Page 2, Portland Observor, July 31, 1985 Reagan’s racial appointments EDITORIAL/OPIIMION “ Blame the victim" African policy A destructive international interpretation o f the famine in Ethiopia and on the African conti­ nent which excuses, defends and sidesteps the activities of colonialism and agribusiness* re­ sponsibility for the hunger she is now experienc­ ing. The white status-quo press is too quick to broadcast the starving faces o f Ethiopia’s trag­ edy with an explanation that it was caused by failed land management, inequitable distribu­ tion of wealth and aggravated by military con­ frontation. But this theory internationalizes the “ blame the victim ” approach used extensively in the white domestic press. This press reports on situ­ ations in Third W orld countries, especially A fr i­ ca, as though the slave trade, economic exploi­ tations and social colonialism never took place. The African slave trade disrupted the culture and destroyed the African family. The standard o f living enjoyed by many Americans today was created by the criminal exploitation of human beings torn from Africa. With all the emphasis placed on obtaining revenge for the genocide committed during the holocaust, a word is rarely uttered about the genocide o f slavery and the Middle Passage on Africa and Africans. After Europeans and Americans robbed hu­ man beings from their land, colonialism was introduced in Africa to repatriate the profits to the mother country. The blood on the hands of the French, British and other European empires is infinite. And former policies and practices of past U.S. administrations makes us all acces­ sories to the crime o f colonialism. While Europeans were stealing the resources o f Africa, Africans were paid the lowest possible wages and these phony colonialist administra­ tions relied upon legislation backed by force. For more than 300 years, the financial and agricultural institutions operating in Africa were scandalously neglectful o f indigenous Africans. Colonialism forced Africans to engage in inten­ sive farming and growing cash crops that ab­ sorbed the nutrients from the soil. Thus, farm­ ing practices perpetuated and forced upon the African reinforced and welcomed the approach­ ing desert and drought. From the very beginning o f time, Ethiopia has withstood drought. It was not until this cen­ tury that the rape and plunder o f the land, peo­ ple and resources made this once-proud people vulnerable. W ithin the last 25 years, Africans demanded and fought for their independence from exploi­ tation, colonialism and domination. Yet, the foundation for exploitation which ruled the con­ tinent still exists and it’s the African majority who pays. Think deeper whenever the status-quo con­ trolled media offers its opinions as to why A f­ rica is hungry. Africa still has the greatest abun­ dance of raw materials and minerals o f any other continent on earth. There is no reason for her hunger except her recent history of exploita­ tion, forced agribusiness policies and selfish leaders who were educated and influenced by Western ideas o f capitalism and exploitation. The correlation between our quality o f life and A frica’s lack of quality is much too direct to ignore. ON SOUTH AFRICA by Elizabeth G ro ff the Rev. Colin Jones, a Black South African Anglican priest from Capetown, South A frica, gave his first sermon recently at Westmin­ ster Presbyterian Church, t he service was moving, his message made all the more poignant by the awareness o f the state o f emergency declared the day before in his country o f birth. The declaration o f an indefinite state o f emergency, the first o f its kind in 25 years, gives the South A f r i­ can government even more sweeping security power than before. Detention without charge or trial o f those who oppose the system in any way has long been a part o f South A fric a ’ s law. Now, the declaration gives the police and m ilitary absolute power to arrest and detain people without any charge, search homes and other build ings at w ill, impose curfews, take over and close private businesses, close areas to travel and censor the press w ithout any limitations, including denying newspapers the right to iden­ tify those who have been detained under the emergency regulation. In addition, security forces have been given the go-ahead to shut o ff any “ essential services” — water, elec tricity — in urban areas. In a nut­ shell, it gives authorities complete freedom to act against anyone who speaks or acts in any way against the racist apartheid system. During these very d ifficult tunes in South A frica, Black South Africans need to know that their struggle is supported. Rev. C olin Jones knows what it is to struggle aginst vicious oppression and can inspire us to con tinue our own struggles and to sup­ port his. He w ill be giving services at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 9:30 a.in. every Sunday through August 25th Rev . Jones has been called by his colleague Dr. Allan Boesak, “ Due o f the dynamic young Black leaders in South A frica, a gifted speaker and able interpreter o f the painful reali ties o f being a Black South A frica n .” Rev Jones was educated at the Federal Theological Seminary and is currently Anglican Chaplain to stu­ dent* at the University o f Western ( ape. He is also ( anon at St. George's (athedral in Capetown, and hold« the position o f Chairperson o f the Black Solidarity Group in the Anglica Church, South A frica Rev. Jones’ fam ily is here in P ort­ land with him His wife, Pat, is a school teacher in South A frica near Bellville. They have two children, ages It and 3. During his sermon, Rev. Jones pointed out some o f the contradic­ tions between the religion that white South Africans in power profess and their actions. He ended the service by asking the congregation to repeat a prayer used throughout Southern Africa: “ God Bless A frica, guard her children, guide her rulers and give her peace.” P O S A LP ortlanders Organized fo r Southern A frican Freedom, iv a local m ulti-racial citizen\ action group that supports Htack m ajority rule in sou them .Africa and an end to U.S. sup­ p o rt fo r apartheid. For more in fo r­ mation call 230- VW? 7. EDITORI AL/COMMENTARY PSU balks at adding African Studies by Nathaniel Scott Portland State University's (PSU's) president Joseph Blumel is navigating a course that is destined to erupt in a confrontation with the Black com munity. W ithin the past four months, on two different occasion», Blumel has told the Observer that a “ comm ittee" w ill be formed to study the feasibility o f including African studies into the university's ongoing International Studies Program. Blumel's rationale is hard to under stand, especially since it gives the impression that his intentions pay lip service to the study o f A frica at PSU. Initially, when the sordid under­ currents o f racial prejudice surfaced, administrators speaking on behalf o f PSU claimed that Black Studies did not have the means to formulate such a program. However, in subsequent investiga­ tions. it was revealed that Black Stu­ dies would only become a complimen­ tary part o f African studies. The university, the administration, and those who spoke on behalf o f the institution knew beforehand that Black Studies was a specialized body. The faculty members who comprise PSU's Black Studies Department specialize in the areas o f African ology — a study o f the African cul­ ture from the development o f Africa and political economy dealings which include the A frican and the A fro- American experience, Afro-Am erican History, African History and A frican A rt, African, Afro-Am erican and Caribbean literatures and anthro­ pology. Those facts stand and arc docu­ mented through the courses taught But what isn't documented is the mentality o f "divide and conquer." And as such, Black Studies cannot a f­ ford to succumb to a bitter rivalry o f back slabbing and non-support. It must rise above what pressures are exerted or may be threatened to drive a wedge between one o f PSU’ s most viable units. To accuse Blumel o f being a perpe trator in such an outlandish scheme, would not only be unethical, but it would also do a disservice to one who professes to have the welfare o f PSU at heart. But one cannot help but wonder what scheme or lack o f scheme Blum­ el has in mind. F ixir months by some accounts are 1 * '• not a long time; its significance can be argued on the basis o f more press­ ing business. But if Blueniel intends to deliver as promised: " A com m it­ tee recommendation by fall te rm ," he must act more speedily on the A fri­ can studies issue than he has on the Black Studies Department's request to change its name. That request was made more than three years ago and still hasn’ t been acted on. Letters Most white Americans, Demo­ crats and Republicans alike, do not believe that the Reagan Adm inistra­ tion can be described as “ racist.” When N A A C P leader Benjamin Hooks charged recently that the Rea­ gan Adm inistration was responsible for "very grave civil rights and so­ cial” problems which blocked "th e path o f Black Americans towards full equality,” the media largely ig­ nored him. When Georgia Stale Sen­ ator Julian Bond claimed that the President's chief "constituents are the right-wing fringe, the Ku M ux Kian types, whites who have always hated Blacks,” few were prepared to explore the charges seriously. Since his reelcction, the President’s extreme views have become even more apparent to Black Americans. Reagan named Marianne Mele Hall as chairman o f the Copyright Royal­ ty Tribunal. Hall was the editor o f a btxik which declared in one passage that Blacks “ insist on their jungle freedoms, their women. . Only after intense public criticism was she forced to leave. Former Nixon aide Pat Buchanan came aboard the Adm inistration as Reagan's Communications Direc­ tor early this year. Buchanan is well known as the darling o f the extreme right, was the chief defender ot Rea gan's disastrous Bitburg visit, and has frequently criticized the “ hairy- chested Nazi-hunters." l ess noticed is Buchanan's tendency to praise openly-racist regimes In one 19X4 essay, he applauded Ian Smith o f Rhodesia and Pieter W . Botha of South A frica as “ pro-West” and allies “ in the struggle fo r the future o f m ankind.” W illiam Bradford Reynolds, As­ sistant Attorney General fo r C ivil Rights, has fo r four years tried to de­ stroy the legacy o f M artin Luther King, Jr. Ralph G. Neas, executive director o f the Leadership C onfer­ ence on C ivil Rights, describes Rey­ nolds as a " rig id ideologue and an extremist who has done everything possible to weaken civil rights law s." la s t A p ril, Reynolds asked 51 state and local governments to halt their affirm ative action plans fo r their fire, police and other departments. Rea gan’s response to public outrage was to propose that Reynolds receive the third highest post in the Justice De­ partment. But the real damage to the promise o f racial equality has been felt in the judicial system. To date, the President has named only one Supreme Court justice. However, the Supreme Court usually decides less than one hundred cases in any single year. The Federal district courts decided nearly 3,(MW) cases last year. Reagan's judicial strategy since I9HI has been quite simple — to pack the district courts and the U.S. Circuit Court o f Ap- jscals with white males who generally share the views o f Hall, Buchanan, and Reynolds. Sheldon Goldman, professor o f po­ litical science at the University o f Massachusetts, has documented this racist strategy in a recent article in Judicature By I9XX. Reagan w ill have appointed about 4 selected were white. In the U.S. Circuit Courts o f Appeals, C art­ er's 56 appointments included I I women, 10 Blacks, 2 Hispanics and one Asian American Reagan’ s 31 ap­ pointments to the Court o f Appeals are radically different: only one wo­ man, one Black, and one Hispanic. Professor Goldman adds that another important factor in Reagan's selec­ tions to the courts has been social class. Under Carter, 36 percent o f all district judges appointed claimed a net worth below $200,000, and only four percent were millionaires. D u r­ ing Reagan's term, 19 percent o f the district judges had under $2fX),000; 23 percent o f them were millionaires, over five times as many as the Carter appointees. About II percent o f Rea­ gan's judges arc under 40 years old, the highest percentage for any recent president. Where the Ku Klux Kian, the White Citizen’ s Councils and the Dixiecrats tailed, Reagan has succeeded. By stacking the Federal bureaucracy and the courts with white conserva­ tives and reactionary ideologues, he has crippled the rights o f Blacks, His­ panics, the poor and women fo r dec­ ades to come. Reagan's racial ap­ pointments help to preserve racism and class inequality. EDITORI AL/COMMENTARY Police overuse of deadly force on Blacks by M ark l ittle Why is there a conflict between po­ lice departments and Black comm un­ ities throughout the United States? To answer this question, one must first lixik at the nation as a whole. I here is an indifference towards po­ lice by all in this society. Police oper ate as a separate entity w ithin a very homogeneous society Police are the war lords in a society o f civilians. They are the peace makers and the protectors from evil. I hey arc the civil servants who watch and protect our cities from crime. Although some distance exists be­ tween police and the general society, we must look closer to what consti­ tutes society. The general society consists o f the white m ajority and the jiart that has the largest amount o f wealth and political influence. Then there is the largest minority group, Black citizens. This group suffers a clear distinction o f institutionalized discrimination. We know that from its very concep­ tion as the peace keeper in our society, police departments have grown fa r­ ther and farther apart from the psy­ chological structure o f society. Many law enforcement agencies see the gen eral public as law breakers or the en­ emy in the war on crime. Society, that is, the white structure o f the Unit cd States, is also the power frame. Most attitudes are breathed through the white culture and adopted by the police. The police are the psychologi­ cal heartbeat and control agent w ith ­ in that society. There may be some distance that exists between whites and police in so­ ciety, but the distance between police and the Black community is phenom­ enal. Since police represent the white community, there is a striking in d if­ ference in their attitude towards Hacks The white Anglos have embarked on separatism w ithin the American ideal. English-speaking whites are the accepted order o f the day by this society. It is becoming clear that non- whites are at a great disadvantage and need to reconcile with a police force and a society that has chosen separat­ ism and white supremacy as the norm. Prejudiced Police Officers Prejudiced police officers find no fault in their attitudes when their in ­ difference is shared by the white power structure o f society. Many o f these officers have gotten messages from their parents directly or indirect­ ly to discriminate. It has become a be liavior and custom to them. Many of these bad officers w ithin a depart­ ment do not hold back their hate be­ cause many o f the good officers act with collective discrimination, that is, unequal treatment o f Black citizens. Senior officers see most Blacks as criminal stereotypes. They are in d if­ ferent to the reasons why the poor economic status exists in the Black community. These police officers ac­ tually believe the American dream is for all who participate They fail to include the "e q u a lity " o f education, discrimination in employment and other areas. They do not understand or fail to take (he time Io find out the lack o f participation in that dream by Blacks. Because most white police officers grow up without much direct con­ tact with Black minorities, they lend to believe in the stereotype as a real model fo r the average black person and his behavior. Behavioral Differences W ith good officers sharing the indifference o f the white power struc­ ture, it becomes quite hard for any law enforcement agency to see any wrong-doing w ithin its ranks. In fact many times the good officers w ill use Black citizens as scapegoats when their department has put a quota on ticket writing and misdemeanor in ­ fractions. This behavior by our law enforcement agencies has been hand­ ed down from generation to genera lion. At the end o f the C ivil War, Black citizens still had no rights as Amen cans. During the reconstruction pe­ riod o f 1X65 until the I9ritk, Blacks were lynched and killed for sport with no protection o f law enforce­ ment forthcom ing By the early I92ris the hangings and killings by whites were concentrated mostly in the sou­ thern states. Here we see clearly a na­ tion denving its most visible minority group the right o f due process. Police attitudes during the 1920s in this nation stayed right in step with the society that brought it into being. Although Congress has passed laws giving voting rights and citizenship to Blacks, nowhere throughout the country was it actually enforced. W hen labor unions started striking tot belter job benefits at the begin­ ning o f the Second W orld War, these big northern industrial plants hired Blacks White citizens as well as the cities’ police attacked Black workers in the race riots o f the 30s and 40s. W hen Black soldiers came home from fighting in that war, they were still treated as second class citizens. Ihe lynchings and killings by the Kian and other white hate groups con­ tinued but was done discretely. D ur­ ing the periods o f the 50s and early 60s, the American police still did not recognize Blacks as citizens. Their psychological feelings toward Blacks was one o f suspicion and distrust. Opportunity was there for the bad cops to commit murder, rape and to perjxtuate crime on the Black com­ munity in the name o f the law. Bad Seed The bigots w ithin the police depart­ ments have enjoyed many years o f keeping the Black community in fear and deprivation. Blacks have been gunned down by police in the name o f suspicion W ith no outside help com­ ing from the white power structure, white police were quick to use their guns or night sticks on the Black pop­ ulation Since the turn o f this century. Black citizens have accounted for the largest amount o f police related homicides that have stemmed from the overuse o f deadly force. , It was not until the late 60s that the white power structure started to examine police behavior w ithin the Black community. Through peace marches and the emergence o f armed Black militant groups, there were ef­ forts to change the behavior o f the police in the Black communities. Blacks felt it was time to protect themselves from the police force that was supposed to protect them. Necessary Use of Deadly Force Catherine M ito n , a sociologist, and her associates found that 79 percent (Continued on Page 10, Col. 1/ Portland Observer •/» MX' To the Editor, ’ - t . A long the C o lo r Line by D r M anning Marable The Portland d tn rrx e r (U SPS 968 6801 a published every Thursday by E«te Publishing Company Inc . 1463 N t KiMmgs worth Portland. Oregon 9 7 2 ,1 . Poet Office Bo« 3 ,3 7 Portland Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid a, Portland Oregon »I avu’ H The P o rtla n d l g t \ r r > r r w as estatihshed m 1970 JSF11»®» C fcrtr A aM toA R i ( j» . MEMBER Subscriptions SIS 00 oar year m the Tn County area P o ti m aster Sand address changea Io the Portland Ofners-rr P O Bo» 3,37, Portland, Oregon 97208 A lfre d L. Henderson, E d ito r/P u b lish e r A l Williams, General Manager A tto citt’on - Founded IM S 288 0033 N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R a p ra s a n ta tiv a A m a lg a m a te d P u b lishers. Inc N e w York ./-V ‘ ? » ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ . - . ■ ■ ■■ .