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The Portland Observer— October 17, 1990
Metzger: Will Justice Pierce His Movement?
p e r s p e c t i v e s
By Professor McKinley Burt ;
BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT
The following article, first
appearing here in January
1988, is reprinted because it
is so relevant to my current
series, “ Whatever Hap­
pened To Minority Busi­
ness' (see businesspage).
Rise and Fall
of the Albina
Corporation
Last week I described my participa­
tion in a successful Los Angeles com ­
pany that had a 90% m in ority work force.
Here we have a b rie f review o f the fo r­
tunes o f P ortland’ s ‘The Albina Corpo­
ration’ w hich, fo r a w hile (1968-1971),
was the largest m inority-ow ned (?) and
operated m anufacturing company in
Am erica.
Using this enterprise as a model in
the business class I taught at Portland
State U niversity, I cited it as the creation
o f a white San Francisco attom eyj-ouis
Kelso, w ho projected the concept o f a
nation-w ide chain o f ghetto factories to
be jo in tly owned by an ‘employee stock
trust’ (Black) and the public sector (“ The
Kelso Tw o-Factor Theory” ).
The idea was to simultaneously
achieve a number o f objectives designed
to place Blacks in the main-stream o f the
nation’s economy: train the ‘disadvan­
tage’ in the skills and crafts needed to
produce goods; reduce the rolls o f w el­
fare and other public assistance; intro­
duce blacks to the concepts o f corporate
management (promote Albina residents
from the w ork force); assure community
involvem ent by appointing the board o f
directors from the community.
A composite (helter-skelter) financ­
ing was employed to start this company:
several quarter-million dollar grants from
government and private sectors, includ­
ing a church group, Small Business
Administration loans, and huge ‘advances’
from the Defense Department customers
in anticipation o f products not yet manu­
factured. In addition, scores o f machines
were loaned or donated by the U.S. General
Services Adm inistration. Initial em ploy­
ees’ salaries were paid by the U.S. De­
partment o f Labor through training con-
tacts-not out o f ‘earned income.’ An
‘ income tax deferral plan’ was put in
place by a special act o f Congress and an
agreement with the Internal Revenue
Service.
The Albina Corporation got o ff to a
gala, w ell-publicized start with the ex­
ecutive suite filled by a Black Portland
attorney as president, and two black
engineers as vice president and
treasurer/espectively, from the Space
Program and from the Atom ic Energy
Commission. Also, there were any number
o f whites on loan from industry as advi­
sors. W ith perhaps two exceptions, there
was no point-to-point correspondence
between experience and the tasks to be
performed.
Over a three-year period the product
line ranged from tent frames fo r the
A rm y and fiberglass boats for the Coast
Guard, to ammunition boxes fo r the
A rm y ’ s Franfort Arsenal. Also, there
were some motions toward obtaining
private sector contracts to utilize the
equipment when idle.
Now, I ask, you, what could go
wrong-other than using up most o f the
loans and advances in a learning phase,
almost before the first product was made?
fo r one thing, i f you refer to last week’ s
article about the Globeware Corp., you
w ill see that they matched lim ited skills
w ith lim ited ambitions. The result was
only a 5% rejection rate (on simple pots
and pans), and that after only a six-week
training cycle. The Albina Corporation,
steeped in social rhetoric and altruism-
and a labor force o f whom 90% had
by Angelique Sanders
never worked w ith a machine nor seen a
time clock-tried to produce an am m uni­
tion box to a 1/10,000 o f an inch toler­
ance. The result, o f course, was disas­
trous, w ith an in itia l 90% rejection rate,
while the overhead and debt mounted
daily.
I became par; o f this scenario in
1971 when I was called in as ch ie f ac­
countant to perform an audit for the U.S.
General Accounting O ffice , and to
expedite the termination o f the whole ill-
fated affair. M y first introduction to the
euphemistic “ poverty programs” was
mind-boggling. M y audit and recapitu­
lation ol the m illions o f dollars that had
passed through the company revealed
that contrary to popular opinion, there
was no evidence o f “ widespread theft
and embezzlement” . Rather, everything
that those o f us experienced in industry
and spent half-a-lifetim e in learning had
sim ply been thrown out the window in an
emotional social binge. Unbelievably,
the inexperienced community board o f
directors had not been given the most
basic advice or training fo r their role,
and could not possibly have influenced
the fate o f the corporation.
What worries me today, almost
twenty years later, is that many contem­
porary Black economic programs would
seem to incorporate the same weak ele­
ments when it comes to the background
and relevant experience o f the key play­
ers. I wondered then-and I wonder now-
why those w ith a track record are not
called in at the inception and planning
stage, rather than after the fact?
Is there an egocentric messiah
complex in the Black ‘promoters o f the
Dream’ which causes them to reject any
realistic input into their projects? During
the height o f the poverty program era,
would it not have made sense to draw on
the many successful black businessmen
o f the South fo r ‘on-loan’ executives to
design and operate the M in ority Busi­
ness Programs? Have community or
governmental attitudes changed any to­
day?
From a young g irl w ith a “ Gel
out, Jew P ig ” poster hanging in her
bedroom, to a batch o f newspapers that
promote “ Hateful Stickers” as proudly
as cotton candy; from a cartoon that
reads " I f it A in ’ t White...Waste it,” de­
picting an A frican American being
m ortally wounded, to a teenager and a
few o f his friends assaulting 80 people
w ithin four days because they weren’ t
white, Portland has become the sight for
a case between beliefs o f supremacy
versus strength o f m orality, a milestone
case that w ill likely set the tone fo r the
1990s on issues o f race.
The case stems from the brutal
beating and consequent death o f Mu-
lugeta Seraw. “ I unlaw fully and inten­
tionally kille d Mulugcta Seraw because
o f his race...” reads Kevin M ietske’s
statement o f guilt. Today, M ietske’s
face shows no remorse beyond that o f
having had to serve a ja il term.
Prior to the murder, several
teenagers at a p a rty-fo llo w e rs o f Metz-
ger-drank alcohol and laughed about
racism. One teen drew a depiction o f a
black man with a bullet going through
his head and the caption “ Nigger keep
out” . Ten to fifteen minutes later, when
the youth left the party, they found their
victim , and witness Heidi Christine
Martinson testified that Mietske beat
Seraw w ith a baseball bat “ like he was
chopping wood” .
That case has been closed, but
the question remains (and this is the
focus o f M etzger’ s trial): are father and
son Tom and John Metzger sim ply pro­
moting, through their publications, a
peaceful message o f white supremacy,
or are they inciting youths to com m it
violent acts against non-whites?
Profile of Dave Mazella
Dave M azella’s youth sounds
like an after-school special: he d id n ’t
feel close to his fa m ily or friends, and
was a d riftin g teen w ithout a cause.
Some skinheads happened to pass some
racist publications to Mazella, and he
presumably felt the journalism was a
cause fo r which he could stand. U niting
with skinheads and “ fin ding ” a pur­
pose, soon Mazella had the comraderie
and the niche he sought: after a while,
the pow erful Metzgers themselves be­
friended this C alifornian youth. Soon,
claims Mazella, he and Metzger, Sr.
were together in ConnecticuL set to appear
on a talk show w ith their message, with
Don't Forget to Vote
ZEBRA STICKERS
DRUG CONFERENCE PLANNERS from around the country met in
Phoenix, Arizona last month to plan the regional Drug Convention to be
held in Phoenix in November. Members o f the committee are I to r,
seated, Dr. Louise White, Dr. Wilber Jordan, Rev. Paula
McDonald, (stand) I to r Angie Hart, Terry Foley and Sandy Adams.
CREED OF THE BLACK PRESS
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national antagonisms when It accords to every person, regardless of race, color, or
creed, h ill human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black
> strives to help every person In the firm belief that all are h u rt as long as anyone
to held back.
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
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Business Manager
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The PORTLAND OBSERVER is
published weekly by
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4747 N.E. M.L.K., Jr. Blvd.
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Like Father, Like Son
Mazella said Metzger was
devious and discreet. W hile seeing him
defend him self, I can certainly believe
it. Repeatedly, he would lead the w it­
ness w ith nods, gestures, or repetitive
and confusing questioning, as w ell as
using subtle, aggressive psychological
techniques to steer the ju ry . One o f
Metzger’ s tactics was to k ill tim e by re­
peating his questions, for which he was
halted by time and time again by sus­
tained objections. His hidden intent, 1
believe, was to be the last speaker o f the
day, presumably figuring this way he’ll
remain in the ju ro r’ s minds. I ’ ve no
doubt this tactic is w orking: his scratchy
voice, condemning eyes, cocky swag­
ger, and hateful smile have been etched
forever in my brain.
Is Metzger afraid o f M azella’ s
testimony? ‘ ‘O f course he’s lying! ” he
snapped to reporters.
Unfortunately, this is a shaky
case. Proving that Metzger used subtle
psychological m ilitanlly-leading tech­
niques to incite violence, when actually,
M etzger’s prey is generally borderline
personas anyway, is going to prove d if­
ficult. I f it was possible to be declared
convicted on a charge o f immoral, oblivi­
ous haughtiness, Metzger would easily
be found guilty.
His son, John, who looks like a
young photograph o f his dad, m irrors
T om ’ s actions and reinforces T om ’ s
speeches. He also assumes his father’ s
stance o f “ no remorse” . “ We are f i l l ­
ing a void in their [skinheads’ ] liv e s ,"
he declares self-righteously. “ I think
i t ’ s very important that someone take a
stand.” Operation W arlord, a newspa­
per which he is editor o f (and conse­
quently decides what w ill be published
therein), makes his stand very obvious:
it
suggests
skinheads
should
“ destroy...poke their eyeballs o u t” ; it
aims to “ rebuild the hunter-killer in ­
stinct in youth” ; and, in a speech he
gave 2-3 weeks after Seraw’s murder,
John said he saught “ predatory leaders
among youth” . The word “ predator”
illustrates an offensive, not defensive,
idea o f vio le n ce -h e ’s apparently N O T
talking about self-defense. One o f his
security men, on M orton D ow ney’ s talk
show, stated, “ I teach these people
[skinheads] how to break bones and crush
skulls.”
Regardless o f the outcome o f
this trial, I doubt Tom w ill feel any
remorse. In fact, he smiles when he says
i t ’s actually helping his white suprem­
acy movement, in that it has provided
them w ith, as he puts it, at least ten
m illion dollars worth o f press coverage.
In reference to his publication
W . A.R. (W hite Aryan Resistance), Tom
says, “ We are a white, Aryan, non-
Semitic, association-we do not allow
Jews” . I think the Metzgers have fo r­
gotten tw o things: first, Am erica be­
longed to Native Americans before the
white man came along; and secondly,
the principles this country is founded
on, the freedom that makes it up, is that
America has been for hundreds for years,
and shall be as long as democracy pre­
vails, a m elting pot o f races, creeds,
religions, and sexual orientations. A
true American is not a blonde-haired,
blue-eyed, Hitler-approved person: it is
anyone who legally lives in this country
and shares our constitution.
TO BE EQUAL
RACE A GROWING FACTOR IN DIVERSE WORLD
Alm ost 2,500 vehicles received a BY: JOHN E. JACOB
special “ zebra” sticker in August as a
result o f a law that took effect in January
Racial diversity won the c ity o f
1990.
Atlanta the coveted award as the site o f
The new law requires police o ffi­ the 1996 Olympics.
cers to confiscate vehicle registration
The International Olympic Com m it­
cards and place a black and white “ ze- tee, which selects the site o f the Games
bra slicker over the registration tag on cIuni among worldwide applicants, weighs
license plates when citing or arresting a number o f factors.
drivers for certain traffic offenses. These
But according to news reports, what
offenses include felony driving while tipped the scales in Atlanta’s favor was
suspended, driving while suspended for the strong black presence in the city.
having no lia b ility insurance, and d riv ­
hat would have been a negative mark
ing w ithout a license or with a license back in the days when the Committee
expired for more than one year.
was dominated by Europeans. But the
O f the 2,472 citations issued in
.
...
emergence o f Asian and African mem-
August 291 were for felony driving while
has d i,uted
Eurocentric bias
suspended; 1,301 were for driving while
W halcvcr Atlanta’ s problcm s-and
suspcndedforbc.ngunmsured;818 were ,ike a„ Am crican c k i
j( has ,
of
for driving w ithout a license; and 42
them -it did impress a m ultiracial, m ul­
were for driving w ith an expired license.
ticultural international body with its ability
O f these citations, 1,045 were issued to
to construct a viable, functioning me­
drivers who were not the owner o f the
tropolis made up o f a great variety o f
vehicle they were operating.
peoples and cultures.
D uring the eight months this law has
Even some o f the losers in the O ly m -
been in effect, 21,465 stickers have been
pic site competition stressed their m u lti­
issued-2,626 fo r felony driving while
ethnic character. Melbourne, Australia
suspended; 11,546 for driving w hile sus­
and Toronto, Canada both emphasized
pended for being uninsured; 6, 426 for
their large communities o f people o f
driving w ithout a license; and 439 for
Asian and African backgrounds.
driving w ith an expired license. O f these
Suddenly, diversity has become an
citations, 8, 490 were to drivers who
important plus, and diversity w ill count
were not the owner o f the vehicle they
for even more in the coming years.
were operating.
As the world shrinks and people
interact across cultural and ethnic bounda­
ries, the key to international success is
successful inter-racial cooperation.
That’s a pow erful reason for A m e ri­
can to do a lot more to overcome racial
discrimination and to build a more effec­
tive pluralistic society.
Compared to international econom­
ics, international sports is just a side­
show. More and more, global economic
success w ill depend on people’s ability
to transcend their cultures and work
com fortably w ith people o f other back­
grounds.
So we have to ask whether our schools
arc preparing our children for the m u ltic­
ultural world in which they must func­
tion.
And we have to ask whether our
society, ridden w ith racial stereotypes
and discriminatory practices, is sending
the right signals to an interdependent
w orld and to our own children.
While America has made great strides
in the never-ending struggle against
racism, it clearly has a long way to go.
Just how far is obvious from the
constant drum fire o f racist incidents
reported in the media, and the even larger
numbers o f incidents that never find their
way into the evening news but in flic t
pain on minorities and lim it their op­
tions.
But America has an edge on many
other countries, since we have always
included racial and ethnic fairness among
our national ideals-perhaps more often
violated than honored, but s till at the
center o f our nation’s ideology.
I f we can translate that lip service to
racial equity into reality, we can make
our diversity as strong a factor in global
economic success as A tlanta’s diversity
was in its O lym pic success. Especially
since some o f our m ajor economic rivals
are s till hung up on race and can’ t accept
peoples o f different cultures.
Japan has long been notorious for
excluding foreigners and discrim inating
against native-born Japanese whe
jots
are in other Asian countries.
And Europeans arc revealing deep-
seated racism in their encounters w ith
immigrants from A frica , North A frica ,
and Asia.
Many o f those immigrants were
invited in to do work native Europeans
d id n ’ t want to do, but their reward is to
be stigmatized as dishonest, lazy or crim i­
nal-fam iliar stereotypes to rationalize
racism.
In this era o f w orldw ide interde­
pendence, a country’s political and global
strength w ill depend on its a b ility to
respect and interact w ith other cultures.
Racism has no place in such a w orld, and
we need to make sure racism has no
place in America.
BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SPONSOR
11TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OCTOBER 20TH
Deadlines for all submitted materials:
Articles: Monday, 5 p.m. - Ads: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
POSTMASTER: Sand Address Changes to: Portland Obaarvar, P.O. Box 3137,
Portland, OR 97208. Second-class postage paid at Portland, Oregon.
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photo­
graphs should be clearly labled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed
envelope All created design display ads become the sole property of this newspaper and
can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent of the
general manager, unless the dient has purchased the composition of such ad 1990
PORTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE
OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED
Subscriptions $20 00 per year in the Tri-Countyarea. $25 OO all other areas
The Portland O b s e rv e r-Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication is a member
of The National Newspaper Assodation - Founded in 1885, and The National Advertis­
ing Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc , New York, NY.
Metzger footing the b ill for Mazella to
shave his head (Metzger denies th is). “ 1
felt like I had a fa m ily ,” said Mazella.
“ It would be easy to go back to .” His
“ fa m ily " was then the happy-to-accept-
him while supremacist skinheads. Soon,
though, he began to mature and he found
moral hang-ups w ith his philosophies.
As Mazella pul it, “ I d id n ’ t feel right
w ith anything I ’ v e d o n e in m y life .” He
telephoned the Anti-Defamation League
(a group that m onitors hate crimes and
sends the inform ation to police” . This
information was made public, and soon
Dees, Scraw’s uncle’s attorney (who
was already com piling inform ation to
file a lawsuit against Metzger), got in
touch w ith him.
Mazella is the epitome o f what
the Metzgers probably look for: not
highly intelligent, but easily controlled,
his testimony gave me the impression
that he didn’ t understand psychology
w ell, and could wholeheartedly accept
lies. Mazella found media items highly
leading, i f they meshed w ith his beliefs,
and those that clashed w ith his beliefs
were immemorable and overshadowed.
Never finding support prior to the skins,
it is not surprising his * ‘convictions’ ’ are
so easily swayed. “ We [skinheads]
believed in what you’d say,” said Mazella.
* ‘ As your organization went from p o liti­
cal to m ilitant, so did I...we did n ’ t pay
attention to the la w .” He also called
Metzger’s narratives “ brainwashing
tactics” .
But was Mazella conjuring up
an illusion o f Metzger, or is Metzger
g u ilty o f inciting violence?
Thomas W. Dortch, Jr.
The Black College Committee, Inc.
w ill be sponsoring their l l t h Annual
Black College Conference, October 20,
1990 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ore­
gon Convention Center, 777 M.L. King
Dr. William R. Wiley
Blvd.
The conference offers parents and
students the opportunity to speak w ith
various predominately
Black institutions o f higher cduca-
tion. These representatives from Black
Colleges and Universities w ill be speak­
ing o f the advantages o f attending black
institutions, offering scholarships to at­
tendees and stressing the quality o f edu­
cation in their schools.
This years theme, “ Black Colleges:
Preserving the Past to Ensure the Fu­
ture” focuses the conference workshops
on the h istorical value o f B lack Colleges
in education. Attendees w ill receive in ­
formation on financial aid and scholar­
ships, how to survive the first year, over-
corn ing test anxiety, career choices for
the 90’ s, in addition to tw o special w ork­
shops: “ Survival o f the Black M ale”
and “ Parents Orientation to College
Bound Young A dults.”
Keynote speakers o f the confer­
ence are Thomas W . Dortch, Jr., and
Dr. W illiam R. W iley.
The conference was originally de­
signed for high school students. It ad­
dressed the advantages o f attending a
predominately Black College and also
included workshops o f interest and help
to high school students to enter any
college or university. In the past 10
years the Black College Committee
has discovered the conference to be
beneficial to parents, middle school,
high school and college students. The
conference has been attended by ap­
proximately 400 students and parents
each year.