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daily nebraskan
monday, april 13, 1981
Grass-roots democracy conquers Big Business
Democracy is a funny thing. Nothing down
right hilarious mind you, but always a fascinating
study.
Take last week's city elections. The Northeast
Radial again was voted down, and as precinct
statistics were tallied and chronicled, the old local
power structure became vividly obvious. The
Northeast Radial, as the name so cleverly
suggests, would have eased traffic in Northeast
Lincoln and provided a short cut to (ornhusker
Highway and Interstate 80.
Did the people of Northeast Lincoln want the
Radial? No. flow about the university district, the
Malone and West Clinton neighborhoods, where
the actual asphalt would be laid? Nope. Woods
Park? Havelock? Meadow Lane? Downtown? Air
Park? Uh, huh. In fact, out of 177 precincts, only
28 favored the radial by a majority.
So who did want the Northeast Radial? South
east Lincoln of course, the area farthest removed
from the road's perceived benefits. One of only
three pro-radial blocs actually north of O Street
was Capital Beach. What does that neighborhood
have in common with southeast Lincoln way
across town? Very simply: money.
The radial was really a pro-business issue under
neath that claims of saving everybody gasoline
and time. What's good for business is good for a
city's economic elite, who often face frustration
at election time when they find their votes are no
more powerful than anyone else's.
The people of north Lincoln, long the eco
nomic underdogs in the city, can be understand
ably wary when listening to a south Lincoln
businessman extolling the virtues of the road
way. Lspecially when the radial is going to serve
his south Lincoln interests during such critical
times as the mad rush to get to a Havelock steak
house after football games.
The upper levels of a community most ol ten
wield the greatest share of power, but in elections
such as last week, the voters can command a tre
mendous voice. The pro-radial faction now may
be grumbling quietly about how backward a town
is that would refuse such an obvious convenience.
They may be right. It is very likely the radial
would aid traffic How and get many citizens
where they want to go faster.
Hut perhaps, just perhaps, many people in
Lincoln voted down the radial because they did
not like to see neighborhoods unsettled and pave
ment take the place of yards. Perhaps it's a bit of
Midwestern ruralism showing through: "Heck, we
can get along just fine as we are. And if the folks
over there in south Lincoln are so all-fired con
cerned about us, why in blazes don't they come
and chew the fat with us more often?" Whatever
it was, it was refreshing.
But as stated earlier. Democracy's a funny
thing. In the simultaneous City Council elections,
the top three vote-getters were pro-radial candi
dates. This is not as incongruous as it appears.
When it comes to certain local issues, voters are
not always Republican, Democrat, liberal, con
servative, business or labor, but instead pro
citizenself. Maybe we're just a naive little Midwestern
town. Look at Washington for contrast. There, a
man named James Watt, in an unelected position,
has been making environmental decisions that
make the Northeast Radial look like a memo.
And no citizen is allowed to vote on the conse
quences. The democratic system begins to falter
here, as we see a man catering to a grossly self
serving minority on matters that dwarf our con
cerns here in one city. We aren't allowed to vote
on whether we want our national parks turned
over to private enterprise, or whether we want to
see off-shore oil drilling on scenic coastline.
We can't vote on individual national policies, so
what's a citizen to do? Well. I guess that's up to
us.
Casey McCabe
Impetuous reporter finds injustice the hard way
Washington -Every year at this time,
ambitious and well-educated college seniors
drop by our office searching for jobs in
journalism. Most of them seek nothing less
than an opportunity to find the vice presi
dent at a downtown strip joint, or a presi
dential assassin.
Few of the journalism grads we've met
this year are interested in what Detroit
News Editor Bill Giles described as the
starting, $190-a-week newspaper job.
shearer
"The editor will put the selected new
comer to work writing weather stories,
weddings and obituaries until somebody
decides the newcomer can be trusted to
handle bigger things. Like a good fire,"
writes Giles.
The historically poor treatment of
spirited young reporters often drives them
to other professions such as public rela
tions, advertising or to graduate school.
Yet, after learning of the long hours,
stressful working conditions and financial
shortcomings, a few young reporters stil!
try to make it big without chasing ambu
lances. Jon Lee Anderson, 23. is one young
journalist who got tackled trying to make
an end run on the profession.
Bored by the monotony of undergradu
ate life, the tall, curly-haired Anderson
dropped out of the University of Florida
during his sophomore year in 1978. The
son of a retired Foreign Service officer,
he'd always had an appetite for travel, hav
ing been raised in a half-dozen countries.
Soon the romantic Anderson made his
way to Honduras and then Peru. There, in
the capital city of Lima, he noticed the in
justices in Peruvian society and asked the
Associated Press and the English-speaking
Lima Times if he could write about them.
Like most inquisitive and experienced
reporters, however, Anderson let his
impetuousity get the best of him.
Last spring, he accompanied the Peru
vian Investigative Police (PIP) on a
narcotics raid in the countryside. The
police were seeking coca growers whose
crops arc processed into cocaine for export
to the United States.
Anderson's story on the raid for the
Lima Times insinuated that some
of the Peruvian police department were
"on the take."
While strolling with his Peruvian fiance
just weeks before his scheduled .lunc
wedding, Anderson was stopped by immi
gration police. Lacking his travel docu
ments, the young reporter was held in a
downstairs lobby while the immigration
authorities ransacked his apartment. They
returned from his room carrying a gun and
a half-kilogram of cocaine.
Anderson, who claimed the items
weren't his, was dragged off with his girl
friend to the high-secuiity Pentera Rosa
jail. According to a family member, who
later visited him. Anderson was beaten,
hung from a pulley b Ins wrists and given
electric shocks to his genitals and nipples.
Guards had boon under orders to obtain a
confession In an means.
"Jon signed the confession after six
das ot torture." said one lamily member.
"His girlfriend. Juana. was also being held.
He thought they were going to kill her un
less he signed."
Alter "confessing." Anderson was trans
ferred to the Lorigancho prison, a medium
security structure outside of Lima. Doctors
who examined him there found injuries to
his back. legs, arms and head.
Today Anderson shares a cell with 16
other prisoners. He complains of sli vering
in salty water and of sharing three oilets
with 500 other men in his pnso' .v.
Sometime later this month, ai.iKu a
year after his arrest. Jon Lee Anderson will
be brought to trial. If convicted, he could
receive anywhere from 2 to 15 years in pri
son. Anderson's relatives contend he was
framed b the Peruvian police for his un
flattering articles. And sources within our
own Drug Enforcement Administration
even say "it looks like a setup."
"Look at this case seriously." said one
DEA source. "The Peruvian immigration
officers never arrest anyone on the street. I
know because I helped train some of them.
They probably got this guy Anderson as a
favor to the civil police."
Fortunately. Peru is one of six countries
that exchanges prisoners with the United
States. Anderson may be luckier than most
of the thousands of Americans now jailed
elsewhere in the world.
Yet the State Department has done
little to pressure the Peruvians for a quick
trial. Embassy officials in Lima who've
seen Anderson recently wouldn't even talk
to us about his condition.
Nevertheless. Jon Lee Anderson is still
writing articles from prison, having learned
the hard way why young reporters are kept
under wraps.
Ernest Hemmingway may have stated
Anderson's case best in A Tarcwell to
Anns: "If people bring so much courage to
this world the world has to kill them to
break them, so of course it kills them ... It
kills the very good and the very gentle and
the very brave impartially. If you are none
of these you can be sure that it will kill
you too. but there will be no special
huny ."
(c) 1981 Field Enterprises, Inc.
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