Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / Jan. 1, 1974, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 THE BLACK INK January, 1974 Knife assault part of labor disputes Faye Mitchell Stajf Writer A k nife assault on a Servomation manager by one of the employee’s may be U NC's most dramatic example that the age-old problems of management and labor are not limited to teamsters and truckers. UNC has encountered separate difficulties through disputes between employees of Servomation-Mathias. and a recent policy of the Physical Plant requiring most of the non dormitory maintenance staff to report to work at 4:00 a.m. The disturbance involving the knife resulted in slight injury to both persons. It occurred when the manager told the employee to do something, and the employee refused. The employee was fired. After being fired, the ex employee demanded his paycheck. The manager explained that the check was not there. The ex- exployee drew a knife, and there was a brief scuffle. Servomation has responded to inquiries by the University through the office of Business Administration, and to the BSM through Chairman Willie Mebane. “Regardless of what happened, no one resolves problems through the use of a knife, or force. They should go to the management of Servomation, and if they are still dissatisfied, they should come to us,” said John Temple, assistant vice-chancellor. He explained that although Servomation has a contract, they are still considered an operation of the University as the University food service. “Only the management is different,” he said. “The contract goes into extensive detail about what they’re expected to do.” Temple said the Servomation sent down a representative from Baltimore, (headquarters) as they had been asked to do. “We hope they will develop channels of communication, provide an outlet before the emotional level of that employee is reached.” Servomation used a verbal policy prior to the incident. An employee might be told different things by different managers at different times. Now they have a written policy, and orientation for employees, to insure uniformity. BSM Chairman Willie Mebane has met with workers and officials of Servomation concerning difficulties. He said, “ The BSM is trying to meet workers, develop a rapport. Too often it has been individual, rather than organizational. Now we’re trying to change that.” Mebane had little success in a meeting with Robert Greer, UNC’s Director for Servomation. “Servomation is aware of the problem, however, and they are trying to help,” he said. Larry Joseph was that help. He is a Sr. Vice President in Administration, sent from Maryland. He is in Human Services. He has met with Mebane and others who are seeking workable solutions. The arrival of a Black manager of some type in the Union was noticed by Mebane. All sides express concern and hope as communications contir^ie. NEXT ISSUE: Workers for the Physical Plant Rev. Leon White, Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality is an adamant opponent of capital punishment. He and his organization recently led a demonstration from Tarboro, to Raleigh. The over 40 participants in the march sought to persuade the General Assembly to atK>lish capital punishment during this year’s session. North Carolina has twenty one inmates on death row, one half of the nation’s total. Fifteen of the condemned are Black. Is death too cruel? Black activist, Agnela Davis is a strong advocate of penal reform in this country. She is shown here speaking to a Wilmington rally for Rev. Ben Chavis. (photo by Russel Davis) Pamela Williamson Staff Writer Sunday, December 10, 1973, three young blacks were sentenced to death for raping a 22 year-old white woman in Tarboro, North Carolina. Friday, January 18, 1974, 17 year-old Reginald Renard Lampkins of Winston-Salem was sentenced to death for raping a young white woman after a party, November 13. Reginald is now number 22 on the waiting list for Hillsborough prison focus of off-campus programs Allen Mask Off Campus Coordinator These perilous times in which we live demand that we as Black adults reevaluate ourselves and set priorities that reflect an intrinsic commitment to the activity of Black people. This pledge should include a meaningful concern for our desolate brothers and sisters relegated to the debilitating confines of prison walls. Many people erroneously stereotype prison inmates as a group of maladjusted illiterates who exist helplessly within the boundaries of the prison system. Such is not the case. They are no more or less different than those who profess “freedom” in our society. These are brothers who expressed their frustrations in a manner contrary to the laws set forth by rhose who dictate the law. The Hillsborough Prison Unit (Orange County Subsidiary), a prison advancement center in Hillsborough, N.C.. has been the focus of uttention of Off-Campus Programs this semester. A group of Black students visit the unit every Friday night from 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. to hold general rap sessions with the brothers. Up to this point we have only been allowed to bring males, but by the first of January we are confident of securing permission to include the sisters. Our participation thus far has been limited by our knowledge of the desires of the inmates. The first few sessions were designed for us to get to know one another, and gain some insight to the problems confronting the brothers. Now that we have some sense of direction, programs are being organized which cater to both the interests of the inmates and UNC students. We look upon our relationships with the Hillsborough residents as being symbiotic: we have as much or more to learn from them as they from us. Communications class Our main project for this semester is implementing a class which will enable some brothers to obtain their 3rd Class Radio- Telephone license with the Broadcast Endorsement. We need your help in coordinating such a project. There are a number of communications which must be sent to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, visuals to be gathered, materials to be mimeographed, and monies to be raised. This is a project that can utilize the talents of both brothers and sisters on campus. We also hope to feature every Friday night some talent presentation of the inmatesand/or UNC students. This would hopefully include performances of the Opeyo Dancers, BSM Choir, BSM Drama Troupe, and the Ebony Readers. Several brothers at the unit have formed a drama group that is contimied on p. • the North Carolina gas chamber. Seven months after Furman v. Georgia, in which the Supreme Court delcared capital punishment unconstitutional, North Carolina ranks number 1 among the states with condemned prisoners. In fact, the 22 persons awaiting execution in North Carolina number two- thirds of the national death-row population. Five of them are white, one is an American Indian, and fifteen are black. In U.S. prisons, death-row inmates cheered when they learned of the landmark ruling handed down by the Supreme Court on June 29, 1973. In view of the legalized circumvention of the ruling by many of the states, they were celebrating an empty victory. Five states have a limited death penalty for “extreme” crimes such as treason or killing a police officer. They are New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Of the other 45 states, only 11 have abolished the death penalty. They are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The others have maintained the death penalty in a mandatory form. These varying reactions to the Court’s 5-to-4 decision are a result of the ambiguity surrounding the “why” of the ruling. The death penalty was found to be a “Cruel and unusual punishment,” and therefore, a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. However, “Cruel and unusual punishment” is about as clear as “with all deliberate speed” in the 1953 Brown v. decision. In other word.s, the Court did not specify its real objection to capital punishment. Therefore, the separate states have drawn their own conclusions. Most of them feel that the discretionary aspect of the death penalty was at issue. Consequently, they have instituted the system of automatic death penalties for certain crimes, thereby eliminating the discretion of juries and judges. Last January, the North Carolina Supreme Court made capital punishment mandatory for first-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree burglary, and first-degree arson. Each of the Supreme Court justices wrote separate opinions. Two alluded to the disproportionate effect of the discretionary death penalty on minorities and the poor. Justice Douglas said he opposes the death sentence because it is “selectively applied” against the “poor and despised.” The other justices concurring in the decision had various other reasons for opposing capital punishment. On the other hand, support for the death penalty centers around three concepts: deterrence, punishment, and protecting society. Whether or not executing convicted murderers and rapists deters “would-be” murderers and rapists is highly questionable. It is hard to believe that people rationally consider the consequences of the irrational crime they are about to commit. However, even if the deterrent concept were valid, is it fair to take the life of a 17 year-old young man such as Reginald Lampkinds in order to prevent some predicted crime in the future, which ode eteeot responsible for. As for the punishment aspect of capital punishment—what does it accomplish? Executing the co«>tim»«d on p. 8
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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