WjB
DIIEIIKillllS
A Charlotte
Premiere
Entertainment/ Page 8A
African-American Society Begins
Lifestyles/ Page IB
West Charlotte Looks At 50 Years
liCestyles/Page 4 & 5B
Alliance
Three - Day
Festival Begins .
Page IIB
€l)t Cliarlotte Bos^t
Vol. 15, No. 5 Thursday, June 29,1989
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
50 Cents
, f'*
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TOto/cALviN reffSUsiilW^'
J.R. Reid, the newest Charlotte Hornet, said he la
forward to {daying baaketbaS hero: "I always wanted to be In
Chariotte. I wanted to atay In the state.”
Hornets' Top Pick
J.R. Reid Is Ready
For Pro Challenge
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
J.R. Reid likes calling North
Carolina home, but his address
will change from Chapel Hill to
Charlotte after the Hornets
drafted him In Tuesday's NBA
draft.
"I always wanted to be In Char
lotte,” said Reid, the Hornets' top
pick and fifth overall. "I wanted
to stay In the state."
Reid, who passed up his final
year of eligibility at North Caro
lina to declare for the draft, was
In Charlotte when his selection
was announced.
After finishing the second ses
sion of summer school at UNC,
Reid, a radio, television and mo
tion pictures major, will be only
13 hours short of graduating.
After Reid's selection was an
nounced, he made a trip to the
Charlotte Coliseum, where most
of the estimated 15,000 fans
watching the draft on television
gave him a standing ovation.
There were a few boos, howev
er, from either antl-North Caro
lina fans or supporters of Stacey
King, a center from Oklahoma
who was selected sixth by the
Chicago Bulls.
"I think most of them were
Duke fans still bitter" from North
Carolina's win over the Blue
Devils in last year's ACC tourna
ment, Reid said at a Wednesday
news conference.
The Hornets, who finished 20-
62 last season, selected Reid
mainly because of his size (6-9,
256) and fundamentals. He Is
projected as a power forward or
center, positions Charlotte was
weak In and Reid feels fit his
abilities.
"1 feel that with my size and
weight. I'd be able to play some
power forward and center," he
said.
Coming from a successful col
lege program, Reid said, won't
cloud the reality of playing for a
second-year NBA team. He is
more concerned with playing
hard and making a contribution.
"I'm not really looking at the
winning percentage," he said.
"I'm comparing this to my first
year In college. If they want me
to come In off the bench. I'll do
that. If they want me to set picks
(screen defenders away from
teammates to allow them an
open shot) I'll do that."
Hornets coach Dick Harter
said Reid was the best player
available for Charlotte, who was
last In the league In rebounds
and blocked shots last year. To
bolster the Hornets' Inside
game, Charlotte traded the
rights to Its second selection,
Dyron Nix of Tennessee, to the
Indiana Pacers for 7-0 center
Stuart Gray.
Reid should provide immediate
help up front, but Harter re
served Judgment on the rookie's
scoring abUity.
"I honestly don't know...I'm
yeiy anxious to find out," he said.
"I hope he gets slgned-soon."
Crossing The Red Lines
Neighborhood Groups Make Final Pitch To First Union National Bank
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
A group of Charlotte residents
took its fight against alleged
bank discrimination to the
doorsteps of one of the biggest
Institutions In the Southeast
Izist week.
The organization, Charlotte
Reinvestment Alliance, also left
Charlotte-based First Union an
ultimatum: meet Its demands
next month or be prepared to
fight for a proposed merger with
a Florida bank.
The alliance has threatened to
block First Union's attempt to
merge with Florida National
Bank unless First Union makes
home and business loans more
accessible to predominantly
black neighborhoods. The alli
ance accuses the bank of redlin
ing, a practice where banks
make few loans In lower-income
and minority neighborhoods.
The alliance's weapon Is the
federal Community Reinvest
ment Act, which mandates
banks act In good faith toward
minority communities. If an In
stitution Is believed to be In vio
lation, the government can
block mergers until the matter
is resolved.
First Union Isn't the only tar
get, say alliance members.
NCNB and Wachovia are ac
cused of redlining as well, but
the reinvestment act can't be
used against them unless they
try to merge with other banks.
About 40 activists picketed
First Union's offices at Third
and Tryon streets and gave the
bank a list of final proposals
and a July 7 deadline to re-
^ 0 'I
4 I HV
-A]
Emanuel Allen (left) gives Instructions to
picketers in front of the First Union center
on Ityon and Third streets. The Charlotte
Pheto/CALVIN PEROUSON
Reinvestment Alliance has given the bank
until July 7 to meet its demands-
spond.
The alliance's proposals In
clude;
• A loan pool of $100 million to
be made by the city's banking
community for redllned areas, to
be divided equally between busi
ness development and housing.
First Union Is being asked to
start the pool with $20 million,
based on its share of of local de
posits.
• A neighborhood assistance
program to help communities
with development plans.
• $7-8 million In loans to the
Belmont neighborhood.
The protesters picketed out
side First Union's offices at
Third and Ttyon streets, singing,
chanting and demanding a
meeting with First Union chair
man Ed Crutchfield. Led by alli
ance president Emanuel Allen,
the protesters walked Into the
See REDUNINO On Page 2A
Gardner To Try Second Council Bid
By HERB'WHITE
Feet Staff Writer
Roosevelt Gardner, a Republi
can candidate for Charlotte city
council, believes he has hit on a
good Idea: run
at-large,
where the Re
publican vot
ers are.
Gardner,
who lost to
Democrats in
city and coun
ty district rac
es In the last
two elections,
said running a
cltywlde cam
paign would
allow him to take his message to
a broader audience.
"As an African-American In
this town, my chances are better
at winning at-large," he said.
"Any time you're In a district
Gardner
that's 86 percent Democrat and
72 percent African-American,
something drastic has to hap
pen for a Republican to win."
In announcing his candidacy
for council Tuesday, Gardner, a
Spartan Foods Systems manag
er, placed battling crime and
drug abuse as his main themes.
He said the black community,
and especially Its men, should
become more active In eliminat
ing drugs and the lawlessness
that comes with it.
"I believe with the crime prob
lems Charlotte has... there
should be more African-
American men willing to come
forward and talk about these
crimes," he said.
"Where are the men from my
generation?" said the 36-year-
old fother of three. "We should be
playing more of a role In the
party."
Gardner said he advocates city
officials working with neighbor
hood groups to stem the tide of
drugs and crime. Building a
"mechanism" of city-resident
support groups In communities
should be Implemented and
strengthened, he said.
"Mayor Sue Mjrrlck has started
meeting with neighborhood
groups, and we need to continue
it"
Although he Is running on a cl-
tjrwlde platform, Gardner em
phasized that much work needs
to be done to help the westslde,
where he owns a home. That
area's problems, he said, should
be of concern to other sections
of town.
"Charlotte Is one city. Regard
less of the problems on the
westslde, we do have some posi
tive things." Gardner said.
"The schools are better than
people give them credit for. We
had two Morehead scholars (a
prestigious scholarship award
at UNC Chapel Hill) from west-
side schools, so those schools
See GARDNER On Page 2A
Jackson: Use Pensions To Invest In U.S.
CHICAGO (AP) — The nation's
pension lunds could be a prime
source of money for Investing In
the homes. Jobs and public
works the coming generations
are going to demand, Jesse Jack-
son said in opening the annual
Operation PUSH convention.
Jackson said his plan is to use
10 percent of the public pension
funds, $8 billion a year, over a
10-year period. This would be
federally secured and pay Inter
est to the pension fund.
"That $8 billion will be lever
aged five times and would gener
ate $400 billion over a lO-year
period to build affordable hous
ing, create small businesses.
Jobs and a broader tax base," he
said.
Erwin Declares Candidacy To Control Growth
By HERB WHITE
F«wt Staff Writer
Elloree Erwin, who has an
nounced her Intentions to run
for Charlotte city council wants
to help the
city grow, but
not at the
price of losing
Its neighbor
hoods.
"I want to
help direct the
growth this
city will un
dergo In the
next decade,'
she said. "I
want to ensure
quality
Erwin
growth, growth that is balanced
with neighborhood preservation
and protection."
Erwin, a 49-year-old Republi
can, Is the first black woman to
run at-large for a seat on the
council. She and another black
Republican, Roosevelt Gardner,
likely will face a crowded pri
mary field In September, but Er-
Avln said she looks forward to
the challenge of taking on Char
lotte s most pressing concerns:
roads, revenue, annexation and
housing.
"I feel that I can bring new In
sights and directions In these
areas, and add a new vitality In
meeting the needs of our city,"
she said.
Charlotte needs Improved
transportation, says Erwin. 'We
need to continue our federal and
state governments to assist
more in moving on with road
projects, but at the same time,
we must continue to involve
neighborhoods In the planning
of roads In their communities,"
she said. 'We must become pro
active."
As the city grows, homeowners
will face more of a burden in
supporting the tax base, Erwin
said. To alleviate the strain, she
proposes "a consolidated tax
base In the uptown area" con
sisting of business, tourism and
conventions.
"It's going to be Increasingly
more difficult to rely on the
homeowner to meet our future
revenue needs. Therefore, a
more concentrated center for
business and development In
the uptown area will Increase
our tax base greatly from the
business, tourist and conven
tion Industries."
Erwin proposes more public-
private ventures In developing
housing for moderate and low-
income families.
"The need for housing in this
area—affordable housing—Is a
must If our city Is to serve the
needs of fall its cltizeniy," she
said.
Crime, whether drug-related or
not, has to be fought, Erwin said.
She favors increasing the num
ber of police officers and reduc
ing the case load of the Judicial
sytem while increasing citizen
Involvement.
'We need to work with the Judi
cial system In removing their
large case loads...and work with
the penal system In helping to
rehabilitate those who are con
victed," she said. "But most of all,
we must work with communities,
churches, families and schools
to help remove the need to com
mit crime."
Inside This Week
Editorials Pg. 6A
Church Newe.. Pg. 2B
Entertainment. Pg. 8A
Sports Pg. 7B
WORD! Pg. 12B
Classifieds.... Pg. 10B
Lifestyles Pg. 1B
Alliance Pg. 11B
Subscribe To The CharU
rite Post, Call 376-0496
U.S. Labor
Secretary To
Visit In Oct.
Remarks by the U. S. Labor
Secretary Elizabeth Dole will
highlight the WorkForce 2000
Conference, October 17, In
Charlotte. The Salisbury native
will be part of the day-long event
that will address ways to meet
the labor market needs of the
21st centiuy.
Mecklenburg Board of County
Commissioners Chairman Car
la E. DuPuy, Duke Power Com
pany President Doug Booth and
Johnson C. Smith University
President Robert Albright are
co-chalrlng the conference. The
conference is sponsored by
Leadership Charlotte.
The year 2000 will bring many
changes to the Charlotte work
force. Many Jobs for the area's
25,000 working poor will be
nonexistent. More women will
be part of the workforce. Higher
literacy skills will be required
for most available Jobs. Most of
Charlotte's projected 472,000
Jobs will be In the service sector,
these factors and others will
place new demands on employ
ers and employees.
Education, retraining and sup
port services will be essential
for the workforce of 2000.
Three task groups will present
white papers on these areas
during the conference. Duke
Power Company's Director of
Community Relations Sondra
Wise heads the education task
force: AT&T General Manager In
Charlotte Guy Wilson leads the
retraining task force; and Char-
See WORKFORCE On Page 4A