Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Sept. 18, 1982, edition 1 / Page 1
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inside. ,v. Zca Democrats are backing OurtxaLr 0H, ? ask blacks to stay loyal U r Page 4 Hayti ) fight coming between city $ and . HDC - ' ; . Page 8 Middle schools off to' a .good start in. Durham , ' Page 3 Eagles-Rams , Clash at O' Kelly Field to be . televised ' . - , Page 5 . i Africa; OA V diplomats set sights on "Dynamic Promise'1 . r- , . Page 13 , . ; , . S - , ' " -TV VOLUME 60 - NUMBER 37 Tine Peo pie AM Comity ( .PUBHAM, NORTH 'CAROLINA -SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18. 1982 t Words Of Wisdom Be civil lo all, sociable to nam, familiar with; few, friend to one, enemy to none, Benjamin Jranklin It is easier to produce ten volume of philosophical writing than to put one principle into practice'. Leo-JGblstoV TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30 CENTS Tl Slate Clash Inn Warrenii By Milton Jordan Executive Editor ' v AFTON On the dusty shoulder of a pav ed country road in rural Warren County in nor theastern j ' North. Carolina, about 60 miles north of Durham, a tiny . girl, her features , laced with fear; twin rivers of tears meeting at her chin, told the sad story of a cause all but lost. . Byina Nash, 9, an at tractive little black girl, had come to this spot Wednesday on secon-' dary' road 1604 about; 2Vi miles from the main uigiiway wnn ner mother, Ms. Jennifer Nash. They had come, with about 200 other protesters, to prove with their bodies what nearly four years of leeal and ' And so the protesters came singing and ' holding hands, reminis cent of the heady days of the civil rights movement.;- V,;.; t:-i; i. They came with the same measured cadenceo ' of shuffling feet that always seems to, somehow echo their' hopelessness, while the rhythmic chants of " We Shall Overcome," and "We Shall Not Be Moved,"- echo the hope that burns eternally among people who perceive themselves to have been wronged. ' But when it was over, when the pushing and scuffling had ended, ; about 100 people, had been lifted from the pavement, loaded into prison vans and buses Toxie-Waste political Dleadincs had! and rartpri nff thp iail failed to prove: Warren Byina's mother was one , ff'. un an pecausc eacrj or-;i earner mteryiew he said; . , t - J V themJWWibat? fmald Alderman .County citizens don't want nearly 60,000 tons of toxic waste material dumped in their county. They came on a warm, late summer morning under slightly overcast skies, men, women, children,, teenagers, black and white. The irony was not lost on them because each of of them, The , first person ar rested was Kenneth Fer ruccio, k: a . Warrenton school teacher and leader of the -Warren County Concerned Citizens, the group" that har led the .fight against state plans to use the Warren Coun ty - dump - site. In an ? earlier lnteryiew4 he said; L "F ST? r Ben Ruffin Wields Much Power From Governor's Office " n. m Durham Committee Bows Out A , Michaiixrifclii-Stiir" On ago vthi? search ;lwouldi; don't know if this pit is not have happened: As a matter or fact, one maf cher, a black woirian whose marching days go back about 15 years, said: "Twenty-five years ago, some of the people in this march would have been the targets of a march like this." Ms. Joyce Lubbers, a white woman who lives less than a mile from the entrance to the site where 4he state has begun dum ping tons of soil laced with toxic waste, agreed as she stood near a state highway patrol car, hop ing the confrontation wouldn't come, but knowing that it couldn't be avoided: V "We couldn't i have gotten blacks and whites together as little as five safe or not. The state has just gone too far, and we just can't stand by and let the state do this to us." The second person ar- Politics "started the H.M. "Mickey" Michaux 1 for Congress write-in Campaign and politics will probably spell its doom. Since the Second Con- wiriiltee-flWtnbers -1 o-nix i tycKj4 tmhfrnn1 -,,,rr .m w the write-in campaign. was just another example XSJL rested was Leon White, gressional District Black years 'but ago," she said, all director of the Raleigh based Commission for Racial Justice, the civil rights arm of the United Church of Christ. ' In more than 15 years of civil rights work, this was White's first arrest. Once in jail, he refused to either ign himself out or to allow anyone to pay his bond. From behind the barbed wire jail fence, White said: "I'm nat signing anything to get out of here because they had no business arrestine me. I was . not breaking the Caucus launched the write-in campaign for the Durham attorney and. former state legislator, the effort has encountered several pro blems. Many of those who first thought the write-in was a good idea are now having second thoughts. The politics, the pro blems and the second thoughts loomed clearly this week during a Durham Committee meeting on the write-in question. Michaux, who lost his now we are beginning to. realize that the struggle in America has shifted from race to class." ' lawLwastandmgin thebid" lo'eomelJorth roaa exercising mv Cam na'? first hiat rights." The last person . ar rested, Donald Jarboe, a (Continued on Pajc 7) Congressman . in - about 80 years when he fell to Michaux who at a news conference the day after his defeat refused to con cede to , Valentine, and said: "...some people carry pens o the polls," hinting at a possible write-in campaign; V At the Wednesday night meeting; Michaux explained ithat he men tioned the pens to send a message to the Democrats that blacks can't be taken for granted; that 5 1,000 peo ple liked his political philosophy band that fact would have to be reckoned with. He and others who op- ' pose the write-in effort also said tbey fear the write-in effort will alienate blacks from the Democratic Party. But on the other hand, Grover Burthey, at local businessman - and Police Officer Says Nashville attbrnev. I.T. Durham Committee Valentine, urged Com- . member argued that the J .. . v. t ' "We know," he said " passionately, ' 'that Raleigh is calling the shots, 'not iis.lDon't sell your soul to Raleigh; sell your soul to fcljick folks. They have brainwashed us until the candidate is wishy washy' ",v f ,;h Burthey went on to ' predict that Mjchaux would never be elected to office because . "he's listening to Gov. Hunt rather than to black peo ple." . ' f ,,..JV, "I'd rather die trying to be black than die play ing the Uncle Tom role," 'he said. "You cn't turn black folks on; and off and expect them to sup po'rt you." i ,; Burthey's comment clearly draws the battle lines. On one side are. those, who like the local mortician, believe the in terests and concerns of the black community are political expe certain diencies On the other side are those who believe that good politics dictates that the write-in effort be dropped. Caught in the middle was the Durham Com mittee because both sides of this controversy are presented in the commit tee's membership,- even among . the organization's leaders. So, rather than pro vide a battleground for the fracas, the committee decided ! to refer the write-in quesiton back to the political committee "...to be. reconsidered . and brought back before the body at the ap propriate time." In effect, the Durham Committee bowed out of . the fight, because in siders say privately that it is not likely that the issue will comeT back (Continued On Page 4) Sexual Harassmen t Widespread Problem : By Isaiah bingletary Consider this scenario, a composite of several circumstances: An attractive young woman Is driv ing home alone late, one night when suddenly the blue and red lights of a , public safety car flash in her rear view mirror. - Ji -' V ; A" little apprehensively, she glances at her speedometer, decides she is not speeding, and relaxes ever '..so slightly as she pulls over. . . .. I r , , Minutes later a uniformed officer leans into her car window, smiles and says: "Where are you headed this time of night, Christine?" , ; Surprised,. the woman looks at the officer, managing a feeble smile while trying to figure if she knows him, since it is obvious that he knows her. She finally decides she doesn't know him. '.f Y "You know me," she asks? "Yeah, I know- you," he says. "Why don't you step out of the car so I can get a better look at you?" J What should the woman do? Is this a legitimate request; or an example of police harassment? Is the officer about to arrest -this woman, or sug gest that she extend sexual favors? ' Could it happen irt Durham? ' I There are those who say it not only ;can happen, but that it does happen far more frequently than is imagined. These citizens, many of them highly critical Of ocal aw enfnnvmpni nt. . i ... . r. j . l v- as is nui new, uctciuc many wuinen .ncers ,and the,r treatment and handl-; in Durham have been sayintf for ing oi women, say that a woman 'V under arrest is almost sure to be pro positioned by someone before she is ' released. While on the surface, it appears; that Durham's police and judicial of ficials bend over backwards to insure ' that women under arrest are not harassed, the story under the surface paints a vastly different picture. According to one police officer who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution for breaking the "brother officer's code of si lence, ' ' sexual harassment is widespread in the police department. , In exclusive interviews with The Carolina Times, this officer said that women drivers are sometimes stopped by police officers just to see if the ; women are amenable to a sexual pro-, position. He also said it is a routine v matter for some officers to call in a license number over their car radios ; to get the name and address of a "good-lookhig' woman driver. , "In many instances, they get the in formation and contact , the woman later" the source said, "but there -, have been limes when they would : ' stop the woman right then, surprising V hef when they walked up to the car and cajled her by name." And while what the veteran officer 1 sometime that nolice Dronositiohins I . is a widespread practice, this is the first" time some confirmation of those charges has come from within the ..ranks-j;,: The confirmation supports those v who contend that sexual harassment vwill continue to be a widespread pro blem until the police department is ' subject to public review. But so far, no public safety or city official is willing to even consider an investigation to determine if public review is needed. Everyone appears satisfied with the current system. V y.,- fhinL thf internal affaire unit y ....... ........M. MIIM.Id Ullll, which didn't exist five years ago, has done a good job," said Durham City Manager, Barry Del Castilho, manager, uarry uei castuno, a :v" former public safety director before wSI7 assumine his current nost : "If vnn .And des When a citizen files a complaint, against the police, the charge goes to the internal affairs division. From '' that point on, the complaint and any I action taken gets lost in a maze of legal and policy decisions. According f to the police's interpretation of the state's public employee law, the com- I plaint becomes a personnel matter, and most personnel information is t private. . -y- . , . So citizens haveno way of knowing how many complaints are filed against police or how many of those complaints involve the same officers and similar charges. But more impor tantly, there is no way to in dependently determine if the police . take any action aeainst offiwr or ' that the complaints are even seriously assuming his current cost.;: "If vou look at the figures, you'll see that a significant number of complaints have resulted in disciplinary action against police officers." , But Del Castilho's opinion carries a somewhat hollow ring because there , is no way to check the figures. !, Durham's Public Safety Depart ment,; like most police departments around the country, handles citizen complaints against police officers under an aura of officially sanctioned secrecy. ; And despite the fact that thu lart of public review leaves amnl mrm for police misconduct; no one seems perturbed, even in the face of recent allegations that appear to indicate that all might not be kosher on the police front. : For example: A couple ci& months io, the District ? Attorney's V office filed charges against a magistrate and a sheriffs deputy, alleging that the two men solicited sexual favors from a ' (Continued On Page 4) By Joseph E. Green To some people, Ben Huffin is the most powerful black man in' state politics and the per son they go to when they need something done in Raleigh. To others, the Durham-born Ruffin, special assistant to Gov. Jim Hunt, is just the governor's "house boy." The divergent views themselves are not new, because it seems that people either like Ruffin immensely or dislike him with the same fervor. But the two perspectives take on a somewhat new importance now in light i of the H.M. "Mickey" Michaux write-in ques-- tion, . ' There are some black folks, in this area who V ' believe the effort to have voters write-in Michaux's name for " J- v.. i.v.VJMUVI . ' is the only move, in the best, interest of the black community. There are others who feel the write-in would be a betrayal of Democrats, is not workable and would isolate blacks from the party in the future. This division puts Ruffin in his usual pivotal role. . v ( In large measure, whether black fqlks in ,the 2nd District stick with the Democratic Par ty, or- bolt in November to write in Michaux's name or vote for the Republican - candidate will depend upon Ruffin's position. ' Because of his posi tion, Ruffin's influence reaches well beyond Durham and Raleigh, and often when he speaks, he does so with at least some of the weight of the governor's office behind him. There is almost no one else on either side of the Michaux write-in ques tion with Ruffin's far ranging influence, or ac cess to political power. But who is Ruffin? ; What drives him? To what drummer does he march? The picture of Ruffin that emerges from inter views with his personal .friends, former employees, detractors knd political observers, is one of an astute hard driven political man who spends his ; work days making certain that the concerns of blacks are felt at the highest levels of state government. Said i one former employee, Ruffin is a "perfectionist" and a man of strong personal convictions. But a former close ally and now distant acquain tance, said: "Ruffin is out for himself. He will use the black community , to get what he wants." Ruffin shrugs off the criticisms, noting that they are to be expected. "This is the door to 'Opportunity," he said, ; ' "and if I'm able to open thejdoor, then I'm a nice fellow. If, for whatever reason, I cantt open the door, then I'm a s.o.b. But I don't let that worry Ruffin said he believes the record of his ac , complishments while wording for the governor speaks for itself, citing as examples, "...more than 500 blacks on boards and commissions, two young black men on the Court ' of Appeals and blacks in other areas of state government. In many of these cases, I've sat in on i the meetings where the decisions were made, and helped to make some of these decisions." But Ruffin notes that despite ac-, complishments, blacks cannot afford to be satisfied and become (Continued on Page 3) Housing Vs Business Fight Erupts me By Joseph E. Green A major battle recent ly erupted, in . North Durham over plans to build federally funded housing in that neighborhood. The . fracas matches local residents, merchants, a neighborhood housing development organiza tion and a housing developer. The housing organiza tion and the developer; ; think that about eleven houses on Mangum. . Street between Geer and Corporation should be converted into apart ment units. Presently, they are boarding houses and run down apartment houses. James Pou, the developer, wants to turn the existing structures in to 21 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units for low to moderate in- come people. :; Some of the business types in the neighborhood say that the area is already too densely populated and that Pou's plan would not. help things. They ' also say that the area, which is zoned commer-". ' cial, should not be rezon . ed and that they intend . to fight to the death any ; attempt to change the zoning. " v During the summer, Pou convinced the city's ; ' ; planning board . ,to ' recommend that the pro perty be rezoned. When the merchants and some of the residents got wind of the change, they filed protest with the pity council, which is review ing the planning board's recommendation. Once the protest was filed, Pou needed ten votes on the council to back him: Currently he does ' not have them. "There is a need for that type of housing in the neighborhood," said' Brent Glass, the director of Durham Neighborhood Housing Services, which is back ing Pou's effort, "I am impressed with his. plan." Not so impressed is Continued On fage 8 V
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Sept. 18, 1982, edition 1
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