Page 2 Section IV Portland Observer, January 20.1903
Urban League: State o f the state
by Lanila Dukt
Q r a s s r o o t N t » i. N . IF .— As the
daw n o f 1 9 1 ) arrives we co n tem ­
plate w hat to expect fro m the new
year by critically examining the old
year. In many ways, 1982 was not a
very good year for Afro-Americans.
P o litic a lly and ec o n o m ica lly we
were tak en three steps backw ard
and one step forw ard. The consen­
sus o f the National Urban League's
“ T h e S tate o f Black A m e ric a ,
1982“ is th a t the status o f black
Americans is stagnant.
Freddye Pettet. Executive Director
o f the Portland branch o f the Urban
League, said these findings did not
surprise her. “ M y reaction is one of
disappointment because we are still
fighting the same battles we had to
fight twenty years ago. As a race we
still have the same problem areas.
There have been a few gains, but by
and large we still have m ajor prob­
lems o f discrim ination in em ploy­
ment and housing. O u r economic
situation is getting worse rather than
better. So, I 'l l have to adm it I was
not surprised, just disappointed, be­
cause we are still facing those same
problems."
Digesting the events and emotions
o f 1982, w hat can we expect from
198)7 M s. Pettet replies, " M o re of
the same. W hat we have to do is to
w ork harder w ithin our own com ­
m u n ities to m ake changes in the
area o f ta k in g care o f our young
people and our e ld erly . W e must
continue to try to make the system
work for us as it does for other com­
munities."
A lth o u g h " T h e State o f Black
Am erica, 1982" dealt with national
issues such as the dismantling o f A f ­
firm ative A ction and sluggish eco­
nomic grow th, Freddye Pettet says
the n atio n al problem s just reflect
the crisis we have in Portland. "O u r
youth unemployment is the same as
the n atio n al average (w ell over 60
percent). The whole attack on low-
income people that is happening at
the Federal level is also at the local
and states levels in Oregon. The d if­
ference betw een the fed eral and
stale level is that the state has the ca­
pacity to deal w ith its low -incom e
blacks and other citizens. I f it reaiiy
w anted to m ake a d iffe re n c e , it
could. In other cities this could not
be done; but in Portland, it ’s possi­
ble. I f the private sector wanted to
change the unemployment status of
young black m ales, they co u ld .
There appears to be a lack o f a total
commitment towards improving the
lives of the com m unity."
She says the reason for the lack of
a commitment to the black commu­
n ity is racism. “ W hen you look at
the economic conditions o f the state
o f O regon it ’ s as bad i f not worse
th an in o th e r co m m u n itie s. B usi­
nesses are closing, large and small.
Even as bad as the situation is for
business, i f one small business took
one or two young people they could
make an im p act."
T h e n a tio n a l re p o rt concluded
that a war is being waged on low -in­
come people across the country. Ms.
Pettet believes the lack o f a policy to
solve the plight o f low-income peo­
ple is hurting the low-income popu­
lace. “ A n y tim e a p o licy im pacts
people negatively, black people are
im p acted m ore than the general
population. I don’ t think enough e f­
fort or time is being spent to look at
what local or national government
can do. One o f the problems is that
not enough im p ac t is o ccu rrin g
fro m the m in o rity co m m un ities.
There are not enough people sitting
dow n and planning a strategy that
w o u ld inclu d e a ll people. E v e ry ­
thing now is done in a crisis situa­
tion. However, w e'll get to the point
where this is not the case and blacks
and m in o rities are involved in the
front end o f planning where there is
some specific thought given to how
our community can be positively im ­
pacted by w hatever policies come
o u t.”
“ T h e S tate o f Black A m e ric a ,
19 82 " paid p articu lar attentio n to
the focus away fro m A ffirm a tiv e .
U nions are one problem . “ Unions
in O reg o n have reacted the same
way Unions everywhere have. Their
concern and main focus is for their
membership and by and large their
m em bership have not had large
numbers o f minorities and women. I
do not think unions have been as sup­
portive o f affirm ative action as they
co u ld , alth ou g h there are isolated
incidents where a few union leaders
helped break the barriers. But when
you have econom ic d iffic u ltie s
where you have large numbers o f
people being laid o f f , unions are
b attlin g fo r seniority. In some un­
ions m inorities and women are the
first to be laid o ff. W hat you see on
a national level you see here in O re­
g o n , but in smaller numbers
" T h e whole direction o f a ffirm a ­
tive ac tio n scaled dow n fro m the
federal level to the state means it ’s
not a high priority any more. For a
state like O regon it is u nfo rtu nate
because some o f us think a ffirm a ­
tive action was never a high priority.
In our local governmental staffs—
County, C ity and State— blacks and
other m inorities are employed only
FREDDYE PETTET
in the a ffirm a tiv e action area and
not in the policy-m aking area. So,
we can see that the people who are
making the laws are themselves not
c o m m itte d to a ffirm a tiv e a c tio n ,
just by looking at the m ake-up o f
their staffs."
1982 was a political year in which
black Oregonians did not come out
and vote as they should. In light o f
this, can we exercise political power
on our behalf? " T h e problem is we
do not use what political power we
have. A nd that is the main way to
sway political figures. I f you do not
vote the politicians do not feel they
should listen to you. A lot o f people
d o n ’ t vote because they feel o u r
numbers are too sm all. I disagreel
W e have to use whatever p o litic al
clout or influ en ce we have. W e
could have made a major difference
this past Novem ber. W hen you do
not vole this weakens the demands
you can m ake."
D is tric t 18 w ill rem ain in the
minds o f the black community for a
long time as an example o f political
d is o rg a n iza tio n . Freddye P ettet
agrees with this assessment. "T h e re
was no logical reason to have six or
sev en blacks running within that one
district. What we needed to do was •
to gel two or three people whom we
thought could best represent District
18. Instead everyone saw an oppor­
tu n ity to get in to politics. N o one
was willing to subvert (heir own per­
sonal needs and am bitions fo r the
good o f our community. Hopefully,
the co m m un ity has learned fro m
this experience and when that seat
comes up again we’U do a better job
o f strategizing so a black can repre­
sent the district."
W hen you th in k back on 1982,
what lodges in the minds o f the Exe­
cutive D ire c to r o f the U rb a n
League? “ The lack o f political o r­
ganization is one item that w ill stay
on my m ind. The whole issue with
the schools w ill produce a positive
rip p le e ffe c t in 1 9 8 ). O u t o f the
whole struggle for quality education
came a black Superintendent. The
issues with the police will have a rip­
ple effect in 198) and I ’ m not sure
whether it w ill be positive or nega­
tive. In 1982 a lot was brought into
the public’s eyes and this resulted in
the Police Review Board. Also, the
comm unity came out against crime
w ith the m arch against p ro s titu ­
tio n ."
Freddye Pettet's New Year's reso­
lution is, " T o continue the fight to
work towards the betterment o f our
community. T o try and get positive
elements working internally and to
continue to speak out against injus­
tices. These are not new resolutions,
just perpetual ones.” She says the
community ought to work harder to
im p ro ve its e lf. “ W e co n tin u e to
reach outside our community for as­
sistance. But we have the resources
w ithin our com m unity to better it.
Let’s open up that resource and util­
ize it in 1983."
Both the gas mask and the traffic light were invented
by Garret M organ, 1877-1963, a black inventor from
Kentucky.
•
Modem postage stamps came into use in 1840.
Englishmen were taxed from 1687 to 1861 for all win­
dows in their houses over the number of six.
The deepest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Baikal
in southern Siberria, reaches 5,712 feet.
Wa do not do business w ith South Africa
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PRE
Project to reduce fear of crime
The N atio n al Institute o f Justice
( M J ) has awarded the Police Foun­
dation S I,8 )O ,)3 4 to conduct an 18-
month experiment in two cities de­
signed to reduce the fear o f crime in
inner-city neighborhoods, preserver
co m ercial v ita lity in these areas,
and, possibly, have an effect on the
crime rate itself.
James K. Steward N IJ D irector,
announced the award and the selec­
tion of Houston as one site for the ex­
periment at a ceremony in Houston
last week. Also in attendance were
Housgon P olice C h ie f Lee Brown
and Police Foundation Research D i­
rector Lawrence Sherman.
The experim ental program also
w ill be undertaken simultaneously
in Newark, New Jersey.
Stewart said that the experiments
w ill focus on c o n d itio n s in some
neighborhoods that generate fear
among the residents and provide an
environment in which crime thrives.
“ In the next few months,” Slew-
art said, "Houston and Ncward Po­
lice Department officials and Police
Foundation researchers w ill be en­
listing the help o f the business com­
munity and private citizens in form ­
ulating strategies to reduce citizen
fear o f crim e. These strategies
should be developed by June or July
and then given actual testing for 12
months."
Stewart, a former O akland, C a li­
fornia. police o fficial, said that "as
every police officer knows, the fear
o f crim e co n trib u tes g rea tly to a
host o f urban ills: the deterioration
o f neighborhoods, the drying up of
commercial activities, and a fortress
mentality among citizens that leads
to abandonm ent o f city streets by
the law -abiding."
Stewart said the experiments will
test the premise that a neighborhood
whose character is w ith in the con­
trol o f the people who live there is
generally a safer neighborhood.
“ T he o v e ra ll e f f o r t . " S te w a n
4
said, " is based on the belief that a
co m m u n ity’ s fear o f crim e may it­
self be a m ajor factor in the health
and future o f the city. The debilitat­
ing apprehension about crime weak­
ens the fabric o f an urban neighbor­
hood's social and economic life.
“ P olice departm ents that w ork
closely with represenatives o f the lo­
cal neighborhoods and that expand
their concern for crime incidents to
also include order problems can re­
duce unw arranted citizen fear and
encourage people to reclaim their
streets and comm unities."
The central purpose o f the experi­
ments will be to test strategies for re­
ducing fear o f crime in a set o f rep­
resentative and s ta tis tic a lly c o m ­
parable inner-city neighborhoods.
A c o ro lla ry o bjective w ill be to
test the effect o f the same strategies
on (he business life o f the neighbor­
hoods.
T o test the general theories the
study w ill exam ine several related
questions:
•C a n united efforts by the police
and co m m u n ity reduce d isorderly
behavior in public spaces and so re­
verse an atm osphere that suggests
nobody cares about such behavior?
• W ill amelioraton of these factors
have a direct effect on reducing fear
of crime and perceptions o f a neigh­
borhood as unsafe?
• W ill the red u ctio n o f fear o f
crime have a direct effect on reduc­
ing serious crime itself on the prem­
ise that a neighborhood that is not
fearful may attract less crime?
• W i l l a re d u ctio n in serious
crime, i f any, reduce public fear of
crime?
• W ill a reduction o f fear increase
a neighborhood’s commercial activ­
ity?
"P o lice alone cannot begin to re­
build comm unities demoralized by
fear. I f they are tru ly to keep the
peace, police must work in tandem
with citizens and all branches o f lo-
DR LEE BROWN
cal governm ent that co n trib u te to
the health o f the c o m m u n ity ,”
Stewart said.
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