Page 2, Portland Observer. September 16, 1987
Freedom and Social Justice
by Alexander R Jones
Black Leaders Oppose Psychiatric
Drugging of Children
The Brother was one of the chief organizers of the Poor People's Confer­
ence. They went after my Sister because she had a brain and was commit­
ted; She was able to teach our people to think in a systematic way about
an alternative philosophy of society. Most students, people I've come in
contact with around this nation, agree that the society must be changed.
They viewed this obligation as a revolutionary duty, but also, and equally
important, as an expression of their boundless love for humanity.
In a homogeneous society, racism would ro t be a factor; but in
"Nigger Hating" Amerika where the Black Person at one point in history
was considered non-human, it becomes indispensable.
Dr. Jamil Cherovee
by Alexander R. Jones
There is increasing opposition among Black leaders around the country
against the psychiatric practice of putting small children on the drug Ritalin,
an amphetamine, to handle the questionable diagnosis of hyperactivity .
Attorney Thomas Bioome, President of the National Bar Association,
is adamant in his opposition to the use of the drug. I m very familiar with
Ritalin” , he told me in a phone interview.
It surfaced several years ago.
I'm opposed to it. In fact, I'm entirely opposed to this whole concept of
drugging Black kids. I'm of the opinion that social workers are using Black
kids as guinea pigs to further their own careers. That concerns me very
much.”
When I asked him what kind of results he had observed with Ritalin,
he commented "I have observed LACK of results. It doesn t work. I ve
seen no example where Ritalin has had any effect, other than a negative
effect of giving a kid a drug."
Broome's position is well founded. Prevalent psychiatric diagnosis
and treatment” is based on some of the most unscientific thinking you can
find anywhere. One of the rare, truly scientific, CONTROLLED studies
done on the effectiveness of psychiatric drugs, showed conclusively that
the patients who received no drugs at all did the best. Yet this study, and
voluminous evidence which shows that psychiatric drugs have, and are,
seriously harming people, have been almost completely ignored by psy­
chiatrists. It is easier and more profitable to continue to drug patients.
Now they want to drug our children.
James Carter, retired educator of 26 years and consultant to the Con­
gressional Black Caucus, explained ''As an educator, I would be opposed to
a child taking drugs. I would have a real problem with tha t." Carter,
who is a board member of the Secretary of Education's Task Force on Illi­
teracy, was one of the chief national architects in the organization of the
Black vote which resulted in the return of the Senate to democratic control
last November.
Verna Lawes, Executive Secretary for the National Political Congress
of Black Women, expressed similar sentiments. "I would never allow my
children to be given a drug to alter their behavior. I think that the reason
for giving drugs is not so much to make life easier for the patient, but to
make life easier and more profitable for other people."
Get the facts. For a FREE booklet on the psychiatric drugging of chil­
dren, write me at Suite 200, 316 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Washington,
D C. 20003.______________________ ________________________ ____
Alexander R. Jones is the Director of Minority and Third World Affairs for the Church of Scien
tology (R) International.)
Letters to the Editor
The Economic System in Amerika is
Not Designed to Survive on
Full Employment
Today around this nation, while the poor and unemployed continue
to increase, many politicians are advocating more prisons are needed.
Unable to acquire the fruits of a highly materialistic society in a manner
that is consistent with bourgeois legal rationality, many resort to illegal
means. This phenomemon, however, is not peculiar to Black people in
the United States, but can be found wherever the social conditions of eco­
nomic inequality are allowed to exist. Therefore, it follows that in capitalist
countries where economic disparity is most pronounced, crime will reach
its highest stage of development. When people are out of work and unable
to provide for their families, there is a great propensity to acquire the neces­
sities of life illegally. However, in periods of high employment, the crime
rate drops significantly. Universally, the ones who suffer the most in
periods of economic depression are the poor, regardless of color.
I'm inclined to believe the economic necessity that forces destitute
workers and poverty-stricken masses to commit crimes is exacerbated by
the fact that the bourgeoisie defines criminal behavior, controls land and
courts, and maintains police as instruments of political oppression, which
further increases likelihood of arrest for the working class. In sum, the
bourgeoisie do not arrest themselves. St. Matthew 12:26.
The foregoing economic analysis is particularly germane to Black peo­
ple since we comprise one-third of the poor in Amerika. As a result of being
poor, an unconscionable number of crimes are committed by Blacks. How­
ever, in utilizing an economic analysis, racial discrimination must also
become a factor; otherwise it would be impossible to explain why poor
Caucasians in this country do not comprise a larger proportion of the prison
population. The fact that on the national level Blacks comprise close to
50 percent of the prison population (and in New York State, 80 percent)
indicates that the economic analysis must allow for the racial factor.
Black people in Amerika have had a long history of both unemploy­
ment and underemployment. After the abolition of slavery. Blacks entered
into a sharecropping relationship which was essentially a form of re­
enslavement under excessive credit and debt. It was not until the turn of
the century that Black people became wage earners to any significant
degree. In their attempts to claim a decent wage for a day's work, Blacks
ran into discrimination imposed by "Jim Crow laws. After the passage of
Supreme Court decisions and Federal legislation outlawing discrimination,
Blacks still encountered difficulty in procuring quality employment. As a
result, the unemployment rate for Blacks has perennially been at least twice
that of Caucasians.
Today, Blacks are imprisoned in disproportion to their numbers in the
general society. Black women constitute nearly half of the females in pri­
sons around this nation. Blacks and foreigners make up the bulk of the
country's prison population. This high rate of imprisonment reflects the
difficulty foreigners and Blacks have in obtaining gainful employment in a
racist society.
After two beautiful people I had become very close to were convicted
of a crime they had no knowledge of, I began questioning penalogists
around this nation They had no pretensions about the goals of their sys­
tem. It was clearly not based upon any rehabilitative ideal. The system is
a better training school for criminals than any of the dens of iniquity that
exist in our large cities . . . the first lesson taught is that the state cares
nothing for the so called criminal, not his well being.
The power structure dares not have a person with high visibility es­
pousing an alternative system. A weak person of low visibility is tolerable.
cy
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
A NKSS s m \ ICI
O f IH I U N IÎf D CHURCH OF CHRIST
They were told they couldn't win. They were told the lawsuit would
ruin their careers. Still, they continued. And now, four African American
reporters on the staff of the NEW WORK DAILY NEWS have been vindi­
cated. They have won their law suit. A jury has found that the four journal­
ists were given lower salaries, fewer promotions and worse assignments
because of their race. It is predicted that the outcome will have major
national impact. For, it is the first time that a discrimination suit, filed
by newspaper editorial employees, actually went to trial, and thus so fully
exposed the racism in that industry.
The evidence presented at the trial was overwhelming. For example,
the editorial department of the DAILY NEWS hired only 36 African Ameri­
cans since the late 1940's through 1981 - a period of over 30 years. And it
wasn't until 1981 that one was promoted into a mangement position.
According to the testimony of Vincent Donato, a former Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) manager, in the two short years from
1979 to 1981, the News hired or promoted 47 people into management posi­
tions. Yet none was African American.
As Mr. Donato testified, "W e found whites, as a group, were paid
more than Blacks. White employees were likely to get merit increases and
the increases they got were likely to be higher. Based on its findings, the
EEOC has now filed a class action discrimination suit against the DAILY
NEWS on behalf of 25 African American employees.
However, statistics never tell the full story. Statistics can t reveal that
an assistant night editor told another white staffer that Blacks are not well
suited for journalism [because! they didn't have the background and the
education." Statistics can't show how Joan Shephard, a cultural affairs
editor, felt after one editor called her a "street-walker". Numbers can t
demonstrate how David Hardy, the NEWS' political reporter, felt after he
was pulled off the famous Abscam scandal in favor of a white reporter,
even though he had exclusive knowledge about one of the Abscam defen­
dants. And figures don't explain the frustration that assistant news editor
Steven Duncan, now 63 years old, felt as he was passed over by other
white reporters, some of whom he had trained. It was only after he filed
discrimination charges in 1983 that he received his latest promotion.
Just as this trial has more than local implications, the situation which
it revealed exists in more than just the city room of the NY DAILY NEWS.
In newsrooms across the nation the percentage of Blacks and other racial
and ethnic peoples at the top management level is only 3%. In fact, racial
and ethnic employment at daily newspapers, at any level, is a mere 6.32%.
For those who wonder about the skewed and —dare we say it-ra c is t
coverage of papers like the NY DAILY NEWS, these statistics provide a
clearer understanding. However, knowledge is insufficient without action.
Our communities must begin to better use their power. In cities with large
African American and Hispanic populations, such as New York City, the
daily newspapers depend on the newsstand sales in these communities
and on the advertising dollars supported by the business of these popu­
lations. If we want our dailies to provide more balanced coverage of our
communities, we need to show them how their continued racist coverage
will affect their pocketbooks.
We also applaud the efforts, from the inside, of the interracial Insti­
tute for Journalistic Education, a watchdog and training organization. The
Institute provides top-notch training for racial and ethnic journalists and
has consistently spoken out against the shameful hiring and promotion
practices of this nation's daily newspapers.
The greatest credit, however, goes to the four journalists who perser-
vered through five long years of legal maneuverings until they won their day
in court. Their battle is far from over, of course. THE NEWS, in all its arro­
gance, will continue to fight with all the money and power at its disposal.
But nothing can erase the decision nor the evidence upon which it was
based. As always, it is not only organizations, but also two or three people
united in action, who continue the movement for change.
INVESTMENT IDEAS
Choosing Retirement Alternatives
Nearing retirement? If so, you're probably counting on your com­
pany's retirement plan as your primary source of retirement income. But
not all company-sponsored retirement plans are alike. Some plans distri­
bute the money to retirees all at once in the form of a lump sum distribu­
tion. The retiree can then choose the investments that meet his or her indi­
vidual needs.
Other plans, however, do not offer the choice of a lump sum distribu­
tion. These employees are faced with deciding between several monthly
annuity retirement options. There are three common options available to
retirees in this situation. These options are examined below in the case of
a 65-year-old retiree and his wife.
A. Life and 50 percent to the surviving spouse. For example, a retired
couple might receive income of $850 per month for as long as they both are
alive. After the husband's death, his widow receives $425 per month for
the rest of her life. The surviving children will receive nothing.
B. Life and 100 percent to the surviving spouse. For example, the
same couple might receive $700 per month as long as either is alive. This
option provides more widow's benefits but with $150 lower monthly income
while both are alive ($850 versus $700).
C. Life only option. In this example, the retiree could elect an option
that pays income only as long as he lives. Neither his widow or his children
receive any income payments under this option. This option would provide
the retired employee with an income of $1,000 per month for life.
Most people want to take care of their families, so they usually lean
toward taking either optior^A_or_B, which provide widow benefits. The
288 0033
Box 3137, Portland Oregon 97208
N a t io n a l A d v e r tis in g R e p r e s e n ta tiv e
W e # V p A 1 per
Association • Founded 1U 5
■\llrcil I Henderson, I dilor/Publisher
A l Williams, General Manager
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by Gov. Neil Goldschmidt
News From Neil
School Funding Reform
Commissioners Named
Gov. Neil Goldschmidt named seven prominent Oregonians to the
Governor's Commission on School Funding Reform.
Members were announced at a news conference in Beaverton. The
Commission was created by the 1987 Legislature, to deal with Oregon's
school finance problems.
n
Chair of the Commission will be Bob Ridgley, President of the Oregon
School Boards Assocation, and also President of Northwest Natural Gas
Co., Portland.
Also named by Goldschmidt were Dale Weight, Portland; Alice Norris,
Oregon City; Ann Aiken, Eugene; Stuart Foster, Medford; Mayor R.
Charles Vars, Jr., Corvallis; and Alex Byler, Pendleton.
Serving with the citizen memebers will be Speaker of the House Vera
Katz, Portland; Senate President John Kitzhaber, Roseburg; Senate Mino­
rity Leader Cub Houck, Salem; and Rep. Larry Campbell, Eugene.
The Governor noted that most of his appointees have had experience
as members of local school boards. He said he did not name professional
educators to the Commission because he wanted the effort to be free from
any hints of special interest bias. But he promised that experts from the
education, finance and business communities will be called upon as the
Commission forms working subcommittees to deal with special problems
of school finance.
Goldschmidt also nested the broad geographical representation of the
Commission, and the range in types of school districts. Byler, he noted, is
knowledgeable about small rural districts, while Ridgley is a former Portland
School Board chair.
The new Commission expects to work closely with a number of citizen
groups, including the League of Women Voters, which this week an
nounced its plan for a statewide school finance study. Goldschmidt noted
that Sharon Little, League chair, had been asked to serve on the new
Commission, but had declined because of other commitments. The
League's work will be important to the new Commission, he promised.
Appointment of the new Commission is the latest of several steps the
Governor and Legislature have made this year.
Passage of the School Safety Net measure in May, the addition of
$30 million in state aid to local schools, a Constitutional amendment allow­
ing more productive investments for the Common School Fund, took place
during the legislative session.
"A s I have said many times, passage of the Safety Net was only a first
step toward solving the larger problem of providing stable and adequate
funding for our schools without bankrupting the taxpayers of this state,
Goldschmidt commented.
He cautioned voters that Safety Net budgets would in many cases
mean severe cuts in basic program, and the Safety Net should not be seen
as a permanent solution to school finance in Oregon.
Members named to the Commission include:
• Ridgley, 53, is currently president and chief executive officer for NW
Natural Gas Company in Portland. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he
is also president of the-Oregon School Boards Association. Ridgley had
served on the Portland School Board for twelve years.
• Weight, also 53, is the chairman of the board, president and chief
executive officer for The Benj. Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Asso­
ciation in Portland. He is currently a member of the Executive Council
School of Business Administration of Portland State University. He also
serves on the State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) and the director of the
Oregon Business Council. Weight holds a doctorate in Finance and Busi­
ness from the University of Oregon.
• Norris, 43, is a graduate in English Education and Journalism from
Oregon State University. She is a freelance public relations specialist and
a campaign manager. Norris has served as a member of the Oregon City
School Board for seven and a half years, where she was chairman for two
years. She also served as the president of the First Oregon Trail Pageant in
Oregon City
• Aiken, 35, is an attorney at Thorp, Dennet, Purdy, Golden and Ge-
wett in Eugene. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of
Law. Aiken served as the chief clerk of the House of Representatives in
1983. She currently is a member of the Eugene 4-J School Budget Com­
mittee and oh the board of directors of Fox Point Preschool.
• Foster, 45, is a lawyer and partner in Foster and Purdy in Medford.
He is presently a member of the Medford School Board and the past presi­
dent for the Medford Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Willamette
University School of Law, he is an elected member of the Board of Gover­
nor's for the Oregon State Bar.
• Vars, 50, is currently the Mayor of Corvallis. He is a member of the
Executive Board of the Oregon District Four Council of Governments. He is
also served on the Oregon Road Finance Policy Committee. A University of
California graduate, Vars is also a professor of Economics at Oregon State
University.
• An attorney and partner of Corey and Byler, Byler is 55. A graduate
of Willamette University College of Law, he has served as a member of the
Legal Education Committee of the Oregon State Bar, President of the Pen­
dleton Rotary Club and a board member of the Pendleton School District.
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his or her retirement income.
.
To find out how you can increase your retirement income and provide
for your family and heirs, talk to a professional investment broker about the
variety of attractive insurance policies that are available today.-----------------
C O M M ISS IO N FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Portland Observer
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