Fashions Show Held Memorial Poem Page 10 Paa« 8 PORTMND OBSERVER Volume XV, Number 35 July 3,1985 25c Copy Two Sections I u»»< ■»«•<•» Abuse Among Children •One out o f every len hoys and one out o f every four girls are sexually abused before the age of sixteen • Between 80 and 85 percent of young sexual abuse victim s were abused by someone they know a friend or relative o f the fam ily, tor example •O ne-third o f adult abusers were victimized when they were children •90 percent o f sexual abusers are men. • In 15 stales teachers are legally mandated to report any suspected sexual and physical abuse or child neglect. • 1.8 million children in the United Stales are currently missing •There are 7 m illion “ latchkey" children in this country youngsters who go home to empty houses each day and are easy targets lor abduction or abuse. These are just a few ol the lacts about child abduction and abuse, Guatemala Elections Coming Soon By Robert Lothian Guatemala hasn’t been making the headlines lately despite continu­ ing repression o f a popular insur­ gency there. But with civilian elections coming up in November, Guatemala will soon be in the headlines with Nica­ ragua and El Salvador, Central America expert M ilton Jamail said in Portland last week. Jamail, a professor at the Univer­ sity o f Texas and co-author o f Gar­ rison Guatemala, is teaching a sum­ mer course on Central American film and politics at Portland State. He has visited Guatemala 10 times. "Election is the magic word in Guatemala." said Jamail. Truly free elections could usher in a period o f democracy, but unfortunately, that is not likely given Guatemala's history, he said. In 1954, a popularly elected presi­ dent was toppled in a CIA-sup­ ported coup . In the 30 years since then, the popular movement tor democracy has been continually suppressed, elections rigged, and opposition leaders assassinated by the hundreds. As many as 175,000 Guatemalans have died in violent rounds o f popular upheaval and vicious repression since 1954, said Jamail. Repression in 1966-68 involved U.S. green berets and bombings of U.S. made napalm. Up to 10,000 civilians died at the hands o f the efficient Guatemalan m ilitary then, but only 100 guerillas, according to Jamail. That episode pales in comparison with the genocide o f 1981-82, when an estimated 75,000 Guatemalans, mainly Indians, died in a scorched earth campaign. Over 400 villages were wiped o ff the map and one m illion Indians displaced out o f the country's total population o f 7 m il­ lion, Jamail said. In the last few months, leaders o f a mutual aid group searching for the disappeared have been assassinated. “ Looking for the disappeared is in itself a subversive act,” said Guate­ mala's president, according to Jamail. " I n short, Guatemala is at w a r," and the election could end up a meaningless exercise under the c ir­ cumstances, he said. An ominous aspect o f the repres­ sion is the destruction o f the once vibrant Indian culture, Jamail said. Indians are forced to live in model villages watched over by the m ili­ tary. They can’t grow corn, and they can weave but not wear their distinctive garments, according to Jamail. " I t ’s an attempt to take the cul­ ture away because the government knows the culture is the strength of the movement." Incorporation o f the Indians into the movement for democracy is the most significant event in Guatemala Education is It Misunderstood By Nathaniel Scott Education, everyone agrees, is important. In most cases it separates the have and the have nols. And it ranks high on the social scale with law abiding fieople. But there seems to be a serious misunderstanding about what constitutes education; especially among the m ajority o f Blacks who attend Portland State University. For some strange reason they seem to think that all it takes to become educated is to spend time in classrooms and listen to the philoso­ phy o f different professors. Most Blacks who attend PSU pro­ fess to be students; not knowing that students are a worthless bunch. They are not engaged in the chal­ lenge o f being or becoming scholars; that which demands respect in any and every setting that has to do with learning. PSU’s Black professed students attend classes, take notes, and re­ gurgitate on exams and when and if they graduate, they graduate as BS or BA clones. E X A M P LE : Colleen M cElroy, a Black woman who heads the crea­ tive writing department at the Uni­ versity o f Washington came to PSU to share her skills and knowledge. McElroy writes about Black culture, Black heritage. Black freedom; Black love. But most o f her Black goodness was showered on a white audience. But I need not apologize to M cElroy because she undoubted­ ly knows this new generation o f Blacks believe they have always been free. They believe they are free now. They believe Blacks have always had the right to eat where they want; shop at their leisure, and look any man in his eyes and call him a damn lie. They don’t under­ stand ( if they have read) The Color Purple; The Souls O f Black Folk; Go Tell It On The Mountain; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Brown G irl Brown Stone, Native Son; Up Above My Head, or any o f the other Black literature that talk about the Black experience. Andrew Salkey has written 34 novels; he writes about revolution; change; end to oppression. And he too came to PSU. He limped on a foot minus all five toes and stood in pain for almost two hours sharing his beautiful Black soul. He sang poems for Black people and moaned sympathy for Black America; women, Africans and oppressed people. But not one o f those self- proclaimed Black students heard a word he said; they were busy " r u n ­ ning it d ow n" and "lo lly gagging" about nothing. And then black beautv stormed PSU with tales o f southern life: cotton fields and how old folk (women) weaved tales into patterns o f love; bringing hope and aspira­ tion through the birth o f woman­ hood and hacking out trails of learn ing that talk about traditions and survival. But they didn’t hear you either, Joyce Carol Thomas. They were too busy Linger popping and talking about jerrie curls; making believe they are being Black and scholarly. (PLEASE READ B-CAB OR AAS when the next issue o f the African Forum comes out). And to add insult to injury, those so called Black students won’t support the anti-apartheid movement at Port­ land State. They are too busy ta lk ­ ing about "where its a t" and "ch ild did you hear what old (what’ s his face) did?” W eill I ’ll tell you what old what’ s his face did. He died for your op­ portunity to heap shame on his memory. And in the memory o f what he stood for, I ’ll match the sentiments o f those you think are educating you: O N LY SCHOLARS ARE RESPECTED. And to be a scholar means you have to read books, listen to lectures, visit librar­ ies and get involved with the learn­ ing process: not rely on the philoso­ phy o f professor him or her, since the Spanish conquest 400 years ago, Jamail said. Destruction o f the Indian culture is something the Spanish couldn't do, hut which present day dictatorships are at­ tempting. People are organized and aware, the opposition waits for an opening, he said. "T h e question is, how do you overcome the terror. The waves o f terror are directly in response to the strength o f the popular move­ m ent." Jamail said he feels energized by the strength o f popular resistance when he visits. "Guatemalans are really amazing at finding new forms o f resistance." He described a past election when voters expressed their dissatisfac­ tion by turning in blank or dis­ figured ballots amounting to 20 per­ cent o f returns. "W hen the winner o f an election is a blank vote that really says a lot about the country," he said. New Lottery’« Oregon Lottery Director, Robert W. Smith, today announced the start o f a new "instant w in " ticket game as the Lottery’s Jackpot Prize remains unclaimed at $6,839,747. The colorful tickets for Game Two, with a new theme o f “ The Sky's the L im it,” went on sale to­ day at 12:01 am, from more than 2,900 Lottery retail outlets state­ wide. Game Two features an "instant w in” prize o f twice that in Game One — $10,000. And, like its pre­ decessor, Game Two uses the $100 instant win ticket, in pools o f 167, for entry into the Jackpot Prize pre­ liminary drawing frm which 10 con­ testants are chosen to spin the Jack­ pot Prize Wheel. The odds o f winning in the 30- m illion tickets o f Game Two are much the same as in Game One. In Game One there was a potential o f 16 pools o f 10 contestants to spin the Jackpot Prize Wheel; there are 12 in Game Two. Director Smith also announced that Game One, with the theme of "P o t o f G old,” would officially end Sunday, July 7th. "B u t. there is still as good a chance now o f winning one o f those instant win prizes as when the game started," Smith said. (Continued on paga 10) highlighted on '•Protecting Our C hil­ d re n ," a hall hour TV special pro­ duced h\ the American federation of I cachets to address the growing alarm among parents and educators about these problems. Because c hildren arc usually too frightened to disclose abuse, the A H lists danger signs for parents and teachers that could indicate trouble: •a child misses school or is fre­ quently tardy. •a child has unexplained injuries. •a child is sleepy at school. •a child is cither very tlinchy c too clingy. •a child cries easily. •a child is destructive or excep tionally passive •a child exhibits low sell-esteem, lo r further inform ation about "P ro tê t ng < tut < hildren" write Inside Your Schools. I he AMerican federation ol Teachers, 555 New lersey Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20003. Neighborhood Improvement By Robert Lothian Northeast low income neighbor hoods arc in the middle of planning how millions in Federal Housing and Community Development funds w ill be used Io improve their communities. Eliot, Humboldt, Boise, Sabin, Vernon and King arc the Northeast neighborhoods that qualify. How much each w ill receive has not been determined, but $9 m illion is alio cated for the entire city, down from $13 m illion last year, said Peggy Scolnick, HCD public involvement coordinator. Scolnick has been conducting a series o f meetings with neighbor­ hood associations to explain the process and gather ideas for neigh borhood improvements. "W e're trying to encourage broad com munity in p u t," Scolnick said Planning should be completed by the end of 1985 and work started in July, 1986, she said HCD funds in the past base been used for housing rehabilitation, street paving, installing street lights at problem intersections, planting street trees and park improvements “ I ’ m finding that unemployment, abandoned housing and trash arc problems common to all areas, said Scolnick "A lso , programs lor youth are needed in all neighbor hoods.” The community input process is important to make sure that neigh borhood residents agree with im provements, according to Scolnick Some HCD funded projects have received criticism, including the traffic diverters in Boise neighbor hood and the Union Avenue im provement. Residents are encouraged t< till out a 7 page H C D neighborhood opinion survey, said Scolnick. At a recent Sabin Community AssiKiation potluck and brainstorm session, residents put forward doz­ ens o f ideas for the HCD funds: rehabilitation o f commercial build mgs at 15th and Prescott and be tween 13th and 15th on Ercmonl, supervision in Irvington Park, more street trees, a tool library, upgraded bus shelters, unplugging street drains, no more Union Square type development, and removing aphids from street trees. Only a handful of the ideas w ill be implemented, but together, they form a picture o f community needs useful for a long term improvement plan, said Scolnick. Oser 200 Sabin houses have been fixed up with HCD funds in the form o f Portland Development (. ommission loans Other successful HCD projects in Northeast include the realignment ol 15th Avenue at Prescott Street, a signal installed at 7th and Alberta, a school crossing stop light at 15th and Shaver, many street trees planted, and improve merits at Irving and Alberta Parks. Some of the priorities this year for Sabin arc housing rehabilitation, removing old cars, neighborhood clean up and park improvements, said Don Bount, president o f the Sabin Community AssiKiation. " I here is a lot of substandard housing stock west o f 15th and I ’ m under the impression that that’s at least partly responsible for the crime problems that we have,” said Blount. l or more inform ation and to fill out a I K D neighborhood opinion survey, call Peggy Scolnick at the Northeast Neighborhood Office, 248-4575. Urban League Opposed Reynolds WASHINGTON, D.< 1 National Urban League in testimony recently before the Senate Judiciary Committee vigorously opposed the nomination of W illiam Bradford Reynolds as AssiKiate Attorney (