Page 2 Portland Observer August fi. 1961
My best friend
EDITORIAL/OPINION
By Eungai Kumbula
Reporting fro m Inglewood, CA
If you don't like cops . . .
And Linda, dear, if you don't like cops,
next tim e you need help w h y d o n 't you try
calling Alan O ta ." These are the words of Jeff
Barker, editor of "The Rap Sheet", printed on
the first page of the August issue "T h e Rap
Sheet” is the official publication of the Port
land Police Association and the Oregon Coun
cil of Police Associations.
In the m id st o f a tira d e against the
O re g o n io n ’s recent series on alleged police
abuses -- especially those directed at the Black
com m unity -- Barker selected Linda Williams,
reporter for the Oregonian, for his special ire.
He appears to threaten Ms. Williams that she,
as a citize n and tax payer, w ill be refused
protection of the Portland Police Bureau.
In fact, the entire issue of "The Rap Sheet"
seems directed at Blacks. A lth ough the top
sto ry is a plug by Chief Ron S till for better
public relations, the front page also carries a
reprint of an old Oregon Journa l article con
ta in in g Police A s s o c ia tio n president Stan
Peters' charges that Blacks are com m itting a
disproportionate share of crimes and his rebut
of "Black United Front lies".
The issue also contains letters from City At
to rn e y Chris T hom as regarding O regonian
reporter Alan Ota. The editor remarks, "O ta
has earned the reputation of being a real jerk in
his dealings w ith the Detective Division over
the past years."
Thomas reveals that he has asked all a tto r
neys and law clerks in his office not to provide
Ota w ith in fo rm a tio n u n til he apologizes to
several officers named in his article, "O fficers
choose not to respon d” . In the article, Ota
said that the officers had refused coi;im> nt on
citizen charges against them.
Even more disappointing were the lemarks
Cries o f ••F o u l" have o f late
been directed at the Reagan ad-
ministratioin from both the African
of Dick Bogle, former police officer and now a continent as well as our other con
K A TU new sm a n. Bogle said a b o u t th e
s titu e n t in this country. What has
Oregonian articles, " It makes me w ant to puke prompred this outcry, among other
things o f course, is the increasing
and you can quote me. I almost literally threw
coziness
between Washington and
up when I read those things. It was very poor
Pretoria, South Africa.
tim in g w hen th e d e p a rtm e n t w as try in g to
The num ber o f tete a ’ tete’ s
right itself and reestablish cre dib ility." W hat is between the tw o, both overt and
the right time to expose the abuses o f citizens covert, has escalated dram atically
by th e ir p u b lic em ployees? W e realize th a t
in the last few months and Reagan’ s
Bogle is loyal to his old friend, Chief Still, and own obsession w ith "s to p p in g
that he probably is sincere in his efforts to aid communism” even at the expense of
human rights considerations has
th e B ureau, b u t are these th e w o rd s o f a
just added fuel to an already volatile
newsman?
situation.
It appears th a t "T h e Rap S h e e t” has e m
Lately attention has been diverted
barked on an all out crusade against it critics of by the rio ts sprouting up all over
England, at last count in 33 cities
the Police Bureau, many o f w hich are black.
throughout
England as well as
Or is this attack on Blacks just a way of paving
Wales and Northern Ireland. Those
the way for the return of Officers fired over the
riots are o f particular interest to all
"Possum Incident” - destroy the credibility of
o f us here on the continent as well as
the victim to excuse the attack?
to those agencies charged with “ law
While Chief Still is asking the public to give enfo rce m e n t" th rougho ut the
him time to make constructive changes and is country. To us they are o f interest
making an e ffo rt to com m unicate w ith Black because apart fiom the fact that it
citizens, the union seems to have gone into an is our people once again " i n the
thick o f things” co to speak, it is
a tta c k p o s itio n . There rem ains a lo t o f not inconcievable to see the whole
question a io u t who runs the Police Bureau - scene repeated here across the
the Chief or the union president. Will the union Atlantic.
The issues, the anger, the
support constructive change? This issue of the
fru
s tra tio n that brought those
Rap sheet" indicates otherwise.
"T he Rap Sheet" does the Bureau and the
union members a diservice. The police officers
need to learn to function properly in a m u lti
racial c ity ; th e y do n o t need th e same old
rhe to ric. W e suggest th a t the s ta ff of "T h e
Rap Sheet" be the first candidates for training
in hum an re la tio n s . W e also believe the
dem ea ning and ra cist rem arks a b o u t Ms.
W illia m s require a fo rm a l a p o lo g y fro m the
Police Association.
For money and power
W h ile a n n o u n cin g its new im m ig ra tio n
p o lic y , the US g o v e rn m e n t is p repa ring to
return several thousand people to El Salvador
to face certain death. Citizens of El Salvador
are in the c o u n try ille g a lly , fleeing the
prosecution and brutality of their own govern
m ent. These people do not fit into the U S
immigration plan.
US immigration policy serves tw o purposes
- economic and political. Since the elimination
o f slavery, im m ig ra tio n has been used to
p rovid e cheap la b o r. The Irish, Eastern
Europeans, the Chinese and many others have
been used. During and after the second World
War the Bracero program brought millions of
M exicans farm w o rke rs. A ll were e xploited
while they contributed to the nation's wealth
A second use fo r im m ig ra tio n is fo re ig n
policy - a method of embarassing nations that
are currently in disfavor. The tw enty years of
inticem ent of Cubans to leave their co u n try
illegally and the recent immigration welcomed
"w ith open arms and open heart" are merely
efforts to discredit the Cuban government At
the same tim e, H aitians a tte m p tin g to flee
brutality and starvation were turned away. The
US refuses to accep t refugees fro m El
S alvador and G uatem ala, w ho are fle e in g
brutal dictatorships that murder thousands of
their own people each year, because the US
supports their government.
The Reagan A d m in is tra tio n 's frie n d ly
gesture to w a rd M exico w ill serve these tw o
purposes w ell. The im p o rta tio n of 600,000
workers annually w ill insure cheap labor and
break the backs of the unions while providing
a temporary escape value for M exico's unem
ploym ent problem. Politically it is designed to
m end fences w ith M e xico . The M exican
government has created some concern - it has
called Cuba its "best frie n d " and insured sup
port against US intrusion, and it supports the
liberation movements in Central America. But
more im portant.. Mexico has oil.
The new im m igration policy while a tte m p t
ing to curry the friendship of Mexico, bears an
evil omen for refugees from other parts of the
Am ericas. A recently leaked docum ent talks
ab o u t keep ing u n d o c u m e n te d refu g e e s in
detention camps, resettling Haitians in other
countries, returning "Cuban m isfits" to Cuba,
d iscouraging other co un trie s (M exico) from
being a co nd uit thro ugh w h ich refugees can
travel to the US and turning back boatloads of
Haitians on the high seas.
The A dm inistration has taken the first step
to w a rd d e p o rtin g several th o u sa n d Salvor-
doreans w h o have appealed fo r refu gee
status. The State Department has sent letters
to 1200 Salvadorean people n o tify in g them
that they have failed to meet refugee require
ments. A lthough the State Department m ain
tains that those individuals who can prove that
they will be persecuted if they return home can
be given refugee status, the National Lawyers
G uild re p o rts th a t so far, all o f th e ir clie n ts
have been refused.
One exam ple is Ricardo Ernandes, a trade
union organizer, w ho says he was shot three
tim es in El Salvador. W hen his cousin, who
had been mistaken for him; was m urdered, a
note was left on his chest saying that Ernandes
w ould be next. His request for asylum in the
United States has been denied.
P o rtla n d O bserver
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JSPS 959 600) is p u b lis h e d e very Thurs
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P o rtia ^
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2201 North Killingsworth
Po»’ O ffic e Bo« 3137. P o rtla n d . O re g o n
p o M q e ; a id at P o rtla n d . O re g o n
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ty area P ostm aster
p O Box 3137
Portland, Oregon 97208
Tt» P o r t la n d '
e r v e r was founded »n October of 1970 by
A'fred Lee Henderson
P o /a n d
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a I iq a m s t so cia l evils a th o ro u g h a na lyst
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ito ry pra< tic e s a nd p o lic ie s a se n tin a l to
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; • ' j m d PMist.ng ra c is t tre n d s a nd p ra c tic e s , and a
defer der a gainst p e rs e c u tio n and o p p re s s io n .
firm e Broussard
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t d i t o r / Publisher
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q ,»r d incre a se th e o p p re s s io n o f Third
i t,e i >nsidered in th e c o n te x t o f th e ir ex
: - a ’ • by th e r <>»<»■ »1 n a tio n s , in c lu d in g th e
j (h*»>r re la tio n s h ip to th is n a tio n s h is to ric a l
tre a tm e n t o f its Black population
V
MEMBER
N M p A e «
AttoeiHion ■ Founded 1 M Î
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f th e m in o rity p o p u la tio n w ill be v ie w e d and
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f th«»ir c a u s a lity u n re s tra in e d ano
i i y » - n iip r
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N a t io n a l a n d in t e r n a t io n a l
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1st Place
Community Service
ONPA 1973
283 2486
N a tio n a l A d v a rtia m q R n p ra a a n ta tiv a
A m a lg a m a te d P u b lis h e rs Inc
N a w Y o rk
1st Place
Best Ad Result
ONPA ,973
5th Place
Best Editorial
ONPA 1973
Honorable Mention
Herrick Editorial Award
NNA ,973
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1975
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and simplistic. The battle for South
Africa w ill have to be carried on at
different level and, reacting to this
setback p a rtic u la rly , the A N C
(A fric a n N ational Congress) the
lib e ra tio n movement fig h tin g to
liberate South A frica , has stepped
up its attacks - carefully choosing
ecnonomic targets. In the past three
m onths at least a dozen power
plants in South A frica were blown
up plunging sections o f Johannes
burg and Pretoria into darkness and
affecting hundreds o f businesses.
More than 600,000 were left without
power fo r several hours. As was
proved in Zim babwe and every
other place where it has been
necessary to use force to bring about
our deliverance, this unfortunately
seems to be the one language they
can never mistake.
Should the diplom atic battle be
given a bad job though? The answer
is no. The battle for South A fric a ’ s
and N am ibia’ s freedom must con
tinue to be waged on as many d if
ferent fro n ts as possible; it must
continue to be multi-pronged attack
as was the case w ith Zim babwe.
The enemies o f A fric a ’ s liberation
must be forced to negotiate. We,
too, can play the "carrot-and-stick”
game. We are on the move now and
nothing but nothing can stop us.
Collective protest a necessity
By Luis Alvarez
Executive Director, Committee o f
Spanish Speaking People o f Oregon
Federal cuts in social service
programs are "m andated by the
Am erican p e o p le ." This is the
rationale we hear so often used by
President Reagan to ju stify the ac
tions o f his administration. It see,ns
to this writer that the idea o f a man
date is nothing but hogwash; I do
have to admit, however, that when
the adm inistration started cutting
back programs such as those that
allow migrant infants a decent meal,
or those that give poor folks legal
representEtion, we heard hardly a
word from the people providing the
services, and even less than that
from people receiving the services.
There was no uproar - such as when
the social security program was
threatened; there was no show o f
indignation as was demonstrated by
the "M o ra l M a jo rity ” when it was
announced that a woman with
neuiial views on abortion had been
appointed to the Supreme Court.
It is commonly assumed that poor
people are not able to articulate
their concerns or demonstrate their
feelings that they are not w illing
to organize a campaign which would
show the injustices o f the cuts -- or,
more im p o rta n tly, a campaign to
demonstrate that people, both poor
and not poor, can prevent this coun
try from becoming one that has no
heart.
I believe that the assumption
which says that poor people are
powerless is only an excuse for those
who are unable to act on their own
in itia tiv e We must, as a united
group, show the ad m in istra tio n
that the cuts are not in the best in
terest of our country, and that we
are in profound disagreement with
Reagan’ s policies. We must also be
candid w ith the people who are
receiving the services and tell them
that it w ill be too late to complain
after we have all closed our doors --
that without their help, we w ill not
be able to help anyone.
Now is the time fo r community-
based organizatioins to w ork
together in a real demonstration o f
unity - a collective voice in protest
o f the Administration's policies and
our country’ s indifference to their
consequences. M eanw hile, we
should learn how to use our
alliances to prepare outselves for the
eventuality o f massive cuts or
decisions as to where cuts w ill be
made. I am convinced that our
communities in Oregon can meet the
challenge we are presented with, and
that we can work together to make
this country a better place for all its
people. The challenge is ours.
So long PO
Bv Caxton Muru Munne
I say so long to you in a personal feel
We haven't know each other
For the past birth’ s the future.
Dreams o f love reflections o f nature
Mirrors of happy traits of emotions
W onders o f nature truths o f life.
Conferences deltas o f love
Reunions bases of life
Longings hopes o f future.
Time flows streams ol water
Floating downstream we surf on
Tension o f achi two U U.
fa ll storms seas o f high
I say so long in a personal feel
I say so long in a natural self
I say so long in a belonging love.
I ributaries paths o f straits
Passages courses o f life.
Ups and downs slopes of W aves
hanging on by the natures pull
Nature’ s guard on we move.
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People we are things we see
Life is but motional time
People we meet, things we do
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Sunshine changes seasonal rams
l ight shines in comes the day
Dark falls in come the night
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People we love joys o f life
Talking, laughing, happily smiling
Beautiful together, blossoms ol nature
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Bushes o f hair nails o f fingers
Loves o f life each we live
Sweets o f life seeds o f tomorrow.
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M onum ent.
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Notice
The Portland Observer thanks
Patricia Butler for her artw o rk
for the July 30. 1961 Issue
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A M E R IC A N STATE BANK
N ine U S. P re sid e n ts neve r w e n t to co lle g e -
George W a sh in g to n , A n d re w Jackson, M artin Van
Buren, Zachary T aylor, M illa rd Fillm ore, Abraham
L in co ln , A n d re w J o h n s o n , G rover C leveland and
Harry Truman.
Cute faces smooths o f skins
Dark eyes flashes o f teeth
Soft spoken hearts o f love.
3rd Piece
Community Leadership
ONPA ,978
3rd Place
In deoth coverage
ONPA 1979
residents o f B rixton; Black, white
and Asian (and in the 32 other cities)
are the very same bread-and-butter
issues that we have had to pick up
the gun to liberate Zim babwe,
Mozambique, Angola: the list goes
on. Your "law enforcem enr’ agen
cies watched the British riots very
closely to see how the “ dignified”
British would deal with them. They
are fu lly aware that they too might
very soon have to deal with a similar
crisis.
The reluctance o f the Reagan ad
m in istra tio n to deal w ith South
A fric a , therefore, is no surprise.
Reagan has more in common with
B rita in ’ s Margaret Thatcher who,
like South A fr ic a ’ s Pieter Botha,
refuses to see the connection
between the riots and the ever wide
ning gap between rich and poor;
refuses to believe that the riots are a
result o f her economic policies that
have throw n more people out o f
work than ever before. As in South
Africa, because the m ajority o f the
victim s o f this economic mis
management are Black, when they
take to the streets, the police move
in with a heavy hand (and bootl) as
usual.
To expect the Reagan ad
m in istra tio n to heed the human
rights cry as regards South A frica
therefore, would be naive, myopic
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The 5 largest countries in the w orld in area are, in
order, Russia, Canada, China, the U.S. and Brazil.
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