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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1995)
* i A • •« > » ’ .: n ; < •; . v / ~ P i i y . r j ; * 7 ? u >.* * • '? ■ • » , ■* P age A2 A ugust 30, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views O f The Jio rtlan h © bseruer bi R everend J ames T. M eeks i NATIONAL do not support the possession, distribu- tion or use of illegal drugs of any kind at anytime. On the other hand, I do believe in equal protection under the law. Those being caught w ith one type o f drug (e g., crack cocaine) should not be given disproportionate prison sentences over those caught w ith sim ila r illegal drugs: and they should not be tried in diffe re n t courts resulting in uneven sentences fo r the same offense. In my judgem ent, the uneven incarceration o f those caught w ith crack cocaine is a deliberate attempt to f ill the ja ils w ith young B lack youth. The FAC TS are astounding, dis turbing and outrageous! In 1980, o f every 1,000 persons arrested on drug charges, 19 were sent to prison. In 1992, the numbers were 104/1,000. In 1993, the nation’ s prison system grew at a rate o f 1,200 inmates per week. Between 1982 and 1992, state governments b u ilt 455 new prisons. S ixty percent o f those in prison are B lack, w hile Biacks are only 12% o f the population. N inety-one percent o f those serving a five-year mandato ry sentence fo r possession o f crack cocaine are A frican Am erican, yet 55% o f all crack cocaine users are W hite. The L A Times reports that the “ W ar on Crack Targets M in o ritie s O ver W hites” despite evidence that large numbers o f W hites use and sell crack cocaine. Federal law enforce ment in Southern C a lifo rn ia has C O A L IT IO N Jail Industrial Complex waged its w ar against crack almost exclusively in m in o rity neighbor hoods, exposing B lack and Latino offenders to the toughest drug penal ties in the nation. N o t a single W hite, records show, has been convicted o f a crack cocaine offense in Federal courts serving Los Angeles and six southland counties since Congress enacted s tiff mandatory sentences for crack dealers in 1986. O nly a few W hites have been federally prosecuted in the region stretching from San L u is Obispo to the M exican border, w h ile hundreds o f m inorities have been locked up in federal prison. V irtu a lly all W hite crack offenders have been prosecut ed in state court, where sentences are far less. The difference can be up to 8 years fo r the same offense. In Los Angeles C ounty, hun dreds o f w hite crack tra fficke rs were convicted in state court between 1988 and 1994. N o Whites were prosecut ed federally duringthis period, though one was indicted a few months ago and is aw aiting tria l. W hites are more lik e ly than any other racial group to use crack, according to surveys by the National Institute on D rug Abuse But the U.S. Sentencing C om m is sion reports that about 96% o f the crack defendants in federal court are Owner o fa prison in Florida): A m er ican Express (p a ri owner in O klaho ma): General E lectric (part owner in Tennessee(; P rudential Insurance; M e rrill Lynch; Goldm an Sach’ s and the C orrection C orporation o f A m e r ica, a private developer o f prisons, w hich earned revenue in excess o f $ 100 m illio n last year. In 10 years the prison popula tion in C a lifo rn ia has gone from 19,000 to 124,000. The largest sin gle campaign co ntribution to a can didate fo r governor was $423,000, given to Pete W ilso n by the C a lifo r nia Corrections Officers. I don’t know the average teacher salary in C a lifo r nia, but the yearly salary fo r prison nonwhite. And, records show, the m a jo rity are low -level dealers, lo o k guards in C a lifo rn ia is $45,000, the highest in the nation. outs and couriers rather than drug kingpins. New Y o rk ’ s latest state budget seeks to dismiss 84 o f its 159 Chap lains, w hich w ill result in even less In order to serve 5 years manda tory fo r the possession o f powder cocaine, one must possess $3,000 worth. Five years fo r m arijuana re quires one to possess $42,000 worth. T o serve 5 years fo r crack cocaine, one must possess o n ly $29 worth. From 19 7 9 - to - 1990, p riso n buildinghasincreased6l2% . In 1948 the prison population in Am erica was 155,000 In 1995, Texas alone had more than 155,000 prisoners. In 1972, 169,000 people worked fo r the pris on system nationwide. In 1992, that number is more than 523,000. In I960, president Eisenhower warned us about the m ilita ry-in d u s trial-com plex. In 19 9 5 ,1 am warning you about the prison-industrial-com plex To prove that investing in pris ons is big business let me list some o f the investor: S m ith Barney (part spiritual guidance fo r inmates in the future. That is w hy we must again m o bilize, become active, return to the streets, and register and vote. C lergy from around the country are com ing to Chicago on M onday, August 2 1 st to plan such an action campaign. I, a lo n g w ith o th e rc le rg y and the c o m m u n ity in C h ic a g o , w ill lead a m a rch on the C o o k C o u n ty j a i l on S a tu rd a y , A u g u s t 2 6 th to dem and th a t b u sin ess-a s-u su a l at the C o o k C o u n ty change; S u n d a y , A u g u s t 2 7 th is R a in b o w N a tio n a l V o te r R e g is tra tio n D a y in o u r c h u rc h e s ; and an a c tio n is p la n n e d fo r M o n d a y , A u g u s t 28, the a n n iv e rs a ry o f D r. K in g ’ s s p e e c h . F M I : R e v . Jam es T . M e e ks, 3 1 2 -8 2 1 -4 3 0 0 . Business Exchange Renewing The NAACP And Black America by W il l ia m S R eed from B altim ore and form er chair o you remember when the “Flip-Top” cigarette man oftheCongressional B lack Cau ~ box was the latest rage across America? cus (C B C ) is the latest touted figure fo r being the next executive director o f the N A A C P . Rep. M fum e w ould bring the knowledge and culture o f That period, in the 1960s, was the streets, as w ell as that o f C apitol probably the last time that the venera ble National Association for the A d va n ce m e n t o f C o lo re d People (N A A C P ) was held in high esteem by people across the country and funded by a significant portion o f Black Am er icans. In 1994, theN AAC Pwas rocked to its roots and its top tw o leaders sacked forfinancial wrongdoing. Now, after the organization's 87th Annual Convention the clearest message to emerge was that the A frican A m eri can com m unity w ill have to take more responsibility fo r the survival o f the N A A C Pand theorganization w ill have to look beyond M y rlic Evers-Williams for the sophisticated leadership that is desperately needed toguide a besieged black com m unity through harrowing times into the 20th century. The man who may be the best choice to guide the N A A C P back H ill, to the leadership o fth e N A A C P But, many do question w hy M fum e, who has been in Congress fo r almost 10 years, w ould leave a safe congres sional seat and become the day-to- day operating c h ie f o f the nation’ s oldest c iv il rights organization? The reason “ w hy” is that a man w ith his special attributes could do much more fo r “ The Race” at the N A A C P than he could being a professional p o liti cian lunching at the governm ent trough. Those among us who sim ply seek the security o f “ a jo b ,” during their lifetim e w ould wonder: “ W hy would he give up a good government jo b to take one w ith a debt-ridden group o f blacks?” The N A A C P is old and wounded and deeply in debt. K w eisi M fum e is a person who can take the w rong side o f the streets in Baltim ore when “ F lip -T o p ” cigarette boxes N A A C P to a new level o f function and finance He has consistently stood up and fought fo r the interests o f black people in M aryland and across were in vogue. But, K w eisi M fum e was probably smoking them, along w ith a few other unsavory things, as the U.S. As the four-term representa tive o f M a ryla n d ’ s 7th Congression al D istrict, M fum e has traveled the a teenager w e ll versed in the ways o f the streets N ow , the Congressman country prom oting the C B C , and oth from o b liv io n was grow ing up on the er causes. He knows where to go to ge, the funds - in governm ent and the private sector - that the N A A C P so desperately needs. He has the image, among blacks and the m a jo rity com m unity that w ill allow people to buy mem berships and fund program s w ith o u t hesitation. The N A A C P is b attling a #3.8 m illio n budget d e ficit and a hostile p o litic a l clim ate and needs to raise $10 m illio n ju s t to carry the group through 1996. The money is needed to retire the debt, run the group’ s B altim ore headquar ters and four regional offices and provide a necessary cushion as it struggles to elevate its presence as a national c iv il rights force. The outlook for most o f Black A m erica is as precarious as that o f a dinghy in a hurricane. V o tin g rights are under attack and B lack A m e ri ca's scalawag group o f representa tives are about to be ousted in droves. The shaky edifice o f a ffirm a tive ac tion is being dismantled, funding for p u b lic school systems w ith large black populations is eroding and ed ucation and training programs are being scuttled. The tim e is ripe for someone who has more than their personal interest in m ind to take the leadership mantle o f B lack America. I f M fum e is offered the N A A C P jo b and doesn ’ t take it, it wou Id speak volumes about his concern, o r lack o f it, fo r the grow th and developm ent o f A fric a n Am ericans. For the better ment o f t h e Race’ M fum e w ould do w e ll to fo llo w the example laid out by his predecessor, Parren M itch e ll As opposed to the blacks in Congress w h o ’ ve been there fo r decades, w hile th e ir d is tric t’ s com m unities continue a fre e -fa ll o f deterioration, M itch e ll came to the Congress, authored nu merous b ills that helped blacks gain access to more governm ent contract ing and supplier opportunities, and retired to private life. Rep. M fum e, a I ife member o f the N A A C P , undoubt edly has reached his zenith as far as what he can do fo r blacks in the It was not unusual for a lending institution to have three o r four times the num ber o f branches in W hite neighborhoods than in Black o r H is panic com m unities, and to make few or no loans in low - o r moderate- income neighborhoods What hap pened to change this? The passage o f several equal opportunity lending bills, in clu d in g the C om m unity Re investment A ct and the Home M o rt gage Disclosure Act. A ccording to federal o fficia ls, the number o f home purchase loans to A frica n Am ericans increased 55 N ow bank industry lobbyists are pushing legislation that w ould se verely cu rta il the C R A and other laws related to equal access and de live ry o f banking services. I f passed, House R esolution 1858 and Senate B ill 650 w ould ex empt nearly 90 percent o f A m e ric a ’ s banks from com plying w ith the C R A The rest w ould be allow ed to regu late themselves. The C om m unity Reinvestment A ct o f 1977 has provided a tool for pending legislation, this type o f ac tion w ould not be possible. For all o f the complaining about the onerous regulatory burdens o f the CRA and H M D A , the banks are not suffering but have instead made lots o f money from lending to people o f mod est means. According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, over $ 6 1 b illio n has been targeted by banks to distressed rural and urban communities, and lending institutions have garnered at least $ 6 .1 b illion in interest income from those loans. m oney and m em bers. The m ain fundraising tool fo r the N A A C P has to be recruitm ent. Current N A A C P o ffic ia ls say th e y’ d like to get 50,000 tir e d , d i s i l l u sioned and ex h a u ste d fro m A lth o u g h in fo r m a tio n on the ethnicity, gender and location o fb o r- rowers is available fo r bank home mortgage data, no such inform ation is gathered fo r the small business and personal loan markets. In fact, feder al agencies p ro h ib it banks from v o l u n ta rily co lle ctin g that inform ation. T his needs to be changed. A fte r a ll, significant disparities in the home merge o r expansion o f lending insti tutions that have not met the credit needs o f low -to-m oderate-incom e T his is not the tim e to turn back the clock on progress. It is the tim e to and m inority communities. Underthe can Am ericans are s till turned down move forw ard w ith conviction. present mayor, the honorable Vera Katz, chaired the process w hich was so interesting in respect to the c o n c e s s io n s it was w illin g to make. I to ld o f be sters w ho w ould be disadvantaged in any case, perfect 4.0 grade p o in t who, only then, opened their mouths in sym p a th y w ith m y protests average o r “ o p p o rtu n ity ro o m ” m aterial. But when State School Supt. Norma Paulus says, “ l 995 Oregon math and science test re sults are unacceptable!” there is no choice except to regroup and assail against L o w e rin g Standards fo r the barricades again. A ll o f o u r fu tures are at stake. A concerned reader and parent o f fo u r sent me a copy o f m y June 2, 1993 colum n, “ In The B eginning Was The W ord III: But Y ou Need T o Start E arly” . The lady thought I m ig h t not have retained the m a te ri al, but I have it and w ould re p rin t it on demand. I fo llo w on here w ith an ex cerpt fo r it is so necessary to under stand that math and science them selves are no more than instructions w ritte n in “ w o rd ” codes. T his was the education para digm o f even the segregated gram mar schools o f m y youth (see older editions o f, ‘ Taxonom y O f Educa tio n a l o bjectives’ ): m in o rity teachers (they said, “ not in m y neighborhood” ). As 1 said readers, I thoroughly understand that many o f you are o f that “ tired, d isillu sio n e d and ex hausted constituency” . A nd I am aware that devils have again risen from the ashes and again are try in g to in stitutionalize ignorance and classes o f so -ca lle d “ disa d van taged” fo r n e fa rio u s purposes (m ostly m onetary). The educational carpetbaggers never give up so we have a push now fo r such pedantic degenera cies as “ Ghetto S p e llin g ” and new versions o f “ B lack E nglish.” It hasn’ t been too easy but I ’ ve managed to survive the m achina tions o fth e gateKeepers, the frig h t ened and the incompetent. They seem to have a lo ck on in n e r-city schools, but I get con tracts fo r appearances and dem on strations in o u tlyin g d istricts and ‘O ur teachers and designed the cu rricu lu m decided in their in fin ite w isdom that each and every child [in St. Louis], regardless o f race, W hite teachers have d iscov ered that A ll C h ild re n can be in re lig io n , gender o r previous degree o f servitude must have a thorough accounts o f the “ B la ck Inventors O f A m erica” and the m any black grasp o f the construction o f the lan guage ifto be enabled to function in ture. o u r society - and this Before H igh School, where these tools w ould be As m entioned I w ill have C -D rom revisions available by late w in em ployed in the understanding o f ter o r spring -- thanks to support from some fe llo w members o f the The thought may cross some along the 1-5 co rrid o r. spired and m otivated by structured scientists excluded from the lite ra “ Association ofO regon Industries". Next week we ’ll explore where we are in respect to SA T and Ore gon 's educational scheme fo r Year 2000. <rri)L' ^ o rtla n b (©bseruer (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION E stablished in 1970 by A lfre d L . H enderson Joyce W ashington—P u b lis h e r T h e P O R T L A N D O B S E R V E R is located at 4747 N E M a r tin L u th e r K in g , J r. B lvd . P o rtla n d , O re g o n 97211 503-288-0033 * Fax 503-288-0015 Deadline fo r all submitted materials: A r tic le s :F r id a y , 5 :0 0 p m Ads: M onday N oon P O S T M A S T E R : Send A ddress Changes to : P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208. Second Class postage p a id a t P ortland, Oregon The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. M anuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned. I f accompanied by a s e lf addressed envelope. A ll created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and can not be used in other publications o r personal usage, w ithout the w ritten consent o fth e general manager, unless the clie n t has purchased the com position o f such ad. © 1994 T H E P O R T L A N D O B S E R V E R . A L L R IG H T S R E S E R V E D , R E P R O D U C T IO N IN W H O L E OR IN P A R T W IT H O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D . S ubscriptions: $30. 00 p e r ye a r The Portland O b se rve r-O re g o n ’ s Oldest A frican-A m erican Publica- tio n - is a member o f the N ational Newspaper A sso cia tio n -F o u n d e d in 1885, and The N ational A d ve rtisin g Representative Am algamated Publishers, Inc, N ew Y o rk , N Y . and The West Coast B lack Publishers A ssociation • S erving Portland and Vancouver SUBSCRIBE TO THE (Elie :|flortianb ODbsertier The Portland Observer Can Be Sent Directly To Your Home For Only $30 00 Per Year. Please Fill Out, Enclose Check Or Money Order. And Mail To: S ubscriptions T he P ortland O bserver ; PO Box 3 1 3 7 loan market were known o n ly after that inform ation was made public. There is no reason sunlight should be w ith h e ld from the personal and home loan markets. tee On Teacher’ s Standard. O ur years o f fig h tin g fo r q u a lity education fo r young to w a rd a ch ie vin g the “ em pow er ment” o f B lack Am erica. W hites and A sian A m erican, even i f they are o f the same income level few years ago my testim ony before the Oregon L egislature’ s C o m m it in g su rro u n de d O u ts id e The hearing Room by w hite teachers new life members at $500 each and 500,000 regular members at $10 apiece. This type o f “ empowerment” w ould bode w e ll fo r the N A A C P and M fu m e at the helm w ould do w ell fo r loans at a much higher rate than ‘ Forbes M a g a zin e ’ recently de scribed. I described here in detail a many o f that con s titu e n c y are men and women to help us get o f f the bottom o f A m e rica ’ s social rung. Just like cigarettes and the flip - top box, the N A A C P is out o f vogue and supporters. Its m ajor needs are mischievous (alert) m inds that per haps in the earlier tim es there were no teacher unions o f the type I know that co rd in g ly). Banks are, in fact, knocking one another over to service the low-and moderate-income markets-because they are profitable. I f anything, the equal lending laws need to be strengthened A fr i local neighborhood and com m unity developm ent groups to block the s we p arents, grandparents, spon- sors, patrons, what ever prepare to reintroduce our precious charges to the authoritative yet peripatetic standards of our school system, we had best, perhaps, sharpen up our own skills for an effective interface with the | system. tim e fo r a dedicated leader o f black Equal Lending Laws Should Be Reinforced, Not Weakened percent. (And Not Just For Reading, Writing And Arithmetic) Congress. It is tim e fo r him to help the N A A C P repair its image. It is Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 efore 1977, African Americans and other people of color had d iffic u lty getting home mortgage, personal and small business loans from the nation’s banks. We All Need To Go To School more sophisticated concepts. It was given that no teacher was hired unless they were masters o f this craft (and were tested ac better T5d T5he (Scditdr jJ jl Ip e r s te c liv e s P ortland , O regon 9 7 2 0 8 Name: Address: C ity, State: Zip-Code: T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver ( *0 'i/ S R S