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A. Good evening. Welcome to another edition of Front Street Weekly, Oregon Public Television's news magazine. I'm Gwyneth Gamble-Booth; I'm Jim Swenson, and here's what you'll see on tonight's show. Later on, you'll meet calligrapher Joyce Graf, one of the few artists nationwide to master the techniques of illuminating manuscripts. You know, Goldsmiths been private the last few years but now, he goes public. I think we grow up in Oregon understanding
that a government is valuable; we have fair amount of respect for it, but people in Oregon are very self-reliant. They don't really want to government doing everything for them. But up first tonight, the law enforcement officers in this country are walking a fine line. Police are killed while on duty and a staggering number are assaulted. Recently, officers across the country have been accused of using too much force. Just how much force is necessary to make an arrest, and how do they find a balance between keeping the streets safe and protecting themselves, without hearing the cry of brutality. Well, reporter Steve LaBelle looks at this dilemma. Another good thing... [indecipherable mumbling...] It is a no-win situation for the officer on the street. On the average, every day in this country, two people are killed by the police; but the police say they
are involved in thousands of instances which become violent confrontations. Justice Department information shows 92 officers were killed on the job in 1982 and some 55,000 were assaulted. State Law Enforcement Academy officials tell recruits of another pitfall of the profession. During their career, one in four officers can expect to be sued over the use of force. Nationally, the internal departmental investigations run in the tens of thousands annually, most charges being unfounded. You combat force with like force, in other words, don't overreact to a verbal situation when all you have to use is verbal control. So when we teach that you don't overreact to the situation, that any force use must be justified. The National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies sets no
standard for the use of intermediate force. The standards address only the use of deadly force. Each agency is able to determine its own policy, governing the use of intermediate force. The standards are only clear in the discussion of the use of deadly force, and it's that point the officer must reasonably believe that either life or personal injury, either to himself or someone else, is at stake. In Portland, the Police Internal Investigations Audit Committee looked into 51 complaints against the bureau in the last two and a half years. Twenty nine involve charges of excessive use of force. The suspect determines the amount of force that the officer is to use, or the proper response. Because the bottom line is that the the person being arrested at any point during the confrontation, merely has to say, "OK, I give, I quit, I
will go with you, I will do what you you request". In Oregon, all police and sheriff's department recruits must attend a law enforcement academy for two months of training. Classes include defense tactics and the laws governing the use of force. There are six levels regarding the use of force during an arrest. They range from the mere appearance of an officer and verbal commands, to serious physical force and deadly force. Officers say the classroom training is beneficial but there are no textbook cases on the street. Obviously, one of the most important tools a police officer has is his brain - and as far as resolving situations, his ability to talk and to discuss is probably the single most valuable tool that he has to keep him out of a violent confrontation. Officers agree there is safety in numbers - a call for backup is the best defense to avoid the use of force. Still, some officials believe, only the officer displaying some weapon can defuse a confrontation. Stun
guns have been touted as a strategic panacea. We thought it would be a good answer to, to neutralizing violent subjects without having to do them any serious injury. Hansen and others claim the unit doesn't work on some people.... to use the stand and you have to commit yourself and go in to try to shock someone right above the waist. If you committed yourself in that manner and you go in with your hand and it doesn't work, then you're very vulnerable. Manufacturers of the gun, Nova Technologies of Austin, Texas, claim it is safe and reliable. Operation of the weapon is based on the theory of jumbling all the electrical impulses in the body. Although the Lincoln City Police Department is giving up on the stun gun, the Gresham policemen will add it to their arsenal. Discovery of the police brutality scandal in New York City has boosted the sale of the stun gun. Paradoxically, the California distributor of the gun says
that is so because the victims did not suffer permanent injury. The public is concerned that the use of intermediate force such as the stun gun may result in more incidents of abuse. On the other hand, police are concerned about potential lawsuits, and being the targets of violent offenders. I think it is critical that ??? [unintelligible] what technology can do to people ???. sleep gun. Nationally, even the most contemporary statutes passed by some states, give police wide discretion about the use of force. Police are in a predicament. Make the arrest, protect yourself, but hurt no one. Just about every law enforcement agency investigates incidents of strong physical force. Not only the department, but each officer comes under scrutiny. But apparently there's enough public concern growing now that these other
forms of restraints are coming into question. The officers become reluctant to use adequate force in order to get the job done, and the longer, I don't, it doesn't matter how good you are, the longer you have to fight or wrestle with someone the odds increase that you're going to be injured. When police are compelled to use force, they are routinely reviewed in most modern jurisdictions. If thoughtful and practical guidelines are in place it helps. Everyone needs to know the rules. Without solid training and review procedures, the level of danger increases for everyone. Jim? Long before the printing press, books and manuscripts were reproduced individually by hand, and many manuscripts were decorated by an illuminator. This highly skilled artisan used gold and bright paints to create elaborate letters and miniature pictures. Well today, calligrapher Joyce Graf employs the techniques of illumination, to create new works, similar to those that appeared in handmade
manuscripts, during the Middle Ages. Calligrapher For Joyce Graf is firmly rooted in the 20th century, but she creates art in the style of work done in 14th and 15th century England and France. Graf is an illuminator who uses gold along with paints and inks in making illuminated manuscripts. She's extensively studied the elements of design, as well as the actual techniques necessary to produce modern works in traditional styles. [choir singing] [music] In laying gold, a special base is necessary for the gold to adhere to. She makes this base from a 12th century recipe. The gold itself is little changed from the substance used for centuries by monks during the Middle Ages. This is 24 karat gold leaf that's been pounded thin. [music]
It's very easy to work with. Very easy. And when you begin to burnish it, you get really excited [laughs] because when you put it on it looks dull and when you burnish it the shine comes out. Then it begins to sparkle and then when you put the color next to it, you really get excited. [laughs] The line between past and present blurs as Graf works. While the designs are her own, she utilizes traditional patterns that she's learned of during 20 years of study. I would not change the patterns. I mean I don't think you can improve on those. The apex was reached in the 15th century and they never improved on that. I use the patterns, that were developed by the English and the French, because those are my favorite areas to work in. I take the patterns, and what I mean by pattern, is the way they would use a spray of ivy or the way they would place
flowers, a combination of those things, the border. Patterns that were used and- what you do is you take these things and you try to reproduce- not reproduce- you try to produce a piece that gives the flavor of the traditional presentation by the English or by the French or the Germans- whoever pattern you're- whatever pattern you're using- and still maintain a contemporary flavor in it. Some of them don't work that way, no matter what you do, they're old and they're still beautiful and you love them. Graf seldom exhibits her work but in 1984 she recalled a number of commissioned pieces from private homes to show them at Ben's Frame Design gallery. Sandra Miller initiated that exhibit. She co-owns the gallery with her husband. Miller has been excited about Graf's work since the first example she saw. The gallery owner
has taught art history and studied medieval art at the National Art School in Sydney, Australia and in Europe. She appreciates Graf's work for its direct ties to the past. What's important for me is it's carrying on a very important tradition in visual art. It is keeping alive the integrity of human expression and creative human expression in a pictorial form. And the fact that Joyce has taken the medieval illumination and made it her own and managed to make it valid in the 20th century is very important. An illumination is basically the first letter of a Bible or a Book of Hours was created in the medieval time, the Dark Ages, by monks who were the only ones who kept the heritage of literature and
writing and learning alive. Who knows why the monks put the gold on there- as a chance to enhance the beauty of the letters, for the grace of God? Because their patrons were very wealthy and wanted the best? Because gold reflected light? And in those days you didn't have any electric light or anything like that. It was candle light- lamps. And as soon as the lamp light would flicker over the surface of these, they would be illuminated and stand out very beautiful. The fact that she's taken something that was nearly dead and revived it, I think is very important. Graf explains that the invention of the printing press nearly extinguished the art of illumination along with the need for hand lettering and bookmaking. The letters were developed gradually and by the 13th century they were set and in the style that they are now and also in the
13th century, the book arts, you know, moved out of the monasteries into the secular world. And these workshops didn't have time to design letters anymore. So they used the letters that had already been designed and they used them for three hundred years. It wasn't until the 16th century that calligraphers again began to design letters. But by that time it was too late because the printing- movable type had been designed and was working and the manuscript, the handmade book, was on its way out. I didn't have anything to do with bringing gold leaf back. I mean, that came from England. I do like to think that, some time, someone will pick up what I've done and run with it because I'm not going to be around forever.
And I pick these beautiful patterns to work with because I didn't think it was fair that they should die. [music] Joyce Graf shares her knowledge of illumination with anyone willing to learn. She's taught on and off for years at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts. And this summer, Graf is releasing a book that explains how to lay gold. Intended as a reference for calligraphers and gilders, the manual will be available from the ?Alcoun? press of Tigard. You know, Jim, I was interested in seeing how she uses a plastic straw to channel the moisture from her breath in the illumination process right to the gold. Well, she uses modern materials and modern techniques, but she- the result is that traditional look, that traditional finish. It's beautiful. Well since joining the private sector a few years ago, former Portland mayor and Carter cabinet member Neil Goldschmidt has kept a low profile. Now there's some speculation that
Goldschmidt may run for governor of Oregon next year. We talked with him about his public and private sector experience and his possible political future. As a member of the Carter Administration, did you find it an advantage or a disadvantage coming from Oregon? I think we grow up in Oregon understanding that a government is valuable. We have fair amount of respect for it, but people in Oregon are very self-reliant. They don't really want the government doing everything for them. I always wondered what it would be like being in Washington, in a place in which people come to you depending on you to do things. And I think being there I discovered that being from Oregon probably was an advantage in the sense that we tend to think that there are other ways to do things besides have the government do it. We have a legislature that isn't paid to do it full time. There's this tradition of public service involved in a part-time legislature and it's true for our school boards and for our city councils, for the most part, all over the state.
And I think it was an advantage. How will history view Jimmy Carter? I think it's a little early to say what they're going to say about Jimmy Carter. I really thought he did a lot of right things. In the area in which I worked, I think it's fair to say the inflation rate is down a great deal today because of the deregulation of railroads, of airlines, of trucking, and of oil. But I think currently the perception is that he didn't give a feeling of strength and he didn't deliver a clear message about where we were going. And history isn't treating him right now very kindly. In Oregon today, where is the Democratic leadership? Well this is- it's a state in search of good things. It's not much of a state in search of Eastern politics. I think for most Oregonians that the open primary and easy access, the way we mean it to be easy to public education, both at the college and high school and grade school
level, has always been more important to us than political organization. There haven't been many periods in our history since- certainly since World War Two when either party has been very meaningful in the life of its citizens. In my political party, if you go to the state legislature and look at some of the young talent that has been elected I think that the President of the Senate, John Kitzhaber, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Vera Katz, have had and are having one of the best legislative sessions in history even by the- By the judgment I think of their peers who are in the Republican Party. You have said about the Bud Clark victory here in Portland that it shows that in Oregon anyone can be elected. Would you comment on that please? I think, really, the point was divided in half. One of them is that those of us that are in public office, who have served there, are always reminded by the Oregon voter that we don't own the job. It's something that you--when you think about it is the right way for it to be. It's
very different here than it is in a lot of places. Our voters really do control the people they send into public office. The second thing is that I think we do not have quite such a large predisposition to assume you can't serve if you don't have certain credentials. Bud was one of the best neighborhood activists we have ever had in the city. He's somebody who expressed his commitment to public life in Portland by delivering Meals on Wheels to shut-in elderly people or cooking food in his- in his business for people on Thanksgiving when programs weren't serving food to people. And I think his race proves that if you want it and you're willing to hustle for it and you have a vision about the way things ought to be, people will hear you. No former Portland mayor has ever been elected governor in the state of Oregon. That's right. Why is that- Why would you say that's true? I think first of all, that the mayor's job is to some extent a
burial ground. It is, by the way in my view, the best education in public life anybody could ever get. But I think we have to realize when you run for a job like that, you have to want to do that job and not worry about it too much beyond. And I think that shows when you try to run for other offices. I think the second thing is that it is very obvious that people have always felt in this state that Portland was a big bully, that it got everything it wanted and really disregarded the needs of other people. Will you run for the governorship here in Oregon? I started a rumor that I was interested. What I am doing now is, for the first time since 1976, considering a race for myself. I've campaigned for other people, for the president, for the candidate to my party last time. I worked on a library Levering in Portland but I haven't been out campaigning on my own. And I think if you've ever done it, you understand that it's different than talking about it and
I won't make a decision about whether to do this until I find out two or three things. One, can I do it and feel good about it? Second, is--are the people that I'm coming in contact with reacting in a way that would allow me to develop support and to build the kind of community commitment to my candidacy that if I were lucky enough to be elected I could actually get something done; And the third thing and maybe the most important of all is going through some of this how the ?Margy? and Josh and Becca react to it. If they come away feeling it can be done and still have family time and still participate in the children's activities and ?Margy? and I still have time together then, it's something we could consider. If trying it out makes it clear that I can't manage my life well enough to do it and still keep the family happy, then there's no chance they'll be a campaign. When will you make that announcement? Well, for the- for the good of the process, I'd like to do it as soon as I can because if I'm cluttering up the traffic, then somebody else who might be a good candidate might be thinking maybe they won't
run. I've given myself from now to the 4th of July and the company is allowing me to spend some of my vacation time to go out and talk to people and look around. I think that if I can arrive at a decision, that it's possible by the 4th of July that, we'll go to a second stage which is to ask people if they would actually help between the 4th of July and Labor Day, and if we're the early fall and and then it's a little hard to say. I'm still got lots of things to do here so whatever it is it's not going to take most of my time. I mean I'm still working at Nike and I don't believe it ought to take full time, the elections are a long time away. If you do run, what do you consider the main issues, and how will you address them? Let me take you back. The issue is how do we feel about this place. I was born here in 1940. I have lived most of my life here, although I've had the chance to live overseas and do some other things. The more you are away and the more- I mean when you come back the more you feel
like there's something very unique here and it isn't just physical. I think because of those feelings, you come away with a fairly short list of questions. If we mean to rely on our intelligence to succeed in the next 25 years, in the- in the world that is coming alive, are we really investing in our kids and ourselves the we need to to train ourselves to be ready for it? And I think the answer is probably not. I think education will become the central issue for our success probably in the next 50 years. I suppose the second thing I would say is, we have lived off of our natural resource base almost since the state was discovered. We've cut the trees and dammed the rivers and done whatever we had to do in order to support the progress that we wanted to achieve. We've arrived at a time when it isn't clear that the resource base can afford to support us in the manner to which we have or want to become accustomed. And we need to say we're not going to go out of the timber business. We're not going out of the agriculture
business. We know there's good competition elsewhere, maybe even governments helping their businesses compete against us. We will do whatever is legally appropriate and wise to make sure that our industry survives this and we may have to change radically. We may be able to produce twice the timber with half the labor. If that's what productivity means, that's OK. What's not OK is seeing towns that are closed down. How does the corporate world differ from the world of government service? The pays better. And I think the pay system is set up really to tie directly to a performance result. What have you done here at Nike? The last year and a half has been spent by me negotiating with the Canadian government and distributor to buy the company we own in Canada and I was sent by Nike in as its first president in Canada. A job which will for me, be over by fall. And I'm very proud of the group I work with there. I think, for me, maybe the most exciting
thing is being part of a team that has fought well when it's been winning and I think is doing a lot better as a team. While peoples perceive it as losing, that is we actually had a losing quarter to financial. If you're a Jew; Is that a hindrance when running for state office in Oregon? I would hope it's not an issue. Julius Meyer served in this state in the 30s. I guess it was, and we've had the Neubergers and other people who served. I just assume it is not, although I am very concerned and I'm not the only one. A lot of Christians are concerned about this recent spate of very active and very [inaudible] Nazism by this crew living in Idaho and elsewhere, and I think they're dangerous, not particularly to me necessarily, but I think it's a reminder that there are always some people around that are a little strange. Would you want your children to go into politics? If they wanted to, I guess. The one thing I want them to do is to respect the people who try. I mean, it's such a society of winners, this country, but for every race
somebody wins and somebody loses, and I've had to explain to them I will go through this conversation probably half a dozen more times, your dad could run for governor and very likely could be a loser. Will you think he's a loser? And I don't think they quite understand how quickly you become the day after the elections either the newspapers are full of stories about your family because you won, or you disappear from the pages because you're lost, and in my view, politics and the people who are in it deserve a lot of respect for trying. If you would describe Neil Goldsmith in one word, what word would you use? If somebody were to put something on my tombstone, and it probably wouldn't be one word, it would be he finished when he started. Good interview. He was interesting to talk to and of course it'll be interesting also to see if he runs and if you know ?Paulis? is the Republican, What kind of a race that will be. Well if he isn't running, you know, it's a heck of a trial balloon that he's floating right now but it will be curious to see what kind of support he has after four years of not being in the public eye. She hasn't been in the public eye either and where will the ?Frohnmayer? people go? That's another question in all of this and where
will you go next week? We're going to be right here. We hope you will be too. Good night. Good night.
Series
Front Street Weekly
Episode Number
428
Producing Organization
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Contributing Organization
Oregon Public Broadcasting (Portland, Oregon)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/153-009w0wcr
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Description
Episode Description
This episode features the following segments. The first segment, "Steps of Force," looks at the ongoing issue of police brutality. The second segment, "Illuminator," is an interview with illuminator and calligrapher Joyce Grafe about her illumination techniques. The final segment, "Going Public," is an interview with otherwise reclusive politician Neil Goldschmidt.
Series Description
Front Street Weekly is a news magazine featuring segments on current events and topics of interest to the local community.
Broadcast Date
1985-05-28
Created Date
1985-05-24
Copyright Date
1985-00-00
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Magazine
News Report
News
Topics
Local Communities
Crafts
News
News
Politics and Government
Law Enforcement and Crime
Rights
Right: An Oregon Public Broadcasting Presentation c. 1985, all rights reserved.
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:29:04
Embed Code
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Credits
Anchor: Swenson, Jim
Anchor: Booth, Gwyneth Gamble
Director: Graham, Lyle
Executive Producer: Graham, Lyle
Producing Organization: Oregon Public Broadcasting
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB)
Identifier: 113081.0 (Unique ID)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Original
Duration: 00:27:27:00
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Front Street Weekly; 428,” 1985-05-28, Oregon Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 29, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-153-009w0wcr.
MLA: “Front Street Weekly; 428.” 1985-05-28. Oregon Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-153-009w0wcr>.
APA: Front Street Weekly; 428. Boston, MA: Oregon Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-153-009w0wcr