I
METROPOLITAN
Z~'
Street
X
eat
Do you think that students should boycott the schools on April
19th to show their support o f educational issues?
H en ry B arabin, p ap er company
employee— " N o . I don’t think that
that’s the way to solve the problem.
I think kids need as much tim e in
school as they can get. W e need to
lave more meetings w ith the com-
nunity leaders and figure out things
w ith o u t takin g the kids out o f
H o ra c e Green, unem p lo yed —
" Y e s , I th in k they should. Kids
should have a chance to go to school
in their own community instead o f
being bused around. Education o f
our children is o f the utmost import
ance.”
I
school.”
Or. M atthew Prophet In hie firet School Board
meeting as superintendent of the Portland Public
Schools, addressed the board and public. He said
hie priorities for the district will Include ensuring
the m anagem ent end u tilizatio n of resources
School
Terry Londos, community health
nurse— '" ie o h , I think it could be
helpful although I hate to see kids
miss a day o f school. W rite letters,
make phone calls.”
focus on the classroom, ensuring that administra
tors visit and are familiar with programs, develop
ing a long-range comprehensive plan for the dis
trict. and establishing a legislative agenda.
{Photo: Richard Brown)
oard seeks seclusion
T ljc P o rtla n d School Board
sought the protection o f a closed
room and police guard in the face of
a Black United Front protest M o n
day night.
Front supporters sat quietly in the
Board meeting while new superin
tendent M atthew Prophet gave his
opening rem arks. A p proxim ately
one-half hour into the meeting they
stood and chanted "E lio t, E liot” in
unison. Board chairman Bill Scott,
using a pre-designed plan, asked for
quiet, suspended the meeting, then
moved the meeting to a small up
stairs room.
The public was left to watch the
meeting on close-circuit television,
which could not be heard over the
chants. The stairs were roped o ff
and guarded by uniform ed school
police officers. Persons who wished
to speak on the issues under discus
sion were escorted to the upstairs
room.
The arrangement was criticized by
Board members and the p u blic.
Board member Steve Bucl, who re
fused to move upstairs, watched the
meeting on the television monitor.
" W e arc very possibly breaking the
open meeting law and I'm not going
upstairs," he told the Observer. He
had a prepared statement but was
not allowed to speak on the issue. " ,
have suggested how to deal with the
situation many times— we have to
deal w ith it, sit down w ith Black
representatives, and hold meetings
and come up with a plan that is sat
isfacto ry to them and that meets
their needs and ours.”
Watching the television, he add
ed, " T h e people can ’ t hear the
m eeting. You can ’ t com m ent on
what you can’t hear. This certainly
is not proper procedure.” Buel also
objected to the fact that the decision
to move was made by the chairman
without a Board resolution or vote.
One citizen from the Madison dis
trict told the Board that security was
too tig h t; she had to go through
three police barriers, which would
prevent some people from p artici
pating. A nother said she had d iffi
culty tes tify in g when she had no
idea what had been said before her.
Board member Joe Rieke also op
posed the move, explaining that the
decision had been made prior to the
m eeting by the new " G a n g o f
F o u r.” “ I ’m extremely uncomfort
able w ith this Board meeting. An
elected Board must be able to meet
in a way that the public feels is open
and accessible. It can’t cloister itself
in a room.
" I f this is not illegal, it is at least
not the way to carry on business.”
Board member Herb Cawthorne
called the a ttem p t to conduct a
meeting via closed-circuit television
"G e o rg e O r w e ll’ s 1984 personi
fie d ." There are three ways to han
dle the demonstrations, he said: rec
ognize the inequities in the middle
school decision and decide to recon
sider; carry the demonstrators out
using brute force; continue to meet
in seclusion in what is, if not a viola
tion o f the letter o f the law, a viola
tion o f the spirit o f the open meeting
law.
Cawthorne explained why he at
tended the meeting. “ I am a mem
ber o f the Board and as long as I am
a member, even if I don’t agree, I
w ill p a rtic ip a te . A t the point at
which I can no longer participate, it
will be my responsibility to resign.”
He believes the meeting was com
pletely inappropriate and that such
serious questions as the recognition
o f the Madison cluster should not
have been decided under those con
ditions. The decision to move the
meeting during a demonstration was
made at a Saturday budget meeting.
Rieke and Bucl opposed the decision
but there was no vote. Caw thorne
was not at the m eeting. " I was at
work Saturday. They didn’t say they
were going to discuss this issue. I be
lieve it was a violation o f the meet
ing notice requirement.”
"T h e y cannot avoid this issue,”
he said. "Their big mistake is to fo
cus on the Black United Front and
Ron Herndon like they are the only
ones who are frustrated and angry.
The ministers I ’ve talked to are out
raged. Black professionals are out
raged. The parents and young peo
ple are very upset. It is a blatant dis
play o f lack o f consideration o f
Black people.
" In these times a little spark can
lead to a forest fire in the Black
com munity because o f high unem
plo ym en t, the significance o f the
Reagan adm inistration. I hope the
board will keep in mind what is best
for the city.”
D r. James Fenwick, who, along
with Superintendent Prophet, rec
ommended the move, said he con
siders the process to be legal. Refus
ing to take credit fo r the idea, he
called it a "group decision.” " I t is
not the best arrangement; it is highly
unusual,” he said.
" T h e law says we must ensure
public safety and we must allow for
public participation.” The process
failed to provide true participation
but " th e law requires that we put
forth a ‘good faith e ffo rt.’ ’ ’
The D istrict’s legal counsel con
sidered the procedure legal, and
State Attorney General Dave Frohn-
meycr called in "unusual but legal.”
Mrs. J .H . Girvan, retired— “ Yes,
if the community thinks it is ju stifi
able.”
B rett T obler, d en tal stu d en t—
"Yes. Anytime the public voices its
opinion in a way the media will pick
up on it, the m ore people are ex
posed to it.”
S h irley M c D o n a ld , s tu d en t—
" Y e s . I th in k i t ’ s a good idea to
boycott i f it is going to get us the
school.”
by Harris Lavon McRae and
and Richard Brown
YtHJR
PLEASE.
We want to know what you think about our proposed
policy for granting billing credits to Bonneville Power
Administration customers We invite you to comment orally
at a public meeting or to submit written comments.
Just how billing credits affect you. your region and your
electric bill will depend largely on the policy under which
they are granted That's why we urge you to take part in the
public review and comment process.
Attend one of the four public meetings listed below: These
meetings have been scheduled for the express purpose of
receiving public comments. Information meetings, during
which we outlined our plans for billing credits and
answered questions, were held earlier in various parts of
the Northwest
Written comments can be submitted at the meetings
or sent to our Public Involvement Coordinator at
the address below Written comments must be
received by April 23.1982.
Billing credits are payments to
Bonneville customers - either
electric utilities or Industries -
for Independent actions that
reduce Bonneville's
obligation to acquire power
resources. Examples of such
actions Include energy
conservation programs,
construction of generating
facilities, and adoption of
retail rate structures that
cause consumers to
conserve or Install their own
renewable resources.
Billing credits are required by
the Northwest Power Act, the
same law that obligates
Bonneville to acquire
resources as necessary to
meet customers needs
For more information,
contact:
Public Involvement Coordinator BPA
Post Office Box 12999
Portland. Oregon 97212
Telephone (503) 230-4261 Toll free numbers for
persons outside the Portland calling area are in
Oregon 1 800 452 8429 in Washington. Idaho
Montana. Wyoming. California. Nevada and
Utah.1 800-547 6048
Remember What you say counts.
Mayor Frank ivancia visits JftS Grocary during
tour of naw devalopmanta on William« Avanua.
Thaaa Includa tha food markat. radavalopmant of
tha Edar Block, tha Scannar nawapapar axpan-
alon. and naw low-coat houalng davalopmant of
tha Houalng Authority of Portland. Stava Pataraon
of PDC aald tha projacta —which will bring Joba,
aarvlcaa. and houalng to tha a ra a -la only |uat tha
baginning of naw davalopmant In tha Innar North-
aaat area.
MEETING SCHEDULES
All meetings begin at 7 30 p m Registration begins
at 7 p m
Boise - M onday, April 19
The Hall of Mirrors East Conference Room
700 W State Street
Portland - Tuesday, April 20
Federal Building Room 223
1220 S W Third Avenue
Madison Street (north) enhance
Bonneville
Seattle - Tuesday. April 20
Seattle Center Blakely Room
First Avenue North and Republican Street
Acuninisivaiion
Missoula County Courthouse Annex Room 201
200 W Pine Street
Missoula - Tuesday. April 20
1
r