P*0* 4 Portlend Observer, April 20,1983
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Where were you the day
they sabotaged MHRC?
Citizen involvement can move City Hall. This
was evidenced this week by the restoration o f the
O ffice o f Neighborhood Association’s budget.
Once City Hall was hit by an organized mass of
citizens, the Council realized a mistake had been
made in the calculations and the O N A budget
was restored.
N ot so with the M etropolitan Hum an Rela
tions C om m ission’s budget. W hat could be
more important in this time of rising bigotry and
financial stress? Yet, M H R C was gutted— and
by its own liaison Commissioner. Seldom do we
see a Commissioner destroy her own bureau, yet
those who did find their way to City H all Tues
day heard Com m issioner M arg aret Strachan
justify the destruction o f M H R C — the elimina
tion o f its programs and most o f its staff— in or
der to make it stronger.
N o rationale appeared for this amazing dis
play o f w ill— no reason, no evaluation, no
charge o f ineffectiveness, nothing.
I f the public had bothered to go to City Hall
they would have seen a phenomenon new to the
annals o f C ity history. But they did not. So
M H R C went down to defeat—doomed to a slow
death; minority and poor residents of the Coun
ty left to the whims o f bigotry or apathy.
As one citizen said, to dismantle M H R C with
out public discussion and debate is unconsion-
able and obscene.
W e must wonder where all o f the organiza
tions that benefit from M H R C ’s expertise and
who have been happy for M H R C ’s support and
help over the years were Tuesday. The Black
U nited F ro n t, the U rb an League and A C L U
were there but where were the other minority or
ganizations— the N A A C P , the Hispanic organ
izations, the American Jewish Federation, the
Japanese American League, the Albina M inis
terial Alliance?
Where were the so-called liberals— Schools
for the City, the Alliance for Social Change, the
Democratic Party, N ational Organization for
W om en, W om en’s Political Caucus, Y W C A ,
National Council o f Christians and Jews, Ecu
menical Ministries, the church organizations?
W here were the “ not-so-liberals” — the C ity
Club, the Chamber o f Commerce? Where were
the citizens?
I f those organizations that supposedly stand
for racial justice had been present and heard,
perhaps one vote could have been changed.
When racial incidents occur, when swastickas
appear, when the city’s image, so important to
the business com m unity, is further tarnished,
they will be looking for M H R C .
Legal lynchings: law and racism
by Manning M arable
"From The Grassroots'"
The cutting edge o f Reaganism it
white racism.
Part o f this statement can be am
ply illustrated by the unprecedented
levels o f barbarism and enforced au
sterity which the present administra
tion projects in its recent budgetary
proposals. But a m ore d yn am ic
method o f relating the recent histor
ic rise o f w hite supremacy and the
retreat fro m the "S eco nd Recon
stru c tio n " in the past decade w ith
the presentations o f the Reagan A d
m inistration is through a b rief cri
tique o f the utility o f the law itself as
a w eapon against b la ck , b ro w n ,
poor and progressive peoples'
movements.
In some instances, civil rights law
yers themselves have been (he vic
tims o f attacks. Several months ago.
fo r exam ple, the U .S . Suprem e
Court ruled against Lennox Hinds,
former head o f the National Coun
cil o f Black Lawyers (N C B L ) in his
efforts to hall disciplinary proceed
ings by the New jers ey B ar. Six
years ago, during (he trial o f Assata
Shakur (Joanne Chesimard), Hinds
accused the crim inal justice system
o f conducting " a legalized lynch
ing" against Shakur. The Middlesex
C o u n ty Ethics C o m m itte e o f the
New Jersdy bar sued Hinds for his
spontaneous rem arks. By an 8-0
vo te, delivered by C h ie f Justice
W a rre n B u rg er, the C o u rt sided
with the New Jersey Bar This deci
sion, along with other rulings, can
be construed to be a warning to all
activist-oriented attorneys who take
a prom inent and public role in de
fen d in g progressive and p o litic a l
prisoners.
Inside the U .S . penitentiary sys
tem, civil rights advocates and law
yers are Finding it increasingly d iffi
cult to have access to their clients.
O fficials at the Illinois Department
o f C orrections, for exam ple, have
blocked legal workers from consult
ing w ith political prisoners held in
maximum security. Federal authori
ties have consistently interfered with
attorneys o f the M a rio n Prisoners
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Rights P ro je c t in e ffo rts to w o rk
w ith prisoners held at the M a rio n ,
Illinois federal penitentiary. In Con
gress, a c o m p lim e n ta ry atta c k
against black and poor peoples' ac
cess to counsel took shape late last
year, when Congress voted to re
strict the Legal Services C o rp o ra
tion’s activities. In passing a contin
uing a p p ro p ria tio n s re s o lu tio n .
Congress ordered Legal Service* to
halt funding programs to represent
clients in class actions, participation
in lobbying efforts, and legal aid to
undocumented workers.
Tw o key pieces o f civil rights leg
islation are now becoming more vul
nerable as to th eir en fo rce m e n t.
T itle V I I o f the 1964 C iv il Rights
Act and the Equal Employment Act
o f 1972 outlawed discrimination by
businesses w hich em ployed m ore
than 100 workers. The Equal E m
ployment Opportunity Commission
(E E O C ) was given the power to re
view w o rk e rs ’ grivances against
management and to sue racist cor
p o ratio n s. T h e E E O C ’ s m andate
was re in fo rce d w ith (he 1971 Su
prem e C o u rt decisio n, G riggs v.
D u ke P o w e r C o m p an y, w hich de
clared that any em ploym ent p rac
tices w hich " in a d v e r t e n t ly " ex
cluded minorities and women from
jobs was a v io la tio n o f T itle V I I .
U nder N ixo n and F o rd , how ever,
the agency was only at best partially
effective as a means to guarantee
equal o p p o rtu n ity fo r blacks and
Latinos in the labor force.
U n d er President C a rte r , the
E E O C became m ore e ffe c tiv e in
promoting civil rights, to an extent.
In 1978 Carter signed Executive O r
der 12067 which transferred all au
thority to coordinate equal em ploy
ment opportunity laws, regulations
and policies in Federal departments
and agencies to the E E O C , thereby
strengthening its mandate. But the
Supreme Court escalated the conser
vative reaction during the mid- and
late-1970s. In the 1976 Washington
v. Davis decision, the high court de
clared that "discriminatory purpose"
had to be established by litigants in
order to prove racial discrimination
under the equal protection clause o f
the fourteenth amendment.
T h e B urger c o u rt fo u n d th a t
showing a disproportionate impact
is not sufficient to establish systemic
racism. The next year, the In te rn a
tional Brotherhood o f Teamsters v.
U.S. ruled law ful a seniority system
that was negotiated which actually
perpetuate* pre-Title V II discrimin
ato ry hirin g and p ro m o tio n p rac
tices. These decisions, w hich p re
dated the noto rio us B a kk e v. R e
gents o f U n iv e rs ity o f C a lifo rn ia ,
set the legal stage fo r Reaganism
after 1980
Since Reagan's first weeks in o f
fice, the E E O C has been v irtu a lly
hamstrung. Budget D irector David
Stockm an quickly ordered s ta ff re
ductio n s in 1981, and fiscal cuts
have dim inished the E E O C ’ s real
budget 8 percent below 1980 levels.
Last year. Reaganites in both parties
actually slashed the E E O C ’s budget
by tw o m illio n d o lla rs m ore than
what the president had originally re
quested. Edward W atkins, president
o f the N a tio n a l C o u ncil o f E E O C
Locals #216, A F L - C IO , and s ta ff
member M ark Solof have written re
cently that "th ro ug h a combination
o f budget cuts, s ta ff redu ctio ns,
p rocedural changes and em ployee
downgradings, the A dm inistration
has created a situation at the agency
in which many employees have been
unable to adequately take action on
in d iv id u a l charges and larger p a t
terns o f discrimination in the w ork
p lace.” The num ber o f cases filed
by E E O C declined 70 percent be
tw een fiscal 1981 and 1982. T h e
length o f time for E E O C to process
a charge has alm ost doubled since
1980, from 5.5 months to 9 months.
" I n many instances,” W atkins and
Solof add, "charges have been dis
missed or 'n o caused' because they
w ould prove too d iffic u lt or tim e-
consum ing to process. O v e ra ll,
there has been a 6 percent rise in the
num ber o f charges dismissed since
1980, to 35 percent."
;
Salem Scene
by State Senator Ruth M cFarland
M ie rn t N e w s
Letters to the Editor
Washington has tough task ahead
To the editor:
M r . W ashington's victory in the
Chicago M ayor's race was outstand
ing and has set the tone fo r even
more accomplishments for all races.
H e worked very well under adversi
ty. N o one w ill ever know just how
much harm or good the media did
during a seemingly bitter campaign
on all fronts.
W hen it was said by Washington
that we (Americans) w e supposed to
be like partisans with each other as a
" m e ltin g p o t . " T h e m e ltin g pot
story really does not do a good job
o f d escribing the experience o f
blacks in the 20th century. First of
all blacks did not migrate to indus
tria l centers from Eastern Europe,
n o r as fo reig n ers seeking a host
co u n try . T h e y came as citizens o f
the host country fleeing its oppres
sion. Therein lies a big difference
M ayor Washington has an incred
Ml MOt *
ible task ahead o f h im , not o nly
m anaging the c ity 's business but
carrying people forw ard to a better
understanding. H opefully the well-
entrenched patronage system w ill
die a peaceful death.
It is m ore im p o rta n t than ever
that blacks take c o n tro l o f th eir
ideals and not hesitate to m ake
judgem ent on issues which affe ct
their communities. It is also impera
tive to be w ary o f " p o litic a l
friends" who w ill often w affle and
go which ever way the wind is blow
ing. M r . W ashington had a lot o f
that in his primary campaign.
I wish him well and feel confident
he will do a good job. H e may have
appeared lik e a to u g h , w ell-sea
soned man— he is that— but there is
a great deal o f compassion written
between the lines.
Fran Ariniello
Thanks for support
To the editor:
W e wish to express our apprecia
tion and thanks to those who joined
us in speaking out against the racist
b eh av io r ex h ib ite d in C h icag o
around the mayoral race involving
Congressman Harold Washington.
Yes, it is unusual fo r citizens in
one state to become involved in a lo
cal campaign in another stale. H o w
ever. many o f us were so angered by
the accounts o f the activities report -
ed in the media we felt moved to re
spond in a positive way. Thus, our
co n trib u tio n s to the W ashington
campaign.
O u r hopes were realized and we
rejo ice w ith our D e m o cratic c o l
league on his victory.
W e know we speak fo r all who
participated, in wishing Mayor-elect
Washington well.
Gladys McCoy
Portland Observer
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One hundred thousand w orking
men and women die every year from
w o rk -re la te d illnesses. A lm o st
400,000 more men and women con
tract new job-related diseases every
year. One half a million workers get
ill or die each year because o f their
jobs.
The N a tio n al Institute o f Safety
and H ealth (N IO S H ) says we have
16,540 toxic substances in commer
cial use today. Between 1,500 and
2,000 o f those substances are known
carcinogens, cancer causing agents.
A n A F L - C IO re p o rt say* over
34,000 substances currently in use in
the workplace are toxic, 2,3000 can
cer causing. The E P A reports even
higher num bers o f chem ical sub
stances in the workplace—44,000—
and no one has an accurate account
ing o f how many o f (hose sub
stances affect human beings.
There’s a confusing and frighten
ing u n c e rta in ty about toxic sub
stances in the workplace. The situa
tion is, in fact, extraordinarily dan
gerous for American workers.
T h a t ’ s why we acted in the
Oregon State Senate on A p ril 11 to
pass Senate Bill 294, the "R ig h t to
K n o w " bill which compels labelling
o f to xic substances in the w o rk
place.
Following are some excerpts from
testimony we heard which led us to
pass the toxic substances disclosure
act:
"Som e ten months ago a number
o f our members were faced with the
resu lt* o f an exposure to a toxic
ch em ical. T his incid en t occurred
when the workers were instructed to
use a 'carb ureto r cleaner' as a de
greaser. They were not informed o f
any possible hazard, nor were they
instru cted to use any p ro tective
equipment. The results: six workers
passed out and one went to the
hospital. Those were the immediate
results. The long term results we still
do not kn o w ."
(D ic k E d g in g to n , S afe ty and
H e a lth D ire c to r, In te rn a tio n a l
Chemical Workers, Local 109, Port
land.)
" W e have cared fo r nine indus
tria l painters who have evidenced
'to x ic encephalopathy,' a fo rm o f
brain damage, from exposure to sol
vents. In m any instances these
w orkers had been p ro vided w ith
fa u lty or in ad eq u ate p ro tective
equipm ent or no protecton at a ll.
The painters were generally u n in
formed about what they were being
exposed to, and therefore could not
properly protect themselves.
M any times this type o f brain in
jury is permamnent. Fifty percent of
the workers we have seen are c u r
rently unemployed and not retrain
able at this point. A ll of the workers
have been physically, socially and fi
n an cially dam aged by the ex p e r
ience. M ore than likely all o f these
problems could have been avoided
had the workers known what they
were being exposed to , and been
able to demand appropriate protect
ive equipment."
(P a tric ia de G a rm o . A N P ; W il
liam M o rto r, M D ; Douglas L in z ,
M D , O ccup ation al H e a lth C lin ic ,
U . o f O. Health Sciences University,
Portland.)
" W e are c u rre n tly seeing a 39-
year-old woman with three children,
who was exposed to a variety o f tox
ic substances without protecton dur
ing her o n e -a n d -a -h a lf years e m
p loym ent three years ago. T his
woman will die some time within the
next two weeks to two months from
occupational lung disease.
In itia lly this woman thought she
had a cold and her d o c to r c o n
curred, unaware o f her occupational
exposures. She continued to w ork
and her cold turned in to what was
thought to be b ro n ch itis. F in a lly ,
when her b rea th in g became q u ite
difficult, an x-ray was obtained and
the diagnosis o f occupational lung
disease made. It was still some time
before the woman was able to iden
tify the specific substances to which
she had been exposed, and in part
because o f that delay she was denied
workers’ compensation."
(The source is the same as above.)
I have included only a few o f the
tragic stories we heard during testi
mony on this bill. T o allow such hu
m an tragedy to continue when we
have the means to stop it w ou ld
been unconscionable.
Put sim ply, the b ill provides fo r
an e d u c a tio n a l p ro gram fo r e m
ployees handling toxic substances,
makes inform ation available to em
ployees who request it and provides
a personnel record fo rm fo r
em ployees on te rm in a tio n so they
have a p erm an en t record o f th eir
exposure.
There has been strong employer
opposition to this bill in my district,
especially by farm ers. I believe the
amended form o f the bill takes care
o f many o f the objections farmers
had. But for those who still oppose
the b ill and disapprove o f my vote
fo r it , I have to say that I could
simply vote no other way.
This bill is vital to the health and
security o f our workers. It needed to
be passed.
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