Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 6, 1980, edition 1 / Page 1
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OP MC-SPRIALS TJEFIT- BCOU 203 BlLSOIi LIBRARY OT CHAPEL HILL, KG 27514 SEPT. 1979 eO 81 ★ CIAA-MEAC Preview Inside ★ Winston-Salem Chr'onicle "Serving the Winston-Salem Community Since 1974’’ iuf Vol. VII, No. 2 U.S.P.S. NO. 067910 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C, Saturday, September 6, 198U *20' 52 Pages This Week Character Assasination Burkins Blasts Slurs photo by A. Blue Governor Jim Hunt explains aspects of state policy to attentive black publishers at Governor’s Mansion last Friday. On the right is Wilmington Journal publisher Tom Jervay, Sr., the dean of the state’s black press. On the other side are (l-r) John M.S. Kilimanjano of the Carolina Peacemaker, Bill Johnson and Hoyle Martin of the Charlotte Post, Ernest H. Pitt of the Winston-Salem Chronicle and Stan Davis of the Carolina Peacemaker. Hunt Wants Study OfN.C.Jury System By John W. Templeton Staff Writer RALEIGH—Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. has said he wants the state Courts Commission to study ways to prevent blacks from being kept off juries in cases such as the Nazi-Klan trials in Greensboro. Hunt was responding to a question from Greensboro publisher .John M. S. Kilimanjano, one of six black publishers from around the state who attended a luncheon and meeting in the Governor’s Mansion last Friday. During the 90-minute session, Hunt also warned that the nomination of Richard E. Erwin to become a U. S. District Court judge is in trouble in the U. S. Senate and talked about steps his administration has taken to aid education, housing and minority business. “In a single-defendant trial, the lawyer has so many challenges and theylre usually exhausted after a while and then, they. seat the jury,” said Hunt. “But in a multi-defendant trial, you’ve got so many challenges combined and the defense can effectively keep any class of people they want off the jury.” Kilimanjaro, publisher of the Carolina Peacemaker, had told the governor he had not thought blacks were ex cluded from juries in the United States anymore until he had found out that it had been done in this trial. The publisher warned that such events severely tarnished the faith of blacks in the criminal justice system. The Peacemaker owner also told Hunt that Nelson Johnson, a leader of the Communist Workers Party, See Page 2 By Donna Oldham Staff Writer District Court Judge Candidate V. Jean Burkins told members- of the press last week that a concerted effort has been launched to discredit her as a can didate and to ruin her character. The former district at torney however told an au dience of approximately 20 supporters and media at Shiloh Baptist Church last Friday that she intends to continue her campaign for the judgeship and win in ’November. “1 have violated no law, disciplinary rule or canoni of Legal Ethics. If 1 had, you can be sure that legal action or disbarment pro ceedings would have been instigated if I had done wrong,” Burkins said in a prepared statement. She was fired from her job as assistant district at torney July 16 after it was discovered that she had at tempted to dismiss her own cases involving parking violati-'ms. Lv hnswe.-mg questions about the incident Burkins said that she received two parking tickets during hei Photo by Oldham District Judge Candidate V. Jean Burkins and the Rev. Ben Tandy during her news conjerence last week. campaign, but paid the tickets on June 6. Upon paying the tickets she said she took the summonses to her office with the intention of giving them to anothei district attorney to dismiss. When a reporter from the Journal asked her about the cases, Bui!,'..'is told him that she had turned them over to Charlie Walker, Jr., a fellow assistant D.A. when in reality she had not. , When asked about Burkins’ cases. Walker said that he didn’t know anything about them. At her press conference Burkins said that she had “done wrong.” She also admitted that she lied about the incident. “1 just wanted the whole parking ticket incident to be over with. When the reporter asked me about the tickets I panicked. I am sorry ana ashamed ot this conduct. God has forgiven ■me and I ask your forgiveness. There is not one of us that hasn’t lied at one time or another,” she said. Burkins said that it is common practice for district attorneys to dismiss See Page 2 Cates Taken To Dix Hospital The man charged with ramming a car into a crowd of people at a wake at Hooper Funeral Home will be taken to Dorethea Dix Hpspital in Raleigh for observation to see if he is mentally competent to stand trial. The incident left an elder ly -.voman dead and three small children injur ed. Larry Eubanks, the attor ney for Pender Cates, who is being charged with se cond degree murder in the death of Estelle Delaney, and four counts of hit and run causing injury and fail ure to give aid told District Court Judge R. Kason Kei- ger Tuesday during Cates’ probable cause hearing that although he had. interview ed his client he still cannot get facts straight on what happened two weeks ago. “I have serious doubts that he (Cates) can stand trial. I have not been able Blum Sees No Need To Recruit Blacks By John W. Templeton Staff Writer The president of Frank L. Blum Con struction Co. says he sees no need to go outside regular bidding procedures to at tract minority contractors. James A. Hancock, president of the firm which holds the prime contract on the Roger L. Stevens Center for the Per forming Arts, said his firm may handle the bidding on additional contracts to be let for lighting and seating on the project ;o renovate the old Carolina Theatre. “What we’ll do is put it out on the AGC newsletter and several other com muniques such as F. W. Dodge telling the bids and the dates of the bids,” said Han cock. The Blum head said all bids have been let on his firm’s contract for the main renovation job. Asked if his firm took any steps to let minority, firms know about bids, he said, “We don’t really. A bid comes in with a firm’s name on it. We can’t tell whether it’s minority or not.” Hancock said he had never seen any listing of minority contractors in the area. “There aren’t that many, are there? (if it’s a pretty good sized job), who can meet the financial requirements.” Blum Construction did use black sub contractors when it built the Mutual Life Insurance Co. building, said Hancock. Hancock offered that minority firms should make an effort to visit his firm. “We don’t have that many minorities that come around looking for work and asking for invitations to bid.” “There’s no reason why they can’t be members of AGC, (Associated General Contractors). It’s not a closed shop. You just fill out an application and someone has to sponsor you, but basically, you just pay your dues.” Hancock’s contentions were rejected by James Grace of Grace Masonry Construc tion Co., who charged in a telephone in terview that he had gone to the StevenS Center construction site and sought out the official handling subcontracts, only to get a run-around. “I’m not a fly-by night operator,” said Grace, a 20-year veteran of the building business. “I’ve helped build the Reynolds Park Clubhouse, the Fairgrounds Ad ministration Building, shopping centers up in ’Virginia.” In another development, officials of the Economic Development Administration have sent back the complaint of local elec trician Arthur L. Rankins, telling him that he had complained under the wrong law. Harold J. Gordon, regional c'lvil rights chief of EDA, told Rankins in a letter that P.L. 95-507, which he had cited, only ap- See Page l 7 Double Slurp Remember how good water from an outdoor fountain tastes. Especially when it’s shared wiTn a friend after some serious playing. Monica Johnson, left, and Portia Clark, right, enjoy a good "slurp” during the llth Street Communi ty Reunion. to get a realistic view of what happened,” Eubanks told Keiger. Cates, 37, of 1530 Marble St., who is lodged in the Forsyth County Jail in lieu See Page 3 Police Inquiry Closed An internal investigation into the Winston-Salem Po lice Department ended last week with three officers suspended. The recent ac tion brings the number to eight public safety officers that have either resigned or been suspended by Police Chief Lucias A. Powell in the wake of charges of misconduct. Powell began the investi gation one month ago after receiving “confidential”, information that several of ficers had (been involved in the use of marijuana. At a press conference held two weeks, he refused to tell reporters whether. there were any other charges. The two public safety of ficers placed on suspension are William T. Fenimore and William D. Beck. The third officer was placed on five-day suspension and will return to the force. Fenimore and Beck had until Wednesday, Sept. 3, to appeal their suspensions to the city manager’s office, or they ,would become dis- See Page 3
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