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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1985)
Fs e» » Family harassed Page 3 ffhl ’" ® CSI PaO°6 W" ® PORTWND OBSERVER u*e<a»4Bfia C C a r /V N u ta a t C ». tar ItW The fire this time by Lanita Duke GRASSRfXJT NEWS. N.W. — Vibrations from a bomb, dropped by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Po ' T I JI V • lice Department in an effort to evict • i a klan known as MOVE, sent shock 1 • waves thioughout the country as the flames ignited the destruction of an all-Black neighborhood. The final toll: II MOVE members dead, 61 homes destroyed and 250 Philadel phians are now urban refugees. As an outsider looking in, I spent seven days in the so-called City of Brotherly Love letting residents vent their anger, confusion and shock as a klan bent on destroying the system caused the system to destroy the prop erty of innocent neighbors. MOVE, a group basically com prised of one extended family, had challenged and confronted the system since its inception in 1970. To resi dents on 62nd and Osage Avenue. MOVE'S anarchistic behavior, radi AN that ia left of Osage Avenue In West Philade» cally different lifestyle, rhetoric and {Philadelphia Daily News photo by Gerald Hilton) phia after the MOVE bombings. uncompromising actions led to a public S.O.S. Chuck Slone, a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, said Mayor . Wilst.111 (.«Hide's refusal to intercede a year ago led to the police barricade cash an u o v iv iisc le s s again st g o v e r n and bombing by Robert Lothian Lodge was built on former Indian ment bureaucrats, the Siletz tribal “ It was only when the neighbors land purchased by whites from the An afternoon gathering of Native council voted to end the reservation in called a press conference that Goode government for less than $1 an acre. Americans and supporters at the in 1956 decided to act. There is an under In addition, Castle continued, Northwest Service Center May 18 an “ The Siletz were told they weren't lying suspicion that had MOVE been several early Oregon lumber compa nounced the move to Portland of the Indians anymore, and many grew up in a predominately white neighbor- nies made their first profits cutting Society of People Struggling to be not knowing what they were." Only hixxl, G imk I c would have moved timber on land that the government Free. two native families retain traditional faster and he wouldn't have dropped had once promised to the Indians. The group is organizing support for land in the area, she said. a bomb,” Stone added. The Siletz Valley land grab could Dino, Gary and Robert Butler, Na The Butler brothers became part He called the decisions made by occur, according to Castle, because tive American activists accused of of Siletz history when they joined a the police and city officials on May the Coast Reservation had been set by murdering a man who was allegedly movement of the Siletz people to re 13th a series of “ misjudgements, executive order and a treaty was robbing Indian graves in Siletz, near gain their land and rights, a move miscalculations and mishandling." never signed. Newport. ment which led to the dispute over Mayor Wilson Gixxle, the city’s In another of those tragic epi Attorney William Kunstler is de grave robbing and their eventual ar first Afro-American mayor, ttxik sodes that befell many tribes lured by fending the three brothers, and a rest. full responsibility for the resulting hearing in their case has been sched destruction. Gixxle was notified 17 uled for Sept. 2 in Portland, accord minutes prior to the decision to drop ing to Nilak Butler, spokeswoman the bomb City managing director for the group. Rogers regional programming Leo Brixiks and Fire Commissioner by Robert Lothian Grace Castle, a writer and former director Adam Haas answered by ar William Richmond decided to let In seeking to expand her three- news reporter who grew up in Siletz, guing that Rogers has "bent over the resulting fire burn for a while month-old cable television news pro told the tragic history of the Siletz backwards” to help “The Duke Re to get rid of a bunker atop the MOVE gram, "The Duke Report,” Ionita Indians. port.” house. Duke said she is running into “ Jim By 1848, she said, pioneers were He denied the free speech issue, “ If Goode was set-up, he was set Crow in the television industry." flooding into Oregon and encroach saying that Rogers has the right to up by his own managing director. “ The Duke Report" is aired Sun ing on Indians in Western Oregon. control what goes over channel 35. And if Brixiks is representative of days at 9 p.m. on Rogers Cablesys- The government guaranteed land and While affirming the need for locally generals in the American army, then tems channel 23. Duke said she needs hunting and fishing rights to the In produced programs like “ The Duke we’re going to be defeated by the to expand to the all-city channel 35 to dians, said Castle, but those rights report," he said the station was Russians very shortly," Stone added. widen her advertising base and keep were sixin eroded as pressure from the strapped financially and couldn't af Tbs real victim * paying her employees. settlers increased. Settlers’ rights ford to offer equal time to others To the urban refugees, the official According to Duke, the Rogers came before Indian rights in Oregon, who might want to answer the issues and unofficial accounts and excuses programming director told her that as everywhere else, she said. raised on Duke's show. mean very little. Kenny Jackson, a the show is too controversial, and so “ Homesteaders took over Indian “ We’re having a heck of a time Philly cab driver, described (Xage air time on channel 35 was denied. houses, fishing sites, whatever was being financially viable and that’s Avenue as a private residential area. Duke and a Rogers repesentative there, because the government had the bottom line to me,” said Haas. “ Those families struggled to make aired their views during a panel dis given them that right,” Castle said. He said that only a few politicians it this far Thai's why some of the cussion on cable TV and first amend Indians in Southern Oregon resist have demanded equal access, how ments rights at the Northwest confer ed. and that led to violence, so the neighbors do not have enough insur ever, and that few minority pro- ence of the National f ederation of government set up a reservation in the ance to cover themselves, rhey’re grms are broadcast over the all-city Local Cable Programmers at Lewis Siletz area. Native people from shocked that they worked all those channel. and Clark College Saturday. throughout Western Oregon were years for someone to blow it up that If she has to leave Rogers, Duke "I will talk about a boycott if they forced to walk over the coast range said she would take l(X) subscribers fast. allow my show to go off the air by and resettle there. "They are somewhat ashamed with her. "If I have to stand out on denying access,” said Duke “ The people who came to the Coast that we have a Black mayor and some Sandy Blvd. with a sign, I will,” she The show's survival depends on Reservation had their own trail of thing like this would happen under said. being able to expand its advertising tears,” said Castle. “ A lot of people him. These arc the people who voted base, she said. died on the trip.” to put him in office,” Jackson noted. "They are restricting my ability to Victimized by disease brought by Marie Fields, who lived four doors Saturday, June 15, from 9 a m. to market the show and denying my the whites, the coast Indian popula down from MOVE, said she has not noon, the Central City Plan will hold freedom of speech,” said Duke. "The tion went from about 6,000 in 1852 to slept well since the tactical bombing the second set of community work only reason they are doing that is that about 2,000 in 1856, according to of her neighborhood. shops. All Portland area residents are I’m black and it’s a progressive Castle. “ I can still hear the gunshots and invited to participate in the free work show.” The government taught the Indians see the fire. I don’t know how to shops, and to share their ideas about She cited hard-hitting segments on to be farmers, which conflicted with take if. I’m hurt. I had a lot of nice Portland's future. the Stevenson death and on South their traditional hunting and fishing things that I lost. I’m just trying to The workshops will be held at Pine Africa as reasons for her suspicions lifestyle, she said. "They wanted deal with it,” Fields stated sadly. Street Theater, 221 SE 9th Avenue, that Rogers wants to restrict the show them to be civilized.” "1 like the mayor. If he ran again, I and Terwilliger School, 6318 SW to channel 23. But from 1856 to 1872, according would vote for him." Corbett. "We take the camera into the com to Castle, the government gradually Ginny Johnson lived around the For further information, call the munity and talk with people who look more reservation land away, corner from the MOVE house. Central City office at 796-7270 A don't normally get a chance to talk. . . including many Indian farms. “The neighbors were saying they third set of workshops is scheduled Rogers thinks that just by putting it Newport now stands on some of wanted MOVE off the block. If the for Saturday, June 22. there, it's controversial." that land, she said, and Salishan 1 Künstler defends Siletz Indians "Duke Report" versus Rogers Planning workshop mayor would not do it, they would take things into their own hands, fhat's what kicked it off," Johnson added Her home was destroyed by water and smoke. “ Everything went down wrong. I wish they had stopped the fire. All that stuff (bunker) MOVE built on their home was unnecessary. I will still support Goode," Johnson said. One unidentified resident who had lived on (Xage for 28 years sat quietly at the Cobbs Creek Recrea tional Center waiting for the city to prix’ess her claim for compensation. Her home was completely destroyed. She said, "Items from my deceased husband such as tools and pictures are gone. I had a lot of things which can not be purchased. Everything is gone but I feel fine. I believe Goode is doing what he can, but I think he started late. Something should have been done yeas ago when those chil dren were walking the street and not in school." Richard Peoples, who runs a mar ket in the neighborhixxl, called MOVE, members regular customers. "They bought food like everyone else." As he glanced at the rubble of brick and stone, and as the smell of smoke stops at his dixirway, he com ments, “ You can’t say the neighbors wished for this to happen. They just wanted to live in a peaceful surround ing." Not all the neighbors were anti- MOVE. Faith Jackson lives on the perimeter of the rubble once called (Xage Avenue “ I don’t fault the MOVE or the mayor. It was the neighbors who kept pressing him. When people ask me where I live, I say I live in Beirut If they can drop a bomb anytime they get gixxl and ready, you don't know what to expect .” The bullhorn One common complaint among residents was the bullhorn MOVE used to get their message across. MOVE used urban street profanity to make their points. Fields said on the 4th of July dur ing a family Bar B-Q, MOVE was on their bullhorn saying, "All you M...... f----- do is get out and buy a lot of meat to celebrate the white man’s holiday.” Johnson said MOVE members would amplify threats against the mayor.” they said if he came around they would kill him. There was a lot of cussing It was like someone walk uig down the street with a kxxl radio." However, Jackson said whenever she didn't want to hear it, she would close her windows. “ Their whole ar gument was about politicians.” One MOVE supporter said, "The reason why MOVE was on the bull horn was to let those stupid-assed niggers gel prepared. "When they come get us, they get you, too.” Reconstruction Currently, the city has cleared the rubble. Ed Murra, Jr., Director of Contracts and Services for the city's License and Inspection Department, said everything on (Xage atxl Pine will be taken out. "Every brick, stone and all underground mains will be re- moved. Everything going in will be brand new," added Murra. Jim Gohana, sixrial worker for Human Services, said the mayor has set up teams to work with displaced families. "A person from Human Services, the redevelopment authority and the Red Cross will assist lainibcs." Ocxxle has allixated $6 million to rebuild the area However, two law suits were filed in federal court on May 15. The suits said defendants (xxxle, brixiks and Police Commis sioner Gregorc Sainbour failed to remove MOVE from the house ear lier, for dropping the bomb, and the resulting firestorm. The lawsuit alleges that city offi cials violated the constitutional rights of residents by "knowingly, will fully, recklessly and without justilica lion destroying homes and depriving homeowners of their liberty by forc ing them to evacuate their houses be fore the seige began " The suit seeks $10 million in puni tive damages. Slone said Philadelphia wants to forget MOVE, the fire and the de struction. "Along with the I iberty Bell, we have the Bomb." (Next weak: The fire tb it time, w het M O VE stand* for. end more reaction to the chein of event*.) HB 2001 passes Senate by Nathaniel Scott The uncertainty remains but House Bill 2<J0l moved one step closer to be coming law Monday, June 10, when it passed the Señale by a vote of 16-14 The bill now goes to the Governor for whatever action he will take. The anti-apartheid bill, intrixluced by District 18 Representative Mar garet Carter, will set guidelines for companies doing business with the white racist regime of South Africa. Rep. Carter said she was excited about the Senate passage of the bill because Oregon has been trying since 1979 to get this kind of legislation passed However, she said, the State Acci dent Insurance Fund (SAIF) has joined forces with the State Treasurer and the Oregon Retirement Fund to lobby against the bill. Their position is that such legisla tion would endanger some, stale in vestments and reduce interest yields. However, in a quofe from The Ore gonian, Sen. Bill McCoy, a Demo crat from Portland, said, "It is blood money and it is wrong.” Some activist groups, such as POSAF (Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom) and the Oregon Rainbow Organizing Com mittee has begun a postcard cam paign urging the Governor to sign the bill. At this point, Rep. (arter said, the bill stands a 50-50 chance. "The Gov ernor has not said he is going to veto it.” Furthermore, she said, "The Gov ernor must see that the people of Ore gon want this piece of legislation and I urge the public to attend a 'compre hensive planning' and strategy meet ing that will take place at the state capitol, Saturday, June 15." The meeting is from I 4 p.m in the Blue Rixim. Rep Carter, during her first term in office, has intrixluced a number of bills that some consider "key pieces of legislation.” In addition to HB 2001, the di- vesture bill, she intrixluced HB 2433, the bill that would have made the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth day a legal holiday in Oregon, and HB VXMt, the water bill that would save the Gorge.