J une 22, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A4
Stop Oregon “3 Strikes And You’re Out” Initiatives
The Oregonian reported in May
that racism was documented in
the Oregon courts.
This bias will be increased if a
num ber of anti-crim e initiatives pro
posed for the Oregon November elec
tion become law. There is national
and statew ide institutionalized rac
ism and anti-w orking class discrim i
nation that targets people o f color and
the poor at every step o f the justice
system. This bias determ ines who is
a rre ste d , the se rio u sn e ss o f the
charges, the length o f the sentence,
and who gets probation. For exam ple,
the white Nazi skinhead murderers of
Mulugetu Seraw were charged in state
court, but Black youth charged with
drug offenses are frequently tried in
the more severe federal courts.
Initiatives 1-47,51,54, and 55 will
increase this bias. These bills increase
mandatory sentences, try 1 - year olds
and up as adults, m andate life in
prison for 3 violations o f “ most vio
lent” crim es, like m urder or robbery,
and perm it governm ent and private
sector workers, many making union
wages, to be replaced by unpaid con
vict labor.
These proposals are part of the
nghtw ing strategy to scapegoat the
poor and people of color forcnm e and
violence in U.S. society. The rightwing
is selling apoisonous anti-crime pack
age nationally and locally by claim
ing these laws will protect the com
munity from murderers and rapists.
Genuine public concern is being ma
nipulated by rightwingers like Repre
sentative BobTiem an. He is an initia
tor of most o f these proposals and is
also proposing legislation to cut pub
lic employees retirement benefits. He
is part o f a national drive to replace
decent wages, and union protections
with low-wages and part-time work.
This helps big business at the expense
o f most workers who are left with
fewer and worse jobs, unemployment
insurance, and welfare. These m ea
sures will increase injustice and there
fore crim e and imprisonment.
More prisons will not increase
public safety. Imprisonment doesn’t
work when it is not logical or fair.
(The justice system punishes crime
that is caused by lack o f opportunity
experienced by the poor and people of
color or locks people up because they
are poor and/or o f color.)
The US imprisons a greater share
of our population than any other na
tion, but this does not reduce crime.
The over-representation of people of
color in prisons and among those who
receive the death penalty is a national
crime and outrage. A great propor
tion o f federal prisoners are convicted
for low-level drug offenses, with no
record o f violence.
Youth, adults of color, and im
migrants are routinely targeted and
arrested by police.
You can be charged with a crim e
if you are Black, young and shopping
at the Lloyd Center Mall, if you are
Hispanic and walking down the street,
if you are homeless and on the street,
or if you are “dressed like a gang
m ember” or hang out with gang m em
bers. This is outrageous. Shopping at
the malls, being in a gang, or being
The Say No To Drugs Founda
tion is a non-profit organization that
sponsors a Rac ing Team to encourage
youth to make a com m itm ent to re
main drug free. Dr. de Boer o f Palm
Desert, California, is the founder of
the SNTDF and the driver of the Say
No To Drugs race car that will com
pete in the Dodge/Shelby Pro Series
at Portland International Raceway on
Friday, June 24. Known by kids as Dr.
D, he is the reigning US AC Form ula
Russell Champion and the Form ula
Alpine Pro Series Cham pion and cur
rently ranks fourth in the cham pion
ship points standings for the Dodge/
Shelby Pro Series.
The Say No To Drugs Race Car
will be on display in the Dodge/Shelby
Pro Series exhibit area at Portland
International Raceway on Saturday
and Sunday, June 25-26 for viewing
signatures.
F o r fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n on the
S N T D F , ca ll the fo u n d a tio n o f
fice a t (6 1 9 ) 3 4 0 -4 6 1 7 o r th e p u b
lic re la tio n s o ffic e at (3 10) 30 5 -
and charging them with a crim e if
their child uses a weapon. This will
destroy many families, the lives of
youths, and hurt single mothers the
most.
These measures must be stopped.
Please do n ’t sign 1-47, 51, 54, 55
initiative petitions and work against
them. Demand that our elected repre
sentatives, the Juvenile Justice De
partm ents and all agencies serving
children, reject these negative pro
p o sa ls. W e need ju stic e , n o t a
rightwing scam that weakens our con
stitutional rights and gives money to
prisons and programs that criminalize
youth, the poor and people o f color. It
will impoverish us all.
W e should spend our money to
raise the minimum wage improve our
public schools, create union-protected
jobs with safe, humane working con
ditions for everyone. Our tax dollars
should provide free, quality 24 hour
child care, free universal health care,
well-funded and staffed neighborhood
recreational program s, and human
and social service agencies. And that’s
just for starters.
Demand that the corporations
give back the millions they got from
Measure 5, and that corporate taxes
be increased to fund the services we
all need and have a right to. Big
business gets a free ride with tax
loopholes, tax givebacks, and by pay
ing inadequate wages, while our soci
ety crumbles. L et’s not fall for the
rightwing line o f blaming the vic-
tim s-people o f color, workers, union
members, women, the poor, and im
migrants. It is time to hold account
able those who run this society-big
business and governm ent leaders.
Business and governm ent leaders
control the wealth we have made and
the money we pay in taxes, and they
are responsible to see that we get the
benefit o f that wealth. No more tax
breaks for corporations. No more
higher taxes, dead-end jobs and pris
ons for us and our children.
A d rie n n e W e lle r, R a d ic a l
Women
1819 NW Everett, #201, Port
land, OR 97209 (503) 228-3090
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Kids Sign On Say No To
Drugs Race Car
C hildren are invited to sign their
name on the N orthw est Dodge D eal
ers Say No To Drugs Race Car as part
o f their com m itm ent to remain drug
free, and meet driver Dr. James de
Boer and members o f the race team.
Dr. de Boer and the Say No To Drugs
Race Car will be at D ick’s Country
Dodge (767 SW Baseline, Hillsboro,
503-640-1050) on Tuesday, June 21
and at V ancouver Dodge (1015 NE
78th Street, Vancouver, W A, 206-
574-1131) on W ednesday, June 22
from 10am - 8pm both days. D r de
Boer will be with the car from noon -
2pm and 4 - 6pm both days.
Children and adults will have an
opportunity to view autographs from
well-known personalities who have
already signed the Say No To Drugs
Race Car, including Michael Andretti,
Em erson Fitipaldi, Richard Petty and
form er Beatle and racing enthusiast
G eorge Harrison. They may also re
ceive a team ribbon and becom e an
official member o f the SNTD Race
Team by making a donation to the
foundation (suggested am ount SI).
friends with gang members, is not
illegal. It is our constitutional right to
assembly and free association.
One of the “violent felonies” listed
in the Oregon “3 strikes and you’re
out” Initiative #51 is “conspiracy to
com m it these crim es.” This can apply
to anyone, and it will be used to
crim inalize youth o f color and gang
members. You w on’t have to do any
thing illegal or even be present at a
crime to be charged with conspiracy.
The O regon Juvenile Justice
D epartment is, unfortunately, not fol
lowing their m ission which is to
“guide” and “ nurture” youth and “pre
vent their entry into the adult justice
system ” Instead they are falling into
line with this national trend to blame
all o f the U.S. social problems on our
children. They are considering pro
posals to remand youth as adults,
build bootcamps, harness children
with fingerprinting and photographic
records when charged, and make par
ents “responsible” by requiring them
to pay the costs o f jail and the courts
when their children get into trouble
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PEGGY JOSEPH - Officer
Travel Consultant
(503) 288-9590
EW
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TRAVEL SERVICE
Preparing a
Generation oi Thinkers
T
hanks
to
L
D
o tter y
o lla r s
oseburg’s Eastwood Elementary
. /o r
f ib / n e r
R
School has all the appearances
of your everyday elementary school.
Store
503-331-1718
3415 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97212
You'll find the standard play equip
ment and bicycle racks. You’ll also see
fields for a recess full of tag. baseball,
and soccer. What sets Eastwood apart
Portland
Public
Schools
Serves Free
Lunches
Some 4,900 youngsters will re
ceive free lunches and snacks this
sum m er at 43 Portland-area youth
centers and parks in a federally funded
Sum m er Food Service Program that
begins Ju n e2 0 an d runs through Aug.
18.
Portland School District’s cen
tral kitchen will produce daily meals
for students under age 19 participat
ing in educational enrichm ent pro
gram s, recreation and craft program s
and field trips. M e a ls, sp o n so red by
th e U .S. D e p a rtm e n t o f A g ric u l
tu re , a re p ro v id e d to all c h ild re n
p a r tic ip a tin g in th e p ro g ra m s
lis te d on the a tta c h e d p a g e . S p e
c ific in fo rm a tio n on site lo c a tio n s
is a v a ila b le from the P o rtlan d Park
B u re a u o r c a llin g th e s c h o o l
d is tr ic t’s N u tritio n S e rv ic e s D e
p a rtm e n t, 3 3 1 -3 3 6 6 .
from most schools is their outdoor
Man
Charged In
Murder
H a rry James V illa I I I , a
19-year-old North Portland
man, has been arrested and
charged with murder in con
nection with the A pril 29
shooting of Corey Denail
Taylor, which occurred at
Northeast Cleveland and
Beech Street.
H o m ic id e detectives
M ichael Hefley and Tom
Nelson arrested V illa. The
suspect is listed as a gang
affiliate.
Taylor died after being
shot m ultiple times as he
stood with a group of people
on the street. Detectives be
lieve that the homicide was
in retaliation for the Octo
ber 1993 m urder of gang
affiliate John Sweet. Arrests
have been made in connec
tion with that homicide.
classroom and fish hatchery located
along the 40 acres of Deer Creek that
runs through the school’s property.
Students at Eastwood are learning
for more than the three R’s of reading,
’riting, and ’rithmetic. As part of the
watershed enhancement program
funded by Littery dollars, fifth-grade
teacher Dan Tilson is providing stu
dents with an understanding of nature
that no book can teach.
To Dan Tilson, he sees the project
as part of the changing face of educa
tion: “People are starting to realize
that what we are doing
right now is not going to
work for the cen tu ry .. . .
OREGON
We need to prepare a
generation of thinkers."
lottery
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