Page 2, Portland Observer, July 23, 1986
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
Hicks Statements on Target
Luciuus Hicks, a member of the Black Lead
Letters to the Editor
ership Conference, was on target when he
A U.S. Congressperson, governor or U .S .
Senator inherits powerful political positions.
was quoted as saying that "the organization
The governor is the chief executive of a state.
could gain added credibility if it did not appear
The responsibility of the U.S. Congress as a
that we are turning our backs on any other
Black candidate."
Hicks was referring to the leadership confer
ence's failure to endorse Gladys McCoy and
power of U.S. Senators is well known to any
political observer.
dates are running for Multnomah County Chair
Granted the fact the positions McCoy and
and State Senator positions in November's
general elections.
Hill are seeking are not as powerful as those
positions just mentioned, nevertheless, they
The Leadership Conference endorsed candi
are offices that carry clout at a local level.
date Neil Goldschmidt before the May pri
For example,
the office of
Multnomah
mary, and is now in the process of organizing
County Chair has a lot to do with whom gets
a community campaign structure in support of
Goldschmidt.
the jobs.
rican-American community in Portland where
The failure of the Black Leadership Confer
joblessness among adult and youth is much
ence to endorse two African-American candi
This issue is important to the A f
higher than the population as a whole.
It is
dates who are seeking elected office does
vital that someone from the African American
make one wonder about the motives of the
Conference. It is no secret that if African-
community become Chair of Multnomah
County in an effort to address such issues.
Americans are to rise both socially and eco
African-American candidates seeking poli
nomically, they must have political représenta
tical offices, whether it is in Portland or any
tion, Although the number of African Ameri
where else in the nation, should have the sup
can elected officials has increased in the last
port of African-American constituents. And if
decade, only a small number of them have
elected to public office,
gained access to political offices that carry
clout.
accountable in full to the community.
Governors who are African Americans.
should be made
However, at the same time, African Ameri
For instance, there are no U.S. Senators or
cans must realize that because an African-
Fur
American is elected to a particular office,
thermore, there is only a small percentage of
changes do not occur automatically. The poli
U.S. Congresspeople that are of African-
American decent.
tical process doesn't allow such a quick
metaphor.
OPEN Season on Blacks?
about an open season on black and other
police union leader Stan Peters and some of
Portland's police.
minority communities^ Will police officers feel
The police are charged with the duty of ser
they have renewed their license to "smoke
ving the people, all the people, of Portland.
'em" now that the police chief who was "too
The conspiracy to eliminate the chief repre
close" to the community is gone?
sents irresponsible foot-dragging.
It is the
For the
responsibility of the community who was just
general community it was fiscally and socially
ly outraged at police misconduct in the
Stevenson case to make sure it doesn't.
have been vexed and harrassed by the police
unsound, but for the black community who
it represents a giant step backward.
Never before was there a police chief who
Side
step...sidestep., .sidestep...
consulted with black community leaders be
Eva Kutas
fore making decisions that affected their com
National Lawyers Guild
who came to the black community and many
Portland communities to answer questions
Portland Chapter
P.O. Box 1308
and criticisms. "Never again” is the motto of
Portland, OR 97207
TO THE EDITOR
me by phone on receipt of my tele
phone call The issue was resolved
in two days.
I urge anyone with similar pro
blems or concerns on issues regar
ding pensions to call your senate or
representative office. That's what
we've elected them to do although
most people don’t think about call
ing on them.
I can personally recommend the
office of Senator Packwood.
Jean M Ridings
P.O. Box 546
Fairview, OR 97024
The So Called Crlstlan "Kuklol"
Concerning the Editorial, "Hay
den Lake Incident, A Reminder of
the Continuity of Racism," July 16,
1906 Amerikans of all colors who
have experienced it know that rac
ism poisons the life of this nation,
dividing people one from another
and endangering the human rights
and dignity of all. So imbedded are
racist practices and ideas here that
it sometimes seems they cannot be
overcome, that they are a perma
nent feature of this so called chris-
Portland Observer
Ih »
IS r t lt m l otnrry/rr IU SPS
9898801
a
»' ■'••»I».
puMahad «vary
Tburvtay by ( > « PubtaNng ConsMny. Inc . *483 N I K an g»
« u n ti Portland Oregon 972*1 Poet Office Bo» 3*37. Portland.
Oregon 9770B Second dea» postage p a d a Portland. Oregon
Tim l ' i f Hand ( t t n e r m w e t aaiataahad <1 ,970
Sutoecre>'«n* » *5 00 p a y a a x> the Til County aree Poet
m eater Sand eddreea changea to the Portland o t x m r r . P 0
Bn» 3117, Portland. Oregon 9720B
member
H e M p / I p ER
«jaocixtion • founded IMS
A lfredi.. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A l Williams. (¡enervi Manager
J p ORTMND OBSERVER
lis t o « one yae>
»25 »oi tw o y ea n
Bo. 3*37 Portia««! OR 972OB
I
I
Street
t iî
Apt
S tA T f
ZIP
Once we remove the perpetrators
of racism, the Christian Knights of
the Ku Klux Kian will have no reason
to exist We must focus our attack
on the roots of racism, on the insti
tutions that give rise to and perpe
tuate it. rather than on its subjective
expression Virtually all the financial
institutions in Amerika are controled
and manipulated by so called chris
tian caucasoid Amerikans
The
Christian Knights of the Ku Klux
Kian would not have an elitist, class
oriented society in order to perpetu
ate racism It would no longer be to
anyone's advantage, m any form, to
be racist. This so-called Christian
I'm inclined to believe racism is a
creation of the so called Christian
caucasoid exploiters of yesterday
and today, in order to justify, with
biological reasons, the cruel exploi
tat ion and barbaric repression im
posed on those considered "inferior
beings " Yet we know the world is
not divided into inferior and superior
races, the world is divided into ex
ploited and exploiting classes Hu
menity is not aligned by color or by
race. We are mixed races in Amer
ika. No one should consider them
selves of a pure race, much less a
superior race. Since people in this
country must put an end to this
obvious and repugnant system,
educators must eliminate from the
consciousness of everyone the re
maming vestige of irrational racial
prejudices. A radical social and eco
nomic tranformation must take
place today We must strike at the
economic roots that nourish racism
This can be done with massive
A ffirm a tiv e
A ctio n
programs
Education should be mado econo
mically accessible to everyone Un
employment must be totally elimi
nated, ending once and for all the
competition between workers for
Tuesday, July 8. 1986, the Ore
goman carried an article written by
Gordon Oliver entitled "Neighbor
Groups Mull City Proposals For
Operation Rules."
On Saturday,
July 12, 1986. the Oregonian re
sjsonded in an editorial entitled.
"Good
Neighbor
Guide".
We
would like to respond as represents
lives from Sabin Irvington Heights
Neighborhood
Association
resi
dents. We feel that our response is
more than warranted as our neigh
borhood group brought out the
same three "possibilities" for im
provement that the Oregonian so
gracefully put
(1) Representation
and accountability (2) Freedom of
Speech (3) Examination of ONA
Let us cite our examples of these
three categories:
Regional Vice President
munity. Never before was there a police chief
Recently I found the best re
source available when you have a
pension plan problem. I don't know
why I hadn't thought of it before.
After 18 months of getting the
runaround with a teacher's pension
plan fund and substantial attorney
fees, I received their newsletter ask
¡ng me to contact my senator in
support of their legislative bills.
Then it struck me to write my
senator to help me talk to this com
(»any and resolve the issue. Senator
Packwood’s Portland field represen
tative, Teddy Stampe», contacted
seeing the day when they will have
disappeared In my travels around
the world, I've noticed in few coun
tries of the world today are the prac
tices of racism so widespread and
so reinforced as in Amerika
2884X133
N a tio n a l A d v e rtla ln g R e p re e e n ta tlv e
A m a lg a m a te d PubUahera Inc
N e w York
eiap
x < z 5?
® 3 x
* o
in
•A
>
JO
leadership of this nation could de
sign a society in such a way that
there is no economic benefit what
soever for anyone that comes from
being racist
This would eliminate
the motive for racism, one of the
very basic motives that an individual
or an organization might have
If
we had no problem of racism in
Amerika, there would be no need
for Affirmative Action.
I'm inclined to believe, the most
powerful tool of class oppression is
racism, and that the ruling class in
Amerika knows it, and uses it for all
that it is worth. The separation of
men according to pigmentation un
der the supremacy of the so called
Christian caucasoid race is one of
the most monstrous attacks on the
essential unity of mankind that has
ever been perpetuated
The Ku Klux Kian (derived from
the Greek word "kyklos," meaning
circle) has evolved into a terroristic,
secret society dedicated to depn
ving people of color of their citizen
ship rights.
The cowardly carni
vorous animals in human form have
committed atrocities unequal in the
chronological history of events
against people of color
They are
lead by racial and religious fanatics.
Anglo Saxon, native born Protes
tant superpatriots
The Christian
Knights of the Ku Klux Kian is a
fraternal order and will accept Jews
or Catholics, if they give up their
religion. They claim the symbolism
of the burning cross at all Kian ga
thenngs has been used by crusaders
for the last 19 centuries Yet, there
weren't any crusaders until the 11th
Century. Today they claim to use
the cross as a rallying point to meet
oppression and to establish Chris
tianity. I was under the impression
Christianity was established 1986
years ago They claim not to believe
in violence. Yet, many local offi
cials and the Justice Department
blame the KKK for 32 bombings in
Alabama, 40 bombings in Georgia,
racial killings in Alabama, 35 church
burnings in Mississippi, the ambush
killing of Colonel Lemuel Penn, the
castration of Blacks in Birmingham,
the murder of Reverend James
Reeb and Mrs. Anthony Luizzo in
Alabama, plus many floggings of
Civil Rights workers and labor lead
ers. The Christian Knights of the
Kian claim it does not indulge in
violence.
Its activities, however,
indicate otherwise.
Dr. Jamil Cherovee
1.2 M illio n Needs To Be Used As a D o w n p a y m e n t On Jail Space
Letters to the Editor
Will the ouster of Penny Harrington bring
job opportunities The effect of this
single act on the perpetuation of
racism cannot be underestimated
Through these measures, the eco
nomic and social base of racism will
be destroyed.
lawmaking body is to pass legislation designed
to deal with the major problems that people
face and to establish rules and sanctions. The
The two African-American candi
Jim Hill.
tian caucasoid society Racist philo
sophy attempts, in fact, to convince
us that social inequality is inbred,
that it is "human nature," and, so
potent are its forms, that sometimes
even anti-racists dispair on even
O
Some of us were fortunate to be
able to attend The Oregon State
Sheriff's Association conference for
Crime Victim’s Rights, whereby we
learned (in June 861 that this pro
gram can offer assistance to burg
lary victims. They offered a sympo
sium of testimony, facts, and data
from keynote speakers (such as my
self) who shared experiences neces
sary to make a comprehensive
statewide plan for improvement of
the victim’s rights. When we at
tended this meeting, little did we
realize, that this Association of peo
pie existed
The committee appointed by
Sarah Newhall, Director of Office of
Neighborhood Associations, does
not include any members from
Sabin/Irvington Heights Neighbor
hood
Association
Nor
was
S .I.H .N A. invited to attend
(al
though we are officially recognized
by the City, State and Federal Go
vernment.)
W e did hear about
these meetings by our adjoining
neighborhoods and we attempted
to voice our opinion on one occa
sron. last year, at City Hall. "W e
can’t have a bunch of people, or we
would never get anything done,"
one committee member reported.
"How come we were not notified in
the mail about these meetings?"
One member from the N.E. Coali
tion is your representative, someone
responded.
The point we make here is loud
and clear. Office of Neighborhood
Associations is not the people who
live and work in my neighborhood.
The review panel is not made up of
volunteers who had to iron out dis
putes without the help of the City.
In order to insure that your mistakes
can be rectified, it seems only logi
cal to have representation on a re
view committee of those who were
actually involved
Draft proposals
should not have been drafted by
those who reflect an opinion of
someone's character, rather than
what the real conflict or issue is.
It is time to challenge the Exami
nation of the review committee,
why were those people appointed?
It is time to challenge why neighbor
hood associations exist.
We
thought they were "to promote
communication between citizens
and city government as well as to
increase citizen participation at all
levels of decision making". Why.
then, would a district board be
allowed to settle a boundary dis
pute about what association a vo
lunteer would like to belong to?
Why then would neighborhood
associations of fewer than 200
households be discouraged?
Free Speech —at present the city
has minimal code requirements
governing neighborhood associa
tions, (as they should, because no
two neighborhoods are alike). This
so called review committee has no
right to try and establish guidelines
for the content of a neighborhood
newsletter, unless of course they
are considered as dictatorships for
Neighborhood Associations, using
South African tactics, and, if that is
the case, we can assure you that we
will do everything in our power to
recall that 1.2 million that we pay as
taxpayers and law abiding citizens.
We will promise the people that we
can donate our 1.2 million dollars
used in this fiasco to a downpay
ment on more jail space, rather than
jobs for the staff of ONA.
The bottom line is that neighbor
hoods can operate without the sup
port of ONA and can surely do with
out the petty politics.
W e have
walked more streets than anyone of
the ONA staff and have documents
tion »3 prove it. W e can challenge
ONA to demonstrate to us any
neighborhood that consistently has
200 households established as
working volunteers in their neigh
borhood associations. W e can chal
lenge her on their findings to be
similar to ours. The homes that
have been contacted by newsletter
or door to-door will participate only
when there is an issue, or they are
having problems in the immediate
neighborhood.
The bottom line is that commu
nity volunteers concentrate on help
ing neighborhood people who really
have significant problems. WE are
going to operate our streets as we
see fit, and no directive from the
City can tell us, the taxpayers, what
we can or can not do. It is scary to
think that these people want to hold
that much power over volunteers
who do not receive one even cent,
or odd, for that matter
Sabin /irvington Heights Neigh
borhood Association asks all of our
neighborhoods as free speakers,
and taxpayers to voice your opinion
on abolishing this organization and
using the 1.2 million- dollars as a
downpayment on a Neighborhood
Association Jaill
Betty Garner
4205 N.E. 16th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97211