* 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.