P»g« 2 Portland Ob— r v f , September 10. 1801
EDITORIAL/OPINION
South Africa takes another beating
by Fungai Kumbula
What next?
This week we are publishing excerpts from the
arbitration hearing o f the “ possum incident.”
Although this w ill take several weeks and con
siderable space we believe the inform ation re
vealed to be very important to all the people o f
Portland.
The transcript reveals not only the often dis
cussed frustration police officers feel when they
are either unable to prove a suspect committed a
crime or when a convicted felon fails to receive
jail time, but it also reveals the frustration these
officers suffered because o f poor administration
and internal conflicts.
This frustration and anger was then turned
against the community. The entire incident was
racist— the officers projecting their own anger
and frustration into the Black community.
The transcript w ill also show the Police Bu
reau’s inability to deal with the situation because
o f its own inadequacies. A long history o f fail
ure to properly discipline officers and adminis
trators preceded this incident.
The failure o f the Police Bureau to present
testimony to support its case was the greatest
failing. The Bureau relied solely on the opinions
o f then-Chief Baker and Commissioner Jordan,
while the m ajority o f the administrative sta ff
supported the officers. The police union brought
testim ony concluding that the officers could
continue their police work and have community
acceptance, even in the Black community. The
Bureau, while maintaining the act was not racist,
failed to call any witnesses for the community to
testify about the response o f the Black commun
ity.
The transcript demonstrates that the incident
was mishandled by the Bureau and that the City
failed to present a case to the arbitrator to sup
port the termination.
The most important thing that now remains
to be said is what the Bureau intends to do about
the serious problems in its midst. What will be
come o f administrators who fail to administer,
o f supervisors who refuse to obey orders, o f of
ficers who harass and abuse the public? What
will the Bureau do to correct the explosive sirua-
tion in its midst?
That is what we are waiting to hear.
Participate in selection
The Portland School Board is in the process
o f selecting a new Superintendent. The choice o f
a superintendent is probably the most important
decision that the Board w ill make this decade.
As we have seen in recent years the mode o f op
eration o f a Superintendent and his basic philos
ophy about human beings can have a devastat
ing effect on all o f the children o f the school dis
trict.
The selection process thus far has been open
and fair-handed, directed by Dr. Leu o f Port
land State University. An interior advisory com-
mittee made up o f staff and a citizens’ advisory
committee have been involved in setting selec
tion criteria.
Three o f the semi-finalists are Black; three are
white. A ll are well-qualified and experienced.
The six candidates w ill be interviewed in Port
land in public meetings during the weeks o f Oc
tober 12th and 19th.
The public meetings are an opportunity for
citizens to meet and size up the candidates. A l
though the decision w ill be made by the School
Board, strong public interest has its influence.
I f there had been any doubt about
South A fr ic a ’ s h ead -in-th e-san d
logic, it was dispelled this past week.
South A fric a once again invaded
Angola on the lame pretext o f pur
suing S W A P O guerillas. As we all
recall, in January 1976, the excuse
was to prevent the "Soviet-backed
M P L A from coming to p o w er." It
did not take South A frica too long
then to discover that, while talk is
cheap, backing that talk with action
was another story altogether. In a
few short weeks, the invading South
A fric a n terrorists were routed and
ignom iniously forced to w ithdraw
leaving behind several o f their com
rades as prisoners o f the victorious
M P L A . This forever shattered the
myth o f South A fric a ’s "in vin cib il
ity .”
It ’s only been five years since then
and anyone with at least two ounces
o f logic would have thought twice
before m aking the same m istake
again. But not South A frica; there
logic and ra tio n a l th in k in g are
crimes punishable by long prison
term s— ask any Nelson M an d e la .
This past week South A frica again
invaded Angola and what the rea
soning (is there ever anything ra
tional about what the apartheid re
gime does?) is, is still very unclear.
C ould it be because South A fric a
thought she could defeat the M P L A
now and install Jonas Savimbi, the
South African-backed puppet?
Could it be that South Africa be
lieved that since 1976 the mood in
the West has turned definitely con
servative and anti-co m m un ist?
Could it be that the reception Botha
and his cronies have gotten in Wash
ington and the increasing tete-a-
teles between the U .S .A . and the
U .S .A . (U n ite d States o f Am erica
and the Union o f South Africa) had
been taken as a green light to go
“ fight communism on behalf o f the
" F r e e W o rld ? ” D id she hope to
draw the Cubans into the fighting so
she could more openly ask for help
fro m her W estern allies? W hen
Chester Crocker, assistant secretary
o f state for Southern Africa went to
Southern A fric a recently, he met
with South African "o fficials ” but
not the Black representatives either
within South A frica itself or in N a
mibia. Could his secret negotiations
have had some bearing on this cur
rent invasion which comes so soon
after Crocker's trip?
Whatever South A frica may have
hoped to gain from this misadven
ture, it has turned out to be another
m ajo r m iscalculation because the
Africans have fought back— giving
as good as they go. As o f last F ri
day, the Angolans had shot down at
least tw o South A fric a n planes,
killed a reported fifteen South A fri
cans, destroyed three tanks and
halted the South A fric a n push. It
was explicitly pointed out that it was
the Angolans who were doing the
fig h tin g . The Cubans have not
taken part in any o f the skirmishes
as verified by Western journalists
reporting both from P retoria and
Luanda (the Angolan capital).
On the diplom atic fro n t, South
A frica has come ou, with the short
end o f the stick also. Not one
country has come out in support o f
South A fric a ’s invasion. The U .S .,
Britain, and France, her traditional
supporters, have all condemned the
invasion and called for South A f
rica's immediate withdraw al. A d d
ing their voices to this condemna
tion and calling for withdrawal were
D enm ark, Ita ly , Sweden, Canada,
Portugal, China, the Soviet Union,
S w itzerland, the O A U , the U .N .,
the Front-line States, India, Czecho
slovakia, North Korea, Cuba and a
whole host o f other countries both
in L a tin A m erica , the C arib bean
and A sia. The fact that not even
Reagan could excuse this act o f ag
gression on the part o f South Africa
was a bitter blow to the apartheid
regime and has indicated another
step back in her attempts to become
“ acceptable."
Clearly the big winners in this war
are Angola, which has had the sup
port o f the whole international com
m unity (m o ral only though it has
been) behind h er, and S W A P O
which can now clearly demonstrate
its legitim acy as contrasted with
South A frica ’s criminal intent. The
war itself also is another indication
o f the vulnerability o f Free A frica
and more than anything else demon
strates what we have contended all
along— that A frica is not free until
the whole continent comes under
m ajority rule. As long as there is a
South A fric a . Free A fr ic a ’s inde
pendence is only paper indepen
dence.
Now that South A fric a has vio
lated A n g o la’s te rrito ria l integrity
so flagrantly, maybe Angloa should
initiate her own " h o t pu rsu it" and
chase the South Africans all the way
into Angola; maybe all the way to
Windhoek (the capital) just to be on
the safe side. Rem em ber Nyerere
and Amin? Amin invaded Tanzania
and. in chasing Amin out, Nyerere’s
Tanzanian soldiers chased him all
the way back to Uganda and, u lti
m ately, to Saudi A ra b ia . A ngola
should do (he same just to be sure
there will be no repetition o f the vio
la tio n o f her te rrito ry . A lo n g the
same vein, all S o u 'h ern A fric a
should be prepared for just such an
eventuality. These " h o t pursuits’*
should operate both ways. W hen
South Africa is liberated, the threat
to Free A fr ic a ’ s independence
would be removed forever.
This South A frican cowardly in
vasion o f Angola may the bc.t thing
to happen to Free Africa since inde
pendence. And the lim e to act
would be now when the diplomatic
ball is still in our court.
An Open Letter
Portland Observer
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«x.
To Portlanders. I am Joe Harris,
Moving on, it’s OK to throw pos
that he feels are informative. Well I
a tw o-tim e candidate for m ayor in
sums, but I think that real people
personally am still waiting on that.
the city o f Portland. M y p latform
One addressed driving habits o f o f
who see dead animals will dispose o f
was police b ru ta lity and harass
ficers. W ell, that's fine tool I can re
them properly. A fter all. rodent or
ment, and that still i$ a concern. I
late to that, but I can also relate to
pet, why k ill it, let alone toss it
know some laughed and some didn't.
the Oregon Drivers M an u al which
somewhere public? Yes, I am dissat
I know also that I d id n ’ t think it
says that an emergency vehicle can
isfied, like many others, and noth
was funny when I was being brutal
only exceed the speed designated by
ing will change that. I know it takes
ized and now, since the recent inves
10 mpb. (In addition many Blacks
a lot to live here and to live together
tigations o f the P o rtla n d Police
have been driving for a period o f
but I didn't know that it took all this
D e p t., neither do you— you know
years much longer than the rookies
and I refuse to accept it. So I want it
who you are.
that give the majority o f tickets.)
to be known that it will not be for
This is being written in response
Again I say that many have lost
gotten, what it will be is kept alive in
to the articles that the new chief o f
faith in the service o ffe red by the
our children and elders what a fool
police, Ron Stills, has been putting
Police D ept. (especially after false
the white eyes has made o f himself
in the P o rtlan d Observer. This col
again. (N ow let me talk back!)
arrest, drug planting, possum toss
umn also includes in fo rm atio n as
ing, a cap tain stealing and L ord
The open letters from the chief
well as the general feeling o f the
knows what else, lik e u n ju stifie d
don’t sound like the true gut feeling
damage that has been done to Black
o f the chief. A fter 28 years o f po-
killings or murders). But all in all.
P o rtla n d . Based on facts told by
licework something is missing. I ’ m
let’s face it, many people don't like
Black businessmen and women and
led to believe that the public in fo r
guns, let alone being accused, tried,
the community we have been highly
mation officer writes them and the
and convicted or suspected especial
disrespected.
chief reviews them and signs them.
ly when innocent. Guns put fear in
Since this country is the land o f
Now I can speak on this because I ’m
the hearts o f many. This type o f im
the free and home o f the brave, I
a professional judge o f character,
age we don’ t need, especially with
wish to exercise my right to freedom
fo r exam ple, when 1 and Bruce
shotguns.
o f speech, whether lo u d or soft. I
Baker (fo rm e r chief) cou ld n 't see
don’t have to be brave.
So in summing up, Ron, I want to
eye to eye, I could tell that there was
So, addressing the P ortland Po
say that I ’ m not one to talk about
a lot o f fool in him and sure enough
lice Dept. and the new chief and the
nobody, but the mayor also has an
what did he turn out to look like but
articles that he feels are an avenue to
awful lot o f fool in him and if you
a — . Let me add I ’ m not one to
better com m unicating with Blacks
d o n ’t help solve the problem , you
talk about nobody. But keep in
and other residents in Portland, es
become part o f the problem.
mind this wasn’t the few Black o ffi
pecially in the Northeast (A lbina), it
So please try to find out from o f
cers on the force, but in all in c i
sounds and reads to be very p ro
ficers W ard and G alloway who the
dents, some wild whites.
gram m ed. The feeling is also that
Black and w hite lawless tro u b le
Ron Stills talks about communi
the F .B .I. investigations w ill give
makers are, for people want to
cation, but there continues to be a
the public, mainly Blacks, the facts
know th a t. A t the same tim e it
problem with calls coming into the
they want to know. People have lost
would be helpful to know why Black
Bureau. The short waits turn out to
faith in the P .P .D . and are begin
women and in some recent cases,
be long ones, the operator is defin
ning to get leery o f the entire crimin
children,
are being harassed and de
itely not a police person.
al justice system more than ever be
tained right here at home, instead of
fore.
Still is definitely not telling Port
the w hite woman who has come
I would like to give special (hanks
landers. m ainly Blacks, what they
from Lord knows where. W hy there
to the P o rtlan d Observer for being
don’t already know. (H e ain’t talk
arc so many unsolved murders per
the liaison between the two forces.
in’ ’bout nothin’ .) Now if he’d stop
taining to Blacks in Portland. Why
T he c h ie f claim s that he wants
talking all that foreign language and
vehicles parked on property in N E
better communication and good re
o ff the wall smack, then maybe we
A lb in a receive tickets, when in SE
lations and has begun this w ith
can relate to those things that are
and SW they'll be all on sidewalks
those who are older. W ell. I know
important for us to deal with as we
and nothing happens. Also why the
i t ’ s not w ith me nor is it w ith my
approach the future (which is every
police o fficer exchanged uniform s
mama or daddy. W hat is old? O r
day). I ask you, chief— loudly— do
with the radio cab driver, aiding and
who is old? As if the young people
you understand that?!! Especially
causing the death o f R ickie John
don’t know how to communicate or
those issues that involve our child
son, a 17-year-old Black. It really
aren’ t faced with problems. Issues
ren. (A ttem pt to encourage people
wouldn I hurt to attempt to find out
come up o f people being deprived o f
to come down to your Com m unity
whose bullet killed M r. Leroy Clark
their rights, excessive force that will
Relations Division and get necessary
in the shoot-out at Vans O lym pic
always be used. I ’m talking about a
in fo rm a tio n straight fro m the
Room in 1976.
police officer o f 21 talking bad to a
horse’ s mouth and in writing if ne
I hesc are the types o f things that
cessary.)
grown man o f 42, let alone 50. Con
we the people who pay your salaries
frontations do exist such as an o ffi
So start ta lk in g fact and not
want to know and try to un d er
cer saying, " L e t me see your
smack. Positive results are neces
stand, especially where the future o f
drivers’ license!!” in a tone that is
sary, not promises, for people aren’t
our loved ones is concerned, not les
hard to relate to. It is often said that
going to have the Police Dept. belit
sons in foreign languages that are
if you fail the attitude lest then you
tling them any more.
nowhere near the realm o i under
have bought yourself a sure ticket.
A nother open letter stated that
standing. (This is what Bruce Baker
That is true.
the chief will explain laws and issues (Please turn to page 4 column J)