P age A2
J une 2 5 , 1997 • T he P ortland O bserver
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Taking action against
prison growth
have been reading,
hearing, and seeing
/■"V
quite a bit about where
to put prisons, and where not
to. From what I understand,
there must have been quite a
few citizens who voted for pris­
ons, who also don’t want pris­
ons in their communities.
This presents a dilemma. How
do we get all those so-called "evil"
prisoners out of sight and out of
mind? If we can do this we can
"protect" our communities and also
not have to worry about these
people who have become side­
tracked by our society and other
forces.
But suppose that if every person
who voted for prisons, but who
don’t want prisons in their com ­
munity, would volunteer two or
three hours a week to help some of
the socially challenged children
and youth, the need for these extra
prisons might be eliminated and
maybe we could get rid of some of
the ones we now have. In this way
we could help some of these people
get into the mainstream of society
and find usefulness as a person
If we would spend more effort
on dealing with the causes rather
than the symptoms, we could even­
tually save money and pour those
funds into education or other de­
manding needs of our society.
The Kiwanis Club to which I
belong, has several members that
go into classrooms and help so­
A
cially and educationally challenged
students. By the way, this hap­
pened before President Clinton
started emphasizing volunteerism.
At the suggestion of one of our
members, our club also purchased
books for some of these students. In
a case or two, this may have been
the first time that a student owned
a book with a positive potential.
Reports coming from our members
indicate that the personal attention
these students receive has done
wonders in self-esteem and self-
evaluation and success.
The member who was the moti­
vating person behind this program
has said something to the effect
that by investing in these young
lives now, we can have an influ­
ence on them and a chance of pre­
venting the development of a crim i­
nal.
Are we too interested in our own
pleasures, clubs, organizational
churches, sports, work, etc., to give
of ourselves to help those who need
our help? Continually voting tax
monies to put these people “out of
sight" and “out of mind” has not
been successful. We need to be­
come personally involved in the
lives of those who seem different to
us and supposedly not motivated
with the highest standards.
Perhaps our society is where the
problem lies and not with those we
want to gel rid of.
Will we do anything about it?
-A lla n H Miller, Sr.
r
s
p
e
e
t
i
v e s
More science - the right kind II
T . i promised last week to
explore more deeply Into
■"%/ this seemingly unman­
ageable beast we have chosen
to call “science." But before we
do, let me refer you to some
citations in my second article
that appeared last week ( 6 / 1 8 /
97), “Minority Business: Where
Are Our Buffalo?”
At the end of the article I ap­
pended a list of 12 African-Ameri­
can scientists and managers of im­
portant centers of the nation’s tech­
nology. This was done in my usual
mode of providing relevant motiva­
tional structure that will be useful
whatever the venue.
I believe that these carefully cho­
sen citations can serve the same
purpose here, so please retain this
issue of the ‘Portland Observer (If
you did not, call me at 284-7080).
Now, let us ‘begin at the begin­
nings’ as has been cited by some as
a suitable approach to matters which
may prove to be somewhat difficult
to understand. For our purposes here,
that is ‘beginning’ with the experi­
e n c e s and in d ic a te d n eeds of
com m unity's students, parents and
teachers.
If you are a parent or teacher (or
older student) who has ‘examined
the literature’, and perceived a com­
mon approach by those who would
take away the mystery conjured up
by the word "science”, you may very
well have been im­
pressed and enlight­
ened by the approach
taken by the late and
re n o w n e d
Isaac
Asimov: Chapter I
o f his ‘A sim o v 's
New Guide to Sci­
ence’ was about as basic as one could
get, “what Is Science?”
And, indeed, the “common ap­
proach” is to cite the wonderful
progress and general enlightenment
that has been achieved by mankind,
ail or most of which can be attrib­
uted to “Science” .
A nd, again, there is a common
mode o f introducing a fam iliar
pantheon of brilliant Greeks whose
intellects and paradigm s are said
to have laid the foundations of our
’scientific know ledge and tech­
nology: A ristotle, Plato, Thales,
D em ocritus - D eduction, A bstrac­
tion, A xiom s, Syllogism s, Etc.
(what happened to the other con­
tributors?)
However, we referred earlier to
“beginning with the experiences and
indicated needs
of
‘o u r’
c o m m u n ity ’s
stu d e n ts, p a r­
ents and teach­
ers.” This is the
only source for
instructive as­
sessments and valid solutions - an
imperative task given the current
turmoil uncertainty in the Portland
School District.
First off ,it must be emphasized
that "science” as we know and prac­
tice it is about ’discipline’ about
’order’, about ’controlling’ one’s
urges and appetites - and it is not
about the serendipity, disorganized
collecting of interesting facts, hedge
hopping from one unrelated percep-
tion to another, but never building a
cohesive structure or foundation
upon which new and valid' knowl­
edge can be placed (S cien tific
Method).
Very early on, our students must
be made to understand (in terms of
relatable models) that their health,
their food supply, the air that they
breathe, the educational structures
within which they are taught, the
clothes they wear are all controlled,
produced or modified by the param­
eters of science and technology.
And they must understand as well
that mathematics and language are
the key imperatives if one is to have
a meaningful place in today’s world.
In past (and recent) years I’ve
found such pleasure in working with
those teachers who thoroughly un­
derstand the needs and successfully
work toward solutions (for instance
Mr. Michael Grace at Jefferson High
School’s “Saturday Academy".
Next week we will cite sources
for key literature, science kits, and
other materials that will enhance the
learning environment in ‘real tim e'.
C ivil Rights Journal: A Prayer For Sister ietty
by
B ernice P owell J ackson
he epitomized the old
saying “behind every
good man...” She epito­
mized the new saying "beside
every good man...” Then, she
epitomized what is too often a
reality, showing the world that
strong and proud black women
are sometimes forced to con­
tinue on when their men are
gone. Now she teaches us about
trust in the Creator, about the
power deeply resident inside
herself and about life itself.
Betty Shabazz has never been a
run-of-the mill ordinary kind of per­
son. If she had been, she would
never have married Malcolm X and
he would never have married her.
She would never have been able to
go through all of the negative out­
comes of having a highly-public
“ ra d ic a l”
husb an d
--
the
T iiank Y o t F or R eading T he P orti ani ) O bserver
better
e
firebombings, the threats on her fam­
ily, the dangers of the power struc­
ture which saw him as a threat against
the status quo. She would never have
been able to go through all the posi­
tive outcomes of having a husband
who was one of the most brilliant
and outspoken leaders in the history
of black America - the constant
public attention, the public adora­
tion and the unrelenting respect of
many in the black community. Betty
Shabazz has never been ordinary.
Betty Shabazz has understood for
decades the symbol she has become.
She understood that as the wife of
Malcolm X. She understood that in
the midst of her husband’s assassi­
nation and its aftermath. She under­
stood that as a community leader
and educator and powerful public
speaker.
But Betty Shabazz has always
been more than a public figure, more
than the wife and then the widow of
Malcolm X. She has been the mother
of six daughters - children who,
like herself, had seen their father
murdered before their eyes. Chil­
dren who needed not only nurturing
and love and attention and direc­
tion, but also needed to work through
their father’s murder.
It was Betty Shabazz, the mother,
who stood with her daughter months
ago when this child, who had never
been able to put her father’s assassi­
nation behind her, was accused of
trying to have Louis Farrakhan,
whom she believed to have ordered
her father’s death, murdered. It was
Betty Shabazz, the m other and
grandmother, who then brought her
grandson, the child of the troubled
mother, to live with her.
Betty Shabazz has also been a
quiet, but powerful keeper of the
legacy of Malcolm X through the
decades since his death. African
American New Yorkers knew they
could count on her to support com­
munity efforts, to participate in pro­
grams for young people, to be present
in economic and political empower­
ment programs for her husband and
Martin Luther King, Jr., she has
also been a supporter of women’s
empowerment and a friend to many
- the politically powerful and just
ordinary people. So, it was no won­
der that hundreds stood in line to
donate blood to Betty Shabazz after
the horrible fire which threatens her
life.
It is no wonder that millions of
people throughout the world — of all
races, all faiths, all ages and classes
- have joined in prayer for this
remarkable woman. She has touched
so many of us in the past and she
touches so many of us now.
The Vanport Flood of 194 No Accident
by
C leo F ranklin
anport was a wartime
housing p ro ject of
18 ,0 0 0 people, Vanport
was the second largest city in
Oregon, completed in Septem­
ber of 1943.
The Kaiser Foundation started
this project and it was taken over by
The Portland Housing Authority.
Vanport had a significant number of
black citizens assigned to a specific
area of town although the city had
residents of all races. The churches,
stores and other f acilities were avail­
able to all regardless of race. Vanport
was not an easy place to live its
residents had to battle racial differ­
ences, little family life, poorly build
homes, very little material values
and long hard working hours at the
shipyards.
Memorial Day, May 30, 1948 at
about 4:00 p.m. a railroad fill which
served as part of the “dike” system
failed in the shanty town. According
to eye witnesses most people fled on
foot because several hundred stalled
automobiles jammed traffic at the
exit of Vanport. Denver Street was
the primary entrance and exit to the
community and there were reports
of at least one hundred fifty cars,
trucks and buses submerged under
water. Also, there were many re­
ports of children being swept away
and dozens of people overtaken and
thrown down by a six foot wave of
water, yet the local newspaper re­
ported about two dozen people were
perished Again, eye witnesses re­
ported I (X)’s of body's were taken to
the old swift meat packing facility
which was setup as a temporary
morgue. Most residents were not
able to salvage even household items
and rescue workers had to lift many
people from the rooftops of floating
apartm ent buildings. The flood
caused total loss of public and pri­
vate property. The prearranged si­
ren signal for the residents was
sounded within minutes as a six foot
wall of water swept into the city,
hundreds heard the warning but ig­
nored the danger because the Port­
land Housing Authority had placed
a mimeographed sheet on residents
doors advising them that they would
have plenty of warning if the "dike"
was threatened. The U S. Army
Engineers issued a statement the
night before that no north Portland
"dikes” were in danger. As it turns
out the U.S. Army Engineers were
wrong and failed to properly notify
the people of Vanport of the real
danger.
To better under­
stand w hat h a p ­
pened in Vanport
it is necessary to
u n d e rsta n d
the
unique C olum bia
River Basin, which
is the fourth larg­
est river in North
America. The Co­
lumbia Originates
in British Colum ­
bia and flows 1,214 miles to the
Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon.
Physically, the Basin consists of the
Rocky Mountains to the east and
north, the Cascade Range on the
west, and the Great Basin to the
south. The Columbia River begins
its flow through this basin from
C anada's Rocky Mountain Range
and eventually becomes the border
between Washington and Oregon.
Along the way, the Columbia is fed
by a number of major tributaries, the
three largest include the Kootenai,
the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille and the
Snake Rivers. O ther include the
Payette, the Sultan, the Cowlitz, the
Santiam and the Willamette. While
each of these tributaries has its own
unique characteristics, the Colum ­
bia River and the Basin represent
the larger whole to which they are
all connected. The Columbia is re­
ferred to as a multiple-use river sys­
tem. Also, the Columbia River Ba­
sin is an essential reason for the
N orthw est being a dynam ic and
highly prosperous region within the
nation and the world. Hydropower
flood control, irrigation, navigation
and recreation are specific benefits
that the uniqueness of the Basin and
its river system provides. As the
water flows to the Pacific, the Co­
lumbia River is second only to the
Missouri-Mississippi River System
in term of annual run-off. But be­
cause of the regions topography and
its gradients water flows through the
C o lu m b ia
R iver system
like no other
river system in
the
U nited
S ta te s. T his
unique combi­
nation and the
h y d ro lo g ic
cycle is the rea­
son that almost
half of all hy­
droelectric generation in this nation
comes from the Northwest Histori­
cally, the two priorities for coordi­
nated management of the Columbia
River system have been electric gen­
eration and flood control.
The Boundary W aters Treaty
(Treaty Between the United States
and Great Britain Relating to Bound­
ary waters between the United States
and Canada) and the evolution of
sophisticated planning and inter­
agency cooperation have resulted in
up to 39.7 million acre-feet of stor­
age being available for flood con­
trol. By manipulating the amount of
water in reservoirs throughout the
Basin System operators are able to
create a “balance” between releas­
ing water to produce hydropower
when it is most needed and reducing
the potential for flooding. In 1948,
The U.S. Army
Engineers issued a
statement the night
before that no north
Portland “dikes”
were in danger.
the importance of flood control be­
came a priority following the Vanport
flood. The Army Corps of Engineers
responded by developing a multiple-
use reservoir storage plan for the
Columbia River Basin. Irrigation is
another benefit that stems directly
from the unique nature of the Co­
lumbia River Basin, in fact about six
percent of the C olum bia Basin
Project that turned the high desert
area of central W ashington into an­
other bread basket for America is the
Grand Coulee Dam, which was build
primarily as an irrigation project by
the Bureau of Reclamation.
Because of the Treaty between
the United States and Canada wa­
ters from the Grand Coulee Dam
had to be released to control flood­
ing and it was the release of water
from the Grand Coulee Dam that
caused Vanport to flood. The waters
took approx i mate I y four day s to reach
Vanport and the Army Corps and
other Officials had more than enough
time to get Vanport residents out of
harms way. Vanport residents who
had insurance even received letters
from there insurance company sug­
gesting that there could have been
more of a warning that water was
coming but no warning was issued.
The Vanport flood should have
never resulted in loss of life and
property without notice. The Army
Coprs of Engineers and the Officials
of the Bureau of Reclamation had
knowledge of the danger, and only
after the Vanport Flood did the Corps
of Engineers develop a multiple-use
reservoir storage plan for the Co­
lumbia River Basin. Many 100’s of
Women, and Children did not have
to die in The Vanport Flood of 1948
and hopely this will never ever hap­
pen again.
Email cleo@europa.com.
Cleo Franklin Voice 11(503) 284-
5247 P.O. Box 11102 Portland, Or­
egon 97211
X