, V « W » » 4 • o • O A pril 14, 1993 » T he P ortland O bserver P age A2 p e r s p e Statement On Death Of Gladys McCoy By Urban league CEO Dr. Darryl Tukufu t i V c Channelling, Education Style: Is Channel 2 After You? W hat seems so outrageous to northeast Portland residents is not the fact that a local television station has launched its own special exercise in blow ing the whistle on w aste and m an­ agem ent in Portland Schools during the current budget crunch hysteria Certainly, they are — as concerned as station KATU or taxpayers and par­ ents in general W hat bothers the hell out of us is, that given the widely expressed c o n c e rn s ab o u t schedule m anipulation by the highly paid craftsmen like the plumbers in the "m aintenance d ep artm en f,T W O BLACK JANITORS on loan to said m aintenance department have been singled out for the lead target o f a “ MAJOR EXPOSE” . KATU has re ­ vealed to us a "critical failure" in fiscal controls has occurred, dispatch­ ing a van and camera crew to cover 90 minutes of lawn mowing by two Afri­ can Americans L et's see, 1 1/2 hours X 2 men X $12 = 36 dollars. Wow' The gung ho cost accountants on the station's staff determined that it should have taken only a fraction of that time to mow the small strip of grass and therefore the time spent by men seated in Professor the their truck "talking McKinley and smoking ” was an incredible, albeit Burt typical, assault on the district's bud­ get KATU surely thinks the public to be stupid All of us know that workers don't just come to work in the morn­ ing, select their own schedules and take off on a carefree day of uncon­ trolled activities. Not in a bureau­ cratic sy stem built on paper 1 spent years in accounting or administration in large enterprises and I can tell vou that maintenance em- plovees do not determine their own A f overtime Superintendent Jack Bierwirth led off with a tortured review of bud­ get variables and maybe (don't blame him, nothing is certain these days, no, even taxes ) I would think that low income and minority parents arc going to be greatly concerned over committee reports that agreed with “ hits" recom m ended last month $666,000 from Research and Evalu­ ation (Testing), Minority Teacher Recruiting, Whitney Young after school program a, the Urban League, MESA, Building Monitors (tenta­ tive), Head Start Transition, Self Enhancement, Mentoring, Alterna­ tive Education and others. There was continuing uncer­ tainty on just how the DOl (Directors of I nstruction) would be repositioned. The possible sale of the Blanchard Service Center was rejected on the logic that relocation tenants would cost more than gained on the sale. It still promises to be the most trau­ matic year in district history. at their racist employment record It is a realistic frame of reference And speaking of "looking at the record", w hat w ill be their response of our black leaders, politicians and ac­ tivists? (maybe the NAACP?). O f a dozen phone calls I’ve received on this volatile issue, all the callers have been of the opinion that if we “let this one go by, i t ’ll be Sam bo and pickaninnys next” . I think they are right, how about you? 1 note that Thursday n ig h t's school board meeting did not meet the expectations of many that it would be a heated session long to be remem­ bered; that it would explode forth with pent up anger after almost a month o f deadly simmering follow­ ing the "blue Monday” announce­ ment of budget cuts in March In fact, the most spirited audience reaction w as when Arlen I Sheldrake reported that his committee was adamantly opposed to the proposed elimination of interschool sports. You would have thought the Blazers had just won in schedules In a large organization this is a complex process requiring detailed records and a system of progress reports that make possible a determ ination of the labor hours, materials and equipment needed to complete the jobs Believe me. "two borrowed janitors” were not in con­ trol of their own destiny that day; it w ould be incredible that they were not operating from a “dispatch sheet " prepared by their superv iso r-at least a day prior What seems to me jus, as ugly as the telev ision station's calculated and racist attempt to leap on a band wagon of public concern was school superin­ tendent Bcirwirth’s knee jerk reac­ tion, "They'll probably be fired ” We can understand his pressures, but this ill-adv ised response leads one to think there may be more we need to under­ stand about this man. A seasoned administrator should know very well how the system works And before he allows himself to be goosed by KATU again, perhaps he should take a look The Urban League of Portland offers sincere condolences to Senator William Mccoy and his family follow­ ing the passing of Multnomah County Chair McCoy Gladys was an inspiration to all who believe in the cause of equality She and the Urban league fought on the same side of many battles during her long career in public se n ice. Her success at opening the door of oppor­ tunity will be her lasting legacy Dur­ ing her tenure as County Chair, M ult­ nomah County’s w ork force and com­ missions finally began to reflect the diversity of the county’s population. We at the Urban League feel for­ tunate that we were able to recognize Gladys’ contribution while she was still with us. In 1992 she received the League's Equal Opportunity Award, in honor of her tireless efforts to pro­ mote equality. This past weekend I attended the funeral in Ohio of a dear aunt I share the McCoy family’s grief at the loss of a loved one at this time. We w ill always remember Gladys McCoy as someone who gave back to the community. This Wav For Black Empowerment ■ ■ T ".- .„ ."~Z CZ CBC Gets Bill Clinton To Pay Attention To Zaire! . . . BY DR. LENORA FULANI I read with great interest recently o f th e h u m a n ita ria n a ssista n c e that the State of Virginia is prov iding to the people of Huambo, Angola, who are victims of the tragic civil w ar th a t h a s re c e n tly resu m ed in that country. I greatly appreciated the role that Gov ernor Douglas Wilder, as an African American elected offi­ cial, took in bringing the plight of our African brothers and sisters to the attention of Americans in all commu­ nities. T here is an o th er struggle in A frica w here A frican A m erican le a d e rsh ip has m ade, and m ust continue to make, a crucial difference. F or th e la s t d e c a d e th e New A llia n c e p a rty , to g e th e r w ith o u r c o lle a g u e s in th e Rainbow Lobby, have led a grassroots cam ­ paign against U.S. support for the dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sesc Seko. Last August, Z aire’s Sovereign na­ t ■ S t-' . ¿ • « tional Conference elected the popular opposition leader Etienne Tshisckcdi. as Prime M inister of a two-y ear tran­ sitional government charged with re- dressi ng the country ’ s server economic crisis and preparing for elections in 1994. However, the U.S. State Depart­ ment. under President Bush, insisted th a t th e d ic ta to r M obutu be allowed to remain as the "ceremonial “ p re s id e n t o f Z a ire . T h is has created a serious political impasse in Zaire. Mobutu has used his control over the military to undermine every initiative taken by the democratic tran­ sition team headed up by Tshisckcdi. This campaign of intimidation has included firebom bing opposition newspapers, inciting ethnic violence directed at Tshisekedi’s kinsmen, de­ ploying tanks around the Bank of Zaire and other government buildings to prevent Tshisekedi’s appointees from taking charge, and fuelling Zaire’s hy perinflation by flooding the money supply with w orthless currency. Last January when the rank and file soldiers rioted over their worthless pay, Mobutu deploy ed his elite secu­ rity forces against them, killing over 1,000. Tshisckcdi and the Zairian people have taken grave risks to end 27 years of dictatorship and bring democracy to their country. Critical to the success of their efforts is as strong show of U.S. support for Mr. Tshisckcdi s government, and unequivocal sanc­ tions on Mobutu and his entourage, designed to bring about his peaceful withdrawal from the country. 1 have been in close contact with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, urg­ ing them to take the lead in lobby ing the Clinton Administration In re­ sponse. Rep Donald Pay ne.a member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, initiated a sign-on letter to the Presi­ dent, asking him to send a personal ... . . message to Mobutu telling him to step down or risk sanctions such as the freezing of this assets, refusal of visas, and expulsion of his ambassadors. Rep. Payne’s letter was co-signed by 34 members of Congress, including most CBC members. CBC member Alcec Hastings, the newly elected Congressman from Florida, sent a similar letter to the President Rep. Payne also sponsored, with Rep Harry Johnson, the chair of the African Subcommittee, House Reso­ lution 128, which expresses the sup­ port of Congress for Prime Minister Tshisekedi’s government and urges the president to impose a variety of sanctions on Mobutu. In a gesture which I believe is without precedent in the Bush and Reagan Administrations. President Clinton responded directly to the CBC on an issue regarding Black Africa In a letter to Rep Payne, President Clinton said his Administration was lv • V n r n community m m n n it v nt at thp the grassroots-can "exploring with Belgium and Cmnnz» France r u can what additional measures we can take” make all the difference in how Presi­ to help bring about M obutu"s with­ dent Clinton shapes his Zaire policy. I think it’sextremely positive that drawal. The Clinton Administration must the CBC got Bill Clinton to pay atten­ mov e more rapidly and affirmatively tion to Zaire. But we can’t let up. We in support to the democratic transition must pressure the Clinton administra­ in Z a ire . T he su c c e ss o f M r. tion to relate to the Teshisekedi gov­ Tshisekedi’s government has impli­ ernment directly, now-and not w ait cations for all of Africa Zaire is fabu­ as w as the case with President Aristide lously endowed with natural resources, of Haiti, until he is in exile There are it has the agricultural potential to feed legal and political moves that the presi­ all of Africa Its people have demon­ dent can make to choke off Mobutu 's strated their recommitment to a peace­ money supply , and to deliver some ful transition to democracy despite all material aid-including food-immedi- of M obutu’s provocations. Unlike ately and directly in to the hands of the Somalia. Liberian and Angola, civil transitional government. The politi­ war has not yet broken out, and the cal climate exists in W ashington to people have not lost hope President e x e rt such p re ssu re . I t ’s in Clinton must not lose hope President Washington ’ s power to break the stale­ Clinton must not lose this historic mate in Zaire. And it’s increasingly in opportunity to avert another "African our power to effect a political restruc­ disaster". I believe that African Ameri­ turing in which W ashington will have can leadership of this country-work­ to adhere to the pro-democracy policy ing together w ith the African Ameri­ decisions of the American people. îa Katz Says Proposed Budget Will Address Growing Domestic “Cycle Of Violence • z May o r's Proposed Budget to Fund The Implementation of Portland Po­ lice Program to respond to Domestic Violence C itin g the g ro w in g num b er of local crimes involving domestic v io le n c e , c h ild and e ld e r abuse, Portland Mayor Vera K atz today announced that her proposed c ity b u d g e t for re le a s e th is Friday will fund the implementation of the proposed Domestic Violence Program within the Portland Police Bureau • < ► V. /> * 7 v* ’ “© Ijg ' * • > - “ A re c e n t re p o rt from the P o rtla n d P o lice B u reau stated th a t the Police B ureau receives over 11.000 emergency calls per year involving domestic violence.” said Katz. "We must directly address this growing cycle of domestic vio­ lence.” K atz also cited recent reports th a t show ed th e re w ere 8.700 co n firm ed cases o f child abuse a n d n e g lc c t in O reg o n , up 9% fro m th e y e a r befo re T he State C hildren’s Services Division (©bseriier f (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established In 1970 by Alfred L. Henderson Joyce Washington Publisher The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is located at 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015 Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned If accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written oonsent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1993 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS ■. •..«:■» ■• • < v j PROHIBITED. Subscriptions:$30.00 per year. The Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication- is a me r of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • •*■• » v fi Serving Portland and Vancouver . . . released statistics this week that in d ic a te 32 c h ild re n died as a result of child abuse or neglect. The number was a record high for the state and double the number who died in 1991. "M y pro p o sed b u dget w ill fund the im plem entation of the previously proposed police program to deal w ith dom estic violence, child and elder abuse.” said Katz. "This is a critical problem. Domestic violence is one of the leadi ng causes of injury to women and children in this S ubscribe ! (Elje sportiani» ®b«eruer ______ “ * ’ ,‘ e th e v 't e » u P P ° * ed w ay »hey m.aicin. ’ e c o m p a n l..« “ ’" ' " * ’ drug « , h . l r h e a lt h - l a b e l *