Pag« 2 Portland Observer, April 29,1962
County recommends divestment
Economic pressure on the South
African government and on Am eri
can companies in South A frica is a
tactic that anti-apartheid groups ad
vocate in this country and abroad.
As a result, an increasing number of
public and com m u nity o rg an iza
tions are supporting demands that
institutions o f all kinds withdraw
funds from companies that do busi
ness with South Africa.
D ivestm en t, as this action is
called, is believed by many black
South A fricans to be an effective
means o f support fo r their lib e ra
tion struggle. The hope is that the
economic and psychological effects
o f divestment will spur the white mi
nority government to take steps to
ward ending the apartheid system.
On A p ril 1st, the M u ltn o m a h
County Commission joined in the
growing divestment movement by
passing a resolution that urges the
Public Employees Retirement Sys
tem to “ strongly consider” divest
ment o f South Africa-related funds.
The Public Employees Retirement
System, or PERS, currently invests
over $200 m illio n in 86 Am erican
corporations with business opera
tions in South Africa.
W hile it would take state legisla
tive action to influence PE R S to
stop these investments, the Commis
sion’s action adds to the growing list
o f supporters o f statewide divest
ment. The Commission’s previous
decision in February to jo in PERS
without taking some action against
the South A frican investments had
drawn strong public criticsm.
The resolution, which was spon
sored by C om m issioner Gladys
McCoy, passed unanimously. Com
munity groups which had endorsed
the resolution were: the Am erican
Federation o f S tate, C o un ty and
M unicipal Employees (A F S C M E );
the Black United Front; Ecumenical
M in istries o f O regon; Japanese
American Citizens League; M etro
politan Hum an Relations Commis
sion;
W o m e n ’ s In te rn a tio n a l
League o f Peace and Freedom. The
American Friends Service C om m it
tee in itia lly requested the county’s
action on the issue.
P riva te citizens and members
from several o f the above organiza
tions testified in fa v o r, citing re
search and fa c t-fin d in g trips to
South Africa that have led many na
tional organizations to support d i
vestm ent. In fo rm a tio n was pre
sented that black South Africans de
sire divestment, even though it is il
legal for any South African to advo
cate such action. Also cited was cur
rent research that shows that divest
ing South Africa-related funds does
not necessarily adversely affect an
institution’s investment returns.
Testifying against the resolution
was one individual invited by C om
missioner Caroline M iller to present
the opposing view point. C laim ing
that divestm ent actions were not
helpful to black South Africans, he
went on to suggest that if divestment
were pursued, it would be the O re
gon Investment Council that would
have the authority to make the deci
sion, not the sfh^e legislature o r
PERS.
Commissioner M ille r explained
that she was in a better position to
know what was best for South A fri
cans since she had spent two yearsun
southern A frica fifteen years ago.
According to M iller, those support
ing divestment, including everyone
who was testifying in favor o f the
resolution, did not have correct in
formation. Claiming that the resolu
tion was “ meaningless" and that it
did not “ really do anything for the
cause,** she nonetheless voted in
favor o f it.
The action by M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty came in the m idst o f in
creasing economic relations between
Oregon and South Africa. In 1981,
there was almost $30 million worth
o f trade between South A frica and
Oregon companies, which is nearly
trip le the am ount exchanged in
1979. The recent trip o f State Treas
urer C lay Myers and Cham ber o f
C om m erce representative, Rolv
Schillios, raises questions o f what
additional trade is being developed.
The Po rtlan d C ity C ouncil may
consider the same issue in the near
fu tu re. O rganizations and in d iv i
duals interested in supporting this
e ffo rt, or obtaining additional in
form ation may contact the A m eri
can Friends Service C om m ittee at
230-9427.
I
JOE
URIS
ft ]
for
5
1 CITY COUNCIL
Joe Uris supports community police review—
mv ODDonent does not.
se Uris will w ork for jobs, greater
C( im m unity power and equal rights for all.
JOE U R IS -A BREATH OF
FRESH AIR IN THE STALE
CORRIDORS OF
GOVERNMENT.
Joe Uris for City Commissioner Committee. Richard B. Solomon, Trees,
p.o. box 12581 Portland, 97212
Serving
The Rug and Carpet Needs
of Northwest Families & Businesses
Since 1900.
India charges U .S. threatens area
Recent charges made by the press
o f India and other countries border
ing the In d ia n O cian have again
raised the issue o f a U .S . threat to
the security o f the region.
The d aily P a trio t accused the
U n ite d States o f attem p tin g to
transform the Indian Ocean into an
“ American lake” and India’s Prime
M in ister In d ira G andhi expressed
alarm over the stockpiling o f nu
clear weapons in the area.
The Indian Ocean is classified as a
“ strategic site” by the Pentagon.
The area covers nearly a fifth o f the
earth’s surface and about 40 coun
tries.
Reagan’s new Asian doctrine has
three basic elements: the formation
o f a broad alignm ent o f frien d ly
countries (Indonesian, Thailand and
Malaysia); military aid for U.S. allies
in Southeast Asia; and deployment
o f larger U .S . naval contingents in
the In d ia n ocean on a permanent
basis.
To establish a military pressure in
the area the U .S . is also using the
bases of its allies. The Pentagon has
been given a $743 million budget for
m odernizing and extending naval
and military bases in Egypt, Kenya,
Oman, Somalia and in Diego Garcia
Island. It has proposed a five-year
plan to spend $30 billion enlarging
its power in the Indian Ocean. In the
Persian G u lf area alone, $2 billion
will be spent for military purposes.
These expenditures will include a
broad netw ork o f m ilita ry bases,
arms depots, control and communi
cation centers, electronic espionage
points, etc. There are also plans to
transform m ilitary bases with lim
ited functions into m ulti-purpose
bases that will be part o f a chain to
control areas from A frica to Aus
tralia and from Asia to Antarctica.
O rien tal Rug*» and Broadloom s
|M IW \IO W \ M O K I
V W . Farti al Washington 225-4125
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The U.S. also plans to use Indian
Ocean bases as a springboard for
sending its Rapid D eploym ent
Forces to countries outside the re
gion. M ore than 60 warships roam
the Indian Ocean, including nuclear
powered a ircraft carriers and sub
marines. From its bases in Kenya,
Som alia, O m an and A u stralia the
U.S. has virtual control over the re
gion.
In d ia ’ s m inister o f state fo r de
fense, Shivraj Patil, told Parliament
that, “ The United States’ plans pro
vide fo r both a q u a n tita tiv e and.
qualitative increase injts presence."
Washington is also trying to obtain
use o f a naval base and airport in Sri
Lanka and is looking at the Maidive
Islands and M au ritiu s for m ilitary
bases.
The Reagan administration is also
carrying oiut a strong campaign to
block implementation o f proposals
by the countries bordering the In
dian Ocean and the M ovem ent o f
N o n -A lig n e d N ations ot turn the
Indian Ocean into a peace zone— a
proposal that has been discussed by
the U n ited N ations for more than
ten years. The Adm inistration also
opposes the convening o f an inter
national conference on the Indian
Ocean to draft a proposal to make
the regiona a peace zone.
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oard, community begin talks
(Continued from page 1 col. 6)
then provide a recommendation to
the Board.
He recommended that the partici
pants in the mediation process hold
informational forums at the affect
ed schools— E lio t, Boise, H u m
boldt, King, Tubman and possibly
others.
During Saturday’s meeting Rever
end John Jackson had explained
that the B U F ’ s reason for asking
that the dispute be settled by M ay
10th was the pending tax base elec
tion. “ W e support the tax base in
crease and want to make sure this is
no excuse for people to stay away
from the polls. We don’t want to be
in a position to get the blame. ”
M onday night Frank McNam ara
questioned the B U F ’s motives. By
placing a date prior to the election,
“ They could mount efforts to block
the tax base." He also questioned
the responsibility o f the mediators
selected to represent the communi
ty . “ W h a t black leaders?___ ”
“ One would want to have faith that
they would enter with the same spir
it o f open-mindedness required o f
the B o a rd .’ * K now ing who they
were “ would help to know if there
were some there with that spirit of
open mindedness."
A lthough the black representa
tives had stipulated that the board
be w illing to “ reconsider," a mo
tion by M c N a m a ra changed the
wording to “ review.”
Charlotte Beeman was upset that
some o f the Board’s concerns— par
ticularly her opposition to agreeing
to “ reconsider" the site— were not
included in the S u p e rin te n d en t’s
recommendation.
Dean G isvoid voted against the
reso lu tio n . H e stated his concern
that the M a y 10th date, also M ay
10th to M ay 14th, as proposed by
P ro p h e t, was too short a tim e
period.
Steve Buel voted against the reso
lu tio n although he favors m ed ia
tion. He is concerned that the O re
gon Open Meetings Law will be vio
lated and will not participate in a vi
olation o f the law.
H erb C aw thorne abstained. He
considered the Board’s refusal to ac
cept the w ording o ffered by the
B U F — “ willingness to reconsider"
— as unacceptable to him and an a f
fro n t to the com m unity. H e also
thought the Board should give
Prophet the authority to negotiate a
settlement.
“ We are here with CRS because
we won’t let D r. Prophet handle it.
We need to ask our Superintendent
to use his best judgment. This would
prevent law violations, m isunder
standings, and “ ghost meetings."
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