Pag« 4 Portland Observer, October 20,1962
Mississippi racism
EDITORIAL/OPINION
By Dr. Manning Marable
“From The Grassroots "
Measure 6 w ould remove the requirement
that local land-use plans conform to state-wide
planning goals and would abolish the state’ s
Department o f Land Conservation and Devel
opment.
Land use planning was introduced in Ore
gon to protect farm and trailer land; to ear
mark areas fo r residence, commerce and in
dustry; to protect residential neighborhoods
from incursion o f industry; and to prevent ur
ban sprawl.
Land use planning goals as well as local land
use plans are written by the citizens o f Oregon,
and if they are judged to be improper they can
be changed.
To eliminate state goals and LC D C would
hand over the state to the real-estate develop
ers who are more interested in a quick p ro fit
than long term livability. Vote No on Measure
6.
0 * YR0; Measure 5
TheTTS. has about 30,000 nuclear warheads
and the U.S.S.R. has about 20,000. C learly
that is enough to destroy hum anity. There is
no need to build more.
Not only does the mad arms race threaten
life on earth, in the meantime it uses resources
that should go to education, health care, hous
ing, rebuilding the cities and im proving the
standard o f life. The arms race is fostering a
w orld-w ide depression, using revenues that
should go for economic development and job
fo rm a tio n . W hile the m ountain o f bombs
grows, the people starve.
Measure 5 instructs the U.S. government to
propose to the Soviet Union that both coun
tries immediately halt the testing, production
and further deployment of all nuclear weapons
and delivery systems in a way that can be
checked and verified by both sides. Vote Yes
on 5.
0 * YES: Measure 7
Measure 7 merely puts the voters o f M u lt
nomah C ounty on record as opposing U.S.
m ilitary assistance to the bloodthirsty govern
ment o f El Salvador. The government o f El
Salvador—propped up by U.S. m ilita ry and
economic aid—has killed 32,000 o f its citizens
in the last two years.
As former Attorney General Ramsey Clark
said, re vo lu tio n is ju s t an e ffo rt to achieve
equality. The people o f El Salvador are a t
tempting to free themselves o f an oppressive
government—to be able to live in peace and se
cu rity. The U.S. pours its b illio n s in to this
tiny, poor nation, in its usual support o f dicta
torial regimes. Now the people o f El Salvador
are being killed with our guns, our napalm, by
soldiers trained in our country, and transport
ed in our helicopters.
The people o f El Salvador w ill win. U.S. aid
merely prolongs the bloodshed. It is time for
the people o f the U.S. to tell our government
to stop the massacre.
want.) A refuge from whom? From
the Arab states as well: Which Arab
slate did not slaughter the Palestin
ians? I love the land o f Palestine as
the Jews do who love eretz Israel.”
For now, Father C h a k o u r be
lieves the most feasible solution is
probably an independent Palestin-
EW
Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
» I Association
MEMBER
does not come about without oppo
sition. U pon Carthan's election, a
Eddie James Carthan under
political representative o f the "fo u r
stands Mississippi— its heritage o f
most pow erful men in the s t a t e -
segregation, racial brutalities, and
more powerful even than the gov
economic exploitation o f the black
ernor," offered the mayor a S 10,000
working class and rural poor. As a
bribe if he agreed to do things "the
youngster he attended the “ Free
way they have always been done.”
dom Schools" conducted by idealis
W hen C a rth a n refused the bribe,
tic activists in the Student Nonvio
the forces o f reaction began to
lent C oordinating Com m ittee. He
move. Tw o “ lo y a l" blacks on the
witnessed (he political intimidation
tow n council sided w ith the lone
o f black farmers who tried to regis
white alderman, John Edgar Hayes,
ter to vote. In his home town o f
to undermine Carthan's progressive
Tchula, in Holmes County, the pop
program . In 1979 they forced the
ulation is 8$ per cent black. 30 per
black city clerk to resign, replacing
cent o f (he town’s adults are unem
her with a local white; forced the
ployed, 66 per cent are on welfare;
black water supervisor to resign, re
81 per cent o f all Tchula's housing
placing him with (he sister-in-law of
units are classified as “ d eteriorat
the w hite county supervisor; re
in g ." As the first black mayor o f a
placed C arth an as city judge with
Mississippi delta town, elected on a
the wife o f the white county super
reform p latform in 1977, C arthan
visor; and refused to pay costs for
thought that he “ could represent
(he city's telephone and light bill.
those who had come through sla
Carthan's salary was lowered from
very, knowing nothing about v o t
$600 to $60 per month. When local
ing, about going to a motel, sitting
black supporters o f C arthan pro
in (he front o f a bus or eating in a
tested, the alderm en voted to in
restaurant." But C arthan’s election
crease their property taxes. For two
was an intolerable threat to the ra
months, they refused to pay city em
cist power structure o f Holm es
ployees. T o in tim id a te C arth an ,
County, and indirectly, o f the entire
they locked city hall for eight weeks
state.
and placed police chief Sharkey
Carthan recognized that the coun
Ford at the front door. Shotgun in
ty, which is statistically (he tenth
hand, Ford was ordered to "shoot
poorest in the U .S ., could not de
anyone who tries to e n te r.” C a r
velop without massive Federal as
than's fa m ily began to receive
sistance. The m ayor obtained
threatening phone calls and racist
C E T A funds to weatherize and re
letters.
model Tchula's homes. A nutrition
The situation worsened in 1980.
project was established to provide
In april, 1980, Ford finally resigned.
meals to senior citizens and the han
Carthan appointed a black officer,
dicapped. A Federal grant was soli
Johnny Dale, as temporary police
cited for the projected construction
chief. A t a special meeting o f the
of a public library. A child care pro
city council, called specifically to
gram was begun specifically for
hire a permanent police chief, the
mothers who worked or who lived
controlling faction left the session
on A F D C payments. A public
before a vote could occur. Walking
health clinic was started in Tchula,
to a local convenience store, they
and plans were made for a cable T V
immediately phoned Jim Andrews,
system, door-to-door mail service
the white whom C arth an had de
and the construction o f a public bas
feated for m ayor in the previous
ketb all and tennis courts. In less
election. Andrews was told to "take
than three years, Carthan obtained
over as police chief." Without tak
S3 m illio n in Fedreal and p rivate
ing an oath or being bonded, A n
support for the town, and created 80
drews put on his “ old u n ifo rm ,"
new jobs.
picked up his service revolver, and
But change in a repressive society
took over the police department.
The Observer endorses Gary Roberts for Dis
trict Court Judge, Department #14. Roberts is
director o f Multnomah County Legal A id Ser
vice, where he has been an attorney since 1974.
Roberts has shown his courage and indepen
dence by filing suit against the former Attorney
General and Labor Commissioner of Oregon in
an attempt to ensure people investigation and
prosecution o f c iv il rights cases. As a Legal
Aid attorney he has fought for the rights o f the
poor, the senior citizens, welfare clients and mi
nority people. He has been willing to take un
popular stands like participating on the Citizens
Task Force on Police Internal A ffairs, helping
w rite Measure 51 and challenging the police
union’s misleading advertising.
Roberts has had an o p p o rtu n ity to know ,
communicate with and represent the powerless
segments o f our society and we believe that
when he presides over the District Court he will
remember their special problems and w ill con
sider them when making decisions.
We recommend a vote for Gary Roberts.
0 * Mult. Co. Auditor: Feeney
Anne Kelly Feeney is a candidate for the posi
tion o f County Auditor. The auditor surveys not
only the financial, but the programmatical, as
pects o f county agencies and programs.
Mrs. Feeney is well grounded in liberal social
philosophy. The daughter o f Neil Kelly, she
grew up in East Portland and is familiar with the
special problems of inner Northeast.
Mrs. Feeney promises to pay special attention
to the services offered by county agencies—whe
ther they provide services needed, whether ser
vices are available to all eligible persons, whether
specific communities or groups are served equal
ly and equitably.
W ith tight budgets and hard times ahead it is
vital to have a person in this position who wants
to ensure that money is properly spent. It is also
important that the auditor, who is in a position
to influence expenditures, is aware o f the need
fo r social programs fo r those in need. The
sewers, roads and police have their advocates—
but the people often are forgotten.
I am w riting to thank Northeast
citizens for your attendance, ques
tions and comments at the commu
nity discussion with me on October
12th at (he King Neighborhood Fa
cility. Special thanks to M r. James
Loving, Coordinator of the facility,
for your in v ita tio n and assistance
before and during the meeting; your
hearty support and warm welcom
ing words were most appreciated.
As I slated on this and other visits
to the northeast com m unity, (rue
equality must come in the m arket
place. A prime commitment Io the
Northeast residential and business
com m unity is to do all w ithin my
power as Governor to provide eco
nom ic o p p o rtu n ity and e q u a lity.
State government cannot wait for
better times to assist needy areas.
Government at all levels must pro
vide creative economic stimulation
to produce jobs and attract clean
business and industry. M y commit-
Barbara Roberts was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1980. She also served on the
M t. Hood Community College board and the
Park Rose School Board and was an appointed
“ fill- in ” member o f the Multnom ah County
Commission.
Mrs. Roberts’ work in school finance and tax
ation, as well as her support of progressive social
legislation, speaks for her election to a second
term.
We recommend a vote for Barbara Roberts.
0 r Congress, 1st Dist: AuCoin
Les AuCoin, current Congressman from Dis
trict #1, and Bill Moshofsky, a former official of
Georgia Pacific, are as different as night and
day. AuCoin is a liberal Democrat with a good
voting record; Moshofsky is a typical conserva
tive “ Reaganite.” Need we say more? Vote for
AuCoin!
ian state beside Israel. However, he
pointed out that this in itself will not
guarantee peace— it all depends on
the relations such a state would have
with Israel, and even more, on the
relations between the peoples them
selves:
“ I have a dream . . . . that the Jew
in Israel w ill discover the face o f
God
A nd
God
were
in the face o f the Palestinian.
that the Palestinian w ill see
in the dignity o f the Jew. We
made to live together.”
Unemployment
(Continued fro m page ! column 6)
since July o f 1981 is 10.8 per cent.
A n oth er sign that the recession is
Portland Observer
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worth, Portland, Oregon 97217, Post Office Box 3137, Portland,
Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon
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NÊWAeEfi
A I McGUberry, Editor/Publisher
M toclotlon - Founded fSSS
A t Williams, Advertising Manager
National Advartlalng Representative
Am algam ated P ubll.hara. Inc.
N aw York
When M a y o r C a rth a n learned
about Andrews' actions, he located
two regular police officers and sev
eral auxiliary policemen. Carthan
and his police o fficer* confronted
Andrews at city hall. Andrews re
fused to leanve, and pulled his gun
when Carthan informed him that he
would have to be placed under ar
rest if he did not leave. Andrews was
finally disarmed nonviolently. Sub
sequently, both C arthan and A n
drews filed charges against each
other, but only Andrews* charges
were acted upon. On A p iril 12,
1982, C arthan and six co-defend
ants were convicted on charges o f
simple assault o f a “ law enforce
ment o ffic e r." The co-defendants
received three-year suspended sen
tences and fines. Eddie Carthan was
ordered to spend three years in the
Mississippi State Penitentiary.
Carthan's legal troubles were not
over. A local white businessman
claimed that he had paid Carthan a
bribe for signing papers for a bank
loan, which Federal authorities say
was frau d u le n tly o b tain ed . A l-
though the Federal government’s at- ;
torney conceded that C arthan’s sig
nature on the documents presented
to the bank for a loan was
• forged," the mayor was convicted.
When the Jackson A dvocate pub
lished in fo rm a tio n favo rab le to
Carthan last December, the newspa
per’s office was firebombed. Organ
izing efforts still continue to free
C arthan and the “ Tchula Seven."
O n October I I , 1982, a national
inarch will begin at Tchula, culmin
ating in the state capital on October
16. A broad coalition of civil rights
activists, church leaders, legal aid
agencies and civil liberties groups
have endorse the march.
Three decades ago, V .O . Key as
serted that "th e beginning and the
end of Mississippi politics is the Ne
gro ." Despite desegregation and the
election o f black officeholders, this
statement is still true today. The
battle for civil rights, black econom
ic development and simple justice
has not ended in Mississippi: it has
hardly begun.
Open letter to the N.E. community
0 r House District 16: Roberts
To live to g e th e r.. . .
(Continued fro m page t column S)
Part ZZ o f a 2-part series
0 * District Court: Roberts
0 * NO: M easures
not over was a slight decrease in
producer price o f finished goods,
the fourth decline this year.
Oregon, which is one o f the first
affected and hardest-hit states in the
United States because of its depend
ence on the construction and timber
industries, will also be one o f the
last to feel the effects o f an econom
ic recovery. The Reagan administra
tion projects a permanent unem
ploym ent rate o f 6 per cent, while
Oregon economists predict that Ore
gon’s timber industry will never re
gain its former status.
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Hit My Morn and Dad raad
tha Portland Observer—why
not you? Subscribe todayl
ment to m in o rity and small busi
nesses is to push for legislative ac
tion creating a program that makes
available long needed venture capi
tal, training and support services—
making the steps toward economic
equality a reality, rather than rhet
oric at election time. I again pledge
support for establishing at the state
level a specific program for p u r
chase o f goods and services from
minority businesses, in addition to
construction set-asides. I will work
with you to eliminate those factors
inhib itin g your ab ility to compete
on direct contracts and subcon
tracts. I believe as Rev. Jessie Jack-
son states, "Blacks need trade, not
aid .”
I stated at the community discus
sion my pledge to make the affirm a
tive action legislation I ’ ve written
and supported a working reality un
der my adm inistration through in
creasing appointments, promotion
opportunities and hirign in policy
level positions with influence. I will
also actively pursue use o f estab
lished legal and available incentive
mechanisms Io create private sector
equal o p p o rtu n ity . State govern
ment can and should do more than
have “ . . . a less fo rm alized pro
gram” for the private sector, as Mr.
A liyeh has staled exists in his ad
ministration.
In closing, your questions and
comments were heard and valued.
As Governor I will seek your advice
and provide inform ation regularly
so that together we form a partner
ship to meet the needs and oppor
tunities o f your com m u nity. T o
ward that end, I ask for your active
support and your vote on N ov,
22nd.
Sincerely yours,
Jed Kulongoski
Democratic candidate for Governor
U.S. buys war
(Continued from page I column 3)
ning twenty to one in opposition to
United States military aid to El Sal
vador and the N ational Council of
Churches, the U .S . C atholic C o n
ference, the Conference o f A m eri
can Rabbis, unions, professional or
ganizations and other groups are
passing resolutions, locally and na
tionally, opposing military aid.
O n N ovem ber 2, M u ltn o m a h
County voters will be given the op
portunity to vote on Ballot Measure
7, which w ould put M u ltn o m a h
b o u nty on record as opposing
U n ited States m ilita ry aid to the
government o f El Salvador. Similar
measures have been approved in
Santa Cruz and C hico, C alifo rn ia
and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The
passing o f B allot M easure 7 w ill
send a message to Washington that
the people o f M u ltn o m a h C ounty
do not want their tax dollars to be
used in support of a government in
tent upon the systematic murder and
torture of its own people.
—1
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