Page 4, Portland Observer, February 6, 1985
EDITORIAL/OPINION
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South Africa:
Oregonian needs education
by Landa Duke
Anri-aporthod individuals and organi
zations raised the consciousness o f the
public and the press during the latest
assault against the brutality o f South
Africa as one more link to South A fri
ca was broken — the resignation o f
Honorary South African Consul Calvin
VanIMt
Local anti-apartheid forces teamed
up with a national movement which has
seen South African consulates closed,
picketed, South A frican goods boy
cotted and the growing acceptance o f
legislative supported divestment.
The bi-weekly civil disobedience that
led to his resignation alerted Portlanders
to the overt and covert support the City
o f Roses gave and still gives a coun
try that judges its atizens an the basis of
skin color. If you are white, then you’re
alright; if you’re brown, stick around,
and if you’re Black, get back.
Portlanders Organized for Southern
Africa Freedom, the Black United Front
and the American Friend Service Com
mittee did Portland a great service by
removing a thorn from the C ity o f
Roses. The mere presence of a consul
in Portland condoned the inhumanity
and in e q u ality suffered by Black
South A fric a n s w ho cannot even
vote in their own country.
Street
The Oregon Rainbow O rganizing
Committee forged onward with their
mission as they added their colors in
support o f the protest. T hu s, au g
menting the collective efforts o f those
in the religious, civil and social change
movements. T h e ir persistence paid
o ff as the masses began to question
and sound o f f against a p arth e id ,
thereby moving Portland a little closer
to being a progressive rather than a
regressive city.
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writer to admit that he based his opin
ion on ru m o r, perception and mis
inform ation. How ever, the damage
was done as that editorial and their
news coverage o f the civil disobedi
ence rein fo rced varying degrees of
tolerance fo r the oppression o f the
majority Black by the minority whites.
Considering the apartheid condi
tions that exist in P o rtlan d — the
A ffirm ative Action inactivity by the
City o f Portland, Metropolitan Serv
ice District and M u ltn om ah C ounty
— the editorial writers remain con
spicuously silent on issues that chal
lenge the status quo.
—
the P entagon s
The crisis in Jamaica
Along the C o lo r Line by D r. M anning M arable
Certainly, we hope this type of rac
ism projected by the city’s only daily
newspaper w ill dissipate as the ind i
viduals responsible engage in some
heavy soul-searching and accurate
fact-finding. When the Editorial Board
pick up their pens to write about is
sues pertaining to South Africa, they
will be faced with an educated, sensi
tive public who called for the resigna
tion o f a South A fric a n consul in
Portland, and will soon call for O re
gon to divest our tax dollars aw ay
from racism, inhumanity and oppres
sion. For this we owe the organiza
tions w ho started the protest, in d i
viduals arrested and those who pick
eted our gratitude and support.
The ab so rp tion o f in fo rm a tio n ,
sensitivity and consciousness ric o
cheted o f f the p ublic to the press
as the m ajority o f m ajor media out
lets experienced some grow th. This
grow th eluded the a ll-w h ile male
ed ito ria l board at The O regonian
newspaper as individual ignorance
and racism found its way into a Janu
ary 22nd editorial. A meeting between
the Editorial Board and anti-aparthad
representatives caused the ed itorial
eat
With the possibility o f a mandatory seat
belt law in Oregon, the Street Beat team
asked, “ What is your reaction to buckling
up or facing a fine?’ ’
by Lanrta Duke and Richard J. Brown
Gall H o h m an
Last m o n th ’ s protests in Jamaica
were widely reported in the American
media, but poorly interpreted. King
ston. the capital city o f 800,000, was
paralyzed when conservative Prim e
Minister Edward Seaga ordered a 20
percent hike in the price o f gasoline.
Street demonstrations erupted spon
taneously, and at least five people
were killed by police. The immediate
impact o f the protests was felt by the
tourist ind u stry, as thousands o f
Americans cancelled hotel reserva
tions and flights to M o n te g o Bay
and Jam aica's north coast resorts.
In late January, teams o f government
functionaries and tourist bureau o ffi
cials flew to Boston, New Y o rk, C h i
cago, and other U .S . and Canadian
cities to reassure nervous travel agents.
The officials brought slick slide shows
depicting social stability on (he island,
and after plying the travel agents with
rum and dinner invitations, status quo
ante was restored. L ittle discussed
were the root causes for the crisis in
Jamaican politics and society.
Between 1972 and 1980, Jamaica
was governed by the People's National
Party ( P N P ) , a social dem ocratic
fo rm a tio n led by M ich ae l M an ley .
The U .S . was hostile to M a n le y ’ s
democratically elected government,
and used various methods, from C IA
covert in te rve n tio n to pressure via
the International M onetary Fund, to
secure the P N P ’s defeat in 1980. Sea-
ga’ s Jamaican Labor Party (M L P ),
which assumed office, remains one of
the strongest clients o f the Reagan
ad m in is tra tio n in the C a rib b ea n .
Seaga was the region's chief defender
o f the illegal U .S . invasion o f G re
nada in 1983, and is a staunch o p
ponent o f both Cuba and Nicaragua.
Seaga’ s crude attem p t to apply
Reaganomics to the island has created
chaos. In the past fo u r years, food
prices have soared by 300 percent.
Unemployment rates have increased
fro m 20 to about 35 percent. T he
country’s international debt has in
creased from about SI billion under
M anley’s government to over $3 b il
lion during the N L P regime. Like his
conservative p atro n , Seaga has re
sponded to the econom ic crisis by
initiating an austerity program , h it
ting low income and working people
the hardest. Taxes have been increased
on food and other essentials. The
m ajor blow has been the steady de
terio ratio n o f (he Jamaican d ollar.
Despite campaign promises never to
devalue Ja m a ic a’ s currency, the
value o f the Jam aican d o lla r has
plummeted from $2.20 to $1.00 (U.S.)
in m id-1983 to $4 .40 to $1 .00 as o f
this month.
During Reagan’s invasion o f G re
nada, Seaga saw an o pp o rtun ity to
bail himself out of difficulty. Although
he had pledged not to authorize new
parliamentary elections until after the
national voters’ lists were updated,
the P rim e M in iste r called new
elections, to take place in December,
1983. S im ultaneously it started a
vicious red-baiting campaign against
P N P leaders, raising the absurd charge
that a “ Soviet-Cuban plot” had been
hatched to “ kill a senior o fficer” in
the JLP government. The P N P and
Manley condemned Seaga’s moves,
observing th at 100,000 Jam aicans
still on the voters’ lists had either died
or m igrated fro m the island since
1980. Another 120,000 young people
who were eligib le to vote were not
registered. The potential for massive
voter fraud, akin to the Dem ocratic
party machine in Chicago, would nul
lify democracy. Thus the P N P made
the difficult yet correct decision not to
contest the “ bogus elections.” The
JLP naturally won all 60 parliamentary
seats, alth ou g h alm ost h a lf o f the
normal JL P electorate did not even
bother to vote. Seaga is in "command"
of a government which has absolutely
no legitimacy, and recent public opin
ion polls show a commanding lead of
18 percent o f the P N P over the JLP,
if elections were to occur now.
The real danger in Jamaica is that
the Reagan administration and U.S.
corporations invested in the island
may au th o rize the destruction o f
p arliam en tary government and the
initiation o f an open dictatorship un
der their client Seaga. JL P National
Security Minister Winston Spaulding
has recently called fo r “ preventive
detention" measures which void civil
liberties. Seaga has also blamed his
recent troubles on “ subversives.” But
as M anley has observed, the protest
ors have only "sent a message to the
government loudly and clearly that
they will no longer sit by and allow an
arrogant and corrupt government to
inflict unending economic pressures.”
No amount o f tourist dollars will save
Seaga from the opposition o f Jamai
ca’s people.
Laborer
Letters to the Editor
" It should be up to the per
son. I use safety belts because
I decided to. 1 hope insurance
Ann Taylor
companies do not raise our
H ousew ife
rates because of it.”
Chartas Rash
Warehouseman
“ I d o n ’ t th in k that is too
“ I t ’ s a good idea. I t ’ s for
safety, so it should be the
cool. People might get in the
law.”
car and forget to buckle up.”
The Observer welcomes tellers to
the editor. Letters should be typed
or neatly printed and signed with the
author’s name and address (ad
dresses are not published). We re
serve the right to edit for length. Mail
to: Portland Observer, P. O. Hox
3137, Portland, OK 9720H
room aides are vitally important as a
link between the comm unity and the
school, and that (heir number should
not be cut.
I have been a parent at Irvington
Schol for six years, and I believe that,
thanks to a h ard w o rkin g s ta ff and
concerned parents, m u ltic u ltu ra l
education is a reality at our school. I
hope m ore parents w ill jo in us in
working to make it even better.
Irv in g to n C .A .C . meetings are
open to A L L Irvington parents. We
meet at 7 :3 0 p .m . on the second
Wednesday o f each month. Childcare
is provided. I f you have a concern or
a p ro blem , P L E A S E C O M E . You
will be heard.
Door is open
To the Editor,
Louisa Johnson
Consumar Sarvica Hap.
H. F. Taylor
Ratired
" It sounds like a good idea.
” 1 started using a safety belt
I never wear them, but if it be
after driving a school bus. It
comes the law, I w ill.”
would make a good law.”
-
Portland Observer
•t M*i •
F
The Portland Observer was established m 1970
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Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A ! Williams, Genera! Manager
GENE BRADLEY
Racist justice
To the Editor,
O n the fro n t page o f the O regon
ian, Saturday Jan. 26, 1985, the big
story appeared to be about the jury
clearing Bernhard Goetz (new York
Vigilan te) in the shooting o f four
teenagers in the subway, but letting
the gun charges remain for prosecu
tion. This case has shown a complete
bias (racism) on the part o f the United
Slates, where all callers, letters and
PORTLAND OBSERVER
The P o r tla n d O b se rv er rU S P S 959 680) i t pu blish ed every
Thursday by €■«• Publish mg C om pany. Inc . 2201 North Killings
worth. Portland Oregon 97217. Post Office Bow 3137. Portland.
Oregon 97208 Second ( lass (kostaq* (Mini at Portland Oregon
MEMBER
I ’ m w ritin g in response to your
article on Irvington School and insti
tutional racism, published January
30. As co-ordinator for the Irvington
C itiz e n ’ s A d viso ry C o m m itte e . I
was surprised to find out that we were
listed as “ unavailable for comment.”
I t ’s hard to comment when nobody
asks you a question.
I would like to offer a comment as
an Irvington parent and as a member
of the C .A .C . Parents who have come
to our meetings throughout this year
have affirm ed again and again that
m ulticultural education should be a
priority at our school, as im portant
as reading or mathematics. Parents
have staled that fo r m u ltic u ltu ra l
education to w o rk , we need more
m inority teachers. A t the same time
we have continued to insist that class
»15 to, on« rear
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Bo. 3137. Portland OR 9 7 2 «
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N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R ep resentative
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financial donators were on his
(Goetz) behalf. The circumstances in
volved were M r. Goetz was on a sub
way train. Four teenagers had screw
drivers in their pocket, N O T O U T ,
but IN their pocket. Tw o of the youth
were shot in the back. Goetz left the
scene o f the crime. But the most im
portant fact is that G oetz is W h ite,
and the teenagers were Black. Now
I would like every straight-thinking
individual to im agine if the same
situation had taken place, but Goetz is
Black and the teenagers were W hite.
What would have been the decision of
the jury? L ife im prisonm ent? H ow
much support would he have?
Teenagers have approached me
several times asking for money; some
had a knife on their belt and their
friends would stand further away. I f I
had a gun, should I shoot them? The
amount o f money is meaningless to
the fact, and 1 am sure there are other
circumstances about Goetz that the
public doe not know. Yet the message
is very clear to everyone about the
lack o f integrity and fairness in our
jud icial system when the crim e in
volves different cultures or races, and
this includes the general ideology o f
the m a jo rity p op u latio n.
CHARLES FLAKE