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12, 1997 • T he P o r i land O bserver
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T hank Y oe F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver
p e r s p e c tiv e s
Spring Will Soon Have Sprung;
Has Your Sap Risen
'“H1
ears ago at this tim e of
year there would be a lot
of ribald levity and even
worse poetry p rin ted abo u t
'spring', the season when a
young “man's" fancy turns to
romance - as though It didn’t
take two to tango!
Today, we are much
more likely to groan at
the thought o f a broad
verdant lawn (fully
equipped with dande
lions) that seems to in
crease in size each year
in direct proportion to our own calen
dar years; or to stare aghast a tour
Internet billing - did we really order
that much access time? And just what
the heck was it that we thought was
going to be interesting enough to
justify live out o f seven sleepless nights
with no seasonal variation?
All that aside, the more urgent
realities of our cyclical existence will
kick in about March 23; this includes
creditors who promised to wait ninety
days to be reimbursed for those sacks
of holiday goodies. And all things
considered, our total outlay for taxes
o f one sort or another has not de
creased — contrary to all that inspired
rhetoric accompanying various ini
tiatives and other promises made to
the body politic.
In fact, the cumulative pressure o f
such unpleasant events this spring
equinox seems to suggest that some
where there is a demonic spirit whose
evil avocation is to operate a rather
sophisticated balancing mechanism.
The tax reductions promised in that
"inspired rhetoric" are soon balanced
out by sneaky new adjustments to the
process. Worse yet, it would appear
that some gaming specialists from
Los Vegas or Reno may have been
imported — in some areas the tax
payer is finding a net increase. Vigor
ous protest is required
This year can be a very productive
one despite minor(?)disappointments
and discomfiture A number o f the
I
Portland Observer readers say that
they are qu ite sat isfied with their learn
ing curve: Being a better parent (grand
parent), Increasing the economic value
o f the family unit (via added job skills
and/or business venture); networking
and relating to friends and neighbors
in a m ore
m e a n in g f u l
manner.
I am also
getting some
in te re s tin g
feed back from
the y o u n g er
generation. As many o f you know I
have worked for two decades at get
ting our youth summer jobs, a most
critical factor in keeping both high
school and college students in school.
I began this process with the advan
tage o f having an 'industry' back
ground which enabled me to assess
the specific enterprises o f the area in
realistic terms o f what job opportuni
ties would be available. I’ve tried to
transfer the technique.
O f course, it is evident that same
type o f experience-based assessment
works as well for the adult job place
ment process. But what I wished to
note here in particular was the nature
o f that “feed back from the youth.”
The kids that I placed in summer jobs
last year (12 different occupations)
got together on their own this winter
and worked out their own program to
secure summer employment for 1997.
You hear that? No Prof. Burt, no
parents, no guardians no urban pro
grams — just good old initiative, 7
black and 5 whites.
Say, that’s what its all about, I'm
really pleased that many of the youth
will not need my continued assistance
in that area. That leaves me free to
help others or to develop new pro
grams - and you just know I've got
some. Next week I'll be describing
someofthese ventures including some
interesting venues already in opera
tion. Everyone did not wait for spring
for the sap to rise.
wo recent studies con
tribute important data to
support the contention
that the criminal justice system
is both out of control, and tar
geted against young, Black men.
The first research report, con
ducted by Vincent Schiraldi and
Tara-Jen Ambrosio of the Justice
Policy Institute, and summarized in
the 2/24/97 Washington Post, ana
lyzed government budget expendi
tures at the state and national level
In the words of Schiraldi, director of
the policy institute, their research
demonstrated that “...in the funding
battle between prisons and universi
ties, prisons are consistently coming
out on top.” Prison construction is
outstripping college construction.
The second study, conducted by
the Sentencing Project, shows that I
out of every 7 Black men cannot vote
today due to felony convictions. (We
have often cited earlier Sentencing
Project studies concerning drug sen
tencing disparities and the large
number of African American males
trapped within the criminal justice
system.) In the New York Times,
Barbara W right, of the Lawyers
Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, put her finger on this tragic-
situation: “Voting is what makes
you a citizen. It’s tragic to contem
plate the creation of an entire class
Putting Prisons First
of native-born non-citizens.”
Here are a few of the horrible
facts from these two studies:
lJP !=Justice Policy Institute;
SP=Sentencing Project/
*(JPI)--State spending on pris
ons went up by 30%, while higher
education spending decreased 18%,
between 1987 and 1995.
*(JPI) -In 1995, state spending
on prison construction went up $926
million; higher education building
monies went down by almost the
same amount.
*(JPI)-Justice Department fig
ures show that the number o f adults
in prison increased more than 3
times between 1980 and 1994, go
ing from 320,000 to 992,000.
*(JP I)--B oth C a lifo rn ia and
Florida now spend less on their uni
versities than on their prisons, a
marked change from only a few years
ago. California, fo r example, has
constructed 21 prisons since 1984,
but only / new university.
*(SP)--An estimated 1.46 million
Black men-- !4% !-have lost the right
to vote because they have been con
victed o f a felony, out o f a national
voting age population o f only 10.4
million.
*(SP) -In 1994, there were 7.66
African Americans in prison fo r ev
ery while in jail, a significant in
crease from an already high 1988
ratio o f 6.88 to I.
★
(SP)--Despite being only 12% o f
the population, African Americans
make up 51% (over h a lf) o f the 1.1
million people in jail.
The high rate of incarceration for
Black males undoubtedly contrib
utes to the findings of another recent
study, this one by the College Fund
(formerly the United Negro College
Fund), which concluded that Black
women are now receiving college
degrees at two tunes the rale ol B lack
men. As report coordinator Michael
Nettle noted in the Washington Post,
these new" ..statistics are a real cause
for celebration for Black women."
For African American men, how
e 'e r, especially when combined with
the im prisonm ent figures given
above, these statistics are cause for
special c o n c e rn . In R everend
Jackson's phrase, those enrolled in
jail will not be attending Yale.
David Bositis, and expert on A f
rican American voting patterns, was
quoted in the New York Times to the
effect that having so many Black
men lose th e ir vo tin g rig h ts
“...clearly diminishes Black influ
ence politically.” Bositis went on to
say that this disenfranchisement may
have important psychological effects.
“You have a prison system where
Black men are back in servitude,
along with an economy where Blacks
are in the low-paying jobs, so it all
ends up in the minds of Black Ameri
cans that the system is basically
rigged to diminish their political
power and recreate the plantation
system with prisons.” Amen
This country has spent the past
decade putting prisons first, and
children-especially poor children—
last. We must change direction
We’re all precious in God’s sight
by
E ugene R ashad
hat you’re about to read
is not the script for a
new H ollyw ood film :
Two-footed predator on the loose
stalking its prey.
Homicide on the streets. Crime
on the streets of America is no joke.
There is nowhere to hide unless
you're the stalker.
Two incidents in particular come
to m ind: new s rep o rts about
carjackings and robberies at gunpoint
which led to the deaths Ennis Cosby,
the son of entertainer Bill Cosby, and
Michael Jeffrey Jordan, father of sports
star Michael Jordan In each case the
victims were surprised by a predator
lurking in the shadows.
To say our streets mimic a jungle
is an understatement.
And like the drum beat deep in
the bush, the sound of a siren could
be a signal that another killing has
occurred. These crim inals move
through our streets with stealth-like
ability. Its like guerrilla warfare.
No one is safe from this band of
modern day, nomadic monsters on
two legs who stalk innocent humans
like prey. We know it happens be
cause the news media swoops down
like a vulture to circle the remains of
a fresh kill We read about the brutal
demise of another life. The street
curb once again is a tombstone for
another victim stretched out in blood.
Tfee Public Space
America is suppose to be the land
of the free, home of the brave. Seems
its become land of the predator, home
of the afraid. To a great extent most
of us take precautions to avoid dan
ger. Unfortunately certain groups
are dehumanized by society through
stereotypes. In his book Streetwise
Author Elijah Anderson writes:
"...In negotiating the streets,
people watch out particularly for a
certain kind of young black male.
“People, black and white, who are
more familiar with the black street
culture are less troubled by sharing
the streets with young black males.”
Anderson’s comments have ap
plications mostly to integrated popu
lations. He writes about how unreli
able stereotypes about any group,
particularly black males can be:
“[People] rely for protection on
broad stereotypes based on color and
gender, if not outright racism. They
are likely to misread many of the
signs displayed by law-abiding black
men, thus becoming apprehensive
of almost any black male they spot in
public.” O f course all this goes out
the window if the perpetrator is a
white male.
Stay In The Foxhole
Lets call it the foxhole mentality
We lock ourselves up in our homes,
use burglar alarms on our cars, and
develop social distance to feel safe.
This gives one a false sense of secu
rity until they’re visited by the bogey
man. Another way people take a
wide berth from trouble is to avoid
eye contact. A language is devel
oped and decoded without a word
spoken, that everyone understands.
This system of communication is
charged up with subtlety and innu
endo. A nderson writes: “ ...Skin
color, gender, age com panions,
clothing, jewelry, and the objects
people carry help identify them, so
that assumptions are formed and
communication can occur. “Eye con
tact is discouraged. What people do
is take a quick read from a distance
before the approach and, hopefully
safe passage. Its a sad irony but
people do it. And the price we pay is
alienation from each other that is
only rivaled by computer users and
drivers who can go a whole day
without having public contact.
You Can Come Out Now
One problem-solving technique
is for residents to become more vigi
lant. Such is the case for a neighbor
hood patrol orchestrated some years
ago by Richard Brown of the Black
United Front. Here you have people
from their respective neighborhood
walking the blocks and being vis
ible. This may not be the reason, but
the numbers on crime have slightly
gone down.
According to statistics compiled
by Portland Police, there has been a
13 percent drop in violent crimes
since 1994. The list includes aggra
vated assault, burglary, and robbery.
Lt. Cliff Madison is a Portland Po
lice Bureau spokesman. He told a
reporter that people seem more will
ing to come forward, even testify to
a crime. "People believe w e're work
ing with them, and they’re willing to
work with us.”
A Life Is A Terrible Thing
To Waste
It has already been pointed out
that celebrity status, which some
times means if the victim is white,
brings more attention. In the 1994
edition of The Public Interest peri
odical Glenn C. Loury wrote. “...The
muted response to the anonymity of
countless young black victims is a
direct reflection of an ambivalence
toward and identification with the
perpetrators of these crimes.:
The tragedy is that life in the
inner city, black or white, is ren
dered as part of a body count, rather
than a loss of a valued member of
society.
Welfare reform & Fed policy collision
by C ongressman J esse L.
J ackson , J r .
elfare reform, which has
an unstated but under
lying premise of full em
ployment, and federal reserve
policy, whose stated purpose is
full employment and price sta
bility, are on a collision course.
Why? Because the Fed is domi
nated by those who protect finan
cial interests first. Thus, fighting
inflation wins out over full employ
ment.
In fact, if the economy really
begins to grow and unemployment
begins to recede below five percent
— in the 1960s and 70s it was three
percent — Federal Reserve Chair
man, Alan Greenspan, and the Fed
eral Reserve Board raise interest
rates to slow the economy and re
duce jo b creation They will say the
economy is overheating So just as
the jobs begin to flow down, so
those on welfare can go to work,
Mr. Greenspan shuts off the spicket.
The course is set for a collision
between the stated goals o f federal
welfare reform (welfare-to-work)
and the Fed
In the past, when the national
econom y slowed, unemployment
rose and hard times set in, the less
fortunate could at least turn to wel
fare as a last resort. Under the new
welfare reform policy they can no
longer be assured o f that The fed-
eral floor under the poor for the past
60 years has been removed.
Congress passed and President
Bill Clinton signed into law the
w elfare reform bill in 1996. It
changed the entire structure o f wel
fare. Recipients can be on welfare
only twoyearscontinuously and then
they are legally guaranteed to be off.
The federal government will guar
antee paying for a cumulative five
years o f welfare benefits lifetime
and no more.
There is not a simi lar federal guar
antee that when you are forced off of
welfare that a job will be available
through the private or public sec
tors. Thus, today’s welfare recipi
ents are left only with the mandate of
a 1950s song, “Get A Job!” It’s
easier to get though on poor people
who d o n ’t vote than it is to get
serious about full employment.
Underlying welfare reform is the
moral principle that every person
who can work, should work That is
morally sound, but it has no eco
nomic support Government leaders
and the nation should not impose
the cultural standard o f “the Protes
tant work ethic” on welfare recipi
ents and the unemployed on the one
hand, unless they have a real policy
and an actual program o f full em
ployment on the other
Logically, because o f welfare re
form, the government must now be
come the employer, not o f last resort.
but o f first resort. I'hat policies and
programs must be to achieve full
employment and balanced economic
growth. If full employment cannot be
achieved in the private sector alone,
then the government should guaran
tee every able-bodied person who
wants to work a socially useful job
doing meaningful work, making a
liveable wage. Only then does the
nation, the government and its lead
ers have the moral right to even sug
gest that every abled-bodied person
be trained to work and get a job.
Currently, there is an abstract policy
(Humphrey-Hawkins), but no actual
government policies or programs to
achieve full employment. Since the
Great Depression, despite rhetoric
which emphasizes the work ethic, the
nation’s and the government’s lead
ers real commitment has been to be
far more willing to establish entitle
ments to welfare or income transfer
programs than to establish a full em
ployment peace-time economy
There is great concern among many
politicians that the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) be accurate. O f course,
the CPI should be accurate, but the
politics o f CPI appear to be more a
bipartisan conservative Democratic
concern about reducing the budget
deficit in exchange for certain tax cuts
for the Republicans on the road to
getting a budget agreement, than ac
curacy.
There is no similar concern that
the unemployment rate be accurate.
While theofficial unemployment rate
is 5.3 percent (7.5 million people
who receive unemployment com
pensation but do not have a job), the
actual number o f unemployed (and
underemployed) people is closer to
15-to-20 m ill ion Americans who are
unemployed, underemployed, work
ing part-time when they want to be
working full-time, have never had a
job or gave up looking for one (so
that they are not even counted among
the unemployed) — or, with corpo
rate and government downsizing,
workers are worried that they may
soon be in one of those categories.
That’s a more accurate picture and
the reason there is so much eco
nomic anxiety in the land.
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan
Greenspan will testify before the
Domestic and International Mon
etary Policy Subcommittee. Nodoubt,
he will give his usual classic presen
tation of “reserved optimistic pessi
mism" that will cause the markets to
tremble and react to every intonation
ofevery syllable o f every word. One
reason he will speak in such obtuse
terms is to obscure this collision
course - a verbal commitment to full
employment Act), while really pur
suing a policy o f fighting inflation
What Mr Greenspan ought to
recommend today is a comprehen
sive and sound plan of government
finance