Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Sept. 15, 1979, edition 1 / Page 1
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DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENT DURHAM NC 27706 PER COPY 3m 'PEBCOPy. ' i. :USPS 091-380 Words of Visdca It's good to have money and the thing? that money can buy, but its' good, too, to check mp once ia a while and make sore yon haven't lost the things that money can't buy. G.H., Lorimer VOLUME 57 - NUMBER 36 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1979 TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 39 CENTS How Many More TrialL How Many More Years? The National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression announced to day an urgent public march and rally, Satur day, September 29 in Newark, N.J., for the freedom of Alliance Ex ecutive Board member George Merritt and his co defendant Gail Madden, incarcerated for over nine years in New Jersey prisons. Speaking on behalf of the National Alliance will be the organization's co-chair Angela Davis. NAARPR Executive Secretary Charlene Mit chell, in announcing the march, stated, "eleven years after the incident in Hainfield, the racism and lack of equality which characterized -the entire trial is still evident. Two innocent people remain in prison, still suffering as victims of crimes actually commited by society. George Merritt, despite three trials in which con victions were over-turned twice, is now appealing to the Federal District Court. He and his co-defendant, Gail Madden face life terms because of the con tinued racism in the court system of the inflamatory and deadly attitude of the N.J. Policemens Benevolent Association, which continually harass ed Merritt when he was briefly out on bail. We must demand, after all these years, an end to this racism, the restoration of human rights in the State of New Jersey ,and the freedom of political prisoners George Merritt and Gail Madden." An international team of jurists visited Merritt and Madden to discuss their case in early August of this year. Sponsored by the National Alliance, Na tional Conference of Black Lawyers and United Church of Christ- Commission for Racial Justice, the jurists were in vestigating charges set forth by the above-named organizations in a Petition to the United Nations charging human rights violations in the U.S. In a report on their findings, the jurist stated: "In our view, having discussed the matters alleged in detail with Mr. Merritt and his highly experienced trial at torney (Morton Stavis, Esq.) there are substantial grounds for believing that he and Gail Madden were arbitrarily selected for prosecution because of their racial and economic status." The persecution of Mer ritt and Madden grew out of events in Plainsfield in 1967. After brutally at tacking Black youths, the police cordoned off the Black community of that city. A white policement entered the area, shot and critically wounded an unarmed Black youth and was beaten to death by community residents. Dozens of people were in dicted; George Merritt and Gail Madden were convicted of the offense. An applellate judge, in overturning the convic tion, stated the defendants were tried in an "atmosphere to convict"; the court also held the on ly "eyewitness" against Merritt was "unreliable" and his testimony "flimsy and questionable." , "The March," Ms. Mit chell continued, "will begin at 10:UU a.m. at Military Park in Newark. We urge all concerned with human rights to join us in New Jersey on September 29!" For more information, call NAAR PR, (212) 243-8555. Durham City School Board Lists Six Black Candidates t. . ..- t Three of the Six Are Incumbents Luncheon For Nominee NEW YORK Donald McHenry (R) shakes hands with U.N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim as outgoing ambassador Andrew Young (C) looks on at luncheon in McHenry's honor at the U.S. Mission hosted by Young after President Carter an nounced he had nominated McHenry to replace Young as ambassador to the United Nations. Career diplomat McHenry has been Young's top assistant at the U.N. post. UPI Photo Bon Chavis Personally Presented The Lefelier-rJloffiff Auard By Pat Bryant Reverend Benjamin Chavis was personally presented the Letelier- ' Moffitt Award by the widowwidower, respec tively, of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt Sunday at Russell Memorial CME Church in Durham. The imprisoned Wilmington Ten defendant was also presented a textile pat chwork of a church with different races attending, a present from Chilean women, many of whom have husbands, brothers and parents kidnapped by the Pinochet regime. "I will not rest, I will not sleep, I will not bow down until the people of Chile are free," Chavis responded after receiving the award. Chavis is a prisoner at the Orange County Prison Unit in Hillsborough. He spoke before the award as a part of his study program at Duke Divinity School, where he studies daily. He returns to prison every evening. The same award was presented to his mother in Washington, D.C., last year. Prison authorities refused to let him travel to Washington to receive it. Orlando Letelier was a former Chilean am bassador to the United States and an outspoken leader of Chilean exiles opposing the military dic tatorship of Gen. Augusto , Jiriochet, who overthrew Xhile's democratically elected government in 1973. Letelier and Ronni Moffitt, in whose names the award was established, were coworkers at the In stitute for Policy Studies, an independent research institute. They were riding to work when a bomb planted in Letelier's car exploded. A U.S. Senate report prepared this sum mer concluded the CIA knew Letelier was on the Chilean secret police "hit Tex. Sheriff Indicted For Assault A Texas sheriff was in dicted by a federal grand jury recently on a charge of striking a man who was visiting his brother in the Starr County jail. Attorney General Ben jamin R, Civiletti said the indictment was returned in U.S. District Court in Brownsville, Texas, against Depty Sheriff Leonel R. Alvarez. Alvarez was charged with striking Rolando Vela on November 26, 1977, violating his con stitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law. The maximum penalty upon conviction of' deprivation of rights (18 U.S. Code 242) is one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. list" and did not prevent his death. Before presenting the award, both Michael Mof fitt and Mrs. Isabel Letelier told of current conditions in Chile. Each told of how thousands of Chileans who have oppos ed the Pinochet regime have been kidnapped, im prisoned, or murdered. Thirty thousand people, said Mrs. Letelier, have disappeared since 1973. To bring attention to the missing relatives, a hunger strike is in progress in San tiago, she says, and was in its sixth day. "There are many parishes in Santiago and several other provinces of the country that have hunger strikers and they are in their sixth day of hunger strikes," Mrs. Letelier said. "They are very weak but extremely determined not to leave those churches until the whereabouts of the prisoners are known." On September 4, she said, 400 people were arrested at a march commemorating the election of Salvador Allende's government in 1970. Since the overthrow of the Allende government, it is no secret that repression is terrible and ideas are persecuted in Chile. "Ideas like freedom, peace, dignity, human rights, are very bad words there, and you can be kill ed for defending those words," said Mrs. Letelier Continued on Page 13 Six black candidates have filed for seats on the Durham City School Board. Three of the six are incumbents, in a race which will surely focus on the current racial make-up of the 4-1 majority black board, a declining enroll ment, and a high drop' out .-;rate. . Only . oneinct4$benjt . T Dr. Theodore Speigner, did not file for re-election. The Carolina Times has substantiated the report that the Durham Commit tee on the Affairs of Black People has endorsed the candidacies of Mrs. Josephine Clement, John' Lennon, Dr. Thomas Bass, incumbents, and Mrs. Trellie Jeffers. William Lawrence and Mcs. Betty , Massenberg are also black. White can didates are Martin Pier , son, James Roger Lumley and incumbent board member, Dr. Robert Ghirardelli. Mrs. Josephine Clement indicated she had filed "because of my love for children, my dedication to quality education, and my loyalty to the City of Durham." She has served two terms (appointed to' serve one unfulfilled term) on the board. Mrs. Trellie Jeffers is a former North Carolina Central University instruc tor, with thirteen years of teaching experience. She has been a community worker for six years. Mrs. Betty Massenberg, a retired- school ad - ministrator; -"boasts 23" years in service before she retired in 1978. She is now a teacher at Durham Technical Institute. Mrs. Massenberg says "my thirty years coupled with the fact that I presently teach dropouts of Durham City and County schools, as well as other school systems, gives me a unique advantage in recognizing problems, offering solu tions and contributing to the continuing improve ment of the Durham City School System." William Lawrence is a counseling psychologist at the Environmental Protec tion Agency, in the Research Triangle Park. He has been very critical of the present board say ing they are too involved in administrative decisions. 'St If, 4 Volunteer Workers Tag Students COLUMBUS, Ohio Volunteer workers tag students with their bus number for the return trip home as they arrive at Alpine Elementary School for the start of school and court-ordered busing. . UPI Photo Economic Leaders Unite To Protect P.L. 99-507 WASHINGTON, D.C. For the first time in the history of the civil and economic rights the leaders of National minority trade and profes sional associations have united to attack the evils hindering minority economic development. TJhe National Association of Black Manufacturers, with other minority organizations, has formed an official body entitled the "Economic Rights Coalition." The first task of the Coalition has been to re quest a meeting with President Carter and his top White House ad ministrators in an effort to ' resolve the inability and unwillingness of Federal Agencies to implement Public Law 95-507. , . P.L. 95-507 is the first minority enterprise legisla tion signed into law by President Carter last Oc tober. Main points of the law include: reorganiza tion of the SBA 8(a) pro gram; filing of a subcon tracting plan for prime contractor indicating, percentage utilization of minority firms on non construction pro curements of $500,000 andabove; and conferral of bond waiving authority to the SBA under terms of a two-year pilot program. The Coalition is seek ing, with the assistance of Congress, meaningful solutions to the gross number of problems con cerning federal programs designed to foster the development and viability of minority business. In a letter to the President, Congressmen Parren Mit chell (D.MD), Joseph Ad-; dabbo (D.NY) strongly support the need of such a body of organizations to trigger needed results as a means of implementing the law.. Suggestions have been made that, if needed, the White House, should consider, removal of cer tain federal administrators andor their top aides. "We join with NABM in this request that you and your senior staff meet with representatives from the Economic Rights Coalition. The difficulties of the last ten months in dicate that direction must now come front the highest levels of govern ment," said the Con gressmembers. Eugene Baker, Presi dent of NABM, expressed his grave, concern to the President over the open Continued On Page 14 Carter Picks Two Blacks For District Judgeships WASHINGTON, D.C. President Jimmy Carter has announced he will nominate Alcee L. Hastings of Lauderhill, Florida, to be U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Florida. This is a new judgeship. Hastings is a judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County, Florida. He received a B.A. from Fisk' University in 1958 and an LL.B. from Florida A&M University in 1963. From 1964 to 1967 Hastings was with the firm of Allen & Hastings, and from 1967 to 1977 he was in private practice in Fort Lauderdale. He has been a judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court since 1977. The President also an nounced he will nominate Nathaniel R. Jones, of Youngstown, Ohio, to be U.Si circuit judge for the Sixth Circuit. He would replace John W. Peck, who has retired. . Jones is general counsel of the NAACP. He was born May 13, 1926, in Youngstown; Ohio. He received a B.A. -(1951) and LL.B. (1956) from Youngstown Univer sity. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1945 to 1946. ' From 1957 to 1960 Jones was editor and publisher of The Buckeye Review. He was in private practice from 1960 to 1962, and was assistant U.S. attorney for the Nor thern District of Ohio from 1962 to 1967. Jones as with the Kener Commission in 1967 and 1968. He practiced with the firm of Goldberg & Jones in 1968 and 1969. He has been general counsel of the NAACP since 1969, and has been "of counsel" in the firm Breckenridge & Haynes since 1969. Join Tho NAACP It's Tho Thing To Do! New Durham Supt. To Be Honored Sunday, September 16 will be a special day for . Dr. Cleveland Ham monds, newly appointed . .Superintendent of Durham City Schools. A Program and Reception is being planned to honor Dr. Hammonds at Rogers Herr Junior High School, 911 W. Cornwallis Road in Durham at 6 p.m. The keynote address will be given by Dr. Jerome Melton, pputy Superintendent o(iorth Carolina Department of Public Instruction. His subject will be: "The Challenge Facing Public Education in North Carolina in the 80Y Leaders in education, government, business civil, social, and religious organizations from throughout the State will be present to welcome Dr. . Hammonds and his family to Durham. The Recep- tion will follow the pro-' gram in the cafeteria of the schooL The public U , urged to attend and par ticipate in another ."Durham First,
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Sept. 15, 1979, edition 1
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