n s i d e
Duke University BBajT
Nespaper Departrnent
Durham NC 27706
' Holy Convocation held In MemphisPage 3
. Coping: If you lose your job ' " Page 15
Durhamite , Grace Noel . has role In
Hollywood film .. Entertainment Page 5
Donald Byrd & 1 2 5th St. N,Y.C. V
Entertainment Front
National Scene Magazine Supplement
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VOLUME 60 -NUMBER 48'
(USPS 091-380)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA i SATURDAY. DECEMBER 4 1987
Words Of Wisdom
Associate with men of food quality if, job
esteem yoar repatatioa,
George Washington
Men do little from reasofl.mach from ipav
sion, most from habit. '-'' i
Painm
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913
PRICE: 30 CENTS
Con Men Are Out To Get You
B.tin't Be.Marked
Part II
By Milton Jordan
; , Executive Editor
Con games rip Durhamites to
the ' tune of-- several hundred
thousands of dollars annually, ac
cording to Durham , fraud in:
vestigators, but even this estimate
is misleading, they say.
"Most people never call us," ex
plained ' fraud investigator JC
Morris. "I suspect that wevhear
about less than two per cent of the
successful con games that take
place in the city.".
But those they hear about not
only take money, They sometimes
ruin lives. " .
"About the biggest trouble we
have with con games in Durham
are the traveling gypsies; we call
them," explained Capt. E.A.
Allen, head of the Durham Public
Safety Department's detective
bureau. "They ride around and
usually pick older people, promis
ing them house repairs, or to 'fix
their driveways, charge them exor
bitant amounts of money, do little
or no work and disappear." ..
According to Capt. Allen, the
best thing for anyone to do is not
to deal with traveling repair
workers at all. But all the repair
cons aren't committed by traveling
artists passing through.
Some local "repairmen" rip off
elderly citizens, especially widows.
According to fraud investigators,
these "fly-by-nighters" contract
for work such as gutters, roofing'
and other things either too high, or
concealed so the person paying for
it can't check it too easily.
These shysters not only do shod
dy work, according to the in-'
vestigators, but also often cheat
customers by buying materials not
needed on ' the" present job land
charging them tHhe customm 'mosnbe41ftB-;fagiea4n
story about lost love, lost money,
or something else, anything to get
and keep your attention. Usually,
he'll try to sell you the ring or
bracelet or whatever for about $25
to $100,. after convincing you that
it's worth much, much more.
.'. Usually the jewelry is an industrial
ly manufactured gem that often
retails for no more than $5 or $10.
Sometimes the con artist shows
the victim a real diamond, even
goes with the mark to a jewelry
store to have it appraised. Often,
the first diamond you see is worth
several hundred, or even a thou
sand dollars. But the ring you pay
a couple of hundred dollars or
more for will be cut glass.
Durham fraud investigators say
that most Durhamites get ripped
off by paying too much money for
items, often sold from the trunk of
cars, that appear to be more than
they are. ;;
"These guys will have a car fill
ed with various merchandise,"
' detective Morris explained. "And
they'll sell you a 'Boliva' watch
that you buy, thinking it's a
Bulova. But they never tell you it's
a Bulova; you draw that conclu
sion yourself, and help con
yourself."
In another popular variation of
this con, shysters put expensive
watch faces on inexpensive watch
works. So the gold watch you buy
for $25 says "Helbros," but the
Works are strictly second rate, and
' might stop running within a couple
of days. -
"Some of these car trunk con ar
tists even have peddler licenses,"
Capt; Alien noted. "It's hard to
bust them for anything because the
people help con themselves." -
. But probably one or. Durham's
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3
Cop Goes After Demonstrator
A Washington, D.C. policeman chases a demonstrator from the street, Saturday, November 27, as several hundred anti-Ku Klux Klan'
aemonsjraiors inrew rocKs ano Domes at police.
unPMi
Under New Black Grant Funding
Qpsrafe Braaltftorarato-Shifts Ainrt
People get themselves in tfieset
fixes; though? Capt.Allen said.
"They simply should not deal with
these shysters. My advice would be
to deal with reputable firms that
have been around awhile and that
have track records."
Ahother popular con game in
Durham is "slumming," a scam
that features "hot'! jewelry;
The coir is worked several ways.
. Here are two bf the most popular
variations: vvU ') ,
. Sometimes at night; but often in
broad daylight, the con artist ap
proaches a likely looking "mark"
saying that he has this diamond
ring that he has to sell. The con ar
tist tells some sort of heart rending
volvcalleged stolen kJtoods''
Usually, they! tell you they have,
several "hot" television sets, still
in the crates, just like, the one on
the back seat of their car. But
what's really in the crates are
rocks.
"You might not believe it,"
Capt. Allen said, "But some hard
working people have actually paid
hard earned cash for' a box of
rocks." '
"And so even though Diirham is
not a New York, Chicago or Los.
Angeles, con games still hit: here, ,
and people just have to be careful.
Capt. Allen's advice is simple:
"If it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is." -
?tV-','it,1J,l,'j
State Block Grants
Rais More Questions
Than Answers
By Donald Alderman ; ,
Entering the second
year of the federal
government's ' ' - block
grant program,1 several ..
state officials say it's
good, but;.."
The good refers main
ly to the increased flex
ibility in 'the programs
under the block grant ,.
concept,? as ppposed to
the categorical grant pro- -gram
where every cent of
the federal money was
tied to a line item in a -budget,
' ' -
. For example, with thev
community development
block grants, the state
can continue to finance ;
community action agen
cies, such as Durham's 1
Operation
Breakthrough, or. it can
give this money to coun
ty , governments. So far -
, the state is sticking with"
the . community action v
agencies.
, A'so under block ,
' grants; for ' example,
state officials can decide
program priorities' and I'
can even adjust in some
' pases in mid-year to ac-
commodate - unexpected ;:
changes.
The "but" notes that1
all restrictions have not -been
lifted from the
federal money, and state '
, officials still don't know.
precisely how much
money North Carolina
will get. ' s
As an example of the
restrictions, , the federal
government mandates
that 60 per cent of the
money for mental health
must eo to community
(Continued on Page 6)
By Sharon Trice-Bodffck
In its 19th year as an
advocate for Durham's
poor, . Operation
. Breakthrough faces two
formidable challenges. V
One challenge is for
the agency to change
from its historical role of
giving its clients direct
services such as r com
munity organizing and
crisis r intervention to
becoming an educational
resource 4hat helps peo
ple help themselves. '
- But probably, the big
ger of the agency's two
challenges is convincing
its traditional constituen
cy to accept and respond
to the agency's new
thrust. .
"Our constituents will
definitely make the tran
sition from seeking pro-,
grams which provide im
mediate service or
gratification," said Mrs.
Elizabeth Knight, OBT
project director, "to tak
ing, part in those (pro
grarns that will develop
their long term skills that
will benefit them, in the
long run."
But effective change
for both agency : and
clients. - is
because each year's fun
.ding, under the block
: grant program, is deter
. mined in large measure
by the previous year's
success. i , .
Success means
? numbers, pure and sim
ple. .
Officials of the N.C.
Department of Com
munity Development
and Natural Resources
want to know simply if
Breakthrough by the end
of the year served the
number of people it pro
mised to work with at the
beginning of the year.
Caught in the winds of
change, Breakthrugh is
banking on four new
programs. They are:
; Consumer Credit
manoatory to confer as frequently as provide aid 'in the form
necessary wiih inc
counselor.' The goal Is
, for the client to be able,
eventually, to make his
own budget and his own
payments. The program
does not provide funds
for paying " anyone's
debts.
Youth Enrichment ?
This program is aimed at
high school students who
are interested in: getting
school work help, It is a
one-on-one arrange
ment, four hours a week, H
Tutors' are volunteers: 0
Job . Skills This;
component teaches par-;
ticipants how to'"survive ;
in the job jungle." It of
fers classes in7 adult and
basic education; the
of emergency; shelter
Clothing, - food,- and
heating fuel for low
income individuals who
are faced with - life
threatening conditions or
(severe injury to health
The winds of this new
course are felt as much
by those receiving ser
vices as they arc by the .
crew administering.
them, largely because of
the radical shift by the
Reagan 7 Administration
and -;f 'unresponsive to
local priorities;" Consequently,-
in 1981 Con
gress passed the Om
nibus Budget Reconcilia
tion Act (OR A) which
dismantled many of
these programs and cut
deeply into the way they
were handled. So far,
some of the most severe
changes include these:
The Community
Block Grant Program
which
has traditionally
been considered a flexi-
in its approach to dealing ! Me. all purpose work-
with community - action horse program with
agencies ; (CAA s) and
the ! poor people these
agencies servfe; ' i
In. the - l96Q's, the
leaerai government lm-
primary emphasis on low
and moderate Jncome
communities; has been
cut by 25 V and has had
more than , 40 federal
Counseling ibervtceVhunting sWlls.'aiKl.
This program is designed assistance in finding a
: olemented a wide ranee programs merged into it
Ufcu, jod planning, jod of entitlement oroerams. ubu tunas are now
to help families and in
div id uals manage their
finances. This program
is based on the fact that
in 60 of personal
bankruptcy i cases, in
dividuals can pay their
debts from future earn
ings if they receive and
follow , sound advice.
Clients are encouraged
job. It is a , two-week
course whose curriculum
includes how to write a
resume', how to conduct
oneself for a successful
interview, etc.
Crisis Intervention
This is the only program
which requires only that
one qualify to receive its
services. Its purpose is to
such as Model Cities; the
: Economic Opportunity
Act.' ands the Urban
: Renewal and . Urban
Redevelopment, Pro-"
gram, in a major attempt
to eliminate urban and
rural poverty., Twenty-;
odd years late? the
: Reagan , Administration "
has ' critized this ap
proach as . being
"wasteful", ... "costly,:,
City Officials Say
Alston
By Isaiah Singtetary
If you are among the
more than 12,000 drivers
who travel along Alston
Avenue each day, you
know the street is heavily
traveled, And if you're
iamong the nearly 3,000
drivers, ' who - struggle
along Alston Avenue,
virtually V; ', bumper-to-bumper
during rush
! hour, you probably wish
for relief. '
V Well,; the city has
plans to relieve the con
gestion , on ' Alston
'Avenue. .'
,l. The plan, part of a
city wide throughfare
plan that is designed to
work in conjunction with
state' plans, calls for a
portion ofk ' Alston ;
Avenue to be widened to ;
four lanes,. Another port.
Avenue
Plan Will Disrupt Only 4 Families'
berrerouted and linked
with , Old Oxford'
Highway. "
. "We think that the
area, between the ex
pressway an Gilbert.
Street is probably wide'
enough to handle four
lanes,", said Rudy Grif
fin, director of the city's
traffic engineering sec
lion, "but some widen
ing may have to be done
in the future-to add a
fifth lane, or a left turn
ing lane," y f
Griffin went on the
say that the rerouted
t portion of the street will
pick up at Holloway
Street and go back of
what is now part of the
city's street maintenance
department.- The new
road will follow a creek
bed, and will run parallel
to the Norfolk and
Western railroad track
near Geer street, finally
connecting with Old Ox-1
ford Highway.
"This plan will be less
damaging - to area
residents," Griffin
asserted, "because much
of . the land through
which the corridor would
cui has already been ac
quired over the years. ,
According to city
planners Mrs,. Linda
DelCastilho, the current
plan was developed with
the help of residents in
the area, urder the city's
neighborhood planning i
process.
'Ac it ctanle nv,
... . -v . jiMiiu j nun.
CORE Holds 40th Anniversary Convention;
lion ot tne neaviiy travel--,; vention i will focus on
much of the city's northv unemployment;; ; A; and
south traffic; flow, : will government attacks: on
J&y Shirley I. Thlgpen b'ack leaders and disrup
The Congress , of t'on . f dissident
Racial Equality (CORE) i organizations. ; . -will
hold its 40th An- f According to Wendall
niversary National Con- .Garrett, , Board
vention in New; York Ci. ' Secretary, , . "CORE'S
ty the first week-end in our '-decades of struggle
December at the Prince lfor CIvil and human
.George HoteU.'The, con- !r,8ht5 sets the theme of
inis , momentous occa
sion, core's tradition
has always been to cham
pion the cause of the
grassroots . people. For
this reason we encourage
individuals and other
organizations to. lend
their suggestions and in
put into setting CORE'S
direction," 1
RoyInnis serves- as .
chief executive officer
and national chairman. y
The Board of Direc
tors of CORE invites all
people of all persuasions
to attend and participate
in this decision making
convention. Tor more in
formation and ; prc
registration, ' writer
CORE 40th Anniver
sary i Convention Com-'
mittee, CORE NA
TIONAL . HEAD-
pai-t Airi'i.a 5 I Project.
York, N.Y. 10037 or call
(212) 690-2000.-
said Mrs. DelCastilho,
"only, four households
will have to be displaced.
But since this is just a
projection, and tiot a
final plan, I doh't think
that all the details of how
to accommodate those
dispalaced - have been
worked out."
. City officials say the
Alston Avenue project is
one of the city's top
three road projects, but
it is not clear just when
sworkwtll begin, because,
. one official puts it,v
projects like this are
political." . .
Another potential gray
area regarding the begin
ning ' of the Alston
Avenue widening and
rerouting is . the
availability of state
money to finance the
'Join The
NAACP
broken down into nine
categories: Community
Services, Primary Health
Care, Maternal and
Child Health , Services,
Social Services. Low
Income ; : - , ; fcnergy
Assistance, Consolidated
Refugee Education and
Education . f . (Elemen
tary SecondaryEduca
tionally Disadvantaged.)
The responsiveness ques
tion was answered: by .
giving the states " the
, power to distribute the
that the states can handle
, their ? problems ; better
thaa the federal govern
" ment because they must
deal with them on a day
10 aay oasis. :
Additionally, the
federal government now
requires very little infor4
mation to approve a
CDBG application. They
no longer require sum
maries , of community
developmenthousing
needs, profiles, j or
. strategies. All that needs
to be detailed now are
the activities to be con
ducted, the number of,
people to be affected,
arid the agency's objec
tives and certifications.
Dr. Isaac Robinson
who has been working
' with OBT for six years t
and who served as its
, chairman of the board
from 1979-1981, explains
the impact of this regula-
" tion. .
"CAA's now have to
sign a contract with the
(Continued on Page 7)
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