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January 25, 1995
Serving the community through cultural diversity
Volume XXV Numher 4
Join In Celebrating Our
Students To
Dream Again
Portland students will go to
Whitman College again this
summer.
Olympic hopefuls bring
sport to Portland.
k.
*
A
See story, page A3.
See Sports, page B2.
A N N IV E R S A R Y
Wlw
THE B5
Pam Am Boxing
Trials
(T
yv 250
Lawsuit Filed In Bend McDonalds Case
REW
Katz Named To Skills
Board
President Clinton has appointed Port
land Mayor Vera Katz to the National
Skills Board. The panel is charged with
developing educational standards for
American workers to succeed in the work
place and is part of the Goals 2000: Edu
cate America Act of 1994 Katz is noted
for her leadership in sponsoring education
reform laws in Oregon.
Children’s Store Earns
$220,000
The second annual season o f Our
C hildren’s Store, a non-profit gift store
in d o w n to w n P o rtla n d , ra is e d
$220,000 for child in crisis, from its
opening Oct. 14 to its closing on Dec.
3 I . “ We were overwhelm ed by public
response this y ear,” said co-chair Ann
C arter In its first year the store earned
$1.34,000.
Summer ’Dreamers’ Get
Funding
The Fred Meyer Memorial Trust has
awarded $ 110,000 to Whitman College in
Walla Walla, Wash, tocontinue an “I Have
A Dream" program for Portland middle
and high school students. The summer
residential program introduces the students
to college life and helps them develop
goals and skills to succeed in college.
Mississippi Casino
Planned
“ Horoscope Casino” in Port Gibson,
Miss, is expected to be the first casino in
the state to have a majority of black inves
tors. Plans are being made to build the $8
million facility with a club, restaurant and
facilities for professional wrestling, box
ing, horseback riding and canoeing. The
casino needs approval from the state gam
ing commission.
Wealth Group Launches
Drive
A national African American econom
ic empowerment group has kicked off its
membership drive declaring that “every
major problem facing blacks in America
could be eliminated or significantly re
duced if there were more wealth in our
community.” The organization called Bet
ter Life Club of America can be reached at
1 -800-748-1821 for free information.
Engineering Enrollment
Drops
Freshman enrollment for under-rep
resented groups in engineering declined
more than five percent last year. The num
ber of African Americans declined from
8,924 to 8,271. Total freshman enrollment
decreased from 15,181 to 14,387 during
the period. In the workplace, engineering
graduates still command the highest start
ing salaries by a wide margin.
G.M. Raises Prices
General Motors said it is raising pric
es on selected models by as much as 5.4
percent. The increases took effect early
this month and range from a $50 hike on
the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet C/K truck
to a $1,695 on the new hot-selling
Oldsmobile Aurora. The average 1995
price hike is $151 or about I percent.
EDITORIAL
A2
Area residents R eggie Rutherford (from left), R obert Malone a n d Jacqueline M. Sm ith announce the filing o f a class action
(Photo By Michael Leighton)
lawsuit against M cDonalds for violation of civil rights.
stand in Oregon.
The class-action lawsuit seeks $9.4 mil
lion in damages from McDonalds Corp, and
latant racism alleged to have
Alphastar, Inc., the company that runs the
occurred at a McDonalds in
McDonalds on Highway 97 in Bend.
Bend has led to a multi-million
dollar lawsuit and a vow to seek justice. The residents claim tb: central Oregon
restaurant discriminated against them last
A group of African Americans from
May 8 on Mother’s Day.
Portland called a news conference last week
The group was part of about 90 people,
to urge support for their action, saying bigot
mostly retirement age, and mostly from north
ry and the violation of civil rights should not
by
M ichael L eighton
B
Assembly To
Honor Former
Gov. Atiyeh
Former Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh will be
honored Saturday for his work on behalf of
black Oregonians.
The Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs
will present Atiyeh with its annual award
given to a person who has contributed greatly
and represented the interests of the black
community.
Atiyeh will also be the luncheon speaker
Saturday at the group’s Call-To-Action Lead
ership Conference at the Quality Inn in Sa
lem, assembly president Cal Henry , said.
The purpose ofthe conference is to bring
together persons concerned with the political
development of blacks in Oregon and to
discuss priorities for the 1995 Legislative
session.
The theme of meeting is “Responsible
Action For Political Change: Participation Is
The Key.”
When Atiyeh was governor, he es
tablished the state Com m ission on Black
Affairs by executive order, but when it
went to the legislature for funding, only
$ 1 was appropriated for the commission
to operate.
Henry' said Atiyeh’s decision to estab
lish the commission was not very popular at
the time.
But he was not afraid to be the governor
of all the people, including black Orego
nians, Henry said.
Lane C ounty C om m issioner Bobby
Green who will serve as keynote speaker
during a R ecognition Banquet Saturday
night.
Green was recently appointed to the
position to replace Jack Roberts who
was elected Oregon Labor C om m ission
er. Green was the first black to be elect
ed to the Eugene City Council. The lun
cheon and the banquet are open to the
public.
and northeast Portland, traveling home on
two buses after a weekend gambling vacation
in Winnemucca, Nev. They claim a manager
and employ ees of the restaurant refused them
service based on race; tired to serve white
customers first; used racial slurs; and called
police out for a verbal disturbance.
The Bend police arrived with lights,
sirens and police dogs. They circled the bus
and detained the members of the group.
Named as the plaintiffs in the civil action
in U.S. District Court in Portland are area
residents Robert Malone, Barbara H. Bell.
Jacqueline M. Smith. Kathie D. Turner and
Reggie Rutherford.
“It was humiliating,” Malone said.
He said members of the group were
upset by the discrimination and racially abuse
language in the restaurant and later by the
presence of a large German shepherd police
dog.
He said the police realized shortly after
they arrived that the nature of the cal! was not
serious, but they were nonetheless detained
for two hours.
“It shouldn't have happened, but it did
happen," Malone said.
He said the lawsuit was a w ay to see that
justice is served in the non-violent manner
the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.
“It’s an issue of dignity and pride,” he
said.
Specifically in court papers, Bellclaimed
she overheard a female employ ee ask a wom
an appearing to be her supervisor “what are
all these niggers' doing here?”
She also c laimed she was refused service
at the front of the line in favor ofthe group’s
Caucasian bus driver, even after the bus driv
er told the employee Bell was first in line.
The plaintiffs, on the advice o f their
lawyer, would not say if McDonalds had
offered an apology or offered any kind o f out-
of-court settlement
The vacation trip was organized by
Malone, the owner of E & M Community
M arket in inner North Portland, and
Rutherford, another black businessman.
King Encourages Area Youth
by
M ichael L eighton
o retta S co tt King told
elementary school children
from Portland last week they
should pursue their dreams.
“Be the best person you can possibly
be,” King said.
The widow of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., was in Portland to celebrate the record
ing release of the Oregon Symphony’s spe
cial tribute to the late civil rights leader.
King is carrying her h usband’s ad
vocacy o f peace and ju stic e throughout
the world.
She encouraged about 75 children
from local schools to em pow er them
selves through education and m otiva
tion to serve their com m unities in a
non-violent manner.
“You can change the conditions you
feel need to be changed,” she said.
King was invited to address the
children from M artin Luther King Ele
mentary, Holy Redeem er, Grant High
School, the Black E ducational C enter
and St. M ary’s Academy during a visit
to the Nike campus in B eaverton.
The Urban League o f Portland was
the beneficiary o f two receptions to
celebrate the reco rd in g ’s release, in
spired by the life and w ords o f Dr.
M artin Luther King Jr.
The Cultural Recreation Band, a north
east Portland youth orchestra, performed at
C
Coretta Sco tt King a d d re sse s a Portland aud ien ce to celebrate the recording o f
the Oregon S y m p h o n y ’s tribute to her late husband.
(P h o to B y D u an e L ew is)
one of the receptions.
The symphony performed the special
King tribute “New Morning for the World,”
at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Copies o f the recording are available in
record stores.
Seniors Speak Out On Tri-Met Troubles
mission on Aging.
enior citizens trying to correct
Public testimony by seniors and others
problems older riders have
included
stories of falls occurring when the
with Tri-Met got a hearing
bus
stops
too far from the curb, bus drivers
Monday with Tom Walsh, general
departing
too
quickly after picking up riders
manager for the public transportation
and occupation of reserved courtesy seats in
agency and other Tri-Met staff and
the front o f the bus by the non-elderly and
board members.
non-disabled.
The forum was called by a multi-ethnic
Additional complaints included: Seniors
committee ofthe Portland Multnomah Com
S
thrown off balance due to sudden stops;
Drivers not waiting for seniors who move at
a slower, gentler pace; And drivers you don t
always announce major intersections, caus
ing impaired eyesight seniors to miss stops.
In nearly all cases, the problems with
Tri-Met are not limited to seniors and all
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Continued to page A6
RELIGION
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SPORTS
ENTERTAINMENT
CLASSIFIEDS
A4
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BI
B2
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