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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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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
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