Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1993)
» » * ♦ • * • • • ♦ • • I f « > » * V ’ *• S »• s > X V N ovember 24, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver P age 2 î l . î .. j © je ^ o rtla n b (©bseruer V t î ? r / ? Immigration Vs The American Black Family <7 B y P rofessor M c K inley B i r i O ne o f the principal subjects ot debate in A frican A m erican co m m u nities across the country is w hether an increasing tide of A sian and H ispanic im m igration co n stitu te s a se rio u s threat to the econom ic w ell are ot blacks. A num ber o f those blacks w ho strive to rem ain "p olitically correct in their stance on the m atter seem to be yielding to grow ing pressu res from a m ajority that perceives the m atter to be o f critical concern; tw enty m ajor urban areas (m etropolitan statistical districts) w here blacks perceive them selves to be a t a fast increasing d isa d vantage in term s o f social services, housing, foundation grants and schol arships, business loans and m inority “ set-a sides.” T heir leaders have not articulated those concerns. It is truly a rem arkable ph en o m enon that it is alm ost exactly a hun dred years ago that A frican A m eri c a n s b e g a n to v o ic e th e ala rm t h a f ’E u ro p ean Im m ig ra tio n ” w as threatening the “ loss o f all the great gains w e have m ade since em ancipa tion". And it w as quite true if we refer principally to econom ic development. W e have ju st seen from the w ritings o f E .F .R ich in g s(E v id en cesO fP ro g ress A m ong C olored People) that there were m any advances o f no sm all pro portion; from store to factory. As we prepare to assess here the escalating im pact ot current immi- g ra lio n -th is tim e from lands to the w est and the s o u th -I w ould rem ind the reader o f other research that has been published in these pages; P ar ticularly, the series I did several years ago on “ E uro p ean ” im m igrants. I chronicled the w ell-funded fears o f the A frican A m erican of that day that both his jobs and land were under siege by the hordes pouring in from across the A tlantic (The AFL union, ju st being put together by Sam uel G om pcrs, rew rote the constitutions o f the craft guilds to read “ for w hite m alesonly” ,(SeeC om m ager s,D o cu m ents o f A m erican History). T o further correlate the past to the present, we may exam ine the em ploym ent history o f that past tim e through the research o f Dr. W .E.B . D ubois and his peers or one o f the standard labor h isto rieso f blacks pub lished by the academ ic presses; usu ally circa 1620 to 1941. T he process o f displacem ent o f A frican A m ericans in jo b , land and body politic w as thorough and trau m atic-accom plished by law, violence and withholding of the franchise. Even the black veterans o f the Ninth and Tenth C alvary, w ho had been prom - L eg a Aide S I Buying on credit is risky, e sp e the right to repossess, he/she is not cially in hard econom ic tim es. If you required to give you advance notice or to take you to court before trying lose your jo b or get hit w ith unex pected expenses, you may not be able repossession. But if thecom pany usu ally accepts late or partial paym ents, to m ake regular paym ents as outlined it cannot “ suddenly” repossess b e in the purchase agreem ent o r c o n cause o f a late or partial paym ent. tract. O ften this ag reem ent allow s You could have a defense, if reposses your creditor to take back or "rep o s sion suddenly happens and the credi sess” the item if you m iss any ot the tor fails to w arn you he o r she no paym ents. If threatened w ith repos longer accepts late or partial pay session is not allow ed unless the o rig i m ents. If th ere’s a disagreem ent over nal purchase agreem ent you signed w hether you ow e paym ents, reposses says it is. The creditor also cannot legally repossess unless the ag ree sion may also be illegal and you may be able to sue the creditor. m ent states he or she has a "security O ne way to avoid repossession is interest” in the item . T his m eans you to sell the item you ow e m oney on and have a right to keep the item only as pay off the rem aining debt. But if you long as you m ake paym ents on it. T he sell it yourself, you should legally get creditor has legal o w nership until the creditor’s perm ission I irst because y o u ’ve m ade all paym ents, and can the creditor is still the legal ow ner. take it back if you m iss any. It, h o w And make sure you m ake enough ever, an item is repossessed w hen the from the sale to cover the rem aining agreem ent does notallow it, you maybe paym ents. able to sue the com pany. Even if your purchase agreem ent In m o st cases, if the c re d ito r has ised rich farm and ranch land along the U nion Pacific R ailroad their valor had m ade possible, found no place at the table w ith the G erm an and S can dinavians w ho w ere ‘g iv e n ’ these lands. So, it is against this ugly history o f the travails caused by that great surge o f im m igration that reached its peak ju st before W orld W ar I (1914), that A frican A m ericans ju d g e and evaluate the new diasporas o f the A sian and L atino peoples from the Pacific Rim and from Latin A m erica. A study o f both contem porary m ateri als and classics like the 1 9 6 6 "- and Census Reports from the lim e the Bureau w as fo rm e d -re v eals there arc both paralle Is and differences between today and yesterday. As we proceed with this series in com ing w eeks w e w ill see that blacks who are exam ining the “new im m i there’s a co u rt order. And C reditor s can’t use force them selves, even with a court order. If a creditor does use force, such as entering your garage or house w ithout your perm ission or driving or tow ing a car aw ay w hile you’re inside it.y o u c a n su e thecredi- allow s repossession, you can legally stop it by ref using to let a creditor into your house. T his will block repossess ors from taking item s such as furni ture, appliances or a vehicle in your garage. But you c a n ’t stop reposses sion o f a car parked in front o f your house sim ply by locking it. If you re going to try blocking a repossession attem pt, you m ight notify the creditor o f this so you can head it o ff before it s attem pted. But a creditor m ay re spond by getting a court order. And this you m ust obey. The co u rt order could require you to give up the item sought or to pay money penalties instead. II you d o n ’t obey a court order, the creditor can get the court to “hold you in contem pt,” and you m ight face fines or jail, or both. A court order allow s the creditor to get help from police officers or sh eriff’s deputies in repos session. Law enforcem ent officials, how ever, w o n ’t get involved before tor for money penalties. You can try to retrieve the item after repossession by paying o lf the entire debt along with repossession charges before the creditor tries to sell it. Repossessed things may not be resold privately. Y ou m ust be sent a w ritten notice of the sale, along with the time and place ot sale, as w ell as the item ’s price, m ust be reasonable. If not, you can sue the com pany. But rem em ber, repossessed goods are usu ally sold for far less than fair m arket value in actions turd resales. A low selling price alone is not the basis tor w inning a lawsuit. M oney from die sale is used to pay o ff die debt plus repossession and resale expenses. The C ontinued from fro n t th e p r o p o s e d b y - la w a m e n d m e n ts ). I m m e d ia te ly f o llo w in g th e A n n u a l M e e tin g , th e C h il d re n F irs t B o a rd o f D ire c to rs w ill New Portland PayLess Drug Store C ontinued from fro n t inform ation collected from each H eat ing, V entilating and A ir co n d itio n ing (H V A C ) unit allow s the eq u ip m ent to be run at peak efficiency. L ighting and tem perature control are linked to the tim e o f day, autom ati cally changing the therm ostat setting to conserve energy. All this adds up to a savings o f over 20 percent in energy usage co m pared to stores that arc not sim ilarly equipped, according to Sw eeney. “T aking care o f the environm ent is every b o d y ’s concern,” concluded M cA lcar. “ W e will continue to do everything w e can as a com pany to prom ote environm ental responsibil ity-” m e e t u n til 6 p m . Y o u a rc w e lc o m e to a tte n d an d o b s e rv e th e B o a rd m e e tin g . In th e c o m in g w e e k s th e re w ill b e im p o r ta n t R e g io n a l M e e t in g s h e ld in P o rtla n d ( W e d n e s d a y , D e c e m b e r 8, 7pm a t C e n tra l L u th e r a n C h u r c h , 2 1 0 4 N .E . H ancock) and E ugene (T uesday.D ecem ber 7, 7pm at First U nited M ethodist C hurch, 1376 O l ive). Please m ake every effort to at tend these m eetings w hich aim to develop a local action agenda. ' *' • (USPS 959-000) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established In 1970 by Allred L. Hondorson $30.00 P lease Serving Portland and Vancouver /*. ** z‘ /• z .* ** 1 fill out , 9494. Send your letters to the Editor to: PO Box 3137, Portland, OR, 972108 S pend A n H our Writ t O u r H ig h S chool S tudents W here Tb S en o Y ours . MONEY ORDER, AND mail to : I t S ubscriptions WILL BE time WELL-SPENT. Especially if you're a parent of a 14-17 year old. That's because the Catlin Gabel Upper S c I mxi I is holding an open house on Sund.iv. Decemlier 5. from 1 to 3 pm. T he P ortland O bserver PO Box 3 1 3 7 YiiuTI see our campus through the eyes of our seniors as they take you on a tour. You can also P ortland . O regon 9 7 2 0 8 meet some of our teachers. Their insight will enable you to learn about the small student-to- W.imf’ teacher ratio and the academic challenges that have prepared many of our students for the Address best colleges in the country For more LA I information, call 297-1894. Or simply plan City, State on attending our open house. Its a decision that you should have no trouble making Zip Code __________— JJJ T hf . O pen H ouse A t C atlin G abei . U pper S chool T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver ! L 4 6429. M ultnom ah County L egal Aid $crviceprovideslegal adviceand rep resentation to low-incom e people liv? ing in M ultnom ah C ounty having creditor problems. A ppointments may be m ade by calling our dow ntow n office at 224-4086 or our C om m unity Law O ffice (on the Portland C om m u nity College Cascade C am pus) a t295- B efore D eciding PER YEAR. ENCLOSE CHECK OR Box 3137, Portland, OR 97200. Second class postage paid at Portland Subocrlpllons:$30.00 por year. m ay be a b le to sue. Before making decisions about repossession, such as whether to refuse a repossession attem pt or sell the item yourself, you should get a law yer’s advice. For more inform ation, call 620-3000 and ask to listen to Tel-Law tape #7069, D ebtor’s Rights. For le gal advice, call M ultnom ah County Legal Aid at 224-4086, the V olunteer L aw yer’s project at 224-1606 or the L ew is and Clark Legal C linic at 222- SENT DIRECTLY TO POSTMASTER: Send Addroso Changes to: Portland Observer, P.0. Tho Portland Obsorvor-Orogon's Oldest Alrlcan-Amorlcan Publlcatlon- Is a member ol the National Newspapor Association-Founded In 1005, and The National Advertising Representativo Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., Now York, NY. and The Wost Coast Black Publishers Association • over. If you o w e le ss th an $ 1 ,2 5 0 o n th e item w h e n you sto p m a k in g p a y m e n ts , y o u o w e n o th in g m o re a fte r re p o sse ssio n , e v e n if th e item is so ld fo r le ss th a n th e a m o u n t y o u o w e. F o r e x a m p le , if you o w e $ 1 ,2 0 0 on a c a r an d th e c r e d ito r s e lls it fo r $ 9 0 0 , y o u c a n n o t b e s u e d fo r th e re m a in in g $ 3 0 0 . B u t if y o u o w e m o re th an $ 1 ,250 w hen y o u d e fa u lt on p a y m e n ts , y o u m ay s till o w e on it a fte r re p o s s e s s io n . T h is is tru e e v e n if th e c r e d ito r r e s e lls th e ite m fo r le ss th a n w h a t y o u o w e an d th e n su e s you for th e d if fe r e n c e . F o r e x a m p le , if y o u o w e 5 2 ,0 0 0 on a c a r an d a c r e d i to r s e lls if fo r $ 1 ,5 0 0 , y o u can b e su e d fo r th e re m a in in g $ 5 0 0 . B u t th e c r e d ito r c a n n o t su e y o u m o re th a n 180 d a y s a fte r th e r e p o s s e s sio n o r 75 d a y s a fte r th e s a le , w h ic h e v e r c o m e s firs t. If a f te r c o n ta c tin g th e c o m p a n y , y o u s till c a n ’t g e t y o u r th in g s b a c k , you T he P ortland O bserver can be Deadline lor all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon PROHIBITED. law requires that you get any cash left Iljc P o r t h n t b ( P lis e riic r YOUR HOME FOR ONLY Oregon. Tho Portland Observer wolcomos Iroolonce submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labolod and will bo rolurnod II accompanied by a sell addrossed envolopo. All croated doslgn display ads become the solo property ol the nowspapor and can not be usod In other publications or personal usage, without tho wrltton oynsent ol the general managor, unless tho client has purchased tho composition ol such ad. © 1993 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS week. S ubscribe Joyce Washington Publisher The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is iocatod at 4747 NE Mardn Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-200-0033 • Fax 200-0015 c o u n try fro m w h en ce th e y c a m e . A n d th in k in g A fric a n A m e r i ca n s are say in g “ H ere w e go a g a in , th e new H a rle m s an d o th e r g h e t- t o e s - ’B a n tu s ta n s ’ a d m in is te re d by o th e r r a c ia l g ro u p s w h o , w ith th e c o n n iv a n c e o f the w h ite e s ta b lis h m e n t, w ill ta k e th e m o n e y h o m e to th e su b u rb s. A n d th e p r o je c te d g ro w th in la rg e sc a le m i n o rity o w n e d b u sin e ss, how w ill it c o m p e te a g a in s t the im m ig ra n ts w h o a lre a d y are im p o rtin g in v e s t m e n t c a p ita l from the h o m e la n d ? Last week we saw the black fam ily reeling from catastrophic changes in the workforce. Are the m ounting challenges survivable? M ore next PORTLAND OBSERVER Office: (503) 288-0033 Fax #1 (503) 288-0015 ©ije ^rrrtlaxrh ©tserrier * from V ietnam , K orea, C hina, Japan, India, T hailand or from M exico, H on duras, etc. and South A m e ric a -b u t also in term s o f the capital, skills and leverage m any o f these people bring w ith them . A nd these A frican A m eri cans are saying to them selves, “ the very nature o f society here is com pe tition, w hat chance has an econom i cally-disabled black population in the struggle for survival in those twenty m ajor urban centers.” N ot only are there such obvious disabilities as the banks w hich rcdline and give preference in loans to A sian shopkeepers and w holesalers, and “dow ntow n” re a l e s ta te in te r e s ts w h o g iv e th e m o p p o rtu n itie s fo r c h o ic e lo c a tio n s in c lu d in g s h o p p in g m a lls th a t a re d e n ie d to b la c k s --b u t th e se im m ig ra n ts p o s- sess a n o th e r m a jo r a s se t, th e sa m e as the e a rly E u ro p e an im m ig ra n ts. T h ey h av e stro n g e c o n o m ic a n d f in a n c ia l b o n d s w ith th e “ o ld ^ 2 6 : R e p o s s e s s io n G P 1G S C h ild r e n F ir s t a m e n d m e n ts ( C h ild r e n F ir s t m e m b e rs ca n c a ll the o lf ic e an d be m a ile d , at n o - c o s t, a lis t o f B o a rd n o m in e e s a n d /o r a c o p y o f g ratio n ” seriously are not thinking ju stin term s o f ‘b odies’- n e w arrivals s MB MM MB ■■ « 8 2 5 .51» B a r n e s R o a d . P o r t l a n d , ™ * * 0 X - I 2 9 7 -1 8 9 4
