Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1988)
o . c r u gon r* ? * ' •- -♦ y .- .r ' Langston Hughes on Public TV Talent Sought For Gospel Choir Doug Williams: Portland Observer's "M an of the Year" Page 9 Page 8 Page 6 ts & V . 25C •¿irs-.«’ - • * « ? y - r ìì ERVER PO R TL .* »y « » US PS 969 680 8665 "The Eyes and Ears of the Community" Volume XVIII, Number 12 . <;.v- Black Press — White Advertisers by Nyewusi Askari Recently, in a major metropolitan city, a Black newspaper editor took white advertisers to task for not ad vertising in a local African-American newspaper. In response, many of the ad departments said they didn't advertise in Black newspapers be cause they were of the opinion that Black newspapers didn't reflect the views and perceptions of white buisinesses and their patrons. On the local scene, it appears that some of Portland's major busi ness establishments have also cho sen to adopt the same attitude to wards Oregon's two African-Ameri can newspapers. One does not have to come up with a reason in order to understand the inequity of such business prac tices, especially when one takes note of the fact that a large majority of Black Oregonians spend their money with these businesses. It's a problem that needs to be addres sed, and, in order to do so, it is necessary to define what a Black newspaper is. Historically, the Black press has performed an important function in Black communities throughout the country. Black historian, John Hope Franklin, gives a vivid picture of this role: "Black newspapers of the twen tieth century took up the cudgel Iheavy club] in behalf of the under privileged. They became the me dium through which the yearnings of the race were expressed, the plat form from which the Black leaders could speak, the coordinator of mass action which Blacks felt com pelled to take, and a major instru ment by which many Blacks were educated with respect to public af fairs. "In the decades following World War I, the number of Black news papers increased steadily. Every Black community apparently felt the need for its own newspaper to per form the services that few white newspapers could or would under take to perform. Here and there a white paper devoted a part of a page to B'ack news, while most of them reported a generous share of news of crimes committed by Blacks. "B y 1973 there were more than 350 Black newspapers, magazines, and bulletins that were issued on a regular weekly, monthly, or quar terly basis," Dr. Franklin concluded. Traditionally, Black newspapers have served as the "eyes and ears of the Black com m unity." They have also kept white America in formed about "the policies and views with regard to the important issues affecting African-Ameri cans," said Franklin. The lack of support for Oregon's two major Black newspapers by major businesses and corporate establishments points to an almost total disregard of the purchasing and spending power of Black Ore gonians. The pattern is repeated throughout the nation. Yet, the Black Enterprise Board of Econo mists estimates that the total in come of the Black community nationwide will grow to $238 billion this year, roughly a 7% growth rate for per capita income. The majority of Oregon's 37,060 Black citizens reside in Inner North east Portland. Residing in a neigh borhood whose median household income is $13,450 and whose mean household income is $16,270, these Black residents are frequent partons of corporate/business tenants like the Lloyd Center, Safeway, Fred Meyers, Albertsons, First Interstate Bank and others too numerous to name. The money they spend allows those establishments to re main healthy and financially secure. However, Black America, like the rest of America, is in transition. Dr. Bernard Anderson, Philadelphia Urban Partnership, estimates that "Black women will make up the lar gest share of the increase in the non-white labor force during the next decade and will outnumber Black men in the workforce — a contract to the pattern among white workers, where men outnumber women almost three to tw o ." Black women, for example, control appro ximately $180 billion dollars, over 75% of the total Black dollars avail able to profit America's economy. It is a shame that data on Blacks is always focused on the negative side: how many Blacks commit crimes, how many Blacks are on welfare. Why doesn't white corpor ate America keep track of the con tributions Black make to American society and economy? Without the Black communities' financial stability and buying power, the American economy and businesses woula be out $238 billion dollars. In response to these corporate and business attitudes and prac tices, Black communities across the country have placed Black econo mic development at the top of the agenda. Already a "B uy Black" campaign is underway. The cam paign is designed to encourage African-Americans to spend more of their money with Black busi nesses. At the same time, some major white corporate and busi ness establishments are supporting the movement by employing A fri can-America. .s, establishing scho "Triage." The term brings to mind scenes from the television series M .A.S.H. — scenes of doc tors and nurses examining the wounded as they arrived from the Korean battlefields. Medically speaking, the term "triage" refers to the assigning of priorities for treatment of patients, but the word was used in an entirely different context Tuesday, Jan. 26, when former sheriff and county executive Don Clark urged the county to adopt a strategy for fighting a dif ferent kind of battle — the battle against crime. Clark had been asked to take a long, hard look at the problem of crime by County Chair Gladys Mc Coy back in August of 1987. Spe cifically, McCoy wanted to know Clark's views on how the county could reorganize its services to tack le the roots of crime instead of its symptoms. His conclusion: the county should integrate its human services and criminal justice system into a coordinated system offering a "continuum of services" to per sons at risk of entering a life of crime. Clark also urged the com missioners to heed the recommen dations of a think-tank of county professionals which he had called together for the purpose of develop ing a program to implement the continuum concept. It was the re port of that think-tank which ex plained what "triage" is all about. According to the think-tank re port, the triage system would work something like this: On first coming in contact with police, offenders who presented no immediate threat of violence to others would be refer red to a Triage Center for evalua within and influence the attitude towards to Black community "W hat's good for the goose is good for the gander." If Black Oregon ians are to continue to spend their money with such establishments, it is in the best interest of these establishments to reciprocate. f • ■ • ., ' 1 » s ». X * • Í »»■ _ • • r ; • / ' .. ■ iy '' * '¿'A? drian Anderson, an unem ployed ja n ito ria l w o rke r, joined the ) or 40 "J u s tic e For J a n ito rs " dem onstrators at the W ilcox uilding Thursday, Jan. 28th. In 1986 median ja n ito ria l wages o w n to w n fell $ .91 an hour w ith m ost non-union w o rke rs now tarting at $4.00 per hour w ith no health care or other benefits. Fhese wages q u a lify m any w o rke rs fo r food stam ps, public ealth care and other form s o f tax-supported re lie f," said Tom unningham , spokesperson fo r the "J u s tic e For Ja nito rs T z ?*® ir l IK 2 K > 8 and over again" in the families of needs; • Job readiness training, to ad convicted criminals, he said, con dress the lack of skills which so stitutes a "clear mandate" for the often leads to chronic unemploy county to become a "change agent" in their lives. ment; • Treatment of mental illness for When confronted by Commis those who do not qualify for treat sioner Polly Casterline with the ment in the community health sys question of whether rehabilitation tem: really works, Clark responded with • Victim compensation, to pro conviction borne of personal ex mote restitution to crime victims as perience. Referring to former drug a part of the "treatment/sanction and alcohol abusers now employed plan". at Central City Concern, the social Harley Leiber, the county's Direc service agency he now heads, Clark tor of Community Corrections, de said many of his employees had scribed the plan as an attempt to been repeat offenders. After get "create a separate track" for offen ting treatment for their illnesses, ders who repeatedly recycle however, those same individuals through the system. Clark too re had proven themselves to be "hard ferred to the burden placed on the working, reliable employees" and criminal justice system by repeat "law-abiding, tax-paying, voting offenders. With the cost of new citizens" as well. jails and prisons ranging from Will the county adopt the triage/ $25,000 per bed for minimum secu continuum of services approach to rity to $100,000 per bed or more dealing with repeat offenders? If for maximum security, he said o ffi the response of the commissioners cials of city, county and state is any indication, the answer is yes. government are searching for cost the battle against crim e. on Clark recom m ends a strategy to the M u ltn o - McCoy and several of the other Photo by Richard J. B row n effective alternatives to incarcera ah C ounty Board o f C om m issioners fo r fig h tin g commissioners expressed enthu tio n." to terms with their problems or re and be enrolled in programs which siasm for the concept, with McCoy tion. At that point, the suspect Clark's report outlined the rea entering the criminal justice system. help them deal with the habits expressing me consensus view would be interrogated by an exami sons he believes a "w holistic" ap Clark used the expression "womb- which led them down the road to when she said, "more jail space is ner who would pose a number of proach offers the best hope of stem to-tom b" in describing the range of crime. If not, they would be treated part of the answer, but not the questions: Does this offender have ming the rising tide of crime in the services that would be offered un in much the same way that the sys a history of drug or alcohol abuse? whole answer." county. Describing the county's der the program. The think-tank tem now handles the vast majority Neither Clark nor any of the com Is he or she likely to benefit from justice system as "fragmented, ex report lists 14 different "treatment of criminals, that is, booked and missioners ventured a guess as to treatment? Will the offender pro pensive, overcrowded, and not ade approaches," including the follow sent to jail or cited and released, what a triage system would cost the bably continue to break the law, quately linked with human ser ing: depending on the seriousness of the county. Nor was a timetable men clogging the criminal justice system vices," he concluded that "the sys • Drug and alcohol treatment for crime. tioned for the implementation of the and occupying jail space that ought tern isn’t working to reduce crime. adolescents and adults; Deputy District Attorney Frede new program. However, informed to be reserved for dangerous crimi Repeatedly, he stressed the need to • Family assessment and referral, rick Lenzser, think-tank participant, sources indicated that a schedule nals? And most important of all, intervene in family situations where to intervene against substance emphasized that the examination of for adopting the triage strategy can this offender be released back drug abuse and child abuse are abuse, domestic violence and child offenders would be "intense," and would be a decision for the new into the community without on documented facts. Eighty percent abuse or molestation; that offenders entering rehabilita director of Justice Services — who dangering the lives ofothers? of inmates at Oregon penitentiaries • Prenatal care with emphasis on tion would suffer 'swift and imme If the answer to all of these ques has yet to be hired — in conjunc have a history of involvement with childbirth education, health and nu diate consequences" for not adher tions is yes, persons charged with tion with McCoy and the other drugs, he noted, and a large major trition, and drug treatment for ex ing strictly to the treatment regi Class C felonies or less — including board members. ity have also been victims of child pectant mothers; men. In other words, the new sys such crimes as prostitution, forgery, abuse. The fact that these "com • Housing referral, to address tem would offer habitual criminals See "Clark Reports", Page 2 possession of drugs or theft — mon denominators" appear over emergency and permanent housing the stark choice of either coming could be assigned a case manager • . ► i t .**•*•' ammissioners Don Clark Reports to County by Ian MacCrae larship funds, moving more Blacks into management positions, grant ing franchises and supporting Black newspapers by advertising. Business and corporate establish ments, and the broadcast and print media, must be held accountable for the way they wheel and deal : r > « . ».“ I V •: 6 ?’ V j, vy ¿ . V -t fe ? . >• U’.'.v'.'