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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1982)
Portland Observer, April 22,1982 Page 3 METROPOLITAN Street Beat This week’s Street Beat question is: “ H ow do you feel about the Oregon M ariju ana Initiative? Do you think that m arijuana should be legalized fo r personal use in Oregon?” i Reverend John Gerlington, chairman of the Al bina Ministerial Alliance, addresses community P at N ung, e le c tro n ic com pany em ployee— “ N o, and it is not a good idea to use the drug at a ll—it blows out your brain. I feel that it is especially ha rm fu l fo r high school and grade school kids to use it . ” memberrs during church rally to support school boycott. (Photo: Richard Brown) Fred J. Smith, re tire d — “ I don’ t th in k that it should be legalized. 1 have seen too many people go bad from the use o f m arijuana.” Leon Hart, butcher— “ Personally I don’ t use it. I f people want to use m a riju a n a it is up to th e m — they should decide.” Portland School Board seeks mediation, injunction The P ortland School Board met Sunday night in a darkened, locked b u ild in g guarded by u n iform ed school police officers. After knocking on the window to get the attention o f police officers in side, press and some Board mem bers were met w ith, “ W ho are you and what do you w ant?" Although o n ly the Board, a few adm inistra tors, representatives o f tw o televi sion stations and three newspapers, and some janitors were present, the stairs leading to the upstairs confer ence room were guarded by three o f ficers. The public was not present. Only those who noticed a small article in the Sunday Oregonian were aware it was taking place. The black commu n ity , rather than charging the School District fortress, was singing and praying at Vancouver Avenue F irst B aptist C hurch, and asking G od’s guidance. The KGW -TV crew was told they could bring the cameras just inside the fro n t d oor; then their cameras were a d m itte d to the dow nstairs Board room but told they could film in no o ther area— not even in the downstairs reception area. The cam eramen were directed to an upstairs cafeteria where they could wait out o f sight and sound o f the executive session held in an upstairs confer ence room. The cameras were allowed out o f the Board room only after the inter vention by Steve Bucl who explained to Superintendent Matthew Prophet that the camera crew could not be confined and that the Board must first meet in open session and then vote to go into closed executive ses sion. The Board met fro m a p p ro x i mately 7:30 to 11:30 pm. shuttling between the guarded upstairs con ference room where they could meet in p riv a te — w ith the press present but barred from reporting the pro ceedings—and the downstairs audi torium where the public was legally admitted but absent. Only potential legal actions could be discussed in executive session—all other matters must be discussed in open meeting. Prophet proposes mediation Superintendent Prophet proposed a m e d ia tio n /in te rv e n tio n process whereby the Board and the commu n ity w ould select m ediators to a t tem pt to resolve the c o n flic t. The purpose would be to allow third par ties to attempt to reconcile, to pro m ote understanding o f both posi tio n s , “ to let the process u n fo ld without too much direction.” P rophet’ s d e fin itio n o f “ media tio n ” is a process leading to recon c ilia tio n , settlement, compromise a n d /o r understanding. Reconsider ation o f the Board’ s position is one o p tio n that could be proposed by the mediators. He suggested as pos sible mediators Bob Lamb and Bob Hughes o f the Justice Department and the M etropolitan Human Rela tions Commission. H erb C a w th o rn c opposed the plan because “ the Board is not w ill ing to m ediate except on its own te rm s.. . . Mediation without a clear signal from the Board that it is w ill ing to change w ill go nowhere." He called the m ediation proposal, as well as th injunction the Board w ill seek, "half-hearted approaches.” “ We are not committed to arrest and ja il and we are soft in terms o f negotia tion, allo w in g it (the BUF demonstrations] to keep going so we are not in control. It is in control of us. " I t is fa ilu re on our part not to act more decisively. These arc public relations a ctio n s— not actions to solve problems.” C hairm an B ill Scott supported m e d ia tio n . “ We have a s itu a tio n where the Board secs no reason to change since w e've been th ro u g h our process. Elements o f the com m unity w on’ t change. I f anyone is bend, and there has to be some peace and acceptance o f a solution, you’ve got to take steps to be able to talk in a calm form. “ The position o f the Board is be com ing more hardened every day. The community needs to be well-in form ed. In the process o f ta lkin g options can be discussed. There is no reason to th in k the Board w ill change its decision now .” Steve Buel recom m ended that C hairm an B ill S cott, rather then Prophet, set up the m ediation pro cess. " I l is clear we have our super intendent out on a lim b—letting him fro n t-ru n w ith o u t the b a ll. We should either give him the authority to solve the problem or d on’ t send him out. We know what the resolu tion would be and can't buy it. “ The chairm an should have to take the abuse that comes from me diating when you can’ t make deci sions. . . . " I want a real negotiation process where the Board is w illin g to set aside its position and really look at it." Charlotte Beeman d id n 't want to go into negotiations “ w ith the un derstanding that we w ill change our decision.” She wanted to strike the word "m ediator,” leaving only “ in tervention.” • Dean Gisvold said there must be a willingness to mediate in search o f middle ground. “ I d o n 't sec it in a switch to E lio t,” but compromise means both sides moving. He in d i cated that he is w illin g to discuss and to change his mind if convinced o f a better solution. Cawthornc said he is not as con cerned about the decision as he is about the Board’ s failure to look at the larger issue. He secs it as a fa il ure o f leadership on the part o f the Board. Buel repeatedly attempted to dis cuss plans fo r the next m eeting. “ We need to get on w ith deciding whether to drag people out o f the meeting or to hide upstairs. I don't want another illegal m eeting.” A l though Scott refused to discuss the issue, at least three members o f the Board consider the last m e e tin g - held in a secluded upstairs cafeteria —to be a violation o f Oregon’ s open meeting law. Board seeks injunction The board voted, with Caw,home and Bucl dissenting, to seek an injunction against the I ron, rather than resorting to arrests or citations. I f an in junction is obtained after a court hearing, persons named in the in ju n c tio n w ho then d is ru p t a meeting could be found in contempt o f c o u rt. It w o u ld be the responsibility o f the board to have the injunction enforced. Although the school district filed fo r the in junction Tuesday, papers have no, been served and the hearing scheduled fo r A p r il 2 6 ,h was postponed. Superintendent Prophet said he had slowed the process to allow the discussion o f mediation to begin. The potential for obtaining an in junction is in question since it could be a serious denial o f constitutional rig h ts to free speech. A good defense w ould be that the Front is merely trying to get the attention o f its government. The request fo r an in ju n c tio n provides the BUF an opportunity to appear in court to present evidence to show why an in ju n c tio n should no, be given. Precedents are divided - in some cases discussion o f the broader issues leading to the dem onstration or d is ru p tio n have been allowed and in others this right has been denied. An injunction would not prevent another d is ru p tio n but fo llo w in g (he disruption the board could ask the court to find the demonstrators in co ntem pt. C ontem pt orders, alth o u g h punishable by fin e or imprisonment, would not necessar ily prevent further demonstrations. Named in the request fo r in ju n c tio n , w hich states th a t the M arch 29,h and A p ril 12,h school board meetings were in te n tia lly , n o isily disrupted and that fu tu re meetings w ill be disrupted, names Ronnie Herndon, H alim Rahsaan, Linda Johnson, G eri A bram s and 60 John Does. The Front w ill be represented by the National Lawyers Guild. Bob Lamb, director o f the Region X office o f the Justice Department’s C om m unity Relations Service, has accepted the role o f suggesting a stru ctu re fo r m e d ia tio n and has been in contact w ith Ronnie Herndon. Lam b w ill report to the school board in an open meeting Saturday. W inona A u s tin , records c le rk — " N o , because 1 th in k more people that aren’ t using it now w ill start to use it. It still hasn’ t been proven that it is safe health-wise.” Sherri McCauley, student— " N o . I th in k it should o n ly be used in cases were people are sick and really need it . ” Debby Yenger, hou se w ife — “ I haven’ t re a lly th o u g h t th a t much about it, but I feel that it should be b H#rrJ# L. von M cR . e decriminalized—not legalized. and Richard Brown HHHHE Imports At Wholesale Prices Desk...................... *710 list.. $462 our price Flashlight Emergency Lite.... *43 list our price k 14 n Boycott successful M ore than 65 per cent o f the d is tric t's black students boycotted school M onday to protest the Tubman decision. A t Tubm an m ore than three- quarters o f the students were absent, w ith few black students in attendence. A t Boise about 80 per cent, most o f the black students, were absent. Jefferson estimated its absence at 80 per cent. A , M a rtin L u th e r K ing 303 o f the 372 black students honored the boycott. Ronnie H erndon called the successful b o yco tt a very clear message to the school board tha, the com m unity opposes the locating o f Tubman Middle School at Boise. Although the Tubman decision is the o v e rrid in g issue, the boycott also called a tte n tio n to poor teaching, inadequate c u rric u lu m , d is c rim in a tio n in d is c ip lin e , insufficient black staffing and other lo n g -te rm problem s and deficiencies. Marble Table plus 4 stools........ *1088 list our price Candelabra.......... *37 list our price T.V. Lite................ *144 list Burglar Alarm ................... *18list....... our price 9,95 our price SOLAR COMPANY 1930 N.E. Colum bia Blvd. 283-4003 t