Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 25, 1983, Image 1

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    Reagan fires C.R. commissioners
Bra Francea Schosn-Xeeapaper Leca
University cf Ore<ot» Library
P rw M m t Raagan K m Read theaa manstoaea of tha U.B.
C o m m M o n on C M I Rights and roptaoed thorn with
conaarvatlvaa Ramovad ware Mary Barry, former A m i .
•oet. of Education; Blandino Cardonas Ramlraa. a T omm
educator; RabW Murray Bahama» of Baltimore
Special:
Section II page 4
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Sect. II page 4
Voices
Career Issue
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from the Street
Labor
STRUGGLE
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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M tu tu n t <» /or. /«w
Volume XIII, Number 32
May 25, 1963
25C Per Copy
Two Sections
_______________________________________________________
Court rejects racism
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled
Tuesday that racially discriminatory
schools are not eligible for federal
tax exemptions.
The opinion, written by C hief
Justice Warren Burger, said there
was no question but that the
Internal Revenue Service was right
when, in 1970, it stopped granting
tax-exempt status to school* that
discriminate.
Based on the "national policy to
discourage racial discrimination in
educalion" the IRS ruled (hat "a
private school not having a racially
nondiscriminatory policy as to
students is not ’charitable’ within
common law concepts."
Bob Jones University justified its
racial discrimination on religous
grounds. " T h e free exercise of
religion clause, as interpreted by the
C o u rt," Burger wrote, "provides
substantial protection for lawful
conduct
grounded
in
religious
belief. However, not all burdens on
religion are unconstitutional
. .
The state may justify a limitation on
religious liberty by showing that it is
essential
to
accomplish
an
overriding governmental inter*. O n
this accasion the Court found
greater governmental interests so
compelling
as to allow
even
regulation prohibiting religiously
based conduct. Denial o f tax
benefits will inevitably have a
substantial impact on the operation
o f private religious schools, but will
not prevent the schools from
observing their religious tenets."
President Reagan tried last year
to revoke the 1970 1 R S. policy
because he said it had no basis in
law. The Court decision was a blow
to the administration, repudiating
the administration’s legal position,
and was voiced in unusually forceful
language
"G iven the stress and anguish o f
the history of efforts to escape from
the shackles o f the ’separate but
equal'
doctrine
of
Plessy
v.
Ferguson it cannot be said Ihat
educational institutions that, for
whatever reasons, practice racial
discrimination, are institutions exer­
cising beneficial and stabilizing
influences in community life . . . ”
W illiam T . Coleman, Jr., was
appointed by the Court to argue
against tax exemption.
Rumors of CIA action persist
IP art Z o f a series/
bv Robert Lothian
Nearly 40 people picketed the Northeast Welfare
Office on West Burnside WadnMday noon,
protesting delays on welfare related bills before
the Ways end Means Committee - two parent
ADC and the medically needy program. The picket
was sponsored by the Oregon Human Rights
Coalition and was specifically directed at Rep.
Vera K ati.
(PhotoRichard J. Brown)
South Africa retaliates
ANC bombs S.A. military
South African black* were report­
ed to be jubilant over the recent
bombing by the African National
Congres* o f a building that housed
the South African A ir Force com­
mand. About half o f the 18 casual­
ties were civilian employees, among
them eight black*. The bombing is
seen a* a shift o f tactics from at­
tacks against property to guerrilla
action that will cause the loss o f ci­
vilians.
The heightened activity against
(he government has been long await­
ed and the fact that some blacks, as
well a* innocent white*, will be
killed in the struggle is understood.
The goal of the A N C is establish­
ment o f a democratic society for all
South African* "regardless of race,
color or creed.’’
The A N C was founded in 1912
" to defend Africans against repres­
sion." In early year* it tried to
achieve its goal* through legal politi­
cal tactics. In 1949 it adopted civil
disobedience tactics. Following the
police murder o f 300 blacks during a
demonstration in Sharpsville in
I960, the group was banned and
went underground. A plan o f sabo­
tage was begun.
In 1964, Nelson Mandela, leader
o f A N C , was arrested and sentenced
to life in prison. He is still being
held in maximum security.
Since the 1970* sabotage against
police and property have increased
The recent bombing was the first
that was not planned to avoid civi­
lian casualties.
A ll act* o f sabotage are answered
by South Africa with military raids
into
neighboring
nations
they
charge with harboring A N C guerril­
las.
South African jets attacked M o ­
zambique M onday, three day* after
the A N C bombing. This was the
first acknowledged air raid against
Mozambique although there have
been numerous ground incursions.
The South African attack squa­
dron leader called the M aputo air­
port tower to inform them a raid
was imminent and ihat any attack
against the jets would bring retalia­
tion. They opened fire with rockets
and machine guns, causing heavy
damage to a factory and several
homes. The victims (6 dead and 40
wounded) included at least six chil­
dren. Although the South African
government called it an attack on
members o f the A N C hiding in M o ­
zambique, all but one o f the victims
were Mozambican citizens.
South African defense minister
Magnus Malan said, "T h e world
and our enemies must see this only
as an example o f our capabilities,
and what we are prepared to do to
protect our territorial integrity and
avenge the letting o f innocent
blood.”
In addition to its frequent m ili­
tary aggression against M ozam ­
bique, South Africa supports a
African Liberation March
scheduled for Saturday
The annual A frican Liberation
Day will be held on Saturday. M ay
28th. The march will begin at King
Neighborhood Facility (N .E . 7th
and W ygant) at 11:00 a.m . and
procede to Irving Park (N .E . 7th
and Fremont) where there will be
speakers, entertainment and food.
Come and celebrate the freedom
won and the liberation yet to be
gained. For inform ation call 284-
9352.
counter-revolutionary group in M o ­
zambique that carries out acts of
sabotage in an effort to destabilize
the government.
Sleepy M cM in nville, Oregon and
war-ravaged El Salvador would not
seem to have much in common. But
one o f the largest contract helicop­
ter firm s in the w orld ha* its head­
q uarters in M c M in n v ille , and a
giant workhorse helicopter owned
by the firm is in El Salvador now
helping to repair war-damaged elec­
tric transmission lines.
Evergreen H e lic o p te rs , Inc.
landed a $2 .2 m illio n Agency fo r
In te rn atio n al Developm ent ( A ID )
renewable contract late in 1981 to
re p a ir pow er lines sabotaged by
guerrillas.
The contract would appear inno­
cent enough, yet (he W a ll Street
Journal and other publications have
on several occasions uncovered links
between Evergreen and the C IA .
W h ile there is no evidence o f
Evergreen's involvem ent in covert
activities in Central America at this
time, the company did buy a C IA -
backed airline. Intermountain Avia­
tion of Marana, A riz. in 1973. Inter­
m ountain had been one o f several
airlines around the world, including
A ir Asia and Southern A ir Trans­
port, which the C IA grouped under
the title A ir Am erica, a commercial
cover fo r covert o p eratio ns. T h e
C IA sold in te rm o u n ta in to E v e r­
green when In te rm o u n ta in 's re la ­
tion sh ip w ith the C I A became
kn o w n . { W a ll S treet J o u rn a l,
2 /1 6 /7 9 ).
The US Agency for International
Development has long been associ­
ated with covert operations in world
trouble spot*. Using A ID contracts
and the com m ercial cover o f A ir
America, for instance, the C IA was
able to o rg an ize a secret arm y in
Laos, som ething w hich the US
governm ent w ou ld not otherw ise
have been able to do. As a journalist
who was flow n around SE Asia by
A ir Am erica said, "S u re i t ’ s A ID ,
and you spell that C I A ."
Under contract with A ID in 1974,
Evergreen helicopters carried food,
medical supplies and A ID o ffic ia l*
into remote area* of drought-stricken
and w ar-ravag ed E th io p ia . (Ore­
gonian 3 /3 0 /7 4 )
A n Evergreen subsidiary, E ve r­
green In te rn a tio n a l A irlin e s , also
based in M c M in n v ille , has been
known to work for the m ilitary on
occasion. Tw o A ir Force contracts,
one in 1976 and the other in 1981,
totaled $14 million for air transport
w ork. ( W all Street Journal}
When the Shah o f Iran needed a
D C -8 to take he and his retin u e
from Panama to Egypt, Evergreen
In te rn a tio n a l took the jo b , which
again raised speculation ab o ut a
C IA connection.
I t ’ s not easy to research E v e r­
green because it is "closely held" by
sole owner Del S m ith , and annual
{Please turn to page 9 column I )
Voices from the street
Grassroots News. N. W. — They
w alk up and dow n the streets.
Young men between the ages o f 16-
21 whose* faces show the serious ex­
pression of unemployment, political
powerlessness and the invisible
social status given to young men
w ho have been abandoned by the
educational system, forgotten by the
statisticians and ignored by society.
They make their presence known by
hanging out dow ntow n in front of
the Post O ffice or at the door of an
arcade. W hat you are about to read
are voices from the streets — how
young men really feel. From both
black and white — hear what they
hear. See what they see. Feel what
they feel.
Lionel, 17, and Gregory, 21. are
young black men disproportionately
hit w ith every inequ ality Am erica
has to o ffer. Although their voices
are their own, they represent the in­
visible young male whose presence is
hidden in the statistics, but can be
seen hanging out, looking for some­
th in g . an yth ing , or engaged in an
impulsive criminal act.
T .J ., 16, and Jim m y, 17, are
white youth whose presence down­
town is o f increasing concern to the
police and local merchants. They,
too, occupy the invisible arena o f a
subculture no one except the police
want to reckon with.
These young men view the 1980’s
the same way th eir g ran d p a re n t*
viewed the 1930's. Gregory, the old­
est o f the males we interviewed, say*
he has known better times. " I t was
easier when C a rte r was in o ffic e .
Now that Reagan is in, the times are
really depressing. When you go look
fo r a jo b they tell you there is a
stack o f ap p lica tio n s this high. I
d o n ’ t w ant to get o f f in to any
trouble, but that is what it's boiling
dow n to . R ight n ow , it's really
tough for me.”
A ll the youth we interviewed ex­
pressed a sheer unwillingness to ven­
ture o f f in to the reckless crim in a l
behavior which adds to the burglary
and vice in m etropolitan Portland.
But at an increasing rate the eco­
n om ic, p o litic a l and social co n ­
straints cause them to view th eir
situ atio n s
w ith
a
note
of
desperation. " Y o u might get des­
perate for money and you’ll want to
take som eone’ s purse. You get to
th in k in g
about
going
in to
someone’ s house and doing things
you a re n ’ t used to doin g. W hen
things were easier fo r me I d id n 't
have to do things like that. But now,
the time* got me wondering."
D o w n to w n , a nameless w hite
youth say* he and his friends help
one another out w ith credit card*
and by shacking-up. " W e do any­
thing we can like sell drugs, equip­
m ent or hock s tu ff. A ll we do is
smoke our sm oke, d rin k our beer
and live h a p p y ." A n o ther yo u th,
who declined to say much o f an y­
th in g , calm ly to ld me, " W e live
from day to d a y .”
Lionel believes that members o f
his peer group w ho do engage in
a c tiv ity w hich tops the c h a rt* o f
p etty c rim in a l b eh av io r do not
understand w hat they are d oin g.
" T h e ir m ind isn ’ t in a positive
{Please turn to page 2 column I )
Jerry
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)