Portland Obaerver, August 3. 1983, Page 3
METROPOLITAN
Portlanders protest
U.S. role in Central
America
by Robert Lothian
M ore than 150 protester*. includ
ing 17 from Portland, were arrested
July 25-26 during a blockade o f the
Concord Naval Weapons Station at
Port Chicago, Calif.
A coalition of Bay area Central
America solidarity and anti-nuclear
groups organized the blockade to
protest U .S. arms shipments to C en
tral America and storage of nuclear
weapons at the base.
A Navy spokesman said that
100,000 tons o f weapons are
shipped annually through the facili
ty, which is the main weapons depot
for the Pacific Fleet. According to
protest leaders up to 80r « o f U.S.
arms shipments to El Salvador go
through Port Chicago. At the height
o f the Vietnam W ar, 120.000 tons
o f guns, bombs and napalm were
shipped monthly from Port Chicago,
according to the Navy spokesman.
Numerous blockades and protests
occurred at the facility then.
O n M onday, 104 persons were
arrested at the gates for obstructing
traffic and trespassing on federal
property. Another 49 were arrested
Tuesday. Most were released and
charges dropped within hours, al
though 28 remained in custody W ed
nesday awaiting arraignment,
Nancy Webster, one o f the Port
landers arrested, and a member of
the Portland Central America Soli
darity Committee, said she partici
pated in the blockade out of frustra
tion with "norm al channels" open
to citizens to influence U.S. Central
America policy.
" I t ’s something one can do in
addition to writing a letter,” she
said. “ I was scared, because I ’d
never been arrested before. I also
knew we weren’t going to back
d o w n ."
Webster said she felt “ a real
feeling o f togetherness” with other
protesters during their six hour con
finement in the Contra Costa
County jail.
“ I felt a strong solidarity with
everyone," she said. " I t just felt
like it was real important for us to
be there for ourselves. Everyone was
real supportive from the Portland
group.”
During a march through residen
tial Concord Sunday, a 20’ -wide
banner proclaimed in 3’ high letters:
" P O R T L A N D SAYS N O T O U.S.
IN T E R V E N T IO N ." Over 100 O re
gonians were present, including 80
from Portland. Police estimated the
crowd at 3,000 while march organiz
ers estimated 4,000-5,000.
A diverse cross section of social
change and anti-nuclear groups
chanted and carried signs and
banners under the hot Central
Valley sun: "Stop the arms race, not
the human race,” "M o n e y for jobs,
not for w a r," "S to p exporting
m u rd er," " C IA out o f Nicaragua."
and “ No draft, no war, U.S. out of
El S alvador."
Tom Donnelly, a member o f
Trade Unionists in Solidarity with
El Salvador, said it was important
for union members to be concerned
with more than just wages " I don’t
think people are going to be able to
stop the war unless working people
realize that wage and social service
cuts are linked with military expen
ditures for Central Am erica,” he
said
Townspeople were drawn from
Th« Portland contingent and banner. (Photo: Marcia Hamley)
their homes along the parade route.
" I admire them, I think they have a
lot o f guts," said Louise Fuqua, o f
Alray Drive in Concord.
" I ’ m impressed with the amount
o f people,” said another resident.
“ I ’ m impressed with what they are
marching for, but I don’t know
whether these demonstrations are
worthwhile or not. I'm not sure the
power centers pay any attention.”
Referring to the weapons facility,
another man said, " It 's nice, it's an
open space. As far as arms ship
ments, we never really see it ," he
said.
At a rally after the march, Ramon
Cardona, a representative from the
Democratic Revolutionary Front
(F D R ) o f El Salvador, warned
marchers that “ what we have here
are preparations for war, prepara
tions for U .S. troops to come in .”
He outlined 12 warlike actions the
U.S.
is
pursuing
in
Central
America, including backing a C IA -
financed covert war against Nica
ragua, military aid to right-wing
regimes in Guatemala and El
Salvador, setting up a counterinsur
gency base in Honduras and using
that country as a base for aggres
sion, and naval maneuvers o ff (he
Salvadoran and Nicaraguan coasts.
Gus Newport, Berkeley's black
mayor, drew enthusiastic approval
from the crowd when he reported
that the Berkeley C ity Council had
just that week adopted the town of
San Antonio de los Ranchos, in a
rebel-controlled section o f El Salva-
dor, as a sister city. " W e are in pur
suit o f supporting popular move
ments and governments,” he said,
adding that Berkeley will soon be
sending money through New El Sal
vador Today (N E S T ), to the town
for establishment o f development
cooperatives.*
Newport reminded the crowd that
200 black sailors were killed at Port
Chicago during W W I I , when an
am munition
ship exploded.
A
work stoppage by surviving black
sailors and subsequent investigation
helped spur integration of the U.S.
military, he said.
In front o f the gates on M onday,
a small but dedicated group of
blockaders paced back and forth as
they were eyed by a small army o f
riot police and Marines on the other
side. Regina Mendoza, an 18-year-
old Salvadoran woman and spokes
person for Casa El Salvador, an or
ganization of Salvadorans in the
U .S ., told the blockaders that their
actions were " a very important way
for North Americans to show their
support for the Salvadoran people,
and to show their opposition to the
policies o f the U.S. government.”
W ally Priestley, N .E . Portland
representative to the Oregon legisla
ture, was one o f the Portland dele
gation acting in a support capacity
for those blockading. " W e need to
talk about the terrible inhumanity
that is taking place that causes us to
take these steps — the merciless kill
ing, the desperation o f the people,”
he said. Priestley called attention to
the resolution passed by both the
Oregon House and Senate arking
Congress to stop arms shipments to
£1 Salvador.
The most recent Port Chicago
blockade was the third in 1983, with
over 300 arrests so far.
M ore protests are likely, said Jim
Deady of Northwest Action for Dis
armament in an interview on K B O O
F M radio. “ As long as we’re in
Central America there will be dem
onstrations there," lie said, refemng
to the weapons facility.
Diane Hess, spokeswoman for the
Portland Central America Solidarity
Committee, said that those opposed
to Reagan administration policies in
Central America should get ready to
respond quickly as the U.S. increas
ingly adopts a war posture. "W h a t
we need to do now is have a large,
visible public response,” she said.
The people are going to have to do
more than participate in polls. They
are going to have to become more
active if we're going to turn this
thing around.”
*The Portland Central America
Solidarity Committee IPCASC)
along with other chapters and affili
ates o f the Committee In Solidarity
with the People o f E! Salvador
(CISPES) throughout Oregon and
Washington, will be initiating a
similar N ES T project fo r the town
o f La Laguna. El Salvador. To help
raise funds fo r La Laguna or
participate in the National Neigh
borhood Protest campaign o f
CISPES. contact PCASC at P.O
Box 6443, Portland OR 9722ft or
235-9388.
cook as she likes It. Owner Herbert Thompson
looks on.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
City programs
deliver fast-food jobs
GRASSROOTS NEWS, N. W. —
W ithin an atmosphere o f self-confi
dence,
Commissioner
Margaret
Strachan and Bill and Herbert
Thompson held a ribbon-cutting
ceremony last Friday to introduce a
new self-service fast food restaurant
to Portland's inner city.
Kw iky’s Self-Service Burgers A
Things, located at N .E . Union and
Fremont, was not only noted by the
Portland Development Commission
for the revitalization o f the once-
vacant building, but also for its se
lection o f employees through the
C ity ’s Human Resources Bureau
and the Training and Employment
Division.
In a prepared statement the P D C
stated, "Nineteen employees were
vouchered under the Targeted Jobs
TAx Credit program and twenty-six
o f the newly hired employees are
residents o f the Northeast area.”
Financing for this major invest
ment was made possible through a
Small Business Administration loan
and private financing was secured
through Future Funding, Inc. and
equity from the owners.
One o f the principle owners, Bill
Thompson, said opportunity and
availability made this site attractive.
" W ith the traffic pattern, we
foresee a lot o f opportunity in this
area. There was nothing around
here for the people in this neighbor
hood Besides chicken there is no
competition for the hamburger fast
food concept."
Kw iky’s is located at the core of
Portland’s black community. Did
the demographics o f this area deter
him? He replied. " N o , that didn't
really affect us. W e don’t feel there
is a problem with th at.”
The self-service concept evolved
from the prior experiences o f the
H M
AUGUST
S
l r f n
Y
â
( o
W
m
Thompson Brothers who own con
venience stores in Seaside, Scappoose
and St.
Helens, Oregon.
Bill
Thompson said he had to educate
the staff and the community to the
self-service concept. "T h is was a
new concept for our help. I l is an
educational process for all o f us. I f
this works we are looking at doing
this elsewhere.”
It will be interesting to see how
the community responds to K w iky’s
Burgers A Things. The site on 3105
N .E . Union has a history o f being
abandoned by businesses. Ronald
MacDonald withdrew his Big Macs
from the area. The Burger Corral
stampeded away after only a short
stay. M aybe Kwiky's w ill indeed live
up to the send-off it received from
the City; as a business to prove that
the uncharted economic frontier of
N .E . Portland is worth settling.
M
h
IL
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Singing for peace, against U.S. arms shipments to Central Ameri
ca. was part of July 24th rally at Port Chicago. Calif.
(Photo: Peggy Scolnick)
Symrla Jeannie Brown, employ«« at the naw
Kwlky’s Saif-Service Burgers ft Things gives an
uncooked patty to Comm. Margaret Strechan to
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