced th e ir in te n tio n to vote to close Adam s p rio r to next Septem ber. Chairman Joe Reike has scheduled a special board meeting July 2nd to consider the closure. C aw thorne charges th a t closing both schools w ill have a dispropor tio n a te e ffe c t on Black students, and in his suit w ill claim that district policies that removed Black children fro m th e ir n e ig h b o rh o o d high schools have caused the destruction o f those schools. “ I have received an overw helm in g ly p o sitiv e re s p o n s e ," C aw thorne to ld the Observer Wednes day. "T h is reflects a concerted un d e rstan d in g among Blacks and whites for the basis o f my statement th a t closing W a s h in g to n /M o n ro e and Adams together has a disporate impact on Black students and poor whites. It is unfortunate that a legal challenge cannot embrace the negative im pact on various socio economic classes and races; the poor white students are almost as poorly regarded as arc Black students. In the response I'v e received, whites have shown a sensitive appreciation fo r the constraints o f the legal ap proach and fe ll o u r arguem ents speak fo r them as well as fo r Black students. "T h e negative responses have ac cused me o f b la c k m a il, h o ld in g a gun on the board, backing them into a narrow corner and eliminating the possibility fo r harmonious relation ships am ong and between board members. " I f the 'N ew Board' would have had the good grace and the in telligence to respect the present b o a rd ’ s decision, though not per fect, then the necessity for a defense outside o f the b oa rd ’ s deliberation process w ould never have occured. It is outrageous to think that leaving students w ith o u t assignments fo r the co m ing year, leaving teachers unassigned in large num bers, generating b o u n d ry changes and differing assignments for multitudes is w o rth closin g a school in the summer months. The psychological im pacts arc d e s tru c tiv e , the ad m inistrative im plem entation w ill be greatly compromised, and the ‘ New B o a rd ’ w ill begin its term w ith an inescapable a ire o f secrecy and callouse dealings. It is lim e fo r the Black c o m m un ity and whites who understand to realize the callousness the Board now p ro je c ts is a p a rt o f the n a tio n a l p sych ic, w hich says to public o fficials that sensitivity, con cern and com m itm ent to discnfran- chize people is no longer in vogue. " T h a t p sychic seeps dow n in to (Please turn to Page 6 C ol I) PORTLAND OBSERVER June 18. 1981 Volum e XI Number 36 26C Per Copy One shot shoots the future P ro te s t o f S e n a to r B ill M c C o y ’s s u p p o rt reap p o rtio nn -.en t plan d iv id in g B lack n e ig h b o r hoods was posted by a picket of M cCoy s home in North Portland. (Photo: Richard Brown) Voters picket McCoy's home Grassroot News N .W . - On Sun- day, a pp ro xim a tely 65 com m un ity residents, under the leadership o f the Black United Front, picketed the home o f State S enator W illia m " B ill” McCoy. The picket was called to show dis agreement w ith the M cCoy Amend ment adopted by the Senate C om m ittee on G overnm ent O p eratio n that changed the reapportionm ent plan adopted by the House and diluted the Black vote. The original plan would have the district w ith a 44 percent Black vote. The d istrict redraw n by M cC o y w o u ld d iv id e and decrease the percentage o f Blacks in the resulting district. Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman o f The Black U nited F ro n t, explained fu rth e r reasons fo r the d em on s tra tio n . " T h e Black c o m m u n ity came out in large numbers and said we w anted one representative d is tric t fo r the Black c o m m u n ity . B ill McCoy did not come to any o f those hearings and d id n ’ t address any one in the c o m m u n ity . When that proposal got to the Senate, he told them that the Black community did not want to be segregated. This shows that he does not understand what self-determ ination vs. segre g a tio n is, in a system that lim its your rights. In this case, the com m u n ity said they wanted one d is tric t.” H e rn d o n responded to the ac cusation that if Blacks were in one or a hundred districts. Black people just w ouldn’ t vote as a group here in P o rtla n d . " W e ll, th a t’ s why we (Please turn to Page 13 Col 3) Commissioners receive $1. vote The L e g is la tiv e fu ll W ays and Means C om m ittee acted upon the budget requests fo r the C o m missions on Black and Hispanic A f fairs. Rumors have circulated fo r weeks th a t S u bco m m itte e #1 w ou ld recommend to the fu ll committee a $1.00 general funds a p p ro p ria tio n for each Commission. Senator Deb Potts (D- M edford), C hairperson o f the Subcom m ittee made the report that recommended a $ 1.00 general fund app ro priatio n fo r each plus a $25,00 other funds lim itation for each. The o the r fu n d lim ita tio n w ill make it possible fo r the Commission to receive g ifts , grants and donations up to $25,000. Representative Ton Van Vliet (R- C orvallis) objected to the Subcom m ittee re p o rt sta ting th a t the fu ll co m m itte e should a p p ro ve the $110,000 fig u re fo r each C o m mission that has been included in Governor Vic A tiye h ’ s recommend ed budget. However, Rep. Van Vliet received no su pp ort fro m any co m m itte e members fo r this position. Rep. Van Vliet and Senator Frank Roberts (D -P o rtla n d ), voted no on the Subcommittee recommendation. Nevertheless, Senator Roberts, who has a significant number o f Blacks in his d istrict, did not support Rep. Van V lie t’ s a tte m p t to get m ore d o lla rs. F u rth e r, Senator R oberts did not explain his no vote. Rep. Vera K atz (D -P o rtla n d ) wants all the special commissions to be combined (Black, Hispanic, In dian and Women) to form a Human Relations Commission. This comes even though the G o v e rn o r’ s Task Force on M in ority A ffairs published a report delineating reasons why a com bined C om m ission w ould not function effectively at this time. Kay Toran, the Governor’ s Direc to r o f A ffir m a tiv e A c tio n , ex pressed her disappointm ent at the tw o C om m issions not receiving a larger recommended appropriation from the Ways and Means C om m it tee. " I recognize that this is a d if fic u lt tim e fo r legislators to make decisions a bo ut budget requests, (Please turn to Page 13 Col 5) This spring M ark Renwick had a dream. Since the age o f six he had planned to be a professional boxer and was well on his way with several im p o rta n t amateur wins. He pla n ned to announce his p ro fe ssio n a l debut on May 6th. On M arch 27th a police b u lle t ended that dream. At the age o f 23, M a rk R e n w ic k ’ s career ended. "H o w do you tell a man his career has ended at 2 3 ," he asks. R enw ick was b orn in P o rtla n d and attended John Adam s H igh S chool, where he p a rtic ip a te d in gym nastics, w re stling and karate His mother describes him as a well behaved boy, determined, interested in sports, but not caring much about his school work. A t the age o f six. Renwick was in trod uce d to b o xin g at M t. Scott /C o m m u n ity C enter and im m ediately knew he wanted to be a fighter. Coached by Ed M ilberger, he became known in boxing circles as a winner. In 1977 he was Pacific Northwest Super Crown Champion; in 1980 he won the Oregon Golden Gloves and in September o f 1980 he was second in the western states in Golden Bear, where he lost to the n a tio n a l ch am pio n in a s p lit decision. A m o ng his e a rlie r o p ponents was Sugar Ray L eonard. Althoug he wanted to participate in the 1976 Olympics, his father decid ed he was too young. Renwick was said to have the en durance, stamina and coordination to be one o f the better pros in the nation -- perhaps a W o rld C ham pion. On March 27th, Renwick’s dream ended when he was shot in the m outh by P ortland Police O ffic e r Stephen W. Mosier. Renw ick said he and his g ir l friend were having an argument; she ran out o f the house and he ran after her, not w anting to fig ht in public. Back in the house the argument con tinued. Then the door was knocked in and tw o police o ffice rs ran in to the house th e ir guns dra w n . They to ld the young lady to leave; she did.. “ I was angry. I was very angry,” Renwick said. " I shouted at them and ask why they were there, what they were d o in g w ith those guns, whether they had a search warrant. I told them to get o u t.” Renwick ex plained that he picked up a piece o f m o ld in g th a t had been shattered when the door was smashed in and held it in his rig h t hand (he is le ft M a rk Renw ick (Photos: Richard J. Brown) handed). He shouted, " W h o ’ s going Io pay for this. I ’ m not going to pay fo r this.” He said the officer was also shouting, "S h u t up or I 'll shoot.” " I reached down and started to break the molding with my foot. He must have said som ething and I looked up, because suddenly my face blew apart. I could see my face, b lo o d , teeth fly in g in fro n t o f my eyes. I thought I was dead.” Renwick was shot in the m outh w ith a h o llo w p o in t b u lle t. H is mouth was filled w ith shrapnel; the bullet lodged against his spine. He never lost consciousness during the 20 m in u te w a it fo r an am bulance and was taken to Emanuel where he underwent surgery. He was placed in intensive care under police guard. The hospital called Mrs. Renwick at 1:00 a.m. (the shooting ocurred at 11:30). She was to ld that he had nearly bled to death, that there was no heart beat. " B u t the police said there was no serious in ju r y , " she said. The hospital spokesman said, “ D on’ t gel your hopes up.” R enw ick d id s u rvive and a fte r three days he was sent to Adventist hospital where he was placed in the Rocky Butte ward -- chained to the bed. " I had tubes in my nose, in each a rm , dow n m y th ro a t; I couldn't move. But they chained me to the bed.” Renwick said he had never been arrested but when one o f the guards threated to let him go i f there were no arrest papers, he was arrested and read his rights. The charge was A tte m p te d A ssault I I ; the b a il $1,500. "T h e grand Jury refused to indict me. I d id n ’t get to testify.” R enw ick s till has tro u b le sw allow ing; his speech is affected. Pieces o f shrapnel are s till in his face; they w ill w o rk th e ir way out p a in fu lly through the skin, through his gums. The most p a in fu l is his tongue. " T h e d o c to r said I w ill always be in pain I w ill have more (Please turn to page 4 col. I) anxiety itself is unhealthy and has its own e ffe c t on reducing n a tio n a l security. W e deny the frig htenin g im m ediacy and m ag n itu d e o f the threat o f nuclear w ar because it is incomprehensible. This denial is an appropriate protection against sour ces o f an xiety which cannot be eliminated, such as the inevitability o f one's own d e a th , but it is a serious obstacle to coping w ith rem ovable th re a ts . Yes, nuclear war is a removable threat. The cuts in social and health ser vices w ill cle a rly u n d erm in e the national security by reducing the life and health fo r m illio n s of Americans and by increasing costs. Most social and health services are vital and positive in th eir effects, saving millions o f dollars by preven ting m ore serious and expensive problem s. F or exam ple, there are H e a d s ta rt pre-school tra in in g , maternal and child health services, com m unity m ental health centers, public health clinics and hospitals, pollution control programs, and oc cupational health safeguards. Think o f the problem s th at w ill arise if these program s are devastated M a n y o f the program s help poor and disadvantaged people who are (Please turn to Page 13 Col 5) Social cuts, nuclear war budget linked By David Pollock, M.D. I would like to address the links between increased military spending and decreased spending fo r social and health services. The two actions are com plem entary in the view o f the Reagan Adm inistration -- social and health services are to be sacri ficed to the m ilitary in the name o f in fla tio n fig h tin g and n a tio n a l security. The two actions are linked in an o th er way: they are both reprehensible and unacceptable in that they will be extremely harmful to the health o f the nation. Increasing the m ilita ry budget heads us further and faster toward nuclear w ar. T he existence in the w o rld stockpiles o f g reater than 40,000 nuclear weapons supervised by thousands o f personnel greatly increases the chance o f nuclear war by accident, hum an e rro r, or deviant b e h a v io r. A nuclear ex change would undoubtedly lead to widespread destruction and death. We have estim ated th at the blast, firesto rm s, and acute io n izin g radiation from he detonation over Portland o f a one megaton nuclear weapon, a rela tiv e ly small device, would k ill 466,000 people outright and leave 247,000 injured. O f P ort la n d ’ s surviving physicians, we m ight expect a ra tio o f one fu n c tioning physician per 1,000 acutely injured persons. I f each physician spent only ten minutes in diagnosis and treatment for 20 hours a day, it w ould take eight days to see each p atien t only once. C le a rly , the medical community is unable to deal w ith the health consequences o f even this limited nuclear attack. A widespread nuclear exchange has been estim ated by the U .S . N ational Security Council to cause 140 m illio n dead in the U .S ., 113 m illio n in the U .S .S .R . T he sub sequent long-term climatic changes, degradation o f the ozone layer, and fallo u t contam ination o f the food chain would threaten the very sur vival o f life on this planet. W hat is the meaning o f national security, the term which is used to justify increased m ilitary spending? It should mean that we secure the life and health o f the majority o f the population. For the government to h urtle us even closer to nuclear destruction does little to instill a true sense o f national security. The talk o f war, the misguided belief that a war could be won, leads most o f us to grave fears fo r the fu tu re o f h u m a n ity and the E a rth . The J