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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1992)
r Page 2...The Portland Observer ...May 6, 1992 Mayor Clark Makes Statement About Rodney King Incident M y heart goes out to the citizens o f Los Angeles whose comm unities are in tu rm o il in the wake o f the verdict ren dered in S im i V alley yesterday. I can not understand how anybody could view the incident we have all seen on televi sion in recent months and conclude that no crim e was com m itted. It certainly appeared to me that the police used excessive force on M r. K ing that night. O n the other hand, twelve ordinary citizens, chosen at random and whose qua lifica tion s to give both sides a fair tria l were unquestioned by either side, found the officers “ not g u ilty .” Appar ently, a lte r considering all the evidence, the ju ry was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers were g u ilty o f the specific crimes w ith which they were charged, as those crimes are defined by statute. For those o f us out side the courtroom, that explanation does little to ease our shock at the verdict. H o w e ve r, rather than second- guessing the ju ry or the C alifornia ju d i cial system from here in Portland, it is incum bent upon us to make sure our own house is in order. We have been about that task throughout my adminis tration. Today we can celebrate the fact that the relationsh ip between our Police Bureau and the communities it serves has grown to one o f trust, cooperation and m eaningful citizen involvem ent through com m unity policing. As that relationship strengthens. we are increasing the training our o ffic - Rep. Les AuCoin’s Response to Verdict in Rodney King Case The decision in the Rodney King ers receive in such areas as cultural case leaves me both outraged and enor sensitivity and responsible use o f force, mously sad. I am outraged that the including the use o f tactics that defuse horrible beating we all saw on the v id situations and m inim ize the need to use eotape could conceivably be called jus force. tice.” I l brings me immeasurable sor Our bureau operates with the clear row to realize, once again, how tar we understanding that it is not the o ffic e r’s are from achieving true racial equality right or responsibility to punch an o f in this country. Does anyone doubt the fender for his misdeeds. That responsi verdict w ould have been different i f a b ility is entrusted to the courts. group o f African-Am erican police o f As a recent series in the Oregonian ficers had beaten a w hile motorist? has detailed, the Portland Police B u I am not content to let this case rest reau is reviewing its firearms policy w ith the decision o f this jury. I f this with an eye to making w hatever changes horrible incident is allowed to go un might be necessary to ensure that o ffic punished, it sends an incredibly danger ers only use deadly force as a last resort ous message to the entire nation. I have in the continuum o f force. w ritten the Justice Department to urge Because our Police Bureau seeks that it pursue aggressively a c iv il rights to work in partnership w ith the com m u case against the police officers whose nity, the Bureau is planning, w ith the brutality and racist comments were help o f citizens, C om m un ity Discus witnessed by the entire nation. sion on Police Use o f Force, which w ill Roberts Condemns be held at Beaumont M iddle School, 4043 N.E. Fremont, Saturday, May 30, L.A. Events at Civil 1992 from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Rights Forum It is my sincere desire that the Labor Commissioner Mary Wendy dialogue begun there w ill increase the Roberts’ keynote address to Oregon’s public’s awareness o f how police trained c iv il rights com m unity on A p ril 30 in the use o f force continue to be mean pointed to the events o A f the previous ingful, so that incidents such as the one 24 hours in Los Angeles as the product in Los Angeles w ill never happen here. o f c iv il rights too long denied. Under It is my sincere hope that respon scoring the purpose o f the conference, sible citizens and public o fficials in Los “ C iv il Rights 2000...Developing an Angeles w ill spare no amount o f effort, Oregon Agenda,” Roberts called for resource or time to heal the wounds o f participants “ to get o u tin fro n to f events, the com m unity. In the meantime, w e’ ll to fo rm u la te a response to the continue to improve the way we serve mainstreaming o f messages o f hate.” the citizens o f Portland. Roberts urged the conferees to re direct the anger and frustration o f m i nority communities into “ peaceful and meaningful action to raise the aware ness o f Oregonians about hate crimes and their divisive and bitter conse quences.” Roberts joined others at the conference in calling for a U.S. Justice Department investigation o f the trial o f four w hite police officers accused o f beating black m otorist Rodney King. “ The tragic events in Los Angeles should be a wake up call for Oregon. We must move beyond shock and dis may, beyond disbelief and denial. We must set an agenda fo r the c iv il rights movement which promotes the fu ll par law enforcem ent head o ff possible ticipation o f m inorities in Oregon’s social and economic life .” Community Grocers Assigned Pagers Minority Grocers get pagers to help flare-ups. City Commissioner Dick Bogle Proposes Nationwide Dialogue on Race Relations I am shocked by the verdict in the Rodney King case. This is clearly an instance where the crim inal justice sys tem has malfunctioned. I saw enough o f the videotape, as did hundreds o f m il lions o f people worldw ide, to know that the behavior o f the officers charged was crim inal. People o f every race share a sense o f outrage. I want to see this outpouring o f emotion channeled. That’ s w hy I am proposing a nationwide dialogue on race relations. Such a dialogue already is under way here in Portland, on a small scale. Southeast U p lift is a model fo r the rest o f the city in this regard. The e ffo rt needs to spread to every neighborhood, and involve every citizen. I plan to talk w ith leaders o f local We must keep the videotaped im age o f Rodney King fresh in our minds. We must remind ourselves constantly that what happened to one African- American man in Los Angeles could happen to anyone. W e must reflect on the words o f another man named King, the one who spoke the words carved in stone on Portland’ s own Justice Cen ter: “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I jo in the chorus o f voices calling for prosecutionoftheofficers involved by the U.S. Department o f Justice. There is no doubt whatsoever that Rodney K in g ’ s c iv il rights were vio lated. To deny that fact, as the jurors in Sim i Valley did, is to deny the g ift o f reason that separates us from sav ages. government, the religious comm unity, c iv il and human rights organizations, and others, about opening Portland’ s dialogue and spreading the word to other cities. I am contacting members o f my own Community Harmony Com mittee to aid in this effort. I f we allow this opportunity to pass, the entire incid en t-the beating, the trial, and the bloody a fte rm ath- w ill only serve to widen the g u lf be tween African-Am ericans and white Americans, not just in Los Angeles but in P ortland and c itie s a ll across America. I abhor and regret the murders and destruction in the wake o f the verdict. However, I believe the focus must remain on the reason behind the anger and frustration. 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The Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest African-American Publicatlon-is a member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalga (hated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. t he b 1 V* You F or R eading P ortland O bserver hank L.A.P.D. Beating Verdict Outrageous BY THE PACIFIC PARTY The Pacific Party goes on record as astounded and outraged by the not guilty verdict delivered by a predominantly white, suburban ju ry in the L.A.P.D . beating case. M r. King, who was not on trial, seems to again be the victim o f hatred and bigotry in a racist society. We do find it unconsc ionable that this trial was taken out o f Los Angeles where a fairer representation o f Am erican society could have served as peers. The Pacific Party stands for equal rights for all human beings and fo r social justice as a prim ary responsibil ity o f government. We call on a ll O r egonians to individually and collec tive ly, speak out in every forum avail able, be it your church, social group, grocery store line or g o lf club and de mand those changes necessary to pro mote honest equality for a ll Americans. T o The Editor The beating o f Jacob Johnson here in Portland and the Rodney King ver dict are stark reminders that despite the efforts o f many, e v il s till lurks in our land. This e vil can be called nothing else except racism. We extend our hearts and our prayers to our A frican Am erican sisters and brothers in our churches, in our coalitions, in our C ity, in Los Angeles, and in this Country who continue to suffer as a result o f this evil. I f there is any lesson in the verdict, let it be that we cannot rely exclusively on our cherished institutions, such as the courts or government, to combat evil. We must do it ourselves, in our homes, our families, our churches and in our communities. Only by praying and struggling together can we over come this e vil o f racism. Let us rededicate ourselves to this struggle for justice through our jo in t efforts to fig ht the racism that not only caused the beating and the verdict, but also causes poverty, gangs, inadequate housing, crime and other manifesta tions o f evil. Sincerely, Board o f Directors Portland Organizing Project Portland Future Focus Reacts to Rodney King Verdict Portland Future Focus Steering Com m ittee is disturbed by the L A County’scitizcns reaction to the Rodney K in g ve rd ict. Steering C om m ittee Chairman Gretchen Kafoury says, “ We w i ll n ot to le ra te o r a ccept hate crimes...we w ill not tolerate injustice. Portland is a city where its citizens can and w ill be treated equally. It is our goal that Portland is perceived by its citizens as a desirable place to live, raise fam i lies and pursue education and jo b op portunities. People should feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods. The Portland Future Focus Steering C om mittee believes that thccommunity must work together to solve problems related to crim e.” Portland Future Focus stands for embracing diversity, and encouraging responsible behavior in reaction to an unpopular decision. The action steps, w ithin the Port land Future Focus plan, lay out a path fo r citizens to fo llo w that w ill insure that the needs o f our children and their fam ilies, particularly m inorities, w ill be met. Portland Future Focus encourages each individual to work through the groups w ith which they are involved, to discuss, identify and address comm u n ity injustices in a meaningful and pro ductive manner. Portland Future Focus, the c ity ’s first comm unity wide strategic plan ning process is designed to plan for Portland’s future in the face o f the com m unity’s changing role in the stale and region. Currently in the implemen tation stage, the Action Committees consistof representatives from 90 com m u n ity,city and regional organizations as w ell as the general populous. Statement of Congressman Wyden on the Verdict in the Rodney King Trial The verdict in the Rodney King trial is raising cries o f injustice across the county. And it should. I t ’s sickening to think that skin color m ight still determine w ho's guilty and w ho’ s innocent in a court o f law. O r to think that today, in 1992, a ju ry o f one’s peers needs to be a ju ry o f one’ s race in order to ensure that justice is done. The pub lic’s got something to say, because we were all almost present at the scene o f the crime. Most Americans have seen the beating incident w ith their own eyes, over and over again. W hile I wasn’ t in the courtroom, it ’s impossible to discount the picture o f brutality replayed fo r us on the nightly news. I recognize that our court system relies on the ju r y ’ s verdict to determine a defendant’ s innocence or guilt. But juries can make mistakes, juries can be misled, and most disturbingly, juries can be biased. As citizens, we need to be watching out for these limes, and it looks like one has arrived. This case has pricked our collec tiv e co n scie n ce . T r a g ic a lly , the unending history o f racial division is tearing our communities apart, and c iti zens are lashing out w ith racial anger against each other. Responding to violence w ith v io lence is wrong. We need to take a stand, m orally and p o litica lly, and demand that justice be carried out, in this case and in the future. In the courtroom, in the workplace, on the streets o f our cities, there must be no break in our push for c iv il justice. No one can rest u ntil the Justice Department’s investigation into the case is completed. I fu lly support the inves tigation, and the Congressional hear ings on the case announced today by the Congressional Black Caucus. University of Oregon Statement Gerard F. Moseley, U niversity o f Oregon vice provost fo r academic sup p o rt and student services, and Jane DeG idio, UO dean o f students, issued the fo llo w in g statement after a protest march Thursday afternoon (A p ril 30) resulted in damage to the federal court house in Eugene: The U niversity o f Oregon deplores and most certainly does not condone violence and destruction o f public or private property. Regrettably, such be havior occurred earlier today as part o f a spontaneous rally after the outcome o f the trial in the Rodney King case and its aftermath in Los Angeles and else where were w idely publicized. A t the same time, we fu lly under stand the protestors’ sincere frustration andangerfollowing the California ju ry ’ s decision in this much-publicized case. A part o f the healing that needs to occur is the open expression o f anger, anguish and resentment to seemingly unfair and systematic injustice. Now is the time for all members o f this community to listen and to find greater understand ing. Individuals who act out and dem onstrate their anger by attacks on other persons or by personal property dam age such as this must realize that doing so means accepting responsibility fo r their behavior. This remains true even when acting in a group outpouring o f feeling like today’ s march. The university’ s Code o f Student Conduct governs student behavior, both social and academic, but p rim a rily on campus. Under that code, the university defines acceptable behavior and inte grates the academic and non-academic dimensions o f campus life. Neverthe less, the university has lim ited ju ris d ic tion over misbehavior that occurs o ff- campus unless it happens during a u ni versity-sponsored or -supervised event. Today’ s off-campus march was neither a university-sponsored nor a university-supervised activity. Assuming that university students are among those identified and charged w ith responsibility fo r today’ s property damage, the university most lik e ly w ill rely on the c iv il and crim inal courts to invoke sanctions against such off-cam pus misconduct by people acting in their personal capacity. Justice They beat the black man, they beat him bad. On a dark road they thought no one would know. But a man w ith the camera film e d the whole show, about the beating: o f a black man. They beat him and beat him while on the ground. Let's beat him good while we got him down. Yea, let's show this nigger, let's have some fun. Next time h e 'll think before he runs. He’ s a black man. Now the man's name is Rodney King: Something about that name has a fa m ilia r ring. Maybe I ’m thinking o f D r. M. L. King. H e's a black man. H e’ s real lucky, some w ill say, that the fifty-one blows d id n 't p ut him below, while the man with the camera film e d the whole show. As the fifty-one times struck blow by blow, on the black man. In the court house o f Justice, Justice, Justice: the film played at a slow pace while shock and pleasure showed over the ju r y ’ s face. While the w orld watched the white put the black in place. O f course, they say, it ’s not because o f his race, but he's a black man. The tria l went on day after day. The film played over and over, p lay by play. We're looking f o r justice now any day. It's time fo r the ju ry to leave their stand, and retire to the room where justice begins, about the terrible beating o f a black man. Now, it's true M r. King took them on a high speed chase, but in his state o f m ind he probably wanted to race. L ittle did he know when they chased him down, that they would beat him with their clubs down to the ground. Not one, not two, not three, but fo u r. Yea, fo u r against one that should even the score, against a black man. Yes, I know justice is blind, but the whole w orld knows that ju r y was lying. Now innocent people are losing their lives, because the ju ry d id n 't care; they sure wasn't wise, about the black man. Now they could have been bought o r they could have been told, but it really don't matter, cause the whole w orld knows. They lied after staying out ten. Is there no justice? Is there no end? F o r the black man. To those o f you s till fig h tin g and hating, put your hate away. You ca n't k ill Satan, So w e 'll just have to go on waiting. There’ s only one power stronger than Satan: God: Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. / w ill repay. Isaiah 38:18 says, "F o r the grave cannot praise thee, Death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the p it cannot hope fo r the truth." Bambi Thompson April 29, 1992 For Best Results Advertise in the Observer
