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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1985)
Page 2, Portland Observer, May 15,1985 Dreamspan Saturday your neighbors on the Burnside Bridge at 11 a.m when a balloon arch w ill be raised to join both sides o f the W il lamette River. ..aier, hear the music o f Crazy 8’s and Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts at Waterfront Park Help plan P ort land at U amspan. Saturday, May 18. from II a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Burnside Bridge. Want a role in shaping Portland's future? Then come io Dreamspan. Saturday. May 18. on the Burnside Bridge Bring a friend, bring a grin and bring us your dreams io build a plan on. Join Mayor Bud Clark and the Portland City Council at Dreamspan. the kick-o ff event for Portland’ s Central City plan Meet thousands o f MRS. C’s WIGS Many wig«jgric»d »I H HO b »14 land Mayor, and Matthew Prophet. Superintendent of Portland Public School*, kick off Cans for Kid* drive Fund* from can* collected will support drug and alcohol abuse program* in the school* (Photo: Richard J Brown) Victim's rights sought West Coett Black)« at his home undsr the bridge. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Under the bridge by l.anua Duke GRASSROOT NEWS. N W — The river is their living rrxim , the stars their ro o f and the ground serves as their carpet as those who fall through the safety net reappear as Portland's invisible popul? n — the homeless. They have responded to the finite summer shelter by living where they can and some are literally living underneath the bridge. Beneath the 1-5 Freeway ramp, be tween the Morrison and Steel bridges, a little-known community exists. Shaded away from view and nestled between the railroad tracks and the river bank, a barking dog greets in truders while a child plays hopscotch in the dirt. Her mother cooks over an open llanie while her father reads the paper "T he faces o f the homeless have changed." said Michael Sloops, d i rector o f the Burnside Community Council. "A lth ou g h the image o f W illie the Wino, Freddy the Freeloader and the Bag l ady is still with us, the average homeless person is JO years old, 15 percent are women, 25 percent are racial minorities, one out o f four are chronically mentally ill and we are seeing more and more families every day " For eight years. Sloops has advocat ed and educated the city about a group o f people and a set o f circum stances many would like to ignore. The council provides a variety o f basic human services such as dental, medical, food and winter shelter to Portland's homeless. "W e are the salety net wnen peo ple are ineligible for other pro gram s." Sloops explained. "They wind up on skid row and we are start ing to see too many come through.” Recent city budget limitations elim inated funding for summer shelter. “ Everyone seems to be concerned about the homeless in the winter, but the summer is just as dangerous and threatening," Stixips noted. "Y oung people and those new to Burnside are starting to live underneath the bndge " Tony, a 25-year-old Black male, said he has lived under the bridge for four years. “ I ’ m homeless because I don't want to go home. I'm not from Portland. I came here with a job, lost it and everything else." Jim, a JI-year-old white male, said once employers find out you live on Burnside they w on't hire you. So, we're right back where we started — nowhere. As the traffic overhead drowns out their verbal frustration, Tony said they keep warm in the winter with lots and lots o f sleeping bags I pro tect myself with a billy club or hatch et. I've got to watch out for people trying to rip me o f f . " As he showed me his corner under the bridge, I wondered what there was to lake. Blankets covered the dirt while cardboard cutouts serve as walls. Besides a collection o f broken chairs and an assortment o f clothes, there was nothing else except the roar o f the traffic above and the sounds o f a train beside him. The city is the backdrop and a reminder o f a city and society going one way while the homeless stand still. Racism workshop this weekend Portland Black United Front co- chair Ron Herndon and P rof. Duane Campbell (C alifornia Stale. Sacra memo) w ill open a weekend w ork shop on " l acing Racism," speaking at Portland State, Smith Center, Room 296. Fridav. Mav 17, at 8 p m. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Democratic Sixrialisis o f America. Portland chapter, and the Associated Students o f PSU (ASPSU). The workshop will teach partici pants about m inority organizations, and identify barriers between d iffe r ent racial groups working against racism. iiciiiuon win incus oil black issues. Campbell will speak to Latino issues, based on his experience in the United Farmworkers, and currently in the Sacramento Immigration Committee and l a Semilla Cultural Center. He is co-chair o f the DSA Ann-Racism C omtnission. The workshop continues May 18 with a game. Bata Bata, designed to increase sensitivity in interracial com munication, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Dr. Campbell will present a discussion on “ A nti- Racism and Democratic S*x.ialism " Both events arc also at Smith Center, Rixun 296 STEWART CLEANERS 0 Dry Cleaning Special 2 pc. suit«, $3.99 Pants, skirts, b sweaters, $1.99 Corner of 7th & N.E. Knott 281-4372 Saying. "C rim e victims w ill not rest until they are assured fairness in the criminal justice system," Bob Kouns, Presidc.it o f Crime Victims United, addressed a rally on the Capitol steps in Salem recently which launched a drive aimed at placing a new victims' rights initiative on the November, 1986 ballot. kouns was joined by Stale Repre sentative Randy Miller and Marlene Young, a national victims' rights leader as chief sponsors o f the initia tive which must be signed by some 75.000 voters by July 6. 1986 in order to go before the electorate. k uns told the rally the initiative would establish equivalent Miranda Rights for victims and require the Parole Board to allow victims to at tend its hearings. The Miranda Rights for victims would require a defense attorney to tell a victim who the atiorney repre sent», that the victim does not have to talk to the attorney and that it the vic tim wishes to talk may request that a district attorney be present. The initiative would also: — Require that the victim's sched ule be considered in the setting o f trial and motion dates. « — Prohibit exclusion o f the victim from ihe courtrixun as often occurs at the defense attorney’s request — When "constitutionally permis- Divestment by Lamia Duke GRASSROOT NEWS. N W - The House Human Resource Com mittee w ill send to the Oregon House a measure that will require the State Treasurer to gradually sell state in vestments in companies doing busi ness in South Africa House Bill 2001 was supported by a number o f progressives, liberals and a host o f state legislators during public testimony A p ril 3rd. Due to scare tactics employed by State Treasurer Bill Rutherford, who told the committee that divestment meant a m ulti-m illion dollar loss to the public trust fund — primarily the Public Employees Retirement system — the original bill was diluted. Rep. Rick Kotulski issued a pro posal calling for a divestment o f funds from companies that fail to follow principals espoused by the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu. Called the Expanded Sullivan Prin cipals, it states that companies should allow Black workers to live with their families, support their union and in vest in education and training. Rep. Margaret Carter, who intro duced the bill, said the current word ing. if passed, w ill require a withdraw al o f 45 percent o f Oregon funds invested in companies doing business in South Africa. Register to vote The Associated Students and staff o f Portland Community College- Cascade. 705 N. Killingsworth, will be operating a voter registration table in the foyer o f the Student Center Build ing until May 20. They invite mem bers o f the community to stop by and register to vote in the May 21 special election. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 284 7722 A Public S a w ic a 0« I M Portto«w fO <W »rv*r Take an additio al 10% off already marked down wig price* Betty ClB'fW Proprator M a M v « « « p »V MAOMI S M S AMOAI DOUGLAS M A T A I« C O U sible," require joint trials o f multiple defendants in a single case so that a victim is not subject to excruciating multiple trials. —Give prosecuting attorneys in criminal felony cases the same num ber o f opportunities io challenge the suitability o f jurors as dclcnse at torneys have. —Give prosecutors equal rights with defense attorneys in admitting evidence o f a witnesses' prior con A W K H A Il W t l l S VX.IIOI1S. — Allow separate sentences lot each crime and each victim. For ex ample a drunken driver who kills four people could be sentenced lor lour crimes whereas now he can only be sentenced lor one. Supporters ol the initialise antici pate that legal issues in setting the propet ballot title will take several months to resolve, kouns said he hopes petitions will be on the street gathering signatures bv lulv or A u gust . l o t lurthet inform ation contact Bob Kouns or Norman Frink at 245 4920 LAWRA K 1048 $1E 00 Now ■ 707 $OC95 Now ! • • • 10% la» M RS. C ’s WIGS N.E. Fremont 281-6525 Closed Sun. « Mon. O PIN Tuoa. thru la t. 11:30 AM to 6:00 PM V IIV I K l i s t M l S I Scientologists Invite Whistleblowers to Speak Out The Church ot Scientology long know n tor its effective social reform activities and e x p o sure ot governm ent agency abuses that v io late the precious freedom s o l Am erican citizens has also provided a lo rum to i w h is tleblow ers those governm ent em ployees w ith the courage to speak out about agency abuses and in justice s w hich they have observed In 1975 lor exam ple the C h urch s FREE DOM News Journal reported on tbe story ot A Ernest Fitzgerald an Air Force em ployee whose career was destroyed by tatse and m a li cious reports about him by bis Superiors after be exposed tbe $2 b illio n cost overrun ot a controversial m ilitary transport plane Alter reading about Fitzgerald in FREE DOM lorm er G rum m an A ircra ft em ployee Duane Yorke con tacted the C hurch to tell bis own story Yorke had reported to G rum m an tbe m anufacturer ot tbe Navy s F ,11 hqhter plane serious de le cts in the design ot the new plane and copies ot bis report bad been fo r warded to tbe Pentagon Shortly after he sent his report Yorke tound his career ab ru p tly ended He was h o s p ita l ized and held in c c m m iim c a d o and treated w ith electro convulsive shock therapy and in sulin shock treatm ent As tbe C h urch reported Yorke was later vindicated when G rum m an A ircra ft and the Navy scrapped this test m odel ot the F - ,,1 alter c o n firm in g the detects that Yorke had o rig in a lly p o in te d ou ' The C h urch ot S cientology has also released the stories o l m any Internal Revenue Service (IRS) w histleblow ers Recently the C hurch s FREEDOM News Journal advertised in several national news papers a skin g to r c u rre n t and fo rm e r em ployees ot the IRS to com e forw ard w ith in fo rm atio n about abuses or ille g a litie s w ith in the service One o l the first responses was from a form er IRS em ployee who cam e forw a rd w ith the story o l her attem pts to corre ct a du plicate assessment o f a taxpayer 3 return For her efforts, she was inform ed by one o l her IRS superiors that it the taxpayer is stupid enough to sign tor it you assess it FREE DOM covered her story and as a result m any other IRS em ployees were encouraged to speak out The resp on seto FREEDOM sadvertisem ent was so trem endous that a national c o a litio n o l IRS w histleblow ers has been form ed consist mg o, not only current and form er em ployees o , the IRS but also open to all Am erican c iti zens and groups who are concerned about vio latio ns ot their c o n stitu tio n a l rights by the IRS The C h urch of S cientology has also been contacted by w histleblow ers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) In 1979 the C hurch reported in fo rm atio n received from a form er FBI agent who exposed the fact that it was com m on practice w ith in the agency tor agents to pocket the m oney intended tor their inform ants He also revealed that in order to make their quota ot info rm an ts many agents w o uld sim ply make up names and report them as fact and then pocket the m oney allocated tor these fic titio u s inform ants Many w histleblow ers who have told their stories to the C hurch and to the stat, o, FREE DOM have been greatly relieved to tm d that the C hurch is an organ izatio n that is c o n cerned enough about honesty and in te grity in governm ent to listen to them and accurately report then stones to the Am erican people The C h urch has fo u n d that there is an increasing number ot current and form er governm ent em ployees who see a need tor reform and who are w illin g to step forw ard and talk about their experiences It is vital that the Am erican people b e a h le to make their voices heard and do som ething effective to im prove those parts o l their own governm ent w hich they observe are in need o, reform The C h urch o, Scientology s cam paign to expose and reform governm ent agency abuses has received trem endous support from in dividu als and groups throughout the cou ntry who like ourselves know that we must take resp on sibility lor protecting those treedom s guaranteed by the U S C o nstitutio n and Bill ot Rights Despite the predictable attem pts by these governm ent agencies to silence us tust as they have tried to silence their own em ployees w ho have trie d to blow the whistle on them the C hurch w ill con tinu e to encourage Am erican citizens to speak up about governm ent agency abuses and crim es The C hurch ot S cientology w ill con tinu e to set an exam p'e persistence and courage to those who teel it is w o rth w h ile to work tow ard an ideal civiliza tion where honest men are tree to prosper and live their lives w ith ou t tear 3' For fu rth e r in fo rm atio n, ca ll Toll-Free 1 -800-367 8788 C hurch ot S c ie n to lo g y * O ttice of Special Atfairs 1413 N Berendo St Los Angeles CA 90027 IMS OurcN o» Sc*«»o<ogv Scw&oi'tt and tha 9c*n«oio0y t'ost HMMmBeSt w by »»•» «»' 4 •>.» 10% D . 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