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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1983)
Portland Observer. April 20, 1983 Page 5 7-Up boycott update Street Beat by Ron Herndon The black com m unity and its friend* are showing they will not put their money into a corporation that discriminate* against black people. The 7-Up boycott is still on and gaining more and more support. It will continue until Portland Bottling Company develops an affirm ative action plan that ensures black peo ple w ill be hired throughout the company. A ll m ajor supermarkets in the black community have had a notice able drop in their 7-Up sales. A big thank you to everyone who has stopped purchasing 7-U p and all other products distributed by Port land Bottling Company: Nehi Pro ducts. R .C . C ola, S quirt, A A W Root Beer, Paul Masson Wines, Wild Irish Rose, and Perrier Water. A special thanks to all of the busi nesses that have agreed to support the boycott. We launched the boycott of Port land Bottling Company because for the past couple of years they had no black employees. This is particularly offensive when we see black people such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Magic Johnson and Geoffrey Holder being used in national advertisements pro moting the products sold by P o rt land Bottling Company. boycott Portland Bottling Company rushed out and quickly hired some black people— four up to now. Re member, the same move was made after the riot. Isn’t this strange—be fore the boycott they claimed they couldn’t hire anyone because of bad economic condition*. We are happy four black people have jobs and hope they realize the black commu nity made their employment possi ble. H ow ever, tokenism is not enough. The boycott w ill continue until the company developes a hir ing plan that ensure* black people are hired throughout the company. Last year black people in America spent $3.7 billion ($3,726,834,800 to be exact) on soft drinks. Locally and nationally we must demand that our purchasing power be translated into job* and economic development for the black community. In Portland the 7-Up boycott has shown we can do it. From what we have determined the company had no black employ ees between 1963 and 1967. A fte r riots in the black community, Port land Bottling Com pany quickly hired two black people. From 1967 until 1977 it appears as if they had only those two black employees; from 1977 to 1983 we haven't been able to find any black employees. This sordid hiring practice is in a company that employed over 123 people, and during the summer o f 1982 hired 23 tem porary people, none of whom were black. As expected, after we started the by Lenita Duka and Richard Brown Qua Taylor Post Office Employee I think it is the best thing that could have happened in Chica go. I t ’s the right step for black people in that city. It would put Chicago in its rightful place as a city. Now (hat the mayoral election is over in Chicago the Street Beat team asked, “ How do you feel about the political happenings in Chicago and Washington’s victory and Epton’s de feat?" • Jessie Verner Retired I think he was the best person for the position. In politics they always rip each other ap art. And a fte rw a rd they come to gether for the good of the city. Washington Hot Line Jim Doherty Selea Manager Being a Republican I didn't have much of an opinion. I still think it was a racial issue. I know Chicago. I think that Washington w ill change the Democratic Party forever. by Congressman Ron Wyden I usually use this space to report to T h ird District residents on the key concerns before the Congress and my thoughts on those issues. This week, however, I want to re port what Third District residents are thinking about the important is sues facing Oregon and the nation. Some 22,000 of you responded to my constituent questionnaire earlier this year, making it the most respon sive poll to date. According to your responses, a majority o f you (63 percent) would not— given the current deficit situa tion— retain the next installment of President Reagan’ s tax cut due in July. 34 percent would retain that cut, while 4 percent had no response to that question. On other issues: •77 percent of you would cut mili tary spending to help lower the fed eral deficit. 83 percent would cut foreign aid to help achieve that goal, while only 29 percent would favor additional social spending cuts. •Asked about a series o f pro posed changes in Social Security, 63 percent opposed accelerating sche duled payroll tax increases, while 20 percent favored that option. 61 per cent favored basing cost-of-living adjustments on increases in either wages or prices, whichever is lower, while 20 percent opposed this move. • In responding to the same Social Security reform question, 32 percent liked the idea of funding part o f So cial Security from general revenues, while 36 percent did not. 36 percent favored gradually increasing the re tirement age to 68, one month at a time, but 32 percent did not. 38 per cent would abolish the earnings tests and include Social Security as taxa ble income, while 31 percent would not. •Still responding to the Social Se curity question, 82 percent favored requiring federal employees who have worked less than 3 years, and all new federal employees, to pay Social Security taxes. Only 12 per cent opposed that proposal. 31 per cent also supported delaying cost- o f-liv in g increases u ntil October (fro m July), while 30 percent op posed this option. •F in a lly , 69 percent o f you fa vored taxing the Social Security ben efits of the wealthy, while 22 percent did not. Only 31 percent would keep Social Security benefits as they are now, even if it means raising Social Security taxes. 49 percent opposed this option. 39 percent supported the idea o f finding new sources of revenue, such as taxes on the oil in dustry or luxury items, to help f i nance Social Security. Only 31 per cent were in opposition. •W ith respect to solving our un employment problems, 72 percent o f you said that, as a short-term solution, you would support a jobs program similar to that approved by the House during the Lame Duck Session. Only 23 percent opposed that option. •For the long-term, 51 percent of you said the governm ent should play an active role in stim ulating economic growth and job creation. 39 percent felt we would be better o ff if the government left the private sector alone. •Asked how important you felt it was for Congress to pass wilderness legislation in Oregon, 50 percent felt it was very im portant, 27 percent though it was somewhat important and 17 percent thought it was not important. •Asked the same question with re gard to legislation that would allow timber companies to renegotiate un profitable federal contracts, 34 per cent felt it was very im portant, 36 percent said it was somewhat im portant and 19 percent thought it was not important. •Finally, 71 percent of you said it was very important to adopt legisla tion to preserve the Columbia River Gorge, while 18 percent felt it was only somewhat im p o rtan t, and 9 percent felt it was not important. THE BLACK UNITED FRONT’S Third Annual March Against Racist Violence Saturday, A P R IL 30th Begins Alberta Park, 19th €r Killingsworth. 12:00 NOON Rally: King Park, N.E. 7th b W ygant. 2:30 p.m . Please call 2M-67OO fo r more information Bring this advertisement for 55% off Charlie Splrea Cannery Worker Annette Johnson Housewife I felt real good about it. I was proud. 1 felt bad about those Democrats not voting for him. If I was there I would have vot ed for him. I ’m glad he won. The always want to bring up dirt on our people. Being black, they do it all the time. Denise Roberta Administrative Asslstent I think it was a poor cam paign, like most political cam paigns. The one in Chicago was a little worse than most. Coleman Young on Chicago (Continued fro m page I column 6) you use whatever instruments you can; it’s affirm ative action by ap pointment. In my own case, I con centrated first on the Police and Fire Departments, aiming for a 30-50 re sult that reflected the realities o f De troit. ’ ’ The critical starting place for W ashington, too, is law enforce ment, believes Young. " T h e C h i cago Police Department is known across the country as a law unto it self. When police use high-handed physical tactics, almost invariably the minority population is on the re ceiving end. The result is the aliena tion of large segments of the popu lation. In Chicago that means His panics as well as blacks. Washing ton will have to gain control o f the Police D epartm ent and its com mand structure to do something about that." The point is not simply establish ing racial balance, he adds. " T h e idea is to foster cooperation be tween police and citizens, because unless you have that you can't do a damned thing about crime." Despite an impressive string o f m unicipal victories. Young feels that the growing number o f black mayors has not yet become a politi cal force to reckon with on a nation al level. They are, he argues, caught in a local trap: lim ited to a local electoral mandate based on local black m ajorities whose voices are too feeble to be heard in Washing ton. Beyond the city boundaries, he says, political leeway for black may ors becomes "a matter of favors be ing exchanged . but you don't win national power by wheeling and dealing, you win it by a popular vote. That's where the continuing inability of blacks to win outside of black-m ajority districts comes into play. Everyone recognizes that there is no black m ajority in the United States as a whole. So you are left with nothing but wheeling and deal- ing. Nevertheless, Coleman Young be lieves there is reason to cheer the re sults of the Washington-Epton race, if not the racial bitterness the con test unloosed. In p a rtic u la r, he says, Chicago proved that young people— who did most o f the can vassing and voter registration—can once again become involved, "T h e young are at a great disad vantage now; there’ s been a clear deterioration of everything from edu cation to jo b opportunities. The face o f unem ployment today is a young face. Still, some of these kids have clearly caught onto the excite ment in Chicago, onto excitement and a reason to hope. Young people have historically been the legmen and handymen of the political pro cess as well as its future. You can't do without their enthusiasm." t> PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE, 198) One Inch MHRC destruction ensured Aluminum Blinds B ldelm ar ISJ mm bknds Mini Blinds (Continued from page I column J) justice. " It ensures that all citizens get a fair and efficient method o f re solving disputes." I f the program is not located in an agency that gives special attention to racial issues, there w ill not be equal justice, he said. 55% OFF with this ad Softlight Shades Calls coming from the M ayo r's office and City bureaus demonstrat ed that people were being sent from one City bureau to another and no one was dealing with their p ro b lems, M H R C executive director Lin da Roberts said. M H R C developed the mediation program "a n d now all o f a sudden it doesn’ t fit in M H R C , but before it was the only place they sent people." 40% OFF Woven Woods (Selected Patterns) I 50% OFF .Vertical Shades 40% OFF| ! R M . DIETZ COMPANY MMMW j 1010 SE POWELL 239-9014 r».,,.. i PO R T LA N D 97302 ou— rv . m « z Mon-Thura Frl9-i S a t 12 6 9-6 301 Strachan said the great need for mediation made her even more ada mant that it be transferred to the O ffic e o f Neighborhood Associa tions (O N A ). O N A has taken fewer cuts and could enhance mediation, she explained. With only a director and one clerk, M H R C could not properly supervise mediation. Com m issioner Jordan, who is Commissioner in Charge of O N A , said he had no problem in leaving mediation with M H R C , and did not see where the transfer would help. " I don't know why Margaret feels so strong on this or whether it should be done this year." He add ed that the message this budget change (depleting M H R C ) is giving to the public is not worth any im provements it might bring. Others testified that stripping M H R C of its research and advocacy personnel would preclude the agency doing any advocacy. Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman of the Black United Front, said M H R C has made a significant contribution to the struggle fo r justice and ha* provided invaluable assistance to community groups. All compliance organizations are separate bodies— E E O C , O ffice o f C ontrol C om pli ance, Civil Rights Division, etc. He told the Council that the vote will dem onstrate their com m itm ent. Freddye Petett, President of the U r ban League o f P o rtla n d , said, " U n d e r the proposed budget, the M H R C will be completely disman tled and its effectiveness as a voice for Portland’s disadvantages would be ended. This is intolerable. . . . To effectively elim inate the M H R C during a lime o f increasing racism and bigotry and severe economic stress on the city's minority and dis advantages populations* is to effec tively w rite o f those populations. This act would clearly exhibit a lack of concern for the well-being o f alt minority and low-income residents of Portland." Mayor Ivancie and Commissioner Strachan made it clear that the bud get proposals came from Com m is sioner Strachan. She told Com m is sioner Jordan that she feel* very strongly about the reorganization. She supported leaving disability in M H R C and adding one position to MHRC. Commissioners Lindberg and Jordan o ffered an a lt e r n a t iv e - transferring M e d ia tio n to O N A , leaving disability and fair housing in M H R C and adding two positions. No supporting votes were provided and Com m issioner Strachan p re vailed.
