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
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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
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insufficient black staffing and other
lo n g -te rm
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