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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1988)
U ftìV U w l V * Ve *»«>»* *< 3 f gene, Oregon 97403 r * Islanders Seek Freedom Page 8 Page 3 Page 4 X1 Black Talent Directory County Seeks New Director 25C ERVER PORUA US P S 959 6 « ) 8655 Copyright E wie Publishing Co . Inr 1984 January 20, 1988 'The Eyes and Ears of the Community" Volume XVIII, Number 10 Heroine Angered Over Media Coverage by Nyewusi Askari Although Catherine O'Hara ap preciates her new title of a modern day heroine, a title she received after saving the life of 7-month-old Denoris McClendon, she is still fum ing about the media's coverage and handling of the crisis. On January 4, 1988, Ms. 0 Hara, upon hearing from neighbors that a nearby house was on fire, rushed to the burning home of Andrea Jones. Unable to enter the burning house, O'Hara proceeded to administer first aid to Ms. Jones and then to her son, Denoris, who had been res cued from the house but had stop ped breathing. With no thought in mind other than saving the life of the child, O'Hara spent the next 15 minutes desperately trying to re vive him. Her efforts paid off. Denoris started to breath again and was rushed to the hospital. O'Hara, who is white, said she never had second thoughts about helping the Jones family. So, when she received a telephone call from a local news reporter who wanted to talk about the subject of AIDS, she was dumbfounded. " It was an over-the-telephone interview. This female reporter kept saying to me, 'Since you didn't stop to think about AIDS when this first happened, and now that the sub ject has been brought up, what do you think your actions in the future A proud V irginia O'Hara show s the Red Cross lifesaving medal given to her m other, Catherine. O'Hara perform ed m o u th -to -m o u th resus cita tio n on 7-m onth-old Denoris M cC lendon, saving his life. Photos by Richard J. B row n would be?' I said, 'The same.' That's how I am. I said, 'If I was coming down a dark alley and found an amnesiated adult, I might slow down and think more, but I would still help,' " she said. When O'Hara read about herself in the newspaper, she found mis quotes. But what really angered her was the suggestion that it might be alright to help small children ir. time of trouble, but not unhealthy-look ing adults. "I look unhealthy once a m onth," she explained. "W hen I get a cold, I look unhealthy. I don't want the public to think that they shouldn't help someone just because he or she looks unhealthy. Anyone who has stopped breathing looks un healthy. . I really feel mad that the media substituted their words for mine. They made it appear that I had said I wouldn't help an unheal thy-looking person if I had to do the same thing again. Sure, this time around I would be more cautious of things like bleeding, but I would still give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Now there is no evidence that you can get AIDS from mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "They just assumed that because Andrea Jones was Black and I was white that she gave me AIDS. It's terrible because that is prejudice. The reporter said they had been in touch with the Fire Bureau, and they said that 'you (O'Hara) were concerned.' I was in such a shock, i had notning on my mind but coming home. I was halfway up the alley to my house when a fireman with a bottle of oeroxide said, "Here is some peroxide." H ke said it three times and suggested that the Jones family didn't look all that healthy," O'Hara explained. "Later he said that the Fire Bureau didn't really think the Jones family had AIDS and not to worry about it." "T hey d id n 't tell the m other to have her son checked because I m ig h t have A ID S ." - O'Hara "There was a Channel 2 editorial that I have not seen but was inform ed about that went on and on about the pros and cons of helping stran gers, and at the end the guy is sup posed to have said, "Isn't a shame she has to be tested for AIDS." Well, as a matter of fact, I don't have to do anything but die and pay taxes. "I went to the hospital, not be cause I was concerned about AIDS, but to visit the mother and to see the little baby. They were real glad to see me. The father thanked me. He almost shook my hand out of its socket. I asked him how the baby was and he shouted, 'Look, he's perfect, he's perfect.' He lifted up the hospital sheet and there was the baby all bright-eyed and happy." On Friday, January 15, O'Hara was recognized as a heroine. She also received an American Red Cross Lifesaving award. Ms. Andrea Jones and her 18- month-old son, Jalani, remain in serious condition at Emanuel Hospi tal & Health Center. Another son, 114-year-old Maurice, died in the fire. Ms. Jones needs surgery to repair nerve damage to her arm, and Jalani needs skin grafts. Seven-month-old Denoris Mc Clendon was released from the hos pital last week and is now living with his grandmother. O'Hara doesn't regret helping the Jones family but feels that the uncle of Denoris didn't receive the recog nition he deserves. "A t the scene, and then again in the paper, an article said that the uncle could be cited, too. He broke the bedroom window and got the baby out. Where was he on awards day? His name wasn't even men tioned on any of the television sta tions. He was totally forgotten about. He was there. He was as active as I was. I would have never been able to resuscitate his nephew if he hadn't gotten the baby out of the burning house," O'Hara said. OregonReportCard : A BlackPerspective by Nyewusi Askari In the first paragraph of his Oregon Comeback Plan, Governor Neil Gold schmidt says, "The Oregon Comeback is a business plan - an agenda for action — for our state. It is a new approach to creating work and opportu nities for Oregonians, transforming traditional values into actions that pro duce lasting investment in Oregon's future." In the first paragraph of his "Portland Safer City Plan," Mayor Bud Clark says, "Crime is a community problem. It can be solved by the entire commu nity working together to pool and coordinate resources. Citizens, busi nesses police and virtually every agency of government can contribute by making Portland a safer city. The key strategy to achieving this goal is: iden tification of problems; allocation of resources in a coordinated assault; and a working partnership between citizens and police. Good sounding stuff, especially in light of Portland's high crime rate and Oregon's need to get back on its feet economically. However, neither plan illustrates an understanding of the specific problems Black Oregonians face as they try to align themselves with the proposals. More importantly, neither plan soundly illustrates that the City of Portland and the State of Ore gon know who its Black citizens are. The Black Population According to the 1980 census (the last time a count was taken), Ore gon's Black population counted in at 37,060. 27,734 (75%) of these Black Oregonians lived in the Portland Metropolitan area, while 21,521 (58%) lived in what is now known as District 18. When we look at the median age of Black Oregonians, we find it to e 24.4 years for the State of Oregon and 24.9 years for the City of Portland^ Statewide, the Black male population numbered 19,136 while the Black female population numbered 17,924. In the City of Portland, there were 13,594 Black males and 14,140 Black females. Black Oregonians constitute a young, employable, educable population. However, because of a depressed Oregon economy, the lack of educational and job opportunities and distinct patterns of racism, many of these young Black Oregonians are not in the workplace. They are not in school. They are in a lot of places they shouldn't be. When the 1980 census was taken, there were 12,102 (33%) Black Ore gonians receiving public assistance, social security income, or both. Of this number, 4,166 were children under the age of 16. From age 16 to age 21, 1,439 were receiving assistance. Statewide, there were a total of 8,440 Black families. 6,518 of t iese families lived in the Portland metropolitan area while 4,955 lived in District 18. Black C o m m u n ity P rofile The largest population of Black Oregonians live in the Inner Northeast community of Portland. These Blacks find themselves living in a community that is predominately white (55%). with 1% American Indian. 2% Asian, 4% other' with Blacks representing 38% of the community population. In all other communities in the Portland Metropolitan area. Black peo ple represent only 1% to 6% of the total population in their neighborhoods. Perceptions Based on the media's portrayal of Blacks in the areas of crime, one is easily led to believe that Blacks are committing the majority of Portland crimes. Local television stations never fail to grab the opportunity to show criminal profiles of Black people while newscasters talk about the crime pro blem. Our data paints a different picture. As of November 1, 1987, white inmates constituted 79.4% of Oregon s prison population as compared to 13.3% Black, 2.9% Indian, 4.2% Hispanic, 1.2% Oriental and 3.6% 'other'. Out of a total number of 6,065 inmates, 4,695 were white, 785 were Black, 146 were Indian, 248 were Hispanic, 7 were Oriental and 21 were classified as others. At Oregon State Penitentiary, Black inmates numbered 470 while Black female inmates totaled 75. At Oregon's state training facilities, young Black males numbered 71 while young Black females numbered 11. The average age of the Black male inmate is roughly estimated to be 24 years. According to Police Bureau data, a record 70 homicides were committed in Portland in 1987. Of this number, 15 (21%) were Black, 37 (53%) were white, 9 were Hispanic, 5 were Asian, and 4 were American Indian. Police data reports that 22 of the murders were committed by acquaintances, 11 were committed by strangers, 10 were committed by a relative, 5 were com mitted by boy/girlfriends and 4 were committed by the police. Twenty-seven of the victims were shot, 19 were stabbed, 14 were beaten, 5 were strangled, and 3 were beaten and stabbed. Twenty-five of the murders occurred be cause of an argument/dispute, 9 of the killings occurred during a robbery, 4 were classified as drug-related, 4 as police self-defense, 2 as negligence, 2 as murder/suicide. and 1 each from raDe and arson. Oregon is experiencing the winds of change. These changes are occur ring in every corner of the State. Black Oregonians are and will contribute greatly, however, the direction in which these winds will blow is going to de pend on how well both the Mayor and the Governor construct, implement, and enforce programs that will contribute to the economic, educational and social advancement of its Black citizens. As of yet, we haven't heard the Governor express how his government is going to deal with the issue of racism in Oregon. We have not heard the City Council of Portland nor the Multnomah County Commissioners state their position. We have not heard from business or educational institutions on how they intend to help motivate, employ or inspire Black youth beyond their present condition. Much remains to be done. The question Black Oregonians are asking is: "Is Oregon willing, capable and ready to do its part? N ext w eek: Black Oregonians express their views on the Governor’s Comeback Plan. Eric Barmach IR). son o f Ju dy (C) and Neal B arm ack. sits at the key board o f the co m p ute r the fa m ily donated to the Saturday School. The co m p u te r w ill m ake the adm inistratio n o f the Saturday School a lo t easier, said A ngelyn Irving, a representative o f the Black United Front Education C om m ittee. Photo by Richard J. B row n Last year, 140 countries commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr. On the African continent alone, 45 states observed the King holiday in 1987. In some places, the celebrations far surpassed those of the United States, which has been less-than-unanimous in its support of the federal holiday. Last w eek in our "S a turda y School Report Card’ , The Portland Observer m isidenti- fied Aisha Irving as h e '. The 12-year-old Miss Irving is a 7th grader at M cLough- lin Ju n io r High School in M ilw a u kie , Oregon, w ith a 4.0 GPA. Miss Irving w ants to be a teacher. Photo by Richard J. Brown ------- ----------------- —