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F eb ru ary 1 6 th ,
"The Eyes and Ears of the Community"
Volume XIX Number 7
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1989
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B lac k H is t o r y M onth
Introducing
Oregon Legislator Calls Or
Death Penalty for Racially
Motivated Murders
A Profile of Wally Scales
by Ulysses Tucker,Jr.
Calling the current national wave of
hate violence a “ Crim inal plague in
need o f a strong dose of tough law and
order,’’ Oregon State representative Bill
D w yer called upon his legislative
colleagues to apply the death penalty to
racially motivated murder.
Omar Williams Ockley Green
7th Grade
D w eyer’s proposed legislation, House
Bill 2432, is now before the House
Judiciary comm ittee. At a hearing on
the bill W ednesday, the Springfield
lawmaker cited the November 13,1988
Portland slaying o f Ethiopian national
M ulugeta Seraw as “ just the latest in an
epidemic o f neo-N azi, Skinhead type
violence against innocent civilians.” “ It’s
time Oregon gives the ‘ Hell No! ’ to the
“ Sieg H eil’, “ said Dwyer.
In his prepared testimony, Dwyer cited
the Decem ber 20,1 9 8 7 racial killing on
a Black youth fleeing a mob in Howard
Beach, New York, as “ a despicable act
that must be remembered.’’ Dwyer called
the Howard Beach and Seraw incidents
as part o f a national hate t rime wave
Citing National council of Churches data
o f 121 hate inspired murders between
1980 and 1986 including 302 assaults
and 301 cross-burnings, Dwyer said that
neo-nazi organizers have apparently
targeted Oregon as a “ haven for hatred.”
Sweet King School
3rd Grade
D w yers’s bill would add murder
“ because o f the victim ’s race or color”
to the existing aggravated m urdcr statute
(ORS 163.095). If adopted, racially
motivated killings would join murder
for hire, the killing of a police officer
and other heinous homicides among those
eligible for the death penally.
As V P . for Special Events, Scales
supervises all com m unity support
programs and sponsor-related promotional
activities. Additionally, he is responsible
for game m anagem ent at the Coliseum
and for producing some o f the most
Unsolicited, this writer turned arouond
excellent half-tim e extravaganzas in the
and stated, “ O h, that W ally Scales, he is
league.
the Vice President o f Special Events and
he has been with the organization for
alm ost 17 years.”
“ W ho is the Black guy sittiing
behind the visiting team ’s bench, he is
always there and what does he do?”
asked a Blazer fan sitting behind the
press corp at Memorial Coliseum recently.
Rep. Bill Dwyer
Urging House Judiciary members to
“ elevate into the fraternity o f heinous
homicide those who kill with racial hatred
as their cause,” the Springfield legislator
said that the current legislative session
needs to “ send a message that we w on’t
tolerate this type of garbage in our stale!”
Dwyer urged Judiciary Committee
m em bers to give a “ do p a ss’’
recom m endation to the full House so
that hate-cult members in “ Idaho and
elsew here know they’ll face the death*
penalty if they com e to Oregon to kill.”
Dwyer labelled his bill “ C olor blind”
and said the legislature must im plement
Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt’s January
9th “ State o f the State A ddress” call for
no room at the table for skinheads, crips
or bloods.”
W inchells
Nigeria Crawford
King School 3rd Grade
The Oregon State Health D epartment has issued a HEPATITIS ALERT
for the W inchell’s Donut Shop on N.E. Union Avenue in Northeast Portland. If
you visited the site between January 25th and January 27,1989 it is urgent that you
contact the Health D epartment immediately! Telephone 248-3406
A native o f St. Louis, M issouri, Scales
is one o f the few African-Am ericans in
m anagement arouond the NBA and the
only former non-player, a rarity, since
m ost owners choose to pad their front
offices with ex-jocks who might create
more visibility for their franchise.
Here is a look at the “ household”
names: K. C. Jones, V.P. for Basketball
O perations with the Celtics; W ayne
Embry, V.P. and General M anager for
the Cavaliers; AI Attles, V P. and Assistant
General M anager for the W arriors; Elgin
Baylor, Executice V. P. and General
M anager for the Clippers; Bill Russel,
Executive V.P. and head o f Operations
for theKings and W es Unseld, V.P. and
Head Coach for the Bullets.
Others working in the front offices
include former Blazer Johnny Davis where
he is the Community Director for the
Atlanta Hawks and Gene Little, a solid
player in the old ABA for several years
who is now director of Player Personnel
for the Charlotte Hornets. W ith the
exception o f Davis and possible Attles
and L ittle-all have connections or future
associations with the Basketball Hall of
Fame in Springfield, M assachusetts, so
why W ally Scales?
Long before it became fasionable
B lazer p resid en t,H an y G lickm an,
understood and realized that minorities
needed to play a greater role in
management. The Blazers is probably
the most progressive organizataion in
professional sports today. They were
sensitive enough to social issues to make
strides in this direction. Harry is a pioneer
in that regard and also has been excellent
for the league.
Scales is recognized as a well-respected
and creative prom otional wizard. It is
not uncommon for the the NBA front
offices to solicit his advise regarding
marketing ideas. For example, it was
Scales who originates the NBA Slam
Dunk Contest which has become one o f
the m ost anticipated annual events all
over the country.
“ Ideas come and g o ,” Scales said,
“ but the important thing is to be in tune
with the fans and what is m arketable at
that particular time. I often think long
and hard about marketing ideas prior to
making a presentation of the concept
because the credibility of the organization
is more important that some w ild idea.
W e sell the entire Blazer concept through
radio, cable, corporations, retail and any
other device that is available within the
community. W e push the entire concept
from the top to the botom o f our
o rg a n iz a tio n .”
Scales is a graduate o f Citrus College
in Azusa, California having come out o f
Soldan High School in 1964.
He first attended Lincoln University where
he became a freshman sensation averaging
22.4 basketball points per game. The
Wally Scales
next year he joined the U.S. Air Force
and w ent on to serve in the far E ast and
in Germany. Before joining the Blazers,
When questioned about whether or Scales worked as a planner for the Cornac
not African-Americans were progressing Corporation and the Bank o f California.
rapidly enough up the m anagerial c vhain
When questioned about if he considered
in the NBA, Scales, him self and active
him self a role model for young people,
m ember in community youth projects
Scales reflected for a m o m e n t, leaned
and sports activities was very candid. forard and said,
His answ er was:
"Y es, I take pride in the role and the
“ No, I honestly believe that things social responsibility that com es with it.
could be much better. You would think I am probably an examples that says you
that with 80% o f the league players do n ’t have to be a seven footer in order
being m em bers o f a minority group, to become a success. If you can get a
their score card in managem ent would free education, grab it and run with it.
be better, but it is not. Personally I I ’ve seen so many heartbreaks. It is very
would like to see more opportunities difficult to play ball all your life and
open up but things around the NBA take have itas your only focus. W hat happens
a long time to make a significant change.” in the real world comes back around. At
It is sad that a thoroughly qualified least I have the ability t have some say
person will not oven get the opportunity about my future. That is real important
in management because the teams run a to med an it also should be im port to
closed shop.
young atheletes.”
Saluting:
Minority Business Enterprise
In Oregon:
Part HI. Premature Proscription of
Key State Programs
by Stephen E. McPherson, Special
Correspondent
Gena’ Sloan
Office Manager
YWCA (N.E.)
In the wake o f the devastating Redden
decision in the Mattson case here in
Oregon followed by the coup de grace of
the U. S. Supreme Court decision in the
Croson case in Richmond, the affected
entrepreneurs are in the process of
assessing the total damage.
On the advice of the stale attorney
general, several organizations have
abandoned disadvantaged, minority and
women business enterprises on the
assumption that they are sim ilar enough
to the one invalidated in Multnomah as
to be found unconstitutional. Agencies
so acting arc transportation, education
and general services. It is both unfortunate
and interesting to note the alacrity with
which the State o f Oregon has united
with several o f its agencies to accept
such a narrow interpretation of both the
decisions. It is possible that other agencies
might follow the same direction.
Eddie Johnson Ockley Green
6th Grade
Several important observations were
made recently in an interview Bruce
Hamlin, the attorney for the Mattson
Co., gave to Bruce Broussard, Publisher
o f the American Contractor. First of all
it is noted that the rulings o f both courts
should not be viewed as a class action,
but rather as applying in a strict sense to
the two cases involved. He further stated
that M BE’s are not invalid if it can be
established with specific documentation
that a particular group has been
discriminated against. In such cases the
remedy must be strictly tailored so as to
be consistent with the provisions of equal
protection under the constitutional
guarantees o f the 14th amendment.
He further staled that set-asides, goals
and quotas may be used to remediate
such discrimination but only as the last
resort and with strict guidelines. Even
the Redden decision recognizes that the
suggestion o f discrim ination in the
construction industry in Multnomah might
be valid, but the county did not offer
(Continued to Page 3)
Congratulations!
Com m ander Helen L. Purnell,
Executive O fficer, Navy Recruiting
District, Portland, Oregon. Commander
Purnell, a 17 year veteran of naval service
is a graduate of M aryville College,
Maryville, Tenncsse with a B. S. degree
in Biology and M athematics. She also
h o ld s the M aster o f B usin ess
A d m in istra tio n from M arym ount
University in W ashington, D.C. She
has served as a foreign exchange student
in Beirut, Lebanon. Com m ander Purnell
is currently the highest ranking African-
American Naval officer in the Portland
area.
Seth H ill, right, former north Portland resident and Jefferson high school student
is shown with Edwin M oses.world class hurdler who was guest speaker at the
blacks in G overm ent conference at Seattle.Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Seattle
W ashington
Mr. Hill is director o f catering for the Sheraton Hotel.
Creed O f The Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from
social and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of
race, color, or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing
no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that
all arc hurt as long as anyone is held back.