Page 4 Portland Observer, September 24, 1961
OBSERVATIONS
ROASTS
FROM THE SIDELINES
IRUMP OR ROUND TIP
By Kathryn H a ll Bogle
Police O fficer Carmen Sylvester
is an " O ff ic e r F rie n d ly " o f the
Portland Police Bureau.
O f course she is friendly. By na
ture she is a friendly person, but the
tag "O ffic e r friendly” she acquired
by her work for the last two years in
the safety education section o f the
Bureau's Traffic Division. Sylvester
is one o f four persons designated as
"Officers Friendly.”
In a day’s work O fficer Sylvester
visits any o f 28 schools in the Port
land area. Boise, E lio t. Benson
high, Central Catholic are all on her
beat. O r, she could show up at a big
picnic at Oaks Park It all depends
on where she m ight be needed to
keep juveniles in the general public
reasonably aware o f the basic safety
rules o f traffic. She is in charge o f
Safety Patrols, she teaches safe bi
cycling, and safe w alkin g on city
streets.
“ I ’ve been a police officer since I
•ion.
Police Officer Carmen Sylvester and fellow offi
joined the force in M ay, 1974,” says
cer» in the office of the East Precinct Traffic Dlvi-
Sylvester. “ The A ffirm ative Action
cation Assistance Program), a fed
and the Black s ta ff o f P o rtla n d
program o f the City o f Portland at
eral education program.
C o m m u n ity C ollege acted as co
tracted my attention to the minority
"This is a good profession I ’m in.
sponsors for an inform al reception
hiring possibilities open to me and 1
I ’ m learning. I ’ m earning. M y tu i
on last Sunday afternoon, Septem
gave it a ’try .’ I received on-the-job
tion is paid, my uniforms are paid
ber 20 at the Cascade Campus.
training accompanied by tutoring at
for by the City. 1 am given responsi
The event was seen as a marker o f
school, had my 18 months o f proba
b ility . I am doing som ething for
a most important step in the history
tionary street training with follo w
someone else. W here else can you
o f the college as it pointed up the in
up training at the Police Academy.
get a ll this w ith o u t a college de
clusion o f the first Black p ro fes
I ’ve been on the force ever since.”
gree?” asks Sylvester.
sional to be named to a top manage
Born and reared in Portland, Car
A divorcee, Sylvester has fou r
ment position within the P .C .C . sys
men Sylvester said she had been as
children between the ages o f 15 and
tem.
signed as a street patrol o ffic er in
11 years. W hen she cannot be at
M any o f the guests in attendance
the several sections o f the c ity —
home with them, a neighbor family,
were educators themselves and all
N .W ., S .W ., S.E. and North for her
or their own father, who lives near
had responded g ra te fu lly to the
first five years as a policewom an.
by, rises to any emergent need the
open
invitation to attend. Standing
She feels that her acceptance by the
children may have, the mother said.
beside D r. Williams to receive guests
public in those sections o f the city
A fter work hours, Officer Sylves
were C ollege President D r. John
was normal.
ter finds time and pleasure in coach
A n th o n y and M rs. A n th o n y. F all
"Persons in those areas did not
ing volleyball, softball and track at
flowers in rich jew el colors, a tea
seem concerned about my race nor
H o ly Redeemer C ath o lic School.
tab le laden w ith p arty fo o d , a
that 1 am a woman. It was, and is,
For sheer recreation she bowls with
champagne fountain and the PC C
the uniform that people see and re
the “ Five G r a n d ," a C ath o lic
Jazz Trio playing background music
act to. Oh, sometimes I have heard
Women’s league.
kept the afternoon light and spar
remarks directed at my race, but I
W ithout overlooking the element
kling.
look like I mean business and I
o f danger possible each day on her
N icholas B arn e tt, o f the P C C
know that in most instances people
job, Sylvester does not let that fac
staff and coordinator for the recep
(in trouble) are really ‘talking to the
tor weight heavily on her mind. Her
tion organizers, was master o f cere
uniform .’
fam ily had more than a few appre
monies
fo r the day. B arnett a r
" I did work in Albina for a short
hensions when she began but now
ranged
an
hour’s program following
while. There 1 received the most ver
they see her job as a career, fulfull-
an
in
vocation
by the Rev. John
bal abuse I ’ve ever had— from ‘ one
ing for her and as an exciting part o f
Garlington o f Marantha Church.
o f us.’ It was very disappointing.
her life.
There was beautiful music by the
They would not talk to a white o ffi
Police O ffic e r Sylvester recom
Joyful Sounds choir under the direc
cer that way, I ’m sure.”
mends police work " f o r any quali
tion o f the incomparable Margaret
M rs. Sylvester, a product o f pa
fied young person who is a high
C
arter, a brief address by D r. A n
rochial schools in Portland, attend
school graduate and is over 20 years
th o n y , rem arks by P C C Cam pus
ed Holy Rosary. Immaculate Heart
o f age."
Executive Jim Van Dyke and more
and St. Philip N eri. Lincoln High
music
by a Marantha trio. The ever-
School also was a part o f her
stirring
strains o f “ L ift Every Voice
secondary schooling. H er college
To honor and welcome D r. Paul and Sing” gave the audience a
studies, continuing at P o rtla n d
Williams, the new vice president o f chance to sing-a-long.
C om m unity College locations, are
Portland C om m unity College, the
The honored guest received an en
being paid for by L E A P (Law Edu-
Oregon Alliance o f Black Educators
thusiastic welcome to the campus by
USDAi
CHOICE
POUND
<4
r
(Photo: Thomas Golden)
Dana Easly representing the Cas
cade student body.
In making his response D r. W il
liam s, in his campus o ffic e since
early sum m er, expressed his
pleasure w ith his new position as
vice president o f educational ser
vices. In this role he accepts the re
sponsibility to “ design and develop
curricula and to set standards for
faculty and course approval.”
M rs. W illia m s w ill a rriv e soon
fro m
the couple's home in
Stockton, Cal.
Barnett named a few o f the per
sons who had assisted in making the
a ftern o o n a success. He credited
members o f the several local
chapters o f sororities and fraterni
ties, D r. W illiam Gerald, president
o f the O A B E , D r. Ernest H artzog
o f the Portland Public Schools, who
is also president o f the National A l
liance o f Black Educators. Others
named were. Odessa Hendrix. Belva
Seabury, Julius Stokes, Yvonne
Williams o f PC C and Jim Van Dyke
also o f PCC staff.
E
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■ENOW'S
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SU ES you w a n t
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1839 N.E. Alberta
PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1
294 7997
From the Front Door
Cell Talk
by A smar A bdul Seifullah
aka Joe West »40404
Prison is a breeding ground fo r
tension and racial prejudice. It is the
ideai environment fo r these civil
germs because of institutional struc
ture and policy which leaves the ra
cial prejudices o f inmates un
checked. This is reinforced by white
and Black prison officials who en
courage racial separation. Prisoners
bring their racial prejudices to p ri
son and so do the people who oper
ate the institutions.
The first thing that takes place
when new prisoners (fish) arrive at
this or any other state or federal in
stitution is the separation o f ethnic,
cultural, political and social groups.
The current offense also plays a role
in the breakdown and separation o f
prisoners. T rad itio n ally men with
violent crimes migrate toward each
other, murders, armed robbers, and
the rapist comprise this group.
These men are considered heavies
by prison officials because o f the
long sentences they incur and their
in clination tow ard the use o f v io
lence as a means o f criminal expres
sion.
G enerally murders and armed
robbers run state joints because o f
the absence o f organized crime fig
ures; who as a general rule end up in
federal institutions. Burglars and
thieves who have stolen a substan
tial amount o f property are next on
the list in the hierarchy o f prison
rule. Also included in this grouping
are drug dealers that are able to rise
to the top o f the hegemony i f they
can provide the same services inside.
A t the very bottom o f the totem
pole are the sex offenders. In most
states these men are sent to special
institutions because their life expec
tancy isn’t very long on the big yard.
But such isn’t the case in the Oregon
penal system; sex offenders (rapos)
walk the yard free from harm. Their
haven is the prison chapel and the
surest way to spot one is to go to
Sunday services and count the
amens. The most religious people in
institutions are generally sex offend
ers. They seem to find solace in re
ligious doctrines while incarcerated.
Beyond the above classifications
and even stronger than the rule o f
prison hierarchy is the racial break
down. The first com m andm ent in
prison: thou shalt not integrate.
This com m andm ent is strictly en
forced and those who transcend it
find themselves ostracized by the
prison population.
Chicanos and Indians tend to
maintain their own tines o f separa
tion. They are very race-conscious
but in a violent situation one would
tend to believe that they would side
with Black prisoners. O f course this
is just an assumption on my part,
but it has validity.
Because race is such a strong de
term ining factor in prison life , the
actu ality o f racial violence is ever
present. I f a white inmate assaults a
Black inmate, all Blacks feel threat
ened or shamed, and vice-versa.
Most prison riots take racial forms
at one point or another because it’s
so easy to m arshall support along
racial lines. The bigoted, racist men
talities o f prisoners stand out for
clear exam ination in most in s titu
tions but I would have to say that it
isn’ t as bad in Oregon as it is in
other places.
W hite prisoners who have never
ridden a motorcycle in their lives be
come bikers in prison. The attrac
tion is found in the fact that the bik
ers represent the strongest group in
the white-prisoner hierarchy. Blacks
who have never ascribed to any ra
cial or political doctrine become the
most militant o f prisoners while in
carcerated. These alliances made
through race are generally carried
on a fte r release. W e must bear in
mind that most prisoners come from
very small worlds. Their social, eco
nomic and educational identities are
defined by their crim in al achieve
ments. These attributes are rein
forced while incarcerated and the in
centive for change isn’t provided by
prison officials.
Recent racial disturbances at the
Oregon State Correctional Institu
tion were only ripples in the great
tidal wave that could take place be
hind the walls o f Oregon State Peni
tentiary. The ingredients are all here
— anger, frustration, overcrowding
and racial hatred. A significant
number o f m inority prisoners also
add to the recipe for racial violence.
The disparity in release has minority
prisoners disturbed and their frus
tration may find its expression in vi
olent terms.
“ Let us hope that this prediction
never comes to pass but in all hon
esty it could happen. People— both
Black and w hite— are serving too
much time behind these walls, racial
hatred exists, discrim ination in re
lease exists, administrative and leg
islative ineptness exists and every
body behind the walls is wondering
where Judge Burns is with the deci
sion to end this a p p a llin g situ a
tio n ."
by Tom Boothe
Since the Exodus Clean Team was organized there have Keen
u
ported the Cleanliness Concept at all there have been o t h e r * h i
,s * ° ,avc not sup
the concept, there have been others who have supported the concept a’ 7rm s “e i a t h " ^
from 10:00 a i ^ t i l 4 :W pm‘ A f X ^ r i X ^ o R o o i . drink’ ’and games we^e |
d ‘d
Food ranged from bar-b-que chicken, hamburgers, ho. dogs three diffeTem 7
prr° v,dcd
X
“ c ' n endle“ a” ° r" n' n'
“ kw • nd
X
'
mg, Ms. Penny M y la r, Ms. Marsha G riffith , Ms. Linda Gray M s R o s a lie
Johnny Johnson. M r. Daryl G riffith , Ms. Katie Wieland. M any o f th e n i d i
H^ d
M r'
responsibility in organizing games and prizes. Some o f the games were sofibaU'
,O° k
and horseshoes. It was a truly heart w e a rm m u
...
?
Cre
fo<)l races
mumty Adults and Children having c o n s tru c tive ^ lea^’’"fu^and
o f our C om *
who
ln A lbin’ who -
-
*
i i X
d
I Wish to also acknowledge the Columbia Bus Company for nrovidin. i »
those many contributors who donated to the Exodus Clean
" f ,ransP °r'a" ‘»n; also
that made this summer’s end picnic possible
,h° * d” " a"<’" '
Continue to donate to the Exodus Clean Team. You can actuallv see
i n
right now. because the Exodus Clean Team is working to m a k e n . *
*
d ° la rs a l w o r k
safer place to live, work and do business
’
c our ‘■’«""»unity a belter and
A public a w v ic brought to you by Houaa o* Exodua