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Making youth sports
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PORTLAND OBSERVER
C o e r F b M B M tC U . A v /«M
___________________________________________________— —
Karnan Anderson of POSAF burns a facsimile of a pass book, that
must be carried by all Blacks in South Africa, during a protest march at
Columbia Coin Co. in downtown Portland. (Photo Richard J. Brown!
POSAF demonstration
at Columbia Coin
by Nathaniel Scott
POSAF (Portlanders Organized for
Southern African Freedom) has re
newed its efforts to bring pressure on
the sale o f the Krugerrand gold coin
in Portland.
Wednesday, August 7, nearly 50
concerned citizens demonstrated at
Columbia Coin, 514 S.W. 6th Ave.
The demonstrators chanted slogans,
carried posters, passed out leaflets
and as a grand finale, one o f South
A frica’s black passbooks was burned
symbolically in place o f the Kruger
rand.
Before the demonstration began,
six POSAF protesters confronted
Columbia Coin vice president John
Locke in hopes o f getting him to stop
the sale o f the Krugerrand
Bill Bigelow, the group’s spokes
person said to Locke, “ We would
like to formally request that you stop
selling the Krugerrand."
Locke replied that he would only
stop selling the Krugerrand if all other
items being imported from South
Africa were banned, too. " N o is my
answer," he said.
Thus the stage was set and the
demonstrators began their protest.
Signs reading "B an South African
Krugerrand," "T ake a stand, ban
the Krugerrand" and “ Don’ t bloody
your hands with Krugerrands” were
waved high while such chants as “ One,
two, three, four, the Krugerrand has
got lo g o ," filled the air.
The demonstrators were protesting
what they labeled "T h e Krugerrand
Connection.”
The Kruiterrantl Connection is a
flyer handed out by the group which
stales in part, “ Since October, over
5<«) Black people have died because
o f the apartheid system. The interna
tional community must unite to pres
sure the South African government to
end, not reform, the apartheid sys
tem. The United States must jo in
Canada, Japan, Sweden and France
in imposing strong sanctions."
The flyer urged those in support o f
Library offerings
Multnomah Country Library will
be sponsoring the following summer
events:
Albina, 1605 NE 15th (Phone
287-7147) — Thursday, August 22,
2:50 p.m ., Films for school-age chil
dren: "Lam bert the Sheepish Lio n ” ;
"R o lle r Skate Fever"; “ A frican G irl
— M a lo b i."
North Portland, 512 N. Killings-
worth (phone 284-5622)— Wednes
day, August 21, 2:30 p.m .. M on
strously gtxxl movies: “ Little Toot ;
"Ferdinand the B u ll"; "Strega Non
n a "; "Rapunzel.”
ending South Africa's racist regime
to write President Reagan at the
White House, Washington. D .l
20500.
Martina Curl is 79 years old. She
secs her doctor on a regular basis and
she can’t get out as much as she
would like. But even with medical
problems and nearing 80 years old.
she carried a sign in Wednesday's
demonstration.
Curl said, “ I am against what's
happening in South A frica and I am
against racism."
However, she did find fault with
one aspect o f the demonstration.
She said, "1 think they should talk
more about (Nelson) Mandella be
cause he should be free.”
Ann Huntworth is a member o f
POSAF. She said, " I have been in
volved with the American Friend
Services for a long time and I think
America has to take responsibility
for its actions."
Huntworth believes in equality and
justice and she also believes in demon
strating for what she believes in.
At the end o f the demonstration
Kamu Anderson burned one o f the
little black pass book all Black South
Africans must carry. He said, " C o
lumbia Coin! we'll see you next
Wednesday (August I4| at 12 noon.”
—
—
Gordley sees Africa first hand
Rev. Jones visits from S Africa
by Nathaniel Scott
by Nathaniel Scott
She went seeking knowledge. She
warned to gain firsthand inform ation
about South Africa's political phi
losophy towards its neighbors; most
notable: Zimbabwe, Botswana and
Mozambique. As a representative o f
American Friends Services Division
in Po’ tland, she visited those three
countries bordering South A frica as
well as South A frica itself. She re
turned to Portland with a wealth o f
knowledge and some emotional scars
too. Her sense o f comprehension was
almost devastated by the amount o f
senseless — physical and emotional —
destruction she witnessed And at
Lesotho, South A frica, she was “ in-
dignantly" treated by the govern
ment the Reagan administration con
siders its partner in "constructive
engagement." Asel Gordley is her
name She needs to be singled out
for her courage and for the devotion
die has shown in championing the
cause for Black freedom.
Gordley said upon entering South
Africa, she, and the other five mem
bers o f her traveling group, were
detained at the border They were
stopped at check points and patrol
stations, too. Each time it was at
the barrel end o f a gun. And in most
instances the wiclder o f the weapon
was a Black South African
"Based on the four stops, I have no
doubts about he seriousness (o f the
Blacks) by the way they approached
their w o rk ," Gordley said “ (How
ever| one thing puzzles me. One o f the
(Black) police did ask me if I knew
" A lot o f people arc interested in
my country for a number o f rea
sons," said Rev. Colin Jones, a South
African minister who w ill be visiting
Westminister Presbyterian Church.
1624 N.E. H ancixk, until the end
o f August.
Rev. Jones is an Episcopalian
Priest in the Angelian Church and a
Chaplain at the University o f The
Western Cape in Cape Town, South
Africa. In addition. Rev Jones is an
advisor to the Bishop in t ape Town
and a cannon in the church at Cape
Town.
Since arriving in this country. Rev.
Jones has been critically outspoken
about the government o f South A fr i
ca. Such acts, according to the South
African regime, are acts o f treason
and carry a maximum sentence o f 10
years in prison.
Rev . Jones is well aware o f that fact
and said in a poem: "D o n 't point us
till tomorrow when the weight is too
much to bear . . . for today is the
hour o f our freedom.
" I am just a simple Black South
African. Don’ t speak to me or to my
people about waiting to to m o rro w ,"
lie added, while addressing a meet
mg o f Portlanders Organized for
Southern A frican Freedom.
Rev. Jones preaches what he calls
"a theology that helps them (South
Africans] shake o ff the shackles."
He knows that each ounce o f pres
sure adds to the burden the South
African government must bare if it is
to continue its ideology o f white su
premacy .
He defines the government o f
South A frica ’s role o f apartheid in
this manner: "A p arth e id is a particu
lar form o f racial discrimination
which works hand in hand with ex
p lo ita tion ."
The ways o f exploitation arc many
in South A frica, he said. " A ll legis
lation affect Black people: where
they live and where they work The
reason is to supply South A frica with
cheap labor.”
Rev . Jones said he is not a p o liti
Mohammed All."
Gordley's trip to South A frica was
a brief one; she has no fundamentals
to base an opinion on. But it was evi
dent from the onset that the group
was being watched by the South A fr i
can police and “ no effort was made
to contact our contacts," she said.
However in the neighboring coun
tries the story differs somewhat.
Gordley and her traveling compan
ions were able to mingle with people
and ask questions freely. "M a n y o f
the people we talked to denounced
U.S. foreign policy towards South
A fric a ," she said. " I t is said the Unit
ed Slates is oil the wrong side o f his
tory.”
Gordley also spoke to a group o f
young people, 18 to 25-years old, who
had recently lied South A frica, she
said They talked about how their
lives were committed to the liberation
of South Africa. She added they were
aware o f the divesture movement in
America and encouraged us to keep
up the movement
A slogan used by the youth, "W e
don't determine our enemy by the
color o f the skin buy by their deeds,”
seems to underline their understand
ing and knowledge o f deception writh
ing their ranks.
From Gordley's point o f view, the
African National Congress (A N C )
seem to be the leader o f the liberation
movement
However she added,
“ There are any number o f organiza
tions that enjoy popular support; they
arc all unified and working towards
the same goal."
In Zimbabwe Gordley found that
the cities were "very developed”
but in the countryside there were
problems.
The two high points o f Gordley's
trip were meeting with the Minister o f
Inform ation in Zimbabwe and inter
viewing the young refugees in Leso
tho, South Africa.
Gordley is in the process o f putting
together a slide show o f the photos
she took. In the meantime, she has
resumed her active role with P ort
landers Organized for Southern A fr i
can Freedom and feels the Sullivan
Principles need to be dropped from
all resolutions dealing with South
Africa.
cian, nor is he an economist. But he
does know economics play a big part
in South A frica’s apartheid system
o f government.
"W h a t happens in South A frica
affects Americans," he said. “ I shall
never again be able to keep a straight
face when I hear jieople sing that
song: ‘ the land o f the free and the
home o f the brave’ . "
Rev. Jones mentioned that the
Reagan Administration is not pre
pared to pay the cost fo r freedom
and equal rights in South A lrica.
The administration would rather
hide behind the shameful slogan o f
"constructive engagement.”
" I am beginning to w onder," he
said, “ to what extent the American
people have the courage to carry
through the moral dictates o f their
conscious."
He added, "O u r people (Black
South Africans) are dying to earn the
peace and comfort o f America.
South A lrica is but one o f the many
countries in this world which is sup
porting American policies. We are
tired o f America dictating to us."
Rev. Jones said the sim ilarity be
tween South A frica and America is so
great that " I sometimes feel just as
sick here as I do at hom e."
"Some |South A frican| Blacks are
on the bandwagon o f oppression," he
said. "T h e uprising (boycotts, strikes
and things o f that nature) is the
strength o f my people We cannot
confront the might (o f arms] but we
can withhold our sweat.”
Rev. Jones believes that divesture
is one o f, if not the answer to, resolv
ing the apartheid problem in South
Africa.
Rev. Jones insisted that when you
talk about a new South A frica you are
actually taling about a new America,
too. "Because when we arc free as we
shall be free, American corporations
(in South Africa) will pack u p ," he
said. "T h a t is a promise I make for
my people.”
Rev. Jones concluded by saying,
“ We (Black South Africans] arc not
about trading privileges for rights.”
Citizen's group to address police training
The training o f the Portland Po
lice Bureau’s Officers is the issue
that requires the attention o f the Bu
reau and the community.
N.E. Portland residents concerned
about certain patterns in police re
sponses that seemed too often to
result in regrettable and unfortunate
consequences lead members o f the
N.E. Coalition o f Neighborhoods to
form a committee to discuss the is
sue. The outcome o f their discussion
convinced them that one o f the key
elements toward improving the rela
tionship between the police and the
community had to do with the kind o f
in-service training that is provided lor
law enforcement professionals. The
Committee has secured the coopera
tion o f the Police Bureau in the de
velopment o f short- and long-term
cross-cultural training.
“ The people have a right to feel
that police officers are there primarily
to protect them. They should not have
to feel afraid o f or alienated from
uniformed officers any more than
uniformed officers should have to feel
alienated from the com m unity,"
said Nick Barnett, Chairperson o f
the committee. “ Our committee is
convinced that the community rela
tions problems involved can be, and
must be, bridged," he said. There is
an urgent need to increase the levels
o f mutual understanding and accept
ance, reduce tensions, and strength
cn respect for each other's human
dignity.
Having identified itself as the Com
munity Advisory Committee on
Cross-Cultural Police training, the
Committee composed itself o f repre
sentatives from Portland's various
community and ethnically oriented
organizations. It was strongly held
that the resulting diversity o f per
spective was vital to the task at hand
The organizations that responded
include neighborhood associations,
community organizations, a church
affiliated group, human relations and
social service agencies, and represent
ative from the Portland Police De
partment.
The Committee, which has been
meeting since June, defined its pur
pose as contributing to the safety
and effectiveness o f police work
among Portland multi-ethnic com
munities by increasing awareness
and more expert inter-cultural under
standing.
The Committee’s stated goals are
as follows:
a. Form a committee that is broad
ly representative o f the various m inor
ity groups in the Portland area and
work with representatives from the
Portland Police Bureau.
b. To address the cross-cultural
communication training needs o f the
Police Bureau and the Portland Com
munity.
c. To formulate recommendations
that w ill improve the Police Bureau's
Fall 1985 training cycle.
d. To develop a plan fo r long-
range training enhancement, includ
ing a review and assessment o f past
and current training programs from
a cross-cultural perspective.
In summary, the aim o f this C om
mittee is to make constructive im
provements in the relationship be
tween the Portland Police and the
Portland ethm c/m inority popula
tions by increasing mutual under
standing, respect and cooperation.
The committee conducts its meet
ing every Wednesday evening at 7:00
p.m., at Portland Community C o l
lege’ s Cascade Campus The meet
ings are open to the public. Much
jprogress has been made including
data gathering, discussion, analysis,
and brain storming At this point, the
Committee is moving towards the
framework and criteria fo r the cross-
cultural training for Fall, 1985.
♦ * n
CHARLES CITY. VA - Student* at Charles City County High School
are repairing and reatoring home* of older resident* aa part of the Fu
ture Farmer* of America Building Our American Communitiea Pro
gram, aponaored by R J Reynolda Industrie«. Inc Working closely
with teachers and community leader» the FFA member* are learning
new skill* while helping other».
(Photo: Daily PressTimes Herald, Newport News. VAI