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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1993)
Im y 14. 1993 • T he ______ i— ------ P age A 2 P o r t la n d O bserver — --------------- © je JJortlanbflDbserucr G%saJ®"°'ize Walking Around And Talking Around The Neighborhood Now that interaction with the money-toting tiny tots (3yrs and up) happens at "Otis' Candy Store & Con fectionery" at the corner of N E . 16th and Alberta Sometimes 1 break up my dav by sitting around this tiny mer chandising mart for a hour or so. conversing with the owner and tun ing in' to the pressure-driven affairs of modern life Whether it is the chat ter of happy, somewhat greedy chil dren. the task-oriented talk of mothers after milk and bread ( or cigarettes) or the indignant observations ol your own age group, you get a realistic overview of what goes on in all those houses up and down those feeder av enues into Alberta Street. I don't think that things have really changed that much since 1 was a kid. only the terms, rhetoric and slang, and the acrony ms for the social agencies Moving a block east from these alcohol-free environs to ‘my corner' at 17th. we find the "Texas 11 B y P r o f M c K in le y Hurl 1 ’ve got to do more of this, cheek ing out the env irons o f N E 17th and Alberta at a more leisurely pace A few years ago I would pedal my bi cycle around here, but that got a little scary for a while. The scenario has improved somewhat in the last year - - unless y ou go too far North or South of Alberta and run into the young 'businessm en" with the beepers or portable phones W ithin a hundred yards of 'my co m er’, one may interact with abroad spectrum of age and socioeconomic groups, from tiny tots (carry mg S 10.00 bills) to seniors-diggtng in their pock ets for enough silver to get that second beer In between you get the conversa tions and v iewpoints one might nor mally expect — and quite a few that might blow your mind Right around the neighborhood both black and w lute America is living, breathing, strug gling, hoping and persevering. Lounge" and neighboring restaurant Again, there is what you might call one of my 'observation posts . and besides. 1 am able to enhance my 'attitude adjustment' (and perceptions) with a brew Social intercourse here can range from the dow nstairs bar and restaurant to the upstairs facility w here adjacent to that bar is a popular ball room - and across the street is an equally popular annex that scrvcsclub affairs and organization meetings. Credit Jeff Parks What 1 am say ing her - for those who have been under the mistaken impression that retirement'(alleged) means that 1 have been disassociated from the mainstream of urban life -- is that I have never had it so good in terms of daily interaction with folks from ev ery w alk (and subway ) of life, the professionals, administrators, par ents. teachers, w orkers and non-work ers. church-goers and others’ Actu- allv 1 think I may have an ev en broader window into the'real Portland than 1 had during those years on the faculty of Portland State Umv ersity - in these env irons, people are more relaxed and at themselves' Mov ing up Io N.E 18th and Al berta. we have in the 17<M) block on the northside of the street, the "Good Sa maritan Church of God This re cently refurbished house of worship brings a sprightly upscaling to the neighborhood, not only on Sunday , but throughout the week whenever church activ itics bring many friendly and dedicated parishioners to the neighborhood The ov erall beneficial effect upon the neighborhood cannot be overestimated The general de meanor and conduct of an area is upscaled by such events, even the conversations of the populace. At the corner of northeast 18th. we have "Joe's Place" that very popu lar (and peaceful) neighborhood tav ern that 1 described last winter as the northeast center for the dart game circuit A truly busy hub for the type of social interaction we'v e been describ ing -- like the other places, a good mix of people, v ocat ions, politics and view - points It is difficult for me to project a better neighborhood for staying on top of things Thank Joe Benjamin 1 would also comment on the “House of Umoja" which is the resi dence youth facility across the street from me In particular 1 have noticed these past months what might be termeda "positiveattitudeadjustment' in the demeanor and temperament of the youth here and in the neighbor hood. The young people seem to be speaking to their elders again, and not necessarily because their greeting has been solicited Man. that makes you feel good -- quite often it is the little things that are the real indication of major events in progress. Our con gratulations to D irector W illiam Jennings. BY MAC SPEARS For more than a week, a group of young girls, whose ages range from twelve to fifteen years, stood outside the entry way of the Safeway Store on N ortheast A insw orth and M artin Luther King. Jr Boulev ard harassing customers as they entered and exited They would shout obscenities or pull at the customers packages or pick fights They appeared as though they deliberately dressed for the occasion. Their clothing and hair was in such disarray. Thev w ere so brash, bold and out- of-control. They did all these things w ithout any provocation At the time of this coverage, no one had established the motive for their discontentment Two elderly customers had sustained injury as a result of their pulling, tugging, and pushing One customer, who shall remain nameless, stated that she stood in awe. a 11 he check-out counter, as these young girls hurled obscene words at one cu sto m er a fte r a n o th e r At one The Zairian People Need Our Support! by Dr. Lenora Fulani In the past month 1 have had the honor of meeting with two distin guished African leaders w ho came to the United States on an urgent mis sion; they seek the support of the American people in the desperate struggle for democracy in their coun try. Zaire On May 14 I interviewed Lambert Mende. the minister of com munication and press in the demo cratic tran sitio n al governm ent of Prime M inister Etienne Tshisckedi. on the “Fulani!” cable TV show. And on June 13 I met in New York with Kibassa Maliba, the co-president of Zai re s main opposition political party. the Union for Democracy and Social Progress. Both of these brothers em phasized how important it was that the American people, and in particu lar. African Americans, keep up the pressure on President Clinton to make good his promise of supporting Afri can democracy struggles like the one being waged in Zaire. Since 1965 Democratic and Re publican presidents have supported - economically, politically and militar ily - the corrupt and bloody dictator ship of Mobutu Sese Seko Today, after almost 30 years under his rule, the Zairian people are among the poor est in the world. Congressional testi mony has revealed how Mobutu and his corrupt officials stole the food out of children's mouths by diverting "Food for Peace" foreign assistance to their ow n use. M obutu's “presidential allowance has swallowed up such a huge portion of Z aire's national bud get over the years that today no schools are open, the hospitals have no beds or medicine, prison inmates are not fed. and the tropical forest is grow ing back over the national roads system There is no official economy. Only an under g ro u n d econom y e x ists, and Mobutu is the biggest racketeer of all - ille g a lly sm u g g lin g Z a ir e 's diam onds, cobalt and copper to get the money with which he must pav his elite Presidential G uard to repress the hungry and increas ingly rebellious Zairian people In testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Africa on June 9. George Moose, the assistant secre tary of state for Africa, said. "The United States supported Mobutu for more than 25 years, percciv ing him as a bulwark against pro-Moscow senti ment in central Africa, but such Cold War balancing considerations no longer apply " Indeed they don't Since 1990, w hen the communist world collapsed, our Zairian sisters and brothers hav e been slowly and painfully organizing a transition to democracy. A remark able national assembly. the Sovereign National Conference, met over the course of 17 months and elected a tran sitio n al governm ent, headed bv Prime M inister Tshisckedi. to lead the country to elections. But u n d er p re ssu re from the B ush administration, the National Confer ence had to agree to share power with Mobutu Not su rp risin g ly , M obutu refused to "share" power w ith the op position. He has used his wealth and his private army to destroy Zairians dream of democracy T shisckedi and his C abinet are un d er v irtu a l house arrest. T anks su rro u n d the parliam ent building. The offices of the opposi tion press are firebombed. and y oung boys selling the newspapers are at tacked by Mobutu's soldiers. Opposi tion leaders arc under constant threat: Minister Mende had to escape Zaire in a canoe, hidden under fishnets. Kibassa M aliba's home was attacked twice by Mobutu's soldiers: in the second attack, one of his sons was killed and two other children seri ously wounded. W hen Bill C linton defeated George Bush last Nov ember. Zairians went out into the streets to celebrate. Bush had been a personal friend of M obutu's, with the Democrats in pow er, they th o u g h t, surely Mobutu's days were numbered! The opposition press in Zaire reported every word Clinton uttered during his cam paign about “ support for dem ocracy in A frica " But the Z airians, like many others who Jistcncd to Clinton's promises, have reason to be disappointed: Assis ta n t S ecretary of S tate M oose (appointed by C linton to be the first African American to hold the top Africa post at the State D epart ment) testified to the Senate last week that "Mobutu is clearly to Hatfield Looks At Community Policing In an effort to gain further insight into community policing activities. Senator Mark Hatfield met with a variety of organizations on Friday . July 9, that ranged from a youth services outreach center for at-nsk teens, to Portland’s new C hief of Police. As crime, gang and drug statis tics are on the rise throughout the n atio n , the S en ato r focused on working programs in the Portland metropolitan area and how they can be integrated on a national level to combat this trend. Senator Hatfield began the day with Portland Police Chef, C harles M oose They spent some time in Chief Mosses office discussing inner city problems like PA L, w hose o bjective is crim e and met with representatives of a number of organizations that cater to youth in areas from gang outreach services to job training and education. He is interested in input and feedback from the young people who are benefitting from the services housed in this center. To round out his day, and to gain a community perspectiv e, the Senator visited Columbia Villa Apartments whose residents have gained national attention for their efforts to thwart the effects of crime in Portland s largest apartment complex. He shares their pride in activating a community force that created a unique local and re gional partnership with the Sheriff s office and Housing Authority of Port land (HAP). prevention for youth through educa tion, recreation and athletics, serve a primary function in the battle against crime The purpose of the program is to have police officers work with at-risk young people in a non-threatening env ironment and in form them about the problems of crime, drugs and gangs. Just as in larger communities, smaller cities like Troutdale are fac ing new obstacles in city policing. Senator Hatfield talked with Chief Brent Collier of the Troutdale Police Department and discussed "TPD's concerns for the city They will use this discourse to help develop possible solutions for smaller-staffed agencies in the state and nationally. He also visited the King Facility I awl ®ljc ^ortlanb (©bscrtier (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established In 1970 by Alfred L. Henderson Joyce Washington Publisher Oregon. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned it accompanied by a sell addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property ol the newspaper and can not be used In other publications or personal usage, without Ihe written aynsent ol Ihe general manager unless the client has purchased Ihe composition ol such ad. © 1993 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Subscriptions. $30.00 per year. The Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest Alrlcan-Amerlcan Publication-- is a member ol 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 • Serving Portland and Vancouver 4pm Meanwhile. Mobutu’s provoca tions threaten to plunge Zaire into a civil war, reproducing, on a much larger scale, the tragic situations in Somalia and Liberia. IfZ aire’sdcmo- cratic ti nsition is to be saved. it must, as Minister Mende insisted, be “ac companied by the international com munity.’' Prime Minister Tshisekedis government must be officially recog nized and assisted, and Mobutu must be isolated and repudiated. African Americans and their representatives in the congressional Black Caucus have a key role to play in making sure the Zairian people get that support from the United States. Without us, Clinton would not have been elected Without the 40 v otes of the Congres sional Black Caucus. Clinton cannot get lus legislation passed. There are some signs that the CBS might be getting ready to use its political muscle They have to. Afri can lives depend on it. Alternate Routes To The Oregon State Fair New Front Door Due to heavy construction near the Market Street Exit, the Oregon State Fair is adv ising fairgoers to avoid using the Market Street Exit off 1-5 as they enter Salem to attend the 1993 Fair Scheduled for August 26-Sep- tember 6. Fairgoers com ing on the 1-i southbound should take Exit #258. North Salem Exit/State Fairgrounds Continue on Portland Road then turn left on Lana and head straight to the Fairgrounds Fairgoers traveling northbound on the 1-5 should take Exit #253. Mission Street/Sanitam Exit, turn left on Highw ay 22 (Mission St.) and con tinue to 17th St. Turn right on 17,h and follow the signstothe Fairgrounds Signs will also be posted to direct traffic. river, and a parcel located in the site's southwest corner. Another exciting prospect for future growth exists in front of and over the parking garages planned along NE Broadway. The garages are designed to allow for future expansion in the form of retail and office space. Ideally, the vision is to extend the growth seen on NE Broadway all the way to thewaterfiront.” says G1 ickman “Throughout the design phase we have maintained view and pedestrian corridorsall the way to the Willamette River, creating a new and exciting focal point for the city.” rg I O J bserver can be sent DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME | $30.00 FOR ONLY PER P lease ENCLOSE CHECK OR | MONEY ORDER, and M ail I C SUBSCRIPTIONS t PO Box 3137 . O regon 97208 | ortland , I ! Name Address j city, Slate. I N T E R Portland Expo Center T he P ortland O bserver ! J P E to : I I I fill out , , • lili LIU YEAR. zip-code hank Y ou F or R eading I T -------------------------------I I , T he P ortland O bserver j 2 0 6 0 N. M arine Drive Portland, OR 9 72 17 (S 03) 2 8 5 -7 7 5 6 24 hr Show Inform ation (5 0 3 ) 2 4 8 -5 1 4 4 Calendar Of Events For July 11th Dog Fanciers All Breed Dog Show Hall: A,B,C,E 2 1s t - 25th M ultnom ah County Fair Hall: ALL* 3 1 s t - Antique A C o llectib le Show A Sale Hall: ALL better ''Che ŒÏÏiter Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 972108 I am writing in response to the letter to the editor that was published in your June 30 issue front W Gary G rim m er, E xecutive D irector of FOVA Assuming that Mr Grimmer is w h ite, h is s ta tis tic s are no, impressive at all Everyone in the P a c ific N o rth w e st know s why POVA is on the hot sea, He uses the term minority but docs no, tell exactly how many Blacks arc really in v o lv ed H is le tte r sta te s th at 42% of PO VA's Convention Sales D epartment is minority Ask Mr Grimmer how many arc Black, which is the real issue White people arc quick to point out how they have reached or exceeded their goals Big Deal' they are only doing it because they arc required to. no, necessary because thev want to If POVA wants • r MAM * '.V « L t' > (continued from page 1) I T he P ortland J POSTMASTER: Send A ddress Changes to : P ortland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, P ortland, OR 97208. Second class postage paid at Portland Correction!!!! “Third Annual Picnic For Preg nant Women" Fridav. June 16. 1993, Noon to go” J fElje ^¡Jurtlanh (DbscrUcr 1 Deadline lor all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon There are a large number of people who do not study the Holy Quran but arc students of the Bible. I offer this writing hoping to moti vate the Bible readers to become familiar with the Holy Quran. The Muslims are taught that the Holy Quran was revealed to correct the adding in and taking out of Bible by world rulers w ho's motive w as not good.-- moment, as a man and his wife emerged from the store, the girls started-in on them Words were exchanged. The man balled-up his fists; and then—he quickly shielded his w ife and whisked her off to their v ehicle. "I wish that they would have tried something with me..”, the customer said, “...they would have been very sorry.” The cashier said that they had been doing this for at least a week. It had been reported to the police but no charges had been filed. The cashier said that the girls live right behind the store. Several persons had attempted to reason with the girls and estab lish some kind o f truce. People actually felt sorry for these young terrors On Wednesday. July 7. 1993. a Restraining Order was enforced and the girls w ere phy sically remov ed from the property by police officers The cashier shared that the girls were from broken homes and that she had. personally, attempted to help them; but. "This has gone too far", she shared ¡ S ubscribe i I The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is located at 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015 Nation Of Islam blam e for Z a ire 's collapse.” But in response to the obvious question of what to do. he replied: “It is not our p o sitio n th at M obutu m ust * t¡ i * • to boast, show us your BLACK statistics not your minority ones Since I do not know about their minority intern program, I cannot comment, however my friend had an opportunity to visit the POVA office, recently. and she tells me that it was nearly all while females Let’s tell the truth about the m atter It appears that when it comes to conventions and tourism, everyone is getting the opportunities except B lack s I ap p la u d The Portland Observer for following up on matters such as this that may not have ever been known to many of us in the Black community The only time these hotels and visitors groups arc in te re ste d in B lack is when it means green to them' Dan Mitchell. Portland