North Carolina Newspapers

i . . f :- , 1 . s University lltrary " ;,: , Newspaper". Department rnan, fl. g. 27706 , 11-30 Words of tyfc':7c:n Thosel who are believed, to be most abject and humble are usually most ambitious and "'" envioua.-,-: .-.':. z Spinoza, V 4vS Lm.4 L VOLUME 55 - NUIW2ER 11 ''READ BY OVER 30,000 OURHAMITES" DURHAM NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY, MARCH 12.1977 TELEPHONE (919) 686587 PRICE: 20 CENTS 0 ' t' il . I. ' , Durham Housing Autho. rity offlclali ( have challenged the new HUD regulation! bann ing the eviction of tow incqme tenants and had 23 court- ordered evictions sustained after Vthev Were ' oriffinallvf1 denied by the Small Claims ? Court, An article in last week! issue of The Carolina Time! disclosed that the U.'$.' De partment of Housing and Ur ban Development (HUD), etrective rebruary 18, placed a ban on evictions in public housing unless the persons were able to move into decent, safe, sanitary and satis factorily heated housing."' A representative for 23 tenants whose evictions were being sought by the local hous ing authority on February 23 explained the new HUD re gulations to Magistrate John West. After hearing the new directives, West dismissed the' Tsietsi Mashinini, exiled South African student leader described the state of the revolution in his cfuntry at Duke University recently while several organizations announced support fpr nation wide demonstrations on March 25 and 26 against U. S. mul;. national corporations that ex ploit South Africa. ; Mashinini, 19 year old Pren sident of the South Africa Student Organization (SASO) , was i forced. into exile during l.asjmeheaval y as several of the country'! leaden . were imprisoned by ndlice-A large reward was placed on Mashinini's head. A native of Soweto, the black ghetto' outskle of Johanesburg where the first demonstrations against the teaching of Afrikaans occured, Mashinini described how stu dents were organized . and supported by their parents to rid schools of the language of the minority Dutch settlers during last summer. Boycott ' of schools and eventually a general strike by Soweto ' workers and workers through out the country drew the bloodiest response from South African authorities . sine; the Sharpesville massacre, in March of 1962. A film smuggled out of the country showed how police RALEIGH (CCNS) - A bill to limit picketing around ' courthouses, residences ' of court officials, and Jurors has been criticized by a black legis lator as a mechanism to limit black protest in North Caro lina. ' '- Durham County Represen tative , H. M. Michaux, Jr., said the only reason the. bill . was introduced into " the General Assembly was because blacks have dared to exercise First Amendment rights under the U. S. Constitution. "Because black people have deemed it necessary to exercise their choice of free speech now, that free speech may be getting a little bit out ' of hand to some of the other folks involved; and they want to put a damper on it for the time being," Michaux said. Michaux's statement followed lengthy debate for more than three weeks in the' House Judiciary I Committee where Michaux is a member. ' The bill's introducer! Repre sentative Park Helms of Char lotte, also a member of the Committee, had the initial proposal put before the General Assembly at the re quest of the N. C Judicial Council. The Council repre sents several pfi the i state's judges. ' " ; Judge Hamilton Hobgood, who presided , over the 1975 Joan Little trial in which the evictions. ' Later, the housing autho-'' rity got in touch , with HUD ' and was told by Harris J. Winl- kestein, HUD area counsel,' that the policy did not apply v to North famlinn The autho- rity informed Magistrate West that the directive did not eonlv and that they" wanted the dis missals reversed West complied , but failed to notify the tenan tenant representatives. v'Housihg Authority Direc- tor James Kerr said that Dur- . bam tenants are not facing any v undue hardships due to an increase in fuel costs. They said that tenants have ' been given additional time - to . pay bills incurred aa of March 1. However, Nellie White, chairperson of the Durham Tenant 1 Steering Committee said the increased costs to tenants have been very great in Durham." Her organization TSIETSI MASHININI opened fire on hundreds of small children wantonly as they demonstrated for control of their education and their country. The resulting national struggle of the white regime of Prime Minister John Vorstef stin continues says Maschinini, "until the, U. S . Corporations and white regime are crushed to the earth and we take back our land." Mashinini described how he saw more than 300 people, all Africans, mostly students, dead from police bullets and clubs, "packed like potato was acquitted in the murder of jailer, asked the legislature to limit picketing and demon strations to 50Q feet from courthourses so that demon strators would not influence urors. Hobgood said that he wd received letters from three emale jurors saying they were intimidated by the presence of demonstrators. The Judiciary 1 Committee , chaired by Rep. Henry Frye tareos 'Obi M " , ' .... my Rafcigf Voman Slopped Dy Baffiff, , RALEIGH (CCNS) -Mattie Diggs was sitting in court waiting for her trial to continue and received the shock of her life from a burly, white Deputy Sheriff of Robeson County, Gerald Martin slapped her. Martin, she said, unleased all the force his right hand could muster to hit the young black woman in the full view of court and her lawyer,;;; Attorney H. Mitchell Baker of Lumberton said that he didn't see the Incident but was told , by several persons in the court that Ms. Diggs was talking with another woman when . bailiff Martin told the two to shut up. "There were, some words and several say he (Gerald Martin) put his finger in her face ana then slapped pays the utility bills and de linquent bills of many families that tcannot pay their bills due to hardships, rather than have , the families evicted: The payment is a loan which is repaid;- to the DTC v'in monthly installments.' Howard Lee Press Aide Steve Meehand said that mem bers of the comruinity assis tance division of the Depart ment of Natural and Economic Resources is studying the situa-. tion of tenants to see if it is possible for them to intervene and supply data to document increased fuel costs to the HUD office. Dr. John Larkins, Assis- tant for Minority Affairs to Governor James. Hunt, said that he was seeking the advice of the Governor's legal counsel to see if there was any way for the Governor to intervene in the situation. sacks with numbers on their foreheads" in a makeshift police morgue. They were killed on the first day of the bloody upheaval, Mashinini said as he contradicted police claims that a smaller number had been killed . Apartheid,, the South Afri can racial policy of separation of the races in residential liv . tag, working and all aspects of life, with its ever present pass- book, ;Mashtaini iaid, must be ,ri4ed.tPiscountjng rthe labels k tt6iomfm, to 'Africans by the Vorestet Jre: gime and western ' press, Mashinini said "Africans now see those as divisions which allov the corporations to continue to exploit us." During a question and ans wer session students asked, several questions which Mashinini later said reflected the distortion of information about the South African -revolution in the U. S. He is speaking to groups in several ' cities across the country to attempt to eradicate miscon ceptions about the state of affairs in his country. The National Student Coalition Against Racism, which sponsors Mashinini's travels, announced nation wide demonstrations against Continued On Page 14 of Guilford County, made a compromise proposal of 300 feet- from any exit of the courthouse. Black legislators- Richard Erwin of Forsyth County and H. M- Michaux did not vote for the bill. The 300 feet compromise came out of a sub-committee chaired by Rep. Peter Hairston of Advance along with Rep. Joe Johnson of Wake and Rep. her," Baker said. ' Mattie Diggs' account is al most the same. She said Mary Kinsley of Fairmont was talk ing with her when Martin told the two to 'shut up.' She said when Ms. Kinsley didn't stop talking, Martin "came ov t to me and stuck his finger in my face. I told him he couldn't put his hands in 1 my face be cause I had my constitutional rights, too. That's when he slapped me. I saw then that this man was mean and decided not to push for n y rights." Attorney Baker said that following the courtroom scene bailiff Martin took Ms. Diggs out of the courtroom "and ; used some profanity." ' Baker said he felt that Martin had exceeded his - authority and often is "a little hot headed." lUmm mil :-PraHosll8 RALEIGH (CCNS)-Four: Speaker Carl Stewart of' thousand North Carolinians: Gastonia March 3 by the N. signed petitions against the re- C. Coalition Against the Death enactment of the death penalty Penalty. -in North Carolina, The peti- Stewart said he was tions1 were presented to House Rjcased to accept the petitions . open letter . to presid:;it carter Dear Mr. President: 1 -You have no doubt received many letters .calling for the U. S. for the cause of hufnari rights in foreign countries where thereare alleged human ! right? violations . , ': , ' Most: notably, is your recent response to a letter from the . Soviet dissident, Andrei D. Sakharov, wherein jou stated, "You may rest assured that the American people and our government' wilf' continue bur firm commitment to prorr0te respect for human rights. We shall use .our good offices to seek the release of prisoners of conscience." As only one of many American citizens who has been unjustly imprisoned not be cause of criminal conduct but as a direct re sult of participation in the human and civil rights movement in the United States. I appeal to you. President Carter, to first set a national priority of freeing all U. S. poli tical prisoners, ? It is from a prison cell in the state of North Carolina whert I urgently write to you about the pase known publicly as the "WilmingtonN. C, Ten". We are ten victims of a racist and political prosecution. How pan our government honestly pro claim support for. human rights as a matter ': bt foreign,,, policy .while, fallowing domestic 'Violation of hmaiV nglis continue undef the guise of the '"administration of an unfair criminal justice system? ! v Yes, ;my conscience also compels me to speak out for I am a Christian minister and I have the. faith' that you, Mr, President, will not allow this repressive hypocrisy to con tinue, v In fact, we are equally as well "prisoners of conscience." Will you not speak out for us? Will you not use your good office to bring about bur release? t . I pray that you will with speed, respond . positively to my request. - For the Wilmington Ten and all U. S. political prisoners In Christ name, v Rev. Benjamin F, Chavisj Jr. McCain Prison ; Erwin. Hariston said that the law was needed "to preserve the dignity of the courts." Michaux contends that provisions of the bill which ban demonstrations around any building occupied by . court ' officials and jurors ;was top broad and "goes beyond the constitutionally established in Cox vs. LouisianaThat case Was often cited as proof that the proposed picketing ban was Martin, questioned about the slapping, , refused to comment. . : Mattie Diggs, a resident of Connecticut since 1967 when she left North .Carolina and thus violated the terms of her parole, was being tried on that offense when slapped; She was under 1 8 months' sus-; pended sentence for assault when she left. She was being tried for another offense in February' of this, year In Connecticutt ; when officials there yielded to extradition procedures fron North Carolina. She is now serving the 18 month sentence in Women's Prison (also known as the North Carolina Correc tional Center for Women). ; Recalling the' courtroom scene, Ms. Diggs said that one Government s support constitutional. (The case cited above arose from a similar Louisiana statute). The bill is sure to pass the legislature, but in what form is hot clear. If the sub committee version passes the House with the 300 feet limitation intact,. then a House and: Senate conference committee would ' possibly agree on a single bill to be approved by both houses. Plans Suit thing surprised her more than anything else. "I just can't understand how a courtroom . full of .black people could watch a big deouty like- ; him. (Gerald Martin) and not say a word," she said. " : Mattie is now looking for a lawyer to sue Gerald Martin. Attorney Baker said that as a local attorney he could not v handle; "that kind of case." . Baker said it would affect his other cases in the town. But : he said he did show Ms. Diggs how to prepare the necessary t legal papers for the suit so she : 1 could file them as a pauper S when she got to prison. The 4 paper! yet unfiled, Mr. Diggs : hopes she will find Ma lawyer who is not afraid to tackle Gerald Martin." . Wo : Death Penal and would turn them over to - Ed Davenport, chairman of the House Judiciary 11 Committee for consideration. Davenport's . committee is now considering several ( proposals to re enact the death penalty, one of which he introduced into the General Assembly Harriott Quin, co-con-Wenor of the N. C. Coalition Against the Death Penalty, challenged the legislature: to W ' - Mr -tJ--:;. : Ill , Vi "r 'f? A " -ok h'"J'A X f'. i .-''h ... VpEATH PENALTY PETTmONiHpusf Speaker tartStewprt receives and looks' CiVt f petitions agaitr. -enactment of .Uiii'to4h pahaltf in Nortf Carolina; tJookirtg on at left is Harriot Quinr Co-convenor of the N. C. Coalition Against the Death Penalty, standing beside Collins Kilburn, Director of the Commission of Social Ministries of the N. C. Council of Churches. Kilburn and Quit presented Stewart the petitions with Flop. Ruth Cook of Wake County, standing behind Stewart look ing on. -,iH,,;. ... , . ..,.;-:'..:':. S7boS .NoasyGQ.Aisifs Golly ; ,, m -i t" - -in Ti --- " - "The legal system in North Carolina concerning the case of the Wilmington 10 is moving very, very slowly," comment ed the Chief Correspondent for Soviet Radio ' and Television during a visit to North Caro lina last week. Correspondent Youry Sol ton made the comment between interviews last week in Durham for a broadcast to the Soviet people on the Wilming ton .10 case. Solton said his interview would be primarily concerned with the quality, of lif" for : North Carolinians, wiuv. he dbserved was very Haley, Youii& RocWfng and Cficcfi To Attend Press Confab Conference WASHINGTON (NNPA)--' Alex Haley, author of "Roots" along with An bassador Andrew .Young . of the United Nation; Dr. James E, Cheek, president of Howard Uni versity and Dr. Jay Saunders Redding of Cornell Uni versity will be among those who; will; headline the 150th anniversary observance here next week of the founding of the Black. Press. Announce ment of the event, which will highlight the Mid-Winter Work shop of the National News paper Publishers Association (NNPA) March 16-19, was announced Tuesday by Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, NNPA president, and publisher of the San Francisco Sun Reporter ' Group. i , . . The opening 150th anni-, versary address, will be deliver ed at the. luncheon on Friday" IMarch 18 by Ambassador Young who recently returned from East Africa where he con ferred ' with leaders oh the possibility of a peaceful trans-1 fer of power in Rhodesia from the white minority to the black majority. 4iBiute.9kv.-M mtmi' wwaj,,, s - -fc.? provide "leadership in this moral, political and ethical issue." Quin said that since the N. C. Capital punishment law has been stricken by the U. S. Supreme Court eight months ago, ."murder rates in our cities have dropped significantly- according to the latest - Department of Justice reports. This calls into question the merit of the argument that the death penalty is a de bad. Other . Soviet correspon- dents were to interveiw Rev. Ben Chavis and other parties pants in the Wilmington 10 case. , . Solton pointed to the re- cantation by chief witness against the Wilmington 10 Allen HaU, who said that he had lied in the 1972 trial; and to the recent statement of Rev. Eugene Templeton who said he was with Chavis and others of the Wilmington 10 on the night the defendants were accused of firebomb ing Mike's grocery. r - i Proclamations by the Focus of the Sesquicen tennial observance will be the enshrinement of . five pioneer black publishers, in the Black Press Gallery of Distinguished Newspaper PubUshers at Howard 1 University, Friday afternoon. "l The five are: Rev. Samuel E. Cornish and John B Russ wurm , co-founders of Free dom's Journal, the first black newspaper; , Frederick Douglas and Dr. Martin R. Detany, co editors of the North Star; and Philip A. BeQ, who founded the Colored American and the San Francisco Elevator and was associated with newspapers for more than 60 years.- ;,; v The enshirement speaker at Howard will be Dr. Redding, author of three award-winning books, including the widely read "No Day of Triumph. Dr. Cheek will welcome .the group to the Black Press Ar chives and Gallery. On Friday evening during the Sesquicentennial Banquet in the National Press Club Ballroom, the five honorees will be unveiled before a larger audience.' In addition. Alex Haley, -"y."..-r" yijjf: jj'.-' terrent to. violent crimes." There are four proposals currently before the N. C. Legislature to re-enact the death penalty, A bill to abolish capital punishment and insti tute in its place life impri sonment ' without possibility of parole, pardon or any other administrative remedy before 25 years is served has been reported favorably out of (Continued On Page 5 Carter administration to do the upmost to defend human rights and civil rights as well as the investigation of Attorney -General Griffin BeD, Solton said, influenced him to come to North Carolina to "find out how in reality this case is going on here." Not optimistic about the Bell investigation, Solton said, "It will take a lot of pressure from local people from public opinion, in order to make this case throughly and ob jectigely investigated, once more." (Continued On Page 14 will head the list of Sesqui centennial honorees. The others will be Dr. Cheek, for establishing the archives and gallery; John H. Johnson, edi- ' tor-publisher of Ebony and Jet, for the development of these outstanding magazines; William O. Walker, editor-publisher of the Cleveland Call and Post, for his contribution to the creation of the archives and gallery. . Ms: Lucile Bluford, editor of the Kansas City Call, for pressing her suit to enter the University of Missouri. School 1 of Journalism aU the way to the Supreme Court and winn ing a journalism school for. blacks; and John H. Sengstacke editor-publisher of the Chicago Daily Defender and nine other 'Sengstacke papers for taking the leadership in the founding and development , of NNPA over the past 37 years. " ? : '- Concluding the awards will be the memoralizing of anti slavery martyr Elijah P. Love joy whose editorials in his . Alton, . Dl., Observer against slavery cost rum his life in -1837, and William Uoyd Garrison, editor of the libera tor and the No. 1 antislavery . crusader, 183M865.