inside. , . . .
fr i Durham jail a routine affair, or a pass- i
- ing fancy? Page 3 .
Black Republicans beckon brothers to party of
Lincoln ' 1 -pagej
oo airf vVteo jfamfi battle for quarters and rU
the computer is winning , Page 8
Local cops told to stop writing tickets for cars
in loading zones f j b. "
" - . . . ;;; ii.v ;;.. urc o .
Duke University Library
Newspaper Departrnent
Durham NC 27706
. . . .
MM
Words Of Wisdom
; A pradent person profits from personal ev
, perience,, a wise one from the experience of .
others. . ' r. -
Joseph CoRhu, M.D.
The'only people who make ao mistakes arc
oead people
Rev. Henry Afford Porter
' I ism . . m a a . I
, , (USPS 091-380) .. J kcv. iienry Aiioro rorwr I
VOLUME 60 NUMBER 34 - . .. - DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY, AUGUST 28. 1982 , ' TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 ' PRICE; 33 tENTS
' J irrmmmiiim im irmnmniiniiiHiimw- in mum ' ' ' '""""T . ""' " ' . r"
Johnson Moves Oh
By Donald Alderman '
Judge Clifton E.
Johnson likes his work;;
"I've 1 always wantedv
to be in the judiciary,"-?
, says Johnson,-who was -the
state's first resident '
Superior Court judge., '
"It's where I can serve as '
a role model for our
young people and, of
'course, it's exciting."
The 40 year old judge
will take a seat on the
N.C. Court of Appeals
August 30. Gov. James
B. ' Hunt Jr. appointed
Johnson to the twelve- ,
member court after the
governor k appointed
Judge Harry C. Martin,
then an appeal court
judge, to the state
Supreme Court. The
N.C. Court of Appeals
f hears cases on appeal
irom ine state s superior
. Courts. v,
Johnson's friends and
colleagues lay he's;, the
man for the job. ' t 5
"He was always a very,
serious minded person,
"' V w ' 1 " 1" "
HI "MMM I. II 1, jiJlii
. Making Johnsons
decision a little more dif-
ftcult was the "uprm in .- : By Donald Alderman
experiences : mat a dibck ; WARRENTON :
serving as a superior.;.'. Uriexcited by the pfo-
court Judge gave , the of voting for either
slaw. ;.Mjrs u iicicu or tne white cancjjdates
citizens and jurors have runnina for Concress in
more confidence irt the
criminal justice system.
But he conceded that ser
ving on the appeals court
should also help the in
tegrity of the judicial
process.
Helping the courts
become more ' represen
tative of all the people
motivated , ; Johnson
before he came to N.C. '
College (now N.C. Cen
tral University) back in'
1961.
vtne second District, a
district-wide black
i organization recently
- launched a write-in cam
paign to elect H.M.
"Mickey" Michaux to
- Congress.
" Saying ""we have no
other choice" members
; of the 2nd Congressional
District Black Caucus
voted unanimously
Saturday to initiate "a
well-coordinated effort
Hinton and Johnny
"Red" Williams. ,
The Durham Commit
tee, as did all the coifnty
groups represented in the
caucus, supported
Michaux unequlvocably
from the time he an
nounced for the office
until July 27 when
Michaux lost his bid to
become the state's first
black congressman since
1901.
In the July runoff elec
tion, where voting went
largely along racial lines,
I.T Valentine beat
Michaux by nearly
10,000 votes.
Valentine, a Nash
County Democrat whom
many of Michaux's sup
porters call "a
Republican in
d i sg u i s e , " f a c e s
Republican Jack Marin
of Durham in
November.
But now, he also faces
1 the caucus and its plans
to convince Second
District voters tp write-in
Michaux's name.
According to caucus
members, several factors;
i brought about the write-
in effort: ;
For one, they say,
'voters throughout the
district want to vote for
Michaux a third time. '
Dr James P. Green of
Henderson ; said the!
Vance County Black
Caucus conducted an in
' formal survey which
showed that Michaux
could win a well coor
dinated write-in cam
continued on Page 6),.
' to get Michaux elected".
While attending high ? ' The organization's ef
school M , his native fort reflects a growing
Williamston', a. .small , disenchantment among
eastern town , , in rural fe,ack voters with 1 the
Martin County about 60" Democratic Party, and a
Many Voters Back
Michaux Write-In
District Court."
said Charles Daye, dean said, "I would often hire
of the NCCU law schdol, Johnson on a per day
Judge Johnson -
Read' into place. ,4f fiappened
to be in the right place at
the right time, Johnson
says '-'v..
Ater prosecuting
District Court cases in
; Mecklenburg County for
about a year.,. Johnson
was appointed to the
Judge Milton Read, a hadn't appropriated the District Court bench
Durham County District f money for the extra posi- ': there. Later he was pro
Court Judge,, describes tion,; Read said. At that fmotedUo chief District
Johnson as an "excellent time , the District : At-u Coyrt judge. In 1977,
person." . "I couldn't omeysf didji'tf ha;-Gov Hunt appointed
think of a more deserv- severat assistants arid Ion-Johnson to the Superior
.WOurt oencn.jA'.'!:
'worked
noting that - he
remembers Johnson
from the college days.
Johnson graduated from
the predominantly black
law school in 1967.
basis to help out with the
heavy case load."
Johnson wanted to
work as a District Court
prosecutor full time but
!;. the; General Assembly
miles east of Raleigh.
Johnson says he learned
about a program at N.C
College that would allow
, him to attend law school
after three ;: years of
undergraduate work.
Johnson . 'chose that
route.
His parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Charlie M.
Johnson, encouraged
him to take that; route,'
along with his aunt - and .
uncle, Mr. . and Mrs
John Mason of Durham.v
with whom Johnson
traditional reluctance to
side with the
Republicans. It also
shows that some black
voters in the district are
prepared to ignore the
Democratic Party's cry
jfor "unity" in favor of
what they perceive to be
' in their political best in
terest .
Questioned about the
'write-in effort, N.C.'"
'.Democratic Party Chair
'man Russell Walker of
' ? a i I ; j i .i i
mncDoro saiu tic ininKS
the effort is contrary to
and
By Donald Alderman .
Many voters across the
Second Congressional
District responded . with
jubilance over the deci
sion by a district wide
group to launch a write
in0 campaign for H.M.
"Mickey" Michaux.
"I was going to write
in his name anyway,"
said a happy Durhamite,
William Frederick, 25, a
NCCU graduate and
Research Triangle Park
employee. "But I'm
thrilled to see some
organization to the
movement. This is what
. ing person to sit on the Iw prosecuted felony -
court of appeals." ! J' cases in Superior- Courts Waving
Johnson-s'relafiorishiD ufaTrieffd of KmwrVmWW
staved (tnrina hU civ War - Michaux's wishes
ot school. ; , r-,u . ; tne people want and I
rw'vwv -w. ; KCDuoucan canaiaaie
complished the arduous
feat back in 1898.
But the decision pro
bably will not be sup
ported by all. It is ex
pected to cause a rumble
in the Democratic Party
because some say with
blacks still behind
Michaux, Marin stands a
better chance to win.
But apparently black
leaders see the situation
somewhat differently.
Nine of the ten counties
reported that the
grassroot sentiment is to
write-in Michaux; and
they added that it would
be more of a. liability to
go against that sentiment
ties are Caswell,
Durham, Edgecombe,
Granville, Halifax, Per
son, Vance, Wilson,,
Nash and Warren, and
O'Neal Township in
Johnston County.
Michaux, a former
local prosecutor, three
term state legislator,
U.S. Attorney and
businessman, lost his bid
to be nominated as the
Democratic candidate in
a second primary runoff
to IX Valentine, a Nash
County lawyer.
Now Valentine faces
Republican Jack Marin
oi uurnam as wen as
Mtcnaux supporters.
with Read started in 1968, Mecklenburg County
while Johnson was work-. Solicitor as i District
ing with the Durham law; Court prosecutors were
ffil ": . n?s flection. r CS vSed:&S &1MV A" A '
firm of Pearson;
Malone, Johnson, De
Jarmon and Spaulding. '
Johnson , was doing
defense work but he
tecame interested in prosecution.
' "When I was the only; got the job: ;
person prosecuting From that ; point on
misdemeanor cases in Johnson's career just fell
- called in , those days
who needed an assistant.
, So Read recommended
Johnson. i
Johnson said it was
largely due to Read's
recommendation that he
thirteen years made
Johnson's decision of aC
cepting the appointment
on the court of appeals a
little difficult,
t "Besides leaving a
position that I enjoy
tremendously," Johnson
said'I'm somewhat
saddened by the fact that
we'll be leaving behind
many friends,, acquain
tances and associates."
him to Durham where
he, his wife, Brenda, and
twelve year old son, Clif
ton Jr., will live, which is
about twenty.miles from
his new job, In Raleigh.
Johnson's eighteen year
old daughter, Yolanda,
will attend : Charlotte's
Central Piedmont Com
munity College " in
September.
Mann
Say
s He Won't
To Helms' Tune
March
By Joseph Green
According to his top
campaign aides, if Jack
Marin is elected to the
?slonal seat in the fall, he
will not' be a clone of
Jesse Helms, the .senior
conservative , senator
from North Carolina,
nor. will Marin dance to
any tune whistled by the
powerful Congressional
Club, the conservative
political lobby that is
backing his candidacy.
f "Jack Marin will not
jump every time that
Jesse Helms calls," said
campaign aide Mike
Harrell. "Jack is going
to be his own man.
Anyone who knows Jack
knows that for certain."
; Marin, 38, a native of
Pennysylvania and a
i . - . - r rx. . l -
University
undergraduate and law
school"?, did not accept
the support of the Con
gressional Club until the
first part of June, Har
rell said. -:
- "Jack met with Con
gressional Club officials
in Raleigh,'' said Har-
l rell. "He wanted to
make certain that both
the club and our cam
paign understood each
Other."
There are no Congres
sional Club v.; staff
members on Marin's
staff and their promary
role is raising money for.
i the candidate. The club,
$300,000 for his bid
against the Democratic
nominee, Nashville at
torney IX Valentine.
Already, images of the
two candidates have
emerged in the cam
paign. Marin is known as
the only candidate who
can "slam dunk" a
basketball, while the
roly-poly looking Valen
tine, who has not been
on a basketball court in
years strikes an Alfred
Hitchcock-looking pose
for the television
cameras. One of his staff
aides has dubbed him the
"professor."
Some black
Republicans, who say
that they like Jack
Marin, are uncomfor
table with his alliance
with the Congresional
Club and say that they
are not going to support
him. -;;'-,
The . Congressional
Club i anti-black," said
Lenzie Barnes, a black
Republican in Durham,
who is a veteran of party
politics. "Anybody who
sides with them is not on
my side or the side of any
black people."
According to Harrell,
Barnes is wrong. He says
that the Congressional
Club is not anti-black
and 'that Marin is
"definitely" not anti
black. Valentine, : ; who
desperately needs the
support oi tne district's
establishes standards and
guidelines that states
must abide by to protect
to the rights of minority
voters.
Harrell said that
Marin was opposed to'
"big brother" type roles
tthat the government
. plays. '
He added that Marin
believes that all citizens
have a fundamental right
to vote, but that the
voting rights legislation,- states should run their
but only because the vntinu nmcerlures
federal government was
involved in it. Harrell
said that Marin is against
Marin would protect, the
voting rights of- black
(Continued on Page 8)
But caucus : members,
representing ' r black
political organizations
from the district's ten
counties, said the write
in effort reflects the sen
timents of nearly all who
voted for Michaux on
two previous occasions.
" We're not here at the
request of Mickey,"said
Frank W. Ballance, a
Warrenton lawyer. "The
. voters in the second
district should make the
decision." ,
Durham's member in
the caucus is the Durham
Committee on the Af
fairs of Black People.
The district's ten coun
ties : are Caswell,
Durham, Edgecombe,
Halifax, Granville, Per
son,;t,;Vance, Warren,
Nash and Wilson.
Members of the
Durham Committee at
the meeting were chair
man Willie Lovett,
political chairman Dr.
Lavonia Allison, Larry'
Caucus "''-; -f voted
unanimously in a special
Saturday meeting to in
itiate a well-coordinated
effort to get Michaux
elected as the state's first .
black congressman since
George White ac-
V
Democrats.
The Caucus' members
include black groups
from the district's ten
counties, such as the
Durham Committee on
the Affairs of Black Peo
ple. The district's coun-
July 27 runoff election.
v And that has many
voters jumping out of
their socks.
"It's about time that
blacks stand up and be
recognized," said" Ms.
(Continued on Page 8)
Optimism
Wanes As City
Contract Draws To A Close
By Donald Alderman
Ervin Allen, Jr., ex
ecutive director of the
Durham Business and
Professional - Chain,
started his job five mon
ths ago optimistic about
the prospects of helping
eight victims of
Durham's urban renewal
program.
But with about one
month left on the
$40,000 city government
contract, Allen expresses
the same frustration that
the eight businesses did
when the Chain entered
into the contract.
"I've been personally
disappointed in the lack
of foresight and plann
ing on the part of the ci
ty (," Allen said in a re
cent interview. "Without
year old municipal
headache in six
months1?" From the
beginning the Chain had
a tough assignment.:
So much so that the
Chain might ' well have
been asked to build a
involving the relocatees mouse without a founda-
from the beginning, it's jtion.
almost impossible to get "I assumed the
what needs to be done in
six months."
Six months ago the
eight relocatees sounded
a similar note: "How
can the Chain solve a 20
groundwork was basical
ly laid," Allen said.
"But what I found was a
lot of reluctance,
mistrust and bad feel
(Continued on Page 2)
itself, will not give any 4 black voters if he is to
major money, ,y narreu win the election, s said
Tatum Named AM NEWS
Board Chairman
said, , but its members
and ' supporters will
mostly likely contribute.
Marin is tryina raise
mat Mann was against
the Voting Rights Act.
Davie Street Presbyterian Church Day campers
Durham native,
Wilbert .(Bill) Tatum was
last week named Chair
man of the Board of the
Amsterdam News, New
York's principal black
newspaper. A part owner
, of the newspaper, he had
served as a board vice
chairman.
Tat urn's newspaper
career goes back to the
1930's when his father,
the late Eugene Tatum
worked at The Carolina
; Times under the steward-1
ship of its founder, the
Jate Louis E. Austin.
- Tatum , recently
reflected upon those,
roots in a telephone con
versation with the
' newspaper. ;
; "I wish my dad was
alive to share this ac-.
complishment with me,"
. Tatum said. "This was,
. his dream."
J- A Hillside High
School graduate who
holds several ' college
degrees, Tatum moved
I to New York in the 50s.
:
Some Ralciiih younnstcrs and the staff of the Ifcivle Slret't Prrshvlorian Church DatumD oroeram who V15 career began to take
legislation passed by the ' navf spent the summer in cultural and physical enrichment activities designed to assist and guide youth in
U,S; - Congress that i selecting values by which their behavior will be governed. The program was directed bv Mrs. Annie W. King . " He became director of
, with Mrs. Mary Curry and Mrs. Katherine Brown. Rev. James W. Brown is the minister. .Cooper Square, a low ln--
TATUM
'come housing assistance
(group. Later, he joined
the administration of
.then New York Mayor.
John Lindsay, becoming i
director of community
relations in the depart-'
ment of housing. Then'
he headed an urban '
renewal f program for
Central Harlem and
directed the city's office
of planning and develop
ment. . . ;
. Tatum it married and
.has one child. '