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Farrakhan underwent 12-hour operation
CHICAGO (AP) - Minister Louis Farrakhan. who recently
ceded leadership of the Nation of Islam to an executive board due to
ailing health , has undergone a 1 2-hour operation, the organization said
Saturday.
Physicians have told Farrakhan's family
they were pleased with the operation's out
come and will monitor him closely for the
next 24 to 48 hours, the Chicago-based group
said in a statement.
No other details were released, and a man
who answeffcJ tfie telephone at the office of
Farrakhan's chief of staff declined to reveal
the nature of the surgery or where it was per
formed.
harrakhan The 73-year-old Farrakhan wrote in a
Sept . 1 1 letter to followers that he was anemic
and 20 pounds lighter because of complications from an ulcer in the
anal area. He had surgery in 2000 for prostate cancer.
He turned leadership of the Nation of Islam over to an executive
board while he recovered, saying the movement must prove that it "is
more than th? charisma, eloquence and personality" of one person.
The Nation of Islam and the movement newspaper the'Final Call
posted the statement on their Web sites, but did not give additional
details.
Second gangster held in LA hate crime
LOS ANGELES ( AP) - A second reputed Hispanic gang mem
ber was arrested in connection with the shooting death of a 14-year
old black girl that police have described as a hate crime.
Jonathan Fajardo. I S. was believed to be the gunman who opened
fire on a group of black youngsters on Dec. 1 5 as they stood on a nar
row street in the Harbor Gateway area, police said.
Cheryl Green was killed and two other girls and a boy were
wounded.
Green was not a gang member. Family members said she wanted
to be a doctor.
Fajardo was arrested Thursday at his home in neighboring Carson,
and police found a gun that will be tested to determine if it was the
murder weapon, police Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said.
"Over the course of the last two weeks, we committed every
resource to solving this crime." Beck said Friday. "I hope the commu
nity will feel safer now."
Another reputed gangster. Ernesto Alcarez. 20, was arrested on
Dec. 2 1 . He was scheduled to be arraigned on murder, attempted mur
der and hate crime charges.
Both could face the death penalty if convicted.
"By no means is this case over," Beck said. "The family will
never recover, and the neighborhood has some serious wounds
because of this."
NAACP says Congress is "Unacceptable"
^Unacceptable" is how the NAACP describes tfie performance of
members of the U.S. Congress in addressing fundamental civil rights
agenda items in the last two years. In its final Legislative Report Card
on the 109th Congress (which adjourned Dec. 9, 2006) the NAACP
found only slight improvement in the voting record among members
of both chambers. The majority of U.S. Senators (54 out of 100) and
Representatives (225 out ot 435) voted in sup
port of the NAACP's position less than 59
percent of the time, receiving a grade of "F*
from the NAACP.
"This report confirms that there is a lack
of alignment between the priorities of the
communities the NAACP was founded to
serve and the majority of the members of
Congress." said NAACP Presideny?& CEO
Bruce S. Gordon. "While we'celebruted
some hard-earned victories, more often than
not policy makers failed to address issues that
continue to burden our communities. While
we are disappointed, we are also determined. We will continue to hold
our Association accountable for engaging our senators and represen
tatives, advocating on behalf of our people and relentlessly pursuing
our mission until we succeed."
Since 1914 the NAACP Legislative Report Card has presented a
summation of key civil rights votes taken in the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives, tt is designed to provide NAACP members
with insight into the voting patterns of their congressional representa
tives.
"The lattst legislative report card shows how members voted on
28 key votes in the Senate lout of a total of 645 recorded votes in the
entire 109th Congress] and 36 priority votes in the House of
Representatives [out of a total of 1,214 cast in the entire 109th
Congressl," said NAACP Washington Bureau Director HilarygO.
Shelton.
Supreme Court agrees to hear Coke's
appeal in a race discrimination case
WASHINGTON (AP) - Th^U.S. Supreme Court on Friday
agreed to consider a discrimination case in which a Coca-Cola bot
tling company, fired a black employee.
Coca-Cola asked the Supreme Court to hear the lawsuit, which
involves allegations that a supervisor of employee Stephen Peters
was motivated by racial bias and influenced a manager to fire the
worker.
Such circumstances are sometimes referred to<?s "cat's paw" or
"robber- stamp" liability. Coca-Cola fired' Peters for insubordination
after he refused a request to work on a weekend during his scheduled
days off.
The case was one of seven appeals the court accepted Friday.
A federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit brought on Peters'
behalf by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The
appeals court said a federal judge placed too much emphasis on the
fact that Peters' immediate supervisor made no express recommen
dajjon to fire him.
In asking the court to hear the case, the company askedthe' jus
tices to consider when an employer may be held liable for intention
al discrimination when the person who fired an employee harbored
no discriminatory bias.
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i
si
Mrs. King also remembered this year
BY ERR1N HAINES
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
o
ATLANTA - On a recent
afternoon, Jeffrey and Liza
Dunn brought their daughter
and niece to the center dedicat
ed to the life and legacy of
Martin Luther King Jr.. where
the family took a moment to sit
by the crypt of the civil rights
icon and his wife. Coretta.
There, at the reflecting *
pool, the Plainfield. N.J., cou
ple told the girls about King's
dreams of racial harmony, eco
nomic - equality and world
peace. They also spoke of a
dedicated widow, devoted
mother and matriarch of the
civil rights movement, who
gracefully struggled against
war, poverty and racism for
years e^en after her fyisband
was killed.
"Their partnership is the
foundation of everything we've
benefited frorTi." Jeffrey Dunn.
4-9, said. "And even in her
absence, she leaves a legacy, a
commitment to his dream."
This year's Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday, first observed
more than two decades ago,
will be the first without Coretta
Scott King, who died nearly a
year ago. The absence of her
^ NNPA Pholo
The King children watch as their mother's casket arrives.
stately presence at the holiday
activities held each year in
King's hometown of Atlanta
will be a visible reminder that
the standard bearer of King's
vision is now gone - and that
the holiday has evolved to
reflect the accomplishments
and mission of bolh the dream
er and the dream keeper.
"Her commitment and her
accomplishments*were equal to
his," Spelman College history
professor William Jelani Cobb
said. "To view her as an equal
in helping to establish racial
democracy in America would
be fitting."
Coretta Scott King, who
lived twice as long as Martin
Luther King Jr.. fought to [pre
serve his legacy - building a
center of nonviolence bearing
Sec Kings on A9
Accused police officers can return to work
BY STACEY PLA1SANCF.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS - All
seven policemen charged in the
deadly bridge shootings afjer
Hurricane Katrina were free on
bail last week, and a judge said
the six still on the New Orleans
Police force can return to limited
duty.
One former officer, now a
truck driver in Texas, can also
return to work. Judge Raymond
Bigelow said.
Four of the officers face
first-degree murder charges that
carry a possible death sentence,
in addition to attempted murder
charges. Three others face only
attempted murder charges. All
seven pleaded not guilty Friday.
They were indicted last week
and turned themselves in.
Bigelow said five of the
seven will be required to wear
monitoring devices and will be
confined to home. work, attor
ney visits or court appearances
as a condition of bail . Two who
face the least number of charges
had already bailed out earlier in
the u/n>l and were
allowed to remain
free on hail after
Friday's hearing.
They wilt not pt
required to wear
monitors**
The arhount of
hail varied based on
the number of counts
each officer faces but
in no case was it less
than $100,000.
Although Bigelow said the
officers can> work. Assistant
Police Superintendent Steven
Nicholas said no decision had
been made on when, or whether,
they would be returned to duty.
They were put on a 120-day
unpaid suspension after the
indictments, he said.
Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and
Jordan
Robert Gisevius Jr., officer
Anthony Villavaso II and former
officer Robert Faulcon Jr., face
first-degree murder charges and
' attemnted murder
charges. Officers
Robert Barrios and
Mike Hunter Jr. were
charged with attempt
ed first-degree mur
der, and Officer
Ignatius Hills was
charged with attempt
ed second-degree
murder.
Hunter and. Hills
made bail earlier this
week.
Fraternal Order of Police
lavyyer Donovan Livaccari said
he will urge Police
Superintendent Warren Riley to
let the officers return to work,
but he would expect it to be on a
limited basis.
"It won't be on the street. It
won't be in uniform." Livaccari
said.
Tracie Washington, spokes
woman for the local chapter of
the National Association for the
Advancement of Qolored
People, expressed disappoint
ment that officers accused of
murder would be allowed out
and to return to work. She and
other NAACP representatives
hoped to meet with Riley to ask
that the officers not be alfowed
to return to duty.
"There should be accounta
bility on both sides. We want a
fair trial, but we want the com
munity to feel safe," she said.
As one of the officers left the
courthouse, surrounded by attor
neys and police officers, a small
group of activists shouted "mur
derer."
Bail on a first-degree murder
charge is rare in Louisiana,
defense lawyer Franz Zibilich
acknowledged but added:
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