Portland observer., January 22, 1992, Page 2, Image 2

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Page 2...The Portland Observer...January 22, 1992
p e r s p e c tiv e s
K
f by Professor McKinley
Burt
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Heroes And Heroines: Sung And Unsung
Some reached the pinnacle in terms
o f our honor, respect and accolades we
have ju st paid tribute to the birthday of
Rev. M artin Luther King Jr. And, of
course there was Frederick Douglass,
Rosa Parks, Walter White, Mary McLeod
Bethune, Hannibal and so on.
But, there were others, w eren’t
there? G iants that WE KNEW PER­
SONALLY if we just stop and think
about it. They were in the neighbor­
hood, they taught us in the schools,
they let us hold our jobs despite our
arrogant ineptitude -- and they were
there when we needed them, when no
one else would come forward with aid
or succor. Though many are gone now,
these unsung, who made our successes
possible and our travail bearable, de­
serve a honored place in our memories
- beyond place, race or degree o f ser­
vitude.
In my own case, I could have [should
have] listed several in my series, “ Nos­
talgia: Don ’ t Leave Home W ithout It. ”
Pleading that there was a lack o f space,
I now cite some who were key to my
formative years, and later. There is no
better place to start than with those
strong, com m ited and giving Sisters
who taught us in elementary school. O f
course, much o f w hat I have learned
about their dedication and sacrifice came
later at a more discerning age. C er­
tainly, this is a common experience -
when do you miss the water?
When I think o f the * ‘John Marshall
Elementary School” in S t Louis, M is­
souri, it is, first, about particular person
ages and later about specific activities
or spaces. There was Miss Crenshaw,
Al near the lop o f fond memories
is that of ‘ * Mr. T hom as’ ’ who operated
the neighborhood Coal And Ice Yard.
As a fifteen year-old, hungry, ragged
and trying in vain to remain in school,
he gave me my first real job. Under his
hard but fair discipline, I learned the
meaning of work, ethical relations with
people and the satisfaction o f achiev­
ing both personal and physical goals.
The kid who still determined to be a
chemical engineer found that he loved
the hard dirty job delivering 401b. bas­
kets o f coal from a pushcart - or blocks
o f ice to a third-floor tenem ent
And when I went through a rebel­
lious period with my mother - failing
to get home with my paycheck - it was
his huge, calloused hand that em pha­
sized a no-nonsense directive to
"Straighten up and fly right.” Again,
“ beyond race or place,” there was
“ S e a n a big Irishman who was busi­
ness agent for the CIO fur and Leather
W orkers Union. A community social
organization had sent me out on a one
day job as a picket - but they did not
tell me I was to PICKET THE PICK ­
ETS for management, i.e. a strike
breaker!
It was * * Sean ’ ’ who persuaded the
angry workers not to assault me, and
who later got me a job as an apprentice
leather cutter (ladies belts). Later I
became his assistant in the union busi­
ness office and under his tutelage be­
came politically aware as I began to
read labor literature and witness nego­
tiations. There were many heroes and
heroines, o f course - shall we join in
honoring them, unsung no longer?
Miss Brown, Miss Clay, Miss Hunt, ct
al (In those days elementary teachers
were required to be unmarried). Most
o f my K 1 -8 years were during the Great
Depression and I remember so well the
number of hungry children these teach­
ers fed or at least partially clothed from
their meager salaries (black teachers
were paid at a substanially lower rate
than whites).
And many of us were bought paper
and crayons when a Jim Crow educa­
tional system failed to supply these
supplies in sufficient quantities. Bat­
tered or just terrified kids were often
accom panied home by an indignant
teacher who would lay down the law
and become a continuing family coun­
selor. Occasionally, a delinquent father
who could never get home with a pay­
check-leaving his family destitute and
children unable to function in the classs-
room -w ould find that the homeroom
teacher had gotten a colleague to cover
her post and had DESCENDED ON
HIS JOB to persuade the boss to turn
over the check to the mother each week.
Here, we must remember the tre­
mendous amount of respect paid teach­
ers in those days. It went beyond a
place of honor — they were an institu­
tion as integrated into the community
as church and business. And they could
do these things because they were backed
up by the system. Community policing
was the m ode and a teacher’s word,
request or safety was immediately
supported by the cop on the beat. These
men, also, were neighborhood institu­
tions whose social roles went far be­
yond the job descriptions.
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winter class schedule, Jan 21-Febl3,1992
class size limited — all ages welcome
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lion, misplaced prioities and wanton
neglect inherent in a system that places
profit, property, and material acquisi-
ton for the few above the general w el­
fare and well being o f the majority. That
system must be changed. Far too many
politicians from the establishm ent par­
ties are incapable of promoting the “ radi­
cal revolution o f values” which Martin
Luther King called for in order to change
the plight of the poor in this nation.
Such a revolution requires vision, cour­
age and an unflinching will to fight for
the fundamental transformation o f the
policies, institutions and systems which
oppress the poor and disadvantaged in
this society; a transformation which must
lead to the creation o f a new and hu­
mane society.
It is clear that the task of fashioning
a new future, therefore, rests squarely in
the hands o f the disadvvantaged and the
dispossessed and those progressive souls
who are committed to the * ‘radical revo­
lution o f values,” required to create a
new society. Fannie Lou Hamer was not
just “ sick and tired of being sick and
tired.” She rose up, inspite of her circum­
stances, to engage the struggle to liber­
ate oppressed humanity. The millions
of unorganized and unregistered must
also come to see the absolute necessity
to organize to engage the struggle.
The collective response to the shal­
low scapegoating and bashing o f w el­
fare recipients, the homeless,women,
the elderly and minorities mustbe, “ we
hold the truths to be self evident;” “ that
all human beings are entitled to certain
basic human rights, among which are: a
job with good wages and benefits, a
decent home in a clean and safe envi­
ronment, health care, education, clean
air, clean water, a wholesome environ­
ment for all living things and peace and
security with justice. For these “ inal­
ienable rights, ” we are prepared to fight
until the unfulfilled American Revolu­
tion is finished!
To The Editor:
Anopen letter to M ayor Bud Clark,
Police C hief Tom Potter, and the entire
Police Department.
I am once again concerned about
the many human lives that has been
taken by some police officers, and special
squads of the department over the past
year. The death of Mr. Renfro is one
that has bothered me most. The assault
gun the police used on this man, who
was shot twenty-eight times, reduced
this human being to a big blob of blood,
I was told. He was shot without police
calling for him to surrender, or making
their presence known after killing his
dogs. He was shot with his wife and
family in the house.
About a month ago policeman shot
and killed a young man who the police­
man said had cut him with a knife. This
young man was shot an unreasonable
number o f times. My mind cannot
penetrate or eliminate the self defense
claimed by the officers involved as ju s­
tification for murder, and that is what
some o f these killings are.
I realize the frustration and irrita­
tion of the gangs and drug problems that
the officers are fighting. The problems
are out o f control, because o f late inter­
vention o f the police who ignored the
complaints of the community when
problems first started. This part of town
has always been neglected, and there
has always been a undue am ount of
brutality from policeman against black
citizens.
Some people’s memory is very short,
but mine is very long. I haven’t forgot­
ten the Tony Stephen death, by apply­
ing the choke hold by two officers and
the many shooting incidents before then.
I am not trying to open old wounds,
but I can see the police and the over
reaction in this community lately, re­
turning back to its previous ways.
There are some wonderful police
officers that I have met, and they are
doing a good job. But bad apples will
pop up every once in a while.
If you have been an honest officer
and haven’t used your badge in a care­
less and thoughtless manner, this letter
is not for you. I will praise you when
you do a good job, I will let you know
when I think you are slipping and I do
think there should be a citizen group
with power to look into the things I
have brought to your attention. I am not
the only one concerned about these
things, but I am speaking for all of
those who do not speak.
There is too much race hate hap­
pening in this county, time to overlook
the motive of behind the badge murder.
Think about it.
Sincerely
Vesia Loving
P S . I wrote this on the 12th o f
Dec., before the other tragic events
involving the police.
History According To Which Truth
Dear Dr. Burt,
I would very much like a copy of
Dr. G ilk’s article, which was cited in
your recent column - - 1 have included a
self-addressed, stamped envelope for
that purpose.
I enjoy your insights each week -
it’s a shame the “ O bserver” doesn’t
have more writers on its staff (to rattle
our cages more). It’s good to remind us
Americans o f our history — as it is often
distorded and presented as truth by
those who self-promotc and lack cour­
age to sec other theories.
I find most o f your observations to
be correct;, we, the white folks and I
thank you for them. I am often dis­
mayed by how totally immoral and ob­
scene our form of “ dem ocracy” has
become (although it was founded and
has promoted itself on racism and sex­
ism - its crimes have worsened).
I am currently trying to finish my
docoril dissertation (uo) and hope that
I can continue to be a good teacher. I
would probably enjoy taking one of
your classes at PSU.
Sincerely
Pamella Scttlegoode
Portland
Female Officer Might Have Made A Difference
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where it belongs - on a flawed system
and failed policies.
Il was not the poor who decided
that the U.S. should ignite an arms race
in the quest to make this nation the
muscleman/policcman of the world in
the era of the Cold War. It was not the
poor who concocted “ voodoo econom­
ics, and education while sim ultane­
ously increasing military/war spend­
ing and reducing taxes for the wealthy.
It was not the poor who made the
decision to spend .50 cents of every
federal tax dollar on the military war
budget while allocating only .03 cents
on income assistance programs (wel­
fare), .02 cents on food and nutrition
programs, .01 cent for job training
programs, .01 cent for housing, .03
cent for educaion and .08 cent for health
care.
It was not the poor who opened up
gaping tax loopholes for the wealthy
which allowed the rich and super-rich
to escape with $134 billion in tax sav­
ings in 1988 and $159 billion in 1989.
The welfare recipients and the hom e­
less were not the ones who m ism an­
aged and squandered $600 billion ($1
trillion over the next 30 years with
interest) in the S&L scandal, and an­
other $10 billion in the HUD scandal.
The poor are not responsible for the
rampant speculation, greed and mis­
m anagement that threatens to bankrupt
the Federal Deposit Insurance corpora­
tion (FDIC), requiring $25 billion in
taxpayer dollars to bail-out that agency.
It was not the poor who went on a binge
of leverage buy-outs, merging corpo­
rations, and purging workers of their
jobs. It was not the poor who reaped
obscene fortunes from this uproduc-
tive, non-job generating, paper shuf­
fling.
No, the poor, welfare recipients,
the homeless, the dispossessed and the.
disadvantaged arc not the villains. They
are the victims of the greed, corrup-
‘Behind The Badge Murder’?
registration: January 16, 3-7pm; Jan 21, 12-lpm
Wlje ^ n rila n h (ff)hse rher
Fannie Lou Hamer, the courageous
freedom fighter from Mississippi, once
remarked that, “ I ’m sick and tired of
being sick and tired.” This expression
most certainly captures the sentiments
of millions o f poor and working people,
women, the elderly and minorities who
are being blamed by opportunistic poli­
ticians for the collapse of the U .S. econ­
omy. Using rhetoric reminiscent of
Ronald Reagan and code words similar
to David Duke, mayors, governors and
aspiring presidential candidates are at­
tacking welfare recipients and the
homeless as unnecessary and unwanted
burdens on the backs of middle class
taxpayers and the government.
In Michigan general relief has been
com pletely eliminated, swelling the
ranks of the homeless and increasing
the agony and pain of thousands o f poor
people in that state. Ohio has drasti­
cally reduced the payments to people
on general relief and Illinois is plan­
ning to follow suit. C alifiom ia’s G ov­
ernor Pete W ilson is moving forward
with a ballot initiative which calls for a
drastic curtailment o f benefits to the
poor in that state. In a num ber o f cities,
including Atlanta, Washington D.C. and
New York, aid for the homeless has
been reduced and ordinances have been
passed to “ protect” the general public
from the homeless.
This mean spirited scapegoating
of the poor and disadvantaged by poli­
ticians of both establishment parties
constitutes the worst kind of political
expedience and cowardice. Politicians
and “ wanabe” presidents can scape­
goat the poor because the dispossessed
and the disadvantaged are largely dis­
oriented, disorganized, and unregistered.
The poor are not viewed as a potent
force in U.S. politics. Hence the poor
can be disrespected, disregarded and
discarded with impunity by politicians
who lack both the insight and the will to
place the blame for the ailing economy
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
we publish.
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Politicians Use The Poor As Scapegoats For Failure Of
The U.S. Economy: The Poor Must Organize To Fight Back
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¡ T hank Y ou F or R eading !
¡T he P ortland O bserver ]
I am just so overcome by a recent
rash of tragic events that have ensnared
our youth it’s just hard for me to sit
down and concentrate. The latest inci­
dent involved a 20 year old hostage
taker, Brian French and 12 year old
who was held with a knife at his throat,
Nathan Thomas. Their deaths have
shaken our city.
By now, I am sure we arc all famil­
iar with the tragic consequences of the
early morning confrontation with Port­
land Police Officers. I do not know that
much about guns and the correct pro­
cedures officers should use under such
circumstances. And it is not clear to a
number of us whether there was an op­
portunity for some delaying tactic which
could have brought about an entirely
different chain of events.
I will say this, however. I sincerely
believe that the presence of at least one
female officer(s) at the scene would
have made a heck of a difference in
negotiating with this disturbed young
man; such little as was done. Perhaps
the Bureau, the City and the Human
Relations Commission will make re­
newed efforts to recruit more female
officers.
Sincerlcy,
Alice Moreland
S.W. Portland
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