We Ml Ba _ J Crowth Concept
If our memory serves us right, while serv
ing as a City Council member about four years
ago, Harvey Gantt was calling for balanced
growth. Again, last year at the Urban Sym
posium, Mayor Gantt reissued his call for
balanced growth. The basic concern express
ed by Mr. Gantt in each pronouncement was
that in the absence of a balanced growth
policy the city would be inundated with un
controlled growth leading to major traffic pro
blems, an inbalance in our schools, overloads
on our public utilities, and excessive
disproportionate demands on other public ser
vices.
** r*' '' 4 . J
* . •
Mr. Gantt’s concerns were primarily focus
ed at southeast Charlotte because of growing
potential for such an impact in that part of the
city. Developers. expressed opposition to
Mayor Gantt’s viewpoint and said the free
market should determine the direction of
growth. The problem with the developers ’ un
managed growth approach is that in the name
of their desire to earn a profit demands are
placed on the taxpayer to provide public
utilities and public services with limited
resources. - *
. , r:s.^ . _ _
Our impression is that Mayor Gantt believes
that government has a responsibility to have
some role in geographic growth because of its
impact on all citizens, those caught up in the
web of traffic Jams, delay, in getting public
services, and the mushrooming high density
multi-family housing impact on single family
detached subdivision, as well as other citizens
— all taxpayers — because of the imbalanced
burden to provide the needed public services.
JR * 1
Earlier this week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Planning Director Martin Cramton echoed
Mayor Gantt’s concerns when be told a
meeting of City and County officials and
members of a citizen’s 2005 Plan Advisory
Task Force that balanced growth should be
the No. 1 priority for guiding the county’s
development toward the year 2006.
* •
Mr. Cramton said “we have got to quit tak
ing about balanced development” and start
doing something about it “we got to make
some tough decisions.” Among these tough
decisions Cramton sees is the heed to defer the
building of the much-discussed and debated
outer belt road until after the year2000.
hi discussing his staff’s proposals, Cramton
pointed out the balanced growth will require
spending increased sums of public money in
water and sewer lines, roads, parks and
schools in north and northwest areas as an in
centive-to renewed development, fit
We support hjayor Gantt and Planning
director Cramton views on balanced growth
first, because it makes good economic
and secondly, it may provide the needed in
centives to bring new opportunities for growth
and development in the largely neglected
north and northwest part of the city.
Post-Season Basketball Fever
■ a • — ™ pjcnty oi rouiiuDaLis will bo bonne**
eg on thf hardwood this month
ch^N^A* ^tournament and visitation
first round NCAA game. Today also North
Carolina’s Tarheels. (34-$) face Middle Ten
nessee State (17-13) aPNotre Dame. Tomor
* row, Friday, four other ACC teams swing into
NCAA tournament action. In addition, and as
a credit to the quality of play in the Atlantic
Coast Conference, the three remaining teams
M • vi -
— Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia will
compete in the NIT beginning next Tuesday.
Thus, Charlotteans andother bastions of
ACC basketball support can look forward to
much excitement on the hardwood in the
weeks ahead.
Perpetrating New
. vEa t
"The new racism is what whites and blacks
are perpetrating upon black people. It’s the
continued clamoring by a lot of black leaders
for preference from an administration,
: •
whether it be Republican or Democrat, that
leads black people to assume that they are ’
some special wards of the state in perpetui
ty. ’ These are the words of Clarence
Pendleton, Chairman of the U.S. Commission
on Civil Rights. He added that the new racists
are typically supporters of civil right#
These civil righters reacted angrily to
Pendleton’s remarks and accused him of be
ing insensitive to the plight of many black
Americans. We could almost agree with Mr.
Pendleton’s viewpoint except for the fact that
his comment refers first to people who ire
economically deprived and happen to be
black. * • « %)
> '
Those blacks reared outside of the inner
cities of the nation in homes with positive
values toward education, the work ethic, sex
ual behavior and religion have largely been
successful even without civil rights laws and
federal handouts. However, for those people,
blaok or white, who for whatever reason have
not been endowed with such values, there is
truly a new for some assistance. Thus, if there
is anything wrong .with governmental
assistance to the economically disadvantag
ed, be they black or white, it is that no em
phasis is placed on value development, the
primary ingredient for motivating self-help.
ITftup70 u$ TO IMPOSE MPeff-ROW
WWarb we GOING TO
ROOTS AND COMMUNITY
MUST MERGE, TO FORGE A
ASA/NG
BLIGHT
Carolina Is IGod’s
Angels Working Tol
By SABRINA JOHNSON
Rarely in this business
oriented society does one have
the opportunity to Interact
with people on a not so
business level. One such occa
sion arose on March 6. The
writer was invited to a recep
tion at the home of Dr. Mildred
Baxter-Davis honoring and
welcoming Sherry Suttles,
new assistant county
manager, for her accomplish
ment and to Charlotte.
■
have a fatally. Maybe it’s the
colleges and universities and
basketball. While all of the
answers are correct, when
people are asked why they are
here their reply is primarily
“Because folks here are so
nice and sincere.” That says a
groat deal about a group of
people.
One subgroup that is work
ing toward that and maintain
ing the positive attitude is the
Black Women’s Caucus of
Charlotte and Mecklenburg
County. These women are
working toward increased in
volvement in all aspects of liv
ing in and about North
Thy Charlotte Pot
North Carolina’s
Fastest Growing
Weekly ,
704-376-0496
“The People’s Newspaper’
106 Years
Of Continuous Service
Bill Johnson Editor, Pub.
Bertiai d Reeves Gen. Mgr.
Fran Bradley Adv. Mgr.
Dannette Gaither Of Mgr.
Published Every
Thursday By
The Charlotte Post '
Publishing Company. Inc.
Main Office:
1531S Camden Road
Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Second Class Postage
Paid at Charlotte
Member, National '
Newspaper Publishers’
Association
North Carolina
Black Publishers
Association
National Advertising
Representative:
Amalgamated Publishers,
Inc.
—... ' ■» M.M—ML. . ,
One Year
Subscription Rate
One Year-817.76
Payable In Advance
from Capitol Hill
Administration Attempts
“Back Of Bus” Policy
K By ALEREDAL. MADISON
Special To The Post
Aa one of the two Black reporters,
representing the Black media at the
White House, I was confronted with
blatant racism, by two of the
members of the White House press
staff.
The White House correspondents
, who cover the White. Howe daily
have seats in the briefing room with
their names on them. White Howe
correspondents who represent the
■mall media wwBy sit in the win
dows. stand, or take a vacant awt
when some of the others are absent
I’ve always gone in the back room
where there are coffee and donuts
lor the correspondents, and get a
chair. I place this chair agat—t the
wall, parallel with the second row of
press seats It is against the wan to
allow for tree passage, and it to
beside the four seats of the White
Howe press staff.
On March fourth, while waiting for
the briefing to atari, I was reading
the newspaper. Robin Gray, assis
tant press secretary, who Appears to
be la Ms late twenties, came by and
•aid, “Alfreds, why are you sitting
up front’" I responded that since 1
didn’t have a seat I usually get a
chair and sit harv against the wall.
Re said, “move in ftp back.’’ I in
formed Robin that they took as off
the beck of the bus in the fifties, and
that I will not be relegated back
there again. I asked why he had ob
joettena to my sitting there, end he
■Md that he had none, fail that my
colleagues <W. I immediately then
went to Helen Thomas and ham
Donaldson and asked why my coi
tongoes objected to my sitting up
front. Both of them very strongly de
nounced the accusations as not being
true. They said the correspondents
hav* no objections whatsoever about
my seat.
That day Bob 8imms, assistant to
the President and deputy press
Alfreds *
■oewtary on Foreign Affairs, gave
tbs preaa briefing. At (he close of the
press briefing I told Bob that I ted a
question for my colleagues. I wanted
te know why they objected to my sit
ttag in a chair near tnefroftt.Thaf en
tire pram seemed astounded nod
Helen Thomas, the dean of the White
House correppondanu. in speaking
tar the entire group said, "we have
no objections ait all.” Bob Simms
said that ha objected to sitting
i^demetecaum ogn they (the
slttve materia1??he advised t?to
ait on the other aide «f the room.
Helen said, “if that is your reason,
then why say that her colleagues ob
Jected?” If tMy have sensitive
ntalarlal why brmg it- to the pram
briefings? They an certainly not go
ing to asnm it with the pram Is it
that they walk around with secret in
formation in their tends, because
they are afraid to let it out of their
rd admit that I became furious*
being considered as a sneak and a
woopgr. I responded that, I take
notes during the briefings, ho I have
no time to even notice whether or hot
they have any papers, that I con
sidered hie and Robin’s aettate aa
rads* _ that I’m a respectable tax
*
noun way mu to fit the mold
of acme whites who look around for
mne Stocks they feel they hare the
ggggaaass.
person trying to cover'up'Tmcist
■ctThouexplanation always pro
veto be sUly and insipid.
Having bean a member of the
^Wto^Hoau^prsu corp dujing the
*V «*opariaon, more racism is ap
parUt during this administration
Present Carter did have Btocks on
the White House staff and he did give
* Wack reporters an inter
* f,’
U appears that President
R«^^srev«uai of ctvtl rights, his
Black organization, affect «ror
to feel tuu VvhrveTdiuaMUce
darence Panmeton, to take a
sinailar stand against Blacks with
whom they con*, at They
VSZSLiJZF*-~*
Js •**"*** Which
dtanu that racism is baaad on ig
norance. James Parmer, former
OOHB executive, hi responding to a
qaadion on whether or not he coo
sidered President Reagan a racist,
he said be didn’t think he was b
racist, but that he Is tipiorant of civil
rights and Black*.
Analysis of present existing
racism highly necessitates full
school integration, so Blacks nd
whites can study and learn in the
tame schools by having practical ex
periences of knowing each other.
Blacks must be included in the
history books, for their contribu
tions, and not Just as slaves.
President Reagan said the schools
most teach children not to lwte,
SSy’and^mdardffl’rSiXnd
wrong. He emphasized that these
can be taught through reading
Huckleberry FUm. His stand in
resegregating schools ignores leam
tag these attributes by having actual
experiences, and it is in direct con
flict with the development of moral
qualities that he Is advocating.
La* os hope oar President fas
P«»ed the HueUebewy Firm story"*
ding and tolerance, justice and
equalitjMjy having practical ex
Key positions in local and corn
and hammered until people
started to listen and said let us
get on the stick and do
something productive in this
And these ladies are
community in a more nositive
concept that Southern
hospitality does not stop at the
front door but continues on as
part of everyday living — in
business and personal lives.
It is dements such as these
that will help this country con
tinue on the road to economic
recovery and social justice.
This counfay needs its citizens
intcrzicti^^ ~
the 13 coloriMmdmpiwrfflui;
territories to come together
and work together under one
free name: The United States
of North America. As chaotic
as things may seem
sometimes this country i» tru
ly united — the civil rights
movement is one such exam
ple and the renewed
patriotism occurring at pre
sent. And where does
patriotism begin — in the
home with hospitality.
Imagine this! If more people
work and come together in the
home, combined that good
feeling with assertiveness and
good relations iigo a club,
political organization or work!
did the same there; ultimately
P«sed on the compassion and
level mindneas -- when would
this country be and where
would it go? Unfortunately
this can not be true totally,
because Utopia is hart to
mg can get s'person.