Page 2 - T h e Portland Observer -M a y 15, 1991
Its Time To Stop The Violence
In The Black Community
Week after week the casualty count
continues to mount in depressed A f r i­
can Am erican commumues across the
country. Hundreds o f African A m e ri­
cans are dying in a k illin g frenzy pre­
cipitated by tu rf wars over the illic it
drug economy. Black communities,
particula rly urban inner ghettoes, have
become war zones where drive by
shootings and random gunfire have
become commonplace. Innocent men,
women and children are being v ic tim ­
ized by a new breed o f outlaws in a
lawless society. The greatest cause o f
death fo r Black males between the ages
o f 18 - 24 is homicide.
Though the drug traffic is a m ajor
source fo r much o f the violence, it is
not the only source o f the violence in
Black comm unities. The anger and
frustration engendered by the oppres­
sive conditions that large numbers o f
Black people are forced to endure is
producing an internal implosion o f self-
destruction. Th oppressed often direct
their anger, h ostility and violence to­
wards each other and not towards the
system and people who are their op­
pressors.
A w hite dominated racist and
exploitive political and economic sys­
tem is the real source o f the violence in
the Black com m unity. The masses o f
Black people are increasingly viewed
as expendable within U.S. society. There
is no national w ill to end hunger, pov­
erty, disease, homelessness or inade­
quate education w ithin Black comm u­
nities. Nor is there any genuine com-
m itm e n t/w ill to stop the violence in
Black communities.
Poverty and drugs and the v io ­
lence which they spawn are major des­
tabilizing influences in the Black
community. Chronic violence, conflict,
tension and the anxiety which violence
produces undermines a people pros­
pects for resistance, revolt and empow­
erment. A people pre-occupied with
issues o f safety, security and peace
have little time or energy to focus on
the crim inal behavior o f the system
which is oppressing them.Indeed the
frig h tfu l terror o f crim e and violence
has reached such proportions in some
communities that Black people are
pleading fo r the authorities to restore
order by any means - even at the ex­
pense o f surrendering c iv il liberties.
Hence we face the prospect o f Black
communities becoming little police states
firm ly under “ stable “ control o f an
oppressive system.
This is a monumental crisis which
the black com m unity must respond to
as a matter o f grave urgency. The v io ­
lence in the Black com m unity must
stop and African Americans must de­
velop the strategies and programs re­
quired to achieve JUSTICE with PEACE
in ourcom m unities. Our response must
be a w holistic, political and economic
strategy fo r change.
We do not need more prisons or
more police or tougher law enforce­
ment. We need jobs, education, hous­
ing, health care, drug education and
drug treatment, a clean environment
and an end to cultural poison and p ollu ­
tion - R AC IS M . We cannot give the
police a blank check or license to un­
leash reign o f terror in our com m uni­
ties under the guise o f restoring peace,
tranquility and order.
In large measure the police are a
part o f the problem. Police o fficials are
often in co m p licity w ith the drug traffic
and allow it to continue both out o f
disregard fo r Black people and because
they are often on the take. So Black
people must control and direct the po­
lice. The police must not be allowed to
control and direct the Black com m u­
nity.
Inside the Black com m unity we
must place a p rio rity on p olitical edu­
cation. It is crucial that we struggle to
spark a movement for change that w ill
give our people a new sense o f purpose
and re-instill the value that we place on
human life. We must educate our people
about the nature o f racism, m ilitarism
and political and economic exploita­
tion in this society and challenge our
people to direct our attack towards our
real enemies. A radical transformation
o f the present system and the establish­
ment o f a new society w ith humane
priorities w ill produce a more w hole­
some climate for human beings to flour­
ish. We must fig ht fo r fundamental
change.
In the meantime, our movement
for change should incorporate comm u­
nity based units w ith the objective o f
using our own resources to stop the
violence in our communities. We can­
not allow those who have been c rim i­
nalized by a crim inal society to terror­
ize the m ajority o f Black people into
inaction. It is crucial that Black people
develop a p olitical movement w ith the
vision and values for change and the
capacity to control violence and dis­
ruption w ithin our comm unity. We w ill
not be instruments o f our own oppres­
sion. Lets stop the violence in the Black
com m unity and focus our energies on
creating a just and human society.
Employment In Oregon
April 1991
Oregon’ s seasonally adjusted un­
employment rate remained at 5.8% in
A p ril, the third straight month at that
level. The national rate fe ll from 6.8%
to 6.6% between March and A p ril. The
stability and level o f Oregon’ s unem­
ployment rate continue to suggest that
the state is d efinitely suffering from an
economic slowdown but is not fo llo w ­
ing the nation into recession.
News from the Employment D iv i­
sion’ s m onthly survey o f Oregon em­
ployers was decidely more gloomy.
The increase o f 5,000 payroll jobs fell
far short o f a normal A p ril increase. In
fact, after adjusting for normal sea­
sonal trends, payroll employment
dropped by 5,300, the largest decrease
since July 1983.
Looking at specific industries,
lum ber and wood products added 300
jobs, m ostly as a result o f a couple o f
veneer and plyw ood m ills which re­
hired workers after a layoff. However,
the 300 increase looks paltry compared
w ith the loss o f almost 9,000 in the last
twelve months.
Elsewhere in manufacturing, most
industries registered either no change
in employment or a small loss. The
m ajor exception, transportation equip­
ment, lost 500 jobs as ship repair con­
tracts neared completion. Even so, the
3,300 workers left in the ship and boat
repair industry still represent the high­
est A p ril employ ment level since 1972,
when comparable records started.
Constructionem ploym entgrew by
1,200 in A p ril, suprred on by large
increases in heavy construction and
special trade contractors. However, the
rapid construction growth o f the past
tw o years appears to have stopped.
A p r il’ s employment level, 50,600, was
500 lower than that o f A p ril 1990, the
firs t such year-to-year decrease since
A p ril 1987.
Retail trade and services added
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Publisher
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Business Manager
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Art •
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substantial numbers o f jobs in A p ril,
2,800 and 1,500 respectively, but both
fell short o f a typical A p ril increase.
M ost o f the new retail jobs came in
eating and drinking places. In services,
the num berofjobsincm ploym ent serv­
ices (made up largely o f temporary
help agencies) fe ll by 1,300 to 14,900.
Over the past year, employment in this
volatile industry' has increased five times,
decreased seven times, and averaged a
massive 700 change each month. Else­
where in services, hotels and lodging
places added 800 employees to reach
20,000, a record level for the time o f
year.
Overall, Oregon’ s economy con­
tinues to be stronger than the nation’s,
but the state is lik e ly to face several
more months o f slow or nonexistent
growth before the pace picks up in late
summer.
Commissioner
Kafoury to Attend
Sabin’s
Neighborhood
Meeting
The Sabin C om m unity Associa­
tion w ill be hosting an evening w ith
Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury on
Monday, May 20th, at Sabin School,
4013 NE 18 th from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. the
Commissioner w ill be speaking about
her housing agenda fo r Portland with
Inner Northeast as the focus for this
meeting. This meeting had been o rig i­
nally scheduled for May 27th but due to
the M em orial Day holiday it was re­
scheduled for May 20th.
I f you have questions and/or con­
cerns about affordable housing, the
D om inion Capital property, the Port­
land Housing center or other related
issues, plan to attend. Your input is
valuable! For more inform ation con­
tact: M arina A n ltila ,2 88 -8 9 70 or Kath­
leen T o d d ,823-4575
If you are a graduating
student, it ’s time to shine.
You can be what you want
to be. Don't forget the ones
who have carried you thus
far. Let them know that you
appreciate them in what
ever capacity they have
fulfilled for you. Remember
to be good to each other!
How To Polish Your
Diamond(s) In The Rough
been given an understanding and orien­
tation o f what science and technology
are all about. As I cite these personal
examples, remember that the experi­
ences are typical o f the backgrounds o f
the models in my book, “ Black Inven­
tors O f Am erica” . The a vailability o f
related reading materials in the H O M E
are essential. I was raised in a single­
parent home, but my mother, at w hat­
ever sacrifice, saw that there was sci­
ence literature and books at hand - in ­
cluding subscriptions to Popular Sci­
ence, Popular Mechanics, National
Geographic and the like. And, o f course,
there was that encouragement to use the
public library.
These resources are readily avail­
able today. D alton’ s Bookstores have a
tremendous display fo r your selection
as does the huge P ow ell’ s Book Store at
10th and West Burnside. Also, O M SI
(Oregon Museum o f Science and Indus­
try) has both reading materials and
SCIENCE K ITS . The latter are espe­
c ia lly helpful for youngsters who are
motivated by hands-on experiments.
From the age o f six on, I had a series o f
Gilbert ‘Erector’ sets and chemistry sets,
ant farms and the like. These are s till
around and quite useful- And ‘L E G G O ’
building units are wonderful. T ry both
O M SI and “ Toys’ R U S” , as w ell as
shopping centers.
Another thing was that in my youth,
we were encouraged by both parents
and older siblings to form SCIENCE
C LU BS where we devised experiments
and assigned offices like ‘ ‘C hief Scien­
tist-Lab Manager -etc” . We made soap,
polishes, built ‘crystal radios’, grew plants
w ithout soil, made weather instruments.
As promised, this article is espe­
cially directed to those parents who
realize that they cannot depend upon
the ‘ system’ alone fo r the effective
education o f their children. But, first,
the inform ation for obtaining that very
m otivational book on the black m edi­
cal genius, V ivien T. Thomas.
“ Pioneering research in Surgical
Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery:
Vivien Thomas and his work with Allred
B la lo ck” . Now on sale by U niversity
o f Pennsylvania Press, $9.95 ($4.00
shipping). P.O. Box 4836, Hampden,
Balitmore, M D . 21211, A lso ask for
catalog. (215)898-6261.
That “ home nurturing” I often
speak about derives from my own child­
hood experiences frequently w ritten
about here - and which have proven to
be o f such great advantage in dealing
w ith a technological w orld throughout
the years (very successfully, and W IT H ­
O U T DEGREES IN TH E SCIENCES).
It is not that ‘ papers’ arc not needed
today, but a H E A D S T A R T is a must.
Further, it is becoming increasingly
apparent that a tragic number o f inner
city youths, fo r whatever reason, w ill
not get to a university - or even finish
high school. We have got to deal w ith
that! They nevertheless must be kept
com petitive at their level o f the job
market i f they are to servive, and this
can only be done i f we provide a sci­
ence and technical orientation beyond
the conventional structures - which do
not serve them very well.
We would keep in mind, too, that
many youth (as in my case) can be
encouraged to resume their education
at a later date if, early on, they have
model airplanes and many other de­
vices. Occasionally a teacher or mem­
ber o f the com m unity w ould arrange for
competition among neighborhood clubs.
Parental encouragement and sup­
port should be forthcom ing at a ll times.
However, children should also be pushed
to achieve and inquire. I s till remember
a sermon my mother preached about
‘ in itia tiv e ’ , and what happens to people
who are surrounded by knowledge and
opportunity-but s till can’ t function. I
was 12 years old at the time and had
spent a week moping around the house,
“ acting e v il” and bewailing the fact
that I couldn’t build a model German
Fokker Airplane because I d id n ’ t have
the plans.
One step ahead o f a resounding
blow , I was reminded o f the innum er­
able sacrifices the woman had made to
provide me w ith every b it o f knowledge
and resources possible to give a child.
(W hat are you going to do when I ’m
gone?) W ithin minutes I got m y wits
about m e-off to the main library to get
the address o f the plane manufacturer in
Germany-over to the post office to find
out the postage-then back home to
compose a letter. In six weeks I had the
plans and our club was w orking on a
model.
I have never forgotten that lesson
and have never since failed to exploit
every resource available fo r support o f a
task. N ext week I w ill detail from per­
sonal experience how such a background
can enable even a high school dropout
to enter a technical workforce (The Martin
M arietta Alum inum Company: Elec­
tronic Instrumentation, Power House
Operator, Etc.)
REP. CARTER HOSTS TOWN HALL MEETING
Ballot Measure 5, State Budget To Be Discussed
Rep. Margaret Carter, D-Portland,
w ill host a Tow n H all Meeting featur­
ing a discussion on effects o f Ballot
Measure 5 and the State Budget. T w o
state o fficia ls, w ith a great deal o f
knowledge on state money matters, w ill
lead the discussion. Rep. Carl Hos-
ticka, o f the House Committee on
Revenue and School Finance, and Rep.
Eldon Johnson, o f the Joint Ways &
Means Committee, w ill answer ques­
tions about school finance, higher edu­
cation budgets and human resource
services.
Rep. Carter expects a liv e ly and
inform ative Tow n H a ll M eeting. The
M eeting w ill be held at 7 pm, Thurs­
day, M ay 23rd, in K ing Neighborhood
F acility, at 4815 NE 7th. Everyone is
invited.
AMALGAMATED PUBLISHERS, INC.
PORTL
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments
Community
Mental Health & Developmental Disability
The Mental Health and Develop-
mental D isability Services D ivision has
presented five Awards o f Excellence in
recognition o f Oregonians who have
made outstanding contributions in the
mental health field.
The awards are presented annually
during M ay, Mental Health M onth. The
nominations are submitted from through-
out the state.
The Oregon Alliance lo r the Men-
ta lly 111 and the D ivision also presented
awards and saving bonds to two Ore-
gon high school students. The students
are the award winners o f a statewide
essay contest.
Research & Training Center Fam-
ily Support Services. It is one o f only
three national technical assistance centers
in the country funded by the National
Institute o f M ental Health to provide
research and technical assistance to the
children’s mental health system.
The Center located at Portland State
U niversity was selected especially fo r
its work inparcnt/professionalcollabo-
ration, family involvement in treatment,
national advocacy work for children’ s
mental health, and the development o f
the m ulti-cultural model. The D ivision
also recognized the Center’ s assistance
in the C hild and Adolescent Service
System Program (CASSP) and the Office
state. Most noteworthy are the BRIDGES
Wcnda Llo yd. She was selected
manual and training program, the an- jqj . Qijg award due to her consistent
nual meetings, anti-stigma campaign, outstanding efforts directed at program
irisdistribution.educationaleffortsand development, enhancement o f expanded
fa m ily support focus to mention a few. work opportunities and transitional
The contributions o f O A M I fam ilies vocational services fo r patients retum -
throughout the state are m oving the ¡ng t0
com m unity. Patients at
organization into a mature position as Dammasch State Hospital are provided
tin advocacy organization.
w ith new work opportunities through
Iry Smith. Executive D irector o f
hospital’ s sheltered workshop, pa-
the M id-C olum bia Center fo r L iv in g , dent pay program and pre-work train-
I™ Smith is a mental health profes- jng prOgram through these services,
sional who has served the system w ith
developed a collaborative tie be-
integrity fo r many years and promoted lween Dammasch State Hospital and
a county mental health program model, the Vocational Rehabilitation D ivision,
He served as a positive liaison between dlus ano w ing evaluation o f patient
the D ivision and the County Mental workers fo r supported services in tran-
Health Program Directors. S m ith’ s sitioning from lhc hospital to commu-
membership on the M ental Health njty w ork sitcs
Advisory Board and other committees
Essay Winners. The students were
has provided valuable leadership.
asked to w rilc essays Qn famous
Garrett Smith. Executive D irector or people they have known who have
o f M ind Empowered, Inc., Garrett Smith heen m entally ill The essays were to
received numerous nominations for this dcscribe how thcsc
cnriched the
award. His com m itm ent as a volunteer, | jves o f o lhcrs and how the students*
consumer advocate, activist and serv- ¡¡ves werc affcctcd p irst piace w jnner
ice provider has had far-reaching ef- o f a S5(X) saving;, bond was Suzanna
feels. M ental health planning com m it- g ess f rom c enlra| Lin n High School,
lees in Multnomah County and through-
submitted “ WhoCan Put A Lim it?”
out the state have all benefited from his §hc submitted an essay on W inston
input. Under the leadership o f Garrett C hurchill. Second place w inner o f a
Smith, M ind Empowered, Inc. has $250 savings bond was Pam Bush from
become a m ajor organization in the C orvallis High School for “ M y L ife
o f C hildren’ s Mental Health Services,
Oregon Alliance for the M entally
IL L . O A M I was selected for a variety
o f contributions made throughout the
mental health delivery system in
Multnomah County w ith a staff o f 13.
all who arc consumers o f mental health
services.
I
with a Depression ” Her essay described
a personal acquainlance Thc sludcnts
werc awardcd ^ ¡ „ g k)nds financcd
by Upjohn Company
"Reinvestments In the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications throughout the USA.