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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1983)
* «W •* **fc«.A|r 4 >< •’»S nú . •’ Pag» 2 Portland Observar, January 5.1983 Black/black crime Part IV Things arc so tough on a broth er nowadays. I got child support hanging over my head and rent is facing everytime I go home. I t ’s gotten to the place where I don’t want to go home. A t least in the strecu I can make a little money. You sec. I tried to look for a job but there is nothing out there and when I find something I can do the man behind the desk won’t here me. So, what’s a man to do? I ’m not going to starve and my children are not going barefoot. I ’m going to make me tome mon ey. I f I have to steal, rob or sell dope. I ’ m going to have it in 1983. — Black male, 28 years old Grassrool N t * s , N .W .— l h t above account is taken from a black male standing on the streets. It is an example o f the m entality o f a so- called crim inal. In this section on black-on-black crime we’ ll look at the crim inal— the brother or sister who steals, robs and rapes the com munity. Regardless of the victim, if they catch you wrong, they will take advantage of you. But who are these men, and why do they do what they do? ’’ Well, I thought I was an adult at 13 because I started doing what I wanted to do. When I first entered high school I started smoking weed and later I was popping reds and yellows. The next thing I knew I was 16 years old shooting heroin. I wasn’t into a whole lot of crime at this stage but selling a little drugs on the side. I guess it wasn’ t a little thing because I fell deeper into the illusion or trap that I was doing something slick or cool. My brother (a convicted drug dealer) didn't help me any as a role model. Here he was driving a big car, always had money and never going to work. This was an incentive for me to say, ’ Hey, I can do the same th in g !' So, what started me on my downfall was role models because all my role models were doing a little bit of everything wrong. "G etting into the fast life is like being in the desert. The next thing you know you are looking for those mirages. Once you get near it you find that you have to go a little far ther. The next thing you know you are so trapped up in the illusion that you lose contact with how hot the sun really is. You lose contact with reality." This young man said he started shooting heroin to belong to a cer tain group. " M y reasons were self ish. Here I was 13 and 16 years old with others my age handling three to four thousand dollars a day. It was for the flash. Just to high-side. It was easy for me to get two to three ounces o f dope. I entered a little world all to our own. We even had our own vocabulary. We were sell ing dope like it was legal. As long as we paid the police they left us alone They had to know what we were do ing. Everyone else sure did." He told me during this time that he didn't have to break into people's houses. " B u t my other associates did. They would come to me with items that they stole. Sometimes from around the corner. I d id n 't have to buy it because there were plenty of good church-going people who would spend S30 dollars on a color T .V . stolen from their neigh bor. It didn't matter if your name was on it or not. They still bought it. I'm sure they thought they were beating the system but all they were doing was beating themselves be cause you never know when the next hot T .V . would be yours.” This conversation confirms the fact o f the correlation between drugs and crime. Many of the crim inal-minded had drugs on the mind when they took from their neigh bors. Not fo o d, clothing or rent. Just pleasure. But this is just one example or one look into the mind o f a so-called crim inal. Larry Baker,an OSP in mate who has spent much of a life time behind bars for one reason or another, says other criminals who are unlucky enough to gel caught commit their crimes on an impulse. "M o s t o f the violent crimes are committed on the spur o f the mo ment. These crimes are never really thought out. Most of (he blacks who commit crime, after they commit it and are caught, are sorry they did it. Once they get hooked into the crim inal justice system, the crime they committed gets lost in the process. When they get to prison it becomes a matter o f survival. They would have forgotten what they did to wind up in prison. In prison you lose responsibility. Everything is given to you. It is only a matter o f time before they lose responsibility for the crime. Why, they even fo r get why they did it, or who they did it to. There is no one along the way, from the time that they are arrested to the time they are spending behind bars, to remind them or question why they did what they did. The sys tem is not set up to question or re mind the guy about what he d id ." One statement was made to me by a man who spent 9 years in W alla W alla; "Som e brothers just serve tim e. They d on ’ t let time serve them." The brothers who are released say the community docs not get in volved in the prison so it's easy for them to pick up their old ways. One prison guard put that thought in perspective; " T h e reason why the com m unity doesn’ t get involved with the men behind bars is as soon as (hey are released, if (hey want to start doing what they did to get up here, they are going to do it to the community. These guys are not go ing to the West Hills to do their dirt, they are going right back in the black community to do it. So why should the community open up their arms to men that will steal, rape and rob (item? People aren’t fools and they want to keep what little bit they have." C urrently, there is a lot o f talk about the disproportionate number of Afro-American men behind bars. One thought came from the black ju d iciary o f P ortland as to why; "Because they keep screwing up. They do not send anyone to Salem who docs not belong there. Besides we do not give time until they com mit four or Ttve crimes. O r should I say until they get caught four or five times. I think racism gets them ar rested more often because you can see them more often. But you've got to understand (hat these guys com mit crimes where it's easy to get caught. They sell dope and you real ly do not know who you are selling dope to They burglarize homes and believe it or not they solve a lot of burglaries. You've got to sell it to someone and that person gets caught and tells where he got it from. Moat blacks who are in prison are in for burglary and dope. So the reason why there are a high number of black men in prison is that they themselves commit crimes that are easily apprehended." Although many perceive their plight to be one of survival, there is still no excuse for these men and women who prey upon their com munity. There are other channels if their children are without. I f they can be made aware of all the wrong they can make an e ffo rt to learn about the right. As the black com munity slips into the 1980s we can ill afford the tangible and intangible price of black on black crime. There is no excuse for it. As Malcolm X , who rose from hoodlum, thief, dope peddler, and pimp to become one of our greatest leaders, once said: " I believe (hat it would be almost im possible to find anywhere in Amer ica a black man who has lived further down in the mud of human society than I have; or a black man who has been any more ignorant than I have been; or a black man who has suffered more anguish dur ing his life than I have. But it is only after the deepest darkness that the greatest joy can come; it is only a f ter slavery and prison that the sweet est appreciation o f freedom can come." Now Grassrool News is not saying everyone should be like M al colm X , but it would not hurt. What we are saying is to become aware of your oppression and what it is doing to you. Only then can you fight it much like antibodies Tight disease. CLEARANCE Fall suits now 30% off All jeans including Toughslcins and Roughhouiors, denims and corduroy 1/3 OFF In a lough easy care blend ot polyester, cotlon. nylon that makes them durable Plush cord uroy m lots ol styles and colors Lillie and big kids' sizes Reg »10 99 10 SI 7 99 Take advantage of our after-Christ mas clearance sale. Right now you can choose handsome 2 and 3-piece suits in a variety of styles and fabrics from our fall line and save. 7” *o 11’ ’ Pair our long-sloeve tops w ith joans . . . and M> savings) Suits. Were »99 to »175 «69 ,.«122 Our entire stock ot long- sleeve tope lor teg and little kids is on sale now1 Reg $2 97 to »16 99 I ’ 7.. 11?« W h tlo q u o n M to s last le et Britin?» Bote# Ciachamaa. 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Reg »7 99 C 99 J each Shown here is tust some ot our Sale priced intimate apparel Come see the rest Bras assorted styles Reg » 5 l o t t i ]4 S to 7 .S S e a Panties, packages ot 3 pr Brief hip- hugger oi bikini 4 4 » t o 5 ttp k g Reg 1« 50 to »7 50 Penty shapers, boel oi long tine Reg $ t 2 to » l5 7 # « t o 9 7»ea Slips, lull hall or blouse imar Reg »6 50 i o »10 50 4 4410 S.SSea Gowns -P a |a m a s - Breakfast Coals Reg »1210 »15 7 9410 4 74 Peninsula Senior Center schedules free health screen Free health screening and in fo r mation for senior citizens is being offered at the third annual "Penin sula Senior Center M in i-H e a lth Fair.” Tuesday, January 23th, from 10a.m. t o 3 p.m. A variety of health screening tests and demonstrations are planned for the day. The Seventh Day Adventist M o b ile Screening Van w ill be on hand to give blood pressure, glau coma, lung function and blood su gar tests. Anyone interested in hav ing blood sugar tests done should not eat for two hours prior to test. Project A R M van will also be sta tioned at the Senior Center to give hearing tests. Project Smile will con duct oral cancer screening checks. Wayne Hatch, pharmacist, will be giving information on drugs. Vada Orimsrud w ill do some talking on C rim e Prevention and Neighbors Against Crim e. N utritional infor- Long sleeve. Reg »8 99 Big variety— from nightgowns to bikinis to pantyhose 30% off CLEARANCE CASUAL SHOES Lillian White of Qrosham and Edward Card of Portland ara among the December winner« In tha Washington Stata Lottery White won 8800, and Card 8100. Card will ba In tha mid-February drawing for 81 million. W ash in g to n S quare mation and blood pressure tests will be given by the U n i\ rsity o f Port land School of NursiiK . Dr. Oordon W o lfe w ill be answering medical questions. A free foot clinic will be offered by the Army Reserve Clinic. Other agencies have been invited to attend. All the participating agen- cie^tre providing their services at no cost to senior citizens. Last year over 100 seniors attended the Mini- H ealth F a ir. Most came in the morning; we would like to encour age more people to come in the a f ternoon as well since tests w ill be given up to 3 p.m. For further infor mation call Debra Dewey, Informa tion and Referral Specialist, at Pen insula Project ABLE 286-8228. Spe d a l transportation arrangement« can be made in advance if necessary for N orth Portlanders to attend. Notice must be given by 12 noon Friday, January 21st. 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