K rs Francea Se je n - ' e • ¿paper
U n iv e r s ity o f c.-etran
'r a r y
cumene, Ur - *on
Press role
questioned
Wildcats
will howl!
Below
Page 6
oca
PORTLAND OBSERMER ™
C CMS * M * 4 | O r . M
/« *
Feds order Hopsing 'minority' decertification
The Oregon Department o f Trans
p o rta tio n was n o tifie d this week
th at it w ill lose cred it against its
m in o rity business en terp ris e re
q u ire m e n ts fo r w o rk done by
H o p sin g C o n tru c tio n C o m p a n y .
T h e S u rfa c e T ra n s p o rta tio n A c t,
which allots federal funds for high
way construction, has a ten percent
m inority business enterprise require
ment.
O D O T was also advised to decer
tify Hopsing as a M ino rity Business
Enterprise/Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise immediately.
T h e state was am p ly w arned o f
Hopsing's questionable status when
other governm ental bodies refused
to c e rtify or recertify H opsing. In
Ja n u a ry o f 1981 and Ja n u a ry o f
1984, the W ashington Departm ent
o f T ra n s p o rta tio n denied c e r
tific a tio n ; in August o f 1983, T r i-
M e t denied re c e rtific a tio n ; in O c
tober 9 , 1983, the C ity o f Portland
denied re c e rtific a tio n , statin g to
Christopher Scarrott, the m inority
c o -o w n er, " Y o u r m anagem ent o f
the co m p an y does not go beyond
pro-form a ownership.”
Hopsing was investigated during
October o f 1983 by the C ivil Rights
O ffic e o f the Federal Highw ay A d
m in is tra tio n , at the request o f
m in o rity business people, and it
recom m ended th a t H o p sing be
decertified because it did not meet
the federal c rite ria as a m in o rity -
owned and -controlled business en
terprise.
The
Regional
Ad
m in is tra to r recom m ended d e c e r
tification to the State.
O D O T responded w ith its own
investigation an d , using substan
tially the same info rm ation gained
by the federal d ep artm en t, d e te r
m ined th at H o p sin g should be
recertified.
Here the waters were muddied as
Deputy H ighw ay A d m in istrato r in
the Po rtlan d o ffic e , Louis N . M c
D o n a ld , recom m ended to the
Region that it override its own civil
rights office's recommendation and
conclude that O D O T 's actions to
re c e rtify was " re a s o n a b le and
proper.”
Subsequent to this decision, the
U.S. Department o f Transportation
conducted an investig ation at the
request o f the L a b o r -M in o r ity
Business C o a litio n and found that
"H opsing Construction Com pany,
a fte r being in o p eratio n fo r eight
years, is not fin a n c ia lly and
m a n a g e ria lly independent o f its
n o n -m in o rity ow ner. R .N H a tc h ,
nor the m ajority construction com
pan y, R .A . H a t c h .” T h e in
vestigation found that R .A . Hatch's
" a c tio n s fa r exceed the D e p a rt
m e n t’ s policy to encourage prim e
contractors to assist M B E ’s /D B E 's
in the areas o f bonding, insurance,
loans, etc., during the initial years in
operation.”
This decision upholds the recom
m endation o f the local civil rights
office.
The question that remains to be
asked is: W hy did M c D o n a ld
override the recommendation o f his
c iv il rights o ffic e r? W h y did the
Region accept M cD on ald 's recom
m endation? This question is even
m ore sig n ifican t now that the
S ecretary o f T ra n s p o rta tio n has
determined that the civil rights o f
ficer was right.
W hat is the role o f the civil rights
o ffic e ? W h o is the re g u la to r and
monitor over the state if it is not the
civil rights office?
I f the c iv il rig hts o ffic e ’ s
judgem ent had been accepted and
the state had been forced to decer
tify Hopsing last October, all the in
ju re d parties w ou ld have been in
better position now.
Department o f Transportation po
licies state that when a recip ient
(O D O T ) has certified an M B E and
the c e rtific atio n is overturned, the
recipient may not count (he dollar
am ount o f the w ork perform ed by
the d e c e rtifie d M B E to w a rd its
overall goal."
T h e State must now give up
approxim ately $500,000 credit to
w ard its M B E /D B E goal fo r this
fiscal year (T h e $8 m illio n paid to
Hopsing during the 1982-83 fiscal
year will not be removed). Although
O D O T should have no p roblem
replacing the $ 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 , had this
situ a tio n lingered it could have
caused serious problems: fo r, if the
State cannot maintain its 10 percent
requirem ent, it could be in danger
o f losing fe d e ra l funds or facing
repayment.
T h e a f f a ir also harm s the
credibility o f the Federal Highway
Adm inistration which has begun to
move more effectively after years of
inactivity when it comes to protect-
ting m inority rights.
T h e o v e rrid in g b en efit o f the
d ece rtificatio n , however, is that it
w ill serve notice to m a jo rity con
tra cto rs
th at
th eir
m in o rity
requ irem en ts must be met w ith
legitimate minority firms.
H o p sin g
C o n s tru c tio n
was
established in 1975 by Suzanne C.
(Please turn to page 6, column i f
Jesse Jackson gains voter support
by Chuck Goodmacher
Spring has sprung at laatl Goldie A. Irby and his mother Lamodla
A. Irby taka time out to enjoy the sunshine.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Support fo r the R ainbow C o a li
tion presidential campaign o f Jesse
Jackson skyrocketed d u rin g the
last w eek as Jackson w on the
South C a ro lin a and M ississipi
prim aries, nearly won in Kentucky
and received a very strong tw enty
percent o f the vote in Illinois.
A lth o u g h m a jo r m e d ia outlets
and the o th e r tw o candidates still
c h a ra c te rize the fig h t fo r the
Dem ocratic nom ination as " a two-
man race", Jackson's voter support
Minority capital legislation filed
Congressman Charles Rangel, D -
New Y o rk , ranking member o f the
House W ays and M eans C o m m it
tee, the co m m ittee responsible fo r
introducing all tax legislation, along
with Congressman Parren M itch ell,
D -M a r y la n d , C h a irm a n o f the
House o f R epresen tatives Sm all
Business C o m m itte e , have in
troduced the single largest m inority
ca p ita l b ill ever introd u ced to the
Congress, The M in o rity Investment
Tax Act o f 1984" ( M IN T A ) .
" M I N T A ” w ill a ttra c t e q u ity
c a p ita l fro m b ro ad sectors o f
A m e ric a n businesses and in
d iv id u a ls fo r investm ents in to
m in o rity owned businesses. It is a
p riva te en terprise in itia tiv e which
w ill not require government budget
line a p p ro p ria tio n s and as such
should get broad support from the
Senate and H ouse o f Represen
tatives.
" M I N T A ” will allow non-recog
n itio n o f c a p ita l gains fro m
sales o f capital assets if the proceeds
are reinvested into m in o rity owned
com panies th ro u g h a designated
"m in o rity investment fu n d ".
T h is leg islative in itia tiv e by
Rangel and M itchell is hailed as the
single most im p o rta n t m in o rity
legislation ever introduced into the
Congress o f the U n ite d States o f
America.
appears to be on the rise. Jackson's
solid th ird place finish in Illin o is
T u e sd ay , the firs t p rim a ry in a
major industrial state, is expected to
be followed by strong finishes in up
com ing p rim a rie s in New Y o rk
(A p r il 3) and Pennsylvania (A p r il
10), according to campaign staffer
Arnold Pinkney.
An estimated seventy-five percent
o f the Black vote in Illinois went for
Jackson, w ith the rem ainder split
between H a rt and M o nd ale. " T h e
Black v o te ,” said Jackson e a rly
W ed nesd ay, " is the heart o f the
Rainbow C o alitio n , but we will not
stop until we embrace all the people
o f this nation.”
S p eaking alongside C h icag o
M ayor Harold Washington, Sunday,
Jackson criticized W alter M ondale
fo r saying the race is a contest be
tween himself and Colorado Senator
G ary H a rt.
“ M r. M o n d ale has said this is a
tw o-m an ra ce ,” Jackson said, ac
cording to Associated Press reports.
" I ’m a man, and I ’ m running. So, if
he (M o n d ale) is going to drop out,
he ought to be m ore direct ab o ut
it."
M a y o r W a sh in g to n com pared
Jackson’s campaign to his own elec
to ra l experience last year, saying,
" W e set this c o u n try on fire . W e
also und erstan d th at some things
have to be done and some mes-
ages have to be s e n t," added
Washington. “ What is the message?
Rebirth and reform o f this country
and the Democratic party.
T h e unio n vote in Illin o is was
even closer than the vote for the en
tire pop u latio n. Despite the A F L -
C IO endorsem ent o f M o n d a le , he
received only thirty-nine percent of
organized labor's vote, according to
a C B S exit p o ll. T h e same poll
showed Jackson and H a rt w ith
roughly the same support: tw enty-
six percent for Jackson and twenty-
eight percent for H art.
Support o f Jackson among non-
Black m inority groups also appears
to be on the rise. Before the strong
Jackson showing o f the last week,
he led other contestors in a survey of
P u erto R ican voters. T h irty -tw o
percent said they w ou ld vote fo r
Jackson w hile o nly ab o u t tw enty
percent indicated support for M o n
dale, according to the survey con
ducted by the In stitu te for Puerto
Rican Policy o f Washington, D .C .
The CBS Tuesday evening news
delegate count showed a strong lead
for Mondale with 542 delegates; 342
fo r H a rt and 72 delegates fo r
Jackson. T h re e hundred and tw o
remain uncommitted.
Fisher resigns
G lo ria F is h e r, w ho has been
M an ag ing E d ito r o f the P o rtla n d
O bserver since 1976, has resigned
effective March 31st. Ms. Fisher has
been w ith the Observer since 1971,
shortly after its establishment in O c
tober o f 1970.
A lfre d L. Henderson, publisher,
announced that A l W illiam s will be
G en eral M an ag er and w ill share
m anagem ent responsibilities w ith
Gary Ann Garnett.
M s . Fisher plans to leave for
Nicaragua, where she will do research
and pursue a career as an in
dependent journalist. That nation is
in the process o f holding elections,
in s titu tio n a liz in g its governm ent
and developing a new constitution.
American press plays role in domestic and foreign repression
" T h e A m e ric a n press does not
re fle ct the A m e ric a n m in d — it
reflects the views o f established
power which in turn seeks to mold
the A m e ric a n m in d to accept its
p reju d ice s. T h e A m e ric a n press
seeks to shape p u b lic o p in io n , or
even replace p u b lic o p in io n by
fo sterin g and presen ting a u n
an im ity o f views w hich it then o f
fers as public o p in io n . . . " James
A ro n s o n , a c o -fo u n d e r o f the
N a tio n a l G u a rd ia n w ro te in his
b o o k , " T h e Press and the C o ld
W a r” .
The Am erican press serves up the
same diet to readers in all parts o f
the n ation — urban and ru ra l. They
are o ffe re d the same c o lu m n s —
James Reston, Joseph A lsop, W il
liam F. Buckly— the same w ire ser
vice news, com ics, ca rto o n s, p u z
zles, etc. " I t follow s they w ill tend
to think alike and their thinking will
be encouraged to su p po rt the
" n a tio n a l interest” . T h e national
interest is interpreted fo r them by
the managers o f the syndicate and
the ow ners o f the new spapers,
businessm en w ho id e n tify th e m
selves, because o f th e ir c o n g lo
m erate fin a n c ia l concerns w ith
national policies (hat protect these
concerns.. . "
Analysis
In a d d itio n to A ro n s o n ’ s re v e l
a tio n o f the ro le o f the press in
c re a tin g and fo s te rin g a n ti-c o m
m u n ism
and its s u p p o rt o f
m ilita ris m , the role o f the press in
crea tin g and p e rp e tu a tin g racism
has been c le a rly revealed by
numerous Black authors.
In the Newhouse papers o f March
18th, there appeared an extensive
a rtic le
on
the
R eagan
ad
m in is tra tio n ’ s response to " lo w
in te n s ity w a rfa re ” . T h is a rtic le ,
su b -h e a d lin e d , “ U .S . fo u n d u n
prepared for conflict” , outlined the
Reagan adm inistration’s plans to in
te n s ify co vert w a r, in te llig e n c e
g ath erin g at hom e and a b ro ad ,
p o litic a l assassin atio n, " d ir t y -
tricks” , etc.
Far fro m sounding the alarm to
the A m e ric a n people th a t th eir
g o vern m en t is p re p a rin g
fo r
p o litic a l repression at hom e and
more far-reaching m ilitary interven
tion abroad, the article prepares the
scenario fo r the " n e e d ” fo r such
operations.
" A new form o f warfare— viewed
by the Reagan a d m in is tra tio n as
more immediately threatening than
a nuclear h o lo cau st— is posing a
severe new challenge to the security
o f the United States at home and its
interests abroad,” the article says.
"C a lle d 'lo w -in ten sity’ w arfare,
it encompasses c o n flic t ranging
fro m te rro ris t bom bings and
h ostage-taking to brush fire wars
and lengthy insurgencies— all cases
in w hich the U n ite d States is ill-
prepared to respond.
“ Experts expect the new form of
w arfare w ill face the United States
with a stark choice: Either adopt (he
weapons o f lo w -in te n s ity c o n flic t
(in c lu d in g
m ore
in telligence
g ath erin g and covert m ilita ry
♦
o perations), or w ith d raw from the
international arena into a ’ fortress
A m erica'.”
The Am erican people, the article
im p lies , must accept U .S . a d ve n
turism abroad—covert wars in Cen
tra l A m e ric a and A f r ic a , use o f
disinform ation, political assassina
tio n , psychological w arfa re , sabo
tage or leave the international scene
and live, afraid, in isolation.
These covert wars w ill be fought,
fo r the most p a rt, in u n d e r
developed th ird w o rld co u ntries
where U .S . c o rp o ra tio n s have a
stake in the resources. R obert H .
K u p p e rm a n o f the G eo rg eto w n
University Center for Strategic and
International Studies is quoted " , .
.th e U n ite d Slates must fig h t to
m a in ta in its access to o il and
mineral riches and its vital maritime
shipping lanes."
O ne a d m in is tra tio n spokesman
quoted in the article said, “ We have
taken an archaic view o f warfare. .
.W e need to have a departm ent o f
dirty tricks, to use disinformation.
And we should sanction murder as a
national policy— tightly controlled
and not used very o fte n . T his is a
situation o f w a r."
The article emphasizes that the
Pentagon is not yet prep ared fo r
fighting this type of warfare.
" T o shift U .S . perceptions and
strategies toward (his new reality is
vital, many experts say,” the article
reports, and this is the role o f the
press.
Surveillance at home
" U . S . faces th reat at hom e” , a
s u b -title says. Y o nah A le x a n d e r,
(Please turn to page 2. column 4f