Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1985)
f ■ M rs F r a n c e * S p h o s R 'Ife s a p a p a r Roo« U n i v e r s i t y o f Or .’ go« L i b r a r y March Against Racist Violence: '-s e n o , O rs g M i 9 7 4 0 3 The 5th annual march against racism will ba held Saturday. April 6. The ma' :h bagms at noon at Alberta Park on N.E. 19th and KSmgsworth and a rally wit! follow at King Par Speakers are Rev John Jackson. Ron Herndon and special guest Lorenzo Cerkrie, AFSC Bay Ama Free South Africa movement union organizer For information, call 281 5963 f Hagler history J: Afrikaners Think Young Volume XV, Number 23 April 3, 1985 25C Copy Two Sections 4 a«r ArA/uAr«« C« . Mt /«•* Freebasing: Chasing the genie h i la m ia D uke O R A S S R O O T N E W S , N .W . A new g ro u p o f substance abusers is en trenched and grow ing in Portland. It's culled ' freebasing " Freebasing is the sm oking o f cocaine, a fad ttsliered in by trrehase kits and the increasing availability o f cocaine due to reduces) prices Freebasing, highlighted by C ix ix x lia n K k lia n l l* rv ix 's I'Wtt acckinit, is slowly consum ing users drawn to the freehase pipe by the illusion Il's unbelievably pow erful and in con tr o l," M arkegard noted Once sprung (a state o f eum pulsnxi), h a scr w ill continue treebasrng (sm oking) cocaine u n til their supply i x mtxies is exhausted They w ill go on "h in g e s " wtierv hundreds o f dollars and grams o f o f f a, a m in u te 's n o tic e ," said a f o r m er user. " T h e r e ’ s an in a b ility to d is tin g u is h re a lity fro m n o n -re a lity . T h u s , they, (Ireebasers) see shadow s, hear voices and feel cocaine bugs. I'v e seen tw o cocaine go up in smoke. B a se r call this stage "cliasm g tiie genie.” w o m e n w ith skin ulcers o n lo p o f o th e t s kin ulcers because they p icked at th e ir a rm s at w hat they th o u g h t " I f you have no direction in your life and arc experim enting w ith free were b u g s ," M a rk e g a rd added T o feed th e ir craving fo r freehase, hase, it w ill ta ke c o n t r o l, " rem inisced basers are « e a tin g an u n d e rg ro u n d a n o th e r lo rm e r user. "U a se ts get in to a cycle th a i p e r petuates use. T he y c a n 't s to p using c rim e w ave to finance th e ir c o m p u l because i f they d o they b o tto m o u t , ” sion, said, " T h e r e are a s ig n ific a n t insolvent in street cocaine that removes adulterates and im parities, p u rifie d c o caine crystals are smoked in a com m on M a rk e g a rd e xp la in e d, " a n d th a t de- ptession is ten tim es as b ad as th e ir n u m b e r o l people c o m m ittin g crim es (b u rg la ry , fra u d and th e ft) fo r co o rig in a l caine. A ls o , people are d is trib u tin g cocaine to b u y stolen p ro p e rty .” waier pipe W ithin seconds the user expenerxes a A t this p o in t in th e ir abuse, basers become p sych o tic w ith p a ra n o id de su|vrhigh " I t 's like ru s h ," described one lorm er baser. “ A mental ecstacy. lusions and h a llu c in a ti. is . " I n be tween binges, I w o u ld keep m y guns able m a rke t fo r cocaine. “ I'v e seen freebasing cross a ll s o cio -e co n o m ic g ro u p s ." where I Id t confident and ut control. A ll my proWenw d id n 't vanish. They jusl were ncx im p o rta n t." cocked and ready in m y ro o m . I was « in s ta n tly at the w in d o w , ready to go Next wtsrL. The baser and the base houses. o f an ultim ate high. But reality fades as their (obs, incom e and I .urn lies go up in sum ike. Through a process o f dissolving an depression, w h ic h caused them to get h ig h in the firs t p la c e .” sion. Sergeant F d w a rd M a y o f the P o lice B u re a u 's D ru g and Vice D iv i M a y added that P o rtla n d has a v i M tir ie Dawn M arkeg.ud, a psychiu- thc nurse f ix Cum prehcruive O p d ixis f ix Ik u g Abusers, Inc. ( t O D A ) , added, "W h e n clients describe their relation ship w ith cocaine. H's like being in love. Nixhm g else tops i t . " Brent B urton, acting d irc c tix o f Orc- Shaina P o m eran tz fro m S a c ra m e n to . C alifornia, w a s in Po rtlan d visiting her g ran d parents, M r and M rs. M a x e y , during spring break. O na of the goats on display at Lloyd C anter gets a friendly rub (Photo: Richard J B row n ) gixi Pixson Control and Drug in fix - maiKxi Center, said the characteristic physical and m ental effects o f freebasing are s im ila r to in je c tin g cocaine in tr a venously. "T h e drug achieves a peak level in China weathers changes the bloodstream very rapidly. Cocaine passes in to the brain tissue and causes vtimulatMxi o f the brain, p rixlu cin g b y R o b e rt L o th ia n lo w level c a p ita lis m , but w ith in re cuphixia effe cts," B u rtix i said Im m ense changes arc h a p pe n in g in the w o r ld 's m ost p o p u lo u s c o u n try , stric tio n s . T h e basic e co n o m ic stru c a c c o rd in g to a C h in a expert speaking in P o rtla n d recently. A fte r 4 ,0 0 0 years o f c iv iliz a tio n , said R o b e rt O x n a m , president o f (he A s ia S ociety and fo u n d e r o f the N a tio n a l C h in a C o u n c il, C h in a is lo o k ing to w a rd the west. C h in a needs western te ch n o lo g y to keep u p its ra p id pace o f d e ve lo p m e n t, said O x n a m . But western businessm en lic k in g th e ir ch o p s at th e prospect o f a huge new m a rk e t are w ro n g i f they th in k C h in a is b e co m in g c a p ita lis t, he said. "T h o s e w h o th in k C h in a is o n the verge o f c o n v e rs io n to the new re lig io n o f c a p ita lis m v ill be d is a p p o in t ed, I'm a fra id ," said O xnam . “ N othing o f th e so rt is h a p p e n in g ." Since M a o 's d e a th , a c c o rd in g to O x n a m , C h in a re fo rm e d its e co n o m y. Som e re fo rm s encourage a fo rm o f tures — fa c to rie s , a m o u n ts o f la n d state o w n e rs h ip , he T h e huge fa rm u tilitie s , and vast — re m a in under said. co m m u n e s have n o m ic policies, w h ich m eans that a revo lt against the Chinese fo rm o f c o m m u n is m is u n lik e ly , said O xn a m “ I th in k it is g o in g to c o n tin u e be cause it is rea lly w o r k in g . " he said. cisio n m a k in g a b o u t w h a t to g ro w a nd how to sell it, he said. O ne reason the changes are success fu l is because they recognize p rim a ry Chinese in s titu tio n s lik e the fa m ily , a cco rd in g to O xn a m . " T h e fa m ily rem ains th ro u g h o u t S o m e thing s im ila r is happening in fa cto rie s, said O x n a m M an a g e r now decades o f re v o lu tio n a ry change, the fu n d a m e n ta l u n it o f Chinese society." m ake p ro d u c tio n decisions based on By reco g n izin g the fa m ily econom ic u n it, planners are o n ly reco g n izin g a becom e to w n g o ve rn m e nts, said O x n a m . F am ilie s have taken o ve r de m a rke t c o n d itio n s , he said, and fa c to ry co m m itte e s decide o n the very best w ay Io reinvest p ro fits . P ro fits a lw a ys revert to the state, how ever, said O xn a m . in R e fo rm has b ro u g h im p ro ve m e n t liv in g c o n d itio n s . T h e feeling am ong m any C hinese, he said, is w a n tin g " t o cash in o n 30 years o f r e v o lu tio n " a fte r trem e n d ou s aus terity. M o st Chinese lik e the new eco fact o f life , he said. T he Chinese re v o lu tio n has also had to co n te n d w ith the Chinese in w a rd -lo o k in g view o f C h in a as the center o f the w o rld Thousands o f years o f rule by an e lite M a n d a rin class, passive obedience to Ibis intense cocaine in to xica tkxi is extremely short lived In 15 m inulcs ix less, the euphoria is replaced by anxiety, depression, im la b ililv and a severe co m pulsion f ix arxxher " h it ” In the ver lukular o f the drug culture a freebaser is "s p ru n g " when this com pulsion takes over. U n til he i x she can shake o f f this craving, obtaining cocaine to Itechasc heerxnes life ’» o n ly goal "I d o n 't kn o w o f any ixh e r drug where the ctxnpulsuxi is so great Using it ixie m ore tim e is to o m any and a m illion times is never e n o ug h ," M arke- gard added This ctxnpulsuxi caused her to ques tx x i whether cocaine is exclusively men tally a ddxtivc. " I canrxx say physical those addiction does not occur. People who higher on the s ix ia l scale, and C o n fu arc freebasing arc getting cocaine in its purest fo rm Baser, cannot put the pipe down. I f they take one hit, they’ re gone. cia n ism , he said. C h in a ’ s co m p le x blend o f o ld and new c o n fro n ts the peasantry w ith A fraabasar prepares s tree t co caine fo r s m o k in g In bis w atarp ip a (Photo: J im m ie Rush) strange new experiences a nd choices. Acceptance o f western te ch n o lo g y skip p in g the va cu u m tu b e and go in g Experts debate covert CIA actions straig h t to the silico n c h ip ,” he said. b y Robert L o th ia n uted to the defeat o f a n a tio n a l lib e r Nasty covert actions arc necessary lo save democracy, according to lack Stephenson, a form er C IA o ffic ia l from a tio n struggle there and the assassina lio n o f A fr ic a n n a tio n a lis t leader P a trice L a m u m b a , said S c h lo m in g . St. Helens, O regtxi. But what the C IA is doing in Nica Z aire was established in the ( ixigo’s place N o w M o b u tu , Z a ire ’s a u th o ri ragua and a host o f ikher countries around the w o rld is a fo rm o f "stale- sponsored te rro ris m " said P.S.U. p o liti ta ria n pre sid e n t, is “ s ta rv in g h a lf the c o u n try 's p e o p le ,” a c c o rd in g lo S ch lo m in g . cal science p ro fe s s « G o n k x i Schkxning In A n g o la , he said, 100,000 lives have been lost in the struggle b y C IA - means th a t Chinese are " s k ip p in g the ra d io a nd g o in g stra ig h t to c o lo r T V , W o m e n have fo rm a l e q u a lity but in e q u a lity co n tin u e s, he said. In m ee t ings he attended in C h in a , said O x nam . w hen som eone had to go get m o re tea it was u su a lly a w o m a n even i f she o u tra n k e d m en present. T here have been cases o f fem ale babies being k ille d again, as they were in tim es o f fa m in e , he said. I f Chinese peasants can have o n ly one c h ild , " t h e ir a ttitu d e is th a t it had better be a b o y , " he said. O x n a m said th a t A m e rica n s can expect to see m o re Chinese students co m in g to the States to learn western te ch no lo g y H e said th a t Chinese o f f i During s aala at tha Nika outlet store in Union Square, line* of people waited outside for a chance to get in and taka advantage of soma of the store's very low prices. The sale is expected to go on until April 20. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) cials a d m itte d to h im that even though 30 to 40 percent o f th e students w o n ’ t re tu rn to C h in a , it's a risk th e y have to take. Stephenson and Schkxning squared o f f at a W o r ld A ffa ir s C o u n c il- rig h tis ts to defeat the In V ie t N a m . fo r exam ple, he said, the n a tio n a l lib e ra tio n m ove m e n t led by H o C h i M in h w o n a n yw a y a fte r ne a rly 20 years o f co ve rt a ctio n s and a ll-o u t w a r, b illio n s o f d o lla rs wasted and o ve r a m illio n lives lo s t. " Y o u ca n n o t create a genuine na tio n a lis m as an o u tsid e p o w e r ," be said. " H o C h i M in h was destined to An- sponsored debate on the ethics o f U.S. g o lia n re v o lu tio n . rule " S c h lo m in g said th a t on several o c secret in v o lv e m e n t in to p p lin g g o v e rn m e n ts, rig g in g elections and oth er G u a te m a la , Ira n and C h ile have had p o p u la rly -e le c te d g o ve rn m e nts casions th e C I A m isled the A m e ric a n u n d erco ve r o p e ra tio n s. S c h lo m in g cited a n u m b e r o f cases where, in his o p in io n , C I A activities to p p le d as a result o f C I A c u rity H e c ite d tw o false stones plant ed in the press b y the C IA : the one went astray. C o v e rt o p e ra tio n s in w hat was once the C o n g o in the 1960s c o n trib backed " t h e same result to o k place as i f we had n o t d o n e a t h in g ." covert actio n s, said S ch lo m in g . M e x ic o , In d on e sia , P a k is ta n , T he P h ilip p in e s and Australia have also been vxrimizBd by th e C I A , he said. In some cases, said S c h lo m in g , p u b lic in the interest o f n a tio n a l se a b o u t L ib y a n h it squads beaded t o w a rd th e U .S . a n d a n o th e r about massacres in A n g o la c a rrie d o u t by (Please turn to Page II, Column /) 4 1 - X.
