, ° ' CHARLOm. N. C. 28202
VOUR BEST
ADVERTISING MEDIA
IN THE LUCRATIVE
BLACK MARKET
CALL 392 130ft
) _ ^
VOL. 4 NO. 6
Gov. Hunt
Urged To
Release 10
Amnesty International last
week appealed to United Sta
tes Governor James B. Hunt
of North Carolina to grant a
free pardon to the group of
prisoners known as the Wil
mington 10, who were senten
ced in 1972 to up to 34 years
^imprisonment on charges of
"unlawful burning” and "con
spiracy to assault emergency
personnel.”
The charges arose from ra
cial disturbances in Wilming
ton, North Carolina, in Febru
ary 1971, during which a fire
broke out at Mike's Grocery, a
white-owned store. The 10 peo
ple eventually convicted of
this crime were Benjamin
Chavis, Marvin Patrick, Con
nie Tindall, Jerry Jacobs, Wil
lie Earl Vereen, James Mc
Koy, Reginald Epps, Wayne
Moore, Joe Wright and Ann
Shephard Turner. All the pri
soners are black, except Mrs.
Turner who has been released
A. _1 —
The prisoners were released
on bail in 1972 and 1973,
pending appeals against their
convictions, but were re-im
prisoned in February 1975 af
ter the U.S. Supreme Court
refused to hear their appeals.
Amnesty International be
lieves that the imprisonment
of the Wilmington 10 is due to
their political activities arid
their ethnic origin. AI adopted
all 10 prisoners as prisoners of
conscience after learning that
the main prosecution witness,
Allen Hall, had retracted his
testimony against them and
had stated that he was induced
to testify falsely by promises
made to him by the prosecut
ing authorities. '
Harvey Gantt To
Run For Second Term
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
Harvey B. Gantt, an incum
bent City Councilman, an
nounced on Monday he will
seek re-election as an at-large
candidate. In commenting
from a prepared statement he
said, “I will run as an at-large
member on the Democratic
slate. I believe my past exper
ience on the Council, in addi
tion to my background as a
city planner and architect,
can best serve the city in an
at-large capacity...particular
ly on city-wide issues such as
planning, transportation and
land-use policy.”
v Gantt is the 4th candidate to
•"announce for an at-large
Council seat. The others are
Louis Davis and Pat Locke,
both Republicans, and Demo
crat Richard Grice, a political
newcomer. Incumbent Betty
Chafin is expected to announ
ce for re-election on Tuesday.
Since Gantt is among the
last of the current council
members to announce his re
election plans, questions were
asked about the delay. He
said, "So many people came
and asked me to think about
(running for the office of
Mayor) that I felt I owed it to
them to consider it.”*There
fore, he added that for the past
several weeks he had been "in
an ego-tripping kind of way
playing with the idea of run
ning for mayor.”
TWTU-WK
&
School days are the happiest
days of your life, especially if
your children happen to be
going.
Harvey Gantt
...To run again
decision to not seek the may
or's office “has nothing to do
with the color of my skin. 1
just think that at this time, the
thing for Harvey Gantt to do is
serve on the council.” Un
doubtedly, Gantt’s decision to
seek re-election as a council
man has been influenced by
his strong commitment to dis
trict representation. In his
remarks he said, I am excited
about this city’s...opportunity
for a truly people-oriented
government.”
Gantt initially became a
councilman via the appoint
ment route to fill the unexpir
ed term of Fred Alexander
who resigned to seek a state
senate seat in late 1974. In 1975
Gantt was elected to a two
year term. He campaigned on
a commitment to a district
form of government, equity in
the distribution of city ser
vices and resources, and long
range planning policies He
noted Monday, "I believe we
have made initiatives on all of
the basic issues I expressed at
that time " These initiatives
were among the factors influ
encing Gantt's decision to
seek continued public service.
A graduate of Clemson Uni
versity and MIT, Gantt is a
partner in the firm of Gantt
Huberman Associates. He is a
member of Friendship Baptist
Church and a board member
of the Charlotte Local Busi
ness Development Organize
lion and the Community Rela
tions Committee. He was nam
ed “Man of the Year” for 1977
by the local Jaycees
n 7 ■ • \ ' . . - ^. 'I
LOVELY KIMBERLY SMITH
...Olympic High junior
Miss Kim Smith
Is Beauty Of Week
By Jen Harvey
Post Staff Writer
— Kim Smith, the 17 year old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Smith, is the POST
Beauty of the Week. A rising
junior at Olympic High, Kim
is on the volleyball and basket
ball teams and is a letter girl.
After graduation she hopes to
attend modeling school.
Much of Kim’s spare time is
spent in activities at the Beth
lehem Center where she is a
member of the dance group
called "Black Woman of Tom
morrow.”
The group specializes in
creative, African and modern
dance. According to Kim, the
center is one of the best things
to happen to her neighbor
hood. “If it weren’t for the
center we wouldn’t have any
thing to do but hang out on the
streets,” she said, referring to
the young people of the com
munity. “There's always
something to do there, and I’d
really hate to see it go.”
Kim’s mother, who works in
the daycare program at Beth
lehem, is her "best friend"
because she (Kim) can talk to
her about anything and feel
she understands. Mr. and Mrs.
Smith have another daughter,
Alicia, 14, and one son Bryan,
age 13.
Kim has enjoyed a summer
of sleeping late, swimming
and “partying” but she’s look
ing forward to the opening of
school. “I’ll be glad to see my
friends and I can’t wait for the
football season to start since
I’m a letter girl this year and
I’ll get to go to all the games,
at home or away. Vacations
are fun but they get boring
after a while.”
Asked what the atmosphere
is like at Olympic, Kim said,
“It’s OK. You’ll always find
some trouble makers but most
of the kids just want to learn
and have a good time. I get
along fine and don’t have any
problems. It’s a good school."
We’re sure the reason Olym
pic is a “good school” is
because of bright, eager
youngsters like Kim, who take
advantage of the opportunities
made available to them by
their school and community.
Clergymen Discuss President Carter’s
Administration Lack Of Policy
The 87th Annual Conference
of the Western North Carolina
Conference of the African Me
thodist Episcopal Zion Church
was held last week at Soldiers
Memorial AME Zion Church
and Livingstone College in
Salisbury.
Rt. Rev. William Milton
Smith, Presiding Bishop of the
Western N.C. Conference of
the AME Zion Church, Dr. Lee
Clinton Siler, Presiding Elder,
and Rev. Joseph Johnson held
a press conference at 9:30
a m Wednesday August 10
During the press conference
the clergymen discussed the
Carter Administration's lack
of policy in three areas: (a)
relief for improverished cities
of America, (b> increased job
opportunities for Black males
and youths, and (c) commit
ment to majority rule in Rho
desia and South Africa. A
letter addressed to the Presi
dent was also released to the
press at that time. In the letter
affirmations of support were
stated for Ambassador An
drew Young in his utterances
in foreign and domestic poli
cies, support for the Wilming
ton 10 and their fight for
Justice, and an agreement
with the critique of Vernon
Jordan at the Urban League
Convention held in Washing
ton, D C. regarding vital is
sues
Other highlights of the con
ference included Christian Ed
ucation Day, Missionary Con
vocation, Evening candlelight
service, and Model Sunday
School
Approximately 2,000 per
sons filled Varick Auditorium
on the Livingstone Campus in
Salisbury last Sunday for the
closing session
Dr. Andrew Wesley Mapp,
pastor of Metropolitan Chur
Rt Rev William Smith
. Presiding Bishop
ch, Jersey City, New Jersey
was the speaker and music
was by the Metropolitan Choir
and Gethsemane AME Zion of
Charlotte Rev George Battle
presided over the service whi
ch convened at 2:30 p.m
Appointments announced
during the annua] conference
included the following: Rev
William H. Minter transferred
from Mt Zion AME Zion
Church to the Statesville Dis
trict. Rev. James Phifer, who
has been associate pastor at
Clinton Chapel and who was
ordained during the confer
ence, was appointed to Mt
Zion Rev. John Bennett was
moved from Steele Creek to
the Winston-Salem District
and Rev Joseph McNeely, a
recent graduate of Hood Theo
logical Seminary replaces him
at Steele Creek
The next Annual Western
North Carolina Conference
will be held July 25 through
July 30. 1978 The host church
will be Gethsemane AME Zion
Church where Rev George E
Battle is pastor
Stratford Says
University Park Post Office
/ ,
Closing Is “Totally False”
Pardons For
Wilmington
“10” Close?
Ms. Imani Kazana, National
Coordinator for the Wilming
ton 10 Defense Committee
commented Monday that she
feels that “pardons for the
Wilmington 10 are close at
hand." "Pressure is mounting
from all directions on Gover
nor Hunt (N.C.1.1 believe that
he is beginning to realize that
time is running out for him to
take action before the federal
government takes fiction a
gainst the State."
Ms. Kazana's views come as
a result of a series of positive
developments in this five year
old civil rights case. Within
the past several days a U.S.
Justice Department spokes
person, John Russell, told re
porters that Attorney General
Griffin Bell's office had been
*>n contact with Governor Hunt
asking him to "give serious
consideration to the pardon
request." Bell's actions are a
result of a letter signed by 60
members of Congress urging
federal intervention in this
case.
“Certainly Govenor Hunt
realizes that the Justice De
partment would not make
such a request if it did not
have the evidence to back it
up,” says Kazana. A meeting
between the Governor's office
and representatives of the
Justice Department is to be
scheduled soon.
With talks beginning to as
sess the human rights clauses
of the Helsinki Accord, Gov
ernor Hunt has also been
constantly reminded that fail
ure to remedy the Wilmington
10 case is bringing embarrass
ment to the country as a
whole.
Writing to Governor Hunt
recently, Congressman Char
les B. Rangel (N.Y.) pointed
out, “it is important that the
US, as it purports to champion
human rights both here and in
other countries begin to pre
serve the civil rights of our
own citizens if we are to avoid
challenges of hypocrisy by
both the countries who support
the new Administration's posi
tion and those who have voic
ed their critism.”
City Council candidate Ron Leeper chats with
councilman Harvey Gantt Saturday after
Pt*oto By M«rttn Ch slon>
noon during “Get-Out-To-Vote Disco at
Dalton Village *
Deeper Discusses Strategy
For Upcoming Council Race
By Jacquie Levister
Post Staff Writer
What is the formula for
running a successful political
race?
Dedication, committment to
purpose, desire to serve, orga
nized supporters, hard work
and having the best candidate
available are the ingredients
the campaign organization of
Ron Deeper (district 3 candi
date) are blending in prepara
tion for a savory victory.
At the first annual summer
fellowship picnic sponsored by
Colony Acres' Homeowners
Association, the candidate,
surrounded by supporters, dis
cussed strategies for the up
coming election.
Registering on the first day
with the Board of Elections is
an indication of the eagerness
this cadre of organization is
exercising With a core group
of novice political workers,
calendars have begun to fill
showing the activities sche
duled to get the candidate out
to the people ol the district.
Planned activities include a
Disco on the 13th at Nations
Ford Elementary School that
will double as a voter registra
tion drive, a Tea August 14 at
Par Busters Golf Club, W.
Summit Avenue and the 20th
at Saint Marks Church for
another voter registration
drive from 2 - 7 p.m.
Richard Williams - Cam
paign Manager for the Leeper
Candidacy, expressed the
sentiment of all those closely
involved in this organization
stating. ‘Tve always been
interested in politics but with
the elections as th»*j have
been in the pass I never tell
the need to be personally
active. Now vve all can parti
cipate and the passage of
district representation has af
forded the opportunity to work
with someone I ve known and
believe can do the job that our
area deserves
Other participants of the
Leeper organization are Irw in
Springs Advertising Three
tor, I-arry Jcmison Financial
Coordinator. Herman Norman -
Coordinator of Contributors
and Leone Walker Financial
Chairperson
LAF 1 o Assist Low-Income
i
Families With Fuel Bills
According to Samuel H.
Kornegay. executive director
at the Charlotte Area Fund.
CAF has received $194,173 as
part of the North Carolina
Special Crisis Intervention
Program
Kornegay said these- funds
can b<‘ used to assist eligible
low income families with un
paid energy fuel bills incurred
between October 1976 and Ap
ril 1977. He said the funds
can also provide adv.mce pay
ments of $100 toward tills
winter's fuel-energy costs for
households headed by persons
60 and over who can provide
proof of dire financi >1 need as
a result of last winter s severe
weather conditions
$100 credit on this coming
winter's fuel bills is waiting on
Mecklenburg County Senior
Citizens who are over 60 years
of age and are Head of a
household of one or more
persons; are living on a low
monthly fixed income such as
Social Security igreen check/
or SSI i gold check / which
creates financial hardships,
and actuallv paid for heating
their home last winter or still
owe Duke Power, Piedmont
Natural Gas or other fuel
suppliers for the cost of stay
ing warm last winter
Persons sixty and over who
are eligible will receive a $100
credit for this coming winter's
fuel bills i or payment of up to
$250 on outstanding heating
bills from last winter / as part
of the Charlotte Area Fund's
Special Crisis Intervention
Program
Special arrangements have
been made to certify eligible
residents of public housing
Station To
Provide
P ull Service
By Hoyle H Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
Humors that the University
Park Branch of the Charlotte
Post Office is scheduled to
close were labeled as "totally
false and erroneous" by Willie
J Stratford, manager of retail
sales and services.
Stratford said that the appa
rent misunderstanding about
the University Park P O. loca
ted on Beatties Ford Hoad
arose from a part of a postal
service National Retail Analy
sis Program that includes
moving postal carriers (mail
men) from three branches "to
other facilities."
Specifically. Stratford poin
ted out. carriers at the Uni
versity Park and Freedom
Drive Post Office branches
will be moved to the General
Mail Faolity on 1-85 and the
Dilworth branch carriers will
be moved to the Charlottetown
Mall station. He emphasized
however, that these changes
mean only that the carriers
will pick up their mail for
delivery from a different loca
tion but that the services
offered at the postal branches
in question “will not change in
anv wav "
"The changes,' Stratford
also emphasized, "have been
dictated by our analysis which
shows that our current local
postal cost of $739,436 annually
will lie reduced by over 26
percent or $196,880. Over a 10
year period we will save the
taxpayer about $1,147,739."
The services ottered by the
l niversity Park Post Office
Branch and the other two
branches that will continue as
in the past are full window
service, box rentals, and the
issuance of food stamps
In spite of Stratford's claims
that services "will not change
in any way." unconfirmed
reports indicate some dissatis
faction exists These reports
indicate that many of the
re-located mail carriers are
unhappy because of greater
distances to travel between
their homes and the new mail
pick-up station and between
the latter and their mail rou
tes
Some customers have com
plained that mail in their box
is now arriving a day later
(larlton Ihkiic* Get
l ough Policy
With Speedsters
On August 15, the State
Highway Patrol began
strict enforcement of the
55 mph speed limit on the
state's highways as recently
announced by Secretary of
Crime Control and Public Sa
fety J. Phil Carlton
Why drive the speed limit?
Mainly to save lives, says
Carlton Statistics show that
the number of accident fatali
ties involving excessive speed
dropped 13 3 percent in 1974
when the 55 mph speed limit
came into effect.
Since that time speed data
compiled by the N C Depart
ment of Transportation shows
that the average speed of
vehicles on the state's inter
state highways has inched
tack up