Letters to the Editor

[October 15th, 2003] WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER VALIUM

Nick Budnick's cover story "Black and Blue" [WW, Oct. 1, 2003) leads with the question, "Can Portland's new police chief calm the community where he grew up?" Calm the community? In other words, can the black Derrick Foxworth quell Portland's uppity Negroes? What Portland's African-American community needs is not to be calmed, but rather to be protected and served.

I would like to blame Mr. Budnick's unfortunate wording on sloppy diction, but, in fact, it is precisely this type of subtly (or not so subtly) symbolic language which is so emblematic of contemporary race relations in America. For 300 years, African Americans have been feared by the white majority. The popular notion among the majority attributes this fear to some inherent criminality on the part of African Americans. As such, the interface between policing and racial tension in America is (in general) characterized by fear rather than duty.

Of course, in truth, the real fear has always been that African Americans will one day rise up against the establishment, to break the chains that continue to bind us in a kind of psychological and economic slavery. And so, the police are faced with a fundamental conflict: how to maintain the social order (i.e., "calm" African-American stirrings, in the name of the status quo), and simultaneously protect and serve the African American community? In a just society we would not be asking whether Derrick Foxworth can calm the black community, but rather, can he affect the conditions which lead to unequal treatment of African Americans by Portland police?

Cliff Coleman
North Humboldt Street

YOUR TRASH IS MY ART

Regarding your critique of Trash Art (Music listings, Oct. 8, 2003): Go see these guys live before you pass judgment on them. They're unbelievable in person. Granted, their CD has less energy than their live show; however, go see their show before passing judgment. They've added another guitarist that contributes more depth and another layer to their sound. Not that their sound wasn't good before, but now they've found whatever element it is that makes them a true "group." None of the parts individually is as great as the sum. Take one away, and it's just not the same. These guys are classically trained musicians, and it shows with their tempo and key changes that are worlds away from what is the norm in today's "popular" music. (I, for one, love them for this.) They don't try to market themselves to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but keep their standards and expectations of themselves uncompromised.

Wendy Balam
Vancouver, Wash.