Page 2, Portland Observer, February 10, 1988
EDITORIAL
/
Business Youth Exchange
O P IN IO N
Civil Rights Journal
EDITORIAL
Rnniamin F. Chavis Jr.
The Real Drug Pushers
It appears that every waking morning we hear something new and nega
tive about the Reagan administration. Yesterday it was the Contras. Today
it is Panama. The issue is drugs.
When Congress recently voted to deny military aid to the Nicaraguan
Contras, rumor had it that the Reagan administration was in dire need of
another issue to dangle before the American people. Now, according to
print and broadcast media, America may be close to landing the big one —
General Manuel Antonio Noriega — military leader of Panama.
Sworn testimony has revealed allegations about secret operations by
American, Panamanian and Cuban agencies in Central America. The allega
tions place drug smuggling at the center of the operations. Last week, Gene
ral Noriega was indicted by a Miami grand jury on charges of money launder
ing and drug smuggling to the United States.
Believing that any man or woman is innocent until proven guilty, it is
unwise to pass judgement about Noriega s guilt or innocence. However,
if it is true that he did smuggle drugs into the United States, the American
government should take specific action.
African-Americans are keeping close tabs on the situation.
Throughout America, African-American communities have suffered the
ravages of drugs and drug addiction. Each year, thousands of young
African-Americans fall prey to a variety of drugs that weren't produced in
their communities. Each year, thousands of African-American babies are
born drug addicts and have to go through the pain of physical, psychological
and emotional withdrawal. Each year, hundreds of African-Americans die
from drug overdose.
Now, as the media continues to look into the drug dealings of Noriega,
African-Americans are wondering if he is one of those responsible for much
of the drugs that kill, maime and injure our people.
African-Americans are also wondering "how much did the CIA know
and to what extent did it participate in drug trafficking to the United States?"
The CIA's alleged involvement points to another dark area of U.S. for
eign policy. How, African-Americans ask, can the U.S. government say it is
dedicated to wiping out drugs from U.S. communities, and, at the same
time, support a government that is alleged to have served as a drug pipeline
to this country?
It is too early to say to what extent America is involved with the exploits
of General Noriega. It is too early to say whether or not Noriega is guilty as
charged. But one thing is clear, something is terribly wrong in Panama.
If Noriega is guilty, his bank accounts should be seized and the money
used to establish drug treatment centers for the many millions of addicts
walking the streets of America. African-American communities should be
first in line. In the past, when it came to drug treatment, African-American
communities were treated as if they were growing, harvesting and distribu
ting drugs. The U.S. government can make amends by giving this sugges
tion some serious consideration.
African-American are tired of taking the blame for others. It is now im
portant to call a fork a fork, a spoon a spoon, and a crook a crook. If Noriega
turns out to be a crook, then he should be treated as one. He should also be
brought to the United States, if he's guilty, and forced to spend time
amongst the misery and suffering of the drug addict. He should be forced to
visit the families and relatives of addicts who perished because they couldn't
kick the habit. He should be forced to attend the funerals of those who
have overdosed.
The drugs that come into the African-American community come through
a pipeline. Law enforcement agencies in many American cities claim they are
helpless to do anything concrete, so these particular communities continue
to suffer and decay. Businesses move out. Citizens move out. Criminals
move in and the problem escalates.
However, for years African-Americans have charged that the bulk of the
drugs that end up in their communities are there by design — sent there
through an invisible pipeline.
Listening to the evidence on Noriega, the African-American community
just might have their finger on one visible source. If so, public outcry should
be deafening; particularly in the African American community. African-
Americans should get totally involved with what's happening in Panama.
African-Americans should prepare to make their own judgements on Noriega
after the evidence has been presented. But more importantly, African-
Americans should demand justice.
We can no longer afford to ignore these situations and pass them off as
"none of our business." They are our business. As long as one fiber of drug
comes into the African-American community from a drug pipeline, or any
other pipeline, it is our business.
If our children are our business, then the elimination of drugs from our
communities is definately our business.
Keep your eye on Noriega.
Howard Beach is Everywhere
The attention of the nation has
been focused in recent days on the
verdict handed down in the Howard
Beach case. For more than a year,
Howard Beach has seemed the epi
tome of racially motivated violence.
The image of a hoard of white
youths chasing three African Ameri
can men through the streets like
dogs, until finally forcing one of
them to his death, seemed the ulti
mate horror.
However, no African American in
this country is exempt from racially
motivated violence — not even Afri
can American police officers. A re
cent case in Prince George’s Coun
ty, Maryland, a suburb of Washing
ton, D.C., has proven this all too
clearly. The county, which has a
long history of racist violence, has
a steadily increasing African Ameri
can population. However, the po
lice force still remains predominant
ly white.
On December 14, 1987, James L.
Gordon, an African Amrican mem
ber of the Washington, D.C., police
force, was shot to death in his own
home by a white policeman from
Prince George's County. Gordon,
40 years old, was a 17-year veteran
of the D.C. police force. The white
officer, Cpt. Robert Raimond,
though only 27 years old, had al
ready been cited twice for police
brutality in Prince George's County.
In one case the complaintant was
awarded a $4,400 judgement
against Raimond for use of un
necessary force in a traffic case.
But CpI. Raimond was cleared by a
police trail board and so he remain
ed on the force.
Last month Raimond was alleged
ly investigating a suspected burg
lary in the home of Officer Gordon,
the Black officer. Officer Gordon
had recently arrived home. When
the Black officer moved towards a
window in his », .vn home, the white
officer shot him through the win
dow. The white officer claimed he
thought he saw a gun in Gordon's
hand. Officer Gordon died a short
time later, on the floor of his own
home. A neighbor says the white
officer never identified himself, but
had only yelled, "Freeze."
When an ambulance with para
medics arrived the County police
would not allow them to enter to
treat Officer Gordon. County police
claim other intruders might still be in
the house. Then when five Wash
ington, D.C., officers, including a
homicide lieutenant and a district
commander, arrived on the scene,
they were not aliowed to remain in
the house during the investigation.
A Washington, D.C. police officer
called the non-cooperation "highly
irregular," adding, "ID.C. police!
never turn away and investigator
from another police unit."
Several Black police officers on
the Washington, D.C. force have
openly called the killing racially
motivated. They suggest that be
cause the house was located in the
middle class neighborhood, and be
cause it had a two-car garage that
held Officer Gordon's Mercedes
Benz, CpI. Raimond assumed that
the Black man he saw in the house
could not be its owner. On a recent
call-in program on a local Black
radio station, some officers asked to
be authorized to go in and get the
white officer and bring him back to
Washington, D.C. in order to en
sure a fair trial.
The Gordon killing is not an iso
lated incident in the county. Back in
December of 1986, Sir Kaylin Ed
wards, a 15-year-old Black youth,
was repeatedly beaten by another
white Prince George's County of
ficer near a convenience store. The
white officer accused the young
man of littering. Eleven witnesses
testified to the brutality. One shop
per mentioned that the officer "kept
saying 'pick up the wrapper' but
each time he would keep shoving
him back . . . IThe officer! hit him
at least 25 to 30 times." The driver
of a car testified that the young
man stumbled across the road in
front of her and that the officer
hit him "at least 10 times" with
the nightstick and then began kick
ing him between his legs. A Prince
George's County police trial board
later agreed that the officer had
used "excessive force."
Yes, Howard Beach is but a sym
bol. For there are Howard Beaches
all over this nation. And given the
present national climate, which con
dones racist violence through si
lence, these incidents will continue
to grow unless we demand that
justice be done — each and every
time they occur.
Meanwhile three different investi
gations are now underway in the kil
ling of Officer Gordon. His death
sadly reminds us once again that,
in the African American commu
nity, no one is exempt from the bru
tality and the fatality of racism.
Donald S M cClave at Business Youth Exchange press conference.
Photo by Richard J. Brown
by Nyewusi Askari
According to Tom Nelson, Busi
On February 8, 1988, the Busi
ness
Youth Exchange Director,
ness Youth Exchange (BYE) held a
"U .S. National Bank of Oregon,
press conference in the Portland
Code-A-Phone Corp, and Electrical
Metropolitan Chamber of Com
Construction Co. are three of seve
merce board room to announce its
ral dozen local companies leading
accomplishments and to explain the
the fig h t." Nelson said, "These
1988 business-led programs and ini
companies help students develop
tiates to combat the high school
the
necessary skills to get good jobs
dropout rate.
through
influencing public funding
Participating were some of Port
allocations,
providing jobs and em
land's top chief executive officers:
ployees
to
staff
mentor programs,
Roger L. Breezley, C.E.O., U.S.
and
using
resources
to leverage im
Bancorp; Donald S. McClave,
provement
in
employment
prepara
Chamber President; Tom Nelson,
tion
programs,
which
help
with
BYE Director; James R. Owen,
everything
from
interviewing
skills
C.E.O, Code-A-Phone Corp.; and
to improvement in self-esteem."
William K. Deshler, C.E.O., Electri
An affiliate of the Portland Metro
cal Construction Company.
politan
Chamber of Commerce, The
The Portland Chamber of Com
Business
Youth Exchange highlight
merce's Business Youth Exchange
ed
its
recent
accomplishments:
is a business-led group through
•
Co-founded
the Leaders Round
which business has partnered with
table,
a
group
of
community lead
education and government to de
ers
presiding
over
the implementa
clare war on the dropout problem.
tion
of
the
Portland
Investment, a
In 1987, partnership programs assi
10-year,
comprehensive
K-12 plan
sted by BYE served 2,500 at-risk
to
reduce
dropouts
and
increase
Portland students.
According to
youth empioyability.
the BYE, 92 percent of the students
• Provided jobs and business re
in its dropout prevention programs
sources to programs serving 2,500
received their high school diplomas.
young people in 1987.
Formed in 1983, BYE has worked
• Graduated over 92% of at-risk
as a catalyst to bring schools,
students from the Partnership Pro
government and business together
ject and Financial Academy, two
to reverse the high dropout rate and
school-based dropout prevention
inadequate preparation of the future
programs.
workforce.
• Helped secure $967,000 in
During the press conference, BYE
competitive education, training and
leaders noted that "nearly 30 per
drug and alcohol funds for Mult
cent of all ninth graders in the State
nomah and Washington Counties in
of Oregon do not graduate from
1987.
high school." During the 1986-87
• Stimulated formation of Code-
school year, 11,248 students drop
A-Phone and Health Options for
ped out of Oregon's high schools.
Teens Programs at Marshall High
During 1988, the Business Youth
School.
Exchange will contribute to the
• Assisted in development of
Governor's state wide Student Re
Pacific
Northwest Bell's Registry
tention Initiative by assisting busi
program
for high achieving minority
ness communities throughout Ore
students
at Roosevelt, Jefferson
gon in acting on their own dropout
and
Grant
High Schools.
problems. The Exchange will also
•
Institutionalized
Partnership
turn up the heat on businesses to
Project
at
Grant
High
School.
expand their involvement in several
nationally-acclaimed
local
pro
See "B usiness Y o u th " - Page 3
grams.
The Civil Rights Journal, w ritten by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., is a publication o f the United
Church o f Christ.
PORTLfl
Letters to the Editor
Hey, Y'll - I'm a
'Patriot', Too!
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Estabhshed m 1970
A lfre d L. Henderson Publisher
Leon L. Harris
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Gen
M g r./c o n tro lle r
is published weekly by Exie Publishing Company, Inc.
5011 N.E. 26th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97211
P.O. Box 3137
Portland, Oregon 97208
Phone Number: (5031 288-0033
Richard J Brown
Editor
Gary Ann G arnett
Business Manager
N yewusi Askari
Richard J. Brown
W riter
Photographer
M a ttie A nn Callier Spears
Leslie V. White
Religion Editor
A rt Director
Kendel Bryan C ovington
Vivian E. Richardson
Entertainm ent Editor
Sales Representative
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Sales Representative
T ypesetter / Production
A rnold Pitre
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-vtai uscripts anu pnotoyraohs should be nearly labeled
Editor:
Concerning "W ho is Dr. Jamil
Cherovee?", 2 3-88: I'm a real pat
riot, but Im not a patriot necessarily
to the founding fathers, but to the
Founding Father of Creation. And,
as long as I am patriotic to Him and
His principles, I don't have to an
swer to anyone else. I'm just a
voice in the wilderness, warning
those in Authority and their advisors
of the folly of their present course
of action. I feel sorry for Amerika
because so many people are so in
love with their so-called leaders that
they would not pull the coat when
their coat needs pulling. They are
so drunk off of false patriotism that
they don't know that real patriotism
is when you stand for the truth that
Almighty God, the Father of all
creation, has laid down as the crite
rion of judgement.
and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope
Subscriptions
115 00 per year m the Tn County area
The P O R TLA N D OBSERVER
Oregon oldest African American Publication
is a member of The National
Newspaper Association
Founded m ’ RR5 The Oreyon Newspaper Publishers Association and T h - National
Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers Inc
N ew York
Oo* * ' N
Your Bible, Brother Matthew Cha
vis, teaches us in the book of Eze
kiel when you see a man in sin, warn
the wicked. I do not care what you
think of me — it is irrelevant, im
material and baseless. But I must
warn Amerika. I'm so glad that I live
in Amerika. For I could not say
what I'm saying in another country
on the earth. Amerika, with all her
faults, is a great nation: Not great
because she's good — I got into a
lot of trouble over that word
"great", you know (smile) — She's
great because she is consequential.
Amerika affects the entire world.
This country can be a nation that
leads the world to total ruin and
destruction. Free speech guaran
teed by the Constitution is a bles
sing. It is a blessing for me. It is a
blessing to Amerika. But it could be
Amerika's own undoing.
In Amerika you have the right to
speak, but when you speak what
others don't like, you have to pay a
price. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and Malcolm X are good examples.
So when you're willing to speak the
truth you must also be willing to pay
the price. I'm willing to pay the
price even if it is death. It's a small
price to pay to tell the truth and free
the minds of the people.
Free speach can be Amerika's un
doing — because I have the free
dom to warn our so-called leaders
and the American government. I
have the freedom to warn Amerika,
I have the freedom to warn Black
people, and, if my warning is true
and faithful to the Divine Word
found in the Bible, then it is not a
warning from a foolish ex-slave; it is
a warning coming from God to you
with love and mercy.
Believe me, when I say so, Bro
ther Matthew, I know I'm privileged
to live in Amerika, and I know that
I'm privileged to be able to tell the
truth. And if you will hear the truth
and be persuaded to act on the prin
ciples of truth, Amerika can be
saved, and the world can save itself
from a destructive fall. Sometimes
you don’t know from where the
warning will come. But when you
are arrogant and falsely proud, the
warning comes from someone be
neath you, or maybe from your child
or a subordinate who sees you
making a mistake an pulls your coat.
You say, "W ho are you to tell me?
Don't you know who I am?" Yes,
we know who you are. Fools like
you existed in the past, and they
now are gone.
All great republics have risen or
fallen because of this incalculable
error. I say "Freedom for the Peo
ple in impartiality." Revise the Con
stitution where it penalizes merely
for the satisfaction of stagnant car
pet baggers of eir "eruditic South
Society". I say "Equality" instead
of "Legality". The rise of the min
ority it thus inevitable. Down with
tyranny.
Brother Matthew, I'm not rich,
but I'm sharing the little knowledge
I have with the people. Arrogance
and false pride are heavy baggage.-
It weighs down the human spirit; it
corrupts the processes of thinking;
and allows the proud to misperceive
reality and make tragic mistakes.
Everytime we go to a funeral and
we see one of our loved ones placed
in the ground, we say.
From the
earth he oi she came, from the dust
he or she came, and to the earth
and to the dust he or she now re
turns." Well, if my beginning was
dust and my end is dust, how am I
now more than dust?
If I'm wealthy, how much wealth
do I possess? If I am knowledge
able, compare what I know to what
is out here to know.
If I have
power, compare the power of any
man to the powers of heaven and
earth and ask yourself how much
power do you have? It’s dust. So
when I write or speak, it's for the
elevation of humanity.
Dr. Jamil Cherovee