Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2003)
‘’‘b"“? I¡>-2003 <£he Bortlanù (Obstruer celebrates Black History Month PageA5 Block History Month OAME to Serve as Model continued Ku Klux Kian Foraged Deep Roots in Oregon u M«V< In 1926. a Portland African American newspaper printed a scathing article accusing the Catholic Church o f being racist. The article in “ The Advocate ” entitled “K.K.K. and the Katholics" pointed out that black children applying to get in Catholic schools in Vancouver and Portland were denied access. An undated photo shows the offices o f the black newspaper around the time o f the incident. fro m F ront ous Asian community in Seattle may become disenfranchised and powerless in the face of reloca tion. It is his hope that the dy namic and committed people who visited OAME on Thursday will be able to help guide the group to success. The plan is to use some o f the money provided by the city of Seattle, federal grants and contri butions from large corporations to open a business incubator, simi lar to OAM E’s 40,000 square- foot complex at 4134 N Vancouver. The idea behind a business incubator is that low-income, mi nority and women owned busi nesses who may not have the experience or capital to be suc cessful alone can receive inten sive entrepreneurial assistance and resources to nurture their developing businesses. O A M E 's fa c ility p ro v id e s workspace for young firms and communal basic adnunistrati ve ser vices and equipment, meaning sec retarial and phone services, fax and copy machines are shared by build ing occupants. Incubator m anag ers and staff develop and provide technical assistance, business ser vices and management consulting. “By giving people the tools they need, incubators foster success," Lee said. "W hen a community be comes successful, I find that that they are willing and generous at giving back what was received.” OAME president Samuel Brooks reminded the business leaders that to be successful in their venture they will need to be apolitical, cred ible and progress oriented. He said that many times an orga nization forms with an idea o f doing good things for the community but lacks plans to ensure long-term fi nancial sustainability. OAME is now one of the largest incubators on the West Coast and will be one of the largest in the nation after a new 50,000 square-foot facility is com pleted across the street from the current location. Roughly 70 to 80 percent of the $750,000 yearly operating budget com es from leas ing out space in the facility and renting out conference rooms, but Brooks said O AME w asn’ t a finan cial success only because o f good intentions. “W e didn't say, ’We want to do good stuff,’ we had a concept to generate economic development,” he said. "Eortunately, we have tried to marry the idea of generating in come to the idea of doing good stuff." The Seattle incubator, when it gets off it's feet, will be similar to OAME but with a social service component to provide counseling and resources for recent immigrants to become productive members of the Asian community. lit up the crime. Colored people there demanded a second autopsy o f the added and the more objectionable body which revealed that the tes scenes had been removed. ticles had been removed and it de Ten years earlier in 1921, a Port veloped that this could not have land chapter of the KKK had been been done except by a person or successfully established. Prior to persons.” this, the KKK had been “alive and While this and other similar mat well" in Oregon through its own ters went unsolved, a busy chapter organization and others such as of the Kian that had opened in 1922 the Knights o f the Golden Circle. in Medford was also stirring up Two hot spots for the white- hatred and violence. The local po supremacy organizations had been lice chief was under criticism for not Marshfield, now known as Coos prosecuting w hite m oonshiners Bay, and Medford. and bootleggers. A well-known case just after the Meanwhile, a black man named turn o f the century in the Marshfield George Arthur Burr had been re area was that of a black man named leased after serving three days in Alonzo Tucker. Tucker was bru jail for bootlegging. Burr was tally beaten and lynched by a white grabbed by Kian members, driven mob after he allegedly assaulted a up to the mountains and threat white woman. After being caught, ened. With a noose tied around his he was hit with clubs, shot and then neck, he was told to get out of dragged through the streets by a town. rope already around his neck until Interestingly enough, local he was dead. A local newspaper Kian members soon repeated a printed the following account; similar “necktie party” on a white “The conduct of the avengers man. His only crime was filing a w as m ark ed — ------------------------- lawsuit against a throughout by K ian m em ber. quiet orderli A nother black n ess but man was given deadly deter the same treat mination. The ment a short time sen tim ent o f later. F in a lly the nhy isïnsym - Kian members pathy with the were brought to lynchers, and court, however it is extremely h c iS C llW C iy S b c c t l Cl all the men were either acquitted im p r o b a b le any arrests will J o r had th e ir be made.” c h a rg e The only - An early Oregonian dropped. n e w s p a p e r ________________________ Also in 1922, that suggested K lan sm en in the attackers should face some kind Salem wrote a threatening letter of legal justice for lynching was demanding a local black busi The New Age, a Portland-based nessman get out o f town. They African American newspaper. The signed their letter with three K ’s newspaper staff wanted some as and had a skull with a crossbones surance that this kind o f incident in the background. The man, would not happen again. They felt Charles Maxwell, refused and Tucker should have been given a opened the “Fat Boy Barbecue” fair trial. Reports from papers in Salem in 1922. throughout the state began report The following year in 1923, a ing the "Brutal murder of a colored black man who owned a car wash man at Marshfield, Oregon." One was almost lynched by a group newspaper account reported: thought to be part of the Kian. “M obs m urder prisoners not Perry Ellis had been accused of because they fear the law will not having a sexual relationship with punish them, but because they a white woman. Charges were enjoy the sport o f murdering a dropped as the white woman wretch who has not friends. A mob never showed up to testify. is a coward, a brute and a fool... Still, Kian members tricked Ellis Mob murders are not due to the by setting him up to go to the ‘inadequacy o f the law ' but to the mountains for a purpose of pick desire of the mob to murder when it ing up a wagon with a team of is safe to murder for the fun of it.” horses. After going there with a D espite num erous efforts to friend, Ellis was stopped by two open up a new investigation, the sets of blinding car headlights in matter was closed. In the same city, the road. A large groupofhooded the situation repeated itself in 1924. men got out o f the cars and sent A black many by the name of Timo his friend back to Oregon City. thy Pettis was murdered and his He was driven out into the mutilated body was found in the country to two different loca bay. Large rewards were posted tions w'hile being roughed up and local black residents asked that and interrogated by the men. Fi special investigators be brought nally he was let go and told to in. A letter to a federal officer named leave Oregon City or he would be James Weldon Johnson stated: killed. Both black men were able “Marshfield is infested with the to id e n tify th e ir a ssa ila n ts Ku Klux Kian, and we are o f the through their voices, but no opinion, and so are the colored charges were ever filed. people who live in Marshfield, that During all o f this, the N AACP all efforts are being made to cover launched a cam paign to shut continued fr o m A 3 down the Ku Klux Kian in Oregon. In a letter of protest, the NAACP wrote; “The Portland branch o f the NAACP representing more than 3,000colored people in the state of Oregon and more than 400,000col ored and white members o f the NAACP with headquarters in New York City, respectfully call your attention to the formation and rap idly spreading organization known as the Ku Klux Kian under the pre tense o f promoters o f law and order but aimed unquestionably at per secution of individuals who may incur their disfavor. “And to the end that all citizens may have a sense of security in their homes at night and peaceful continued on page A 7 - -s You have the desire and the drive to make it to the top. Become a leader and shape your own future in the Army National Guard. Most Guard members serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year, leaving plenty of time for college or a career. Learn the confidence and skill to lead any team and earn money for college at the same time. In the Army National Guard, YOU CAN. 1-800-GO-GUARD . '>»*• ' Oregon was a Kian state...a southern state transplanted to the North... a hell-hole when I grew up. It www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com -sT I- , . l / >. <«uj. ■ - T he T he T he very prejudiced State. T he s it - i n . bo yco tt . march . fr eed o m r id e . T he p ic k e t l in e . T he w a lle t . You control one of the most powerful tools for change there Is. We can help you strengthen It. Bank of America Is proud to salute Black History Month. Bank of America * 1 OREGON toil
