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PORTWND OBSERVER
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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.