Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / April 26, 2007, edition 1 / Page 2
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* Texas jury awards black man $9 million in beating case LINDEN, Texas (AP) - An East Texas jury has awarded $9 million to a mentally disabled black man who was taunted, beat en and dumped in a field by four white men Billy Ray Johnson, 46, remains in a nursing home after suffering permanent and severe brain injuries in the 2003 beat ing. The men accused of assaulting him were fined and sentenced to probation and jail time, but none served more than 60 days behind bars. But in a four-day civil trial that ended Friday, jurors found James Cory Hicks and Christopher Colt Amox responsible for Johnson's injuries. The jury of 1 1 whites and one black member deliberated less than four hours before returning a unan imous verdict at the Cass County District Court, according to attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of Johnson. "The jury told all of Texas and. indeed, the entire country, that Billy Ray is a human being who deserves to be treated with dig nity - that the life of each of us, rich or poor, black or white, abled or disabled, is truly precious." said Morris Dees, founder and chief trial attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The two other defendants. Dallas Chadwick Stone and John Wesley Owens, previously reached confidential settlements, the center said in a statement. Black caucus leader unveils slavery apology in final hour ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Legislature's black leaders had been promising throughout the legislative session they were going to introduce a proposal to ask the state to apologize for its role in slavery. In final hour of the 40-day session, which came to an end on Friday, they made good on their word. The four-page resolution would have the Georgia House express "its profound regret" for slavery. "The members of this body hereby support the fair and accu rate education of Georgia-citizens about the inhumanity of slav ery in order to foster a respect for the fundamental dignity of human life," read the proposal. It also traces the history of slavery in Georgia, including the state's purchase of slaves to build and maintain state roads. State Rep. Al Williams. D-Midway, said the proposal lacks the support from the chamber's Republican leaders. "We don't have consensus," said Williams, chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, said. "But I want to spend the summer building it." In March, the Georgia arm of the NAACP called on the Legislature to take a cue from Virginia, where a resolution passed unanimously in February expressing "profound regret" over slav ery. Lawmakers in Maryland and North Carolina have since ojWfHed similar proposals. House leaders have be6n skeptical about the need for an offi cial statement of contrition. Court will hear Abu-Jamal case i PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal appeals court said Friday it will not step down from the death-row case of former Black Panther and radio reporter Mumia Abu-Jamal. paving the way for a key hearing next month. Abu-Jamal. a popular figure among activists who say he is the victim of a racist U.S. justice system, has been on death row for a quarter-century for the 1981 slaying of white Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner. Prosecutors hud asked outside judges to hear the case because the husband of Abu-Jamal 3rd U.S. Circuit Judge Marjorie O. i Rendell was district attorney during Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial. They said that created the appearance of.a conflict. Judge Rendell. who is married to Gov. Ed Rendell. and three colleagues on the Phi lade I phi abased 3rd Circuit instead recused themselves for reasons not disclosed in the two-page ruling. The removal of those four judges leaves many others to serve on the three-judge panel hearing the case, the order said. The panel members have not been announced. In Abu-Jamal's appeal, he argues that city prosecutors rou tinely removed qualified blacks from juries. Wal-Mart diversity figures show small change in management makeup SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (AP) - Management ranks at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. saw modest increases last year in women and minorities, even though they are more abundant in the retail er's work force than in the population at large, according to fig ures the company released Friday. This is just the second year that Wal-Mart, which faces the largest discrimination class-action lawsuit in U.S. history, has publicized its report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and therefore the first time any changes can be seen. Compared to the report on 2005. the 2006 numbers showed small increases in the overall presence of minorities and women among Wal-Mart's 1 35 million U.S. employees. Women made up 60.9 percent of Wal-Mart's employees last year, compared to 6U_5 pcrcent the year before. Minorities were 33.1 percent versus 3 1 .8 pcrcent. including blacks at 1 7.5 percent, up from 16.8 percent. Hispanics accounted for 1 1 .4 percent, compared to 1 1 .2 per cent in 2005. The rate for Asians was 3.1 percent versus 2.7 per cent in 2005. Native Americans were barely changed at 1 .2 per cent after I.I pcrcent the year before. The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc.. 617 N. Liberty Street. Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem. N.C. Annual subscription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle. P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem. NC 27102-1636 Wilder blasts state's lax gun laws Virginia Tech tragedy has brought issue to forefront BY BONNIE WINSTON RICHMOND FREE PRESS - 0 RICHMOND, Va. (NNPA) - We allow such a high proliferation of things that cause a cessation of life handguns, bullets. Lives lost - for no reason?' Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first black governor. ^ voiced the lingering W ilder . thoughts ot many during a campus community vigil at Virginia Commonwealth University. Phou. h> PHILIPPE DE POI'LPIQUET/ MAX P*h*o? People grieve during a ceremony on the Virginia Tech campus on April 17 . The nation's worsl mass shooting, car ried out on the quiet campus of Virginia Tech. has fired off the latest debate about gun control, berth in Virginia and tiie nation. See VT on A 13 , Rep. Diane Watson Cherokees, feds fight over vote I HI ASSOC IATE) PKIiSS TULSA, Okla. - A recent vote by the Cherokee Nation to revoke the membership of descendants of freed slaves might not have been legal, according to the leader of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Tahlequah-based tribe disagrees with that assess ment, however, and a tribal spokesman predicted that Congress will reject an effort by one of its members to stop the tribe from receiving feder al funds, the Tulsa World' reported from its Washington bureau. The two sides are debating the tribe's right to enforce a 2003 tribal constitutional amendment and its March 3 vote to remove the descen dants of the tribe's freed slaves, known as freedmen. from tribal rolls. Carl Artman. who heads the BIA, told U.S. Rep. Diane Watson. D-Calif? in a letter that the UJS. Interior Secretary must approve the 2003 amendment before it can take legal effect. The letter also said the BIA has taken no action on the March vote. 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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