Black
women
N BA best
and worst
Tax
shelters
Page 2
Page 9
Page 10
PORTWND OBSERVER
Volume XV, Num i** 15
Ribn.iary6, 1905
25c Copy
Two Sections
USAMMO«
< f iir At/WuAie« C» . /•» ZM4
Death squads hit Peru
by Robert Lothian
In a dangerous development, death
squad activity has spread to Peru.
Amncsiy International, Hr prestigious
human rights group, reports the death
or disappearance of over 1,000 Peru
vians, and human rights abuses occur
ring on an unprecedented scale.
“Government forces have launched
a brutal campaign that has resulted
in the “ disappearance" of more than
1,000 men. women and children,”
Amnesty said in a report released in
December. “ Hundreds o f others
have been killed in custody, often
after torture," the report continues.
“ Human rights violations on this
scale are unprecedented in modern
Peru,” and the true scale of the abuses
by government forces is unknown,
according to Amnesty.
The atrocities began after the Peru
vian military declared 13 o f Peru’s
140 provinces an emergency zone
and launched a campaign against the
Sendero Luminoso ("Shining Path")
guerilla movement. The Maoist guer
illas
themselves
have
been
for scores of execution-style killings
and torture o f civilians. Amnesty
said.
Relatives o f the disappeared in
the emergency zone have learned to
look for their loved ones in roadside
dumping grounds, at the risk of being
threatened with death by soldiers
patrolling the roads, says Amnesty.
Atrocities have been committed
against peasants, local leaders, even
grade school students. “ Young people
appear to be a favorite target of these
vicious attacks,” ar.d the death or
disappearance o f 76 teenagers and
children under IK has been document
ed, said Amnesty.
"Security patrols have raided schools
as well as villages and homes to take
away victirrs. All young people appear
to be suspect — and so liable to disap
pearance — in areas where the guer
illas are active.”
Amnesty said documents and testi
monies have come directly from fam
ilies and community representatives,
churches, trade unions, humun rights
organizations and lawyers.
Zimbabwe prepares for elections
Piedmont Loaves and Fishes opens Its newly re
modeled kitchen facility at 6780 NE Cleveland St.
The new equipment will make It possible to serve
as many as 300 meals to ths elderly. IL-rl Donna
Shackleford, Florence Terry. Mary Geneva Savage
Jill Bills. Dick Masterbrook and Juna R. Kay.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Sunshine leaves Union Square
by Lanita Duke
GRASSROOT NEW S, N .W . —
The sun has set on one o f Union
Square’s first tenants—Sunshine Pizza—
and may set on Ronaldo's Ice Cream
Parlor.
According to Bill Brumm, vice-
president o f operations for Sunshine
Pizza, “ We have never been able
to make enough money. This was too
heavy a burden on our company.”
Ronaldo Mazyck, proprietor o f
R onaldo’s Ice Cream Parlor, said
negative publicity about the problem
o f prostitution on Union Avenue
has caused him to temporarily close
his doors.
“ Rather than focusing on the posi
tive aspects o f Union Square, the
major media outlets concentrated
on the negative. An ice cream parlor
needs families and families did not
want to come around prostitution.”
Mazyck also said (hat Union
Square’s developer, Howard G alzer,
prioritized larger businesses rather
than individual businesses. “ If he was
more in tune to negotiate with me as a
small businessman, I might re
open," he added
Mazyck believes the rest is too
high. "If rent was based on percentage
o f sales, it would h elp .” If Mazyck
can’t re-negotiate his lease, he will
relocate.
Union Square is subsidized in
part by city money because its devel
oper. Glazer, received a low-interest
loan to pass on reasonable rent to the
tenants. Officials at Sunshine Pizza
sent out an S.O .S. for a direct infu
sion o f funds but Steve Peterson,
Director o f Economic Development
for the Portland Development Com
mission, said the city’s loan program
did not cover direct involvement in
businesses.
Peterson added that a long-term
marketing program and advertising
campaign was being developed for
Union Square, “ But Sunshine Pizza’s
immediate need was cash.”
Sam Brooks, President of the North/
Northeast Business Boosters, said
Sunshine’s leaving would impact the
area "greatly."
“ Having a restaurant was som e
thing the neighborhood asked fo r.”
Brooks said he felt the clientele for
Sunshine Pizza could have picked up
if the restaurant had given that area
more time to accept and help shape
the menu. "In the first three or four
months you are going to lose money.
You just hope you can outlast it," he
added.
Both Brooks and Peterson said the
top priority would be to find a re
placement tenant. The lease is still
owned by Sunshine Pizza and it is
expected that they will have a say in
who the new tenant will be. Tom
Delvin, President o f Sunshine Pizza,
was unavailable for comment and
Brooks said he would welcome a new
advertising and marketing plan for
Union Square.
b yN . Fun/tat Kumbula
At the end of February, Zimbabwe’s
Parliament will be dissolved to make
way for national elections scheduled
for early March. These will be the first
national elections to be held since
Zimbabwe attained independence al
most five years ago. The Constitution
calls for elections every five years.
In the first truly national elections
held in December 1979, there were ten
Black parties contesting but the num
ber has since dwindled to five. The
test have folded due to km of members
who defected to the remaining five.
The biggest beneficiary o f such de
fections has been the rukling ZANU
(Zimbabwe African National Union)
led by the Prime M inister, Robert
Mugabe. In fact, ZANU has picked
up members from all the other nine
parties thus at least doubling its mem
bership.
In the last elections, ZANU won 73
percent of the popular vote and 57 of
the 80 seats set aside for the Black ma
jority (out of a total of 100) in the Na
tional Assembly. This time around,
ZANU is expected to do even better
for a variety of reasons.
First, the quiet but firm leader
ship Mugabe has provided it's popu
larly acknowledged to be unsurpass
able by any of his contemporaries and
would-be rivals. It is arguable whether
there is anyone on the world scene
today who could have done a better
job given the handicaps Mugabe was
laced with when he took office just
five short years ago.
That he will be returned as Prime
Minister, therefore, is not in doubt.
The debate centers instead on how
large a majority he will win this time.
Even his worst detractors grudgingly
admit he has done a superb job. Some
of his more spectacular successes:
He has successfully m olded into
one nation a country that for more
than 15 years was riven by civil war —
the War of Independence — a coun
try that was torn by racial strife and
racial hatred (a mini South Africa),
and regional animosities stirred by the
then myopic regime o f Ian Smith.
Today we have come full circle: dis
crim ination based on race, creed,
colour or sex is illegal. All citizens of
Zimbabwe are now protected by the
C onstitution, even those w ho fo r
merly practiced discrimination.
Where once there were three sep
arate and mutually antagonistic ar
mies and half a dozen other militias
each owing allegiance to som e re
gional leader, there is now one nation
al army: an army that owes allegiance
to the stale and now some particular
leader, organization or clique.
The police force, long used as an
iastrument of oppression, suppression
and repression by successive colonial
regimes and one puppet regime (Mu-
zorewa’s), has been re oriented, redi
rected and retrained to serve the peo
ple. Now. instead o f harassing, tor
turing, torm enting and som etim es
murdering people merely for demand
ing equality and justice, the police
protect lives and property. When the
police visit us, one is no longer tempt
ed to run off in the opposite direction
Schools, hosp tals, clinics, parks,
neighborhoods, playcenlers, shopping
facilities, sidew alks, restaurants,
nightclubs, discotheques, libraries,
ballot booths, sports clubs, colleges,
the university, government ministries,
cinemas, playhouses, hotels, tourist
centers are now all open to everyone
who wishes to visit and/or use them.
The change, considering it's been only
five years, had to be experienced to
be believed, the com position o f the
governing bodies from the local to the
national levels now more accurately
reflect the ethnic composition of Zim
babwe. Blacks who constitute 9K per
cent o f the population now control
alm ost all o f the cou n try’s major
district, town and city councils, and,
course, the national governm ent.
All other ethnic groups are represent
ed in accordance with their numbers.
In the 26 member C abinet appoint
ed by the Prime Minister, for exam
ple, two of the Ministers (Agriculture
and Public Service), are white as arc
two other Deputy Ministers. The
names of most all the maior cities and
fPlease turn to Page 10, Column 3/
Dick Bogle settles into assignments, stresses Affirm ative Action
by Lanita Duke
GRASSROOT NEW S. N .W . —
Balancing competing interests is the
strategy em ployed by Portland's
newest City C om m issioner, Dick
Bogle, as he settles down with his new
bureau assignments.
Mayor Bud Clark assigned Bogle
as Commissioner of Water, Environ
mental Services (sewers). Bureau of
Personnel and the Office o f General
Services.
"M y success will be measured on
how realistic my own philosophy is
and how quickly it gets inculcated to
those bureau managers. When those
managers take action it has to be re
flective o f the Bogle p h ilosop h y,”
he added.
Bogle has yet to define what his
philosophy is, “ because it will d if
fer from bureau to bureau. During
the cam paign I stressed the C ity’s
Affirmative Action record. It’s dis
mal. I plan to impact A ffirm ative
Action. One o f the first briefings I
had outside my staff was on Affirma
tive Action."
In addressing Affirmative Action
Bogle will run head on into a civil
service system that can and has been
manipulated by bureau managers
who either retire a civil service list
(with qualified minorities) or tailor a
job description with a certain candi
date in mind. Bogle said he would
address these institutional concerns
one at a time.
With Environm ental Services,
Bogle said. "There are som e really
heavy issues with the annexation of
East County. Environmental Quality
is concerned about groundwater pol
lution from septic tanks, but we have
homebuilders and contractors who
want to build homes.” Bogle said he
would utilize the course o f action
that addresses the needs o f most of
the people. .
Bogle is unique among City Com
missioners because he left City Hall
as a S ta ff A ssistant (for C om m is
sioner Mildred Schwab) and reiurnet
as an electorate-approved City Com
missioner. “ It took a bit of time get
ting used to being called Commission
er. I’m not that a formal of a person,
but it’s pleasant being called ‘C om
missioner*.’ ’
DICK BOGLE
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
As Com m issioner Bogle said,
"Time prioritization is the lesson I’m
learning. N ow , everyone wants a
m inute. I have many 12-hour days
and hours upon end o f homework.
But I'm willing to give whatever it
takes to get the job done.”
As a Staff Assistant, Bogle could
only offer options. "N ow , I’m mak
ing the final decision. I try not to
kneejerk. I have become much more
contemplative.”
Although Bogle's time is limited,
he will continue former City C om
missioner Charles Jordan’s open door
policy. “ It's just that on some days it
might be necessary to make an ap
pointment.”