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Volume X X V I, Num ber 47
. F r a n c e s S c h o e n News
v e r s i t v o f O re q o n L it
C om m itted to cultural diversi
The Miracle
Theater
Grand Reopening
of New E & M
The Miracle Theater
performs “Regreso a Mis
Suenos in bilingual
format.
See The Observador.
ember 20, 1996
• W<a w v r c o
debut
Local community and
business leaders on hand
for the E & M
Community Market
Ribbon Cutting
See Metro, page B5.
Check out the Captain s top
whatever on KMHD
See Entertainment, page B7.
^¡.lortlanò (©bsertiec,,
Avis accused of discrimination
he owner of six Avis Rent-A-Car
ination. Avis spokesmen and lawyers have
franchises told employees to
declined to comment.
make it difficult for black cus
"N o one w ill ever know how it feels unless
tomers to rent cars, a former franchise
you have to go through this experience," said
manager said last Week.
would-be car renter Vietta Rati if f o f Cheraw,
Five o f those Avis franchises in the Caro-
linas have repeatedly denied rentals to blacks
over the past few years, a class-action lawsuit
filed in federal court charges.
“ Ify o u were black, you weren’t getting a
car i f there was any way out o f it,” former
manager Kenneth Jessup, who is white, said
at a news conference today. He used to man
age the A v is o ffic e at the a irp o rt in
W ilm ington, N.C.
The lawsuit names Avis and franchise
owner John Dalton o f Wilmington
S.C., who says she was turned down at an
Avis office in Florence, S.C.
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for
C ivil Rights and Urban Affairs which filed
the lawsuit, is trying to force Avis to release
records o f similar race-based complaints to
customer service telephone operators.
John Reiman, a committee attorney, said
the lawsuit also blames Avis corporate exec
utives for not disciplining Dalton.
"A s we know from the Texaco case, it is
not enough for a corporation to say there was
news conference. " They are responsible.”
A race discrimination lawsuit filed against
Texaco alleges a pattern o f discrimination in
hiring and promotions.
Reiman said his organization believes
“ these complaints have been received for
years and that Avis should take responsibil
ity. "A re we dealing with a corporate struc
ture that allows indifference to racism'.’ That
just allows racism to flourish."
Dalton earlier ridiculed the charges.
"W e rent to every nationality, every color,
every creed under the sun." he said " I f I was
a bad guy, don’t you think something would
have surfaced before now?”
Montgomery Carter, a former manager at
Dalton s Greenville and New Bern franchis
Dalton has denied allegations o f discrim
a loose cannon out there,” Reiman said at the
es, said Dalton told his workers to deny
T
Ex-Texaco
executive charged
A former Texaco execut i ve was charged
by federal authorities this week with ob-
structingjustice in connection with a racial
discrimination lawsuit against the oil com
pany. The criminal action against Richard
Lundwall is the latest blow against the
embattled o il company, which faces a na
tionwide boycott due to allegations it dis
criminated against black and other m inor
ity employees. The charge arose from a
lawsuit brought against Texaco by a group
o f black employees accusing the oil com
pany o f system atically discrim inating
against blacks and denying them promo
tions. Lundwall allegedly shredded or
purged documents critical to the lawsuit.
rentals to black customers who want to drive
long distances in short times.
"Dalton has told me that, ‘ I f a nigger is
driving that distance in a short amount o f
time, he must be dealing drugs,” ’ Carter told
USA today in today’s editions.
I he suit was filed on behalfofthree named
plaintiffs plus an undetermined number o f
black customers at the five franchises. It
seeks unspecified damages.
Dalton owns North Carolina franchises in
Wilmington, Greenville, New Beni, Kinston
and Jacksonville and another in Florence, S.C.
Linda Pugh said she had arranged by tele
phone to rent four minivans at the W ilmington
Avis franchise in July 1995, according to
court documents When she went to pick up
the cars, she was told she could not rent them
Boycott!
Ecumenical
Ministries Votes
for farm workers
ValuJet families
see fire video
he Board of Directors of the
Ecumenical M inistries of Or
egon has voted to endorse
the economic boycott of Kraemer
Farms and NORPAC Foods, calling
upon “all people of fa ith ” to stand
with the farm workers.
Relatives o f ValuJet Flight 592 crash
victims recentely viewed dramatic video
tape o f a roaring fire staged to help inves
tigators learn how a blaze started in the
cargo compartment o f the doomed DC-9
jet. The video o f the test fire was played in
the darkened M¡ami hall where the Nation
al Transportation Safety Board is holding
public hearings on the May 11 crash.
T
Clinton backs Asia-Pacific
President Clinton, on his first overseas
trip since his reelection, met Australian
leaders and reaffirmed Washington’s com
mitment to the Asia-Pacific region. He is
later to address a jo in t session o f both
houses o f parliament and tell them the
United States has to look East "no less than
it looks to the West.”
(ato offers new Testimony
Brian “ Kato” Kaelin, O.J. Simpson’s
one-time house guest, offered new evi
dence in the former football star’s c ivil
trial today. Kaelin described the thumps he
heard on the night o f June 12, 1994, when
S im p s o n ’ s e x -w ife , N ic o le B ro w n
Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman
were murdered, as being “ like someone
falling back behind my bedroom w all.’
Portland immigrant students Leng Bouasykeo (left) and Cecilia Giron (second from left) marched in Washington D.C. for
Coordinadora '96. See Observador inside for their reports.
Oregon’s Population Growth Trend continues
NEW POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR THE
STATE OF OREGON & ITS COUNTIES
The Center for Population Research and
Census (CPRC) at Portland State University
has released its July I, 1996 preliminary
population estimates for the State o f Oregon
and its counties.
During the period July 1, 1995 to July I,
1996, the statewide population increased from
3 ,132,OOOto 3 ,18 1.000. This increaseof49,000
people represents the 34,000 more people who
moved to Oregon than moved from Oregon
(net migration), and the approximately 15,000
more births than deaths.
“ The population change in Oregon appears
US to focus
on aid for refugees
The United States w ill not be sending
combat troops to Zaire after all. Instead,
fewer than 1,000 logistical personnel w ill
be going to Rwanda to help returning ref
ugees. Defense Secretary W illiam Perry
made the announcement, adding that the
United States still was ready to send secu
rity troops i f the situation deteriorates.
Perry said the change in plans was brought
on by the recent return o f 500,000 refugees
from Zaire to Rwanda
Shuttle begins
16-day mission
The space shuttle Columbia roared o f!
from its Cape Canaveral launch pad Tues
day, taking a 6 1-year-old astronaut on a
record-setting trip.
to have stabilized at about 48,000 per year,"
says Howard Wineberg, estimates program
manager and assistant directorofCPRC, citing
increases are substantially less than the first
three years o f the 1990s when Oregon’s popu
lation increased by about 60,000 per year.”
Oregon’s rate ofgrow th in 1995-96(1.6%)
is still greater than the U.S. average ( I 1%),
making this the tenth consecutive year that
Oregon’s population has grown at a rate
faster than the national average. In the six
year period between 1990 and 1996 Oregon
gained about 338,700 people (an increase o f
11.9 percent). This represents 130,000 more
people than the state gained during the 1980s.
Approximately 45 percent o f Oregon’s net
migration this past year is due to Californians
moving to Oregon. This is down from las,
year’ s figure o f 55 percent and is the lowest
percentage in the 1990s. Approxim ately
15,500 more people moved from California
to Oregon than vice versa this year.
“ Oregon continues to benefit from an ex
tremely strong economy and a high livabil
ity ’ rating,” says Wineberg. “ However, Cal
ifornia’s economy continues to improve while
the net migration from California declines.
For Oregon’ s population to continue to in
crease by about 48,000 per year it may need
to gain more migrants from states other than
California.
“ It should be noted that Oregon’ s ne,
migration may drop precipitously i f its econ
omy turns sour or i f C alifornia’s economy
out-performs it," says Wineberg.
“ The stable growth rate (and the smaller
increase in population) in the Portland area
since 1993 suggests that the Portland (tri-
county) area may increase its population by
about 20,000 per year for the next 5 to 15
years," says Wineberg. “ A substantially small
er increase w ill occur i f there is a recession.
In any case, the number o f new residents w ill
probably be lower than metro’s projects would
suggest.”
Minimum wage jumps to Wyden announces 1-stop
Career Center funds
$5.50 on January 1
Castro invites
Pope to Cuba
Pope John Paul and Cuban President
Fidel Castro met for the first time Tuesday
at the Vatican. Castro invited the p o n tiff to
visit the communist-ruled island next year
and the pope accepted. A papal spokesman
said most o f the 35-minute meeting dealt
with the role o f the Roman Catholic Church
in Cuba, where relations with the state
have been sometimes frosty.
Brands subject to the boycott include Flav-
R-Pac frozen vegetables and fruits and
Santiain canned vegetables.
The EM O resolution was brought about
by the growers' refusal to allow farm workers
to negotiate for better living and working
conditions, and for the reprisals inflicted
upon workers w ho complained or organized.
EMO studied the issue for three years,
witnessing “ living and working conditions o f
many Oregon farm workers which are sub
standard and an affront to basic human digni
ty." The resolution calls upon "all people o f
faith" to jo in in the effort on behalf o f w ork
ers' right to organize and jo in in collective
bargaining for improved benefits and w ork
ing conditions. More on this story in next
week’s Portland Observer.
tarting January 1, Oregon work
geous to employees. As long as the state
ers who now earn the minimum
requires a higher minimum wage, all Oregon
wage will get a $ .7 5 an hour
employers must comply and pay the new
raise-the first of three increases rate.
ap
proved by voters in the recent election.
New minimum wage compliance posters
S
Ballot Measure 36 increase the minimum
wage to $5.50 an hour January I, 1997. In
1998. the rate jumps to $6.00 an hour and
then climbs to $6 50 an hour beginning Jan
uary I, 1999.
Most Oregon employers are subject to
both state and federal minimum wage laws.
When covered by both laws, employers must
comply with the regulations most advanta
w ill be available to employers at no cos,
beginning December 16.
Employers can order the new poster by
calling the bureau’s Technical Assistance for
Employers Program (TA ), 503-731-4073,
ext. 3 in Portland, or employers can pick up
a poster in the Nature o f Oregon Store in the
Portland State Office Building, 800 NE O r
egon Street
.S. Senator Ron Wyden has
adults from welfare into workforce, I be
stated that Oregon will receive
lie ve these funds wi 11 be a strong boos, to the
funding in 1997 to help devel
Oregon Option and our Jobs Plus programs.
op develop a “One-Stop Career Center"
By making it more convenient for our c iti
approach to provide useful and conve
zens to get support as they seek employ
nient career services to the state's
ment, we can move more quickly toward our
workers and businesses.
goal o f eliminating welfare as a way o f life.”
U
The funding, which w ill come from the
U.S Department o f Labor, is based on a
competitive procurement process. Oregon
is expected to receive a total o f between
$2.5 and $5 m illion on July I, 1997.
Wyden said, “ As a long-time advocate
for the ‘One-Stop’ approach to moving able
In the past two years, the Labor Depart
ment has awarded One-Stop grants to 16
states, funding 125 One-Stop Career Cen
ters. A, the centers, employment, education
and training services are gathered into a
single delivery system for workers and busi
nesses.
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