I he P ortland O bserver • N ovember 16, 1994
P age A 7
Where Are The Street Sweepers
For North/Northeast?
The streets o f North and North
east are not maintained and kept as
clean as they are in Northwest; South
west Portland.
In North and the Northeast part
o f the city, you can see some o f the
streets appear as though they have
not been cleaned for months. There
are old abandoned cars sitting on the
streets and debris is scattered around
indicating that these cars have been
sitting abandoned for quite some
time.
The police will
drive by as though
they do not see
th ese old ab a n
doned cars and
tru ck s
parked.
S h o u ld n ’t they
make an effort to
call the parking patrol and report
these incidents while they are patrol
ling these areas? Many people in the
community think that they should
and others think that they don’t care
because most o f them probably don’t
live in the North and Northeast com
munity. What do you think? You be
the judge o f this situation.
It is inexcusable to allow this
kind ofthingtogoon in our area. The
property, and homeowners in these
areas pay property taxes as do the
people living in Southeast and South
west, Portland. But, they do not seem
to get the same services. Why is it
that certain areas of our city are bet
ter maintained than others? Are not
North and Northeast Portland part of
the Rose City?
I have talked with several prop
erty owners, one
in
p a rtic u la r,
about how often
his stre e t is
clean ed by the
sweeper. He stat
ed that he has not
seen the street
sweeper since March o f this year, six
months, and it is now the middle o f
November. Summer has ended. I
wonder how many times his street
will be cleaned before the end o f the
year. How many times has your street
been cleaned this year?
Would this be allowed to occur,
ifthis was a property owner in North
west or Southwest Portland? I think
not.
A City Ordinance passed some
time ago that was suppose to take
care o f problems such as this. But, to
this day the problems still exist. Why
does it still exist. You be the judge
once again.
The homeowners in North and
Northeast Portland pay more proper
ty taxes than the people in the sub
urbs. Did you know this? I wonder
why this is? According to research,
this is going on all over the country in
the inter cities.
Residents and citizens o f North
and Northeast Portland need to get
involved in their communities. First,
we need to endure that we are doing
everything to keep our own property
maintained and that o f our neigh
bors. Next call the Mayor’s office
and make her office aware of the
conditions in your community. You
will have to follow up on your com
plaint once it is filed to ensure that
the problem is resolved.
If we work together in the com-
munity, we will be able to get this
problem and other problems that may
exist solved. There are laws or legis
lation’s on the books that give us the
same rights to expect the same ser
vices as John or Jane Doe in North
west, or Southwest Portland. It is up
to each o f us to get involved in what
is going on around us. Things do not
change by themselves, people make
things happen or can be the ones to
bring about change. The law is on
your side, so use it to make things
better in your community.
If our street is subjected to
cars traveling at high rates o f
speed, you can put a stop to this.
You d o n ’t have to be bothered
with this kind o f nuisance. C on
tact the City about putting speed
bumps on your streets which are
meant to cause cars to slow down.
If you have a complaint regard
ing a nuisance in your community,
write and let me know what it is (i.e.
excess noise, street lights, traffic
problems etc.). I will see if I can find
out who you should talk to in order to
get this problem solved.
Fred Meyer’s Strike Shows
Grocers’ True Colors
J ames P osey
manent jobs with benefits. To my
understanding, they are now work
I don’t know if anyone else no ing at rates barely above the mini
ticed but, during this recently con mum wage with absolutely no bene
cluded grocers’ strike. Blacks seemed fits. That is just one o f the negative
to have worked the cash registers at consequences for the African-Amer
the checkout stands more than ever. ican community as a whole.
Sometimes I scare myself when
From my observation from an out
sider’s point of view, Blacks, along I think so cynically. But the fact
with other minorities, worked as re remains that this predicament o f hir
placements in a number o f positions ing Blacks as ‘scabs’ to replace pri
marily white workers is an old slave-
dominated by white workers.
You have to wonder where have era tactic designed to keep Blacks
all these Blacks been. Are they the and poor whites at odds and in check.
same folks who grocers have histor In the case o f the strike, you would
ically contended they could not find? hope that in 1994, in a progressive
Are these the same Black workers city like Portland, this ain’t happen
who were previously identified as ing. No way could the strike be send
unqualified and unable to past the ing the message of, “OK, ifyou white
most basic skills test? Gee golly, workers don't behave and get back in
what gives?
line. I’ll replace you with those
This strike makes it very clear niggers.”
No way, you say, could the strike
that some employers can find quali
fied, capable A frican-A m erican be further heightening the fear that
workers when it critically suits their Blacks are trying to take white jobs,
purposes. Unfortunately, as a result while projecting Blacks as the per
ofthese crisis-inspired relationships, petual enemy. Some observers are
more than not. Blacks end up being sure this tactic is being used in other
used and abused in the process. For employment arenas like construction
example. Black replacement work and in production-oriented manufac
ers are generally not able to get per turing plants. Is it any wonder that
by
Blacks have become the permanent
scapegoats for every imaginable evil
present in our society, as in the recent
child killing case in South Carolina.
To its credit before the strike,
Fred Meyer seemed to be doing a
much better job than its competitors
in hiring representative numbers of
Blacks in the stores located in and
around the African-American com
munity. Now that the strike is over,
both union and management factions
need to ensure that they don't return
to the ridiculous under-representa
tion o f Blacks and other minorities.
Besides silencing the cynics, this
would help to reduce the chronic
B lack unem ploym ent situation,
which has always contributed to the
high rate of crime. If for no other
reason then the realization that crime
adds to their security costs and less
ens their profit margins. In other
words, it makes damn good business
sense to retain good numbers of
Blacks in the work force. At the end
o f this strike, let’s hope the grocers
show “all colors.”
The Women of
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
Will Be Hosting A Social/Gathering
On December 3, 1994
At 3.00 p.m.
Z 0 B is an organization which encourages the highest standards
ofscholorship through scientific, literary , cultural and education
al programs; promote services projects on college campuses and
in the community; foster sisterhood; and exemplify the ideal of
finer womanhood.
For Further Details Please Call 281-8565
(Leave Message If No Answer)
Hope to see you there.
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James Posey is a small business
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work and community activism.
Kids Drink In New Exhibits At
Oregon Museums
Pepsi’s “Redicover the West" Admission Drive Stirs Family Stampede
Pepsi-Cola, long known for its
ad campaigns centered on light-heart-
ed themes o f youth fun and family,
has announced a plan to promote
admission foryouth at two nationally
known Oregon museums. All kid-
size Pepsi fountain drinks poured in
Oregon this season will be served in
20 oz. special edition coupon cups
trumpeting “Rediscover the West,” a
message promoting the Museum at
Warm Springs and the High Desert
Museum, in Bend. The coupons of-
fer kids 5-12 free admission when
accompanied by an adult.
Pepsi will distribute 1.2 million
“Rediscover the West” cups state-
wide in November and December o f
this year. Pepsi encourages Orego-
nians of every stripe to visit the mu-
seums and educate their children on
Oregon’s cultural and natural history
at a time when concern for education
is at an all-time high. The cup fea
tures a Native American dancer, a
gold miner and a golden eagle, with
the coupons and a description o f
each museum on a background of
royal blue.
“We are proud to help support
these Oregon non-profit institutions
that provide such a valuable experi-
ence to visitors young and old,” notes
Pepsi Marketing Director Pat Duval
o f Bend, Oregon. “Celebrating our
natural and cultural heritage is an
important part o f society today, and
the future ofthese museums depends
in large part on admissions. Boosting
attendance is a high priority forthem.”
“The Changing Forest,” a brand-
new exhibit sponsored by the U S .
Forest Service at the High Desert
Museum, explores the dynamics of
High Desert ecosystems and the chai-
lenges in managing them for the fu-
ture. The exhibit’s indoor/outdoor
displays feature viewing scopes,
mystery boxes and movable scrolls
to create a close-up experience with
life in the forest. The museums's
permanent exhibits bring to life the
rich heritage of the Intermountain
West through live animal and living
history presentations, walk-through
history dioramas, Native Americans
artifacts and interactive trailside ex-
hibits on nature and pioneer life.
The Museum at Warm Springs
displays the Joe Fedderson Collec-
tion in its changing exhibit gallery
through mid-December, featuringthe
works in a variety o f media by 27
Native American artists o f 22 indig
enous nations. Over the last fifteen
years, Fedderson has built arguably
the most avant-garde collection of
art dealing with native American
themes while teaching fine arts at
The Evergreen State College.
The Museum at Warm Springs
displays the art and artifacts o f the
confederated tribes o f the Warm
springs Reservation as well as other
indigenous nations. Using film and
interactive displays to bring the art
and culture ofancient peoples to life,
The Museum at Warm Springs has
achieved national prominence and
received numerous awards,
Pepsi has long maintained a com-
mitmenfto community involvement,
“Supporting these museums is some-
thing that fits extremely well with
Pepsi’s commitment to giving back
to the consumers who support us,”
adds Duval.
Oregon state Pepsi bottlers,
many ofwhich are locally owned and
operated, have a long-standing corn-
mitment to community involvement
which is reflected in a wide variety of
on-going and short-term projects.
GAP Helps Warm Low-Income Families
To help low-income families stay
warm this winter. Northwest Natural
Gas Company is soliciting donations
for the Gas Assistance Program
(GAP). GAP funds are distributed
throughout Northwest Natural's ser
vice area in northwest Oregon and
southwest Washington and arc used
to help low income people pay their
heating bills.
Since its inception in 1982. GAP
has collected $2.250.869 from North-
west Natural Gascustomers, employ
ees, shareholders and others. Last
year 1,8 16 households received
$159,901 in assistance.
"Every dollar given to GAP goes
to those who need help," said Robert
L. Ridglcy, president and chief ex
ecutive officer of northwest natural
Gas Company. “Because of the gen
erous support the program has re
ceived over the years, G APhas helped
more than 29.000 households stay
warm during the winter."
GAP funds are collected by the
United Way and then dispersed to
community action agencies. Each
applicant is screened by an agency to
determ ine eligibility. Customers
should look for the red and green
envelopes in this month's gas bill in
which to send in their tax-deductible
donations Others can send their do
nations to United W ay/GAP,6I9 S.
W 1 Ith Ave., Portland, OR 97205
The work of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP),
the Opportunities Industrialization Centers
(OIC) of America, the National Urban
League, and the United Negro College Fund
(UNCF) is essential to the communities they
serve. That's why R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company is committed to their continued
growth. No where is this support more visi
ble than in the R.J. Reynolds Public Service
Billboard Program.
This program makes available to these
organizations hundreds of high visibility
locations in dozens of cities coast to coast.
As a result, more awareness is focused on
the vital community development work they
carry out.
This is just one of the many ways R.J.
Reynolds, in cooperation with numerous
billboard companies, is demonstrating its
longstanding commitment to African-
American progress.
A working commitment that is working
for all of us.
Tobacco Company
Sv?