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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1982)
ï r s Francea Schoen-Vewapaper Pooa L n lv e ro lty o f Ororon L ib rary tuE ene, O reron 97403 Chief Still on police brutality Clay Myers and South Africa Page 2 Page 9 PORTLAND OBSERVER February 18, 1982 Volume XII, Number 19 25C Per Copy USPS 959-680-855 The next Governor: Who will he be? Multnomah County Executive Don Clark la a Damocrat. More questions than answers The Portland Development Com mission has released the latest draft o f its "R eco m m en d ed Econom ic D evelopm ent Program fo r the N o rth east T arget A r e a ." In re sponse to d irectio n by the C ity Council to design a comprehensive econom ic strategy fo r the In n er Northeast area, a draft was released on September 7, 1981. The current revised proposal is, in p a rt, a re sponse to com m unity comment on the original draft. The proposal and its accompany ing budget raises m ore questions than it answers. T he o verrid in g question is whether the M ayor and the C ity have a real commitment to Northeast. The o riginal d ra ft concentrated e tfo rts on the " L o w e r U n io n A v enue” area defined as south o f Fre m ont and encompassing the Em anuel H osp ital and A lb in a In d u strial areas, and " C o lu m b ia Boulevard Industrial D is tric t," de fined as the area north o f Columbia Boulevard, west to the 1-5 freeway and east to 33rd Avenue. The "U p p e r Union Avenue" dis trict has been added in response to community complaints that the area most in need o f economic rehabilita tio n — central U nion Avenue— had been excluded. State Senator Ted Kulongoeki. Demo crat, la an attorney from Lane County. Columbia Boulevard Industrial District Governor Victor Atiyeh Is serving his first term in office. A Republican, he is a former State Senator, end is a Portland businessman. Jerry Rust, a Demo crat. is a Lane County Commissioner. El Salvador: The first year It has been one year since the Far- abundo M arti N ational Liberation Front launched its offensive against the m ilita ry ju n ta that controls El Salvador. The success o f that offen sive, at first ridiculed by the A m er ican press, is dem onstrated by the heightened battle that has now hit television and which has the Adm in istration worried. In addition to providing increas ing m ilita ry aid to El S alvador’ s ruling junta, President Reagan has not ruled out sending U.S. troops to the Central American nation. A few days after the beginning o f the offensive, in January, 1981, president o f the ju n ta Jose N a poleon Duarte, said it was urgent to pacify the country by beginning po litical reform. He immediately began a m ilitary campaign to try to route the F M L N guerillas. What had been limited counterin surgency changed to specific m ili tary actions and then to general war fare against the rebels, with military and economic support from the U .S. What actually happened was that while the guerrillas consolidated their power to repel and evade the soldiers, the army became so debili tated that U.S. Ambassador Deanne H inton had to admit that the army suffered at least 2,000 casualties during 1981. The plan designed by the Pentagon included 40 operations o f varying magnitude which, even with the help o f the Honduran and G uatem alan armies, failed to stop the F M L N . The longest b attle was fought i Guazapa H ill where the junta mil tary bombed and strafed the gueril positions for 40 days and fin al managed to occupy the top o f tl h ill. Once the bulk o f the m ilita was w ithdraw n those holding tl top o f the peak were isolated ar surrounded by guerrillas who aga held the hillsides. During M ay ar June the hill again became the targ o f a major military offensive but tl F M L N maintained its control o f tl slopes. Six months after launching its bi counterinsurgency operations th junta and its U .S . advisors realize that the g u errillas were grow nin stronger! The U .S. decided the tiin (Please turn to page 6 column I) Governor proposes tax changes G o vern o r V ic to r A tiyeh has recommended changes in the State’s property tax re lie f program and a one year change in the personal income tax exemption to cover part o f the Stale's deficit. The G o v e rn o r’ s plan would substitute a tax credit o f $75 per person fo r the current $ l,()0 0 exem ption. This w ould raiae ap p ro xim ately $37 m illio n in income taxes. G o vern o r A tiyeh also recommended e lim in a tio n o f the P roperty Tax R elief program I through which the state pays 30 per cent o f the taxes for home owners. H e w ould low er the income ceiling fo r the H om eow ners and Renters R elief Program (H A R P ) from $ 35 ,00 0 to $ 17 ,00 0 , giving relief to those with lower incomes. This would raise approximately $35 million. A m ong the budget cuts he proposed are: — Taking $5 m illion from basic school support in a d d itio n to the $16.3 million cut already pioposed. -- T aking $5 m illion more from the Emergency Fund, plus the 3 million already proposed. He would raise additional revet by: - Requiring payment o f dispu taxes pending a Tax Court decisio - Adding beer and wine taxes - Placing emphasis on auditi by the State Revenue Department The Governor still calls for cuts state agencies o f $120.9 million. While the legislature considers I G o v e rn o r’ s proposals and th ow n, the S ta te ’ s unemploymc increased by 9,600 persons to rea 1950 levels. Henry Isaacs, the chief represen tative o f the Pan A frica n ist C o n gress o f A zania to the U nited N a tions recently returned from Africa. He was in Portland last week on the last leg o f his tour around the United States to heighten the A m erican people’s awareness o f the atrocities o f the white minority South African government against Black people there. “ I am here in Portland in order to heighten awareness h e re ," Isaacs said. " I am here in an attem pt to bring tru th to the people o f the United States.” O regon's State Treasurer, C lay Myers, and Rolv Schillias, editor o f Portland Magazine, are planning to visit South Africa. The trip is being sponsored by the Southern African Forum, an organization that Henry Isaacs and Ron H ern d o n , co- chairm an o f the Black U n ited Front, feel is a front created by the South African government. Herndon had this to say: " W e are shocked and disappointed to learn o f the planned trip to South Africa by State Treasurer Clay Myers and by Rolv Schillias, editor o f Portland Magazine, which is published by the Chamber o f Commerce. Schillias is reported to have slated his trip is be ing paid for by the South A fric a n government. It is an outrage that a C h am b er o ffic ia l w ould accept money dripping w ith the blood o f Black people in South A frica. It is obvious that the chamber wants to expand and strengthen O re g o n ’ s The district is described in the proposal as follows: "M u c h o f the land remains undeveloped due to the existence o f real and perceived developm ent constraints such as high water tables, flood plains and lack o f public improvements.” The proposal recommends a site inven to ry , w ork w ith developers and HENRY ISAACS economic ties with this international outlaw. More serious is Clay M yer’s trip. His very presence as an Oregon elected o ffic ia l gives tacit recogni tion and app ro val o f the visious avowed racist government o f South A frica ." Isaacs added: " T h e Southern A f rican Forum was set up in the wake o f an in te rn a tio n a l scandal. It is funded indirectly by the South A fri can government w ith the full bles sing o f the South A frica n govern ment. The idea is that people will go over there, and afterw ard s report government agencies to overcome problems, and recruitment o f busi ness. The Columbia district will be de veloped with or without the assist ance o f P D C and its federal funds. This is the only area rem aining in the city in which parcels o f land large enough for industrial develop ment are still available. The flood problem has been alleviated by work on the Columbia River and Colum bia Slough by the Corps o f Engin eers, which now designates the area not as a " flo o d p la in " but as a "p o n d in g a re a .” This means that on an average o f once every 100 years enough water will congregate to create ponds one foot deep. The developer needs only to use iandtill before building, or build so the floor is at least one foot above the ground. I f P D C uses its funds to provide the landfill, will this be eco nomic development or will it be an o p p o rtu n ity to gain p u b lic ity fo r "success” out o f an already success ful endeavor? Lower Union Avenue This area includes Union Avenue, the A lb in a In d u s tria l A rea and Em anuel H o sp ital. This is one o f the prime areas in the city for devel opment o f light industry, commer cial or housing. Because o f its view and its proxim ity to to downtown, the Eliot area is seen as a national area for high-rise housing develop ments and condominiums. PCX? assistance is not essential for the developm ent o f the " L o w e r Union Avenue D is trict.” Emanuel Hospital has already released its de velopment plan for the land it owns, which includes the Red Cross build ing and housing. The Eder Block on (Please turn to page 2 col. I) C LAY M Y E R S fav o ra b ly on the s itu ation there. People did not have to go to Germany to see smoke coming from the gas chambers before they were convinced o f the atrocities o f the Nazis in Germany.” The recent State Departm ent re port on human rights said South Af rica continues to be a gross violator o f human rights in every category. A ll A frican liberation groups have called for severing all d ip lo m atic, c u ltu ra l, and econom ic relations with South Africa. {Please turn to page 14 column I )
