Portland Observer, February 18, 1982 Page 5
Massa knows best
Street
by Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman, Black United Front
M uch has been said concerning
T u b m an M id d le School. T h e key
question is this: W ill the School
Board keep its prom ise to locate
Tubm an at Eliot School? W ith its
deception and chicanery the Board
seems determined to repeat an old
lesson for the Black com m unity—
Black people who believe promises
by white institutions probably also
believe a “ fat hog can see his
ru m p .” As old folks say, “ W h ite
folks giveth and while folks taketh
a w a y .” T o some this may sound
harsh, but a fte r being lied to for
fou r hundred years in A m erica it
would be childish for Black people
to believe anything to the contrary.
The Black community fought for
a middle school in our com m unity
so it could serve our children who
do not have an assigned m iddle
school. In early 1980 the Black
United Front said the school should
be placed at Eliot. We reached that
decision after careful study and de
liberation. Less than fifty neighbor
hood children attend Eliot because
the neighborhood has been virtually
destroyed by Urban Renewal (Black
Removal). The vast m ajority o f the
children currently attending E liot
are bussed in. Our thinking was that
the existing Eliot program could be
moved to another site or the c h il
dren could return to their neighbor
hood schools. I f the Middle School
was placed at any other school in
our com m unity hundreds o f Black
children w ould be forced out o f
their school and once again coerced
into attending schools outside their
community.
In A p ril 1980 the Board agreed
with our logic and voted to put the
middle school at Eliot. Money was
set aside for renovation; a commit
tee was later form ed to hire an ar
chitect— they decided the job should
go to the Eugene firm owned by M r.
U n th ank. Then in December 1980
someone either on the Board or in
the A dm inistration decided to stop
all preparations for work on Eliot.
When the architect’s contract came
to the Board for approval the matter
was tabled. N o clear exp lan atio n
was given.
In the spring o f 1981 Superinten
dent Fenwick came out with a plan
that would have put the m iddle
school at Jefferso n . This id io tic
scheme was opposed by every o r
ganization in the Black community.
Though we forced the board to re
treat on this bit o f lunacy, still no
work was being done on Eliot. Our
repeated questions were met w ith
shuck and jiv e . In the fall o f 1981
the Board showed it was devoid o f
ethics or integrity by deciding to re
open the question o f where to put
the middle school. Translated, that
means they d o n ’t want to put it at
Eliot.
The main reason why the Board is
trying to wiggle out o f its promise is
that many a fflu e n t white fam ilies
who live outside o f the Black com
munity send their children to Eliot.
For years w e ll-to -d o w hite folks
have taken advantage o f E a rly
C hild h o od Programs in the Black
co m m u n ity, w hile neighborhood
Black children were kept out o f
these same programs. This is P ort
land Public School’s version o f Rea
ganomics, take services from poor
Black children and give them to af
fluent white children.
T o cover up this selfishness and
racism, stories began spreading that
Eliot would be a poor site for a mid
dle school because it was built on a
landfill and further expansion might
slide it down on the freew ay. The
districts own report on Eliot makes
a lie out o f this lame excuse. Over a
year ago school district staff stated
it would not be a problem renovat
ing E lio t, they would use the same
construction techniques that have
been used on sim ilar buildings
throughout the school system. As a
m atter o f fact this technique, sink
ing steel pilings in the ground, had
to be used in building portions o f
the new administration building and
was the same method used to build
Eliot school. Strange we have yet to
hear any rumors o f some eminent
catastrophe lurking around the ad
ministration building.
Once again every major Black or
ganization has voiced its support for
Eliot; as a community we are united
on this issue. In the face o f our unity
and concern for our children, Reike,
O isvold, M cN am ara and Beeman
want to play p lantation politics—
“ D o n ’ t y’ all know Massa knows
best.” The last line o f this putrid re
frain says, “ Promises to the Black
com m u nity are made and broken
quicker than New Y e a r’ s Resolu
tions.”
The only way this community got
a middle school was by fighting for
it. W e must be prepared to fight
harder and smarter to keep it where
it was promised. In M ay we will be
asked to vote on a levy for Portland
Public Schools. W hy should Black
people vote Yes while School Board
members vote No on keeping prom
ises made to help our children? Why
continue voting to give money to a
system that is controlled by a board
which shows such total disrespect
for values like honor, ethics and in
tegrity?
Washington Hotline
O ur Street Beat question this
week is, “ H ow do you feel about
the registration for the draft?”
Jacqueline Carey, fie ld rep.— " I f I
was a man I w o u ld n ’ t sign up. I
don’t think it’s necessary to register.
I f I had a son who was o f age I
would have him explore other alter
natives.”
Leroy Fleming, w o rker’s aide—
A t the present time they say That
there won’t be an involuntary draft
5ut the way things are going in other
countries they can't avoid it. Rea
gan is going to have to go back on
his word because the volunteer army
is not ready.”
by Rep. Ron Wyden
Q. In its la text budget proposal,
the Adm inistration has called f o r a
number o f changes In the Medicare
and Medicaid programs. I f enacted,
what would these changes mean f o r
consumers?
A . The biggest problem with the
President's health care proposals is
that they do not offer any real solu
tions to the problem o f escalating
health care costs. All they do is shift
the burden o f paying for the care.
For the consum er, that m ian s a
higher health care tab, as well as re
duced service. And that is no answer
at all.
Let me step back just a second to
discuss exactly what the Administra
tion has proposed to do with regards
to health care program s. In an
unprecedented and unjustified a t
tack, the Administration would:
•Slash $2 billion from medicaid;
•T a k e another $3 b illio n from
Medicare;
•S ip h o n o f f 25 per cent o f the
funding from the Center for Disease
C o n tro l, which adm inisters p ro
grams such as childhood immuniza
tion; and
•R educe by 50 per cent, over a
two-year period, funding for nutri
tion programs for mothers and in
fants.
W ith cuts like these, it is small
wonder health care advocates have
suggested the budget should carry a
label: Warning: this budget could be
hazardous to your health.
I agree that som ething must be
done to rein-in health care costs in
this cou n try. But that som ething
mus, be w ell-reasoned, fa ir and
com prehensive. The A d m in is tra
tion’s proposal is none o f these.
T h a t’s why I have introduced an
alternative which, although it would
no, solve all our health care prob
lems, would at least begin to move
us in the right directions.
M y bill, HR 5084, does this by o f
fering incentives to providers to de
liver quality health services in a cost-
effective manner. It places more em
phasis on quality o f care, and less
on red tape. As such, it’s a bargain
we cannot a ffo rd to pass up— and
it’s a perfect example o f the direc
tion we should be headin in health
care.
Q. You held a press conference
this week to "blow the whistle" on
proposals to accelerate decontrol o f
natural gas. Why?
A . Because I can thin k o f few
things (hat would be more devastat
ing for the Pacific Northwest— for
business and consumers alike.
Consider the fact.
Northwest Natural Gas has estim
ated that accelerated decontrol o f
natural gas would hike prices over
night by at least 25 per cent.
For consumers that means an av-
by Lanita Duka
and Richard Brown
erage price hike o f some $130 per
year. For business, it means an in
crease o f between app ro x im a te ly
$1,000 per year (fo r small business
es) to m illions o f dollars per year
(for major industries).
That's a tab that neither industry
nor consumers w ill be able to ab
sorb. for consumers, it may mean
making a choice o f whether to heat
or eat. For business, it means:
•Fewer dollars per expansion;
•H ig h e r priced goods which
would make Oregon products less
competitive; or
•Simple belt tightening.
A ll o f which means fewer jobs.
And with unemployment in Oregon
at nearly 12 per cent, that’ s a price
Oregon can ill-afford to pay.
There is simply no ju s tific a tio n
for accelerated decontrol o f natural
gas. Phased-in deco n tro l has
worked well in stimulating new nat
ural gas exploration and d rillin g ,
and it should be continued.
Furth erm o re, it is ridiculous to
assume, as some in Washington do,
that accelerated decontrol could be
tied to a w in d fall profits tax, thus
helping to reduce the federal deficit.
First o f a ll, President Reagan has
strongly opposed a windfall profits
tax. And even if he d idn't, it would
amount to a $1 billion solution to a
$150 billion problem.
Why I will not run
by Rep. Shirley Chisholm
I have decided no, Io seek réélec
tion to the United States House o f
Representatives.
From the time I first became ac
tive in politics tw enty-three years
ago, I vowed that the remainder o f
my productive and creative life
would not be consumed by politics.
I promised myself that I would pur
sue other careers, that I would even
tually return to a more private exist
ence, and that my energy and spirit
would not stay chained to the politi
cal millstone beyond the time that I
still had the strength and wisdom to
break those chains.
Today, in good health at age f if
ty-seven, my energy remains high
and my spirit needs new outlets. It
would be u n fa ir to m yself, and it
would be wrong to the people I rep
resent, if I were to remain at a job
that for me has become tedious and
frustrating.
It has become increasingly d if fi
cult to carry the tragic messages
back from W ashington to the jo b
less, homeless and hopeless Brook
lynites. How can I. as a member o f a
political and racial m inority in to
day’s Congress, hope to put an end
to poverty, unemployment and dis
c rim in a tio n in B ro o klyn and
throughout this nation in the face o f
an administration that is cancelling
the past fifty years o f human pro
gress in A m erica . A stim ulative
compassionate role for the federal
government is being replaced by a
philosophy o f individualistic selfish
ness which scorns or ignores the dis
advantaged. The tree o f hope,
planted by Franklin Roosevelt and
nourished over the years with invest
ments in our people and in our fu
tu re, is now w ith erin g fro m icy
winds o f callousness, militarism and
despair.
M y public service and leadership
role for over tw enty years in New
Y ork's 12,h Congressional District
and on the national level has been
rewarding and difficult.,
1 am proud o f my role as a leader
and a symbol. I am proud o f all my
friends and supporters in the nation
who have never stopped being my
friends and supporters. And I am
proud o f my cou n try, honored to
have had the opportunity to serve,
and still confident (hat the bright
sun o f full equality and justice will
someday shine on everyone living
under our flag.
It has been said that "O n e o f the
greatest delusions in the world is the
hope that the evils o f this world can
be cured by le g islatio n .” I agree,
and I know that in most cases
legislation merely reflects the state
o f mind o f the citizenry. By writing,
by teaching, by lecturing and by
travelling around this land, I hope
to help create a new national state of
mind that demands change for the
better.
Joyce Matthews, mental health asst.
— “ There shouldn’t be a draft in the
first place. I wasn’t impressed at all
with what came out o f the Vietnam
W a r. T o send young men over to
fight for something they know noth
ing about is wrong. The older men
who are going to send the young
men over w on’ t have to fight and
die. We seem to always dig potatoes
in other p eople’ s yards when we
should stick to our own back yard.
W e have enough problem s at
home.”
Sharon M cC orm ack, crime p re
vention— " I ’m opposed! People on
the upper economic scale can find
ways to avoid it. And i t ’s only the
people with lower incomes doing all
the fighting. Also, people with low
er incomes w o n ’ t receive all that
special training th a t’ s involved in
that recruitment hype.”
D en n is W hite, unem ployed—
“ There shouldn’t be a draft because
everyone should have th e ir own
opinion about i f they want to go or
not. But I had to register last year.
Reagan is sitting up in his o ffic e
talking bull while we are o ff some
where fig h tin g and dying , he w ill
still be sitting in his office. So each
to their own.”
N yew u si A s k a ri, counselor—
“ W ell, the way that the nuclear situ
ation is in America, 1 don’t think a
draft will make any difference. They
need m anpow er to fig h t in other
countries and it w ill be like V ie t
nam . But the next c o n fro n ta tio n
will be nuclear or chemical and our
soldiers aren't prepared for that.”
To your mental health
Suicide in teenagers
by Edward M . Colbach, M . D.
G en erally I have been satisfied
with my life. There are some years,
however, that I would definitely not
want to live over again. M y late
teens, from about 15 through 20,
were not good years for me. I was
very confused about who 1 was and
what I would become. I was trying
to separate from my parents, yet I
needed them in many ways. I was at
tracted to girls yet was a fra id o f
them and guilty about my own
sexuality. Often I was nervous and
unsure. A t times I would become
very sad. I do rem em ber having
some frightening thoughts that may
be life was not worth all the trouble.
I f most o f you are honest w ith
yourselves, I think that you would
have to agree with me that being a
teenager in A m erica these days is
not easy. I t ’s not surprising to me
that nationally suicide ranks 2nd as
a cause o f death o f adolescents and
college students. In Oregon the rate
for young males is especially high.
In 1980, for example, young males
aged 15 to 24 in Oregon committed
suicide at a rate o f 27 per 100,000.
The o verall rate for O regon is 15
suicides o f all ages per 100,000.
Young females aged 15 to 24 in Ore
gon had a much lower suicide rate,
at 6 per 100,000. I t ’s a common ex
perience for those w orking w ith
young people, how ever, that fe
males attempt suicide a lot more fre
q u en tly than males. Most o fte n
these attempts involve taking pills or
cutting wrists. Males, on the other
hand, most often use firearms and
perhaps this lethal method explains
their higher rate o f completed sui
cides. Fatal autom obile accidents,
especially single car accidents, prob
ably represents suicidal b ehavior
more often than is recognized.
I think suicidal behavior is clearly
a cry fo r some help. A suicidal
young woman most often feels un
wanted or unloved, and takes some
pills or cuts her wrists as a way o f
getting some positive response from
the world. A suicidal young man o f
ten is very doubtful about his mas
culinity and drives his car recklessly
or plays Russian roulette with a gun
to demonstrate to the world that he
is indeed a very macho fellow after
all.
So suicidal behavior re ally is a
form o f desperate communication.
The disturbed young person is
saying, “ I feel lousy and I need
some kind o f help but I just d o n ’t
know what I need or how I can get
it. M ayb e if I show people how
much I really h u rt, then maybe
something good will happen.”
I ’ m not one o f those people who
likes to blame the parents o r the
fam ily for whatever happens to a
youngster. A t the same tim e ,
though, to a teenager the fam ily is
extremely important. Most often the
suicidal behavior is a message d i
rected at other family members.
For example, a father who never
been to college m ight very badly
want his son to go on to college. Yet
the youngster may not be that inter
ested in further education and may
want to ge, some sort o f job or join
the military after school. Whenever
the son tries to talk to the father, the
older man loses his temper, pointing
out that he knows best. I f the son
feels too trapped, he might abandon
his fam ily or turn to drugs or even
attem pt suicide. Such behavior
would be the son’s way o f telling his
father that he doesn’t feel listened
to.
Another example would involve a
m other who is a fra id to let her
daughter date because she is afraid
the daughter will get pregnant. O f
ten such a mother is struggling with
her own conflicts about sex. I f the
m other is just too p ro tective, at
some point the daughter’s natural
tendency towards growth will force
her to rebel. She may run away from
home or date secretly. O r if she feels
especially trap p e d , she may just
slash her wrists one evening as a way
o f demonstrating to her mother and
to the world just how unhappy she
is.
Whenever there is suicidal beha
vior present, it is so serious that an
o p in io n should always be sought
from a mental health professional.
Usually there w ill be no easy solu
tion, as restoring good communica
tion between the teenager and those
he is close to takes time. The most
important thing is the willingness o f
everyone involved to shoulder some
o f the blame and try to w ork with
brutal honesty at what attitudes and
actions need to be changed. Most
important is to get the parents to ac
cept the fact that the youngster is an
emerging individual who needs to be
respected. A t the same tim e the
teenager needs to fully realize that
his parents may not be perfect but
that they are still the best friends he
has in the world.
D r. Colbach is resident psychia
tris t a n d c lin ic a l d ire c to r at the
N / N E C om m unity M en ta l H ealth
C enter. I f you have questions or
w ould lik e to ta lk w ith someone,
call N o rth /N o rth e a s t Com m unity
M en tal Health Center at 239-9871.
N orth/N ortheast Community M en
ta l H e a lth C en ter also o ffe rs 24
hour, 7-days-a-week crisis service
•hat can be reached at 239-8871. The
center is open 8:30 am -8:30 pm M -
F, and fr o m 8 am -5 pm on Satur
days.
Richard J. Brown
Photographer
Weddings, Portraits'and Special Events
O l
By appi (503) 289-0707J