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
American State
Bank AN INDEPENDENT BANK
Head Ottica
2 7 3 7 N. E. Union
Portland, Oregon 9 7 2 1 2
RUNYAN S 880
STORE
9 0 0 6 46
Closed Sunday
3716 N.E. UNION!
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.
Rash Roofing Co.
Roofing of all kinds. Guarantee:
90 days thru 1 year.
4011 N .E. U n io n Ave.
287-8474
*tnxs Morning H i m
/tsXFUR f S ? R ws
Gravity
Live Entertainment
returns to
Fred's Place
Fri. Sat. Sun. 9:30 p .m .-2 :X a m.
81.00 cover charge
2611 N.E. Union Ave.
■fii