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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1986)
?? n - ' sssp ap er . U n iv e r s ity of Oregon L ib ra ry u g e n st Oregon 974Ú3 K ps F r a is®* Sc oob PORTLAND OBSERVER Volume XVI. Number 25 April 30. 1986 *25CCopy TwoSections Relations Between the Black Community and Police Still Tense, a Year After Stevenson’s Death by Jerry Garner h has been a little over 4 year since Lloyd I) Stevenson was killed by Pon Und police officers during 4 distur bance 41 a 7-Eleven store in Northeast Kirtland Stevenson s death angered many in the Afro-American community There was a protest march at the Justice Center and the City Hall Although an Inquest Jury ruled that Stevenson's death was the result o f criminal negli gence, the Multnomah County District Attorney Office failed to gel an indict ment from .1 secret Grand Jury against any o f the officers involved in Steven son’ s death The failure o l the Grand Jury to in dict the officers angered many Black citizens as well as other citizens in K irt land Tension between the police and the Black community remains high after Stevenson's tragic death Herb L. Cawthome, Chief Executive O fficer ot the Portland Urban league, said that he believes police community relations have improved somewhat since the death o f Tony Stevenson "H ow ever, I believe that the meager improvements have to do more w ith the fact that relations were at such a low during the tune o f this death, than it does with anv increased efforts on the part ot the Police Bureau to better the situation," said Cawthorne Cawthome said the requirements of police are not sufficient in the newly implemented Multi-Cultural Education Training Workshop " | n order to change the course o f recent years, the Police Bureau must recognize Black leadership and its ability to involve the Black community in the problem solving process Until this occur*, rela tion» w ill be decent at best," said Cawthome Cawthome'» view IS shared by Jean Vessup Vessup is an investigator for the C ivil Rights Division Bureau o f Labor and Industries She is also a member o f the K ilice Internal Investi gation Audit Committee 1 PIIAC) Ac cording to Vessup, " i f the Bureau would listen to what the community wants, solutions can be found to solve the problems that exist " Vessup said that she hasn't seen any improvement in relations between the Kirtland K ilice Bureau and the Black community since Tony Stevenson's death "E ven before Stevenson’ s death, re lations were bad between the two groups, said Vessup "F ro m my van tage point as a community volunteer involved in police matters relating to police/coinmuniiy relations, my obser vation is that the Black community has lost taith in the Police Bureau at this point in time, said Vessup " I believe there is room for improvement in that there may be some gixx) officers and/or some otticers interested in improving the Black community's perception «if the Kirtland K ilice Bureau," said Ves sup Vessup said there are people in the community wh«i are perceptive and in telligent enough to realize that these officers exist w ithin the Bureau " T h ese arc the officers we want to see in our community In order to improve re lations, the Portland Police Bureau needs to realize the existence o f a sen «•us problem that you cannot put a band aid on and expect u to heal itself without effective planning and approp riate programs and procedures," said Vessup 1 awthome said Tony Stevenson's death is a painful thought, a tfxiughl which stirs deep hostility " B u t we must move forward ” "W e owe that to lony and to his family " "W e nlust work together — (he Police Bureau and the Black community to insure that a tragedy such as this w ill never happen again." Photo by Richard J. Brown Racism, the Cause of Conflict Between the Police and the Black Community by Jerry Garner Racism still operates in contempor stitutions o f the larger power structure ary American society, but in somewhat This results in the police imp«ising their more subtle forms than it once did Ra own conception o f law and order in cism is defined as the majority groups Black communities In many incidents members (Whiles) leeling o f superior the result is the violation o f both the ity to the members o f some other racial constitutional and c iv il rights o f group Resulting in the majority group Blacks harboring feelings o f hatred, fear and Blacks have complained repeatedly repulsion toward minorities. about "police practices" in their The treatment o f Blacks in the United neighborhixxls nationwide Prior to the States has been shameful throughout Stevenson killin g , Black citizens living this nation s history Blacks have been in Northeast Kirtland voiced their con denied equality in employment, hous cents on numerous occasions regarding ing, education, justice, voting rights the behavior o f some White police o f and services. ficers who patrol their ncighborh«xxl Historically, police have enforced Their grievances have fallen upon deaf cruel customs o f racism in (his nation ears o f fxith p«ilice administrators and During the civil rights movement for city officials. equality. Blacks were arrested, beaten, The following question must be toised, gassed, clubbed and murdered asked Why are so many White police by the police I wo o f the nuist hideous officers hostile toward Blacks? In order actions by the police in an attempt to to answer this question, one must first crush Blacks resistance toward racism understand the ideology «if most indi occurred in Alabama and Mississippi viduals who ate police officers which On May 20, 1961 m Montgomery, explains the reason for the prolonged Alabama, nineteen Black and White racist treatment o f Blacks by many students were attacked with metal White police officers pipes, baseball bats, slicks and fists by Police officers tend to be recruited a w ild White mob The students were from the lower middle and upper-lower Freed«im Riders and were testing the social classes o f society They hold at Interstate Commerce Commission's titudes typical o f their working class order against segregation in interstate origins belief in the status quo, respect buses and terminals K ilice made no for auth«inty, and hostility toward cer attempt to control the vicious mob or tain racial and ethnic groups (especially render first aid to the injured students Blacks) This results in police having a In the Summer o f 1964, three c iv il narrow and unsophisticated outlixik o f rights workers. James Chancy, Andrew minonties and society. Goodman and Michael Schwemer The majority o f White police officers 1 Chaney was Black. Goodman and wh«i patrol Black communities arc Schwemer were Jewish), were mur likely to have grown up without any dcred by the Ku Klux Kian in Philadel significant interaction with minorities phia, Mississippi The three were slop or lower-iocioeconomic class indi ped by a Sheriff for no reason and were viduals, and have no experience or turned over later to the Kian and killed know ledge o f the realities of ghetto liv Their bodies were discovered forty ing or Black culture Their attitude to four days later, buried in an earthen wards Blacks is bused on biases and dam prejudices; an attitude that is shared by K ilice hatred and repression o f the community in which they come Blacks is still present in the majority o f from This racism on the part of White police departments across the country police results in the fear and distrust o f This animosity accounts for the violent Blacks and other minority groups and s«imctimes deadly confrontations Once again, I focus on the Stevenson between Blacks and the police tragedy to illustrate the above After Despite numerous studies and gov- reviewing the testimony o f eye witnes emmental commissions presenting evi ses who were present during the inci dence o f police prejudice towards dent at the 7-Eleven store on A pril 21, Blacks, police and police adminis 1985, it is safe to say that the White trators continuously argue that none o f officers involved in Stevenson's death their officers arc bigots were guilty «if the excessive use o f force As stated earlier, the police histori and lying During the Inquest hear cally have been agents in the power ing. witnesses testified that at no time equation They enforce the laws o f the did Stevenson strike any o f the officers larger system by restricting the striking (as claimed by the officers, and that the hack o f Blacks to skirmish inside their officers refused to listen to Stevenson community, thus deflecting energies or the witnesses' explanation concern and attacks from communities and in ing Stevenson's role as a peacemaker W ' » i r t .s’ ’ C ’ « •f • A .s a Although C hief Harrington has sh«iwn that she is concerned about the bad relations between the Bureau and the Black community, nothing concrete (except for implementing a m ulti cultural education training workshtip for police officers) has been done by the f hief i«> tackle the problem o f racism. In fact, some Blacks have questioned the sincerity o f the C hief in regards to her commitment to deal with officers in the Bureau who commit acts o f racism and criminal acts directly at Blacks They jxunt to the C h ie f s opposition tn making officers testify before the Police Internal Investigation Audit ( ommittee (P IIA C ) as an example Many Black community leaders believe that by requiring officers who have been accused o f misconduct against a citizen to testify before the P IIAC . is a step in the right direction in making officers accountable for their conduct If racism is to be eliminated from the Bureau. p«ilice administrators and city officials must do the following: Recruit more Blacks to the Bureau (there arc only 21 Blacks on the force, out o f 750 sworn officers), make officers who arc guilty o f criminal or racist acts account able for their actions ( in order for this ot occur, police administrators and the Multnomah County District Attorney office must he w illing to prosecute those officers guilty o f such acts); and finally the K ilice Bureau must recog nize Black leadership and their ability to involve (he Black community m the problem solving process. Until the above occurs, relations be tween the police and the Black com munity w ill continue to be volatile ' f -if In the officer’ s perception, upon ar riving at the 7-Eleven store, they saw two White men and a Black man in a confrontation As testified by the w it nesses. the officers went directly to wards Slevcns«in To the officers, Stevens«in was the aggressor (due to their fear and distrust o f Blacks, This fear and distrust is the result o f racism Racism is a serious problem among White police officers in the Kirtland K ilice Bureau For members o f the Bureau have exhibited their racism to wards Blacks repeatedly: the dumping o f dead oppossums in front of the Burger Bam restaurant, the selling o f the " D o n ’t Choke ’ Em. Sm«ike ’ E m " I -shirts, the use o f excessive force on law abiding citizens, and the daily har rassment o f Blacks Such behavior by officers only worsens the already chill relations between Blacks citizens and the Police Bureau . 5/-W - a* L 9 V » , • • • . . » ? > OMSI Big Hit at Lloyd Center by Jerry Garner The OMSI II E X H IB IT LO C ATED A T THE Lloyd Center in the old W txilworth Building has been well re ceived by the community says Sandra Parker. Administrative Coordinator lor OM SI II OM SI II has been at the Lloyd Center since March 15, and w ill run through Labor Day It is open from 10:00 a in to 9:00 p m , Tuesday through Friday Admission is $1 (X, per person, with a fam ily maximum o f $4 00. The OMSI II exhibits were made p«issiblc by a community outreach grant from the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust The Lloyd Corporation provided the building, m«iving and refurbishing ex penses "O M S I realized they were being utilized mainly by people living in the Northwest and Southwest parts ol Port land, not by residents o f the Eastside of the riv e r," said Parker "Especially people from the lower socioeconomic scale o f all races, or by ethnic minonties " Realizing this. OM SI Di lector Jan Dahniwski decided to d«i »hat is called "creative displace ment The result was the creation of OMSI II at the Lloyd Center Parker said OM SI II is only the third science museum in the country that is V ' a • .» F- located in a shopping mall OM SI II is also unique because it is the only set cnee museum located in a mall in the central city Usually shopping malls arc located in the suburbs Parker said (he point ol OMSI II is to attract new and different audiences and a more diverse group o f people who go to OM SI I he Lloyd Center location is an ideal place, said Parker It is on the Eastside of the nver and many different ethnic minority groups shop there " K o p lc come here to congregate, therefore, they can attend the science museum without planning to do so.” said Parker OMSI II also heralds a fresh new OMSI lixik — light, bright, exciting and lun Visitors at OM SI II w ill enter the magic and wonder o f OM SI II through two 14 foot columns o f color and light Vibrant colors and shapes, hands-on exhibits and exciting de monstrations w ill entice visitors to touch, discover and explore a wide range o f science activities Some o f O M S I's most popular exhibits can he found at O M SI II One such exhibit is the Transparent Lady, formerly a show, the exhibit is operated by visitors Push on a lever and you w ill activate a giant slinky that shows how j : « sound waves travel through tin ait Another interesting thing about the science museum is the tact that all of the explaincr/giniles arc teenagers These youths come from the Portland Publu Schools, the Business Youth Exchange and the Portland Private Industry Council Parker s.inl the trainees are in a sales training program Spanish. I tench. Chinese and I aoti.ui are pisl a tew of the nationalities and languages which arc spoken at OM SI II by some ol these explainers "T h e y are selling science loo.” said Parkci Parker said those who come to OM SI II love the exhibits " M y hope is that .1 lol«i|people w ill visit OM SI || " " f'hrs w ill show the people at OM SI that the community w ill support and appreciate science exhibits She urges residents living in Northeast to visit O M SI II Due to a grant from Fred Meyer the admission is only a dollar, compared to »3 50 at OMSI However, on the first Iues«fay of each month, from 4 (X, to ‘tO O p m . admission is free ThcSl (X, OM SI II ticket w ill also be g«xxl lor SI 00 o ff the regular O M SI admission through September ** »♦ - 4 .* » ’t - ' h
