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“ The Eyes and Ears of the Community'
July 13,1988
Portland, Oregon
■*
Introducing:
Observer's
Commentary
t a recent press conference
(July 12, 1988,, called by the
Coalition of Black Men, the Rev.
James Martin (Mt. Olivet Baptist
C hurch) c ritic iz e d P o rtla n d 's
news media for perpetuating
n e g a tiv e
s te r e o ty p e s
of
P o rtla n d ’s Black co m m u n ity.
“ What we are seeing on television
is not indicative of the Black
(African-Amercan) com m unity as
a w hole,” he said.
Presently, news coverage of
the problems related to gang ac­
tivity in North/lnner Northeast
Portland, is beginning to draw
heavy criticism from numerous
African-Am erican organizations
and residents. The c ritic is m
charges the news media with
biased, one-sided reporting-with
almost a single, negative focus on
the African-American com m unity
Other criticism s point out that (1,
news coverage of the activities of
Asian, Neo-Nazi and white gangs
is far and in-between; (2) the news
media, in addition to inaccurate
reporting, appears to be on a
deliberate crusade to cripple the
African-Am erican co m m u n ity ’s
econom ic growth and expansion
by cre a tin g w idespread fear
among Portland’s citizens-a fear
designed to prevent companies,
busine sse s and co rp o ra tio n s
from moving into the area while at
the same tim e causing residents
to move out for fear of their lives.
As a member of the news
media, the Portland Observer
agrees w ith the above observa­
tions. For too many m onths now,
news coverage of drug/gang ac­
tivity in North/lnner Northeast
Portland has dominated the air
and paper waves. Reported acts
of violence, especially those that
take place among Black teen­
agers, are often described as
“ gang related” although little or
no evidence is presented to back
up the claims. Take the case of
Carl Franklin Jr.
Carl Franklin Jr., age 7, was
reportedly shot while playing in
the front yard of his home. The
shooting was described by the
major news media as gang-
related (a drive-by shooting).
However, it was later reported
that Carl Franklin was shot ac­
cidently by his brother while s it­
ting inside a car. Nonetheless, by
the time the truth had been un­
covered and accurately reported,
widespread damage had been
done-the creation of fear that
gangs in Portland's black com ­
munity were now shooting 7 year
old children.
Black Oregonians are also re­
porting incidents of white news
reporters com ing into the African-
American com m unity seeking in­
A
Horace Sanders,
Executive Director
Cascade Business Center
CONGRATULATIONS..
M s . G eo rg en a Bailey
G eorgene Bailev has joined th e
M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty A u d ito r's
o ffic e as D e p u ty A u d ito r. M rs .
Bailey has been a Senior A u d ito r
in th e S ta te o f C alifornia fo r
nine years con ducting p e rfo r­
m ance audits. Prior to her ex­
perience in C alifornia, she was
an auditor in th e A u d it o ffic e o f
th e
S ta te
of
C olorado.
G eo rg en e
replaces
W en d y
Haynes w h o joined th e Inspec­
to r G eneral O ffic e o f th e S ta te
o f M assach u setts.
A n n e Kelly Feeney, th e elected
A u d ito r said, " G e o rg e n e brings
extensive experience auditing
th e p e rfo rm a n c e o f hum an
services p ro g ram s in California
and I am excited a b o u t having
her
skills
applied
to
th e
extensive n u m b er o f social ser­
vices
p ro g ram s
th a t
M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty
c o n d u cts."
The
p erfo rm a n c e
audit
schedule fo r this year includes
audits
of
C o n tra ctin g
fo r
H u m an Services, Bridge M a in ­
tenance, C o u n ty Tax, Assess­
m en t Function, Appraisal and
I D ru g arid A lcohol P ro g ra m s .
formal and illegal by day and
night interviews w ith African-
American children. W ith a m icro­
phone stuck down their throats,
these children are often asked
questions even an informed adult
couldn’t answer. Said one resi­
dent, “ if our children aren’t afraid
to walk the streets now, they w ill
be after the news media gets thru
w ith ’em.”
In a com m unity of 45,650 resi­
dents living in North Portland,
African-Americans constitute 6%
of the population. In Inner North­
east Portland, African-Americans
constitute 38% of the population-
the largest Black com m unity in
the State of Oregon. In real
numbers, according to the last
count, 54,594 residents lived in In­
ner N ortheast P ortland w ith
whites counting in at 55%. In real
n u m b e rs , A fric a n -A m e ric a n s
counted in at 21,521. The median
age of Black Oregonians (last
census count) stood at (a) 24.4
years statewide and (b) 24.9 years
for the City of Portland. At last
count, 4,955 African-Am erican
fam ilies lived in Inner Northeast
Portland.
On a national scale, Portland’o
A fric a n -A m e ric a n c o m m u n ity
ranks almost at the top when it
comes to com m unity develop­
ment and im p le m e n ta tio n of
workable, com m unity programs.
Portland's Black leadership ranks
with the best in the country-this
in c lu d e s c iv ic , e d u c a tio n a l,
elected and grassroot leadership.
The com m unity also rank high in
the theater/performing arts and
science.
Even so, many Black Oregon­
ians are starting to believe that
the news media is out to damage
the very fabric that holds the
Black com m unity together and
that it (the news media) must be
held accountable for the news
and images it gives about African-
Americans.
Black Oregonians do not sup­
port crime, drugs or gang activity.
At the same time, however, they
are not about to sit back and
allow every Tom, Dick and Harry
and Jane to impose his or her pro­
gram on the Black com m unity at
the expense of the Black com ­
munity. Nor is the com m unity go­
ing to allow fear and panic to
become the barometers by which
vital decisions are made.
The news media must be held
accountable for the way in which
it reports and portray Portland’s
African-American com m unity. It
must begin to realize its impact
upon the perceptions and emo­
tions of those who rely on it for
accurate information.
Anything less is crim inal.
Carl Talton
Portland District Manager
Pacific Power & Light Co.
to s h a re w ith som eone you c a re a b o u t...to d a y ...
To be shot was not enough
— The ordeal of Kalima Shamsud-Din
ITEM: At home, Kalimah con­
hen Kalima Shamsud-din, a
tinued
to experience excruciating
14 year old black female
headaches,
nausea, dim inished
stepped out of her home a week
hearing on the side of the wound
ago, she had walked less than
and constant ringing in the op­
two blocks before a bullet fired by
posite ear. Her m other called the
a would-be assasin accidently
hospital and spoke to a resident
crashed into her head. From that
physician who informed her that
point forward it seemed as if
this was to be expected and that
though the last petal of the in­
Kalimah would sim ply have to live
frastructure for which the City of
with it. By now Kalimah had
Roses is known, withered and
become understandably terrified.
floated aimlessly away into an ill
wind.
ITEM: It was a neighbor who
knocked at the door and delivered
the tragic message to her mother,
Mrs. Naimah Shamsud-Din
ITEM: The police and the am­
bulance arrived, but ignored Mrs.
Shamsud-din’s request to take
Kalimah to Kaiser Hospital where
she and her fam ily have a paid
membership. Instead, Kalimah
was taken to the Emanuel Hospi­
tal and Health Center which does
not enjoy a good reputation
among Black people for rendering
good medical care.
ITEM: Such an allegation is sup­
ported by the follow ing facts.
M rs. Naim ah S h am su d -D in
Kalimah was placed in a bed in
ITEM: On Saturday morning
the emergency room and given a
the
organization of the Black
sputum bowl for a pillow. The
Men’s
Coalition was informed of
>ead wound was never cleaned or
Kalim
ah’s
condition and d is­
Predicated. When it was deter­
patched a qualified medical per­
mined that the bullet had not
son to the Shamsud-din home to
penetrated the brain, she was
assess
the situation. That person
discharged despite the fact that
com
firm
ed all the sym ptom s
she experienced many episodes
K
alim
ah
com D lained of and
of vomiting. Her mother and
tra nsm itte d that in form a tion to
sister spent the night cleaning up
the physician in charge of the
the blood that was oozing from
emergency
room who agreed that
the unbandaged wound. Never­
K alim ah re q uried im m e d ia te
theless, she was discharged less
m edical a ttention. The represen­
than 24 hours after admission
w ith a prescription for some tative of the Black Coalition had
aspirins and a caution from the further conversations w ith the at­
resident that the now swollen tending physician who expressed
wound m ight become infected. disbelief that Kalimah could be
No m edication was provided to e x p e rie n c in g the s y m p to m s
described to him over the tele­
prevent such an eventuality.
W
phone. Further he stated that he
was not on call and could not pro­
vide medical assistance. He sug­
gested, after some insistance
from the Black Men’s Coalition
representative, that Kalimah be
taken back to the hospital. This
inform ation was transm itted to
the re s id e n tia l p h y s ic ia n at
Emanuel who also expressed
disbelief about Kalimah’s co nd i­
tion and refuted the suggestion
th a t K alim a h re tu rn to the
hospital. A fter some insistance
she called the attending physi
cian and then agreed to see
K alim a again w ith the proviso
that some arrangement would
have to be made to cover any ex­
penses that m ight accrue.
ITEM: The medical representa­
tive from the Coalition of Black
Men arranged to have Kalimah
seen at Kaiser Hospital and jo in ­
ed her and other members of the
fam ily to insure that such a
travesty against the Hippocratic
oath would not be repeated.
ITEM: It would appear that
several areas of cupablity exist
with regard to the manner in
which Kalimah’s case was handl­
ed at the Emmanuel Hospital and
Health Center. This matter has
been referred to the Coalition of
Black Men.
ITEM: Kalimah is not only a
beautiful Black child, but she is
also a heroine to have withstood
the bullet and also the shabby
medical attention that followed.
ITEM: The police have identified
the cu lprit who shot Kalimah, but
it is going to take the courage of
the witnesses who saw that act to
stand up in a court of law and
point their finger at him. They are
going to be the real heroes who
help return this com m unity to its
law abiding citizens.
Enterpreneurial Educators
Targeting "New Majority"
- Oregonians combinef orces w ith nationaleducators-
Legislative Report from the State Capital
EXLCUSIVE to Oregon's Weekly Newspapers
from Associated Oregon Industries,
by Jack Zimmerman
Black kids can’t learn.
Kids from low income families
can’t learn.
Kids with only one parent can't
learn.
Wrong! Wrong!! Wrong!!!
Children in those circumstances
are high academic achievers in the
inner cities of g ang-ruled Los
Angeles, drug-infested Washington,
D C., refugee-laden Boston and
poverty-ridden neighborhoods of
Harlem, Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee,
Las Vegas, Pasadena, Louisville
and even Havre, MT
This came to light last week as
two dozen hand-picked elementary
school principals from those and
other cities gathered quietly on the
Oregon Coast to share with each
other the things they are doing right
for at-risk students.
Instead of shotgunning all of
public education's ills, those visiting
administrator educators were rifle­
shooting what each believes is this
n atio n 's most pressing s o c io ­
economic dilemma.
Each is aware traditional minority
populations are on the verge of
becoming a combined maiority. And
in the face of a rapidly evolging
in form ation-based
econom y,
expansion of literacy among the
new majority is an element vital to
national welfare.
They are dedicated to getting
targeted children into schools and
keeping them there long enough to
learn what they need to survive and
rise above conditions into which
they were born.
The economic importanceof their
common mission is emphasized by
a recent study showing the cost to
society for this nation's annual class
of school drop-outs is $240 billion
in lost taxes over their lifetime.
Impetus for the July 5-8 meeting
at rustic Breakaway Lodge in the
heart of unlikely Gearhart came from
Portland's Ron Herndon, director of
the Albina Ministerial A lliance’s
Head Start Program. The concept
of an “ educational skunkworks’’
captured early support from Tom
Peters, co-author of "In Search of
E xcellen ce ,” whose Palo Alto-
based consulting group waived fees
to coordinate and conduct the
gathering entitled “ Partners for
Success. Business and Education
Herndon recruited U.S. Sen. Mark
Hatfield, Gov. Neil Goldschmidt and
Richard Butrick, President of Asso­
ciated Oregon Industries. With their
endorsements he attracted financial
backing from Nike, Incorporated,
U.S. West Communications (Pacific
Northwest Bell), U.S. Bancorp,
Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings
& Loan, Safeway Stores, Inc., Oscar
Mayer Corporation and other indi­
viduals, firms and organizations
joining the public/private partner­
ship effort.
Through the U.S. Department of
Education, Head Start and other
agencies and institutions, a roster
of blue-ribbon participants was
developed and each was issued an
expense-paid invitation. Most
Continued on Page 7
FEATURES....................................................
EDITORIAL/OPINION.................................Page 2
ENTERTAINMENT....................................... p«9®3
HEALTH SPECIAL....................................... Pages4&5
RELIGION..................................................... Page6
RELATED STORIES.....................................Page7
CLASSIFIEDS.............................................. Pagea8-10