Ir a
F r a n c a * g ^ o a n -N a w a p a p a r Roo»
U n i v e r s i t y o f Oregon L lb r o r y
tu g c n o , Oregon 9 7 4 0 3
FREE MO VIES!
Page 3
Why people
vote
The other
Nicaragua
Page 5
Page 2
Is Jim Brown
back?
Page 12
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Volume XIV, Number 16
February 8, 1984
25C Per Copy
Who gets PDC funds?
by Chuck Goodmacher
Over the past three weeks, the
Portland Observer has fo l­
lowed public economic develop­
ment efforts with an eye to their im­
pact on the businesses and residents
o f inner-Northeast Portland. Last
week, the Observer looked at
recent efforts o f the Portland
Development Commission in the
area.
REV HERBERT DAUGHTRY
DR BARRY COMMONER
Daughtry, Commoner rally here
Reverend H e rb e rt D a u g h try ,
chairm an at the N a tio n al Black
U n ited F ro n t, and Barry C o m ­
m oner, nationally known en viron ­
m entalist and 1980 Citizens P arly
presidential candidate w ill share the
stage Monday night on behalf o f the
presidential campaign o f Jesse
Jackson. The tw o w ill speak on
“ Peace, Justice and Jesse Jackson's
Rainbow Coalition at a rally at 7:30
p.m . at the Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist Church, 3138 N . Vancouver
Avenue. Com m oner and Daughtry
are both members o f the national
Jackson campaign steering com m it­
tee.
Rev. Daughtry was a m ajor force
in the creation in B rooklyn o f the
Coalition of Leaders and Concerned
Citizens to Save O u r Yo uth . This
o rg anization was instrum ental in
using the weapon o f the economic
boycott to win jobs and services for
Blacks from dow ntow n merchants.
It also succeeded in establishing the
Randolph Evens Scholarship Fund
in m em ory o f the innocent youth
slain by a New York City policeman.
When community leader Arthur M il­
ler died at the hands o f the New York
C ity police and ethnic tensions in
Brooklyn's Crow n Heights section.
Rev. D aug h try led the com m unity
response by forming the Black U n i­
ted Front.
Rev. D aug h try was a keynote
speaker at the C itizens Party 1982
Convention in New Y o rk C ity. The
Black United Front and the Citizens
P a rty — both founded at about the
same tim e— have always enjoyed
good relations, w ith Barry C o m ­
moner and Rev. Daughtry often on
the same platform together.
Comm oner is on a tour o f several
O regon cities speaking about
Jackson's candidacy and the oppor­
tunities fo r political and economic
change the Rainbow C o alitio n
presents fo r environm entalists,
m in orities, the poor and other
disenfranchised groups.
“ Jesse Jackson offers a choice for
the millions o f disenchanted voters
in America who went Fishing in 1980
rather than settle once again for the
lesser o f evils we've become all loo
used t o ," Com m oner said. “ He is
pointing out to us the tragic con­
sequences o f three years o f Ronald
Reagan— environm ental degrada­
tion; underm ining o f civil and
human rights; widespread unem ­
ploym ent; and a bungled foreign
policy that has brought us to the
brink o f nuclear w ar.”
" H e offers American voters a real
alternative to the 'sad six' Democra­
tic presidential candidates."
Commoner's Portland appearance
is being sponsored by the Port­
land Citizens Party and the Jesse
Jackson for President Committee.
Commoner will also speak at 4:30
p .m ., M onday, February 13th at
Reed College's Eliott Hall.
CBC challenges Reagan
T he 21-m em ber Congressional
Black Caucus Charged that Presi­
dent Reagan's State o f the U n ion
Address and his 1983 budget ignore
the big problems facing Am erica in
1984— unem ploym ent
and
the
growth o f poverty in the U nited
States. Five million Americans have
been added to the ranks o f the poor
in the past three years.
" T o d a y , more than one in three
Black Am ericans lives below the
poverty level, yet his administration
and its many blue ribbon com ­
missions seemingly can find no
hunger in the soup kitchens nor
dispair among t F j long lines o f
jobless.”
Responding to the S I 80 b illio n
budget deficits created by his
program o f increased m ilitary spen­
ding and tax breaks fo r the w ell-to-
do, the C B C statement said. “ The
President
now
proposes that
Congress grant him line-item veto
authority.”
Roughly 38 percent o f the budget
is beyond the reach o f this proposed
legislative veto: 38 percent o f the
budget is comprised o f entitlement
programs and interest on the federal
debt; 28.3 percent is m ilitary spen­
ding which is obligated through
multi-year contracting. Hence, there
is 1$ percent o f the federal budget
which encompasses all discretionary
domestic spending.
Therefore, the only area Reagon
is likely to use the line-item veto on
is on programs that help the poor,
such as legal services, W IC , H e a d ­
start and federal housing assistance.
The C B C opposes this veto power.
The Reagan budget o ffers little
hope that circumstances will change
fo r m inorities and the p oo r, the
C B C said. “ It is a discouraging
message that domestic needs w ill
remain unmet in order to finance a
$48 billio n increase in m ilitary fu n ­
ding.”
Reagan called for a $4.6 billio n
cut in U nem ploym ent C om pen­
sation funding, a $2.6 billion cut in
subsidized housing and a $632
m illio n cut in A F D C funds. He
proposes to cut C o m m u n ity and
Regional Developm ent by $900
m illio n , housing credits fo r the
elderly and handicapped by $133
m illio n and state em ploym ent ser­
vices by $327 million.
The C B C intends to introduce its
own budget alternative as part o f
the debate over the nation's
priorities.
Am ong the C B C 's priorities for
the 1984 Legislative Agenda are:
Employment
While unemployment has declined
slightly since its high o f 10.8 percent
in December o f 1982. 9 .2 m illio n
Am ericans are actively, but unsuc­
cessfully seeking work. Another 1.3
m illio n discouraged workers have
given up the search for employment.
When these persons are added to the
almost 6 million individuals who are
w orking p art-tim e because they
cannot Find full-tim e jobs, nearly 17
m illio n Am ericans have been left
out. Blacks are unemployed at more
than twice the rale fo r whites; the
rate o f Black unem ploym ent is in ­
creasing. Funds for retraining have
been cut 33 percent since 1980.
•
Rep. Augustus H aw kins w ill
introduce legislation for a Youth In ­
centive Em ploym ent Program for
over one million youth.
Civil Rights
Shining new stores standing
amidst vacant lots and deteriorating
buildin gs can now be spotted
throughout inn er-N o rth east Por-
land.
For some, the new and renovated
buildings are concrete evidence o f
the m eaningful economic progress
being made in the area. For others,
the buildings highlight how private
and governm ent sponsored d evel­
opm ent e ffo rts co n tin u e to leave
the vast majority o f community resi­
dents on the sidelines.
Since the P o rtlan d C ity C ouncil
approved the Northeast Econom ic
D evelopm ent Plan in late 1981,
several businesses have received
low-interest loans and other forms
o f direct assistance. The impact of
these capital improvement loans are
obvious: U n io n Square M a ll oc­
cupies what was a vacant building;
M c C o y P lu m b in g has a b e a u tifu l
new showroom and o ffic e; and. a
few others have prospered too.
According to Steve Peterson o f
the P o rtla n d D evelopm ent C om
m is s io n fP D C lth e significance o f
these business improvement projects
looms larger than the few new jobs
created . R a th e r, Peterson says,
they're also important for creating a
positive image to enhance fu rth er
private investment in the area.
These prosperous businesses are
p ro o f positive o f the area's p oten ­
tial. Jewell Glass Com pany, for in­
stance, does 85 percent o f its
business beyond a tw o-m ile radius
from their location on Union Ave.
and says its location has never hurt
business. Convenience Food M a rt,
located in the Union Square M all is
doing a booming business and may
soon be open 24 hours.
O n ly a scattered few o f the
businesses on U n ion are owned by
Blacks and some say these
established small businesses may ac­
tu a lly be h urt by P D C ’ s e ffo rts .
“ W e can see im p ro v e m e n t,” said
Joe Reese o f Reese's O il, “ but it
sure a in 't fo r the people w h o ’ ve
been h e r e ." Reese notes the
assistance given to new general retail
stores which are hurtin g the older
existing ones Bitterness about the
negative im pact o f the U n io n
Avenue " c o rrid o r" project lingers
on throughout the cbmmunily.
Social service agencies in the area
say the P D C projects h ave n 't
alleviated any o f the need for their
services. Joyce Owens-Smith, Vice-
President o f the U rb a n League,
says, “ there has been no visible im ­
pact fro m P D C a c tiv itie s on
demand for services."
Several other social service agen­
cies and workers repeated this o b ­
servation.
W hile many community residents
share a distrust for P D C based on
past experiences and feel there is a
long way to go, a few are optimistic
about possible improvements.
Several community members ser­
ving on the N o rth east E conom ic
Development Task F o rc e (N E E D ),
co m p lain
ab o ut
in s u ffic ie n t
cooperation fro m P D C in the past
bat believe this may be changing.
Several com m unity residents com ­
mended W a rn e r W o n g , current
P D C staff member, for being help­
fu l w ith in the co n straints set by
P D C policy.
N E E D has now established a firm
base o f co m m itted
members
representing diverse interests in the
com m unity and w ill soon submit a
report to City Council. N E E D does
n o t, h ow ever, receive copies o f
regular bi-m onthly "P roject Status
R e p o rts " P D C sends to the C ity
Council. N or does it receive in fo r­
m ation on projects being reviewed
for assistance by P D C and o fte n ,
isn't even told of decisions on these
matters. Reports on a City Bureau
Task Force created to coordinate
City Bureau projects in the area are
also not provided N EED .
N E E D members say this should
be changed im m e d ia te ly . L in d a
Johnson, N E E D representative
from The C rib and the Black United
Front, says the PDC should provide
additional sta ff to routinely make
available more in fo rm a tio n . “ We
don't know what they're doing and
we don't have the time to do all the
research,” said Johnson. O .B .H ill,
Chairm an of N E E D says, "id e ally,
the task force would have our own
s t a l l " and not depend solely on
P D C . “ Any advocacy g ro up ," H ill
continued, “ is only as good as the
information it receives."
Jobs lo r neighborhood residents
is the n um ber-one p rio rity am ong
N E E D members contacted by the
O b s erver Several N E E D members
c ritic ize d the absence o f a jobs
p ro gram sp ec ific ally to r neigh­
b orho o d
residents.
The vast
m ajority of new jobs in the aiea go
(please turn to page 4. column I)
Millner charges libel
O n O ctober 7, 1983, D r. Darrell
M . M illn e r, D irecto r o f Black
Studies at Portland State U n iver­
sity, filed a libel suit against
professor Susan C . K arant-N unn, a
history professor at Portland State
University, on the basis of an article
published in the Oregonian on July
28, 1983, in which professor Karant
Nunn accused D r. M illn e r, as well
as Asa H illiard, a nationally known
educational consultant on matters
o f ethnic studies, o f " fa ls ific a tio n
o f the past" regarding their recom­
m endations
on
m u lticultu ral
education under consideration by
the Portland Public School District.
D r. M illn er seeks $100,(XX) in the
action
fo r
damages
to
his
professional reputation.
On January 25, 1984, Multnomah
County Circuit Court Judge John J
Murchison denied professor Karant-
N unn's m otion to dismiss the suit.
DARRELL MILLNER
Counsel for Dr Millner successfully
argued that the statements made by
professor K aran t-N u n n were in ­
jurious and capable of a defamatory
meaning due to their false nature
T ria l in the m atter is expected
sometime late this summer.
U nder
the
Reagan
Ad­
m inistration, there has been an un­
precedented attack in civil rights en­
forcem ent which seeks to reverse
three decades o f progress for
Blacks,
other
m inorities
and
women. There is little reason to ex­
pect this ad m in istratio n to be less
vitrio lic in unravelling civil rights
protections in 19
and the Caucus
w ill take the lead ,n opposing the
Reagan philosophy.
H u nger
In contrast to the callous State­
ments by Reagan's top officials and
the benign neglect o f his Hunger
Commission, the Congressional Black
Caucus sees hunger as a real problem
in America. Between 1982 and 1983,
some 800,000 people w ill be denied
food stamps, 3 m illion students will
be dropped from the School Lunch
program ; 300.000 students w ill no
longer be allow ed to particip ate in
the School Breakfast program; and
one million Senior Citizens have had
their food stamp benefits curtailed.
(please turn Io page 4. column I )
P C Pari John Cleveland and Bradley M ercer
rem ove hl’e tory m urale from A lbina Hum en
Resource Center walla for rehabilitation
(Photo Richard J Brown!