Page 2, Portland Observer, January 1, 1906
EDITORIAL/OPINION
PIIAC should push for subpoenas
The Portland C ity C ouncil should follo w the
recommendation o f the Police Internal Investiga­
tions A uditing Committee (P IIA C ) and the C ity
Council Committee, which oversees the P IIA C .
by ordering three Portland police officers to testify
before the panel concerning two cases o f alleged
police misconduct. The auditing panel has been
requesting the three officers to testify since O c­
tober.
Refusal o f the o ffic e rs to te stify before the
committee is a direct attempt by some rank-and-
file o ffic e rs to defy B allot Measure 51. This
measure, which was approved by voters in I9K3, is
to review police handling o f public complaints.
According to Gary Roberts, a Portland a tto r­
ney and a former member o f the STORRS Com ­
mittee which recommended the formation o f the
P IIA C , the committee has the power to conduct
its own investigations o f public complaints against
police. Roberts also said the ordinance form ing
the com m ittee gave it subpoena power, which
could enable it to investigate charges itself.
For several years some members o f the police
bureau have engaged in acts such as the Special
Investigations Division scandal, the dumping ot
dead oppossums in fro n t o f a Black-ow ned
restaurant, the death o f l.loyd I). Stevenson and
the selling o f "D o n ’t Chock ’Em, Smoke 'E m " I -
shirts. These actions by individual officers have
resulted in deaths and injuries to innocent law-
abiding citizens. Furthermore, they are draining
C ity resources, as a result ol claims against the
city; and straining police-com m unity relations,
creating a lack o f respect by the public toward the
police.
The time has come for the police to be held ac­
countable to the public. Police officers are paid by
the public, therefore, they should be held accoun­
table to public agencies such as the P IIA C .
Portlanders voted yes on Ballot Measure 5 1 in
spite o f o p p o sitio n fro m the P ortlan d Police
Union, former Mayor Frank Ivancie and former
Police Chief Ron Still.
Police Union President Stan Peters once said
that the audit committee was good for "bleeding
hearts" and that he didn’t agree with anything the
committee was doing. Peters’ remarks reveal the
attitude o f many ra n k-a n d -file o ffice rs on the
Bureau. M any police officers rae locked in to a
narrow us-against-them mentality and regard any
attempts by the public to m onitor their behavior
as criticism.
Those three officers who refuse to testify before
the audit committee arc showing their contempt
fo r the public by ignoring the wishes o f P o rt­
landers who voted for Ballot Measure 51.
I he City Council should seek subpoenas o f the
o ffic e r, re q u irin g them to te stify before the
P IIA C . It is the responsibility o f city government
to insure that voter-approved ordinaccs are enfor­
ced.
It is also time for city officials to deal with those
in the Police Bureau who think they are above the
law. Commissioner M ike I indberg was correct
when he said that the Portland Police Bureau was
almost an unsupervisable force at this point in
time. Lindberg made this statement after two o f­
ficers were reinstated by an arbitrator after being
tired by Mayor Bud Clark. I he failure o f the three
officers to testify before the P IIA C are prim e
examples o f I indberg’ s statement.
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
An Educator’s Opinion
Vouchers: The Hoax Is Transparent
accept the challenge to educate all youngsters»
The Reagan Administration recently unveiled
Americans have also listed overcrowded
a plan to radically revise the federal program
schools and attracting good teachers as tunda
that targets the special educational needs of
mental and growing problems Wha, difference
disadvantaged youngsters This program—
would vouchers make here? None
Chapter 1—delivers nearly $3 2 billion to local
Perhaps the Administration believes vouch­
school districts for services to improve the basic
ers
will solve the problems the President's own
academic skills of millions of poor children
National
Commission on Excellence in Educa­
The Administration’s new plan would halt
tion identified with its 1983 report. A Nation at
this process Chapter 1—arguably this nation's
Risk Tha, document says our
most successful federal aid-to-
schools
suffer from diluted stan­
education effort—would be con­
dards. poor teacher preparation
verted into a voucher system
programs, incompetent leader­
and administered like Green
ship. and inadequate funding
Stamps Parents of disadvan­
Are vouchers the answer to
taged children would receive
these inadequacies7 Obviously
government coupons, then re­
not
deem them at a school of their
Where. I ask again, is the
choice, public or private
problem to which the voucher
I have said publicly that this
"solution" corresponds? Will a
plan is a cruel hoax Simple fair­
voucher plan help any of the 80
ness compels me to explain so
percent of Hispanic students,
harsh a characterization
the 72 percent of Black stu­
Massive revision of a pro­
dents, and the 50 percent of
gram whose success has been
white students currently drop­
amply documented is normally
ping ou, of New York City's
justified by cataloging the prob­
schools? Will i, halt this tragic
lems the revision will solve This
waste of human potential tha, is
approach has been entirely ab­
a fac, of life in virtually every
sent from the public pronounce­
major American city? No, one bi,
ments of Education Secretary
The
New York Times commen­
William Bennett and others who
tary
on
the Administration s pro­
seek to revamp Chapter 1
posal is right on the mark To
This gap in the Administra­
give children of poverty a
tion's argument is revealing
Mary Hatwood Futrell
voucher is no, to help them—it
When doctors issue a prescrip­
President NFA
is to taunt them I, is also to
tion, they explain what the
taun, millions of caring and de­
medicine is intended to cure
voted parents
Dr Bennet, has departed from
An
Administration
committed to these par­
this standard medical practice And I suspect
ents and their children would cherish Chapter 1
quackery The Administration's failure to detail
and strive to expand its scope Sadly, the cur­
the ailments tha, voucher medicine is designed
rent Administration has chosen the opposite
to cure stems from one simple fac, the voucher
course
I, has abandoned needy children, sys­
scheme wouldn't cure anything It’s a medica­
tematically slashing Chapter 1 funds As a re­
tion m search of a disease
sult. the program now serves 900.000 fewer stu­
Let's test this hypothesis In the most recent
dents than it did in 1989
Gallup Poll of attitudes toward the public
Substituting vouchers for wha, remains of
schools, the American people identified disci­
Chapter 1 signals further retreat The intent of
pline and student drug use as problems of crisis
the Administration's proposal is not to improve
proportions Would vouchers have even a negli­
but to impoverish public schools, to weaken the
gible impact on these problems7 Surely no,
v9ry
institutions that have most helped the most
Troubled students—rich and poor—seldom find
needy Vouchers are a hoax, a guise for funnel
a welcome mat awaiting them a’ the doors of
mg public monies to private schools When this
private schools Poor families with troubled stu­
strategy is defended on the grounds tha, i, will
dents will confront that tough reality the moment
unleash the potential of 11 million disadvan­
they try to cash in their vouchers Private
taged children, the hoax becomes hypocritical,
schools choose their clientele Public schools
odious
cruel
have been—and remain—the only schools that
nea
N ation al E ducation A ssociation
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EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
White House still seeks to
water down Civil Rights
Letters to the Editor
I h f ( fbserver wrfc w w s letter, to the editor. I etlers should
be tvped o r neatly p rin te d and signed w ith the a u th o r s
name and address (addresses are not usually published)
byU .S. Hep H ilham H Gray, I I I
H r reserve the right to edit f o r length M a il to: Portland
( fbserver, P .O Ho\ 3/37, Portland. OH V .tih
Mighty Malta in news again
To the E ditor:
The recent flu rr y o f a irlin e high
ja c k in g ' in the M iddle 1 asl has sud
denly thrust Malta into the headlines,
suggesting an a rtic le on " M ig h ty
M a lta ."
The little island o f M alta is accor
ded a memorable place in Holy W rit,
w ith the superm issionary Paul (lo r
m crly Saul) o f the Ness Testament,
having been shipwrecked upon it, on
his way Io eve n tu a l m a rty rd o m in
Rome.
M a lta enters m od e rn h isto ry
through being incorporated into the
British C olonial I m pire in 1814. I he
seemingly in s ig n ific a n t but p ivo ta l
part the island played in W o rld W ar
II w ill always be remembered in the
annals o f m ilita ry h is to ry . M ig h ty
M alta, tenaciously held and re in fo r­
ced by Churchill at heavy cost, denied
the Axis powers full use o f the central
shipping lanes o f the Mediterranean,
lasing as it docs, astride them. M alta
was the thorn in H itle r’s side that con­
trib u te d to the defeat o f the Desert
I ox in North A frica I isenhower used
and expanded the air fields o f M alta
to dominate the air battle fo r Sicily,
and attacks on Italy.
The tiny isle o f M a lta may ju st
prove once again to be the modern
rock th a t breaks up the p o litic a l
terrorist forces.
Ihe tension raised between Egypt
and the U nited States over the O c­
tober cruise ship hijack and the even­
tual arrest in S icily, caused some to
fear that the te rro ris ts and A ra b
governments would come to friendly
terms and unity. Now mighty M alta
has dispelled those fears and brought
in to g laring lig h t the contrasts bet­
ween the U n ite d States and the
terrorists. Arab nations desiring peace
should have no doubt as to who their
real friends are.
It is clear that te rro rists w orship
gods o f violence demanding human
sacrifices!
Rev. J. Robert H all
Pastor
Portland Observer
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288 0033
A lfre d I.. Henderson, E d ito r/P u b lish e r
A l Williams, General Manager
N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R e p re s e n ta tiv e
A m a lg a m a te d Pu b lith e r a. Inc
N a w York
Once again, ihe Reagan a d ­
ministration has made another IJ-lurn
on C ivil Rights this nine attempting
to w ater do w n the 20-year-old
Executive Order requiring affirm ative
action plans by federal government
contractors.
Executive Order 11246, is the latest
in a series o f Presidential mandates,
dating hack to F ra n k lin D. Roose
v e il’ s New D eal, in clu d in g Ihe
Philadelphia Plan, which attempts lo
e lim in a te d is c rim in a tio n by m a jo r
federal government contractors. Thai
executive order requires all businesses
w ith government contractors to take
" a ffirm a tiv e a c tio n " lo ensure that
workers arc employed w ithout regard
to race, creed o r c o lo r. F a ilu re to
com ply can m ake a co n tra cto r
ineligible for federal work.
The a d m in is tra tio n 's proposed
executive order would outlaw the use
o f numerical goals and timetables by
federal c o n tra c to rs in th e ir a f f i r ­
m ative a ctio n m in o rity h irin g
program s. M o re im p o rta n tly , il
w ould fo rb id the governm ent fro m
using hiring statistics to prove that a
federal contractor has discrim inated
againsl Blacks, Hispanics, or women.
The adm inistration claims that the
required "goals and tim etables" are
really quotas, which in effect result in
reverse d is c rim in a tio n . A tto rn e y
G eneral Mcese ju s tifie d the a d ­
m inistration’ s position by stating that
" c o u n tin g by race is a fo rm o f
racism."
That's a neat and facile argument,
but th o ro u g h ly inconsistent w ith
reality. “ C ounting,” notwithstanding
M r. Mcese's d e fin itio n o l racism, in
in e x tric a b ly tied to co m b a tin g
d is c rim in a tio n . W hether it be
m inority hiring by federal contractors
or m in o rity business p a rticipation in
governm ent w o rk , m in o ritie s c o n ­
tinue to play on an uneven fie ld — a
fact M r. Mecse and this adm inistra
lion choose lo ignore.
Hie tael is that discrim ination, with
or w ith o u t Executive O rder 11246.
continues to exist.
Ih e question then, is why did the
Justice D epartm ent propose to
change this long standing policy, par­
ticularly given the strong support for
the order by m ainstream corporate
America?
The P resident w ill long be p e r­
ceived as heading the most a n ti-civil
rights regime since W oodrow Wilson
ordered separate facilities fo r Black
and white servicemen. And let's lace
it, when one hears o f “ c ivil rig h ts ,"
one th in ks o f the struggle by Black
Am ericans fo r racial e q u a lity. This
a d m in is tra tio n has an apparent
missionary zeal in waging war against
c iv il rig h ts and a ffirm a tiv e a ctio n .
W ith unprecedented speed and
dedication, this administration has ef­
fectively sacked, reduced and ignored
a wide assortment o f civil rights laws
and rules th a t even previous
Republican administrations saw fit to
leave undisturbed. Perhaps that ex­
plains why Blacks voted ten to one
against M r Reagan's reelection.
A nd w hile W illia m B ra d fo rd
R eynolds argues that the a d ­
m in istra tio n seeks " th e c o lo r-b lin d
ideal o f equal o p p o rtu n ity fo r a ll. "
and is sincere in those beliefs, his real
objective is to remove and destroy all
race-conscious remedies fro m key
civil rights laws and rules.
No one claims that Executive Order
11246 is the m agical s o lu tio n to
d is c rim in a tio n . But the evidence
suggests that the cu rre n t p o licy has
w o rke d . A study released last year
shows that from 1974 to 1980 govern­
ment contractors did better than non­
governm ent c o n tra c to rs at h irin g
minorities and women and advancing
them to higher paying job categories.
During that period, government con­
tractors showed an increase o f 19 per
cent more m inorities and 15 percent
m ore w om en The co m p a ra b le in ­
creases for non-government contrac­
tors were only 12 percent and 2 per­
cent. The numbers tell the story.
A p p a re n tly , some in the a d ­
m in is tra tio n d o n ’ t w ant the sto ry
told. Theirs, however, is an uphill bat­
tle. I believe th a t the m a jo rity o f
Americans feel that this nation is big
enough fo r everyone to share in its
dream on a fair and equitable basis.
Those who would have this nation
retreat on civil rights may win a battle
now and then, but they should know
that m any o f us in the Congress
remain com m itted to a policy which
makes clear the governm ent's intent
to continue to open the doors o f em­
ployment and business opportunity to
all Americans.
W illia m H . G ra y, I I I is the
Second D istrict—PA U.S. Represen­
tative.
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