VOLUME 59 NUMBER 49 - - , ; DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1981 mEPHOWE (919) 682-2813 PRICE: 33 CENTS
Jio Eeiew w Mm To K
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WordsOf Wisdom ;
Dirficoldcs ttrnttkei the miod, as labor
docs tie body.
Seneca
He climbs highest who helps Mother Bp.
George Matthew Adams
..
There Is sot a moment without some dity.
Cicero
A .
IIP-
A Staff Report
Outside of the view of most of the 'public, the
Durham city administration has been quietly trying
to resolve a twenty-year-old 'problem. What to do
with the remains of the urban renewal area known
. as NCR-54. c, AVAiv -$i . . . .
NCR-54 is what was known in Durham as Hayti,
an area that extends from Pettigrew Street at South
Roxboro Street o the expressway (as it's northern
border)., It is bordered on the west by South Rox
boro Street, on th south by Piedmont and on the
east by old Fayetteville Street.,.
For the first time, the city is taking some steps to
complete the Urban Renewal process. The City
Planning Office, headed by Paul Norby, has work
ed dilligently for a year in developing a plan for this
area."
Th? big problem, it seems, is what to do with the
remaining eight businesses which have not been per
manently relocated. Five of these businesses are
located in a "temporary" facility, popularly known
as "tin city", "Tin City" was built twelve years
ago, to last eighteen months;' in order to move
businesses which were in the path of the East-West
expressway then in the process of being con
structed. ,
To resolve this last barrier to the redevelopment
of NCR-54, the city has taken two important steps.
First, it has rewritten the Urban Renewal plan for
the area in such a way that the renewal of the area
no longer will have to be restored comparable to its
early composition or even to provide needed ser
vices for the community. Rather, the new plan
limits all commercial development to east of Fayet
teville Street in the area on the two large empty
tracts west of Fayetteville Street being targeted for
an office part on one and the other as all
residential. Both are to be developed by private
developers although with some site preparation via
Community Development Block Grant money.
The housing is projected to cost a minimum of
$70,000 per unit and the office park can be expected
to be a high rent district, thereby "upgrading" the
area." The portion of Hayti north of the expressway
is no longer considered in the plan, as the city ex
pects that som6Jage business concerns, wanting to
exnand outward frnm "rfoamtnuin Dnrham mU
develop, .i'j . . v , , -1 ' mittee on tne'Af fa
....... ...... wiiiam uuuiim auu r urcft&iuilal
t
Pain to "assist" the relocatees to move jnto tiip&
commercial develnnment met rf Favtttniu :
It appears that the city is willing to "assist" with i
construction of a building, only if it is located In ; ,
this area.
Further, the reloeation of the eight businesses is$U
to be based on their "viability" for the relocation?
which is to be determined by. the Durham Business
and Professional Chain. .- ,jL:
, This six-months contract will give operating exC
penses to the Chain which lost it's federal contract !B
id&i 5UIUIX. oaxanes ana innce uenetitR tntai . ,v
enaew
jt-ttUKAt if. JjtJjt Y y y y y y y y y y 1,
Women Shot At and
Robbed On Way To Church
By Bonald Alderman
$31,500; expenses (phones, phoiopymFmanm were oeaten and robbed as
etc.) add another $L500 and a 2JnSiSsX. were. ving a car to enter church for
category round out the funding proposal. : ervices, Monday night.
Most .of the eight businesses involved hive que&.St. One of the. victims, Mrs. Catherine
tionedjf the Chain is fully aware of what the city's -Forbes, was injured slightly by a single
plan entails, They believe the priginal urban Pistol shot that ira7pH the L nf w xT
renewal concept is completely compromised by the Sfc?Lg f? , S a ?f hercte'
city's plan.Although jt must be said that many past if fe..w treated, and released from Duke
city administrations have let the problem fester and Medical Center Monday night .
that it is encouraging to see some movement by the jl The Other victim, Mrs. Elizabeth Wat
city to upgrade the area, there is strong sentiment ion, was knocked down but was not in
among the southeastern Durham community that anred
the city's plan falls way short. r, y. :v., ... , . ,
The unfulfilled promise of renewing the area? Mrs. Watson said she and Mrs. Forbes
which was overwhelmingly supported by the black arnvea at Fisher Memorial United Holy,
population of the city in a vote in 1962, but only k Church on Piedmont Avenue around 8:30
narrowly passed (the margin was generaUy less than ": to attend installation services of Elder
300 votes out of approximately 10,000 cast), is still lrov Lewis
redemT umam After parking on Piedmont
Mrs. watson said thev beean
Avenue,
walkinp
toward th? church and were approached by
tour or live oiack males. She said they ap
peared to her to be between 17 and 19 years
or age.
The citv. however, had orininallv
new plan to the City Council on November 16,
1981 , with a schedule to approve it on December 21 ,
including public hearings. ;
This plan offered very little time for community
input and the plan was not publicized at all, A full
discussion vof its implications would . have been
almost impossible.
The Hayti Development Corporation, which had
been generating a plan of its own and had had some
discussions with the city, became aware of this short
schedule. . ,:
In response to a suggestion by the Economic
Development SubCommi'ttee of the Durham Com- ;
' mittee on tne "Affairs "Of fBIack Peoole that some i
fOEmed.la soecifiaallv deal' Wtth T .
(CdntfnueciPage-2) - " " WASH I NGTOhl " -
Si ( f t " ' The number of black
-elected officials in the
, United States increased
by 2.6 per cent between
July 1980 and July 1981,
according to the Joint
Center's annual survey
of black elected officials
(BEOs). Last year's in-t
crease was 6.6 per cent
The 1981 increases
were concentrated in a
few states. This year, as
last, Mississippi had the
largest net increase in the-
number of black elected
officials, 52. Georgia
gained 43 BEOs; Illinois
and Kentucky each gain
ed 17; Ohio gained 13
and Tennessee, 1 1. Texas
had a net loss of 33
BEOs. Other than these
She said the attakcers knocked them'
down, snatched their purses, and ran east '
toward Fayetteville Street. Before leaving '
the scene, one of the assailants held a pistol
at close range to Mrs. Forbes' face and
fired.
Mrs. Watson said her purse contained
about $10. Mrs. Forbes said her purse con
tained about $20.
Public Safety detectives are investigating
the incident. No arrest had been made at
press time.
Elder Elroy Lewis, the newly installed
pastor of Fisher Memorial United Holy
Church, said the attackers entered the
Education Building section of the church
shortly before the victims arrived. After a
deacon asked whether he could help them,
the four young men, never answering, left.
Elder Lewis said he will ask Public Safe
ty to patrol the area more during night ser
vices.
U. S. Black Elected Of ficials
Increased By 2.6
f ' ' ' "'III Uttlm II. II i.ii.iii. iini juil. Im.ii. II Il.liln r hi mi . A ., ,i . 1.1 I n I l mm,fm ....,. , (,J
I
WsM - -All lute"
. 4 J r' A I
substantial changes, net
losses and gains around
the country were general
ly small.
The number of black
officials has increased
every year since the
Roster was first publish
ed in 1970. In 1969, three
years after passage of the
Voting Rights Act, there
were 1,160 BEOs in the
country; as of July 1981,
there were 5,038.
(Results of this fall's
"elections are not counted
in thi total.) Blacks now
hold 1.03 per cent of all
elective offices in the
United States.
On the whole, blacks
must still depend on sup
port from black voters to
win elective office, and
the geographic distribu
tion of BEOS still cor
responds to the distribu
tion of the black popula
tion. Thus, the southern
states, which contain 53
per cent of the black
population of the United
States, also contain 61
per cent of all black
elected officials.
At present 340 blacks
hold state-level offices;
36 hold regional offices;
465 hold county offices;
and 542 hold judicial and
law-enforcement offices.
By far the largest
category of BEOs re
mains municipal of
ficials: this year there are
2,382, up slightly from
last year's total of 2,346.
The second largest
category of BEOs is
education officials. The
1,255 black education
officials represent 25 per
, cent of all BEOs.
. As they have for the
past decade, black
women continued to gain
offices at a greater rate
3.4 per cent than
black men 2.4 per
cent. Black women make
up about 20 per cent of
all black elected of
ficials. They are
distributed widely both '.
geographically and by
level of office. They are
especially concentrated
in educational offices
and hold relatively few
judicial and law enforce
ment offices.
(Continued on Page3)
The Black Church Response
To Reaganomics
Nearing Trial Date
Accused child killer Wayne Williams Is hustled home. Williams Is scheduled to stand trial In late
TjJiTl f ftjStt:' o' of the 28 black
evidence taken during a June,-1981 search of his, ' ,.
UPI
By Donald Alderman
NOTE: Political and social activity by the black
church, in response to Reagan economics and the
new political climate is examined in a two part
series. Economic and social services are first ex
amined. The secondparl examines political activity.
Responding to depressed economic conditions
and conservative poWcs, the black church is in
creasing its role in affecting political, economic and
social concerns.
The church uses a two-pronged approach. A
number of political action steps are taken to affect
critical legislation, . including the lobbying of
lawmakers by national and statewide church
groups, and the sponsoring of a number of
economic assistance programs to benefit the poor
and needy.
In response to an increase in the number of peo
ple seeking economic assistance from the church,
several churches have created special funds.
"There has been a recent upsurge in the number
of people calling or stopping iri for help," said Dr.
Grady D. Davis, pastor of Union Baptist Church in j
Durham. "Some are members and some are refer
rals from different agencies and groups."
Dr. Davis said that since the new administration
came into office, there has been a fifty to sixty per
cent increase in the number of cases handled at
Union Baptist. As a result, a Good Samaritan Fund
was started. The fund aids persons needing
assistance for fuel, utilities and housing costs.
A screening committee was also appointed, Dr. .
Davis said, to prevent abuse of the fund. The
church trie to prevent being "ripped off by peo
ple who may take advantage of the system.
"The black church is in the process of utilizing
resources to meet the needs of those affected by
budget cuts, said Rev. W.W. Easley, pastor of St.
Joseph's AM E Church. "Mobilizing resources to
effect political action on a national level is also in
process."
Referrals from V len-In-Action and Durham I
County Social Scrv Department make up the
majority of those seeking help from St. Joseph's.
Rev. Easley said. He said the congregation has
' responded well to those in need.
Easley said he expects a "tremendous increase"
in the number seeking help as more budget reduc
tions take effect. He said referrals have risenbout
fifty per cent since the first of the year. A check is
also made to make sure all requests are valid. '
Total aid to the needy amounts to "thousands of
dollars a month," Dr. Davis said. In addition to
cash assistance, the church finances programs to aid
the unemployed, alcoholics, senior citizens and
those in need of clothing, Dr.' Davis said, .
More Togetherness Seen
The black community is working more Collective
ly now than during the seventies, partly the result of
the new conservative political climate, the ministers
noted. Rev. Easley said many who had become
complacent are "waking up" and are becoming
more economically and socially aware and active.
"People are realizing that the church is the
strongest institution in the black community," Rev.
Easley said. "It is & positive sign to see more and
more people waking up and becoming concerned
about conditions that they can affect. The present
administration is a blessing in disguise to wake up
the masses. Perhaps we needed this to bring us
together."
A cohesive spirit of solidarity is gaining momen
tum in the black community. Dr. Davis said. The
church's role has increased because the church is
about the only black organization that has retained
its freedom, he noted.
"If we work together and stick together, we can
accomplish -a lot. Blacks are realizing that progress
is better made by helping ourselves than by depen
ding on services from white people," Dr. Davis
commented. ,
The ministers said their Sunday sermons are
geared toward keeping people conscious of social
concerns, thereby lifting the relevance of the gospel
to conditions of today. '