6A
NEWS/ The Charlotte Post
Thursday, March 6,1997
McDonald holdings face uncertain future
Continued from page 1A
restaurant last weekend.
Ever since members of the
African American community
learned Pinto might eventually
own the restaurant, concerns
have been expressed about the
possible loss of what’s consid
ered a landmark in the black
community.
McDonald’s was the center of
westside the social activity -
everything from awards din
ners, receptions and luncheons.
The cafeteria was a good place
to find many of the community’s
politicians and businessmen,
whose tables were right there
next to travelers, blue collar
workers and retirees.
The latest information from
sources is that efforts to keep
McDonald’s in black hands has
been renewed and that Pinto’s
bid has fallen through.
Pinto’s attorney, Allan Singer,
said neither he nor his client
could comment on the situation.
Singer would say only that
changes were afoot and denied
that his client was out of the
picture.
The situation may be at a crit
ical juncture, as the family
works to avert a potential bank
foreclosure.
Troy Watson, head of the
Metrolina Minority Chamber of
Commerce, is reportedly trying
to put together a group of
African Americans to purchase
the McDonald’s holdings.
Watson said he could not dis
cuss details of any arrange
ments Wednesday.
“I was always one to believe
McDonald’s is a landmark in
the black community,” Watson
said. “McDonald’s is the center
of our community, where we
have all of our meetings. It
ought to he something the black
community could own.”
Others don’t sheu-e that senti
ment. Pinto, in fact, had been
able to secure several endorse
ments fi’om African Americans to
purchase the facility. Those
endorsements were designed to
assure potential creditors that
the black community would con
tinue to support the restaurant,
even if a non-African American
owned it.
Two such endorsements came
fixim Bob Davis, chairman of the
Black Political Caucus and
Geneal Gregory, a caucus mem
ber and vice president of the local
NAACP.
“His ownership would not be an
affront to the African American
community,” Davis wrote of Pinto
in a Feb. 17 letter to Brad Pearce,
a lawyer for the mortgage compa
ny. “Mr. McDonald himself would
turn over in his grave to know
that such a ‘race squabble’ was
going on. He espoused love, sup
port and opportunity for ‘aU peo
ple.’ ”
Davis, who acknowledged that
he wrote only as an individual,
said Pinto has given McDonald’s
“a friendlier customer-relations
atmosphere’ and made some aes
thetic changes.”
“I believe I know the ‘pulse of
the black community and I also
have and value their trust; and
would not attempt to do anything
that would violate that trust,”
Davis said. “Please seriously con
sider Mr. Louis Pinto and allow
him to be the new owner of
McDonald’s Cafeteria Properties.
He is an asset to the African
American community.”
Wrote Gregory, also on Feb. 17:
“It is a personrd pleasure that I
add my voice to the support of
Mr. Louis Pinto remaining the
manager and hopefully one day
soon, the owner of this facility.
He has served the community
with dignity and expertise since
coming on board as manager.
“I was truly honored to see
that the facility is now being
cared for and that customers
were receiving good customer
service,” Gregory said. “In the
past years it appeared that the
facility was in a downward
transition. Since Mr. and Mrs.
Pinto began managing the facil
ity you can see that life has once
again smfaced.”
John McDonald had already
explored several avenues for
seUing the restaurant, hotel and
Fun City before his death. Even
then, the black community was
wondering if the mini-empire
would remain in African
American hands.
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Continued from page 1A
also black. But not black
enough, according to many
Bosley supporters.
Harmon, 57, whose wife is
white, is currently an executive
with the national headquarters
of United Van Lines and counts
many business executives
among his friends. His kinder
detractors in the Bosley camp
say he is “too assimilated into
white society.” Others are more
blunt.
Bosley’s father, Alderman
Freeman Bosley Sr., has called
Harmon a “rented negro,” and
Charles Mischeaux, head of the
local chapter of the NAACP,
criticized Harmon for announc
ing his candidacy on the steps of
the Old Courthouse, the site of
the Dred Scott trial.
“It’s a fact that black slaves
were sold on the steps of that
courthouse,” said Mischeaux.
“Now we’re seeing a black man
sell himself on those steps.”
And while Harmon winces at
those descriptions, he says he
understands why they are being
laid on him.
As a ranking police officer for
many of his 27 years on the
force, Harmon had dealings
with people on nearly all levels
of society in St. Louis, a city
almost evenly divided between
blacks and whites.
“I have had throughout my
career a relationship with all
segments of the community,”
Harmon said. “I was the first
African American lieutenant in
the department and I became
the first black area commander
of a white section of the dty.
“Now they are turning to me
because they see the city in
decline and they want my help.”
Like many large cities, St.
Louis’ infirastructure is decay
ing, many of the buildings
downtown are vacant and
boarded up, and there are fears
that some large businesses will
soon leave for greener pastures.
Bosley denies the city is in
trouble, saying that under his
leadership St. Louis has gained
a professional football team, has
helped Trans World Airlines
dimb out of bankruptcy and has
actually gained jobs as new
companies moved to town.
Bosley also points to a declin
ing crime rate during his
administration, a claim that
irks Harmon, who says he
resigned as police chief late in
1995 because he could get no
support fixim Bosley.
“He’s running on my record,”
said Harmon. “It is so incredi
ble. I was accomplishing things,
often against his will, and now
he is trying to take credit for it.”
Not so, says Bosley, who
claims Harmon was insensitive
to the needs of black officers and
inept as chief
“St. Louis is safer now that
Harmon is gone,” he has said.
Marit Clark, a five-term
Democratic alderman from the
south side, finds the whole race
“bizarre.”
Clark, who had registered as a
Democratic candidate with
Harmon’s endorsement, with
drew from the primary and reg
istered as an independent when
Harmon announced his own
candidacy.
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