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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1981)
Crashing reapportionment gates V age 4 Portlend Observer, November 5, 1961 EDITORIAL/OPINION by Mary Elim Laary Prophet selection brings unity The selection o f M atthew Prophet as superin tendent o f the P o rtlan d school district provides an o p p o rtu n ity that the district has not had fo r m any years— the o p p o rtu n ity to u n ify w ith a strong, com petent leader and get on about the business o f education. T h e process used by the S ch o o l B o a rd to screen candidates and to make the final selection b roug ht together the m any varied elements o f the c o m m u n ity . A n d as ra re ly happens in a school district as troubled and divided as P o rt la n d ’ s, a ll o f those elements came to the same conclusion— th a t M a tth e w P rophet shou ld be the new superintendent. Representatives o f busi ness, unions, teachers, adm inistrators, parents, all came to one decision— fo r the first tim e ever, they agreed. This unity can become the basis fo r a new co a litio n o f s u p p o rt fo r the school d is tric t. T he d iff ic u lt decisions ahead— budget cuts, m ore sch o o l clo su re s, a d ju s tm e n ts to a s h rin k in g economy— can be palatable and the changes that are necessary to ensure the academic success o f a ll the d is tr ic t’ s c h ild re n can be easier i f the School Board also united behind D r. P roph et and uses the trem endous g o o d w ill to w a rd him exhibited by the com m u nity to enhance the dis tric t’ s image. A fte r more than ten years o f agony the Black co m m u n ity can lo o k fo rw a rd to a genuine op p o rtu n ity fo r e d u ca tio n a l excellence. B u t th is hope cannot fa ll on the shoulders o f D r. P ro phet alone. It w ill only be fu lfille d by the com m itm ent o f every member o f the School Board. Support Jefferson football team Jefferson H igh School plays C o rv a llis in the State A A A F o o tb a ll T o u rn a m e n t th is F rid a y night at Jefferson. This is an o p p o rtu n ity fo r the com m unity to come out and support our young men and women. Last year some c o m m u n ity m em bers were em barrassed to fin d o n ly a b o u t 25 J e ffe rs o n supporters at the game at Gresham , w h ile the Gresham supporters overflowed their side o f the stadium. We do a lot o f talking about com m unity sup p ort and we do a lo t o f ta lkin g about the need fo r a co m m u nity high school. Now take a cou ple o f h ou rs and show up at J e ffe rs o n H ig h S chool to see a good game. G ive the team the support they need and deserve. ■ A Thia should ¡uat about cloaa that Vrlndovt ot v u ln e r a b ilit y ’ Letters to the Editor I must take issue with a statement made by C om m issioner Gladys McCoy in the October 8, 1981 issue o f the Observer. In that a rticle , M cC o y stated that I had been re sponsible for the Regional Jail not being sited in Troutdale and this led to the inability o f the justice system to handle prostitution in Portland. The record, however, shows that I had agreed to work with the then-di rector o f Justice Services for M u lt nomah C ounty in dealing with the C ity o f T ro u td ale, with which the C ounty was in effectively negotia ting. 1 am further o f the opinion that Commissioner M cCoy has misread the com m unity by suggesting that the only solution to the prostitution issue is to “ lock up the prostitutes.” It seems to me that a more positive To the editor: approach would be to also strength en law enforcement on the “ John” or customer. This is one suggestion o f the Task Force on Prostitution which I have set up. I hope we can all work together to solve this com m unity problem . I f you have any ideas fo r m aking your n eigh b o r hood safer, please contact my office at 248-5213. Gordon E. Shadburne Multnomah County Commissioner I am outraged by the Reagan-ini tiated bust o f the air controllers union (P A T C O ) by the Federal La bor R elations A u th o rity . As a form er federal w orker and union m em ber, I am h o rrifie d to watch this shocking persecution o f federal employees set a dangerous prece dent for all public workers (30 per cent o f the w orkforce) and for the public we serve. Never before has the federal Reagan should support Voting Rights A c t To the editor: In 1981, o ur n a tio n ’ s p o litic a l leaders in Washington, D .C . are de bating the passage o f the Extension o f the Voting Rights Act. Many Americans may find it hard to believe that certain Americans o f color still are victims o f violations, manipulation, gerrymandering and language barriers as they seek to ex ercise their right to vote. The V o tin g Rights A c t, first passed in 1965, provides protection for these citizens. Both the House and the Senate must act on this measure. The House has already voted; the mea sure is now pending in the U .S. Sen ate. Despite the fact that the members o f the U .S . House o f Representa tives have passed the Voting Rights act by an overwhelming m ajority— 389 fo r, 24 against, and 20 not voting— President Reagan has yet to lend his support to the passage o f a strong measure. H e is strangely silent; he must speak out. N A A C P ’s Benjamin Hooks testi fied, “ There is no doubt in my mind that the Voting Rights Act is the sin gle most effective piece o f legisla tion drafted in the last two decades.” T he Joint C enter fo r P o litic a l Studies, a n o n -p artisan research group in Washington, D .C ., states, “ It would be a serious m istake to abandon the protection o f minority voting rights at the very tim e our nation is undergoing a systematic reassessment o f many national pol icies, com m itm ent and even be liefs.” “ In times lik e these, when so much is at stake and when new Subscriptions: »10 00 per year in Tri-County area Postm aster Sand address changes to the Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208. O f course, many o f the disputes springing up across the country are tra d itio n a lly partisan . In O k la homa, where Democrats managed to solidify their strength, Republi cans have a petition drive under way to ask voter repeal. In Illinois legis lators lite ra lly got in to fist fights over redistricting. Indiana Republi cans, who dominate the state legisla tu re, used the com puter skills o f pollster Robert T e e te r’ s M a rk e t Opinion Research to devise congres sional districts which seemed sure to transform that state’ s Dem ocratic edge o f 6-3 into a Republican m a jo rity o f 7-3. Both parties have fled to the courts. In C alifo rn ia Dem o crats contrived to push their one- seat congressional edge to a six-seat m a jo rity . “ A sham ,” cried C o m mon Cause, but it sailed through. While C alifornia Republicans are retaliating with a petition drive for a po p ular vote on the D em ocrats* plan, this state’s two biggest m in orities, Blacks and H ispanics, are locked into their own riv a lry over new districts that pit them against one another. Said Verna Canson, N A A C P re gional d irecto r in C a lifo rn ia : “ Whether this was done deliberately or not, the two minority blocs seem forced into c o n flic t.” One legisla tive consultant protested: “ W e d id n ’ t bring this a b o u t. W e just counted people where they live, and in many areas, especially around Los Angeles, Hispanics are moving into and even dominating neighbor hoods formerly all Black.” Some observers fear this kind o f m in o rity bloc c o n fro n ta tio n may spread across the country though the '80s if it is built into reappor- tionm ent. Others believe Hispanic aspirations are being manipulated by Republicans to embarrass Demo crats. It is curious that the efficacy o f the Voting Rights Act is being tested w ith this y ea r’ s reap p o rtio nm en t process just as Congress is debating whether to extend it. Many think re apportionm ent w ill prove conclu sively how much the act is needed. “ Whatever Congress does about the future, the Voting Rights Act is law right now ,” said the N A A C P ’s Sim m ons. " W e see re a p p o rtio n ment closely linked w ith that act. Where we find discrim ination, we will turn to the Department o f Jus tice.” O I I Pacific New« Service government perpetrated such har assment, slander, ja ilin g s , fines, general legal terror, and wholesale firings against its own workers. The government, as representative o f ci tizens, ought to be the fairest, most eag er-to -n eg otiate em p lo yer. In stead, Reagan is using the P A T C O challenge to resurrect the worst union-busting tactics since the grim days o f Joe McCarthy. M y experience as a public servant convinced me that union representa tion and the right to strike are often the only means to fight effectively fo r decent w orking conditions which will safeguard public health and welfare. I see the adm inistration’s vindic tive campaign against P A T C O as part and parcel o f their starve-the- poor, feed-the-rich (and the m ili tary ) cam paign. A ll targets o f the social service slashes and o f Rea g an ’ s a n ti-la b o r o ffensive must unite behind the valiant air control lers. Jamie Partridge Portland, Ore. PERS Fred Meyer investment defended political and economic realities are having a wrenching effect, the V ot ing Rights o f the most disad van taged in our society must be protect ed.” “ In the final analysis, it is the onl- ly safety net that minorities can rely o n .” To the editor: Fred Meyer is one o f the best in vestment opportunities that has ever been opened to the Public Em ploy ees Retirement System. The benefits from this transaction will clearly fall on all Oregonians and particularly the members o f the Retirement Sys tem. The managem ent structure o f Fred Meyer will not be changed by the sale. A n d, the current manage ment will own a considerably larger portion o f the company than they do now. Fred Meyer employs thou- N A A C P believes the m ajority o f the citizens o f this nation fully sup port a strong Voting Rights Act. The President o f the U n ited States needs to know you support the Voting Rights A ct. He must be told. Please speak up and let him know. Place a call or send a wire to President R onald Reagan, The White House, Washington, D .C . Thank you. Lucious Hicks, IV President, N A A C P , Portland Branch sands o f Oregonians and will con tinue to be headquartered in P o rt land. Concern over potential conflicts between reg ulato ry agencies and Fred Meyer was expressed in a re cent letter to the editor. Retirement funds are not owned by the State. They belong to the workers and re tirees in the system. The retirement fund is currently invested in hundreds o f other com panies doing business in Oregon. It is u n lik ely that the Investm ent C o u n c il, as trustees o f this fun d , would consider trying to affect any Be concerned I Be informed 11 Know the facts! II Portland Observer The P o rtla n d Observer (U S P S 959 6 8 0 1 is published svsry Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, Inc , 2201 North Killings worth, Portland, Oregon 97217, Post Office Box 3137, Portland Oregon 97208. Second dess postage paid at Portland, Oregon mation gives us bargaining power,” said Althea Simmons, director o f the NAACP Washington office. Reagan persecutes federal employees Shadburne challenges McCoy's charges To the editor: Uy groups have other factors going fo r them this year, especially the Supreme C o u rt’s 1979 affirm ation o f provisions o f the Voting Rights Congressional reapportionm ent, once the exclusive preserve o f secre Act aimed at insuring fair minority tive, dice-loaded political pros, has representation. In addition, a num been swept out o f the smoke-filled ber o f states have reformed their re districting processes to ensure such back room to become one o f today’s hottest political issues. things as contiguity (districts cannot Tw o new factors have w rought leap fro g ), cohesiveness, m in o rity havoc w ith the trad itio n al rules o f bloc p ro tectio n and p o p u latio n the p o litic a l gam bling game this equality. year: minorities and computers. Consequently, for the first time, Black and Hispanic demands for substantial interests are intervening fairness in political district design in a process previously thought too have been bolstered by the Voting mysterious and arcane to quicken a Rights Act and now are guided by a citizen’s pulse. m ultitude o f track-w ise, sophisti in Texas, which gains three new cated organizations. This thrusts a congressional seats because o f pop new nonpartisan and unbalancing ulation shifts to the Sun Belt, a coal element into what traditionally has ition o f m inority groups has estab been a tw o-party squabble; Demo lished its own com puter center to crats vs. Republicans. challenge the congressional district ing plan for that state. They are car M inority demands in the reappor tionment process have been greatly rying their objections both to fed enhanced by the recent universality eral courts and to the C iv il Rights o f the com puter. N o longer a tool Section o f the Departm ent o f Jus reserved for a few experts, compu tice. ters now can be used to design dis In Virginia the National Associa tricts to suit anyone’s taste, down to tio n fo r the A dvancem ent o f a gnat’s eyebrow. C olored People ( N A A C P ), along Computer-designed voting blocs w ith the A m erican C iv il Liberties can be applied to protect the cohe U n io n ( A C L U ) and C om m on siveness o f local neighborhoods, to Cause, successfully m ounted la w hold together m in o rity groups, to suits challenging the constitutional prevent dissection o f cities and ity o f that state’s redistricting plan. counties. A computerized argument In Missouri the N A A C P is similarly complete with printouts illustrating challenging new districts with a law suit. unfairness packs a wallop no mere protest or legal arguments have pro In C o lo ra d o com puter p ro vided before. grammers are helping Hispanics O f course, they also can be used challenge new alignments. In C ali to raise the art o f gerrymandering to fo rn ia H ispanics have created an new heights. umbrella agency o f some 60 d iffe r ’ ’ C om puters open the door for ent groups called C a lifo rn io s for Fair Representation, have hired a more sophisticated gerrym ander ing,” says Common Cause. staff and secured their own political "S o m e wicked things are being scientists, com puter experts, ac d o n e ,” said A lan Heslop, a reap countants and lawyers to create the portionment consultant at the Rose basis for opposing that state’s redis In s titu te at C larem o n t C ollege in tricting plans. C alifo rn ia. ” A wave o f gerryman W hile irate Republicans dominate dering worse than ever seen before is the challenge to reapportionment in sweeping the U .S .” C alifo rn ia w ith a petition drive to get a voter referendum, Hispanics, Fifteen states have finished draw especially offended at the state Sen ing up congressional lines and 19 ate plan, are giving them some sup states have redrawn their legislative p o rt. In a num ber o f Southwest districts. Already it is clear the the states Hispanics and Republicans shenanigans which in 1812 created have found m utual advantage in the salamander-like district for Mas combining their protests. Hispanics sachusetts* Gov. Elbridge Gerry and also have m ounted challenges in bequeathed his name to history has New M ex ico , A rizo n a and even been betterd this year. North Caro Michigan. lina has produced “ Fountain's Fish The N A A C P . which is ahead o f hook,” Washington state has "Kis- Hispanics in political know-how, is kaddon's P im p le” and C alifo rn ia takin g the same com puter has “ Burton’s Bump.” approach. " W e may not get pre But increasingly powerful minor- cisely what we want, but this infor Pacific News Sarvlct state or regulatory decisions con cerning one o f its holdings. They never have in the past. The Fred M eyer investment will not favor one retailer over another. Retirement funds are already invest ed in .Sears, May Department Stores (M eier A. F ra n k ), K -M a rt, A lb e rt sons. and m any other re ta il busi nesses. Fred Meyer is a very strong retailer with high earnings that will continue to prosper for the benefit o f Oregon’s retirees. 1 Subscribe Today I R eceive yo u r Observer by m oil Only 810 par year. MfMsre » ■ Oregon » 2 « ■ Newspaper ' £ M Publishers -d i« ■ ■ Association = ff ■ Name Address I City ___ Zip member Make checks payable to: National Advertising Representative A m algam ated Publishers. Inc N a w York Roger S. M eier Chairman, Oregon Investment Council Portland Observer Association - Founded 1888 I P.O. Bos 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208
