Page 2 --The Portland Observer-April 3, 1991
ÍR S P E C T IV E S
by Professor McKinley Burl
Police Terror Is Not New In Black Communities
The vicious police beating of
R odney K ing, an African American
w ho w as stopped by m em bers o f the
L os A ngeles Police D epartm ent for
allegedly speeding, has been the sub-
je c to f m ajor national attention . A white
am ateur photographer was able to cap
ture the brutal event with a video cam
era. T he dram atic footage continues to
be run repeatedly on national televi
sion. T he nation seem s to be shocked
that these “ men in blue” could do such
1 a thing.. Even the Attorney General of
the U nited States, Richard Thronburgh,
w as m oved to order aiunvestigalion of
the m ore than 15,000 reported and
recorded com plaints of police brutality
that have been filed across th country in
^recent years (no one dare guess how
. m any incidents of police brutality go
• unreported or unrecorded). The Attor-
:n e y G eneral wants to know whether
these com plaints reveal a “ pattern” of
police m is-conduct.
W hile A m erica pretended to be in
shock, Black A merica was not shocked
at all. A frican Americans already knew
the answ er to Mr. T hornburgh’s in
quiry on the “ pattern” question. The
attack on Rodney King is a part o f the
historical pattern of violent oppression
o f A fricans in America which has been
visited upon our people ever since we
arrived here in a condition o f involun
tary servitude. Black people in general
and black men in particular have al
w ays been the target of w hite * ‘ authori
tie s’’ who have often seen it as their
self appointed duty to “ Keep the nig
gers in their place.”
W hen I was a youngster growing
up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, we
always knew that we were subject to be
stopped and assaulted by the white cops
at any time. Life in the Hill D istrict was
certainly not unique in that regard. In
every ghetto in the United States the
experiences and anxieties were exactly
the same. In fact is was in response to
the pattern o f police violence that the
Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
was formed in O akland, California in
the 60’s. Because a similar pattern existed
in urban ghettoes everywhere, the Pan
thers found fertile ground for organiz
ing throughout the country. Indeed, most
of the rebellions (so called riots) in the
6 0 ’s were revolts that were sparked by
incidents o f police abuse alm ost w ith
out exception. If the general public suf
fers from the impression that the kind
of police terrorism which sparked the
rebellions in the 6 0 ’s has vanished, it is
because there has been a virtual news
white-out o f the pattern of police vio
lence since the 6 0 ’s. One o f the conclu
sion which the authorities made about
the rebellions in the 6 0 ’s is that the
media coverage o f the revolts caused
the rebellions to spread like a chain
reaction. Therefore, though the inci
dents o f police violence against Black
people have continued unabated, re
ports about police brutality seldom reach
beyond a local market.
Only in rare instances has the na
tion been exposed to a glim pse o f the
pattern of police violence that is a per
sistent fact of life for Black America.
Police abuses provoked rebellions in
Miami, Chattanooga, Tennessee and
m ostrecently in Vineland, New Jersey.
Certain cities like Houston, Chicago
and New York have also received at
tention because o f chronic allegations
about police brutality. And the Rodney
King incident is but the most recent in a
series o f incidents making news out of
Los Angeles.
O ver the last five years, the "W a r
on D rugs” has also exacerbated tension
between B lack comm unities and the po
lice. Embattled Black com m unities are
calling for more effective law enforce
ment to contain the epidem ic o f drug
trafficking and violence in the Black
com m unities. That same call, however,
has become a legitim izing license for
racist cops to harass, harm and kill black
people, particularly young Black males.
At a conference which I attended in
W ashington D.C. recently, a young
brother reported that he had been stopped
by the police seven times in one month.
In each instance the police searched his
car and frisked him down, apparently
looking for drugs. Every Black male on
the streets has becom e a suspect.
So yes there is a pattern o f police
harassment, brutality and terror in the
Black com m unity. The Rodney King
incident was caught on camera. C ount
less thousands o f police attacks against
Black people go untelevised, unreported
and unrecorded. The pattern is not new.
The pattern is as old as the individual
and institutional racism and the eco
nomic exploitation and injustice which
have been heaped on African A m eri
cans since we w ere forced to come to
the United States. And the pattern will
continue until the racist culture of
America and the institutions o f racial
oppression and econom ic exploitation
which are rooted in that culture arc de
stroyed.
Exempt Parents Should File Income Tax Returns
W orking parents who are exempt
from filing income tax returns because
their income is near o f below taxable
level should file them anyway-they may
be eligible to receive up to $953 through
the earned income credit, according to
Sen. Jane Cease, D-Portland.
Although more than 115,000 Ore
gonians got $60 million from the fed
eral tax credit in 1988, thousands more
w ho are eligible d on’t know about the
“ negative” income tax provision.
Sen. Cease said, “ There are many
people who could really benefit from
this. Those who know about it should
tell any o f their friends or relatives who
m ight qualify to get the forms and then
encourage them to file.”
For the 1990 tax year, the range o f
incom es for w hich no federal income
tax is due is from $8,850 for a single
parent with one child to $15,700 for
two parents with three children. A single
mother with one child working at m ini
mum w age earns a gross income o f just
under $10,000.
For the 1991 tax year, the program
has broader income lim its, increased
paym ents, and a new paym ent for
families who pay health insurance pre
miums. The maximum benefit this year
is $1,192 for a family with one child or
$1,235 for a family with tw o or more
children.
Those qualifying can receive their
credit through the year in their pay-
checks or as a refund at the end o f the
year. To get the credit, em ployees must
file a W-5 form with their employers.
Eligible workers can get free tax return
preparation assistance at the Tax Aid
sites in many Oregon communities. The
sites are a joint project o f the Oregon
D epartment o f Revenue and the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service.
Further information can be obtained
CREED OF THE BLACK PRESS
The Black Press belle» ce that A m erica can best lead Uie world «»»ay from social and
national antagonisms when It accords to every person, regardless of race, color, or
creed, full hum an and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black
Press strives to help e i cry person In the firm belief that all arc h u rl as long as anyone
Is held back.
ERVER
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Business Manager
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is
published weekly by
Exie Publishing Company, Inc.
4747 N.E. M.L.K., Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
P.O. Box 3137
Port’and, Oregon 97208
(503) 288-0033 (Office)
FAX#: (503) 288-0015
Deadlines for all submitted materials:
Articles: Munday, 5 p.m. -- Ads: Tuesday 5 p.m.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: P ortland Obaarvar, P.O. Box 3137,
P ortland, OR 97208. Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photo
graphs should be clearly tabled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed
envelope All created design display ads become the sole property of this nev<spapor and
can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without tho written consent cf the
general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad 1350
PORTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN W H O .E
OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED
Subscriptions $20 00 per year in the TriCountyarea; $25.00 all other areas.
The Portland Observer - Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication - is a member
of The National Newspaper Association - Founded in 1885, and The National Advertis
ing Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY.
by calling 1-800-TAX-1040.
Responses
The last two articles certainly gained
attention, and from both sides o f the
coin. 1 didn’t expect everyone to be
happy with the descriptions o f blacks
who gained fame in history for incred
ible military exploits which are still
cited today-and used to teach tactics at
the academ ies (though you would not
know from media or text that they were
black.)
O f course, it is only recently that
the lies and slurs heaped upon the fight
ing abilities o f African American sol
diers and airm en o f W orld W ars I and II
have been put to rest. And in respect to
the ancient A fricans, we are all aware
by now (or should be) that the estab
lishment historians,publishers and media
are given to broad, racist self-serving
statement; generally to the effect that
all of the w orld’s culture and technol
ogy began with the GREEKS. No longer
do they bother with any docum entation
or attribution; “ These truths are self-
evident” (Like Euclid’s “ G eometries”
from whence we have taken this quote-
m odem m athem atics have proven his
postulates to be anything but “ self-
evident” ). Now, they tell us, “ Homer
was illiterate” .
A few bones are occasionally thrown
to the Chinese, and som etim es to a
rather indistinct body referred to as the
“ A rabs” . W orse yet, when honest and
m eticulous scholars present incon-
trovertble evidence o f African contri
butions, there is m ounted the m ost vi
cious o f attacks in the media from fear
ful ‘academics’ and their cohorts. When
their counterclaim s are refuted, they
never recant and a stigm a remains upon
Albina Branch Library
3605 NE 15th, 221-7701
Central Northeast Neighbors
5540 NE Sandy Blvd. 243-7357
Gregory H eights Branch Library
7921 NE Sandy Blvd. 221-7730
H ollywood Branch Library
3930 N E Hancock St. 221-7725
H ollywood Senior Center
1820 NE 40th 288-8303
M ontavilla Com m unity Center
8 2 1 9 N E G lisa n 254-4101
Oregon Human Development
Hispanic Access Program
825 N E 20th, Suite 140 236-9670
Salvation A rm y Rose Center
1785 N E Sandy Blvd. 234-0696
SE Asian Vicarale
5404 N E A lam eda Dr. 249-5892
AMALGAMATED PUBLISHERS, INC.
PORTLfi
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestm ents
a ll it Lite end o f sum m er jam around fo r a long tim e, haven’t you?
S p rin g e r - “ Y o u ’re right. I have
i f you w ill, but the p e rfo rm
ance p u to n by Dennis S prin been around a very long tim e. A ctua lly,
ger last week at die Harbor- I ’ ve been playing since I was fifteen
sid e /K IN K -F M concert sc years old. I started o f f at the old C olton
ries should warm your heart C lub on N orth Vancouver Avenue and I
w e ll in to fa ll. T h a i’s be used to have to go in the dressing room
cause his recently released during breaks ju s t to have a Seven-Up.
L P ( “ R io ” ) is now available When 1 turned twenty-one, I started drink
at local record stores. I l doesn’t have to ing coffee nudges on the breaks. I use to
play w ith the Soul masters and Pleasure
end w ith summer.
Springer, a native Portlander and also. W ith Pleasure, we toured all over
1960-somcthing graduate o f Parkrosc High the United States and we played w ith
School is also thirty-som ething. A c some really great people. I can recall
cording to Springer, he has been around going to Philadelphia once and G rover
the blocks a few times and most o f Ute W ashington would jo in us on stage. In '
time his sax was w ith h im .-S p rin g e r, fact, he sat in w ith us a couple o f limes.
along w ith drum m er Carlton Jackson o f 1 always looked forw ard to going out on
Tom Grant, M ik e K lin g e r (piano/key- the road because I m et people who in
boards), bassist K ris Kent, and Caton spired me. guys like Dexter G ordon and
Lyles, who has to be one o f the best Freddie Hubbard.”
P o rtla n d O bse rve r-W h y so long
percussionists on the West Coast, pu l on
a w onderful show. Jackson is an excel for your first album , y o u ’ve been away
lent drum m er too.
from your last National group fo r some
lim e now?
M any o f the people in the crow d
S p rin g e r-’ T do n ’ t really know to
had never heard of Springer, but they left
the concert w ith a com pact disc o r cas
be honest.. I think that there arc several
factors as to w hy I haven’ t. I ’ ve had m a
sette sold at the N u V ision Records table
terial fo r a long tim e, but w a sn't until
set up on location. At this stage o f his
M arlon M cC lain and M ik e M avrolas
career. Springer is pleased w ith the new
album and happy to be m aking music.
(Darkhorse cntcrtainm cnt/N u V ision
records) approached me to do this p ro j
He has seen a lo t o f people come and go
ect ( “ R io " ) w ith their game plan that it
in the business. There have been limes
where Springer even wondered ifh c was
happened. The tunes that I w rite are
more straight ahead and the one they
on the rig ht track, but his faith in his
wanted to do was more like urban con
a b ility and b e lie f in G od pulled him
temporary or cross over m aterial.”
through some dark moments.
Portland Observer-How do you fed
P ortla nd O bse rve r - People thin k
that you arc some new overnight sensa- day jo b . 1 hope this album can get me to
tion, but the fact is that you have been the po in t where I can do music fu ll-tim e .
nity members o f W oodlawn Park,
Albina, Irvington, Alberta, and U ni
versity Park to attend. Community
Tennis A ssociations are community
tennis chapters o f the United States
Tennis Association the governing body
for all nationally sanctioned C T A s’.
CTAs’ are designed to help kids, adulLs,
and seniors from community programs,
tennis leagues, and sponsor special
tennis related activities, (e.g. schools
programs). M em bers of C T A s’ also
act as advocates for summer tennis
camps, utilization o f Portland parks
for com m unity activities and utiliza
tion o f the Portland Tennis Center.
SOON
&
/X
24
' -
- •
•
" - ■■ ... .
«V » . 1
.
f - - '
T hat’ s what I ’m hoping fo r.”
P ortla nd O bserver-W hat advice do
you o ffe r the youngster w ho has designs
on being the next Dennis Springer, Grover
W ashington, o r Najee?
S p r in g e r - ''I w o uld say ju s t prac
tice hard and learn as much as you can
about your instrum ent. A lso , the busi
ness clement o f the music industry is be
com ing very im p o rta n t There are books
out that can help a young person out in
that area. I heard about a book the other
day called ‘ H it M e n ’ . I t talked about the
industry its e lf and how people make it,
get a ir play, pay-offs, and a ll types o f
stuff. Young artists should read the book.
There is a lo t 'd f p o litics in vo lve d in
music and it ’s about who you know . It
seems like po litics is taking the place o f
talent. T hat’ s real sad. In the era I came
up in , I had to really learn how to play it
in order to be considered a professional.
N ow days, there are so m any people out
there p ickin g up instruments and c a llin g
themselves artists, but they don’ t spend
the tim e it takes to be a true professional.
T h a t’s the difference today.”
P o rtla n d O b se rve r-W h a t do you
want people to know about Dennis S prin-
ger?
S p rin g e r-” W c ll, I want them to
know that I ’ m real serious about m y
music and I ’m going to keep on keeping
on, no matter what. I w ill always con
tinue to play and grow as a professional.
I w o n’ t stay in the same space. I want m y
music to always stay fiesh .”
I w on’ t stay in the same space. I want my
music to always stay fresh.”
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications throughout the USA.
1
4.
Community
The Man Loves His Sax
o f N ortheast Portland, and the com m u-
17
documented essays by world-respected
black, white and Asian scholars with
impeccable credentials. W rite Dr. Ivan
Van Sertima, African Studies Dept.,
Beck Hall, Rutgers University, New
Brunswick N.J. 08903; Enjoy!
Now, for those two ‘older’ and
priceless resources I gave last week.
And these books pertain not only to
documentation o f black “ gods, warri
ors and citizens o f the ancient world”
but encompass religion, literature, an
thropology, origin o f the calendar and
other infrastructure o f A frican civiliza
tions, already at a height when Europe
was the habitat o f late neolithic primi
tives. Both these authors w ere intellec
tual giants o f the previous century,
thoroughly grounded in the classic lan
guages o f G reek, Latin and Arabic,
therefore able to FIRST HAND CON
DUCT THEIR OWN RESEARCH AND
EX A M IN A TIO N O F O RIG IN A L
M ATERIEL-ARTIFACTS.
Our own African A m erican giants
and researchers o f our past were effu
sive in their unabashed gratitude and
citations; W.E.B. D ubois and J.A.
Rogers. Copies o f these books are very
expensive but can be found in some
libraries (You can’t borrow mine,
smiles).
A. Godfrey Higgins: Anacalypsis,
An Inquiry Into The O rigin o f Lan
guages, N ations, and Religions, Lon
don, Longman, 1836; Four volumes,
Reprints at $20.00 each, set for $60.00.
B. Gerald M assey: Book o f the Be
ginnings, Egyptian O rigines in the He
brew Akkado-Assyrian and Maori,
African Heritage Classical Studies
Series, 1890, Four Volumes, same as
above.
Order from (or get latest catalogue)
ECA Associates, P.O. Box 15004, Great
Bridge Station, Chesapeake, Virginia
23320 (804) 547-5542.
A P R IL 17 & 24
The Irving Park Com m unity Ten
nis A ssociation w ill have its second
meeting on M onday, A pril 8th, 6:30 to
8:00 p.m. at the A ugustana Lutheran
Church, 2710 NE 14th Place.
If you w ere unable to attend our
initial meeting to discuss the form a
tion o f the Irving Park Community
Tennis Association, then here’s a sec
ond chance for you to help with the for
mation o f a non-profit community
oriented tennis organization.
Individuals w ho are interested in
taking a greater part with tennis related
activities are invited to attend. H ow
ever, we are encouraging the residents
A P R IL
■
¡-[OMES^ANTED
Just In Case
You Missed
It!
COMING
tr
which I cited last week will be found in
each issue to contain scholarly, well
Local Tax Aid Sites
Northeast Portland:
ft*,*»
•
the works and persons of the besmirched
(which was what was intended).
A prime example is the famed and
revealing book o f Dr. Ivan ......Van
Sertim a,” They Cam e Before Colum
bus” . A New York Times book review
generated one of the most ugly assaults
ever seen in the American press. To
day, this black scholar is completely
vindicated and his works authenticated
and quoted around the world. But the
racist tribes o f detractors have never re
canted. Their familiar names still ap
pear on diatribes submitted to the na
tions magazines and newspapers when
ever an article appears citing the sem i
nal contributions to civilization by Af
ricans or A merican blacks.
W ithout doubt, the local contin
gent o f these racist detractors will be
quite visible and aubiblc on the coming
Town Hall program entitled, “ Teach
ing Truth O r Fiction” . The forum is
about Portland School D istrict’s “ Afri
can American baseline Essays” (Sun
day, April 7 ,6 to 7 p.m. on KATU). We
think a rather obvious presupposition
and m indset is to be inferred from the
title selected. Most o f us would be quite
ecstatic if the nation-wide publicity
and furore generated by these essays
meant that their content had actually
been incorporated into the local cur
riculum and lesson plans. Most of us
know that this has not happened-and
does not seem likely to, except on a
happenstance basis. Incidently, our noted
author, Dr. Van "S ertim a, a friend of
mine, was one o f the prim e contribu
tors to this series of essays and is as
disappointed as anyone.
I ’ll take this opportunity to pro
vide you with an address for obtaining
listings and prices o f his books and
tapes, representing years o f noteworthy
contributions to the African genere.
His “ Journal O f African Civilizations”
Jl
»,.
* • > *