Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 1996)
T iu P oru and O bserver • J une 19, 1996 P agi A3 Church Burnings Upset Minorities I wo black northeast ila ck churches in northeast- ern M ississippi were destroyed by lire late on Monday, police said, adding to a wave of suspicious church blazes that has swept the Southeast ern United States. f ederal and state arson investiga tors combed through the ruins o f the two sanctuaries late into the night to determine it the incidents were linked to fires that have occurred at 34 other black churches in the South over the past 18 months. I he 109-year-old Mount Pleasant Missionary Church and the Central Grove C hurch were completely de stroyed by fires that authorities la beled as suspicious. I'he churches were located a few miles from each other, just south of the Tennessee border near the town o f Kossuth. Police said hundreds o f onlook ers, many in tears or uttering prayers, stood in the sultry M ississippi night air and watched the sanctuaries burn as volunteer firefighters waged a fu tile battle to put out the flames. The fires were reported to police by telephone calls to the 9 11 emer- re n rvn number. n m k .r The calls came about ..... gency 15 minutes apart, the first at 9:11 p m. local time. "It seems extremely suspicious that two churches would burn at the same time, both o f them having black con gregations,” said A lcorn County Sheriff Jimmy Taylor. Police quickly called on the F B I. the U.S. Bureau o f Alcohol, Tobac co and Firearms, and the M ississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office to help determine the cause o f the fires. Taylor said results o f the investi gation would be announced Tuesday morning. " I f we find out that it’s arson, we are going to stick together as a community and bring the people responsible to justice,” the sheriff said. The two blazes raise to 36 the number o f black churches damaged or destroyed by fire in the South since late 1994. Earlier on Monday, arson investi gators sifted through the remains o f a predominantly black church in Rocky Point, North Carolina. It was the second black church to burn in the .. . . . . state in less than a week. I he fires have revived memories ol the Ku K lu x Kian firebombings o f black churches in the 1960s and have attracted the scrutiny o f the federal officials and political groups. President Clinton plans to meet with the governors o f the affected states on Wednesday to coordinate a strategy for battling the outbreak Meanwhile, leaders o f the white conservative Christian Coalition were due to meet with the pastors ofbumed black churches Tuesday in Atlanta. Although investigators say some fires have been racially motivated, there has been no evidence ofcoordi- nated activity among hate groups. Two whites arrested for setting fires at black churches — a volunteer fireman in Alabama and a 13-year- old girl in North Carolina are alleged to have done so for reasons having nothing to do with racism. O fficials in M ississippi’s Alcorn County were quick to defend what they called model race relations in their community, where about 12 percent o f the population is black. I he predominantly white electorate o f Corinth, the county seat, has twice elected a black man as mayor, they noted. But police said a handful o f local residents did attend a Ku K lu x Kian rally held a few months ago by a traveling K ian organization from Arkansas. ▲ those days, music was everywhere. Better put, “ Songs were everywhere” for in the 1930’s even elementary school kids read well in the ’ghetto’. Second and third graders could read the “green ’song sheets' which were peddled by itinerant vendor around the school yards. Ten cents would get you eight mimeographed sheets o f song lyrics, from the ja z z world, popular songs or classic Broadway show tunes. Many o f us had our early versions o f the “ Walk Man”, Zenith potables with aa telescoping aerial which could ‘reach to the moon’ and others had little battery-powered record players with which we could serenade our ‘ ladies! There were the great bands, Ersking Hawkins, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louie Jordan, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glen M iller, Stan Kenton, etc, and there were the great vocalists, B illy Eckstein, Herb Jeffries, A l Response To Cross Burning rhe East Metro Human Rights Coalition and The Metropolitan Human Rights Com mission o f Portland and Multnomah County wish to express their shock and horror at the violent racist act o f hate demonstrated by the cross burning at the home ofa Gresham resident. In response to this heinous crime, the two organizations invite the community to participate in a “Tim e for Prayer and Peace" to be held on Sunday, June 23 at Trinity Lutheran I hurch, 507 W. Powell Blvd. (Corner o f Powell and Eastman Parkway) at P M . People o f all faiths are welcome to jo in in this public show o f units against racism and for peace in our communities. Several hundred organizations representing many ethnic groups have been invited. Nike Sweatshop Allegations N IK E , Inc. (N Y S E : N K E ) re sponded to claims made by Joel Joseph, chairman o f the Made in the U S A Foundation, o f under-age J Indonesian workers making N l- K E ’s line o f A ir Jordan shoes for 14 cents an hour by stating that his [ allegations are completely false. I Perhaps Mr. Joseph should have looked at an A ir Jordan shoe on store shelves to learn that the product is made in Taiwan,” said Donna Gibbs, | Hibbler, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee and on ad infinitum. But indelibly stamped on our minds even today, are the lilting, nursery rhyme-like lyrics o f E lla Fitzgerald’s “ A -Tisket, A-Tasket, I lost my yellow basket, and if I don’t find it I don't know what I'll do. Was it red? No, no, no, no,! Was it blue? No, no, no, no, ! Was it green? No, no, no, no,! Just a little yellow bas ket.” N IK E 's director o f corporate com munications. "One has to question thecredibilityofan individual whose I organization is largely financed by labor unions opposed to free trade with developing nations," she said. "It’s also too bad that Kathie Lee Gifford has found it necessary to i avoid the med ia spot light by push ing Michael Jordan into it " 1 horough reviews conducted over I Indeed, a ye llo w basket that launched a most wondrous talent. Lucious Hicks Seeks City Commission Seat Continued from Metro, page B I ▲ borhoods. Portland is great neigh borhoods. However, there are some who feel left out- who feel that city government does not work in true partnership with them, ‘said Hicks. “ A ll my life I have successfully brought people and organizations together. We need to reach out to our community and neighborhoods and truly make them a working part o f Portland.” H icks continued, “Just as there are neighborhoods who feel left out, so are there people and families. I he m id dle cla ss is fe e lin g squeezed, the lower class is feeling left out, so are there people and fam ilies. The middle class is feeling squeezed, the lower class is feeling left out. Housing growth, health care, job security, education, crime are all serious problem for all classes. We need to reach out to these families as well and include them in the dynamic o f our economy ‘said Hicks. H icks stressed that he w ill run a positive campaign on the issues and Portland future. Ifyo u are interested in getting involved in the campaign please contact the Lucious H icks for Portland Committee at 285-7125. A semi-formal dress, banquet dinner, held in the honor of Bishop A.R. Hopkins, on Saturday June 29th at 7pm, at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion, 909 North Hayden Island Dr, Contact Mrs. Dorothy Wilson at (503) 287-8500. _____ Tickets $25 per person, public welcome. A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Song Continued from front, page A 1 Oregon First Jurisdiction of the C hurch of God in Christ BANQUET DINNER several days included interviews with workers,examination ofsafetyequip-1 went and procedures, review o f free health-care facilities at the work site, investigation o f worker grievances and audits o f pay roll records. I he average line-worker’s wage in Asian subcontracted facilities is | double the government-mandated minimum. THE 1996 MULTICULTURAL MUSIC ANO FOOD FESTIVAL Friday June 28, 6 - 10 p.m. Saturday, June 29, 12-10 p.m. Sunday. June 30, 12-6 p.m. Holy Redeemer Area School Campus 1 2 7 North Portland Boulevard 283 5 1 7 5 Musicians Tall Jazz with Mario De Priest, Marilyn Keller and Lee Wuthenow Five Guys Named Moe La Mayor Orchestra (Salsa) Jazz Allstars: Mel Brown, Mary Kadderly, Tom Grant and Jodie Seiferrs Calvin Walkers Funk Machine Boka Marimba The Michael Harrison Quartet The Norman Sylvester Band Soul Vaccination (Funk) Children s Fest Saturday 12-5 p.m. Sunday 12-6 p.m. Want regular discount on your Water Bill? Call 285-0493 Ext.217 Also, limited funds available for shut-off notices on light bills, to people not having received any energy assistance for this year. “Community parade of nations" Charles Moose - Grand Marshal Friday June 28 5:30 p.m. Blazer Boys and Girls Society Performers Molly Malone Irish Dancers the Main Vietnamese- & Location Dancers Oasis Outlaws Country Western Line Dancers Blue Lake Chorus - Female Barbershop Quartet Ecumenical Ministries- Gospel Singers Askari (African Drummer- and Story Teller) Shoe Horn (Tap Dancer and Saxophonist) Food & Drink Mexican, Barbecue, Ethiopian, Cajun Italian, Moroccan, & More Ethnic M arketplace Arts and Crafts Call 2 8 3 -5 1 7 5 For More Info Sponsored by the N eighborhood O utreach Association Rose Festival 3 Day Pass $12.00 Per Fam ily, I Day Fam ily pass $5.00 Adult $3.00 A Day, Children $ 1.00 A Day Chinook Winds weekend beach concerts. Williams & Ree June 29 7pm & 10pm Nitty Gritty Dirt Band July 12 & 13 7pm & 10pm Jose Feliciano July 26 & 27 7pm & 10pm Lou Rawls July 5th & 6th June 28th is the Grand Opening ol Oregon’s premiere gaming & convention center, Chinook Winds. Discover Las Vegas style entertainment and the most exciting casino experience in the Northwest. Early shows begins at 7pm and the later show starts at I Opm. So. expect week after week of the best headliner entertainment available. Then, enjoy over 800 video slot machines, ^ > Ken° ’ P° ken B,ackiack’ B‘nS° and Off-track Betting. .Z''’ t’vi C alif or ticket 1-888-Main-Act (1-888-624-6228). C hinooîc W inds SILETZ TRIBAL GAMING 3ECÁ') CO NVENTIO N CENTEP 1 755 NW 44th, Lincoln City, OR. O p e n 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. f