P»pe 4 Portland Observer, August 10,1983
METROPOLITAN
Over 600 Portlanders, many too young to re
member, reflect on war, peace and the nuclear
age during Saturday's commemorstion of the
bombing of Hiroshima. (Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Bombing relived,
peace vows renewed
G R A S S R O O TS N E W S . N .W .
Over five hundred people gath
ered downtown at the Terry Shrunk
Plaza last Saturday night to hear
and support music, poetry and
speakers that commemorated the
38th anniversary o f the atomic
bombing o f Hiroshima.
" W e have gotten together a lot o f
artists who felt very strongly and
wanted to make an individual state
ment about how they reacted to the
bom bing,” said Peter Janke from
Performing Artists for Nuclear Dis
armament.
Nora Hallett o f the Fellowship o f
Reconciliation says she believes the
Northwest has a special responsi
bility for what occurred in H iro
shima. "T h e plutonium for the
bomb that was dropped on Naga
saki was produced at H anford,
Washington — up-river from Port
land.
"H istorically, Portland has used
this day as a time o f thoughtfulness
and to try to get back in touch with
our humanity. We are all victims o f
Hiroshima and a nuclear war that is
continuing. It is invisible because
radiation is invisible, but it affects
us in so many insidious ways.”
After their cultural exchange in
the park the participants walked si
lently to the waterfront in a candle
light vigil. "T h e W illamette River
flows out into the ocean and con
nects up by water to the river in
H iro sh im a." Hallett said.
August 6 also marked the begin
ning o f the Fast for Life. Peter
Janke says, "N in e people will begin
to offer their lives to say that some
thing must be done. Open-ended
fasting, because o f the life risks in
volved, has a way of speeding up
decision-making. The International
Conference o f the Fast for Life has
issued an appeal which calls on peo
ple to act and act soon in a signifi
cant way to end the nuclear arms
race.”
There are three centers where the
fast is taking place — O akland, C al
ifornia; Paris, France; and Bonn,
West Germany. Tw o o f the nine
fasters are Americans — both are
from Oregon.
Janke said he believes the devel
opment o f nuclear weapons for de
fense does not promote a feeling of
security. "T h e more sophisticated
the weapons are, the closer we are to
a situation o f launch-on-warning
where human decision is removed.
"W e need to work towards putting
more money into peace and interna
tional cooperation instead o f taking
the stance o f good guys vs. bad
guys."
Early in the wee hours of the
morning, over two hundred people
participated in the "Shadow Project"
in which the outline o f human
figures were drawn on sidewalks
throughout Portland. Janke ex
plains. "T h e shadows represent
human forms in various attitudes
they would be in during the course
o f a day. W e have a mother and a
child, a man in a wheelchair and
lovers in a tender embrace. I f a one
megaton bomb was to be exploded
over Portland they would be instant
ly vaporized. The human body is 80
percent water and in the heat o f the
bomb, which is greater than the sur
face o f the sun, the human body
would just evaporate.
" I n Hiroshima, when the bomb
was detonated, people who were
within three hundred yards of the
center o f the explosion left behind
shadows where the intense radiation
whitened their human outline."
T o Oregonians, Janke staled,
"T h is day should be an occasion to
think about how we are spending
our resources in the wrong way.
Also a time to think about what has
happened over the last two years
where people were not talking about
this issue. Today, it is on the news
and in the papers daily. It is in the
forefront o f the politicians' minds
and I think it will be a big issue in
the 1984 cam paign."
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Richardson named to PECI post
Oaorga Richardton will aarva on tha board of Portland Enargy
Conaarvation, Inc.
(Photo: KannaH EIIIa. Craatlva Photography)
¿S « á f e
George E. Richardson, Jr., com
munity leader and corporate execu
tive, has been appointed by M ayor
Frank Ivancie and confirmed by the
City Council to serve on the board
o f directors o f Portland Energy
Conservation, Inc.
P E C I is a non-profit corporation,
responsible for development and
implementation o f programs neces
sary to execute the city’s energy con
servation policy.
"Conservation is vitally im por
tant to the people in this city, the
Pacific Northwest, and the coun
try ." stated M r. Richardson. "W e
must husband our energy resources,
not just for economic reasons, but
also the independence o f our nation.
I am honored to serve P E C I."
M r. Richardson, 44, has lived in
Portland 19 years, where he is the
supervisor o f budget control for
Northwest Natural Gas Company.
He has also been active in his com
munity. M r. Richardson has served
the public and his profession through
many organizations.
He is currently treasurer and
board member o f the Senior Adult
Service Center o f Near Northeast
Portland, Inc., and a member o f the
Planning Executives Institute. He is
also a charter member of the Black
Oregonians for Business Political
Action Committee.
M r. Richardson has served on the
boards o f directors o f the N .W .
Gasco Federal Credit Union, the
Portland Opportunities and Indus
trialization Center, and the National
Association o f Accountants. In
addition, he has been a member of
the Oregon Television and Radio
Service Advisory Board.
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