P age A 2
O ctober 11, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The Jlortlanh ffibsvruer
y
' Kile many of the politi­
cians running for Presi­
dent in our country are
arguing that we should be, and
now have become, a color blind
s o cie ty --th u s,
the
a n ti­
affirmative action madness, the
anti-setaside mania, the anti-
m a jo rity /m in o rity p o litic a l
d is tric ts , and the a n ti­
immigration law s -th e O. J.
Simpson verdict has once
again placed race and race
justice in the center of American
political debate.
In fact, it was a racist police
officer that probably resulted in Mr.
Sim pson’s acquittal.
The debate following the ver­
dict is clear about one thing—blacks
and whites view the criminal justice
system from two different vantage
points. Whites see it from the top
down. B lacks see it from the bottom
up. Whites essentially see it as work­
ing (generally) fairly in their inter­
ests. B lacks see it as stacked against
them and working against their inter­
ests—indeed, as oppressing them.
Whites see the criminal justice sys­
tem as essentially color-blind. Blacks
NATIONAL!
CO A L I T I O N
Simpson Verdict High-Lights
Need For Race
see it as essentially discriminatory
toward people o f color.
That brings us to the current
post-Simpson debate over race and
racial justice. It also brings us to the
central question o f remedies for rac­
ism: “ Should race play a role or at
least be a factor in remedy?” That is
at the core o f the debate over affirma­
tive action, setasides and majority/
m inority political districts. Most
whites, it seems, currently say no.
Most blacks currently say yes. Each
says so from their vantage point—i.e.,
whites see hiring, job opportunities
and economic development as es­
sentially fair and open; blacks see
those same things as stacked against
them. That is central to understand­
ing the post-Simpson debate and the
role that race plays in our society.
Beyond race, in the O. J. Simpson
trial was not about glitter and celeb­
rity, but central to this case was the
strain and pain o f blood. There are
two people dead, families in grief
over lost loved ones, careers de­
stroyed and reputations tarnished.
There are no winners.
We, as a nation o f laws, must
accept and live with the verdict, and
the battle must remain in the court­
room, not taken to the streets. The
legal process has run its course, with
top-notch legal teams performing
their professional duties with excel­
lence, and a ju ry carefully chosen to
reflect the local community o f peers.
There were apparently many
(actors in this verdict. The prosecu­
tor did not establish proof beyond
reasonable doubt for this jury. They
never found the smoking gun—or
kni ve(s). Plus, they found no eyewit­
nesses. That, compounded by former
Los Angeles Police Detective Mark
Fuhrman, whose credibility was held
high by the prosecutors, but destroyed
by the defense team.
Race, sex, drugs, money, vio ­
lence—all o f the nation’s “ho, but­
ton” issues-played a role in this case.
If there is a central lesson to be
learned in this tragedy, it is this: we
must stop the violence. In this period
o f atonement, we as a nation must
search our souls and pray for all the
families involved-and the nation.
There are no winners in this case
and, based upon the verdict, the mur­
derer or murderers remain free.
Therefore, the case is not closed.
Much agony, anxiety and doubt re­
main. We must remain prayerful.
C ivil Rights Journal
The Death Penalty: The South African Perspective
B ernice P owell J al kson
''T lT or many years the Unit-
TJj ed States was second
'
J only in the world to the
racist apartheid government of
South Africa in its incarceration
rate.
bv
The government o f South A fri­
ca’s high levels o f incarceration could
be attributed to its habit o f jailin g
political prisoners and opponents o f
apartheid as well as criminals.
But with the fall o f apartheid,
things have changed in South Africa.
Most, if no, all, o f those political
prisoners have been released and
South A frica no Langer incarcerates
its citizens a, the world's highest
rate. Meanwhile, more and more
Americans are being incarcerated,
with latest statistics showing a m il­
lion and a half Americans in federal,
state and local prisons and another
3.5 m illion on probation and parole.
I n the new South Africa the death
penalty is no more. In its first major
ruling. South A frica ’s supreme court
unanimously abolished the death
penalty. In announcing the decision
o f the Constitutional Court, its pres­
ident, Arthur Chaskalson, said, “ E v ­
eryone, including the most abomina­
ble o f human beings, has a right to
life and capital punishment is there­
fore unconstitutional.” He added,
"Retribution cannot be accorded the
same weight under our Constitution
as the right to life and dignity.”
The court’s decision was met
with both jo y and derision. Most
South African blacks applauded the
decision, even though they are most
often the victim s o f violence in that
country. On the other hand, many
white South Africans cited that as
another example o f a gradual slide
away from law and order.
We could learn something from
South Africa. We could learn that the
abolition o f the death penalty as a
respect for life and the dignity o f life
does not show that a country is weak,
but that it is strong. We could learn
that responding to a public frenzied
with fear about crime and demand­
ing the quick fix is not ethically or
morally correct. We could learn that
a country which finds most o f its
death row inmates to be poor and
black is probably a country which
has and o verrepresentat ion o f wrong-
ful arrests and convictions.
Take the Chain o f Rocks bridge
case in St. Louis. Tw o young white
sisters were raped and killed in 1991
in an incident which occurred on an
abandoned bridge. They fell or
jumped o ff this 90-foot bridge; one
body was never found. Their cousin,
who was with them, was originally
charged with their murders after he
gave several different stories. In one
version he was responsible for the
girls falling; in another he jumped
from the bridge himself, although he
suffered no bruises or injuries and
his hair was not even wet.
Then
the ---------
cousin „ accused'Tour^
— .......-
. a s ed- fou
vnnnp m
pn m
th n n a h U
»* festi
other r young
men,
although
he
fled he only saw an arm come out o f
the dark and could not tell if it was
even a black or white arm. Three of
the young men were black; one was
white. The one white man was given
a plea bargain if he testified against
thethree young black men. The three
black men now sit on death row.
Reginald Clemons, one o f the
accused is currently seeking a rever­
sal for a new trial due to the beating
he suffered while in police custody,
lack o f evidence, and insufficient
and false statements by the police
department and their witnesses.
There are dozens, perhaps hun­
dreds o f cases like this on death rows
across America. Cases where young
men, most often young A frican A mer-
ican men, have been poorly represent­
ed. Cases where unreliable witnesses
have turn state’s evidence to save them­
selves. Cases where little or no inves­
tigation has been done on behalfof the
defendants. Cases where some inno­
cent people may well be executed in
the name o f retribution, not justice.
,
The New York Times reported
«¿(Archbishop Desmond Tutu called
tflfcifeath penalty an obscenity, saying
that it in effect says to criminals, “We
want to show you that we care about
life so we kill you too.”
Would that we here in the Unit­
ed States would become a civilized
society. The lives o f innocent people
depend upon it.
(Note: For information on the
Chain o f Rocks bridge case, contact
the Justice Watch Committee for
Reginald Clemons (314)381-1912.)
^ p e r s p e c tiv e s
Anatomy Of A Language
III: Conclusion
n part I of this series,
I had the following to
<
say about a book that
has proven to be an unmatch
ed aid to a clear and articulate
expression of ideas.
m eaning and experience o f hu­
man existence may be expressed
in eight great classes. A n d a c­
co rd in g ly , y o irm a y be guided
to new le ve ls o f e ffe ctive co m ­
m unications and d iscourse. Try
“ M any
it, ch ild , youth or
th o u sa n d s
ad u lt ( la w y e r ’ s,
h ave u se d
please pay atten­
'R o g e t’s In ­
tion).
t e r n a t io n a l
C la s s O n e :
T h e sa u ru s:
A b s tra c t R e la ­
F o u r th
or
t io n s . I. E x i s t ­
F ifth E d .’ as
ence 2. R elatio n
a b ro w sin g book, a book that
3. Q uantity 4. O rder 5. Num ber
stim ulates thought and e xplo
6. T im e 7. Ch ange 8. Event 9.
ration because it uniq u ely co
Cau satio n 10. Power.
lects great sem antic dom ains
C la s s T w o : S p a c e . I
under
la r g e
c o n c e p tu a l
Space In G eneral 2. D im en sio ns
h e ad in g s...an d show s by the
3. Structure; Form 4. M otion.
m anner o f o rg a n iz a tio n the
C la s s T h r e e : P h y s ic s . I.
tracks the m ind m ay take as it
P h ysics 2. Heat 3. L ig h t 4. E le c ­
ranges about in a g ive n territo
tricity And E le ctro n ics 5. M e­
ry-
ch an ics 6 P h ysica l Properties
In the same “ Perspectives
7. C o lo r.
article (9/27/95), we saw how a
C la s s F o u r : M a tte r . 1.
word is found in the index (die
Matter In G eneral 2. In o rga n ic
tio n ary se ctio n ) and how it is
Matter 3. O rg a n ic Matter.
accom panied there by a num
C la s s F iv e : S e n sa tio n . I.
her o f subentries w hich may or
Sensation In G eneral 2. To u ch
may not be clo se r to the mean
3. Taste 4. S m e ll 5. S ig h t 6.
ing you want.
H earin g.
Fo r instance, i f the word
C la s s S ix : In te lle c t. I. In ­
for w hich you seek broader or
tellectual F a cu ltie s And P ro ­
more e x p re s siv e m eanin g is
cesses 2. States o f M ind 3. C o m ­
‘S h a p e le ss” , then you w ill find
m unication o f Ideas.
num bered subentries like “ ab
C la s s S e v e n : I . V o litio n
norm al, 85.9; fo rm less, 247.4
In G e n e ra l 2. C o n d itio n s 3.
u n o r d e r e d , 0 2 .1 2 ; v a g u e
V o lu n ta ry A ctio n 4. A u th o rity/
514.18.
C o n tro l 5. Support A nd O p p o ­
From here, one w ould turn
sition 6. P o ssessive R elatio n s.
to the m ain body o f the Thesau
C la s s E ig h t : A ffe c tio n s I
rus where these num bers would
Personal A ffe ctio n s 2, Sym p a ­
d irect you to the proper word
thetic A ffe ctio n s 3. M o rality 4.
or phrase in a 2 5 0 ,000 word
R e lig io n .
text, arranged in categories by
W e ll, there you are,. G o
their m eaning. A “ S y n o p sis o f
ahead and see if I care i f you
C a te g o rie s” at the front o f the
so u n d b e tte r th an I e v e r
book in dicates that m ost o f the
dreamed.
(Elje JJJortlattit (©baeruer
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Joyce Washington-Publisher
THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is located at
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
503-288-0033 * Fax 503-288-0015
If Powell Goes Independent, The Black Community Goes With Him
BV
D r . L k .XORA F t
LAM
'Y t'T
ublic and private spec-
j ( ulation over a possible
presidential candidacy
by Colin Powell has hit a fever
pitch.
This has prompted a new round
o f questions about how relevant a
Powell candidacy would be for the
B lack community. For example, I
got a call from C N N asking my opin­
ion on the results o f a new poll which
showed Powell with a higher favor­
able rating among whites (73% ) than
among B lacks (57%).
My response was this: I believe
that if Colin Powell were to run for
President as an independent he wou Id
be an eminently popular figure among
African American voters. If he were
to address the failure o f the two-party
arrangement and the increased alien­
ation among Black Americans this
failure has produced, he’d become
an overnight hero with the majority
o f B lack people. A s Mr Powell said
on “ Larry K in g Live ,” this may be a
t w two-party
n - n a r K c v system,
c » » m h i lt
“ «»,«
a
but
“we o r are
not „ a
two-party nation.” With the proper
leadership, I believe that the Black
community w ill play a vital role in
helping the country move beyond
that stagnant two-party system, and
thereby help to empower itself.
Mr. Powell has insisted in state­
ments to the press that he is not the
“ B lack” candidate. I do not think the
media has fully appreciated the depth
o f this remark. B lack voters don’t
vote “ B lack.” Like all Americans,
we vote in what we believe to be our
own interests.
Until recently, those interests
have been intertwined with the Dem­
ocratic Party, though I believe that
the Democratic Party did far better in
that deal than we did.
Now that the Democratic Party
has all but abandoned our agenda,
that political partnership has been
undercut.
There has, o f course, been much
public and private speculation about
whether Rev. Jackson would play the
Ajji
•^85
C'Jj
want to suggest to
readers an alternative
<
to the approach to writ­
ing offered in the last issue's
Pei spec lives column:
I fyou tie dozens o f ornaments to
a spear, it may look more intimidat­
ing, but w ill rarely find its mark
Drop your thesaurus on the
ground, stop it, and watch to see if it
moves. If it does, make it stop. Use a
pitchfork, a bazooka—whatever is
necessary
Pick the dead thing up (with two
fingers only) and drop it in a refuse
container. Close the lid. Wash the
fingers. Listen to me.
-~ l-
i
.. . .
role, - : . either
as a candidate
or an en­
dorser o f an independent campaign,
o f leading the Black community out
o f the Democratic party. I ’ve been
urging Rev. Jackson’s break with the
Democratic Party since 1983.
But so far, his independent pos­
turing notwithstanding, he has al­
lowed the independent movement to
gain considerable ground without
supporting it or positioning himself
in it. The Black community is not
unaware o f this.
Moreover, Rev. Jackson has
staked his career on being the loyal
opposition inside the Democratic
Party. H issonhasjust announced his
Democratic primary candidacy for
Mel Reynolds’ seat in Chicago.
It seems that Jesse is no longer in
a position to go up against the army
o f B lack elected officials one would
have to confront in order to bring the
B lack community out o f the Demo­
cratic Party and into independent
politics, particularly at a moment
when the Clinton re-election cam-
better ^ 0
(SLditor
paign is going to be fighting tooth
and nail for every B lack Vote.
In m y o pinion, i f properly
reached, substantial portions o f the
B lack community w ill go indepen-
dentin 1996, over the heads o f B lack
elected officialdom. When I ran in
the New Y o rk Democratic primary
in 1994 against sitting Governor
Mario Cuomo I polled 35% o f the
vote in key B lack districts, while
every key Black Democrat was at­
tacking me and/or campaigning for
Cuomo.
I also polled above 40% o f the
vote in the six upstate counties where
Perot got his highest numbers in 1992.
In other words, my run against
Cuomo, which helped set the stage
for his defeat in November and for
the creation o f a new, independent
ballot status party, the Independence
party, established the rudiments o f a
new voter coalition between African
Americans and white “Perot” voters.
It would be critical to continue to
evolve that coalition for 1996.
Send your letters to the Editor to;
Editor> P0 Hox 3137, Portland, OR 97208
There are exactly two great forc­
es in your universe: one is love, the
other truth. Both exist only inside
human skin.
Before writing, your task is to
look into your se lf - maybe “soul" is
a better word - to find the love and
the truth. (I can't do that for you. and
neither can your writing teacher.)
Listen to your truth.
Next write down in black ink
what your truth has told you D on’t
be all day at it Real truth is brief.
Walk away. Listen to music,
think o f other matters.
After a time, return calmly to
what you've written. Using red ink,
let your love read what your truth has'
said. (Remember, love sometimes
has a right to delete truth, and to add
a comment o f its own. I There may he
on your paper about as much red ink
as black.
Again, walk away. D on’t return
to your writing until you have slept.
Look once more into your self
and find the part that is called “sense”
or "reason.” Read your writing, this
time letting reason take complete
control. Reason, although fragile and
forceless, w ill decide which parts of
your writing are lies pretending to be
truth It w ill decide which parts are
hatred masquerading as love.
I f your love or your truth want to
appeal a decision made by reason,
both forces must agree before reason
considers the appeal. A ll judgements
o f reason are final.
You w ill notice in this process
that you have set one part ofyour sou I
against another. I never said this
would be easy. And I am saying it
won't be painless.
But that is how I suggest you
approach writing. I think you’ll find
truth flies like a spear when love is
the muscle that launches it and rea­
son the hand that guides. Don't give
up.
Yours, D. fíen Sa xe
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