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PUBLISHED EACH THURSDAY l^^ltGHE ?CAR<DCHm X3SQ>Xfi^^7X< % \ I "Building Communicatiue Bridgesl I ^ Pembroke? n.c. In A Cri-Racial getting" couni I * I VOLUME 19 NUMBER *1 25$ THURSDA Y. OCTOBER t7. l?8i EDDINCS EAMILY PATRIOTISM EXEMPLIFIED B Y CAREER CHOICES By Barbara Brave boy-Locldear Special To The Carolina Indian Voice U.S. military representation runs the gamut among the iour children of Randolph and Katheryn "Deannie" Ed dings of Route 3, Maxton. Their three sons and daughter are actively serving their country in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. And even though they argue among themselves as to which branch of service is the best, one thing they agree on is that their decision to join the military service was their own. Petty Officer First Class Randolph, Jr. is the oldest of he four Eddings children. Upon graduating from Pembroke Senior High School in 1976, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. "Randy was always an easy-going person, and he thought the Navy was the easiest-going outfit,", laughs his father. "He is the most laid-back of the children." Before entering military service. Randy studied Business at Robeson Community College before shipping off to Orlando, Fla. for basic training. The 30 year-old Lumbee Indian recently returned from training exercises aboard the USS Vulcan and has purchased a home in the Norfolk area for his wife, the former Debbie Lowiy, and their young son and daughter. After much time spent in the Mediterranean, he anticipates a six-year assignment at Norfolk. In 1977, S.Sgt. Rory Curtis, the second oldest Eddings child, was a sophomore at Pembroke Senior High School and looked on as his recently graduated school buddies left for military service. He wanted to go, but stayed ? behind to graduate from the same school a year later. Three years of ROTC prepared him to enlist in the U.S. Army. He reported to Ft. Jackson, SC shortly thereafter for basic training. His next assignment was at Ft. Bragg, NC, located 40 miles from his native Robeson County. A later assignment took him to Ft. Benning, Ga. where he became a drill sergeant. The 28-year-old single father is currently stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division. He says he did not take the option of an overseas assignment because of being nearby his native homeland. "I just like this place," he says of Robeson County. He maintains an apartment in Pembroke and travels back and forth to his military base. He says he would recommend enlistment to any young person today because it offers a quick way to grow up. "Roty has always been a go-getter," Randolph, Sr. says of his son who Is in charge of a platoon ot 36 soldiers. After Carro Rose, the only Eddings daughter, graduated from Pembroke Senior High School in 1979, she enrolled at RCC and earned an associate degree in Police Science. Upon graduation, she learned she was too young to join a local law enforcement agency because she was not yet 21 years qf age, and by agency policy, she could not legally wear a firearm in the line of duty. She wanted a job whereas she could utilize her training and decided the U.S. Air Force was the place to go for it She :hose to seek a different branch of service than her >rothere. She reported to Lackland AF Base in Texas and ook her basic training. "Her attitude during that time was, 'Hey, they've gone nto service. Tm going too,"' her father comments. Eyen as a youngster, if her brothers did something, she ilways wanted to do better than them." The 27-year-old single airman recently re-enlisted for ?ix years and is stationed at Loring AF Base in Maine. She s a drug and alcohol counselor. "She should do well because she was real bossy as a young girl growing up," her mother chuckles. "She has always liked working with people." Randolph, Sr. says from tlie time his youngest son, Jorbin Venus was born, h? became one shock after mother. "Even when his mother and I learned we were going to have another child we were shocked. After all, it <iad been eight years since there had been a newborn at our home," he remarks. But nothing prepared Randolph, Sr. for the shock which came one day when his 18-year-old "baby," who was enrolled in Pembroke State University, told him, "I think I'll go into service." "I couldn't tell him not to do tt, because I think the military service is just great," remembers the father. After completing one semester and part of another, Corbin gave up a full scholarship, and in the summer of 1988, reported to Parris Island, SC. He became a U.S. Marine. He chose not to follow the course of his siblings. "He's always had a mind of his own. 1 couldn't believe his decision to join the Marine Corps," his mother says. It scared me to death. I wanted him to join the Army." The 49 year-old mother says it was most difficult to see the youngest child leave home. She admits she dealt with the situation by "ciying a lot" Marine Pvt Eddings is stationed in Millington, Tenn. In early Sept., the Eddings home was filled with excitement. All four servicemen were home for a visit They gathered to exchange notes on their perspective branches of military service. There were debates as to which branch was the toughest..whose shoes were the best shined...who was the most physically fit, and who was the most decorated. Their father, who acted as referee, says there was no winner. But later on during the visit, all four children became winners when each sided up to their mother and requested their own favorite dish of food. The sailor got a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup. The soldier ate his fresh-sliced tomatoe sandwiches. The airman got her All of meat and okra and the Marine nibbled his fried egg served on toasted bread. A beaming mother's comment was, "We couldn't be prouderof our children. We've always wanted them to be happy at whatever career they chose. They're happy and that makes their father and me very happy." f a a ? - ? Pvt. Corbin V. Eddvngt Sgt. Carro Rose Eddings Petty Officer First Class Randolph Eddings, Jr. PEMBROKE BRW HONORS TIDWELL WOMAN OR THE YEAR receives ute IV88 lid well Woman of the Year Award from Genldine Maynor, the 1987 recipient. ELvera Loctdear \left\, past presi dent of the Pembroke Business and Professional Women's Organisation, & Sgt. Rory Curtis Eddmgs Hie third week in October is designated as National Business and Professional Women's Week. The Pembroke B.P.W. Organization held Ms fifteenth fear celebration with activities starting on Sundaf. As a group they attended worship services at the. First Methodist Church of Pembroke. Monday began with Sarah Bell and Dorothy Blue serving cake and lee cream to the senior ? citizens who gather each day at Maynor Manor for lunch. Monday night, the Woman of the Year Banquet was held at Rose Mary's Restaurant The speaker was Cherry Beaaiey, a registered nurse, a Nurse Practitioner, and is employed with the Robeson County Health Department She discuaaed many disturbing statistics related to health problems ? ? ? . A in Robeson County, such as acciden tal deaths in the home and else where, SIDS (crib death), teen pregnancy, etc. She (eels that we as a county are not educated as we should be in the prevention jj{ health related deaths. Elvera Locklear, 1987-88 President of the Pembrqjpe B.P.W. Organiza tion, was presented the Tidwell Woman of the Yeai Award for outstanding service and leadership to the organization. Saturday morning the group met at Town and Country Restaurant for a Prayer Breakfast during which Doro thy Blue (member) spoke on the collect of the organization. Hie week of celebration concluded Saturday night with the annual Fall Scholarship Dance held at the Pembroke Jaycee Hut. Proceeds from the dance will be used as part of the organization's scholarship fund, fund. Hie Pembroke B.P.W. gives to five different scholarships each year. Two of these are given directly to women who are returning to or continuing their educafida at Pern broke State University and tove a financial need. THE OPTIMISTIC CYNICS BY KAREN CORONADO S WM. RICHARD MATHIS THE INDICTMENT OF ROBESON COUNTY: OPENING ARGUMENTS Robeson County is on trial, ladies and gentlemen of the grand jury of public opinion, and the charges of corruption and institutionalized racism are serious ones which will not go away. During this trial we will present evidence to allow you to decide if additional investigation is warranted in this complex case. Last week, you read the defense's opening argument given by Mike Mangiameli, former reporter for the i Robesonian, in a letter to the editor of the Carolina Indian ( Voice. i Hie principle points of Mangiameli's opening argument are: 1( There is no responsibility among the media in reporting Robeson County. 2( There is np credibility among critics of the system. 3( There is no major drug problem in Robeson County. 4( There is no unfairness in the county judicial system. 5( There is no corruption in Robeson County and there are no links between drugs and the Sheriff s department. Mangiameli objects to the media having given critics a forum to voice complaints and accuses the media of having spread "...there diaherra (apparently critic's allegations) as though it were gospel." But Mangiameli's main criticism is that the medias have not spent enough time "...investigating the rumor mongers (and their own reporters and editors)..." Among the accused rumor mongers listed by Mangiameli are the Revs. Mac Legerton, Bob Mangum and Joy Johnson, and the late John Godwin. As Mangiameli testified in court during the trial of Hatcher and Jacobs, he feels these critics of the system are the perpetuators of the "real fraud and corruption" because they "...have not offered one single ounce of proof in any of their allegations." Without any seeming awareness of the irony of spreading rumors about people accused of spreading rumors, Mangiameli accuses Legerton of having ties through the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches to an acknowledged Soviet KGB agent. In other words, Mangiameli accuses Legerton of being at best a dupe of international communism. Prima facie, it seems Mangiameli maybe confuses critics with communists. Mangiameli also says Legerton's funding is based on how frequently he appears in the media. Again, Mangiameli is apparently insensitive to the irony of a reporter attacking someone for, in part, making a living by having his name in the paper. Should that honor of expressing one's view publicly not be extended to critics and the media which report their views? In regards to his first two points, Mangiameli has seemingly taken the classical reactionary position of killing the messenger of bad news. Or if you can't kill the messenger, at least try to discredit him personally without substantially addressing his messages. Mangiameli also tries to discredit the assertion that there is a major drug problem. He writes, "Granted, we do have a drug problem, but compare ours to the rest of North Carolina and we come out smelling like a rose.' Mangiameli apparently sees no contradiction in writing there have been 700 defendants on drug charges within less than a 2 year period while claiming there is no major drug problem in Robeson County. He also failed to mention that while Robeson County ranks 13th in population within North Carolina, it ranks 6th in drug arrests and leads rural counties with the total number of drug arrests. Nor did he include any quotes from U.S. Attorney William Webb, head of the joint Federal and State task force investigating Robeson County, regarding the magnitude of the drug problem here. Here's a sampling of quotes from Webb, all of which have been duly reported in the media: "We beleive today that cocaine trafficking (in Robeson County) involves 10's of millions of dollars...We've been, trying to put amounts together, to assess how large the biggest players may be. Every time we think we've got the players identified something will happen to show us things are larger than we thought" "We bought an ounce of pure cocaine for (1,100. ITiat's for the same price or even less than you'd find it being sold on the streets of Miami. We've even made buys of one gram that is pure-uncut cocaine. Normally cocaine is cut to 30 percent purity or less. Very seldom in Robeson County do you see cocaine cut below 50 percent purity. They say folks just wouldn't buy it There's so much coke at such good prices, people can be choosy." "It's true- Robeson County is awash in cocaine." Webb has stated that most of the cocaine brought into Robeson County is for consumption in Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland counties. " We have no Idea how Mangiameli could have claimed there is no majr?r drug problem In Robeson County. But he did, without offering one #ingle ounce of proof for his allegation. Mangiameli has apprently confused the smell of a rose with the slenrh of fresh oignnir rose fertiliser. Mnngiameti'a evidence that there Is no unfnirness In the county judirial system Is that the "dissidents" who appeared before the rerent hraring of the N.C. Court Commission gave ",:.vnRue examples and unsubstantig ted rhetoric." Perhaps the "dissidents" did give poor examples and rdid reply too heavily on rhetoric. Irregardless, their performance at one meeting does not either convict or acquit the county judicial system. However, there ia a , reasonable amount of evidence to suggest the charge of bask unfairness in the county judicial system has validity. For starters, in 1986-87, 74.4 percent of whites statewide who want to prison were at the poverty or subsistence level; for Robeson County the figure jumps to 96.8 percent With Blacks, the statewide percentage waa 84.9 while the local was 96.2 percent At first glance, these figures lend credence to the claim that it is the poor, and not the middie-or upper-class who go to prison in Robeson County. Fresa local admisstons to prison sppcxadmatsly 58 * percent of whites, 64 percent of Blacks and 62 percent of Idnians had IQ's below normal with approximately 30. percent of all admissions having IQ's in the retarded range. Achievement levels were also lower for local' admissions. For example, the comparison between state and local admissions for a first grade to fifth grade V academic level as are follows: State: White 32.3, Black 53.3, Indian 61.3; Local: White 48.6, Black 66.9, Indian 63.7. The comparison for slate and local admissions with less Jian an eight grade achievement level is: State: White >5.4, Black 81.4, Indians 86.0; Local: White 84.1, Black >1.2, Indians, 87.7. V The above figures tell us that the vast majority of people going to prison from Robeson County are poor, uneducated and not particularly bright as measured by a paper and pencil IQ test. W e also know from the following figures that Indians are more likely than Whites or Blacks to have gone to C prison in 86 87: PErcent of total arrests: white 29. Black 35. Indian 36; Percentage of Total Admissions White 18 /' Black 34, Indian 48. (from Robeson! / There are also the reports from the Indian Commission which have shown Indians are more likely to be brought to superior court, be sentenced more often and harshly. Or,/ as Henry E. McKoy, a deputy secretary in the N.CJ Department of Administration and the Chairperson of thJ latest Indian Commission report, said, "There if discrimination in the judicial system (of Robeson County; Other systems, when applying the same rules, get vew^' different results..." The primary systematic charge against the distrii attorney's office is the calendering of large numbers < defendants at the same time. Many allege the syste coerces poor, uneducated people into pleading guilty . avoid losing jobs. Attorney Gary Iynn Locklear, a form assistant to DA Britt has told the press per calenderin "I think there's a conscious effort in the distrii attorney's office, knowing full well they won't be gettin to a case that week, to keep the defendant coming back a. v court...in an effort to get a- guilty plea from the defendant" Locklear has also said, "...he (Britt) also gets a lot of guilty pleas by just putting them off, waiting for people to just crumble and fall and throw in the towel." Imagine if you would, a person who works full-time and yet who lives under the poverty line. Even though that person may not particularly like working 40 long hours without many benefits, that person also knows that job is keeping food on the table and the bill collector from the door. Imagine what it would be like, to face a minor misdeamenor charge and not know how long you will be away from work, sitting in court, waiting for your case to be called, and knowing if you're not there when it is called, a warrant can be issued for your arrest. Ask Joyce Lockiear 01 remDroke. one speni oa u*ys in the courthouse over a year waiting for her misdemeanor case to be settled. In the end, the case was dismissed. But does that mean she went unpunished? 55 days over a year in the Lumber-ton courthouse seems a rather unfair sentence for someone whose case is eventually dismissed. Mangiamcli also claimed there is no corruption nor links between drugs and the Sheriff 9 department He argues that "...not one (investigator) fias been able to uncover any evidence of corruption at any level ol government, or any link to drugs by the Sheriff? department or any local police." As to the denial of any evidence of corruption at an\ level, we recommend reading the editorials by Bob Horrx of the Robesonian regarding the County Commissioner'' slashing of county recreational funds while extending themselves continued insurance benefits after leaving office. OR do we need to mention a Department ot Transportation report that alleged certain County Commissioners had private roads built on their land at state expense? Tb counter Mangiameli's proclamation that there is n< evidence of any link between drugs and the sheriff department, we offer the following chronology: July 1985- Carson Maynor stands trial on cocaine changes in Superior Court, Robeson County. Court records include the following note by SBI agent Lee Sampson written 1-25-85: "Carson Maynor has th< reputation of possessing and distributing cocaine in th< Robeson County area and associates with known cocaint dealers." Sheriff Stone testified that it is his opinion that the character and reputation of Maynor is good. November 1985: Sheriff Stone sends a letter to Florida State Prosecutor saying "Jonathan Lowry has lived in Robeson Cunty as a law abiding citizen to the best of mj knowledge...He has contributed and supported many civic and valuable causes in our county. His businesses are a valuable asset to our community." Lowry is in court for attempting to buy 500 lbs of marijuana and was carrying almost $300,000 in cash when arrested. Lowry has alleged ties to Maynor. July/ August 1986: 600 grams of cocaine and $3000 in cash disappear from a locked evidence locker. Only twi deputies, the sheriffs son, Kevin, and Burnis Wilkin? have keys to the locker. There is no evidence of forced entry. In March, Deputies Stone, Willdns, and Mitchell Stevens had arrested John Detton Lockiear with 600 grams of cocaine. This is the cocaine which in missing. November 1986: Kevin Stone kills Jimmy Earl Cummings, a suspected drug dealer. Stone never testifies at a coronet's inquest, nor does he ever speak with the press. Instead, others present coaflktliif accounts of Stone's actions which DA Brltt never challenges during the hastily celled inquest Dnrtone Bant Oaklings' gMMend says she knows "Jimmy was sot up beeansn he told me It would happen." She claims that he hafHtoen CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 J
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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