Portland Advocate_1981-06

page2 (Continued fran Page 1) to seek an injunction in federal court to prevent the district from carrying out the closure vote. Except for the BUF' ~ efforts asking Black conmunity resident:::. · ·=tttend the July 2 board meeting, and Cav......LOrne' s threat to sue, no other action was announced at the press conference. In 1979, the BUF called off a threathened school boycott when school officials made promises of change. The pranises went unfulfilled. And in May, 1981, the BUF called a successful boy– cott with 85% of the Black students participating. School officials had balked at returning a middle school to the Black community during so-called desegregation planning. A middle school, Harriet Tutman, was later included in the desegregation plans approved by the conmunity and the board. Calling For Justice by Lanita Duke The march and demonstration on June 4 showed · once again, that the Black United Front represents the people. The rainy day brought forth a mobilization of rich and poor, young and old, and Black and White, and was an aftennath of the 'reshuffling' that occurred in the Portland Police De– partment when the only Black Commiss– ioner was literally told to 'go play in the park' . The action has been termed " ... a slap in the face" by The Front's Co-Chair, Ron Herndon. One's first reflection on the march in support of Commissioner Jordan might bring forth the image of ''1\ro– Facedness' . Sane may feel so, but in this case, one fact will not lend it– self to such an idea. Jordan is and will always be a Black man. As such, what he does or does not do will re– main a reflection of us and our can– munity. Jordan was trying to awaken the city to the problems of Black citi– zens in Portland, instead of simply pretending that it was/is non-existant. Through the organizing that is being done by The Front, problems are can– ing out, and along with than, many solutions. This march was not the first time that The Front mobilized the oppressed of Portland. Although the April 4 "March Against Racien" was distorted by the press, we know that it was a success and that it proved that we can and we will unite. The march on City Hall brought out sane 500 people (and on a rainy day, yet), with background sounds of ''Re– call Ivancie". Those who are in the know are aware that Jordan supported Ivancie at every turn, and persuaded many in the camunity to do likewise, so, a 'stab in the back' for Commiss– ioner Jordan is a stab in the back for all Portland Blacks who followed him in support of Ivancie. "This should show everybody that wh:i,.te poli- ticians cannot be trusted", Ron told the CI'O\\d. Others murmured, "You can't trust many of the Black ones, either . '' Portland's Black citizens will not be played off, or played for fools. Be it known by all that we, the people, have a friend in each other. Washington-Monroe last year. We met with each other," she continued, "with any community or school organization, wherever the school board was meeting or holding hearings and we spoke each ••••••••••••••••••time they oould let us get the floor. It stopped than." The result was that the liberal AdamsTargeted For Closure majority on the board prevented any Because of what he termed "the oorst sort of public policy-making,'' Portland Public School Board manber Herb Caw– thorne sent "ALERT! WARNING! URGENT APPEAL!'' letters to se,veral people in our community to notify them that the incaning and new conservative majority on the Board of Education is ready to close Adams high school by July 1 when new board members are soorn in. News accounts indicate the new mem– bers, who will replace Sarah Newhall, who was defeated, and Wally Priestley, who chose not to seek re-election, have conspired with Board Chainnan Forrest Reike and member Bill Scott to attempt to close Adams by this summer, if, Reike was reported as saying, there wuld be time enough to re-route the students scheduled to attend Adams this fall. Adams was saved fran threatened foreclosure earlier when the board was considering closing too high schools and three elementary schools. It voted to ·close Washington-Monroe and de– ferred action on the others. In later action, the board voted to close three elementary schools between now and 1982. Organized community activity was instrumental in limiting the out– going board's school closure. Joining other community organizations, the Black United Front, parents, and stu– dents successfully prevented closure of Jefferson and Adams. "We held meet– ings, '' explained Jerri Abrams, whose children attended Jefferson and overriding of expressed community con– cern, she believes, and recognized the determination of our community against neighborhood school closure. Abrams also said that parents and students at Washinton-Monroe and Adams had been negotiating on how to keep "the school located at the Adams site open." A merger of both school and students was actively being discussed. No decision on possible legal action to prevent Washington-Monroe from being closed had been decided. Cawthorne's warning letter told about the merger efforts but failed to offer assistance. A BUF spokesperson ob– served that the "flip flops" of the board over the past three years has caused the BUF to seriously question the "level of integrity arrong most of the board ~rs. '' Coonrunity board forums have been held, "Black folk have been very vocal in opposition to clos– ing Adams and Jefferson, and we expect the board to keep those schools open,'' the spokesperson said. "Sane of the ,board members have announced their in– tentions regarding Adams, and community groups have announced their opposition, which points to a long, hot summer, " according to the spokesperson. The integrity of the new board will be questioned after July 1 on a nurnber of issues besides school clo– sure. The seleCtion of a new school supErintendent will certainly head all other issues facing the in-coming board. The out-going board had pranised to · appoint a superintendent to replace Dr. Hobert Blanchard who was fired last year, but, because of Cawthorne's act– ions preceding the recent school board ele~tion, the in-caning board will sel- ect the superintendent in early 1.982. In a surprise move which caught nnst people off-guard, Cawthorne joined the conservatives on the out-going board in voting to choose a new super– intendent in early 1982 and not before the old board's term ended by July, 1982. Cawthorne, who was an active BUF member prior to his appointnent to the ooard, explained his decision . to allow an undefined board to select the new school superintendent and to support conservative board members Forrest Reike and Frank McNamara as chainnan and vice-chainnan, respectively. It oould have given this community less concern if he and the liberal majority on the out-going ooard could have selected the new superintendent, he admitted. But he said he was confident the liberal majority oould prevail against the conservative landslide which brought Frank Ivancie and Ronald Reagan in office. Cawthorne has prOIIjised to seek an in– ....................................... junction in federal court to prevent the Derrnnstrators march through downtoAn Portland to protest :Mayor Ivancie' s major police shake-up . school board fran following through af– ter its votes July 2 to close Adams. (Continued on p;tge 3)