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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1982)
Page 4 Portland Observer, May 20, 1962 EDITORIAL/OPINION Extending the crime war C o n g re ssm a n R o n W yd e n has jo in e d the M a y o r ’ s " w a r o n c r im e " as he im p lo re d his peers in Congress to help “ stop the wave o f crim e that is cresting in P o rtla n d ." W y d e n ’ s " A r m e d R o b b e ry and B u rg la ry Prevention A c t o f 1982” w o uld establish Fed eral ju r is d ic tio n over any in d iv id u a l charged w ith a b u rg la ry o r ro b b e ry in v o lv in g use o f a fire a rm i f the person has previously been con victed o f tw o o r m ore robberies o r burglaries. I f convicted the in d iv id u a l co u ld be sentenced to 15 years in a fe d e ra l p e n ite n tia ry w ith no po ssib ility o f parole. O re g o n a lre a d y is the fo u r th state in p e r centage o f its citizens incarcerated— in a nation th a t im p riso n s a higher percentage o f its c it i zens than any other in the W estern w o rld . A p p a re n tly p ris o n does n o t p re v e n t c r im e — at least not in O regon. Even m ore dangerous than the “ m ore and m ore ja ils " m e n ta lity is the a tte m p t to b rin g the fe d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t in to the lo c a l c rim e p ro b le m . T he re has lo n g been great care to separate the p o lice powers o f the federal and state governments. O u r n a tio n has p rid e d its e lf th a t it has no n a tio n a l police fo rc e — a b o d y th a t can easily become co rru p te d o r be used to enforce a p o lic e sta te . C o n tr o l o f such an o rg a n iz a tio n could easily lead to facism and c o n tro l o f the p o litic a l fun ctio n s o f the federal governm ent. T his b ill co uld lead to a national police force. T h is b i ll does n o t address th e causes o f crim e; it o n ly addresses O regon’s shortages o f ja il space. It w ould free ja il cells as prisoners are shifted to federal prisons. It obviously is not an answer to the crim e problem. Oregon has a “ career c rim in a l" law that pro vides s tiffe r sentences fo r persons w ith tw o o r more previous felonies. The problem is not the lack o f prison space fo r these people— the ones who do require confinem ent. The problem w ith O regon’s system is the lack o f a lte rn a tiv e p rogram s fo r young o ffe n d e rs, firs t offenders, and those g u ilty o f non-viole nt property crimes. The problem is the lack o f pro grams fo r tra ffic offenders and persons guilty o f n o n -su pport w h o cro w d the ja ils and prisons. H alfw ay houses, restitution programs, w ork-re lease centers, drug and alcohol centers could free prison space. C alling in the federal government, s h iftin g the cro w d in g p ro b le m to federal p r i sons, and g ivin g c o n tro l o f local c rim in a l law and corrections to the federal governm ent w ill create many more problems than it w ill solve. We are especially offended to hear Ron W y den, the Congressman w h o represents most o f the state’s black people and a large percentage o f its poor, come up w ith an idea like this. W hat Congressm an W y d e n ’ s d is tric t needs is m ore jo b s , better education and housing, not m ore punitive laws and more harsh police control. Blacklist threatens freedom D u rin g the 1950s— the M cC a rth y era— U.S. actors, w riters and artists were blackliste d be cause o f th e ir p o litic a l beliefs, th e ir suspected political beliefs, or their associations. Blacklisting raises its ugly head again as CBS drops one o f its better program s— L o u G ra n t, starring Ed Asner. Asner, president o f the Screen A cto rs G u ild and tw o -tim e w in n e r o f the E m m y aw ards, is under fire fo r his politica l beliefs and activities. A sn er’ s problem s w ith CBS became serious fo llo w in g his recent d e n u n c ia tio n o f Reagan policies in E l S alvador and the announcem ent that he would collect $1 m illio n dollars fo r m edi cal aid fo r the E l Salvador rebels. Shortly thereafter Kim berley-C lark, members o f Kleenex and other products, announced that it w ould no longer sponsor the L o u G rant show. CBS claims that the cancellation is the result o f the show’s slide fro m 11th to 15th in the rat ings, but Asner believes it is a direct result o f his p o litica l activities. He credits the decline in ra t ings to M o n d a y night fo o tb a ll and th in ks that CBS should have made an e ffo rt to reta in the program i f o n ly to demonstrate its resistance to politica l censorship: The CBS decision “ allows the Jerry Falwells, the Kleenex people and the Caucus o f C o n se rva tive C onsum ers to th in k they can curb freedom o f speech at w ill.” C B S ’s decision may w ell be a fo re ru n n e r o f things to come, w ith federal legislation restrict ing press access, e ffo rts at censorship by rig h t- wing pseudo-religious groups, etc. The functioning o f a “ democracy” is depend ent on an educated, w e ll-in fo rm e d c itiz e n ry . Censorship o f the press and o f the in d iv id u a l’s right to see controversial programs or to read is a direct attack on that dem ocracy. The restric tion o f an in d ivid u a l’ s right to speak, o r his right to w ork in his field, is also an attack on the free dom o f all citizens. It is ironic that the L o u G rant show deals, fo r the most part, w ith the ethics and responsibilities o f the press and its relationship to a free society. The Ambassador o f N igeria, his excellency C hief A . Y. Eke, arrived on May 5th, 1982 for a two-day visit to Portland. He was invited by the World Affairs Council o f Oregon as part o f his lecture series to speak to this community. We are aware that an Ambassa dor is the highest government o ff i cial representing a country and as such the usual protocol is accorded Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association N È H p  that the Ambassador was exposed to. The treatment meted to the A m bassador was a slight to the Nigerian C om m unity and its well-wishers in Portland. W e hope that in fu tu re proper consultations would be made to avoid this type o f embarassment. Joseph Onu Udeaja (President) Bonny Onyeador (Secretary) Nigerian Students Union Portland Observer The P o rtla n d O bserver (U S P S 959 6801 is published every Thursday by Erne Publishing Company. Inc , 2201 North Killings worth, Portland, Oregon 97217, Post Office Bex 3137, Portland, Oregon 97206 Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon IM I I M » 283 2486 Box 3137 • port,and' Oregon 97208 peu AuocloMon - Founded tM S A t McCitberry, Managing Editor A t Williams, Advertising Manager Williams waits for results furniture that had to be returned. “ You deal with the issues,” he said, slipping into the third person without realizing it, distancing him self from the interminable waiting. " A n d if it ’ s not the issues you are asked to respond to, you stay out o f personality.” Questions about the campaign ap peared only to badger him ; to try and force him to com m it more o f what he was thinking and feeling to words. He appeared to take joy and relief, it seemed, in the liftin g and carrying of tables, chairs and desks. He waded into the work although there were more than enough men for the job. The hard, physical work was lik e som ething he seemed to want and need right now. " M a n y o f the people who voted for m e ,” he said la te r, " a r e the people who I worked for when I was a little k id .” He talks in earnest now. Early in life he had done the work that became a black stereotype created by white discrimination. But Williams was looking for opportun ity, to heck with the stereotype. And he had found it. To d ay he’s a w ell-placed black a d m in is tra to r w ith the state o f Oregon. He has hours in on a doc toral program ; his d eterm ination and am bition just recently allowed his w ife enough tim e to devote to completing a master's degree while they raised tw o sm all boys in the community he has lived in continu ously fo r 23 years. The people whose shoes he once shined so long ago, he has turned to for support in his campaign. W illiams dared to believe in and make the American dream work for (Continued fro m page / col. 3) Subscriptions: 110 00 per year iri the Tri-County area P o s t m aster: Send address changes to the Portland Observer. P O MEMBER Los Angeles, A m e ric a ’s second largest m etropolis, has always a t tempted to project a m oderate-to- liberal “ image” on many racial is sues. In 1980, the Census Bureau re ported that greater Los angeles con tained 14,576 black-owned and op erated businesses, w ith gross re ceipts o f $550 m illio n . T he most profitable black corporation in the U.S. is Motown Industries o f H olly wood, producers o f soul music rec ords, film s and tapes, w ith 1979 gross receipts o f $64.8 million. G ol den State M u tu a l L ife o f Los Angeles, the second largest black- owned insurance c o rp o ra tio n , re corded $2.7 b illio n insurance p o l icies in force in 1980. Los Angeles M ayor Tom Bradley, a former po liceman, has an excellent opportun ity to become C a lifo r n ia ’ s first black U .S . Senator. Despite the Watts riot o f 1965 and the massive struggles to desegregate the c ity ’ s public school system, Los Angeles still retained its image as a relatively hospitable social and economic cli mate for blacks. Afro-Am ericans currently living in Southern C a lifo rn ia know the bitter truth behind this illusion. Los Angeles has been a hot-bed o f neo- fascist, racist and reactionary p o li tics for over two generations. South- stopped by L A P D officers on Feb ruary 3. 1981. While handcuffed, he was choked several times by o f f i cers. M arshall had a massive heart a tta c k , and died w ith o u t gaining consciousness on March 17,1981. C harles H . H ill. 40 and b la ck , was arrested a fte r an a lte rc a tio n with police on M arch 14, 1981. HUI was beaten with a baton and choked by police. He flopped breathing in a Hollywood division cell tank prior to being booked, and was declared dead. The co ro n e r’s o ffic e stated that H ill died fro m a “ sickle cell crisis!" Arthur W . M cN eil, 30 and black, was arrested as a suspected prowler. Police choked M c N e il, who died subsequently in a hospital on July 28, 1981. The coroner’s inquest de termined that M c N e il died “ at the hands o f another, other than by ac cident,** in February, 1982, and a $15 m illio n lawsuit has been filed against the city by M c N e il’s widow and daughter. As in A tla n ta , the m urder o f black people continues unchecked in L .A . M a y o r B radley and many black elected o ffic ia ls are silent about these and m any other in stances o f police brutality. The illu sion o f black socioeconomic and po litical success has descended into a living nightmare for the poor, H is panics and blacks. ern California was the essential poli tical base for the two most danger ous politicians ever to occupy the W h ite House— R ichard M . N ixon and Ronald Reagan. Despite the ap pointment o f a " re fo rm e r,” Daryl F. Gates, as head o f the L .A . Police D ep a rtm en t, the L A P D has ac quired a reputation for brutality and terrorism against blacks and C h i canos that w ould m ake B irm in g h am ’s infam ous “ B ull** C o nn o r blush with envy. Last month, the Los Angeles H er a ld E xam in er documented fifteen cases where men have been m u r dered by L A P D o ffic ers using chokeholds over the victims’ necks. Ten o f the victims were black. Sev eral examples include the following cases: David Randall A dkins, 39 years old and black, became involved in an altercation w ith L A P D officers on July 24, 1978, a fte r police re sponded to a family argument. The officers choked Adkins, who subse quently stopped breathing and died in an ambulance. R obert lan C am e ro n , 32 and white, was stopped in a car by the police on December 20, 1979. Police claim that "Cameron attacked them with a hairbrush.” Subdued with a chokehold, Cameron died o f lack o f oxygen in the brain. Luel Marshall, 41 and black, was him and his fa m ily . H e became a part o f the system. A nd now he’ s fighting to be elected to its legisla tive body. He appears to be stuck right now, caught up in the quag mire o f other ambitious, hardwork ing young men and women who be lieve themselves fit to serve the peo ple he has been serving all his life. But he refused to ever raise the possibility that they should be criti cized for com plicating " h is ” jo b . He realized that Ed Leek was the one person he would have to beat in order to win, he said. Just 10 votes away. And 200 to count. That the black vote had splintered itself on the ambitions o f some indi viduals who believed their time had come did not bother or hurt him. What did hurt were the comments that questioned his commitment to his roots, he said. H is position throu g h o u t the cam paign, that “ you c an ’ t alienate the business community and have people w ork ing” bothered some people, but he understood government and how it functioned, he said. W ith 14 years o f government ser vice, W illiam s said he understood how the system worked. " M y cam paign was more an education to the public than anything else,” he said. “ W e are not as know ledgeable about how various elements o f gov ernment affect what goes on in our life right here, no matter what part o f government it is.” H e ’d been criticized for the way he had placed his campaign signs in yards during the campaign: that he would put signs only in certain yards o f certain friends and supporters but not in others. “ I have about 75 relatives IhcreJ,” he responds. " P ro b a b ly two o f them got law n signs,” he said. He adm its to raising a p p ro x i mately $5,000. But that did not indi cate his wealth or wealthy backers. " M o s t o f that was in the $10 and $25 donations," he said. W illiam s admits there were alle gations he was not relating to the poor and have-nots. H e dismisses those, too. It is not his position to make public when he helps people, he said. I f a business needs more time to pay back taxes, and he can help by picking up the telephone, the he is not going to make it public, he said. People he has helped in their most difficult, trying situations d o n ’ t need him to rem ind them , through his bragging about what he has done for his community. " M y greatest (num ber of] votes came from people that people said I was alienated fr o m ,” he said. O f that he is proud and says for for at tribution. He said he has proved all the "bad mouthing" allegations are unfounded with the vote and confi dence o f the people. And what appears to others as the tragedy o f the divided black candi dates, he view differently. They ran to win and so did he. He begrudges then nothing, not one vote, he said. Does this mean that he has proven th a t, even i f he doesn’ t beat Ed Leek, that he is the most viable and best black candidate? No, it doesn’t, he said. "Th e only way I can see it is to sit down and talk w ith everybody. L ook at e ve ryth in g , the overall background and appeal and let the people decide,” he said. Ivance seeks improved image Nigerian Ambassador slighted to such dignitaries when they visit a place. It is a matter o f great regret and consequent disappointment that Chief A .Y . Eke was not given prop er diplomatic protocol he is entitled to. For example, there was no repre sentative from the W o rld A ffa irs Council at the A irp o rt when C hief Eke arrived, the representative from the M a y o r’ s office was rather in a hurry, hence she left even before the Am bassador got a generous ride offer from a friend. These are but a few of the embarassing experiences by Manning Marable (Continued fro m page I col. 5) Letters to the Editor To the editor: Police problems in Los Angeles National Advertising Representative Am algam ated Publishers. Inc. N ew York 1 “ Linda W illia m s writes fo r The Oregonian and she reflects the opin ion o f that newspaper.” He added that The Oregonian has never sup ported him and he does not believe he can get "good press” from it. He knows the police bureau does not have a file on Ms. W illiam s, and is not intim idating her. He does feel that she does not know the history o f the m anagem ent o f the news paper and has fallen into accepting its position on h im . H e ack n o w ledges that there is no love lost be tween him and The Oregonian. Ivancie has involved himself and the city in the Jackson High School closure issue. The School Board vot ed last summer to close Jackson H ig h School fo llo w in g the 1981- 1982 school year. They City was not involved in the discussions and pub lic hearings that led to the closure of Adam s, W ash in g to n /M o n ro e and Jackson. Ivancie now believes that a continued study should be made to satisfy the Jackson community. He believes that the school should be kept open because closure o f Jack- son would destroy the economic life . o f that com m unity. Students and parents have come to him and asked his help to see that the issue is re solved to satisfy all parties. Why did he not speak out on the Tubman issue? No one came to ask for his assistance so he kept out o f it. He agreed that perhaps, as mayor o f the city, he should have become involved. However, he said, people can come to him for assistance and he will respond. Econom ic developm ent on the east side is o f great concern to the m ayor. He has given the Portland Development Commission top p ri ority to bring new investments to the area. He hopes the strong push with the Japanese commerce department will bring funds for the re vita liza tion o f this area. He realizes that un employment is the father o f crime, prostitution and other social prob lems and he intends to address the employment issue. Ivancie feels he is bringing leader ship and direction to the C ity ; he w ill w ork hard to ensure its con tinued success as the c o u n try ’ s "most liveable city.” Subscribe today! Receive your Observer by mail. Only $10 per year Name Address City . State Portland Observer Box 3137 Portland, OR 97208