P»ae 4, Portland Otaorvw, May 29,1986 EDITORIAL/OPINION Stevenson inquest "contract” by Jerry Garner The recent decision by a M ultno­ mah County Grand Jury not to prose­ cute any o f the four policemen in­ volved in the death o f Lloyd D. Stev­ enson was the result o f contracting between the District Attorney's office and the police bureau. “ Contracting" is the negotiation o f an agreement for the exchange o f performance in the future. Police departments often contract with prosecutors to forego prosecution o f police misconduct in exchange for a supply o f police inves tigative resources to be used at the dis­ cretion o f the prosecutor. In the past, Michael Schrunk, Multnomah County District A tto r­ ney. has proven his reluctance to in­ dict police on criminal charges. When he was forced to file charges against officers involved in criminal behav­ iors, he chose to proceed on less than the highest charge supported by the evidence For example, in 1981, a criminal spree by officers of the Spe­ cial Investigation Division (S ID ) re­ sulted in 59 drug cases being pardoned and the City o f Portland paying thou­ sands o f dollars to individuals who were damaged as a result o f those criminal acts. Schrunk declined to indict any o f the officers involved in the scandal Instead o f indicting the officers or presenting the evidence to a Grand Jury, Schrunk gave the o ffi­ cers immunity from the State prosecu­ tion. According to Schrunk, this was necessary in order to obtain inform a­ tion from the officers to obtain the pardon o f the 59 cases by Governor Vic Atiyeh. Schrunk claimed that without cooperation o f the suspected officers, his office would be unable to discover all cases infected by the S ID officers' criminal acts. Not only did Schrunk give the officers Slate im ­ munity his next move was to seek federal immunity for the officers. Schrunk asked U.S. Attorney Sid­ ney Lerak to request federal immun­ ity for the officers. Each officer re­ ceived federal immunity. One o f the officers involved in the scandal, Neil Gearheari, was paid $37,466 on a claim for disability from the City. Gcarheart claimed that he suffered psychological problems from the death o f his lormer partner, David Crowther. Crowther was killed when he was involved in a raid on the O u t­ sider Motorcycle Club which Gear- heart had lied under oath to obtain a search warrant for. The officers had gong to the club house to plant drugs. The lack o f action on Schrunk's part to press for indictments o f the o f­ ficers in the S ID episodes was the be­ ginning o f contracting between Schrunk's office and the police. The case o f Lloyd D. Stevenson was a classic example o f contracting. His­ torically, when Blacks were killed by the police, prosecution seldom oc­ curred. This is due to racism and con­ tracting. There was more than suf- ficiant evidence in the Stevenson case to warrant a Grand Jury indictment. However, the reason why an indict­ ment was not handed down by the Grand Jury was due to Schrunk's office lack o f pursuit for one. Michael Schrunk preferred to keep his con­ tract with the police rather than to bring to justice the officers responsi­ ble for the homicide of Lloyd D. Stevenson. Israel-CIA alliance probed By Robert Lothian Israel does some o f the dirty work the U.S. is unwilling to do and does it better, according to an expert on Israeli foreign policy who spoke in Portland recently. Jane Hunter, founder and editor o f the research journal, Israeli Foreign Affairs, addressed a meeting spon­ sored by the General Union o f Pales tinian Students and the Palestine Soli­ darity Committee. Hunter was introduced as “ a pro­ gressive Jewish woman from Berke­ ley." Her research exposes Israel's support o f repressive regimes in A fri­ ca, Central America and the Middle East. Supporting counter-insurgency op­ erations conducted by these regimes with intelligence, advisers and military hardware. "Israel runs things b aler than the C IA ,” according to Hunter. The direct and brutal military so­ lutions o f the "Israeli model” are more appealing to armies in South Africa, El Salvador and Guatemala than U.S. m ahods, which are p a - caved as having failed in V ian am , she said While pursuing its own ends, name ly to make a lot o f money from selling arms (Israel's main industry), Israel also acts as a spearhead of U.S. pol­ icy. In return, the U.S. props up Israel’s problem-ridden economy, H u n ta said. Israeli military assistance to South Africa adds up to about $1 billion annually, according to Hunter. " A lot o f it is for continuing ap arthad,” she said. A recent article in Israeli Foreign Affairs states, "Israel has passed on to South Africa all the relevant — i.e., everything bearing on the African N a­ tional Congress and other indigenous opponents of the apartheid regime as well as South Africa's neighbors — information gathered from its con­ nections in African capitals and from its infiltration of and actions against the Palestine Liberation Organiza­ tion.” Another article states that the South African Army named an exer­ cise in Namibia “ Iron Fist" — the name used by the Israelis for recent military opaations in Southan Leba­ non. Israel supported South A frica’s 1975 invasion of Angola, and its in­ cursions into Rhodesia, Mozambique and Namibia, according to H u n ta . Israeli is also extending its influ- atce to Zaire, Liberia, Togo, Sierra leone and Nigeria. Zaire’s leader, Mobutu, "the most corrupt man in A frica," according to Hunter, has long had close ties to Israel and the C IA , she said. In Central America, Israel and Nic­ aragua's Somoza dictatorship had a cozy relationship dating to the 30s. When Anastasio Somoza couldn't get help anywhere else in his last days, it was Israel that pulled through with vast amounts of armaments fix his blixtdy last stand, said Hunter. " I'ja d is now oo tfvc brink ol taking over the contras,” she said. Israel’s support o f the contras already in­ cludes uniforms, weapons and ad visers, she said, but the support could mushroom with the recent U.S. aid cutoff. Israel has been the main supplia of weapons to Guatemala since the U.S. cut o ff military aid under C a rta , in­ cluding the weapons used to massacre Indians in the highlands "Com puter­ ized death squads" have been sa up with Israeli help and model villages said to resemble kitbuttz’ are really concentration camps, she said. The Guatemalan and El Salva­ doran armies are adopting techniques perfected by the Israelis in their war against Palestinians, and Israeli in­ volvement in Central America holds out the prospect of the kind of mas­ sive violence there that characterized the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, ac­ cording to Hunter. Hunter said her aim is to generate international criticism of Israeli policy and build pressure in Congress to cut U.S. support for Israel. "The U .S., ai least theoretically, could make Israel stop doing these things,” she said. It's an uphill battle, she said, be­ cause a strong Israeli lobby extends into the executive branch and dictates U.S. Mid-East policy. The Israeli lobby also keeps critical information out o f the media, she said. Black infant death rate high Along the C olor Line by D r. M anning M arable Nothing is more painful than the death o f a child. The loss of an infant creates an unhealable wound for the parents and their families. Black America knows this pain all too well. Four years ago, the Federal gov- anm ent declared that it would enact measures to reduce the death rales of Black infants to 12 per I,(XX) live births by 1990, close to the current white infant mortality rale of 10.1. This spring. Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Heckler admitted that it was highly "doubt- ful” that this goal would be reached. In 1982, the Black infant mortality rate stixxl at 19.6 per I,(XX), and any optimism about lowering this figure to 13 to 14 for each I.(MIO by 1990 is at best slim. In an international context, ihe high infant mortality rate among Afro-Americans seems difficult to ex­ plain. According io "Health United Slates, 1984," a publication of the National (e n te r for Health Statis­ tics, many nations "have considerably lower infant mortality rates than the United Stales.” Japan, Sweden, and France all have "rates less than 10 deaths for each I,(XX) liv e births " About 40,(XX) U. S in fa n ts die in the first 12 months' of life ech year And 6 8 percent o f all U.S. babies, plus 12 4 percent of Black infants, are born at "low weight," under 5 pounds, 6 ounces. Research in this field has acceler­ ated in recent years, l ast month, the The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typed or neatly printed and signed with the au th o r's nam e an d address fa d dresses are not published) We re ­ serve the right to edit f o r length M ail to: P o rtla n d O bserver. P. O . Box 3137, Portland. OR V72OH To the Editor, Another “ sister city?” IX) you real­ ly believe it will not eventually cost you anything? T h a i’s like ihe old story about “ special" taxes that were going to be dropped lata, and “ la ta ” never came. Darrell Briden was basically ig­ nored because everyone was enjoying themselves, bubbling with their own good and expansive feelings. After all. what could it hurt, helping these poor people? The communists wouldn't think of using our school supplies to leach their brand o f “ de­ mocracy." What about Oregon’s poor? What about Oregon's prison education sys­ Portland Observer The Portland ( H a m e r I USPS 9688801 • pubtahed every Thuraday by Laie Pubketang Company Inc . 1483 N f KZknge worth Portland. Oregon 97211. Poat Office B om 3137 Portland. Oregon 97208 Second elate postage peel at Portland. Oregon Tb« P o rib n d (X u r r v tt MEMBER wm Subacnpnona I I S 00 par year mi the Tn County area Poat m a tta r Sand addraaa changea to the Portland (H u m e r . P O Boa 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 A ! Williams. General M anager 288 0033 N a tio n a l A d v e rtle in g R ap ra a a n ta tiv a A m a lg a m a te d Publlahara Inc N a w York tem, where some outside help might help cut your tax dollar — and save some young adult from the prison/ welfare cycle What about Burnside and N .E. Portland, where people beg for help, and Find little or none from "h elpfu l" organizations. Mildred Schwab is right in using the word "circus.” Before it fell, Rome lived on circuses. No one seems to read history, anymore. Not a handout, but a hand-up! W ALTER SU TTO N Writer objects to deleted word To the Editor, A "letter to the editor" written by me appeared in the May 22 Observer, concerning my opinions o f the Stev­ enson case. In the First sentence of the second paragraph, the word "m urder" was deleted from my later and “ death” substituted. I object v a y much to this altering o f my letter. J p ORTWND OBSEDER • 15 for on« y««r • 2 5 lor tw o y««rs Bo« 3137 Portland OR 97Z11B May»»»* m t«M nb«d n 19/0 A lfre d L. Henderson. Editor/Publisher AtaociaMort • fo un ded IM S o«»‘ - ' » I . j o 3 X 5 * Ui -4 > 30