Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2002)
O c to b e r 0 2 . 2 0 0 2 Page A 4 O pinion The P o rtla n d O b se rv e r Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer E D I T O H -I N -C II C oer E d it o Joy Ramos I I E , P U » I I S H I. K Charles H. Washington i ___________ USPS 959-680__________ Established 1970 4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 E II I T II K Michael Leighton C K ( 4 T I V C U I K I (TO I Paul Neufeldt I) I S I I I H I T I (I l g l 11(111 Mark Washington W h i r e k , E h o t o g r a p h e r David Plechl P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer PO Box 3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR 9 7208 P e rio d ic a l Postage paid In P o rtlan d , OR i Subscriptions are $ 6 0 .0 0 per year 5 0 3 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 • FAX503-288-0015 • EMAIL: news@oortiandobserver.com The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts 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 ITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer—Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication—is a member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. Gross Injustices Galvanized Human Rights Offensive by half-brother, J. W. Milam, did what they thought V ictor E. B i ksbazen The nation’s reaction to the O.J. Simpson verdict of Oct. 3,1995 seemed to fall along racial lines. Whites thought he was guilty and an injustice was done, while African-Americans overwhelmingly supported his innocence. To comprehend fully this response, one must understand what happened on Aug. 28, 1955, 40 years earlier. That episode and its aftermath probably galvanized the last great human rights offensive, which reached its cli max eight years later, on Aug 28, 1963, with the March on Washington. I was a high school senior and, as is typical at that age, care-free and girl-crazy. Aug 28,1955 was the day that 14-year-old Emmett Till was abducted at gunpoint from his uncle’s home, beaten, shot in the head and thrown into the Tallahatchie River, with a 70- pound cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. His mutilated body was found three days later. The whole criminal act, from start to finish, was the result of having said— on a bet with other black teens— “Hey, baby!” to Carol Bryant, a 21-year old white woman. Roy Bryant, Carol’s husband, and his any honorable, self-respecting, red-necked white man would have done. They killed Emmett Till. Emmett had been bom and raised in Chi cago. He did not understand Southern racial “etiquette” (Jim Crow) and their customs, which were rooted in slavery and exploitation. On Sept. 3 1955, the defendants were acquitted in Sumner been out long enough to have a cola. Dan Wakefield, a reporter for the Nation magazine, wrote: “When the people first realized that there was national, even worldwide public ity coming to Sumner and the murder trial, they wondered why the incident had caused such a stir. At the lunch recess on the first day of the trial, a county health office worker who had Part o f growing up black in the South 50 years ago was hearing tales o f black men who simply went for a walk one day and were never seen or heard from again. — Victor E. Buksbazen County, Miss, on the murder charge. They were subsequently acquitted on the kidnapping charge in Leflore County— even though they readily admitted abducting Emmett, but said they re leased him when they realized that he was the wrong person! After being out for an hour and seven minutes, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. One juror casually remarked that they had stopped by to watch the excitement asked a visiting reporter where he was from, and shook his head when the answer was ‘New York.’ “’New York, Chicago, everywhere,’ he said, ‘I never heard of making such a mountain out of a molehill,” ’ he quipped. Over the past three centuries or so, there have been a vast number of similar cases. The only ones we know about, though, are those that received wide spread publicity, for one reason or another. The Till case was the one which galva nized African-Americans and the world human- rights community to action. For these kind of stories are a part of the black mythos, an aggragate of attitudes which form the African- American mindset. Those gross injustices are the warp and woof of the collective black ge netic memory, a consciousness shared by all members of the race, even those ancestors who where never themselves enslaved. You see, part of growing up black in the South 50 years ago was hearing tales of black men who simply went for a walk one day and were never seen or heard from again. So, to understand fully why African-American and white perceptions of justice and police actions are so different, one must first comprehend this background. It helps to explain why so many blacks applauded when the Simpson verdict was read. Victor E. Buksbazen is a form er Free dom Rider who lives in Spokane, Wash. He was a Human Rights Commissioner from 1997- 2000. Vote to Restore Parks and Recreation—Again by S cott M ontgomery The November levy will restore and con tinue to maintain our local parks, play fields and recreation programs. It will restore services like In the May primary of this year, about 70 percent of Portland voters approved the Parks Levy that would restore basic park maintenance and recreation programs. Why are we voting again? Because not enough Portlanders re turned their ballots to reach the required 50 litter removal, restroom cleaning and mowing; restore basic upkeep and safety of parks, natural areas and recreation facilities; Restore recre ation programs for youth, seniors and families; percent turnout. As a result, our parks suffered additional cuts in services this summer, on top of cuts of the replace unsafe, out-dated play equipment and play fields - in parks and around schools; and restore after-school programs to provide safe, past several years. But we can restore our vote and restore our parks. constructive places for kids to go. Many of our parks’ buildings are over 70 years old, with an average age of 60. They have [S3 safety issues, deferred maintenance and cannot meet the needs of our growing population. Funds from the parks levy will address urgent safety issues like outdated electrical systems, crum bling walls, pest infestations and water problems in swimming pools, community centers, and maintenance facilities. Parks and recreation are an essential part of ourquality of life— especially in an uncertain economy. It is critical that parks and recreation facilities stay open and provide affordable family and community gathering places in neighbor hoods all across the city. The parks levy will help protect our investment in both parks and recreation facili ties, and continue the services we have come to rely on. The Portland Parks Levy will mean the difference between preserving and restoring an essential feature of our neighborhoods and our city, or letting it decline into even greater disre pair. It will keep our parks clean, open and safe. And that’s important, because without parks, it wouldn’t be Portland. Scott M ontgom ery is a m em ber and vice chair o f the Parks and Recreation Board. Young Turkey Breast Bone-In. 5 to 9-lb. frozen. SAVE up to 99c lb. Giving our best. Fresh Pork Top Loin Chops Great Meat Säle! Boneless. O r Roast. All Natural. SAVE up to $2.49 lb. B eef New York Steak Bone-In. Valu P ack Broil or grill. SAVE up to $3.79 lb. SAFEWAY CLUB PRICE Meat’s The Buy This Week at Safeway! Captain’s Choice Cooked Shrimp Tail-Off. 91 to 1 K M . Sold frozen in a 2-lb. bag for $8.00 ea. SAVE up to $4.49 lb. lb SAFEWAY CLUB PRICE Visit Safeways Web site at www Safeway com I Available at Safeway: W IS T IR N U N IO N O IM IR O C M N N IM U T O « PRICES EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 2002 Post Cereals Golden Ripe Bananas Great source of Potassium. Selected varieties. 13 to 16-oz. Honey Bunches of Oats. 17.2 to 20-oz Shredded Wheat. Limit 6 (Includes 3 Free). SAVE up to $1.76 on 4 lbs. SAVE up to $3.79 on 2 4J1 BUY ONE GET ONE FREg Safeway Club Price Safeway Club Price derm t p n m n ihn ad are a v afa l* «t your local Safeway store, No win to dealers retiaurann or mtMuMn, <wm d son* aero, may he bmaed and «RRert to «raRabUy Noi rmponuW» lor typographicP or piclonal m o n > Now the savings are in the Card! I f A U , LIMITS ARE PER HOUSEHOLD PER DAY! i 7
