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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1997)
•* f-r J • .* :y - V S ’ ♦*••’-■’/ M N È tr^ < a # ä ». •* A U G . 27, 1997 ÖTBrar P o r t la n d <f)baerlirr Page A2 I Editorial articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f (Elje P o rtla n d (©bseruer This Way for Black Empowerment Attention Readers! Please take a minute to send us your comments. W e’re always trying to give you a better paper and we can’ t do it without your help. T ell us what you like and whatneedsimprovement... any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. We take criticism well! G et your powerful pens out N O W and address your letters to: Editor. Reader Response. P.O. Boa 3137. Portland. U R 97208. B y D r . L enora F ui . ani hat The “Get-Tough-On- Crime’' Wave Got Us Several stales have plans to new prisons called “super-max" pris ons - short for super maximum secu rity. Advocates for these new and expensive jails tout them as a break through in protecting society from the most hardened criminals. The super-max prisons lock down inmates 23 hours a day, strip search them on the way to one hour of recreation, deny them TV, books and newspa pers and any contact with the outside world. These horror chambers are the latest product bei ng sold to the Ameri can public by one of the country’s fastest growing and most aggressive industries - the prison industry. The prison industry - which em ploys more full time workers than any Fortune 500company except General Motors - has a hugely powerful lobby and the support of politicians who want to prove to the public that they W ^lortlartb (©bseruer (USPS 959-680) Established in 1970 Charles Washington Publisher & Editor Mark Washington Distsribution M anager Gary Ann Taylor Business M anager Larry J. Jackson, Sr. Director o f Operation Yvonne Lerch A ccount Executive Mike Leighton Copy Editor Contributing Writers: Professor McKinley Burt, Lee Perlman, Neil Heilpern 4747 N E M a r t in L u th e r K in g , J r . B lvd ., P o rtla n d , O re g o n 97211 5 0 3 -2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 • F a x 5 0 3 -2 8 8 -0 0 1 5 E m a il: P d xo b s erv@ a o l.co m Deadline for all submitted materials: p Articles:Friday, 5:00 pm Ads: Monday, 12:00pm P O S T M A S T E R : Send A ddress C h an g es T o : P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r, e are tough on crime. The super-max prison building program is aboom for the prison industry, but not for the public which isbeingdrastically mis build led and misinformed about the state of crime in America and the options of how to respond. M uch o f the p u blic p ressu re for the super-m ax prisons -- which in sta te s like Illin o is w ill co st $ 1 4 0 ,0 0 0 per bed to build, m ore than the cost o f the average house — co m es from re p o rts th at v io lence inside prisons is on the rise. A ssa u lts betw een p riso n e rs and by p riso n e rs a g a in st guards have in creased o v er the last 10 y ears, and c o rre c tio n s gu ard s are lo b bying for g re a te r p ro te c tio n for them selves. Som e c rim in o lo g ists d isp u te these re p o rts as “o v e r b lo w n ,” but a c lo se r look at the p a tte rn o f v io le n c e in side the p riso n s sheds lig h t on how the p riso n lobby has been able to win su p p o rt for th ese grossly e x p e n r s p sive and inhum ane p ro jects. Since 1980 the prison population in America has tripled. The get-tough- on-crime wave which created manda tory sentencing, three strikes you’re out, and no opportunity for parole filled the prisons with mainly non violent, drug offenders. Sixty-five per cent of the prison population - now estimated at close to a million and a half, the highest of any western in dustrialized democracy - are non violent offenders. C o n se q u e n tly , if vio len ce is on the rise in sid e the p riso n sy s tem , it m ust be the case that the p riso n sy stem its e lf is m aking inm ates v io len t. T o then consign th o se p riso n e rs to the new su per-m ax system m eans th at we h av e c re a te d a p riso n sy ste m w ithin our p rison system , an in fi nite re g re ss o f cru el and unusual p u n ish m e n t. Som e p ro p o n e n ts o f the su per-m ax system , including p o liti e c c ia n s lik e C o n g re s s m a n B ob M cCollum o f Florida, chairm an o f th e H o u se S u b c o m m itte e on C rim e, argue th at the su p er-m ax system is needed to c o n ta in the “ s u p e r-b a d ” c rim in a l -- th o se w ho c a n n o t be r e h a b ilita te d . W hile it m ay be true that som e p riso n e rs are so angry, so m e n tally ill and so im balanced th at it is q u e s tio n a b le w h e th e r th ey could re -e n te r so ciety , the broad issue o f re h a b ilita tio n is really the issue o f w hether or not we believe th at peo p le can ch a n g e . I believe they can. People so m e tim e do d read fu l things. I d o n ’t think it fo llo w s that they w ill a l w ays do d read fu l th in g s. We have got to refocus and rein vest in rehabilitation. If we d o n ’t we will be trapped in an endless cycle o f crim e, incarceration, vio lence and more brutal punishm ent - all at extreme financial and human cost to our country. t i v e s P .O . Box 3137, P o rtla n d , O R 9 7 20 8. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Oregon Subscriptions: $30.00 per year The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manu scripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a sell addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART W ITH OUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland O b server-O regon's Oldest Multicultural Publica- tio n -isa m e m b e ro f the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. i S ubscribe to A. Phillip Randolph, Labor Leader Extraordinary T ecent articles here have dealt with |h e America! labor m ovem ent both in i times and during its l period. Particularly,* theAFL(Amerkar I .a bor land its relati can American wo r waysanadvantageousf the latter group. The only important t union of the e¡ tl$ intobeingiti called the4iBr R (Life ^ flo r tla n b O Dbaeruer T h e P o rtlan d O b se rv e r can be sent d irectly to yo u r hom e for only $ 3 0 .0 0 p er year. P lease fill out, e n c lo se check o r m oney o rd er, and m ail to: S ubscriptions T he P ortland O bserver ; PO B ox 3137 P ortland , O regon 97208 N am e: Sleeping Car Porte! A ddress: chose As a Philip Rando its president For;« hnfamBlarwitht timejwejemphasi: to C ity , State: Z ip-C ode: T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver better (SLditor Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Letter to the Editor Do we have a problem in Oregon with our Judicial system? Do attor neys and judges investigate com plaints against them selves ad equately? The Oregon Judicial Fit ness Commission sends a form letter in response to a complaint against a judge saying investigations are con fidential and 99% cleared What profession is 99% right? If you’ve experienced problems with justice in Oregon, perhaps you’d like to join us. We think the Oregon Bar is the source of the problems in our judicial system. The Bar has a monopoly including control of the Professional Liability Fund from whichdamagescanbepaid. Inshort, they not only make the rules, but pass judgment on their mistakes. To correct this situation we believe ajudicial council of elected lay people, 2 from each Legislative District, re place the present system and investi gate complaints against judges and attorneys and decide who is right or wrong and what damages should be paid. All findings wouldbe made pub lic. Testifying before the Legislative Judicial Committee accomplishes ab solutely nothing, sad to say. Giving Oregonians the opportunity to decide for themselves how to make justice more just in Oregon seems the only way to go, which, of course, means a Ballot Measure. Lee Nation's Chief Civil Rights Enforcer resident Clinton has settled on a Chinese-American pub lic interest lawyer to become nation’s chief civil rights enforcer. But that seem ingly harm less choice is drawing fire from some con servatives who plan to oppose Bill Lann Lee’s nomination unless he dis avow s the ‘ radical and activist course” pursued by his predeces sor. Both Lee and Deval Patrick, the previous civil rights chief, cut their legal teeth at the NAACP Legal De fense and Educational Fund, which is disliked by conservatives for its un yielding support of affirmative ac tion. P herefore, sleeping accommo dations had to be provided, at least for those who could afford comfort o f a ‘pullman car’ rather than a ‘chair car.’ The amenities of this mode of travel were attended to by a cadre of thousandsof black “pullman porters” who, initially, were poorly paid and mostly dependent upon tips. But many thousands of black families were supported by their earnings. Enter A. Phillip Randolph. As m ight be e x p e c te d , o rg a n izin g th ese w orkers to b etter th e ir co n d itio n was a m ost d if f i cu lt task. The P ullm an C om pany was a fo rm id ab le foe, capable o f the m ost extrem e ta c tic s, in c lu d ing lo c k o u ts and v io le n c e by h ired goons. But stro n g , c o m m it ted b lack men hung tough during th ese tim es o f ex trem e racism . W hen, unlike to d ay , you did not run out and get a p a rt-tim e jo b u n til the strik e w as over. “E y e w itn e ss: T he N egro In A m erican H isto ry ” c h a ra c te riz e s the g reat union leader. “A tall, scholarly man, Randolph was respected for his knowledge of history and economics as well as his Lee is the group’s Western re gional counsel, based in Los Ange les. the ‘ The fact that Clinton has once again gone to the same well to pick a nominee sets off alarm bells,” said Clint Bolick, director of litigation at the conservative, W ashington-based Institute for Justice. Bolick said the NAACP is out of sync with most Americans' viewson civil rights and that Lee - who will oversee a shop of 250 lawyers - must pledge to pursue a less strident course than Patrick or face opposi tion. "W hen you have this kind ot power at your fingertips, it’s very I Sincerely, Helen Solem Reform Party-O regon, Court Watch POBox58 Vernonia, O R97064 5034298400 important to have someone who is a law enforcement official and not an activist ideologue,” said Bolick, who rallied opposition to Lani Guinier, Clinton’s initial choice for the post in 1993. Her nomination waseventually withdrawn and the Senate later con firmed Patrick for the position. But L ee’s defenders - who in clude racially m ixed civil rights groups. D em ocratic and R epubli can politicians, and C linton - say his 20-plus-year record speaks for itself. L e e ’s successes include a 1985 law suit that won housing for resi dents displaced by Los A ngeles highw ay construction, a 1987 case against the Lucky Stores su per market chain that rem oved barriers to the hiring and prom otion of women and m inorities and a 1991 case that led C alifornia to expand efforts to screen poor children for lead poisoning. I c rim in a tio n in all p lants w orking on N atio n al D efense C o n tra c ts... for the first tim e since the E m a n cipation Proclam ation, a president o f the U nited S tates had issued an o rd e r p ro te c tin g the rig h ts o f A frican A m e ric a n .” But A. P h illip R andolph w as not th rough. To d ra m a tiz e th e ir d em and for e q u a lity once again, civ il rig h ts le a d e rs p lanned a g i g an tic m arch on W ash in g to n for A ugust 28, 1963, in sp ire d by R an d o lp h , now age 75. B lacks cam e by the h u n d red s o f th o u s a n d s , M a rtin L u th e r K in g ’s S o u th ern C h ristia n L e a d e rsh ip C o n fe re n c e , R oy W ilk in ’s N A A C P, Jam es F arm ers C O R E , W hitney Y o u n g ’s U rban L eague, and John L e w is ’ S tu d en t N on- V iolent C o o rd in atin g C om m ittee (SNCC). And the g reat crow d liste n e d to Dr. K in g ’s fam ous “ I have a d re a m ” speech. T here is still a dream to be fu lfille d for A frican A m ericans, but surely it has been kept aliv e to a large e x te n t by the efforts o f that extraordinary union lead er, A. P h illip R andolph Civil Rights Journal More Police Brutality I etterto the Editor Thank you for informing the public of MHRC’sCommunity Dialogue on Apology to Black Americans for Sla very. However, your header for our release reads: Apology for Slavery De bated. MHRC ' sCommunity Dialouges on Race Relations arc not aplatform for debate. We facilitate opportunities for the community to openly and honestly address the issue of race — to work together toward mutual understand ing and respect. Hie Metropolitan Human Rights Center appreciates your long tenure of service to our community._________ abilities as an editor and public speaker. He rejected all efforts of the employers to frighten or to bribe him the and soon won pay increases for his 8000members. His union became part of the AFL and Randolph became the first Negro’ to hold a seat on its executive board, a position he used to prod unions who discriminated against minorities.” n the late 1930’s blacks bit erly p ro te ste d th e ir e x c lu sion from the n a tio n ’s d efense in d u strie s as W orld W ar II a p p ro ach ed . T he p le a se o f black lead ers for full p a rtic ip a tio n in the w orkforce w ere ignored until A. P h illip R an d o lp h c alled for a “ M arch on W ash in g to n : the A d m in istratio n w ill n e v e rg iv e A fri can A m erican s ju s tic e until they see m asses - th o u sa n d s o f blacks on the W hite H ouse L a w n .” Four d ay s before the m arch w as to begin R an d o lp h and o th e r le a d ers w ere inv ited to the W hite H ouse to m eet w ith the P resid en t and his C ab in et. “On June 25, 1942, P resid en t F ranklin D. R o o sev elt issued E x e c u tiv e O rder 8802 ban n in g dis- night did not know that something very wrong was happening. And then, hey call it the blue wall o f I can’t imagine how police officers silence. It’s the code o f si could lence which police officers use to allow this critically injured man to wait some 90 minutes before allow protect their own, even when they ing him to be taken to the hospital. know that the officer is wrong - some The irony o f all this is that as times dead wrong. M aybe this time serious as these injuries - both physi the wall o f silence will be pierced and cal and psychological -- must be for justice will be done. Mr. Louima, at least he is still alive. At Y ou’ve undoubtedly heard about least his family members can help the case o f Abner Louima, the Haitian nurse him back to health and can man who was so brutalized by New enjoy his companionship and love. York police officers after he was ar That is not true for some other victims rested outside a nightclub that even ofN ew York police brutality and it is M ayor Giuliani and Police Com m is strange that it took this sadistic, sioner Saftr have spoken words o f shocking attack with its sexual un outrage and have taken action. It dertones to provoke a response from seems that Mr. Louima, who was try New York city’s mayor and police ing to break up a fight outside the commissioner. nightclub, was beat up in the police N ew York Times columnist Bob car on the way to the precinct and Herbert, who has been writing exten then taken to a bathroom in the sta sively aboutpolice brutality, particu tion house where a toilet plunger larly in New York City, recently listed handle was driven so far into this several New Yorkers killed while in rectum that it punctured his small police department custody, often for intestine and damaged his bladder. minor infractions o f the law. It ap The officers then took the handle and pears that these cases have been on drove it into his m outh so hard it the rise during the Giuliani adminis broke his teeth. tration, which seems to have given I can only imagine how painful and the police department free reign as how humiliating such actions must long as crime has dropped. Indeed, have been for Mr. Louima. I can only there are some reports that police imagine how loud he must have yelled officers said to Mr. Louima that the in the midst o f this pain. I can’t im ag Dinkins days are over and the Giuliani ine how no one — not one — officer days are here. took action to stop this sick and bru But make no mistake about it. New tal display o f force. I can’t imagine York City is not the only place that how anyone in the station house that B y B ernice P owell J ackson T experiences police brutality. Even tiny East Haven, CT recently found itself immersed in a case o f questionable police action, after a young man was killed by police. And police officers are not the only law enforcement officials who brutalize citizens. Video cameras re cently caught Texas prison guards beating and brutalizing prisoners from Missouri and Oklahoma just after their arrival in their custody. Most brutal ity in prisons is never caught on videotape and never shown on the nightly news. It is also true that most law en forcement officials never engage in brutality. But as long as they stay silent, they, too, must bear some o f the burden o f responsibility. P o lice b ru ta lity is w rong m o r ally and w ro n g fisc a lly . A s m il lio n s o f ta x p a y e r d o lla rs are b e ing sp en t in se ttlin g law su its a cro ss the co u n try , y o u ’d th in k m ore c itiz e n s w ould be o u tra g e d at th is m isu se o f g o v e rn m e n t fu n d s. A s long as w e, th e p u b lic , re m a in sile n t, w e, too, m ust b e a r som e o f the re sp o n sib ility . A n a tio n w hich c o n d o n es law en fo rcem en t b ru ta lity as the price for lo w er crim e ra te s is in d an g er o f h e a d in g to w a rd the e sta b lish m ent o f a p o lic e state. A fte r all, th ey d id n ’t have m uch crim e in the a p a rth e id d ay s o f S outh A f rica. J
