Portland Observer, 1986 Paye 2,
Along the Color Line
EDITORIAL/OPINION
by Dr M anning Marable
Dr
Justice Departm ent Right in Retrying Ebens
The decision by the U S. Justice Depart
inent to retry convicted killer Ronald Ebens on
ivil rights violation charges was a proper de
t ision.
panel in Cmncmnatti overturned Ebens' con
viction of violating Chin's civil rights. Resul
ting in the justice department's decision to
retry Ebens.
Ebens was convicted in federal court of vio
lating the civil rights of Vincent Chin, a
Chinese American, by beating him to death
with a baseball bat in Highland Park, Michigan
in 1982.
Incidents of racial violence have been on the
rise across the nation for several years. Equal
ly frightening is the fact that groups which
During his first trial, Ebens was convicted in
Wayne County Michigan Circuit Court of man
slaughter, and was given three years probation
and fined $3.000. Civil rights groups and on
ental communities throughout the nation pro
tested the decision As a result of this, the
U S Justice Department retried Ebens in
federal court for civil rights violations and he
was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
T wo weeks ago, a three judge appeals court
practice both racial hatred and violence are
also on the increase.
Ebens. an unemployed auto worker, killed
Chin after they were involved in an argument.
Witnesses testified during the trial that Ebens
was blaming Japan for his unemployment pro
blems. He thought Chin was Japanese and
shouted racial slurs at him.
By retrying Ebens. the Justice Department
is sending a strong message to individuals and
groups that those who violate the civil rights
of people because of their race, will be prose
cuted by the U S. Government.
Healthwatch
by Steven Bailey. N D
I bi* national campaigns against drug abuse come at a
time w hich many w n te is consider to tie m otivated by
ih<> upcom ing elec lions W hile the inaiority of indivi
duals and com m unities involved in these campaigns
are w n ikm y from their hearts, there is still a hollowness
surrounding the w hole of this issue
I sympathize w ith those w ho grieve for the victims of
drug abuse, b oth the users and those whose personal
safety is jeopardized by the violence associated w ith
addiction/abuse
Yet I'm saddened equally w ith the
lack o l compassion that our society is show ing towards
the victim s of use I hear m uch m ore hi the press about
the need for additional jail space than for the need o,
employm ent h i the m inority sections o f our cities and
for educational and treatement programs for the users
rod potential users in our society
I believe that the piednm inant factor in the use abuse
of drugs is o f a psycho social nature and lias nothing to
d o w ith inadequate punishm ent for those who aie using
frogs
I fieri* is already an abundance of negative le
infnri ers enisling for the drug abuser There is the ever
present financial hardships for the user, the frequent
family break ups, the frequent negative impact on em
ploym ent. the legal problems, as well as the negative
sell esteem associated w ith addiction, and, finally,
theie is ari abundance of health concerns w hich are
present to the user. The threat of greater legal sane
lions to the user can not be expected to change the
problem significantly
We need to heal the entire problem rather than con
centratm g in the bandage approach that these recent
campaigns seem to focus upon
Negotive self esteem and escape seem to tie ma|or
factors h i the developm ent of abusive activities by diug
isers The fact that most cocaine users are inner city
m inorities strongly supports the social economic theo
nt's of drug abuse, and the ever increasing unemploy
merit in teen m inority populations should tie challenged
in our anti drug campaigns as a ma|or causative agent
W e have to piovide adequate education and employ
merit for our youth if we expect them to become con
s lr u c tiv e members of our society
W ith the ever diminishing federal support lor educa
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
lio n , social reform , drug treatm ent programs and em
ploym ent in the inner c ity , we must look to prevention
as the strongest suit in our war against drug use in our
youth
W ith m ost drug treatm ent programs costing
m uch m ore than m ost poor families can afford, the
only affordable approach is to stop the abuse before it
begins C om m unity out reach, grade school and high
school lectures and peer support groups are probably
the easiest place to start in preventing drug abuse
One social arena that needs to change is our double
standard relating to drug use in America
W hile we
are firm in our denial o f such substances as marquana.
cocaine heroin, etc . we are tolerant, if not supportive,
of the abundant use o l acceptable drugs w ith in our
society You cannot w atch T V w ithout tiemg told to
use drugs for pain constipation, allergies, tieadaches,
etc . etc
I have encountered many individuals w ho
have begun then drug use on prescription pain killers,
eti
Eight years ago I gave a seminar for the AEL CIO
on rehabilitation o f the adult injured and heard almost
unanim ous agreement among rehabilitation counselors
tlia t one o f their single biggest problem was drug abuse
by workers, w ho. upon injuring their back, were pre
scntied pain m edications, and, after 4 6 m onths of
being o ff work, became dependent upon these rnedi
cities
We cannot be prescription using parents and
expect our o u trig h t condem nation o , drugs to carry
m uch weight w ith our youth
Likewise, we cannot
treat our stiess w ith cigaretts and alcohol and expect
our youth to respect our puritanical denial of the re
creational substancos of their peers Truly more people
(tie as a result of alcohol abuse on tfie highways than all
street drug abuse com bined
Tfie cost of tobacco
abuse in relationship w ith lung cancer and cardiovascu
lar disease is equally alarming Let us begin as a nation
to "p ra ctice w hat we preach"
W hile I agree that the tragedy of addiction is great
and warrants a strong national effort to com bat this
problem. I hope that the zealousness of the ongoing
campaigns does not let tfie underlying causes fester
and worsen for lack o f social change It may well be
that the social abandonm ent of the Reagan edmini
stration has added more fuel to the co u n ty's drug pro
blem than any anti drug campaign can counter
____________________ . . . "
Letters to the Editor
Facts Are a Remedy For Healing Forgetfulness
Intentional or unintentional offensive remarks impact
m intensive ill w ill
The recent slip o f pom pous mis
understanding from Prime Minister Nakasone's lips
requires more than atiologies concerning m inorites
There is a nr*ed to roll out facts and remind all of the
status of lajian in the 1960 s and how diverse Amen
m s i nun ’tinted to iparis rehabilitation in new duet
to n s I r.” r we forget, lest we forget
Part nt today's a< cum ulated prosperity in Japan is
due to U S A dollars, skills and markets w hich w eie
rapidly made available
Given that kind o f oquity in
opportunity, m inorities too can equally achieve
It w ill take m ore than the blessings ot celebrities to
redeem the unnecessary com m entary of Prime Minister
Nakasone. lie needs a reading list of pluralistic contri
buttons a people to people agenda and a financial
sum m ary o f the kinds of cameras and autom obiles
average m inorities have sustained through the years in
Japanese purchases
If Nakasone has so little respect for hum anity and
the purchasing power of whatever intellect, then that in
itself should establish a 1987 list of New Year's Résolu
bons for rethinking (even persons in the same family
from the same parents do not have the same intelli
qence or potential)
The disservice o f the prime minister s remarks is com
pounded in the chronic viewing o f m inorités as pro
Merna instead of as a contributing citizenry Let us roll
out facts and reiterate how tfie blood, sweat and tears
m u ltir a c ia l
of m ultiracial m ultiethnic people have made the United
States great and a number of other beneficiaries (in
cluding Japan), also
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B p p M ft n »>v«r 140
"D ivestm ent
Divestment is no longer the political demand of the
antiracist, progressive m inority in this country It has
sparked a widespread response w hich reflects the over
w helm ing sentiments of the American people, both
liberal and conservative alike
For seven \ >ars, California legislator Maxine Waters
had pushed the state to accept anti apartheid legisla
tion
Last year, a very modest divestm ent bill finally
passed by the legislature, only to be vetoed by Republi
can Governor George Deukmejian But in the academic
year 1986 86 dozens of mass protests occurred at Cali
forma university campuses S tudents and faculty be
came involved and knowledgeable about the issues at
stake And it became apparent that tough divestm ent
legislation was not only morally correct, but a fiscally
responsible and politically necessary step Americans
finally recognized the brutality of the apartheid regime
that since late 1984 more than 2.200 people have
been murdered and about 40.000 have been placed
under arrest
In August, the trustees o f the U niversity of California
approved a $3.1 billion divestm ent decision, w hich must
be im plem ented fully over the next four years. In the
California state legislature, another tougher divestm ent
bill was passed, and Gov Deukmejian signed the mea
sure into law The new law will a ffect California state
pensions totalling $11 billion M ost political observers
state that Deukmejian's reversal was a classic case of
electoral opportunism
Running for reelection against
a popular Democrat, Los Angeles mayor Torn Bradley,
Deukmejian was pushed to take a progressive stance
Despite his motives, the law undoubtedly w ill have a
trem endous im pact on other state legislatures, as well
as on corporations w hich are still clinging to their profits
from apartheid
The California case is only one o f several recent di
vestm ent victories
The U niversity of W ashington's
board o f trustees recently reversed itself to approve
divestm ent
Nine o f the ten largest U S cities have
approved divestm ent legislation
W ashington. D C s
city council approved divestments totalling $35 m illion.
A total of ,9 states and 68 cities nationw ide have also
divested including Massachusetts. $ 1,0 m illion; Con
necticut. $79 m illion and Nebraska. $28 m illion
At
least 70 universities and colleges have either fully or
partially divested from South A frican related firms
Two weeks ago Georgetown U niversity's board of
trustees app’ oved a divestm ent proposal w hich w ould
remove $28 6 m illion from such companies as IBM ,
CBS. and General M otors corporation. G eorgetow n’s
decision resulted from a senes of anti apartheid campus
dem onstrations last spring, including a week long sit in
The struggle for apartheid divestm ent has even
m oved to historically Black colleges
In September,
the Reverend M otlalepula Chabaku. a South African
civil rights spokesperson, and Jesse Jackson urged
N orth Carolina A & T U niversity to end its fiscal relation
ship w ith North Carolina National Bank, a financial insti
tu tio n w hich has previously invested almost $100 m illion
in apartheid related firm s or loans S tudents construe
ted a South African style shanty near the student union
building and staged a candlelight peace and freedom
vigil
The next stage of anti apartheid activism is set for
October 10, the National Protest Day for Divestment
and Sanctions
Separate dem onstrations are being
planned in several key cities Miami, W ashington,
D C , Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and other cities
The rallies on October ,0 w ill call for political solidarity
w ith the South A frican anti apartheid m ovem ent, for
the immediate release o f all political prisoners, and
tough US sanctions against the Pretoria regime
Ronald Reagan's veto of the anti apartheid legislation
last m onth only illustrates the contem pt he exhibits
tow ards the legitim ate struggles of Black people Only
through a continuation o f mass protests and continued
political agitation can we m ove tow ard more effective
and stronger legislation against the apartheid Only by
going to the polls next m onth and voting against all
Democrats and republicans w h o embrace Reagan's
Constructive Engagement p o licy” o f support for apar
theid can we move tow ard freedom for our sisters and
brothers
j ON SOUTH AFRICA
Portlanders w ill be observing National A nti Apartheid
Protest Day on Saturday. October 11th
A march,
sponsored by Portlanders organized for Southern A fn
can Freedom (POSAF) and American Friends Service
Com m ittee w ill begin at noon after assembling at Terry
Shrunk Plaza at S W 3rd and Jefferson A t 1 30 p m
a rally w ill begin at Terry Shrunk Plaza Speakers w ill
include a representative from the A frican National Con
gress I A NC l
1 he march and rally are being held in support o f the
release of all political prisoners in South A frica and Na
nubia total divestm ent from and comprehensive sanc
tions against South A frica and solidarity w ith the peo
pie of Namibia, currently illegally occupied by 100,000
Snulh A tm an Irimpx
The apartheid system has generated one of the high
est per capita prison populations in the w orld, some
brought to trian and sentenced and others detained
w ith o u t charge or trial Since the June ,2 th State of
Emergency, there has been a new detainee every seven
m inutes and an estimated ,3.000 victim s The Portland
march and rally are part o f a grow ing e ffo rt in the U S
to assure that these thousands o f men. w om en and
children, each " g u ilty " o f fighting for freedom and jus
tice, do not disappear.
Total divestm ent is sought by POSAF and other U.S
support groups despite the most recent Congressional
action in suppoit of greater sanctions in an override of
Reagan’s veto. There are strengths to the just passed
bill w hich has been detailed elsewhere However, the
bill has weaknesses, as well
A m ong weaknesses are that short term trade finan
cing is still perm itted and South Africa is still perm itted
to reschedule outstanding loan payments, U S cor
porations will still be allowed to reinvest their profits
made in South A frica in their ow n corporation or any
other e n tity in South Africa. Further, brokerage ac
counts aie still allowed so investm ents in South A frican
stocks and securities can continue In addition, "Black
ow ned bruinesses w hich could be used as fronts for
w hite interests are exempt from sanctions Also allow
ed are loans to the South A frican governm ent to sub
sidize purchase o f U.S agricultural products.
w hites averages approxim ately $3,500 for every man,
w om an and child; for Blacks it is less than $150
Arm ed uprisings o f Namibian people at the beginning
o f the 20th century was crushed by German troops,
only one third of the population survived and their land
and cattle were taken A fte r the 1915 defeat o f Ger
m any in W W I, South A frica was granted authority
over South W est A frica as a mandated territory.
In the 1940s and ,950s Namibia leaders repeatedly
peacefully petitioned for independence to the United
Nations. In 1960 the South West A frican People's
Organization (SW APO ) was organized as a national
liberation movem ent
By 1966, after failure to resolve the Namibia question
through diplom atic and legal efforts, SW APO launched
armed struggle Its central objective, state by its ,976
constitution, continues to be "liberation from colonial
oppression, the achievement o f independence and the
transform ation of Namibia in to a dem ocratic, non
racial, egalitarian so cie ty.” Indeed, by ,973 SW APO
was accepted as the authentic representative of the
Namibia people by the UN General Assembly
Though pushed to a negotiating table previously.
South Africa continues to occupy Namibia illegally and
to im plem ent apartheid through adm inistrative control,
m ilitary occupation and repression, including wide
spread docum ented system atic torture of detainees
M uch o f the country is a m ilitary zone, dom inated by
an estimated 100.000 soldiers and jx>lice a, 85 90 m ill
tary bases in 1981.
There is a continuing flo w of refugees, forced, due to
army programs of population removal, defoliation and
fo rtifica tio n o f w hite to w n s ,” in to ' protected villages
close to m ilitary bases or in to huge squatter camps
Brutalities have resulted in fleeing of Namibians to An
gola where 80.000 refugees now live in SW APO run
refugee centers.
Other Black residents w ho remain, live in home
lands, and desert or marginal agricultural areas where
they were forced in 1964 W hites, less than 10 percent
of the population, claim 60 percent o f the land and an
even a higher percentage o f fertile land In 1964 whites
owned
controlled .14.500 out of 35.000 « e ll* .urveyed
Is the U.S on the right side o f this issue? By now it
Less publicized in the U.S has been sweltering op
pression in Namibia, bordering South Africa on the
northw est Namibia is a land o f wealth and poverty
It is perhaps the richest country in the w orld in relation
to the size of its population, estimated at 1 5 m illion
It is also among the most exploited in the w orld through
the gathering o f that wealth into foreign hands
Its
Cm*» Domestic Product average* over S I,000 per capi
ta annually, one o f the highest is Africa Yet over 80%
of its population lives below the Poverty Datum Line,
the incom e estimated by South African authorities to be
necessary for a Black fam ily of four to meet its minimal
needs
may come as no surprise that the U.S has collaborated
w ith South A frica in Namibia by insisting that Namibian
independence be linked to the w ithdraw al o f Cuban
troops from Angola (another southern A frican nation
the U S has chosen to back the oppressors in, Ango
la is also occupied by South A frican troops and is fre
quently attacked by them under the pretext o f "hot
persuit of SW APO soldiers and to bom b SW APO
bases These actions, .vhich the U.S. has not yet wash
ed its hand of, are part o f a policy o f m ilitary and econo
mic destabilization o f countries that support liberation
m ovem ents in South Africa and Namibia
In Namibia a non w hite child has only a 50 50 chance
o f surviving disease and m alnutrition to reach the age of
five The occupying governm ent spends on Black chit
dren s education one tenth the annual am ount spent to
educate w hite children
Annual personal income for
Portlanders. Observer readers, have the o p p o rtu n ity
this Saturday to demonstrate moral outrage at this U.S.
com plicity and to join w ith a gro w in g number o f Amen
cans whose voices are being heard and are no w impac
lin g our foreign policy in southern A frica