PORTLAND OBSERVER
Freddye Webb Petett. former executive director of the Urban League of
Portland, and president of Freddye Petett ft Associates a Portland based
consulting firm, has been chosen by Governor Elect Neil Goldschmidt to be
a member of his transition team.
As a member of the Human Resources Task Force, one of ten task forces
formed by Goldschmidt, Webb-Petett will advise Governor-Elect Gold­
schmidt on issues regarding human resources In addition, as part of the
Human Resources Task Force. Webb Petett will make recommendations
for legislation and legislation changes in regard to human resources She
will also advise the Governor on the budget for human resources
Forecast For
Photo by Richard J Brown
Rest easy over the two week winter break Portland Parks and Recrea
tion has plenty of fun and adventure in store for kids while school is out
Fitness "D e v « ". Dec 22 23, 11 30 AM 1PM St Johns Community
Center, 8427 N Central Coed, grades 1 8 Emphasis on physical skills
and endurance. Fee is $1.
M o m 's Shopping Special. Dec 23, 9 30 AM 1 PM, Peninsula Park
Community Center, 6400 N Albina Ages 2-5. Take the hassle out of last
minute holiday shopping send the children to the park Activities, crafts,
games, cooking Class size is limited Fee is $6 50
B um per M adness. Dec 22. 6 9 PM. Hillside Community Center, 653
N W. Culpepper Ages 6 12. Ride the fastest cars in the USA crash,
bash, and crunch Fee is 512
S no w Bunny Lodge Trip. Dec 29, 8 30 AM 5 PM, Peninsula Park
Community Center, 6400 N Albina Enjoy inner tubing down the slopes of
Snow Bunny Lodge near Mt Hood Bring lunch and a change of clothes
Transportation and inner tubes are included Pre registration is essential
Fee is $14
M exican Fiesta. Dec 30, 10 AM 12:30 PM, Peninsula Park Community
Center, 6400 N Albina Ages 5 10 Start the new year with a fiesta
mask making, Mexican flowers, food specialties, and more Fee is $6
Holiday V acatio n Day Care, Dec 22 Jan 2 (except Dec 25 and
Jan 1), 8 AM 6 PM, Sellwood Community Center, 1436 S.E Spokane
Ages 4 11. Classes, field trips each day's schedule is different Limited
enrollment; pre registration is essential Fee is $1 25/hr for 6'6 hours or
more; I 1 5 0 /hr for less than 6 hours
H oliday Fun Day C am p. Dec 22 24, 9 AM noon. Overlook House
Community Center, 3839 N Melrose Ages 3 9 Activities are centered
around the upcoming holiday Included are crafts, cooking, games, songs
and even a visit from Santa himself Fee is 112
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by Jerry Garner
Grim Winter
Kids’ Days O ff— W hat To Do
25$
Kian Leader
Moving to
Oregon?
by Jerry Garner
Webb Petett served as executive director of the Urban League of Port
land from 1979 85. From 1976 79, she was administrative assistant to Gold
schmidt when he was mayor of Portland Webb Petett has also served as
project director for Nero b Associates consulting firm.
When asked whether her appointment to the transition team by Gold
schmidt means that she will be offered a position in his administration, she
replied, "No, my role as an advisor to the Governor will end Jan. 12th
Even if I was offered a position in his (Goldschmidt's) administration, I
would not take it."
Webb Petett's newly formed consulting firm, Freddye Petett b Asso
ciates, requires her utmost attention The firm is a management consultant
business and provides services in the following areas organizational and
staff development, training, minority affairs, and special affairs
Webb Petett is the only Black named to Goldschmidt's 17 member tran
sition team
December 3, 1986
Former
Michigan
Webb-Petett
on Transition
Team
Freddye P etett
Volume XVII, Number 4
Homeless
by Jerry Garner
The nation's homeless face a grim outlook this winter according to a
report by the National Coalition for the Homeless
The report, entitled "National Neglect National Shame, America's
Homeless, " says that presently there are more homeless men, women and
children in America today than at any time since the Great Depression.
Furthermore, the report stated that although the ranks of the homeless
continue to swell, with an average of 25 percent, the gap between the need
for emergency shelter and the resources to provide it. widens Families
with children are now the fastest growing segment of the nation's home
less population, the report said.
The report's findings were based on surveys conducted by the Coalition
for the Homeless of 21 cities across the country Portland was one of those
cities
Each shelter's operators who participated in the survey in the 21 cities all
agreed that the increase in the number of homeless is the result of the
"extreme scarcity" of affordable housing for low income Americans
Michael Stoops, Director of the Burnside Community Council (the Port
land agency that took part in the national survey), blamed the Reagan
administration's massive cutbacks in federally subsidized housing and
reductions in federal benefits programs that leave families unable to pay
both the rent and put food on the table Stoops is now in Washington,
D C. He plans to spend the entire winter living on the streets of the nation's
capital to protest what he terms as the federal government's lack of con
earn for the homeless in America.
Stoops said during an interview before he departed for Washington,
D C., that there are some 9,000 homeless people in Portland with only
2,000 beds available to house them. He said he has noticed an increase in
homelessness among women, families, and young people in their teens and
early 20's.
The report stated that local governments and communities, even when
responsive, are unable to meet the need for emergency aid for the home
less. Furthermore, it said that the current federal response to homeless
ness is grossly inadequate In its conclusion, the report said "Recent fed
eral policy decisions have causer! and exacerbated the widespread home
lessness that is evident on streets and in the shelters across America to­
day."
The National Coalition for the Homeless, in their report, urges the fed
eral government to implement a three part program to address the problem
of homelessness: first, emergency relief to ease the immediate suffering of
the nation's homeless men, women and children; second, preventative
measures to stem the increasing tide of homelessness, and third, long term
solutions to address the underlying causes of homelessness
"Anybody associated with the Aryan Nation should be considered ex
tremely dangerous by law enforcement officials.”
This quote is from a 1984 FBI report on the neo Nazi hate group, the
Aryan Nation.
If the above FBI report is correct, then Oregon's law enforcement otfi
cials and minorities living in the state should be concerned about the plan
ned move to Coos Bay by Robert E. Miles Miles, who is the former Grand
Dragon of the Michigan KKK, has strong ties with the violent neo Nazi hate
group The Aryan Nation, located in Hayden Lake. Idaho
Last year, ten former members of the Aryan Nation, known as The Order,
weie convicted in U S District Court in Seattle of conspiracy and racket
eoring Members of The Order claimed that Miles was given some of the
m ney from the bank robberies However, no charges of receiving stolen
property have ever been filed against Miles by law enforcement officials
The 61 year old Miles has been in the hate movement for years He and
Richard Grint Butler, head of the Church of Jesus Christ Christians and its
political arm, the Aryan Nation, were the chief organizers of the World
Aryan Congress held this past summer in Hayden Lake.
Miles has served as both Grand Dragon and "Imperial Kludd" of the
United Kians of America in Michigan. In 1970, he was convicted of burning
school buses and on a conspiracy charge relating to the tarring and feather
ing of a school principal to protest school integration in Pontiac, Michigan
Miles and othor hate groups have declared the entire Pacific Northwest
(Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana) as a white home
land In his publication "Beyond the Bars, The Stars," which is sent to
some 3,700 inmates in prisons throughout the nation, Miles encourages
the inmates to relocate in the Pacific Northwest once they're released from
prison.
Although Miles claims that he and his followers don't advocate the use of
violence, law enforcement officials dispute their claims. According to Koo
tenai County Prosecutor, Glenn Walker, the preaching of hatred by Miles
and Butler, was the driving force behind The Order’s series of armed rob
benes and bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the
United States
"These people are not just right wing, they're far, far out of the main­
stream of American politics They're as undemocratic and as un American
as anyone can be," Walker said
Indeed, members of the Aryan Nation, the Ku Klux Kian, and othor white
supremacist groups, havo been involved in violent acts against minorities
and government officials around the nation. For example
• Individual members of the Aryan Nation have been implicated recent
ly to a series of bombings in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
• Members of The Order wero involved in a shoot out with FBI agents in
Portland, November 24, 1984 The group had come to Portland for a gene­
ral meeting in which a new base of operations for The Order would be esta
blished near Mount Hood. A FBI agent was wounded in the shoot out
• Robert Tate, another former Order member, was convicted this year in
Missouri of the 1984 murder of a Missouri state trooper Tate, of Athol,
Idaho, is currently serving two life sentences for that crime
After moving to the Northwest, Miles and his cohorts plan to expel all
non Aryans from the area and declare it a separate nation from the United
States Under this nation, only white Aryans would have property rights
In July of this year the Portland City Council passed a resolution denoun
cing white supremacist groups whose intentions are to move to Portland
and other locations throughout the Pacific Northwest
Deck The Halls:
W reath-M aking Workshops
No one knows winter greenery better than the Bureau of Parks and Re
creation
Our workshops will show you how to create special holiday
wroaths that will have your own personal touch
Fulton Park C om m u nity Center. 68 S W Miles; Session A, Dec. 11,
7 8:30 AM: Session B, Dec 10, 7 9 PM Bring gloves and clippers. Fa
shion a 12 to 14 inch wreath using a variety of greenery, cones, and bows
Learn secrets to keeping greens fresh Fee is $3
M a tt D ishm an C om m u nity C enter, 77 N E Knott; Session A,
Dec 10, 1 3 PM. Session B, December 10, 6 8 PM Includes greens, wire
frame, pine cones, and ribbon Bring any additional ornaments you may
want to add Fee is $3
M t S cott C om m u nity C enter, 5530 S.E 72nd; Session A, Dec. 9,
7 9 PM Session B, Dec. 10, 11AM noon Uses fresh greens to make a
wreath Bring gloves, scissors, and any decorations you may want to add.
Fee is $3
W o od sto ck C om m u nity C enter, 5905 S.E 43rd, Dec 8, 7-9 PM
Bring pruners and wire cutters; gloves optional Make your own wreath
from fresh greens and decorate with bows and cones Fee is $10.
B in n tm e a d C o m m u n ity S chool. 2225 S.E 87th; Dec. 9, 7 9 PM
Bring your own greens Fee is $3 plus $2 for materials
B ridlem ile C o m m u n ity School. 4300 S W 47th; Dec 9, 6:30 9 PM
Pick up supply list before class Preregistration required Fee is $3.
M a rk h a m C o m m u n ity S chool. 10625 S W 35th, Session 1, Dec 9,
7 9 PM; Session 2, Dec 10, 1-3 PM Bring gloves, wirecutters, evergreen
boughs (fir, pine, holly, arborvitae, etc ! Includes ribbon, wire frame, floral
wire Fee is $5
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