Page 2. Portland Observer, April 2, 1986
Letters^ to tjw Editor^
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Mayor Using Press as Scapegoat
Last week Mayot Dud t lark. accused Ihe press o l unfait
criticism of Chief Pennv I If.u i melon. Im abolishing the
Ding .mil Vice Division ( I. iik s stalenx-nt all.xkiug tlx-
press is pisi an excuse lot his adnuni-tratious I ail me in hall
the city increasing drug and prostitution problems
I he piess is sometimes guilty ol creating news when there
is none. Io report and locus on incidents that aren't news
worthy However, politic ians are otlen guilty ol blaming the
pies, lor reporting on issues they would like to lorget I his is
tlie case with Mayor Clark
Criticism ol Harrington's reorganization ol the Depart
mem's Drug and A ice Division has come from members ol
the Police Bureau and Irom the public. not Irom tlx- piess as
alleged by Clark
Stan Peters. President ol Ihe Portland Police Assix'talion.
has tcpcalcdly allocked Harrington s administrative policx-s
He once told Ihe Piedmont Neighhoihmxl Assixialion that
Harrington's "administrative policies have been disastrous,
and her decisions have increased Ihe rale " I dune hi Port
land
Peters said the reason whv Portland ranks high in the
nation in crime, and the reason why prostitutes and drug
dealers have taken over city streets is Ihe direct result of
Hartington disbanding the drug and vice division Also, the
C hiefs decision to reorganize the two units has hecn crili
c tsed on several occasions in the Police Union newspaper the
"Rap Sheet
Portlanders have criticized the C h ie f s policies regarding
the- bureau's drug and vice units I specially residents living
ill the Northeast Neighborhood associations have held pic
kets along I nion and Alberta Ave . protesting Ihe presence
ol drugs and prostitutes in their community
At community forums, citizens have complained to the
( hiel by what they perceive as the Bureau's lack o f concern
in redtic mg Ihe drug and vice problem in their area Describ-
ing how they have called the police informing them o f illegal
drug and v ice activities, only Io he told that due Io the lack of
tail space and personnel, prevent the police from doing any
thing
I he job of the press is to report news and to ask questions
Il citizens and city employees are unhappy with the policies
ol city officials, the press have the obligation to report it
Ihis. Nfi Mayor.is news, not unlair crtlKtsm
Strachan Reports Dramatic Decline in SROs
Commissioner M argaret!) Strachan
recently released a ill all re|x>rt on single-
room occupancy tSROi housing in
downtown Portland II points to an
alarming 5*)% decline in the number ol
SRt) tooms ovei Ihe last lb years In
1970 the SRt) inventory was 4.I2K
rooms By the end of I9K6. the invert
tors ise slim a le d .il I . "’02
Reasons cited lor Ihe loss include
lire, delerioi.ilion, poor management.
pressure lor conversion io more intense
uses, and lack ol funding l>*r rchabilila
lion and operation
In transmitting Ihe report to the City
Council. Strachan's Housing Advisory
Committee urged the Council to make
SR() housing a piionly in tlx- u|x timing
budget debates In addition, the com
millee asked that Bureau ol Planning
stall examine all existing tools and
explore new slralegx-s to preserve anil
develop the City 's SRt) housing
I he S R t) hotels aie a cruc lal coin
poncnl ol the C ity's housing stixk.
deciies Strachan. Com m issioixi re
eral government is culling back on the
dollars available for housing assiv-
tance Compounding this problem is
the restructuring of our shrinking HCD
funds in the City 19Kb 19X7 budget It is
proposed that a smaller percentage ol
HCD funds w ill go lor housing than in
Ihe past
Drall HCD budget dtxumenls show
the C ity's allixation w ill go from 13 9
m illion in K5 Kb to I I I m illion in
86 I
In 1983 M , J 1% ol I,Hal ( itv
HCD dollars were alhxaled to housing,
while in Kb K7. that percentage w ill de
cline to 46% The highly successful
Investor Rehabilitation l oan program
may be reduced Irom $1.795. (MM) to
$1,025,000. a drop ol 42%
"T h e IRI. loan program is one ol the
lew tools available Io stem the loss ol
low inconx- rental housing in general,
and SRO housing in purtxular," points
out Strachan
IRI. loans have been
saved Hbb SRt) units in 14 building
over the past K years Without Ihe prog
ram. many other units would have been
taken out ol the inventory We just
ic<aiM>iartoiiHtHoseijin ^ ih u e jin ii l ^
sponsible loi the Planning Bureau, and
long an advixalc lor preservation of
low mettme housing " Ih e y provide
housing opportunities lor low income
persons, many of whom have special
needs \A ithoul an adequate supply of
S R t) looms, people w ill have to live on
tlx- stieets. under the bridges, or in
enx-igency night shelters
I he dec line in SRt) looms was viv
idly demonstrated this past winter
Hotel closuies such as ihe Shoreline
and tlx- Cornelius forced low income
persons into emergency shelters I sti
mates show that at least halt the people
<kc upv inc night six-Iters have sut lie lent
lesouices to live in SRt )s. it they were
available
I lie Portland Development Commis
sum calculates dial 1,1*00 c losed SRt)
units ,ue potentially usable, it financial
assistance tor rehabilitation can he ob
lamed
( 'onuik-nls Siractian. " I t ’ stragic that
oui SRt > housing has continued Io de
cline so diamalic ally just wlxm tlx- led
AFL-ClO News
Brollieis and sisters
Once again we are gathering in a day ol solidarity
But this mix- we are not demonstrating the solidarity
within oui own ranks We are demonstrating our solidimty
w uh our blac k brothers and sisters ol the South Alric an trade
muon movenx-nt. and with all the victims ol the racist .qiai
llieid system
And we .lie not alone today, in seven cities across the
nation, trade unionists arc- assembling in rallies like this one
At each rally we w ill hear Irom a leader ol the South
African labor moveiix-nt about their struggle against apar
llx-id and tlx- economic exploitation on which it is based
I hese brave men ami women are on Ihe front line ol a
battle which they wage under the most d ifficu lt and ilangei
oils conditions We want them Io know that they .lie hot
alone, that we stand at their side
We waul III.il message Io lx- he.ml. loud and de a l, bv the
government that represses them And by the employers who
exploit llk-ii labor oi w ho passively acquiesce m the apartheid
system
When Ihe A ll CIO Executive Council last month called
lot lixla y’s rallies, it was responding to a call Irom the
lnierualion.il Confederation ol I iee lia ile I limns
which
m turn was ies|xindmg to an ap|x-al from oui South African
brothers and sisters
fix- Al l CIO is reponding Io these appeals |usl as we
respond to the appcalsol embattled trade unionists in Poland,
the Philippines. Chile. I I Salvador. Haiti
wherever work
ers are snuggling Io build effective denux ta lk unions ami
seek our help
W e tesjxmd lust ol all bee ause their cause is right ami just
We also respond because we know that we cannot make it
alone in this woild
We live hi a global economy lixlay Ihe exploitation ol
foreign workers threatens tlx- Amcrxan stand. ml ol living no
less than Ilk- siibstaml.ml wages and working conditions that
prevail in tix> many areas ol our own country
II we live in a global economy, then labor's mission must
lx- global Ihat is why we are here lixlay
Whv tins day ’ Because 2b ve.us ago yestetday. there
ikcurred one ot the most brutal ami sluxking inamlestafioiis
ol apartheid
the Shai|x-ville massacte
() n M .iic h 2 l. I960, I A.( RM» bl.ick South Aliicans
men,
women and children
gathered in liont ol tlx- Shurpcvtllc
police station I his was part ol a national campaign against
the so c ailed Pass I aw s. w hu li tighllv regulated Ihe phy sic al
movements ol the black jxipulation
In Sharpeville, Ihe police had been notified ol the de
I
I
PORTLAND OBSERVER
M»
monstration llx-v were assured that it would he nonviolent
ami orderly I lx- organizers had pul together a system of
patrols ami monitors to ensure that the demonstration would
lx- peaceful and digmlied
But w Ix-n the deimmstralors gathered, they were met by
British m.kle sar.icc-n tanks fix-children in the crowd
and
there vveie many
had never seen such machines before,
and llk-y moved loiw.ud to gel a closer look at them
*
I he p olxc did mil even w Jit long enough Io tell Ihe crowd
to disperse I hey simply opened lire W hen the- smoke
cleared. K9 nx-u, women and children lay dead, many ol
Ihem shot hi the bac k as they were lleeing Another '(Ml were
wounded, shot or trampled as the- demonstrators ran Irom Ihe
lux- ot lire
Ihe world was shtxked II finally undc-rstixxl what apar
theid w as about I lx- I inled Nations prix lainx'd March 2 1 as
an Intel national Day lor tlx- I liimnaliou ol Racial Disc rum
nation
I his is a day ol solidarity
and remembrance II is a day
ol solidarity
ami resolve that we w ill not rest until Ihe
odious system that prixluccd such brutality. and so many
more subtle hums ol violence, is undone
It is haul Io think up more words (o condemn apartheid It
is umveisally despised Even those in our own countrv who
stixxl on tlx- sidelines dining our own struggle lor civil rights
ami iac lal justice, or w Ixi resisted it. scent Io have recognized
that ajvurthcid is an evil that cannot endure
A el. it has endured, despite the denunciation ol world
opinion Ihat is because world opinion is nut enough When
apartheid tails, it w ill be- bioughl down tmm within
I have no doubt that the system w ill be brought down The
big question is whether that can be accomplished without
massive blixxlslx'd and under conditions that are favorable Io
tlx- development ol true dem ixr.uy in that tragic land
I lx- best hojx- lor a peaceful dismantling ol ajvartheid lies
m tlx- emergence ol the bias k trade union movement I hat 's
whv we have a special responsibility
We have been assisting that movements lor sonx- years
We ate not johnny come latc-lx-s in their struggle
even if
ollters gel the headlines
But we are not interested in headlines We’ re interested in
tlx- lim it lux-
where Ihe real battle is taking place We're
mierested in the people who are on Ihe tiring line
I hey need all tlx- moral and material su|vpon we can give
llx-iti We are here lixlay to let Ihem and Ihe world know ihat
they w ill have that supjxirt
Thank you
$15 Io« on« year
$?*» for two
Ht» 113/ Portia- <1 0« 4 ^ *
-< Z
O
Portland. OR 97207
/ I I ill!
I
l l l l l ’l
On hx-ball ol out cutuc companv . I
would like Io thank you lor tlx- Irom
page coverage you gave to Ben Holt in
two successive editions ol I In Uh
vein 1 It was quite a del 1 gbt1111 sut
prise
Ben is a late 11xl1v1du.il and il was
wonderful to have bun hcic We were
pleased Io he able Io shaic bun with
some scgitx-nts ol the community AAc
llad sonx- sjx-ci.il tlkUIX'iils when he
nx'snx'ri/cd the children liom the
Black l.ilu c a tio n a l C enter, and
charnx-tl everyone at tlx- I inks recep
lion
Wc arc hoping to bring in a louiing
,>nxluction ol I'm ci mid H iw in A,ml.
I9K7
a collahotalum with the- Hous
Ion Grand Ojx-ra arxl 14 otlict com
panics aioiuxl tlx- I lilted Slates Wc
w ill keep you apprised ol develop
nx-nls / ’rtig i m i,l II, n is my all mix-
favorite musical woik. so I'm quite ex
cited My one ic-grvt is that Ben Holt
won’t he in it'
I,, ill, I,In,n
I hank you lor your recent courtesy
article regarding out 2nd Annual Musi
cal lor Sickle Cell Anemia, however,
there was a mistake as Io who Ihe dtrec
for is Raiixina is a peer counselor and I
am tlx- I xeculivc Director Ihe last ar
tid e had our phone- number incorrect
Ihe corrected phone number tv 249
I Ib6 ,’lease make ihe corrections
when appropriate Again, many, many
thanks
Sincerely.
Marcia I ay lor
Executive Director
Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation. Inc
1X02 N I Cniun Ave #2 06
Portland. OR 97202
(5031 249 I 466
In ihe editor:
Black pexiplc represent a dtsprojxir
Initiate number ot the prison ,x,pulalion
because tlx-v have fx-en systemaixally
denied tlx- lu ll value ot llx-u labor I bis
exploitation of Black laboi tumid initial
expression 111 the Atrikan slave trade
and continued through Ihe practice ot
peonage and sharecropping In this
sense Black people ate exploited in the
same way and by the same group ot
people who exploile |xxir caucasoid
workets
However, an economic
analysis ol crime does not explain why
Bl.xk |x-o,ile are incarcerated in I jr
gteatei numbers than |xxir Caucasians
Racism, therelore. becuiiics crucial
in understanding capitalist exploitation
ol Blac k people In a homogeneous six
x-tv. i.icisiit would not lx- a (actor, but
ill Ailicrika when- the Black jx'lson al
tux- |xunt in history was considered
non human, it becomes iixlisjx-nsahlc
Racisin and Ihe Black fierson's
economic status in sixiety makes it al
most uii|xissiblc lor him to get a tair
Inal in this country I lie ,udiciary sy s
tem is composed entirely ol caucasoid
middle* and upper class individuals
w Im have a vested interest in protecting
their property tights Irom Black mem
fx-ts ot tlx- oppressed group I he criim
nal itisttce system becomes, therefore,
the means by winch those- who own and
control capital siphon o il those indi
viduals who place then right Io live
above c i11111u.il law
A B l.xk man before tlx- court system
is m ixh more- likely than a caucasoid
man to get .1 ptison sentence-, a sentence
w Inch is usually w ay out ol line w till the
cruix-commuted I ot exam,vie. ( icorge
Jackson was sentenced to one year Io
hie loi Ix-ing an accessory Io a $70
tobbety ami s,x-nt ten years in prison,
while .aitcasoxl iix-it such as thc
W atergate defendants get token sen
fences in country-club prisons for
committing high crimes th jt involve
fundaitx-nlal issues of publx trust
As the economic conditions become
more oppressive, political conscious
ix-cs among the oppressed increase,
which results in the o,’pressor group
calling lor law and order as the nation
move* toward .1 police state Therelore.
criminal repression assumes its true
character as a jxiluically repressive
agent ol the state
I he system is designed to protect the
interest of the propertied class and to
eliminate Irom sixiety those who
threaten the status quo Although the
economic cost of white collar enme
such as embezzlement, tax fraud and
Watergate is much higher to the soei
ety. very lew ol these fx-oplc are jailed
because tor the most part they are
Caucasian and Irom the so-called upper
classes Blacks, on the other hand, be
cause ol tfx-ir color and poverty, are
jailed tor ihe slightest offense
Since the econonnc system is not de
signed to survive on full employment,
there w ill always he a class o f people
who are jx-rx-nnially excluded from the
benelits ol sixiety Racism determines
llial that group be Black. Brown. Ycl
low . Native Anx-nkan or in some other
fashion, not Caucasian
As long as Black jx-oplc suffer
economic exploitation and racial dis
c nnnnation, gentxide becomes more of
a |xissibihly. particularly when the
Blac k population is increasing al such a
great rale Amerika has historically
dealt severely with its unwanted and
obsolete population Ihe exjierince ol
the so-called Anierikun Indian (Native
Amerikanl provides a precedent for ra
cial gentxide
Around this nation, even those who
know nothing o f world politics, con
Hiding ideologies, international trade
and cnmnx-rce market, spheres o f in
lluences, artels, secret agreements or
jxiwer blixs stand terrified eyes the si
lent question Just when are we sup
|xised Io die and why?
lixla y. the process o f genocide.is
underway as Amcrika's prison system
expands to accommodate Blacks w hose
only crime is that they desire to live free
and with human dignity Prisons are
nothing more than concentration camps
lot Black jx-ople Therefore. Blacks
w ill continue to be incarcerated in these
concentration camps as long as
capitalism and racism remain the prim
ary forces that determine social status
and human worth
Dr Jamil Chenivee
Conversational Spanish for travelers
is a spring quarter ottering ol Portland
Community College
Ihe non-credii course w ill exlend
over an eight week jx-riixl starting
Tuesday. April I . Irom 7 to K;30 p nt .
in Rixmi 135 ot I incoln High Schixil.
,600 S \ a Salmon Si
Instruclor lor the class w ill be David
Hunt, who has taught previously for
PCC Cost o f ihe class w ill be $ 15.50
More information about Spanish tor
travelers is available IromComnnimty
Services. 240-5303
Be a part of history
H ands A cross A merica ;
X3 p»
>
T X
3)
>
-f
CITlBAhKO
* 6
STATI
•At Mm
I Mohaillad
l> () Box 1262
I have also enjoyed working with
Richard Blown He is j wonderful
photograjvbet and a wonderful "gent
leman
Sincerely yours.
Jane Blume
Public Relations/
Marketing C ixirdinjtor
eia?
Apt
Cl TV
In the h lilu i
Prior to Qhaddaly's triumph to
power on Sept I. 1969. Libya was a
monarchy
The reigning monarch,
kin g Idris, wav a great trx-nd Io the
U S When king Idriv wjs .-one so
were the U S military bases in 1 tbya
When Qhaddaty came to power in
1969, average yearly per capita income
in Libya at the tmx- was around $50
Eight out of every 10 people were 1II11
eralc Diseases ran rampant hut nx-dxal
services were non existent, except in
the two major elites and even there they
were limited the rate o f jxipulation
growth, under I percent, rellected
Libya's high infant mortality, mat
nourishment and short life expectancy
Since 1969. average yearly per
capita income has soared to well over
$6.(MM) lix la y in Libya education and
medical care are tree About 7(1 percent
o f the jxipulation is literate Both urban
and rural areas have gixxl medical
facilities
According Io the World Bank. Libya
has become one of ihe world's best led
countries Most basic lixxfs 1 including
baby food*) arc available at low
government subsidized prices
Unemployment offx-ially was above
K jvercent in the 1960's Today un
employment is eliminated and .1 labor
shortage exists I and was given to land
less peasants and lann laborers, and the
gap between rural and urban inconx-s
has steadily narrowed By law. no one
in Libya can own more than one house
Thus landlords were eliminated I lx-
government has resold houses and
apartnx-nts to tenants at low . subsidized
prxes I his is indeed a revolution
fix- 1969 I ibvan levolntion ixcured
in a mainly pre capitalist sixiety I he
revolution was a national denux ratic
one that chose- a non capitalist ,1.11b ol
dcvclopnx-nt aixl an anti imperialist
foreign jxilicy
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