Forum Compare Jail Time for White Suspects As Opposed to Blacks in Denny Case Many people said a national calamity was ! avoided on Saturday, April 17, when the split decision verdict was read following the trial of .four club-wielding police officers charged with depriving Rodney King of his civil rights. Some observers said the finding of two offi cers guilty would please black people and lib erals and that the finding of two innocent .would please those who applauded the all .white jury's verdict of innocence for all. Oth ers approved the verdict because they thought ,it was a compro .misethat "gave something" to both 4sides and circum vented another t uprising. Most of the black persons with Rodney King was seen all around the world. The treatment of blacks in the United States was condemned all around the world ? even in South Africa where the media l4rubbed it in." But those who breathed a sign of relief when the two officers were .convicted in Los Angeles had better take a deep breath and pre pare to hold it again. The trial of the four black men charged with beating Reginald Denny is set for July 1.4 and the sentencing of MINORITY REPORT By JAMES E. ALSBROOK whom I spoke com plained that all four police officers should have been found guilty. Several white friends expressed the same opinion. Other Whites said the verdict was fair because the two most ?J X ... . ? * ' blameworthy offenders ? Sgt. Koon who was in charge and Officer Powell who did most of the beating ? were found guilty. Officer Bresino testified that he thought the beating ' was "excessive" and regretted it, and Timothy Wind was a mere trainee who had no authority ' but some participation. Reactions from newspapers in Europe, " * Africa, Asia, and Australia should be available * within the next two weeks. But it is interesting ' ' that of more than 30 foreign newspapers trans ' lated for libraries by scholars, all blamed last year's riots in Los Angeles and elsewhere on the racial and economic policies of Reagan ' and Bush. These critical newspapers were ' among the largest in England, France, Ger ' many, Italy, Japan, Israel and Australia. The most direct indictment came from ' Asia in the Hong Kong. Standard. It said: "Any advanced society that allows the devel opment of a huge, under-employed, under ' educated, impoverished underclass that lives in ^^iolenCe-racVed r drug- ri dden slums is storing ? up for itself a sort of trouble that the United States is now experiencing." The Tokyo Times spoke at the last year's . Lj verdict of innocent for all four poljp&.gffipprs: ' "This jury could not have done more damage ? ; ; to their country's image abroad if they had - tried." The videotape showing the beating of officers Koon and Powell is set for August 4 ? only three weeks apart. If Koon and Powell get short sentences and the four black men get long sentences, we should expect some kind of trouble. Although black people thought that the guilty verdict for only two of the officers was "half a loaf," the reverberations of this verdict have been felt far and wide. Influential edito rials in some big daily newspapers have sug gested that America take a closer look at its supposed even-handedness in law enforcement and are suggesting closer examinations of police practices in their own areas. Moreover, if Rodney King wins his scheduled lawsuit providing millions of dollars for him and draining millions from the City of Angels, a powerful message and corrective action will have been taken across the nation. All city fathers become skiddish and cranky when struck in a very vulnerable place ? the pocketbook. Those who boss the bosses will make changes mandatory. Two very positive factors have resulted from this Rodney King episode. First, the nation and the world have seen a shocking example of thf terrible^5olice~brvnal ity suf fered for many years by black men in Amer ica. Second, the nation and the world know now that black insurrections with heavy finan cial losses on all sides occur when abuses make black people's lives intolerable and their "cups runneth over." The days of double standards in law enforcement are limited. Clinton Administration Looks to Get Youths Working Again The Clinton administration has come up ? ? with a number of fresh new ideas to get the ? ? Yiation moving in the right direction again. A long, lean period in which national 4 ? administration's avoided the new and gutted ' . the old appears to have come to an end But ? the Clinton proposals, ranging from a sweep % ing economic revival plan to a health reform ? . program, face considerable obstacles. ? . ? Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the huge national deficit, which stands as a barrier to ; , funding and implementing new initiatives, large or small. One initiative that shouldn't get lost in the shuffle is a national service program for young ? -people. The administration's national service plan is very modest ? a pilot summer program that ? would employ only .1,000 students at. the minimum wage plus a grant towards ' college or other tuition. But it's planned to expand to 100,000 students in four years, at a projected annual' cost S3.4 billion. Such a slow start may disappoint some . who see a National Service Corps as essential to help young people make the transition to adult responsibilities. Many back mandatory national service for all 18-or-19 year-olds, who would either enroll in a full-time program like VISTA or . ^ yvork for nonprofit organizations. But it's doubtful the Congress or the country is now ready for such a mandatory plan. For now. national service supporters realize that given budget constraints and the ambitious reforms needed in other areas, a , slow start is better than no start at all. The administration's plan deserves sup * port because it is a sound program in itself, and - because it can lay the foundations for a univer sal national-service plan in the future. Why is national service a good idea? First, it can serve as a way to bind the next generation of Americans to the responsi . -bilities of citizenship. In such a diverse national culture, there needs to be a way of bringing people together to interact with others of different backgrounds and to affirm their common national heritage. In the past, the armed services fulfilled that function. But with the end of the draft and the reduction of forces, that avenue is now closed. Second, national service can spur young people to continue their education and prepare themselves for a 21 st century economy. The best investment America ever made was the GI Bill, which helped an entire genera tion of Americans to secure educational oppor tunities and laid the groundwork for post-war economic growth. A similar program applicable to all young people could do the same, enabling youngsters from poor and moderate income families to get TO BE EQUAL John E. Jacob the college and technical training they ? and the nation ? need. Third, there's an enormous amount of work to be done, from staffing libraries and hospitals to conversation and neighborhood safety. It's not being done now because cities and non-profit institutions can't afford to hire peo ple. It can be done if the federal government, through stipends and tuition grants for service, recruits young people to do it. During the Depression, the Civilian Con servation Corps recruited half a million young people to help preserve national parklands, and similar local urban and rural programs since then have also been successful. So we know that the national service can work. It can be a vital step in helping all of our young people become responsible, mature and educated citizens. MIKE, WHATS THIS " TAKE OUP DAUGHTERS TOUJORKPKtTAlSX is so excited about* f I THINK IT'S A SElf - ESTEEM &WT... THIS MEPNESCWi WE'RE ALL suppose? TO take OUR GRUS 70 WORK SO UJE CAN SHOOU THEM HOOU MUCH THEYU, 3E VALUED IN THE WORK PLACE. \ wTuenwr VALUEPiN THE UJORKPLACE. / I KNOW. I VUAG THINKING OP BORROW ING SOM& ON&SOmC*. \ ujeu.kjdpo, KXW ISTAKE ourmughters TQUJORKOAY"! / THAPSOKAY, cmv. i CAN HEAR ABOUT IT FROM THE OTHER NONSENSE' VU'REOO INGT060 70W0RK WITH US! / BUT I'VE ALREAPf\ RJPPEN IN MOMfc] TAXI A ZJLUON TIMeS, ANP YOU JUST IUORK AT THE KITCHEN TABU! HEY, THAT5 HOT ALL IPO. I ALSO WORK. AT MY PRATT! NO BOARP, WHERE 1 PO LAYOUTS ON A PROFES SIONAL SKETCH PAP! ANP I MAKE PHOTOCOPIES! ANP I MKT ID HES _ _ SEE ME 60tN6 FAX AN 10 MAKE **?* ACTUAL ME STAY &*" POCUMENT f HOME ', \ UElL,LEPS6eT'7AKE0UR PWSHTERS TO WORK PAY" ONTHERCAP, SHALL MB, / SQUIRT? FIRST OFF, THIS IS POPPY'S PEZK. THIS IS WHERE J COME UPWTTH ALL MY IPEA6. AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M SURROUNPEP BY THE TOOLS OF MY TRADE. S PENCILS, PENS, RULERS ? YOU NAME IT. EVERYTHING I NEEP FOR SKETCHING OUT MY /PEAS RJOHT HERB ON THIS PROFESSIONAL, WW, OANI isve *e eoioecHOOL {LfiL* noujtipont HAPPENS... umTTOBE LATE. SO WHERE PO I SET MY IPEAS? 6000 QUESTION! IPEAS CAN COMB FROM ANYWHERE -TV, BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, PERSON AL EXPERIENCES you know, honey, Ycuenouum WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT GETTING IN TROUBLE. GIRLS ARE ALWAYS MUCH TOO PREOCCUPIEP WITH Bam 600P , WITH ALUWS 7M ING 70 PIBASt OTHER PEOPLE,.. THE WHOLE POINT OF 'TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS' IS TO PUT YOU IN THE PRJVE&S SEAT, 70 GIVE YOU A SENSE OF CON TROL ANP MASTERY OVER YOUR..UH...YOUR... T WE'RE LOST W, PEAR, AGAIN, AllBtf m./HOMUY? NOT TW/ELEP. 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