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EDIT0RIAL/0PINI0N
System is Needed to Fight Crime
Health Clinic Facing Financial Crisis
Once again, the
North Portland
Nurse Practitioner Community Health
Clinic (NPCHC) is facing a critical fi
nancial crisis The clinic is a noo profit,
tax exempt corporation in Oregon, and
is the only Black American run pedial
nc clinic in the state Since 14X0 it has
provided primary pediatric care Io
young people in the Portland Met
ropolttan area regardless ol their ability
to pay
Why is it that a clinic that provides
such worth, and value Io North Portland
should have such financial w orries’
The primary source ol the problems is
the states Medical Cost Containment
Law. which was intended to reduce the
cost and increase the coverage ol Ore
gon's welfare recipients Unfortu
nately, this plan has resulted in the dc
velopment of eight big medical organi
zations known as PCO's (Primary Care
Organi/alionsl which arc M I) run,
and regulated clinics I he containment
law does not recognize clinics run by
Nurse Practitioners. Naturopathic Doc
tors or Chiropractic Physicians A real
cost savings to the stale, to remove
lower costs lor services, and preventa
tive oriented prolessions' As a result,
Mariah Taylor N P . and Director of
NPCHC has faced a dramatic reduction
in her welfare load which had heen as
high as 45% in 14X4 With more indi
gent (non covered| patients and fewer
AlX'/wellarc patients the non-profit
clinic has had to rely on contributions
and grants to cover its operating
budget
Hopefully, we can reverse the ten-
dencytor the state legislated dcscnmi
nation against alternative health prac
titioners Yet the NPCHC is in an im
mediate crunch and public support is
necessary to keep the doors open
Please feel tree to contact the clinic for
more information about how you can
help at (503) 2X4-5234 or better yet.
send your donation check directly to.
Nurse P ractitioner C om m unity
Health Clinic (NPCHC)
5311 N Vancouver Ave
Portland, OR 47217
P S Speaking of Salem policies Who
is (jenny Burk’’ As past president ol the
Oregon Medical Association and reci
pient ol nearly SUM). (MX) in primary
contributions, to run against meumhent
State Senator Walt Brown, she may
well be one of the highest supported
special interest candidates in this year's
elections Ixt us watch carefully those
candidates who receive 5 and $10,(MX)
individual contributions, for the in
terest on these monies may be in direct
conflict with the interests ol the Oregon
publ ic
Letters^ to theEdito£
You don't have Io be a fanner lo
know that "you reap what you sow "
You've probably also heard that "out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks Both ol these principles (trom
the Bible) apply to elections where it is
very important to look closely at both
the seed and the heart
Bad seed planted in government has
resulted in a moral catastrophe in our
society Abortion, divorce, homosexu
ality, drugs
need we say more ’ A
permissive society elects permissive
representatives who compromise even
the most basic tenets of morality by
giving legal status to sin The rotten-
ness is evident every whee
Voters will soon make choices based
on their own heart If your heart is not
touched by the murder ol twenty mill
ion unborn children (abortion), then
you'll probably vote on the basis ol
some other issue But your permissive
ness has predictable consequences,
Your hoped for prosperity will be eaten
up by the social costs of what you
choose lo ignore
But if your heart is touched by the
tragedy of abortion (and we hope it is),
we urge you lo vole from your heart
Choose representatives who can boldly
plant good seed w ithout compromise
How else can our nation return to right
eousness ’
Please don't ignore your own heart
Don't damage your own moral integrity
(if not your own Christian faith) by
supporting politicians who arrogantly
oppose your moral values and good
judgment In other words, don't let
yourself be smooth talked by some
political slick into selling your soul'
Don’t sujiport those who support abor
lion'
Brian and Bertie Adrian
457 W Manne Drive
Aslona. OR 47103
I hc whirlwinds of revolt will continue
to shake the Inundations of our nation
until the bright day ol justice emerges
ministration, has gone on record as ig
noring Poor jvcople II is generally ag
reed that Amerikan workers are more
trouble than they 're worth I hey don't
have to work, since they get weltare
and tood stamps Poor European
Caucasoids and Black Amctikans began
their history in Amenka as property ol
the United States Government II ap
pears that the wheel of history is com
ing lull cycle for poor folks in Amenka
as it has done before and each time the
cycle is complete. Poor folks linds it
self excluded, alone and contused over
having somehow lost the progress and
status that was thought to have been
gained
Mr Reagan is now talking about cut
ling forty domestic programs Around
this nation, daily through the newspap
ers and television there are many little
noticed articles and newscasts that
should he ol the greatest interest to 1*001
Black and Caucasoid Amerika it it is
sincerely interested in safeguarding
"Freedom " and maintaining the gains
of ihc last decade
It's a known tact, that U S Blacks
combined have a gross national product
ol One hundred billion dollars II we
were a nation, that would give us the
seventh largest GNP in the free world
It has been staled that money is power
The condition ol Black Amerika is a
good example that can be used lo test
the credibility of such a statement Be
cause even though the money is present
in Black Amerika. Blacks remain an
impoverished people because their
money, like their organizational exper
tise, has never been collected and chan
neled to meet the specific needs of
Black people
Dr Jamil Cherovee
To the Editor:
One of the greatest dangers, the most
dysfunctional, on the part of Black
leaders, is that ol individualism, even
personal ambition, cultism and sell
interest A recent anthology of Black
leaders recognizes that i t is important
for a leader to
fill the group needs
and requirements in a particular situa
tion or set of circumstances
le ad
ers are more often than not the tongue
of the people ’ By this criterion, then,
the story ol the outstanding Blikk lead
ers of the centuries must, ol necessity,
he a chronicle of an arduous light
against racism, suffering and injustice
Such an awareness ol the commanding
presence ol Black group needs was al
ways present in such men as Du Bois,
Martin Luther king. Frantz I anon and
Malcolm X Along with this quality
were also the other necessary attributes
ol a functional leader a discipline
amounting lo a puritanical zeal, an
ideology based on historical analysis, a
unity ol thought and action and a sense
of urgency
On August 28, 1461, in Washington.
D C . Dr Martin Luther king stated
",
one hundred years later, we must
face the tragic tact the so-called Negro
is still not tree ( )ne hundred years later
the life of the so-called Negro is still
sadly crippled by the manacles of
segregation and the chains ol discnmi
nation
Ihc so-called Negro lives
on a lonely island of poverty in the
midst ol a vast ocean ol material pros
penty
the so-called Negro is still
languished in Ihc comers ol Amerikan
MX ieiy and linds himsell an exile in his
own land
"There will be neither rest nor tran
quility in Amenka until the so-called
Negro is granted his citizenship rights
I
I
I
When Black Amenka uses the term
freedom, exactly what doe» it mean'.’
Freedom can reler to an ungovemed or
uncontrolled state, however, an ungov
emed status for Black Amenka w ill cer
tainly describe a condition that is the
reult ol exclusion, while an uncontrol
led status will be Ihc hallmark of con
Untied disorganization l or almost lour
hundred years the Black man has strug
gled lo he tree Today he exerc ises his
freedom in the name ol democracy His
freedom really consists ol being tree lo
be without competent leadership, being
tree to be without unity of direction,
being tree to be dependent, heing tree
lo he irresponsible all while being free
lo he proud ol his condition In short, it
is necessary to examine the capacity of
the individual to accept the responsibil
ity ol freedom and the conditions under
which he will sacrifice his freedom to
gain other objectives
This society is moving towards a
higher degree of organization which
mandates that one very important tact
must be kept in mind The organization
is not a Democracy In order to avoid a
position ol continued conflict, exclu
sion and inferiority. Black Amenka
must organize itself consistent with a
redefinition of democracy
Black
Amerika. because it has taken no col
lective responsibility lor its economic
well being, is still begging al the door
ol (he federal government lor a hand
out. while the government through the
official actions ol the Reagan Ad
PORTLAND OBSERVER
The arrest of George Nulph. a state prison inmate accused
of raping, sodomizing and kidnapping a Northwest Portland
woman, illustrates the venous flaws in the cnminal justice
system Nulph. who was on temporary leave from the state
prison, was serving lime for the 1476 murder of a Cannon
Beach woman N ulphs victim was shot three times in the
chest
For this brutal crime, Nulph was given a life sentence tor
the murder and a 10-year pnson term for second degree
kidnapping Ihc kidnapping sentence was to he served con
currently with the life term for murder
I he following must be asked How can an individual who
was given a life sentence tor murder and a 10-year sentence
tor kidnapping be allowed hack on the street to commit more
violent cnminal acts against society ’ The answer is the com
inal justice system is really a non-system By this I mean
there is nxi continuity of purpose among component parts in
what we call the cnminal justice system Die present compo
nents in the criminal justice system work adversely to tine
another A true system has a continuity of purpose among its
parts This lack of cooperation results in violent and danger
ous individuals such as Nulph being released from prison
Die courts, corrections, and the police each view the
commission of crime and the dispensing ot justice d iffe
rently Dlls difference results in each component pointing the
linger at one another, and a non-system of justice
Our justice system in reality isn't a system at all. but a
senes ol segments separated by ditlercnccs in purpose, prac
tice and philosophy I 'nt11 these segments come together and
function as part ot a whole, society will cxmtinue to be served
by an ineffective, nonsystem ol justice
South Africa’s Hated Pass Laws
Lifting South Africa's hated pass laws w ill have
little impact on the black majority, according to a
black woman physician who addressed the United
Methodist Women’ s assembly in Anaheim,
California A pril 14
Dr Mamphela Ramphelc, "b a n n e d " for five
years in South Africa, referred to President P W
Botha's recent announcement that pass laws con
trolling black employ ment and place o f residence
w ill no longer lx- enforced Blacks convicted o f or
awaiting trial for violating these laws w ill be freed
immediately, the president said in a speech to par
liament A pril IK
Hundreds o f thousands o f blacks are arrested
each year for violating various provisions o f the
pass laws Every black over 16 must carry a
pocket-sized identity book giving birthplace,
ethnic group and whether the person can live in a
black tow nship on the edge o f white cities Failure
to produce the bxxik is a crime for blacks hut not for
white, mixed-race or Asian South Africans
A standard identity card for all races w ill be
issued beginning in July. Government officials
have not said w hether it w ill contain racial informa
tion or restrictions
Dr Ramphele was banished to a black township
1,000 miles from her home in 1977 after raising
quetions about the suspicious death o f a black
activist She is now senior research officer at the
University o f Cape Town
Dr Ramphele told journalists after her address
the Botha decision was timed to undermine an
anti-apartheid activist strategy, nationwide de
monstrations against the pass laws May I She
termed the move a government attempt to
"checkmate the efforts ot the people to use pass
laws as an organizing fo rc e ."
Dr Ramphele said the Botha announcement w ill
be o f most help to those living illegally in urban
areas and w ill remove " a nuisance on the state"
the expense ol arresting and processing 200.000 to
300.000 violators a year
" L iftin g o f the pass laws doesn't work for the
elimination ot black people's poverty and power
lessness," she added " I , doesn’t change the
power relationship."
The government also said it had lifted its ban on
a book written lo Steve Biko, a black leader who
died in police custody in 1977, according to the
Associated Press. A government review com m it
tee decided the bxxik, The Testimony of Steve Biko
— B link Consciousness in South Africa, is "n o t
undesirable" and does not advxx'ate revolution,
v iolence or subversion
Dr Ramphele said the book has circulated freely
despite the ban Lifting the ban is only another
attempt to "im prove the image o f South A fric a ,"
she added If Steve Biko were alive, she said, he
would be an effective leader because he worked to
unify various liberation movements: "T h a t's why
he died "
.Asked whether President Botha was able to
bring real change to South Africa, the doctor said
change must come from the dispossessed, who
"m ust lay hands on real power and determine w hat
happens to the country’ s resources."
She added, "T h e situation is already violent
We re talking about cutting short the prolonged
period o f violence " The oppressed "m ust come
forward and negotiate a new form o f sxxie ty," she
said.
A major problem is lack o f adequate black lead
ers. Dr Ramphele said: "T he articulate ones are
either dead or in p ris o n " She believes the gov
ernment is searching for "a n honorable w a y " to
free jailed black nationalist leader Nelson Man
dela. but wants to "save face.”
Asked about whether today's youth are a lost
generation, she said, " I t ’ s not just this generation
but the next generation as well You can’ t expect
leadership from 8-year-olds who have been
brutalized from birth
Explaining her family lives in a black township,
she said her 3-year-old has become a "n a il b ite r"
from seeing m ilitary vehicles parked in front o f the
house Her 8-year-old plays soldiers with his
friends
Most black children are born into poverty, she
said, and. if they survive, grow up in poverty
Their education is designed to condition them for
perpetual subservience rather than leadership, she
added
Disintegration o f families has produced children
who can't love because they do no, know how, she
said Their lack ol knowledge o f security, toler
ance or respect has caused them to lose respect for
their parents and social institutions With nothing
to lose, they are out to destroy a society that denies
them their basic needs.
The system reacts by imprisoning 8-year-olds,
who are abused sexually and verbally in detention
and have no access to health care, she said. She
quoted Minister o f Law and Order Louis le Grange
as reporting the detention o f 2,100 children until
the beginning o f this year
Asked whether the churches are strong enough
to stem the tide o f violence in young people. Dr.
Ramphele said ministers are no, trained to minister
to people in this situation, and few speak out for
justice for the oppressed
Bishop Desmond Tutu, recently elected ar
chbishop o f Cape Town, is a "’ true prophet" who
has condemned oppressors who violate human
dignity, according to Dr Ramphele But "there is
only one T u tu ," she added.
The Ness York Times quoted Bishop Tutu as
saying. "T he moratorium and release o f pass o f
fenders can only be welcomed However, 1 hope
there is not a sting in the tail One has to be very
careful they are no, going to find another way o f
harassing blacks."
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Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A I Williams, General Manager
N a tio n a l A d v a rtla ln g R ap ra a a n ta tlv a
A m a lg a m a te d P u b llehera Inc
N a w Yorh
P E ST FOREIGN HORROR FLICK
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