Page 2, Portland Observer, January 13, 1988
EDITORIAL /
voung Black pimp deserves an immediate examination
History tells us that the Black prostitute and the Black pimp are fairly re_
cent creations in the evolution of the African-American personality in this
country. Unfortunately, some young Blacks, male and female have come to
admire the morbid glamour that is associated with the personality.
There is a growing population of young Black males and females in Port-
tone, whci believe in the doctrine of 'female inferiority and male domination.
Ironically this is the social doctrine that placed women in American in a sub­
ordinate position. And, it is the same doctrine that caused American women
to take to the streets and demand equality in the home, in marriage, on the
iob and in their personal relationships with men.
Young Black females who believe in the doctrine of male dominance,
leave themselves open to a variety of seductive male stereotypes, miscalcu­
lations criminal sophistication and social disorders.
, .
Daily we are witness to dramas where young Black males display their
belief in the doctrine of male dominance by slapping, beating, pushing, and
verbally threatening young Black females who have come to beheve that
these men are acting this way because they care and love them. There have
been recent cases in this community where young Black fem^le' ^ re ^ ^
lv beaten to death because they believed the men cared, and, thus, allowe
h S ’ o e“ a b £ h a pattern ol verbal threats and violence. We must never
,™ e t“ n?caee of Tiina H u n »., who. in 1982. was abducted from the cam-
pus9 of Portland Community College and brutally murdered because she re*
fused to work as a prostitute. Her battered body was found in a wooded area
in Battleground, Washington. Her killer believed
the d° ctr,neJ 0 ™
dominance. He felt that Trina was his property and that he had the right
V *. -
.
•- •I *..•
». •*•*. ,
• . • ?7 4 1
fnrrp hpr to do whatever he wanted.
The time has come for the Black community to give this problem some
verv serious attention. We want our sons and daughters to grow up with
healthy perceptions of each other. We want our sons and daughters to have
resDect for each other. Thus, we must look within our own homes and be
S s to seed we are contributing to the problem. Do we believe that men
are supposed to dominate females? Is this the perception some of us give
our ¿ n s and daughters in the home? Do some of us truly believe that wo-
men are suppose to be submissive, docile, unintelligent, and subject to each
and every whim of a man? Are these the types of relationships some of us
are involved in as we go about raising our children?
ctrnnn nositive
The voung Black males of our community are in need of strong, positive
programs that will help them reshape their thinking. We must teachJ h®^ t0
respect the minds and bodies of all women. We must reinforce these^teach,
mgs with positive images of women in every aspect of our daily lives But
more importantly, we must openly live and practice the very
On the other hand, whenever we witness our young males engag'ng
the abuse of our daughters, we must stop them immediately. We have the
right and we must exercise that right. Whenever we see our young daugh­
ters standing on Union Avenue attempting to seduce Johns , we must re-
m°v®n doing so, we must express our concern, our love, and our desire to
help them evolve from a bad situation to a positive one. We must make clear
that we are part of an extended family of Black people who are able and will­
ing to do all we can to save our children.
No one will do it for us. Now is the time.
4.
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PORTLfiWbÒBSERVER
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Drug Pushers for Tots
Today psychiatrists are making drug addicts out of America s school
children by placing them on drugs to correct bogus mental disorders
invented by the psychiatric industry. Take a look at the bible of psychia­
try the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . In it you
will discover that psychiatry has REDEFINED normal childhood behavior as
mental illness. I’m talking about behavior including everything from fid-
qeting in a school chair, to shoving to be first in line. This ploy has dupe
thousands of parents into having their children placed on Ritalin, an amphe­
tamine-type drug that has a host of disturbing side-effects.
Dr. Herbert E. Rie, professor of pediatrics and psychology at Ohio
State University points out that children on Ritalin "slow down dramatically
and are out of people's hair, but when objective testing is done, they re
not performing one bit better. In fact, what we're observing is that the
youngsters on drugs are far less responsive and enthusiastic; and are far
more apathetic, humorless and zombie-like.
Anger from parents around the country is starting to swell on this
issue. Just recently, on the second day of the Annual Convention of Child
Psychiatrists here in Washington, D.C., a Maryland woman filed a $3 mil­
lion dollar suit against two psychiatrists who had prescribed Ritalin for her
son She charged that her son is suffering from serious permanent learning
disabilities as a result of the drug, and that the psychiatrists did not inform
The Tragedy of Yvonne Smallwood
Yvonne Smallwood was 28 years
old and the mother of four children.
The youngest is two. She worked
full-time for the city of New York
and then worked a second job as a
dietician's aide for a Bronx hospital,
just to bring in extra money for her
family.
On December 3rd she was ar­
rested for protesting the issuance of
a summons to Austin Harper, her
mate, who is a cab driver.
On
December 9th she was dead while
still in police custody.
What happened during those
seven days clearly points to yet
another case of unchecked police
brutality in New York City. W it­
nesses, including Austin Harper and
a bystander, a social work investi­
gator for New York City, both con­
firmed that Yvonne Smallwood was
her of the drug's dangers.
,
L u .
beaten by several white police offi­
Fortunately, there is a solution to salvage a child who has been put on
cers. The investigator noted that
a drug like Ritalin. The Los Angeles-based Foundation for Advancements
police threw her to the ground and
in Science and Education has done numerous scientific studies on the uri-
kicked her. Mr. Austin stated that
fication Program, and found it to be remarkably effective in flushing out
during this first beating she was
drugs and toxins which have lodged in the body.
knocked unconscious.
One day state and federal authorities will stop giving our tax dollars to
Police then took her to the hospi­
the psychiatric industry. One day they will wake up to the fact that psy­
tal
where she was treated and re­
chiatry is the biggest failure of the 20th century. One day they will realize
leased
back into police custody.
that psychiatry is costing us billions of dollars in taxes for unworkable pro-
According to Austin, the officers
qrams which create crime, violence and drug abuse.
wheeled her to the police car where
And the terrible, dark secret is that without this massive government
they beat her yet again: "The se­
subsidy the psychiatric industry would collapse overnight. Like a used car
cond time, after they wheeled her
dealer who consistently sells cars that break down within two miles of the
out of the hospital, my brother and
lot, psychiatry could never survive open competition in the American
I watched as she fell out of the
market place.
,-».r»i"
wheelchair and the police didn't be­
So don't let them drug your child. Just say "NO.
lieve she was hurt so they pushed
her, picked her up, threw her into
Alexander R Jones is the Director of M inority and Third W orld A ffairs for the Church of
the police car and, when her legs
Scientology (RI International ___________________ _____________________________________ _
stuck out the back seat, they beat
and kicked them into the car." The
police then took her to jail at Riker s
Island.
Mary Joseph, Mr. Harper's sister,
by Nyewusi Askari
who
is a nurse at Riker's Island, saw
Last week James O. Kelly, President of Rejuvenation House Parts Com­
Yvonne in the infirmary there and
pany and the former employer of Joe Holcomb, wrote a letter to the editor
confirmed, "She was crying and
of The Portland Observer expressing his belief that Holcomb s murder
crying, saying the police beat her
was not racially motivated. Following on the heels of Kelly's letter was a
over and over. Her leg was swollen,
letter from Da> d Hupp. Hupp believes that my article, "The Other Story
her ankles were bruised . . . I've
(12/30/87), injected racism into Holcomb's murder. You cite some rumors
seen beaten people in my line of
about Joe Holcomb's murder as a means of raising some deeply disturbing
work, and she was beaten." Small­
racial issues. You raise some journalistic issues as well, alleging that media
accounts of what happened were inaccurate. An uninformed reader might
conclude that this murder was racially motivated and that the media didn t
do a good job. My own view is that Joe was murdered by a thug, that the
murder was unprovoked, and that Joe chose to intervene and help prevent
someone from being harassed. All the verifiable facts point to h.s conclu­
sion. Apparently you haven't checked those facts, or you wouldn't have
spread the rumors, because they are ludicrous . . ." Hupp's letter said.
As the writer of the article Hupp and Kelly are speaking about, I offer
To Mr.'s Kelly & Hupp
wood's court appointed attorney
says that when he saw her at the
arraignment, "Her wrists were very
swollen and her leg was three times
its normal size. She was in really
bad shape, dragging her leg behind
her." Ms. Smallwood, still in police
custody, later died of a blood clot
that moved from her swollen leg to
her lungs.
The Smallwood murder comes at
a time when the African American
community of New York has be­
come the target of increasing racial­
ly motivated violence. But, as a re­
sult, this community is also begin­
ning to unify around concrete stra­
tegies for changing the situation in
New York.
As I preached the eulogy at
Yvonne Smallwood's funeral and
looked down at her young body,
draped with a red, black and green
liberation flag, I reflected, "When
we look upon your face, my sister,
we see ourselves. For you are us.
You in your death personify the
essence of our struggle. They tried
to club your spirit out of existence
but it is here with us tonight."
"Let us all make a commitment to
her spirit, for the best memorial we
can give to Yvonne is to resolve to
have the kind of unity and action in
our community that makes New
York City a city without racism, a
city without killer cops . . . Our
commitment must be not to forget
because too many of us have am­
nesia. Too many of us forget too
quickly what has been done to
us . . . We are in a life and death
struggle but we must make it more a
struggle for life than death. For we
are tired of going to these kind of
funerals."
This must be our promise to
Yvonne Smallwood — and to all the
Yvonne Smallwoods throughout
this nation. We must translate our
remembrance of them into concrete
action for change. If we do this,
they will not have died in vain.
Letters to the Editor
the following response:
The Portland Observer doesn't support the murder of any human
being and our position on such matters is well-documented. However, as an
historically Black newspaper, we subscribe to the proposition that there are
two sides to every story.
The "Other Story" article explained that there were "rumors circulating
through the community about Holcomb’s death. That these rumors were
infused with perspectives which were different than those that appeared in
other print and broadcast media, is no fault of this writer or The Portland
Observer That Hupp believes in the so-called "verifiable facts point to
only one side of the coin. None of Hupp's so-called verifiable facts tell us
why that young Black man pulled the trigger. To merely say he pulled the
trigger because he is a thug is to take the easy way out. To take the easy way
out is to ensure that similar situations will happen again. To probe into un­
charted, uneasy territory, in order to get to the root cause of why the trigger
was pulled, is to make an effort to ensure that it won't happen again.
Given the historical evolution of race relations in this country, it should
come as no surprise to Hupp and Kelly that some members of the Black com­
munity saw Holcomb's death as race-related. To say the incident was race-
related is not to say that Holcomb’s death was racially motivated. Race-
related means, "the incident took place between persons who were racially
different: a Black man and a White man."
Those along North Mississippi Avenue who believe race played a part in
Holcomb’s death have a right to believe what they perceive a truth. They
have a right to believe in what they perceive as a truth. It s not my job
to pass judgment on their beliefs by not giving them an opportunity to say
what they believe and feel. Having experienced oppression, I would never
take away anyone's right to free speech. Nor would I simply pass off their
beliefs as unimportant.
That Joe Holcomb was murdered is one set of facts. These facts will
probably ensure the conviction of his killer. If Joe Holcomb was murdered
because that young Black man merely saw him as a white man whose life
carried no merit, then that's another ballgame altogether.
,S H » |
r'C
r .
Beniamin F. Chavis Jr.
by Alexander R Jones
One distressing aspect of Union Avenue is the presence of
Young
Black prostitute. Looking like they belong to a freshman high school class,
these women face an abundance of problems: drugs, AIDS, crime, unwan
ed pregnancies, homelessness, and isolation. Equally distressing is the pre­
sence of young Black male youths who call themselves pimps.
The presence of the Black pimp doesn't signify that they are they only
group of men who are involved in the evolution of prostitution iri the city <
o
Portland The problem cuts across racial, cultural and ethnic boundaries*
However, the emerging presence of the young Black prostitute and the
*•»*. • *
Civil Rights Journal
Freedom & Social Justice
EDITORIAL
» • •’ *
OPINION
For Black parents of children who get caught up in the web of crime,
violence and drugs. It's important to know the "why's" of such ill-fated,
traqic incidents. It allows them to organize efforts to prevent similar inci­
dents from happening again. One of the most devastating experiences a
Black parent can have is to find out that their son or daughter killed a Joe
Holcomb because he was white.
As far as Hupp and Kelly are concerned, I suggest that they continue to
work for the conviction of Holcomb's killer. The Black community stands
with and behind them on that issue. However, long after the issue has faded
from the screens of television and from the pages of newspapers, the Black
community will still be seeking answers to the question, "Why?
Why? Because we don't want it to happen again.
I am sure Kelly and Hupp will agree.
.■«it
Racial Incidents in Amerika are
Being Discussed Overseas
Concerning "Racial Incidents Dis­
cussed at Cleveland High School":
While at the Kwame Nkrumah Cen­
ter in Accra, Ghana, a beautiful
Black Sister Student asked "W hy
were Black's called 'NIGGERs' in
Amerika Isicl?" Minister Farrakhan
Muhammad, leader of the Nation of
Islam, was asked the same ques­
tion in Ghana several months be­
fore I arrived.
On behalf of myself and all sane-
minded people, I would like to ad­
dress the issue of the term/word
“ NIGGER." Since everyone has a
term to show forth their best quali­
ties, I do believe that it is time for
us to show forth a united common
sense in regard to the disgusting
term/word "NIGGER." Those In
positions of authority in the educa­
tional system should stop pretend­
ing that institutional racism no long­
er exists. Let the term/word "NIG ­
GER" be exposed for the "vicious
sin" that it is. Surely you learned
people know of the many and varied
evils that arise out of the usage of
such a filthy expression. That term/
word is without a doubt the most
horrible, vicious, satanic, and dia­
bolical word ever used in the annals
of man's existence to describe a
person or people. The "evil power
of the term/word "NIGGER" robs a
whole people of respect.
I am certain that we can work,
unite, in an external campaign to
help restore dignity to the people
who have been so brutalized by this
evil term/word.
This matter re­
quires a singlemindedness, a united
effort, a force of oneness. What a
glorious blessing it will be to the me­
mory of the ex-slaves and their
children to no longer be called by
the filthy name "NIGGER
Kill the
NIGGER' now
At the moment around this nation
there are two fundamental ques­
tions which will plague the Black na­
tion in Amerika Isicl for the remain­
der of the 20th century. The first
question is, will Black people sur­
vive genocide by so-called Christian
caucasoid Amerika Isicl In the 80 s,
90 s and the year 2000? The second
question is, who will win the battle
for the collective Black mind? Are
Black people capable and willing to
change our slave mentality? Do we
as Black people have the collective
will to fight the enemies of our na­
tional interest? The battlefield of
the 80's and 90's will be for the col­
lective mind. It is a war which we
must w in . Whoever wins the collec­
tive mind and will of Black people
will ultimately win the physical war
againt the enemies of our race or
destroy the race.
Mentacide, according to the late,
great Dr. Bobby E. Wright, is the
systematic, deliberate destruction
of an individual's or group's collec­
tive mind with the aim of group
termination. Mentacide is the silent
rape of a people's collective mind
by the penetration and perpetuation
of alien culture, values, belief sys­
tems, or ideas for the purpose of
group destruction or for political use
of the victims' group. Mentacide's
method is to control the behavior of
the victim through mind control.
Mentacide systematically utilizes
the institutions which project ima­
ges, values, beliefs and opinions.
Mentacide creates an illusion which
the victim believes to be real, until
it's too late. And many of us run
around wondering why we can't
control our children.
Letter to the E d ito r -
C ontinued on Page 4
»