Vol.1, Nos. 5&6 Jonestown, Guyana Was It Mind Control? Remember back on November 11, 1978 when more than seven-hundred Black people lost their lives in the socalled "Jonestown, Guyana suicides"? Was it really suicide or genocide or was it rrdnd-control exper~ntation gone haywire by the CIA? Lately infonnation has surfaced (sane circunstantial) to support more of the latter. Both questions of genocide and mind-control need to be studied, particularly by people of Afrikan descent, to get to the truth of Jonestown. Let us analyze the genocide quesbon fran the Jonestown perspective. The United Nations Convention on Genocide defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a ·national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: a) Killing manbers of the group; b) Causing serious bodily or mental hann to members of the group, c) Deliberately inflictling on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group,. e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Part a) is indisputable. Since the initial processes of the Afrikan Slave Trade the European system that brou~1t us to this country, tens of millions of our ancestors were viciously killed. In the Middle Passage alone, twenty times more Afrikan people lost their lives than in the so-called holocust of the Jews in Nazi "NOW IS THE TIME" Germany• .Now include the Black lives lost in over 250 years of forced, inhumane servitud~, and the question of genocide becomes a little more obvious. FOR AND BY BLACK PEOPLE Sept ./Oct. , 1981 Let us nove on from slavery through the so-called ''reconstruction'' period and the early decades in the 20th century to the present day. Analysis of (Continued on Page 2) cc If Tl.lEY BELIEVE. TI-llS WAS 5UICIDE TUEY'II BELIEVE ANYTWIN~ te' WANTED: BLACK TEACHERS IN BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS
page2 (Continued from Page l) this oeriod will cover the ranair-· ing parts of the definition of the U. N. Convention on Genocide. The lynchings and systematic denial of basic hunan needs such as; decent housing, adequate education and nutritious foods to eat during this period, further corroborates the genocide contention. Disproportionate IXJlice killings, suppression of cultural expression, psychologically manipulated to embrace other people's history, values and characteristics and taught to look negatively upon one's own, all give credence to the genocide question. Evidence of Black destruction is alx>und and the processes ·used yesterday to mentally, physically and spiritually destroy Black people are still practiced today (see Chancellor Williams' The Destruction of Bl~ Civilization, Third World Press, 1976). Never in the histroy of this earth has a group of people (us) been constantly under seige. From Afrikan antiquity to pre-< sent times, the attacks on the Black masses have been relentless. Jonestown only serves as another reminder. · We ask, can you recall in recent history the killing of so many Black people at one time, DURING ONE SINGULAR EVENT? Why have we virtually forgOtten such an event? Was Jonestown a CIA mindcontrol experiment and, if so, does the mind games go on? rlhat significance does CIA involvement in Jonestown have to Black communities across this country? The following is an interview done by a Washington, DC coomentator with Congressnan Leo Ryan's (killed in Jonestown) Administrative Assistant, Joseph Holsinger, who says there is evidence of CIA complicity in Jonestown. The text in parenthesis is that of The Advocate. We simply ask you to read the interview and reflect upon the above raised questions. Hopefully, it will serve as an impetus for you to join the struggle to find some answers that will raise the truth that has been crushed to earth. CDMMENI'A'IOR: The CIA is the ruroor, how much involvanent and how true is the ruroor? IDISINGER: Well, there is at least s:me truth to it, we have detennined. The first element I had, something I kept quiet for a year. The afternoon that it happened I had a call fran first the State·Department and then the White House, about the tragedy and the stories conflicted. They had called me up fran the White Ibuse to get identification for the newsmen that were killed there. They did not know their nrunes and I was able to supply than. But at the time when it was a conflict between the two stories that. I had gotten fran the State Department and the White House, I was pretty much in shock and I mentioned that to a friend who called me fran the White Ibuse and be said, "Joe, our information is correct, we have a CIA report fran the scene." ,I have not said anything publicly about that for over a year because I recognize that we have intelligence gathering information everywhere and that is a legit~nate and reasonable analysis, but I had no idea we had a covert operation there~ because Leo Ryan had served on the Oversight Ccmnittee. Matter of fact, he was the author of the Hughes-Ryan Amendment that provided for oversight. (The Hughes-Ryan Amendment, strongly opposed by the CIA, required the CIA to give prior notification of any covert operation.) In that capacity, he would have gotten any re}X>rt the CIA had made to the Oversight Committee about involvement in Guyana. There was not any of these, not even to the Senate or the House. So I just kept quiet because I did not think it would serve any purpose just to point out that they had a CIA report from the scene. It was not until December of 1979, over a year later, that a news story broke in the San Mateo Times to the effect that the Deputy Chief of Missions in Guyana, Richard Dwyer, had not only been the CIA's station chief there, but had gone back to Jonestown after Leo was killed at Port Kaitliila and the FBI had the tape with Jones shouting during the killing there, it was killing, murder, not suicide. "Get Dwyer out of here. Get Dwyer out of here. '' CDMMENI'A'IOR: We are not talking rum:>r here, that is fact?! Blakey, a Jonestown defector, the sister of Larry Layton who was one of Jones' closest aides and commander of the Jonestown security forces. Deborah and Larry are both children of Dr. Lawrence Layton who once served as Chief of Chanica! Warfare for the U.S. Anny and is now a top researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the San Francisco Bay Area, he was the man who arranged for the lease of the land down there, the land that was leased from the Guyanese government. In early 1974, Phillip Blakey with a $600,000 chech from the Barclays Bank in Canada, was the paymnent, was the way he leased the land. He happens to be the brotherin-law of Larry Layton, who was recently acquitted in Guyana. And Phillip Blakey we have in 19-75 with the CIA recruiting mercenaries for the CIA in Angola in 1975, then back down to Jonestown in late'78 out on one of Jones' boats while all the killing was going on. OOMMENTA'IOR: there? What are you saying IDISINGER: :F'act again. In checking IDlSINGER: I am saying we have inback and following up on this then, volvement on Jones' top staff who is we find a publication in Berlin in CIA plus Dwyer on the other side. And 1968, Who • s Who in the CIA, it is in the indications we have are that our the Library of Congress, on the page government had a long standing realphabetically under ''D's", we find lationship with Jones and the People's Richard Dwyer, this is 1968 mind you. Temple. He joined the State Department in 1957, · . CIA since '59 with all the stations COMMENTATOR: Are we day1ng that Blakey he has been at. Fact again. Then the was involved with Jones? question canes up, why he goes back into Jonestown after Leo was killed. To what purpose? That puzzles me and needs to be checked into. Now fact again, the FBI tried to question him. The Guyanese officials would not let than in. He has since cane back ·to this country, the Justice Department has yet to question him. The Ibuse Foreign Affairs Committee staff investigators admits that they never questioned Dwyer about this incident because they said on their own that they did not believe it, so they saw no reason to question him about it. Why? It is on the tape. They say it must be sane mistake. They say Dwyer was wo~ded there. I have information here I got the day afterwards that he was slightly wounded. How? He did the unbadging. We also have information that he was very ambulatory and he was gone more than half the time that afternoon and evening and he was missing from the Port Kaituma airstrip. So we think that needs to be investigated. There is another tie-in to the Central Intelligence Agency. I want to state here that I am not opposed to the CIA. They perform a necessary function and even the covert operations are necessary, but they have to be monitored closely so we won't have these aberrations occur that cost us so much that I think the security angle tends to cover up very grave errors. The final CIA thing that I have to bring out is that from the other side, one of Jones' chief lieutenants, a man name Phillip Blakey. He was the man who arranged for the lease of the land down there, the land that was leased from the Guyanese government (Phillip Blakey is the husband of Delx>rah Layton OOISINGER: Yes, he was the man who arranged for the lease of the land down there. CDMMENTA'IOR: Fact or rtliiX)r? The CIA was involved in mind-control experiments in Jonestown? IDISINGER: After I appeared here in Washington in late February I started getting information, I started getting calls and people started getting information to me. I had heard the mindcontrol ruroors fran alm:>st the time it happened. I discounted those and dismissed them because I sllnply did not believe them. But information was brought to me after my appearence here in February that caused me to believe that it probably is the case. That Jonestown was a center for mind-control experiments following thJ:ough with the MKultra program of the CIA which they had for twenty-five years and exercised in the VA hospitals, in the federal prisons, state prisons, and same state hospitals. And Helms (Richard Helms, fonner CIA director) said in '74 that they had discontinued it because the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) had put pressure on. But now the charge is that they transferred it to private cults for continuing their experimentation and Jonestown appearently was one of those cults. COMMENI'A'IDR: that? Apparently! Can you prove IDISINGER: Well, I will give you this, the circl.IDStantial evidence. A vast amount of drugs was found at Jonestown. They were never specified as to what they were. We heard there were a lot of drugs, and we thought they were in drug running. All of those drugs were (Continued on Page 5)
A Visit with the Members THE BLACK MOVEMENT PART II transcribed by Joyce Harris Advocate Note: As stated at the end of our Part I transcription (May, 1981 issue), Rev. Daughtry shared with us that, "I want to now talk about a little about the movement." His message began when he reminded us that: There was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the sit-ins, the pray-ins, the wait-ins, the crawl-ins, and the kneel-ins of the 60s. The freedom rides going to the South, getting heads busted -but nonetheless challenging the legal undergriding of segregation, and then there w·as the March of Marches which we have come to call the March on Washington. Looking back it might have been more appropriate to call it .the March to be like Washington. There was not much challenge of the leadership in those days. You remember we called them the Mighty Six, the Great Six, the Big Six; there was Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, Whitney Young of the Urban League, A. Phillip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters~ and others. There was James Forman, and later Floyd McKissick of CORE, and - there was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; also, Stokeley Carmichael and John Lewis of SNCC, who finally forced acceptance from what would be the Big 4. Black people were rather proud of the Big 6, as I remember it. After all, we were on our way, and nobody argues with success. About 1963, around the time of the big march there were rumblings that something was wrong. The ship was not landigg us at port, that we were floundering at mid sea. Dr. King was sharing with everybody that he had a dream. But there was another leader who had burst on'the scene one night with a wave of his hand in Harlem, New York. Just a wave of his hand had disbursed thousands of Muslims, followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammed. Just a wave of the hand had disbur·sed thousands of Muslims silently and swiftly as they had arrived into the night. Malcolm X said Dr. King may be having a dream, but the rest of Black folks were having a·nightmare. Well, after 3 years which cul11linated in that 50--mile march in the Mississippi sun, it all took a different direction, as Stokley Carmichael screamed Black Power. Just two words, and the movement was never the same again. Now, why 'Black Power' should have created the hysteria Rev. Herbert Daughtry Photo by: D. Henderson it did could only be understood It is hard to believe that there in reference to white folk's was such a thing as separate guilt, which makes them think lunch counters, and separate that one day Black people will toilets. It is hard to believe even the score. And also, it looking back that this actually has to do with "Negroes", who e-existed in this society, so xist on the benevolence of theirthere was some social mobility. white masters, who live with I, being from Georgia, it is the anxiety that their white still incredible to me. I was masters will take their crumbs just in Atlanta and standing in away from them and not like them the capital and understand that anymore. After all, all ethnic when I was a boy you just didn't have practiced group power. I go in, or if you went in you remember what President Johnson knew where you were going. And said when he became President, to think that there is a Black he was Irish by osmosis, mean- mayor in Atlanta, surely proing that President Kennedy had gress, no doubt about it, probrought so many Irish with him gress, too. The Voting Rights to the White House, that he had Bill of '64 and '65 were great become Irish simply by being achievements. Blood had been around them. But in spite of spilled to realize these pieces those who were for it, and in of legislation, now further pospite of the hysteria, there was litical and social progress no doubt about it, that Black could be made because the way Power was here to stay. had been cleared. There was some economic progress, so if Now, let us observe some we leave it at that, one might trends, which forced the ship. . . f have asked as many did in 1966, The narrow l1m1ts 0 progress "what's the problem with you which bolstered a sm~ll segme~t all?" Well there's a limitaof the Black p~pulatlon contaln-tion for pr~gress! Progress ed or left behlnd masses of such as it was did not go far Black people. The progress and enough. Did not reach wide there was some prog~e~s, there enough and did not sink deep ~as.some social m~blllty, and enough and I would just underlt lS hard to belleve that a score that social mobility couple of years ago a Black per- · son could not be served in the front door of some restaurants. (Continued on Page 4)
• page4 (Continued from Page 3) piece. I remember when we used to put all the chicken in the shoe box. Everything we do is proficient, and the skill, dexterity so that even driving from New York to Georgia was an exercise in proficiency as the driver could eat a piece of' chicken with a napkin in his hand, and pick his teeth while he never stopped until we got to our destination in Georgia. The reason was we did not want to be humiliated, a stop meant you would be humiliated or you would not get any further, and so we developed that kind of skill. So those were some of the ways that helped us survive these dreadful times. So there was progress, social progress, we do not want to count that lightly. We have a tendency, some of us looking back on this side of safety to belittle the struggle that went into breaking down the barrier, just to get into a restaurant. Those were not small victories. It took an awful lot of courage for people to go against years and years of social patterns in which they had seen their loved one beaten, humiliated for just a slight violation of these traditions, and of course the political aspect of it all helped to say we were on our way. Now, there was the satisfaction a latent "middleclass", and when I say middleclass, I am really indulging in the illusion that there is a _ Black middle-class, I tend to believe that when we talk of a middle-class, we are talking of a class that has the capacity to produce, and not just be consumers. When you talk of a middleclass, you are talking of a class that has the capacity to protect itself. And I do not think that we have arrived at the position that we can call ourselves middle class, because we do not produce anything except consumers and most of us are about four or five paychecks away from bankruptcy anyway. And that depends on whether or not someone likes us or not. We may-go to work in the morning and the man might have had some problems with his wife, and suddenly we look around and we are looking for a job somewhere. We need to understand that, because what it suggests is that we have no security. But there was this satisfaction, because there was this feeling that some people were getting some of the goodies. Some people were making some headway and there was the feeling that some people were selling them out, and there was some disillusionment too. With referance to white people. It seems that white folks still controlled everything Black. Word began to leak that even during the great March on Washington, white folks had altered the speeches of Black folks. John Lewis could not say what he w~nted to say, Baldwin could not say what he wanted to say, so hethey became the National Confegot angry and left the whole renee of Black Churches. That s~ow. 1 The cry of Black Power was a summon from a people to return to their own souls, to build inward and outward, and white people could better be used ... better serve the struggle, in their own communities. That is where the problem emanated from, ·and if they could reach their own people- everything would be alright. is, every organization that called itself "Negro" changed, except one. The Negro National Anthem had to be changed. It was no longer the Negro National Anthem, but now it was the National Black Anthem. There were Black Student Unions, (Continued ontPage 5) A wise man of Biblical themes said, "there's nothing new under the sun." The same words put forward at one point in history will be put forward at another point, and so on for many years~ Reverand Henry Highland.Garnett,. Alberta Fish & Poultry Bishop McNeil Turner, Marcus Garvey, and many many others had urged Black people to look within themselves and try to build upon their own inner genius, to try to form group solidarity, and this would be the way that principles and meaningful alliances with other people could be made. Then one other point. In· 1945, 200 Afrikans had met in Manchester, England at the Fifth Pan-Afrikan Congress. Twelve years later Ghana was independent, led by Kwame Nkrumah. Then in 1958, Guinea led by Sekou Toure, and other Afrikan countries had gained their independence so that in a generation oyer 40 Afrikan countries had gained their independence. And yet Blacks, those of us here in the the U.S. were moving at a snail's pace and obviously it produce disillusionment. Now, we want to look at 1966 and 1967, Jackson, Mississippi, as we begin to note the years of Black Power. There was nothing new about the words, the ideas, the concept of Black Power. It had been used before, in fact Adam Clayton Powell had used it earlier. But it was a strange consideration that words, ideas and concepts can be around for centuries without causing a ripple and then at some precise moment in the time when circumstances and events are right and a certain number of people, then the very same words, ideas and concepts burst forth like a mighty hurricane, and so it was with Stokely Carmichael uttering Black Power! This time the words caught on, they struck responsive chords, and the world would never be the same again. For the next 5 or 6 years, Black Power was inescapable. Everybody had to be for it,·or everybody had to be against it. It seems that every organization became Black overnight. There was the National Association of Black Social Workers, the National Black United Fund - not Front, these are the money people, and those who had called themselves Negro, changed it. Like the National Committee of Negro Churches - 1824 NE Alberta 282 4083 We Sp«UIIi# in S«Jfood Robert & Ida Johnson owners Fish cooked Southern-style Chicken cooked Eastern-style "Players Ball"·- Played Out by Mary Avery In the past we'~e voiced our concerns and made a concerted effort to eliminate those elements that contribute to the moral degradation of our community. We have pressured the police to crack-down on prostitution and we've organized picketts in protest of the activities of the Walnut "Park (pornographic) Theater. Yet, some individuals fail to take us seriously. Nothing exemplifies this more that the masquerade,"The Players Ball", that was recently held for the "players" and their "Ladies" as depicted in the illustration. Fortunately, this year the "Players Ball" was not well attended. One might say that the Players Ball "played out".
JONESTOWN(Continued from Page 2) mipd-control drugs; thorazine••. all the kinds of drugs the CIA used for twenty-five years in their mind-control exper~nts. OOMMEm'ATOR: Could they have been brought in by Jones himself? IDlSINGER: They smuggled in a large number of guns and a vast supply of drugs and you can not snuggle those in fran the United States to Guyana without the carnplicit consent of both governments. "'fou take people off, now let me point this out, you take people off into a isolated area away from everything, Jones had been doing this for some ten years, checking out down there, getting everything set. They had a very IID<iern hospital, for a thousand people, they had one of the m:::>s~ m:::>dern hospitals in South America. They had d~ily medical check-ups for almost everyone and Jones kept records of everything including his relationships with the Russians, everything. But it seems now that all the medical records have disappeared or never existed for these daily medical check~ ups and all of this., just gone. Then the last point, and this is the key issue in all of this, is the body count. It happened on November 18, 1978. For the next four days we had Americans in there and we had Guyanese officials in there.· CDMMENTATOR: November 18, 1978? :OOISINGER: Right. The next day, one of the yorn1g men who had been in there who had wandered away to get a stethoscope and kept on walking? OOMMENI'ATOR: Yes. IDlSINGER: I talked to him in San Francisco and he helped with the body count the next day. By identifying the people...he was one of the few people who knew the people who could identify them. They had a body count the next day of men, women, and children and they toe-tag than under their identities, helped by this young man. When they turned them over to identify than there were no bodies underneath. For four days the count went fran 382 to 409, it was in that general area. Suddenly on the fifth day it rose to 700 and t~e sixth day it rose to 915. REV. DAUGHTRY (Continued from Page 4) Black Studies, Black Elected Officials, Black Caucuses in ~hite churches, Black theologians, there were Black conferences--the Black Power Conference in Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, and there was Black literature--unnumbered volumns, and Black papers, Black magazines, and Black everthing. But significantly, white folks still were writing about Black Power. It was a very interesting development that here we were talking about Blaok Power, and the country pretended it did not know what was happening. And if you look at the volumes which were written, you will know that white folks did more talking about Black Power than Black folks. Then the apparel changed, remember Dashikis and Afrikan dress; originals and American-made became the thing ••• Afros and naturals -anything Afrikan was in. We were singing, "I'm Black and I'm Proud." Thus they became Black••• and Afrikan. Nobody could question their Blackness. They even developed a handshake, and a special voca- 'bulary to Found out the Black Power Days. "Negroes" would have fo~ght you to the death just a .year before. (Continued on Page 15) (Continued on Page 20) __- pages · YOUR PASS TO RAPID TRANSIT 1533 N.E. Alberta NEW ROI• CllfC•II c •. (INCORPORATED) TELEPHONE 282-7707 Portland, Oregon 97211 Save money on your • Insurance. Auto • life Fire. Truck .Commercial Monthly Payments Forrest A. Jenkins and Rita H. Jenkins S.lel RIIPte•nr.tirtW 3114 North Will;.,. Port'-d, OffiiOn 97221 l'hone (503) 249-2966 I.
pag~6 Committee Reports COMMUNICATIONS The Communication Committee is and has been primarily responsible for advocating the BUF 1 s purpose. Everything the Front does contains a message that is vital to the continuation of progress of Black people as a whole. Orr main concern is to re1ay the nessage to you as truthfully and accurately as possible. The Carmi ttee thanks all those who were involved in Community Unity-Day and the March on the North Police Precient, for making the two events successful. We urge you to support scheduled BUF rooetings in the St. Johns area. We will continue to keep you infonned about upcoming is~es and events which are iJiportant to our Black camnmity. CULTURE The picketing of the Walnut Park Theater was not just an exercise in futility - "protesting about something or just anything". Finally, after a six month period of picketing , in the rain, heat, cold, day and night, it now appears as though the BUF and community supporters were heard. The City Planning Commission has received a number of complaints about adult bookstores and movies, and as a result is currently in the process of developing "zoning codes" prohibiting bookstores and theaters from operating within 500 feet of homes and or schools. The Walnut Park Theater, then, would be in violation of the proposed zoning code if it is approved by City Council. The Committee and its supporters have maintanined the theater is not wanted in the community due to the unsavory elements it attracts from outside the Black Community. We will keep the community informed of all developments related to the ·theater. We wish to thank all of you who supported us during the picket of the Walnut Park Theater. LABOR In our ongoing and continuing efforts towards achieving socio-econanic parity which has long been denied us~ .the members of the B.U.F. Labor Coormittee are proud.to say that sane of the clouds do have silver linings. This past September ' 81 the clouds began to roll away, and the silver lining started to show. Jobs, for those of us in this camnmity•••your neigh-:- borhood; jobs for those of us who.have one of the highest unemployment averages in the country. Jobs came. In our working relations with Fred Meyer, Walnut Park, and Fred Meyer Inc. offi- approaches to the issue of the bill cers,- the silver lining is showing. in the near future. Through coomittee negotiations we have · secured employment in various fields. The scope is now limited, but we have canplaints Of Police Misconduct been assured that -in the near futlire, more and more varied fields will be discussed and opened. The Committee is currently attempting to contact individuals who have It is very heartwanning to know told the Coomittee of canplaints that that one of the largest employers in either they are others have experthe state (and the largest retail gro- ienced with respect to the Portland eery store in our coomunity) is re- Police Bureau. Results of these in~ sponsive to the needs of those in the terviews will be published in this community in which they do business. column in the next few months. We believe that it is time that other businesses which flourish in our oanmunity be responsive to the needs and requirements of the Black community -Jobs, to live a prosperous and productive life. We would like to give a big RIGHT~ to Fred Meyer and its officers who are working with us to really make Community Unity work. •.•And ranember, spend your money where you get something in return besides disrespect. ' LAW &JUSTICE Hotline: The BUF "hotline" is currently in service with a new number. The new number is 287-1506. The hotline system is part of a total community informational network. The hotline coordinator has agreed to take information for the BUF regarding complaints of police misconduct or brutality. If you call the hotline number, please specify that you are calling to report an incident of police misconduct or brutality. Do not go into explaining the situation, but do leave your name and phone number, and a roorrber of the BUF 1 s Law & Justice Carmi ttee will return your call. Please look for more information about the hotline and the activities of the Law & Justice Oammittee on the radio, the newspaper, and flyers that will be available and distributed throughout the community within the next few roonths. Senate Bill 528: Senate Bill 528, cammonly referred to as the "deadly force bill" was defeated by the House Judiciary Contnittee. It was defeated because certain members of that Committee fell back on their promises to support the bill and allowed others to influence the non-passage of the bill. The main actors who helped in the defeat of the bill were, Tan Mason and Ted Bugas who are members of that O::mni ttee. A lot of people worked with and within the Law and Justice carmi ttee to get the bill passed, and their work is greatly appreciated. The Law and Justice Cormittee considers the defeat of the bill to be a temporary setback. We will plan saoo different Insurance Need SR-22 filing7 loYetta I. Harpole Insurance Agency 1439 N.E. Alberta 287-1147 Auto-Motorcyk-RV 10 am-6 pm Mon. thru Fri. 9 am-noon Saturday Battery Sales New & Rebuilt Free Electrical Check & Installation $1750 and up BATTERIES Wanted Dead or Alive Phone: 287-3095 3007 N.E. Union Andy & Willis Brown Proprietors Photography By Richard J. Brown By appt: (503) 289-0707
Perpetual Myths by G Ioria Stewart Traditionally, Black students have been brought to the attention of the public by the media in the forms of busing, rioting, low-achieving, and as incorrigible juvenile delinquents. Little or no ~ttention has been paid to the quality of education for the Black student, or to the cultural and historical background of Black children. No attention, until sporadic eruption causes dramatic events. Much of what is said to the media originates with educational administrators, political figures, and others with an obvious vested interest in perpetuating one myth or another about Black students and their (mythical) educational status. We often hear,· "Can't learn, small brains, poor attitude, genetically and socially incapable of learning, handicapped because of being raised in one-parent environment, or too hostile", when the real culprit is inadequate educational preparation, vis-a-vis Portland Public Schools. The unveiled bottom line to the ~hs stems from a long-standing belief among teachers and administrators (and expressed publicly by Arthur R. Jensen, Genetic Researcher) that Blacks are inferior. page15 chieved through development of ful, you know, and you have certain specific abilities. someone in the society that Black students face very real could always say that Black problems. The perpetuation of is horrible - that Back is the inferiority myth (dumb, in- bad, Black was the devil ... ferior, slow, sure to fail, etc) that Black was vicked, that is sure to cause them to fail. Black was evil. Suddenly we All Black people have faced this had Black people who began to problem while growing up in our exert their blackness, and nation's public schools. There suddenly you had people that are those of us who were persis-told us, "All people are tent and thick~skinned enough to beautiful. White is beautiful, survive. However, we cannot af-Black is beautiful, red is ford to continue the wholesale beautiful, everybody is loss of intellectual potential beautiful. Everybody was Black among our children. We must no was beautiful - that is with longer allow assault on our the exception of a few hardchildren's self-confidence and headed Toms here and there. I intelligence. could name a few, but I don't want to offend anybody and We are now defining our aca- their heroes. You know who they demic arena, with an emphasis are. 1 would like to mention one on: greater psychological sup- because I can never hold this port (particularly in the case man ... ! could never hold of Black male children who have this man for what he did. I played subservient roles to remember, oddly enough, we Black female children); deep- were just talking about him on :eaching changes an~ attitudes the way here- that's Carl 1n the Black commun1ty; renewed Rowan ..• Rowan. I shall never, Black awareness, Black pride andever forget what he did to respect, a better understanding Malcolm X. When Malcolm X was of Black history.and culture, dead, I mean, he violated all and a to~al comm1ttment to un- the niceties regarding death; derstand1ng of and concern for this man came out with one of the inte~lectual development of the most blistering attacks on Black ch1ldren and all Black what I think is one of the people in our community. greatest leaders that has ever ------------------come upon this earth. And in REV. DAUGHTRY (Continued from Page 5) Nor was Black Power confined to the USA. In England the Panthis man's death, instead of giving this man credit for the fact that he had fought his In 1961, James B. Conant, educator, found it a common belief Afrikan Conferences were held, among public school educators and and there was the movement to administrators (in the North as hold Black Power conferences, way back from the dungeons to walk among the kings of the earth, and go in dignity in the capitols of the world, And if you go into other parts of the world - from Afrika well as the South) that Black and the Black consciousness students were inherently inferior. movement in South Afrika led by . Steve Biko. Thls belief was voiced only pri- Then in Trinidad the National vately •••but often. Ironically, Jensen (in his How Much Can We Joint Action Committee led by Boost IQ and Scholastic Achieve- Stewart Granger; Granger now ment, pg 81) has subsequently called Doctor, had almost topplaced much more of the blame pled the regime of Eric Wilfor poor educational perfor- liams, that was in Trinidad. mances among disadvantaged stu- And wayward Afrikans in the dents on the inadequacies of Diaspora conjugated; albeit, public school systems, arguing they had to relate to Black that most students could easily Power, thus, by the way demonhave mastered the basic skills strating the influence that they lack years earlier. Blacks in the USA have on ·Blacks everywhere. EveryLiterature also supports that "Black children are neither linquistically impoverished nor cognitively.under-developed ••• body was Black, and you remembered the kind of society that everybody is, I mean that everybody of color is beautito the Caribbean, you'll find ~he inevitable Malcolm X, and I dont't want to get into a battle between Malcolm and Martin. We had enough of those battles. But when you leave these shores and you get to Afrika, you will find that it was Malcolm X, and yet, Carl Rowan - this "Negro" had the audacity to try to heap scorn upon this man upon his death. So, this "Negro"-he never became Black. He was always a "Negro". He probably will be a "Negro" till the day he dies .•• forgive me, Lord, for talking about him. TO BE CONTINUED .... it is a racist assumption that some language patterns are better than others (Coleman, et al, pp 516-517, Samuel Bowles Toward Equality of EducationaiiOpportunity?, and Harvard Educational Review, Winter 1968, p.93) Nu-Look Behind this kind of reasoning may be a humane desire to free our children from the feeling that there is something morally shameful about the way of life into which they were born. The development of our children's minds remains a far too serious problem to leave to romantics without insight. We want and need tangible results, and they can only be a- . BEAUTY CENTER For the Entire Family 289-4470 6720 NE Union Ave.
page16 What Is Expunction? @ I The Urban League of Portland NORTHEAST YOUTH SERVICE CENTER The Northeast Youth Service Center, under the auspices of the Urban League of Portland has outlined below the basic provisions of expunction~ Expunction is a term that eaeh of us should be familiar with. Knowing your ~ights as they apply to expunction can mean the difference between a criminal record and none at all. FACT SHEET ON EXPUNCTION What is Expunction? Expunction is the destruction of records. These records can include the Juvenile Court, Police Department, Children's Services Division, and other agencies. Records All youth referred to the Youth Service Center for judicial reasons (law violations) have Juvenile Court and police records. If the youth never has contact with the Juvenile Cou.rt (never appears in front of a judge or placed on probation), his/her Juvenile Court record and Police record will be destroyed: 1) Automatically when the youth turns 18 years old, or 2) Before the age of 18 if the youth petitions (requests in writing) the Juvenile Court. Expunction after two years' Expunction is most often granted to youth who apply two years after the incident. Youth who are ~eferred to the Youth Service Center and later to the Court, or youth originally dealt with by the Juvenile Court, MUST petition to have their records destroyed. There is no automatic expunction in these cases. A youth in the above situation may apply to the Court to have all records destroyed if the following conditions are met: 1) Two years have passed since the date of the incident or most recent termination of probation with the Court. 2) The youth has not been convicted of a Felony or Class A misdemeanor in that time on probation. --- -.-... -........ .,.,.... -.... _,.. - .... _....., 3) No criminal or Juvenile Court proceedings are pending. Immediate Expunction Because most juveniles referred to a Youth Service Center do not have court petitions filed on them and do not come within the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court, they can petition the Court to~ave their Court and police records destroyed immediately. expunction has been granted, he/she should phone the Court (248-3460) and check on the status of his/her records. Once expunction is granted, the youth may legally claim that his her record never existed and the contact never occurred. Have you ever been arrested? In legal terminology, youth are taken into "temporary custody." Temporary custody is the juvenile terminology for arrest. If you are ever stopped by a police officer and questioned about previous arrests ·or contacts with the law, it is in The Oregon Statute that allows for this procedure is ORS 419.815, which states expunction can be ordered if to do so is in the best interest of the youth and public. How to apply for expunction ~ your best interest to provide the officer with all prior information regarding being taken into custody. Applications for expunction can be picked up at the Juvenile Court or the Youth Service Center. If the youth is applying for expunction after two years, the application is selfexplanatory and easy to complete. If the youth ·is applying for immediate expunction, he/she should: If you are dealt with by a Youth Service Center, and never found guilty of a crime in court, you can say you have never been convicted of a crime. Many employers will request record information on job applications. An employer may ask you questions only related to convictions, not 'arrests 1) Circle letter E under sectionwhen there was no conviction. 7 of the form, which indicate the youth is requesting For further information call: special consideration. 2) Write a letter to the Court stating that he/she feels that it is in his/her best interest to have his/her records destroyed and mention that he/she completed community service/restritution through the Youth Service Center. 3) Have the application notarized at the Youth Service Center or Juvenile Court. The applicant should list the police, Juvenile Court, Criss, and any other agency having copies of legal records in his/ her request for expunction. The Youth Service Center destroys all files one year after closing. What if expunction is denied? Youth have the right to legal representation during the expunction process. If the juvenile cannot afford an attorney and the procedure is contested, the youth has a statutory right (ORS 419.825) to a court appointed attorney. IMPORTANT Regardless of whether expunction takes place immediately, after a period of two years, or when the youth turns 18, the juvenile should not assume that expunction occurred automatically. If the youth does not receive a letter from the Court stating . Northeast Youth Service Center 288-6708 J!\NICE P.ART OPERI\lti N. YOUNG'S STEEl FABRICATION CO•• INC. (1503) 287-0444 <@NYFAB~ 2330 N.E. COLUMBIA BlVD. PORTlAND, OREGON 97211 NATE YOUNG/ JIM MAYES Ptelident Secretary /TrMaurer BLACK EDUCATIONAL CENTER 4919 N.l:. 17th Avenue Portland. Oregon 97211 503 I 2·84-9552 ''Moving Together' 1 \ - . - .. . ~ .. "-· .. . .. .. . ...
MBE Uodate byJ.Hil.l Georgene Rose, Caseworker on the staff of Ron Wyden, (D) 3rd District, was in good company when she read the Congressman's opening address at a business seminar at the Portland Hilton on September ~8. The Congressman could not attend because of pressing leg~slative needs in Washington, D.C. Ms. Rose's remarks were based on a Septe.llber 9th letter from the Congressman to Governor Vic Atiyeh. The letter disclosed -"'that "good faith efforts" would be costly to Black and other small business minority entrepreneurs in the district which elected Wyden to congress. Wyden e~timates that the entrepreneurs_stand to lose from $13.5 to 33.5 million on the $225.5 million Banfield Light Rail project and between $24 and $70 million on the $400 million worth of Interstate Transfer Fund projects. "Oh, well, we can never lose what we never had from TRI-MET and the MSD" stated one participant. He later adds, "one can easily discern, from the loss of riders and revenue, what the general public thinks about TRI-MET, what the Black community thinks, is largely unprintable in a family newspaper." Among the purveyors of "lip ·service" to the Black community on economics was Gladys McCoy representing Multnomah County, and Scott Foster of Tektronix; other representation came from SBA, PDC, FHA, local financial institutions, IMPACT, and a new Black kid on the block, Randy Carter, The only missing note was Warren Mitchell, Social and Urban Relations Officer, 1st Interstate Bank. Commissioner McCoy released information on a revised version of a "watered down" MBE program which is a carry over from her misguided School Board days which insures that Black pe~ple will receive very little, once again. Ber plan, to be voted upon on October 29, by the County Commissioners oJfers nothing new. .For example, the minimum goals for Blacks participating in the "minority" supplies section has a goal of •5%. The Dlinimum goals for MBE/FMBE (Female Minority Business Enterprise) are in Construction: MBE 10%, FMBE 1%; Supplies: MBE .5%, FMBE O%; Services: MBE 10%, FMBE 1%; and Progessional Services; MBE 7%, ' FMBE 2%. This program, like all the rest only provides ~for the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. There are no guarantee of economic benefits actually being received by the Black community. The guarantee is once again reserved for White contractors, suppliers, and service providers, who will make the minimum of 90% to 99.5% in all catagories, and they do not have to fill out as much paperwork to do it. The goals were based upon some notion of availability and capability of each group, whatever criteria was used was not disclosed but took more than a year to research, Congressman Wyden needs to seriously address the needs of the Black community and we applaud his call for a national question on defense. He could use his meetings at King Neighborhood facility for this purpose. The question needs a full airing as the political and economical interests of this country are actively involved in war against Black people in 'the Third District, the nation, and throughout the world. Moreover he could answer the question, "How does the use of private sector investments and state public funds in assisting South Afrika in upholding apartheid, help Black people in District 3?" Blacks, (known· in polite entrepreneur circles as "showcases because of their status in the business world, one in which they are powerless to make economic purchasing decisions) representing Tri-Met, PDC, and MBOC, comprised the planning committee for the conference. Several informed members of the Black community, viewed the event as an attempt to cool our the Black businessmen who confronted Wyden at Bourban Street on August 19th. Wyden was questioned about his failure to meaningfully address the Black Community in economic "concretes". As usual Ron, talked out both sides of his mouth. He spoke to the Black business community on his efforts to create new jobs in this district. He gave as an example, efforts to obtain jobs in the Columbia gorge on some of the hydroelectric operations. page 17 Ron threw out his public relations about a "grai>sroot" organizing ~ffort to obtain federal aid "to help local businessmen to help themselves." An assessment of the facts suggests that this "grassr~ot effort" is a pipedream. Ron's own information discloses that 35% less money will be available for the development for small business. Wyden writes, "The gospel of this community has to be private sector jobs." Ron really needs to look at the dismal failure of the private sector in this area - namely, Nel-Tech and Tektronix, who brought some "sweatshop" jobs to Union Avenue. These jobs all have limited upward mobility opportunities and are in the lowest paying catagory. At the same time, TEK has developed plans to provide 5,000 jobs near Troutdale and is finishing a 490,000 square foot complex in Clark County. The business seminar was replete with past failure of •good faith' efforts of those private, federal, state, and local agencies who once again appeared before Black people ig Portland and, as always, did' a superb public relations job of making the potential enterpreneur(s) feel good. The seminar, like past sesstons, did not result in immediate economic benefits to the Black community; the money stayed downtown again. This· raises the question, ''Why do some Blacks (in this instance, businessmen) sit passively and participate in seminars of this nature?" This writer can only surmise that the sociology textbooks are once again wrong and that Black people are able to delay gratification, especially that, community denizen, the Black (endurer) entrepreneur. The Oregon Citizens Party needs your help to get on the 1982 ~lection ballQt in Oregon. ~ )6UN.WI...... a LM.&.IU e-.u,•• ••••o•• ~-...Vft'aA&OII' ·~~ l"ouu 1 or If •u" •o•• ~t.IIIA•I•ft . ,,.,.CUlt!·~ • CU•Lt ,.. ..... , ... ,_ ... .. ...,U.... GIIt . . . ~ t.......... THE GOVERNOR'S OMELETTE AND SANDWICH SHOP 3240 N. Williams Avenue Portland, OR 281-0280 "ORDERS TO GO" Who we af'e: We ran Barry Commoner for president in 1980. Our platform: Economic Democracy-Hold big business accountable for the economic problems they create; control over the economy by the people. Socia/ justice-Equal rights for all; self-determination for minorities. Peace-Bilateral arms reduction; truly befriend the third world; noaiding dictators to repress their own people. Our tactics: Build a progressive third party-the Citizens Party-and fight corporate control of the ballot box, to regain control of our own · government. Please Help Us Get On The Ballot by circulating our ballot-access petition. We need 875 signatures/mo. thru July. To help call John, 283-2486 or David, 249-1781. Resolution on the 18th ("Black") Dietrh:t: "RESOLVED: Unless the Citizens Party is able to recruit a Black candidate who has widespread support in the Black community, the Citizens Party will run no candidate in the 18th District. Since it was the Black community which fought for and won the new district, the Citi~en~ Party will not endorse or assist any candidate who does not have support in the community. Since we perceive the Black United Front to be the most dynamic force in the Black community, in any discussion regarding support or possible assistance by the Citizens Party towards a candidate in the 18th District, support or lack of · support by the BUF will be considered the most important criterion.'' (Aug11st 23, 1981)
page18 Creation Time , AVE BLACK WOMAN Now that we are together alone Come with me, my love Allow me to give you me without reservation now Nor expectation beyond Let me surround.you -cover my hand As we meet ••• as only~ can meet Share with me our deepest secrets and hold them in our care Plan with me our cozy empire so long, dear one, suppressed While, all the while I seek to make you warm safe wanted, and cared for contented adored mine, and cared for special loved needed, and cared for Dear Lifetime and Lifelong friend CBOSSWOBD the end ahead It's only beginning, we've got to Time's of no essenc~ -space looms Like New Birth, we're born again Come with me, my love Lay with me, my love Dream with me, my love Nar.E: Puzzle was provided canpliments of The Black Collegian magazine. It has been revised by The Advocate. as we rise to greater heights And conquer all -As one by J. Courtney Gordon Total Home Environment Creative Recreation and Instructional Buildings Inc. 4815 N.E. 7th Portland, Oregon 97 211 249-8501 288-0371 FREEDOMWORDS by Joan Courtney Gordon 'Key' to last month's FREEDOMWORDS puzzle HISTORY TIDBITS Are you aware that: 1. The first three initials of our DDst eminent scholar wtx:> died in exile at "J:x:me". 4. A leading country in East Afrika v.bose leader is fondly referred to as ''Baba ya Taifa"(Father of the Nation). 9. Because of the severity of America"S genocidal programs, many Blacks openly question whether we can the eighties. 12. A popular free name meaning Black or a contraction of the name of a fiUIDUS type of \\OOd found in Afrika. 15. The Impressions once extorted us to "Keep Pushin", like our leaders told us to. 16. Fo:nrer Black Congressnan v.bo resigned a U.N. post as protest against Almrica's Afrikan policies. 18. Unity(Kiswahili) 20. Slang tenn meaning everything is in order. 21. An article of W.siness that DDst small Black businesses cannot afford. / 22. A tenn used by white newsmen that referred to the "spoils" of ghetto warfare. 23. for one and one•••••• 24. An East Coast city where Black legend claims sisters outnuli:>er brothers 5 to 1. 26. A OOnesticated animal that contributes DDre than his share to Black diseases and illnesses. 27. The first name of a founder of "Soul City" v.bo was one of the Dll.in speakers at a Black affair that raised $200,000 to re-elect fo:nrer President, R.M. Nixon. 31. "Spirit_ the dark." 1) In Boxing, the heavyweight division has, for years, been dominated by Blacks? For 20 years or more, all heavyweight champions have been Black. They have accepted the honor and worn the belt with pride •.• for excellence. 2) In 1891, Peter Jackson boxed sixty-one rounds for a draw with Jim Corbett, and in 1907, Jack Johnson defeited Tommy Burns for the Heavyweight Championship? 3) In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first Black Major League baseball player? •••and did you know that: 1) Contrary to what is seen of TV/movies of th~ old cowboy, more ·than 5,000 Blacks were working as cowboys in the west? 2) ~Love, a Black cowboy, earned the title of Deadwood Dick, and outlaws Cherokee Bill and Bill Hodges eluded the law? • - ,J \ '·• r ~· ... J 32. "What it 33. The last U.O initials of a fo:nrer Black leader wtx:> was in exile, and his seldan used first name is Leroy. 34. A way of death for addicts. 35. A key \\Ord fi'OOl an Old Testament DDtto of retribution that some Blacks \\UI.lld like to see applied today. 36. The chief god of white Almrica or a five letter \\Ord that spells "love" to liDSt of white Almrica and some of Black .America. 37. q,endo(Englisb). 40. Black leaders considered the device as a weapon of genocidal warfare in Almrica' s arsenal. 41. Very mlch(Kiswahili). 42. "-other Country." 44. Trains of Windy City fame. 46. The synthesis of A and everything that is not A is known .as a ------ process. 49. A higher degree or a fonn of address preferred by same sisters today. 50. A vehicle of transportation that is a liDSt sensitive national issue. 52. An herbal health drink that gained increased acceptance aDDng Black people concerned about their eating habits. 54. Fai.th(Kiswahili). 56. Described as a ghetto guerilla, who fought the drug traffic in the Black caDII.Ulity, many Black people believed the white lie he was s:imply caught atteupting to ccmni.t lU1Ded robbery. 57. Nonnan was the Chainnan of "Blacks for Wallace," his last name is the given name of a fa- ~ Black poet. 59. An abbreviation for a slang name for Detroit. 60. ''I_ SaDebody.'' 61. Part of the generic chain which according to same white psychiatrists contributes to the cau.Se for alleged "low" Biack intelligence quotient. 63. This Steel City is the heme of one of Black America's IIIJSt outspoken public official &:.t poe time. , . .. • J ... .1 <'· (. '{If '\."'•• .<"·L~ ~·- L~ ... _t ...
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