political force for that kind of consolidation, for those future victories, given the fact that you're going to lose some, and you won this one without showing your strength. Next time how are you going to be prepared to do that again and in what areas? I know at the last Black United Front meeting, you talked about economic issues. I’d like you to elaborate on that. Herndon: Weil, I’ll try to tackle the first part of your question. I think although we did not have to put the cards down on the table, everybody saw what we were holding in our hands. Any time you have a religious community solidly behind your program; any time you have major black organizations solidly behind your program; and any time you can consistently have 200 people at a meeting over a series of weeks: and that's never happened in this community before; people knew that you weren't just bluffing and that you did have the ability to carry it out. I think that was understood at every level of this community. Whether they agreed with it or not, it was apparent that the ability was there. So I don't think it was a bluff. I don't think those people on the other side of the table perceived it as a bluff, and I don’t think it will be that difficult to pull people together. Again, you have to look at why you were successful. The issue has got to be very clear. You have to have people who arc willing to go out and go from door to door and talk to people about the issue. You have to make sure that you do everything you possibly can to explain the issue. I think that if we do that, use that same formula, the community can have more successes. . . . Your numbers are not that important. I think as long as you know that at any crucial, or important, moment that you can bring the numbers out. Most political parties on a day-to-day or month-to- month functioning, don’t have large numbers of people come to meetings. But on those crucial days when it's time (o deliver the vote, that’s when you make sure you can get the troops out. and I see us as being the same way, Quarterly: Your reference to economic issues that you think the Black United Front has got to get onto, what did you mean by that, and what examples can you give? Herndon: Well, the one that we talked about the most is the fact that the city received $12,000,000 of economic development money. That’s an example of why we have to be so closely involved with economics in the city. That’s just one area. You can talk about a spinoff on that: jobs. Looking at the unemployment rate of black people. It's horrendous; making sure that we are able to get work in any industry without being discriminated against; to make sure that businesses in our community hire black people. Look al industries, white industries right around in this community that don't have anybody black working in there, where you don’t find that in other areas of town. I mean, it’s unusual to find a business in a white area of town where you would have all black people working. That’s very, very unusual. Look at them and see what they are doing when discrimination cases come up and will continue to come up. Look at the whole area of economics. Developing businesses in this community that function for the interests of the black community. because they can split up the vote all over town. The same with poor whites in Southeast Portland, Who the hell represents them? Mildred Schwab? I don't know. But how can that be interpreted into a political action that the Black United Front can call upon attacking such a vast area? Herndon: Well, you have to pick your areas very carefully. You can't attack them all at one time. You pick .. .find out which one is most crucial and pick one you can bring the most weight to bear on at one particular time and then go after it. Quarterly: Could you cite an example of what you think that would be in the next six months? Herndon: I’m not sure. A lot of You cannot ever depend upon anyone else except yourself when it comes time for you to try to gain your freedom. Make sure that low-cost housing is available for people in the community. Make sure that if you are going to have housing, look at cooperative housing so that the only shift of the land remains with people in the community. Then the motive is not so much of making profit but providing good services. Look at the whole area of food supply. Where does it come from? Who controls it? Is it possible to sei up a whole series of food co-ops that provide excellent food for people in the community at low prices? Look al the whole area of energy. What can be done to prepare this community for the crisis. . .what can be explored in the area of solar energy? How can that affect people who have low incomes and don’t own property? Does it have any advantages at all for them? You talk about food, gardening, health care in terms of preventive medicine, health maintenance. What can be done to improve those areas, or use those areas to improve the condition of black people? Quarterly: How can that be interpreted in terms of political action, given the fact that just talking about those few issues we brought up: the Department of Energy, the Portland Development Commission, hospitals and health care industry. You know, you don’t have the single school board target when you begin talking about the economic issues, job development issues and those other things. How can that be interpreted as a political action especially in a town like Portland that’s so weird politically? You don’t have a councilman from the Northeast which gives the conservatives the hand people talked about police/commu- nity relations. We’ve got a lot of complaints about that. Quarterly: Such as what? Herndon: People being harassed by the police, called names, stopped for no apparent reason, not even giving a ticket. Quarterly: Okay, so you’re talking about police harassment. Herndon: Yeah, that’s something a lot of people have complained about. It’s not unusual. Apparently it’s not unusual at all for people to be stopped for no infraction and then just to be questioned and questioned and questioned. and we’ve got cases where women and men have been called out of their cars and referred to in very, very racist language. Many people are extremely upset about that, and I think that’s something that can be changed. There are a couple of cases where people have been beat up by the police, and I think there may be some lawsuits coming out of that. Quarterly: They filed charges? Herndon: Right. A case that appeared in the local paper about four or five weeks ago, this old woman was stopped by the police, and they harassed her, threw her pocketbook down on the ground. So it seems as if among some of the police there's a pattern of harassment and intimidation, and I think that’s something that can be changed. So, marshal your forces, decide how you’re going to move on that, and go into action. Quarterly: Did you experience any harassment after you became in the news, as it were, from the school issue? Herndon: Well, there was, and we UNITED FRONT BOOKSTORE OREGON'S LARGEST SELECTION OF SOCIALIST BOOKS AND PERIODICALS ALSO RECORDS, POSTERS, CARDS NEW TITLES Jack London: An American Rebel African Music: A People’s Art The New Gay Liberation Book 2701 S.E. Belmont 233-9270 MON.-FRI. 11-8, SAT. 11-5 11-6 Tues.-Sat. 2387 N.W. Thurman 222-3181 Mon.-Sat. MUSICIANS Lead guitarist & bassist seeks musicians to form tight r&b based band. Artistic & intellectual merits to come before commercial considerations Bishop Cochran 234-4842 HAIRCUT. $ 3 Q STUDIO EAST 617 S E MORRISON Refinishing Restoration have never been specific about it, but there were members of the Black United Front who did receive death threats, and we have never been specific about individuals because we felt that to do so might just attract more attention from members of the lunatic fringe. So members of the organization have received death threats. Quarterly: Did any members of the organization receive any harassment from police? Herndon: No. Quarterly: What about the goals and the organization of the Inner Northeast Economic Council? Can you comment on that and whether you think the Black United Front could be able to work with or towards a goal like that and with an organization like that? Herndon: Okay, the Black United Front has not taken a position on the Inner-Northeast Economic Develope- ment Council. I can say personally that's exactly the kind of organizational development that I am opposed to because it was set up directly by the mayor. The people on it were selected by the mayor. The community had nothing to do with the selection of the people involved. I think the whole thrust of the Black United Front up to this point has said that the community will develop its own leadership and it will develop its own programs and see to its needs. This has nothing to do personally with the people who are on that, but the way in which that was developed is the same old way in which the white community has related to the black community for so long. They choose who they want to work for their interests, Quarterly: What about the goals of the Inner Northeast Economic Development Commission as far as a light industrial site somewhere in the northeast, redevelopment of Union Avenue, creating jobs which are intended to employ blacks? Herndon: Oh. I think all of those should be discussed with the entire community so those people get some feeling about whal redevelopment of Union Avenue means. Redevelopment for who? Does that mean that it is going to positively affect the black community? Does that mean that housing is going to be destroyed? All those areas have to be explored, and explored with (he community, not just with the people still on the Inner Northeast Industrial Council, and that has not been done. You just don’t select a group of people that tell us these are our representatives that address any issue. That is very insulting. I think it’s nothing more than another example of age-old colonial politics with the so-called mother country picking your leaders and picking for you your police force, and picking for you your politicians and your clergymen, and telling you 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.- Midnight Sunday DANDELION PUB 31 N. 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