-i,
Will Jazz
Return To The
Church?
Entertainment/ Page 9A
JCSU Celebrates Founder’s Day
Education/ Pages 4&5A
In The
W.C. Lions Come Of Age
Lifestyles/ Page IB
A a ■ • 2r(ir Clj-Trlotlf JOoiii
Alliance
McGill Wins
Speech Contest
Page 14B
Cljarlotte
Vol. 14, No. 45 Thursday, April 6,1989
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
50 Cents
Shoney’s, Inc. To Face
Charges Of Racial Bias
Washington, D.C. --- The
NAACP Legal Defense and Edu
cational Fund Is filing a major
class action employment dis
crimination suit against Shon-
ey's, Inc. this week. Shoney’s,
Inc. Is a significant employer In
the food service Industry with
outlets In 30 states. System-
wide sales for Shoney's, Inc. for
fiscal year 1988 exceed $1.4 bil
lion.
The suit,
filed In U.S.
District Court
for the North
ern District of
Florida In
Pensacola,
Fla., charges
Shoney's with
a policy of
"classic Ille
gal class
wide dlspar- chanSSi.
ate treat
ment" of black people and
"maintaining a hostile, racist
work environment."
The suit contends that the pol
icy "limits the emplojrment op
portunities of blacks In ... job se
lections (Initial hire,
assignments, and promotions)
and terminations," and that It "Is
specifically calculated to deny
members of the black race
equal treatment and opportuni
ties."
The suit also charges Shoney's
with "retaliating against (white)
employees who refuse to Imple
ment or who oppose the Defen
dants' Illegal employment poli
cies or practices."
"This Is a case of national Im
portance because the employer
Is a large and prominent corpo
ration which employs a great
number of people," said Julius
Chambers, Director-Counsel of
the NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, "As far as I
know, this Is the largest employ
ment discrimination class ac
tion which private attorneys
have brought against a private
company. In order to assure ef
fective representation of all pos
sible victims of Shoney's dis
crimination, LDF Is committing
substantial resources to the liti
gation and associating experi
enced civil rights lawyers in
Florida, California and Tennes
see." Chambers added that "It Is
Important that several white
former supervisors at Shoney's
have been willing to protest the
discriminatory practices and to
join this lawsuit."
The NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund has esta
blished a toll free number, 1-
800-950-1556, for persons to
call who believe they have been
discriminated or retaliated
against or who believe they have
witnessed such Illegal acts.
This toll-free number may be
called 24 hours a day. Callers to
the 800 number will reach the
office of Thomas A. Warren, lo
cal counsel In Tallahassee. This
Information will be treated con
fidentially.
The lawsuit seeks to end the
alleged discriminatory and reta
liatory practices, expand job
hiring and promotional oppor
tunities for blacks, obtain mon-
See LDF On Page 2A
Who Gets The Money?
The chart below shows groups, by race and income, and
the percentage of loans they have received from Char
lotte's First Union Bank during the year 1987. These sta
tistics were compiled by the Southern Finance Project.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
94%
3.0%
1.0%
1.0%
Upper-income
whites
Low-income
minorities
Low-income
whites
Upper-income
minorities
NAACP Seeks Investigation
Fatal Shootings Elicit Concern, Outrage From Black Community
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Citing the concerns of Char
lotte's African-American com
munity, the president of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP
branch wants the N.C. and U.S.
attorneys general to Investigate
two recent fatal shootings by
Charlotte police.
The victims, Louis Columbus
Relford III and Jake King, both
black, were unarmed. The offi
cers who shot them were white.
In letters dated April 2, Maiy
Clarke, president of the local
chapter asked N.C. Attorney
General Lacy Thornburg and
U.S. Attorney General Rlchsu-d
Thornburgh to conduct Investi
gations of the police to deter
mine If the suspects' civil rights
were violated. The letters were
mailed Monday.
"The black community Is fear
ful that a pattern of police viola
tion of the civil rights of black
suspects Is emerging," Clarke
wrote.
King’s shooting Saturday
touched off a public outcry In
the Cherry
neighborhood
where he was
a resident. Of
ficer Scott
Pope shot
King, 33, twice
while re
sponding to a
call at King’s
home at 1509
Luther Street.
Brenda King, Clarke
the victim's sister, told authori
ties she was reading In her bed
room when Jake King hit her
over the head with a glass.
Witnesses said King was shot
as he walked down the steps
with his hands over his head.
Police found no weapon on King.
On January 14, Relford, 24,
was warned to keep his hands
up by officer Barry Goodson, po
lice said. According to police,
the suspect was described as
carrying a weapon as Relford
was chased from the scene of a
robbery.
A Mecklenburg County assist
ant district attorney ruled the
shooting was justified because
Relford appeared to reach Into
his car, giving Goodson reason
to suspect his life was In danger.
Relford was unarmed, but police
found two knives and cash from
the robbery In his car.
"In both Instances white offi
cers fired on unarmed blacks
(sic) suspects without apparent
provocation," Clarke said.
Charlotte police are continu
ing Its Investigation while keep
ing details of the King shooting
under wrap®.
"We have not established what
happened just prior to the
shooting because there are sev
ered witnesses whose versions
are In conflict," said Chief Sam
Klllman at a Monday press con
ference. He did not answer re
porters' questions about the
shooting.
In addition to the Investiga
tion, police are scheduled to
meet with Cherry residents to
night to discuss the shooting.
Groups Move To Prove Bank
Discrimination, Block Merger
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Charlotte-based banks ha
ven’t been dealing fairly with mi
norities when It comes to loan
ing monqr, alleges Jane Burts of
the Charlotte Organizing Pro
ject. But that doesn't mean they
will get away with It for long.
Burts, an organizer with
CHOP, one of three neighbor
hood groups challenging First
Union's proposed merger with
Florida National Bank, said lo
cal Institutions have a history of
taking deposits from minorities
but not extending services to
their communities.
"It's clear the major banks are
not loaning money to minority
nelghborho^s," she said.
Last week, community organi
zations held public discussions
of First Union's alleged indiffer
ence to extending loans to low-
income neighborhoods. Ed
Crutchfield, First Union's presi
dent, was In attendance to listen
to complaints.
At stake Is First Union's plan
to acquire Florida National,
which must be approved by the
U.S. Comptroller of Currency.
Usually such mergers have met
little resistance, but community
organizations have been bol
stered by a recent ruling that
has put financial Institutions on
notice.
The Community Reinvestment
Act (CRA), a federal Initiative In
tended to prevent red-llnlng by
banks, was considered by many
community activists to be a law
without teeth. Red-llnlng Is a
practice In which banks refuse
loans or other services to low-
income neighborhoods.
Last month, the federal gov
ernment put bite Into the CRA
by blocking the merger of Conti
nental Bank Corp. of Illinois
and Grand Canyon State Bank
of Scottsdale, Az. The ruling, the
first to go against a bank mer
ger, was based on the govern
ment's assertion that Continen
tal failed to deal equitably with
minority and low-income com
munities.
For First Union to merge with
Florida National, It must meet
the same criteria, which makes
First Union an Inviting target.
Anpther is NCNB, which wants
to buy Atlanta-based C&S bank
for $2 billion.
"The best time to challenge a
bank Is when It's getting ready
to merge,” Berts said. "It gives us
more leverage because they
want to look good to the regula
tors."
First Union stands by Its
record, said Connie Fuller, the
company's 'Vice President of Me
dia Relations.
"Our regulators cited our CRA
compliance to be exemplary.
According to the CRA, we're ih
compliance," she said.
The city's major banks are
See BANK On P«ge 2A
Eastern Strike Puts Former Worker On Hold
ByM.UL«NEr
Special To The Post
Naomi Jackson, a non-
unionized Eastern Airlines res-
ervatlonlst, has found herself
sidelined by the machinists' and
pilots' strike at the airlines.
A 22-jrear veteran of the com
pany, Jackson lost her job
March 10, when, contraiy to the
company's assurances, all 641
employees of the reservations
center were laid off.
The move has for now blocked
Jackson's long planned dream
of home ownership. Just as she
was about to sign papers for her
new home the strike came up
and this mother of three says
everjdhlng's on hold. "I had
hoped to be all moved In to my
new house by now. This situa
tion has changed all of that,"
says Jackson.
For the present, she's finding
little In the job market that
would suit her financial needs.
Many of Eastern's unionized
workers were taking home sal
aries between $65,000 to
$100,000 and even though Jack
son's salary was not that high,
she says the job market has only
offered employment In the
$12,000 range so far.
To make matters worse, be
cause of North Carolina labor
laws, Jackson Is not eligible for
unemployment benefits.
Many under these circum
stances would feel justified In
shedding bitter tears, but Jack-
son Is not crying.
Relating the words of an old
blues song, she says, "Ciylng
won't help you. Crying won't do
you no good. When the levee
breaks you just have to move on.
"I haven’t given up on going
back to Elastem and my career.
Jackson recalls the recent his
tory of the airline company,
saying. "At first. It was just like
a big family. We all knew one
another's families. The super
visors were friendly and more
See EASTERN On Page 3A
Gethsemane Student
Program Wins Award
Jackson
But I do agree with the expressed
remarks of many of my fellow
workers, 'enough Is enough!'"
Legislators: No To Fayetteville's Slave Market
RALEIGH (AP) —- Holding a cere
monial session of the General
Assembly this
month at a
former slave
auction site In
Fayetteville Is
Inappropriate,
say black
state legisla
tors who plan
to boycott the
session.
"It's a sensi
tivity Issue,'
Blue
Rep. H.M. "Mickey" Mlchaux, D-
Durham, said last Friday. 'To go
back to the slave market re
minds us of an ugly past. We
want to look to the future."
The Legislative Black Caucus
voted unanimously last Wednes
day to boycott the April 13 ses
sion, he said. Black legislators
from Fayetteville were permit
ted to abstain so they would not
be put in a difficult position,
said Mlchaux, chairman of the
caucus.
The session will commemorate
the 200th anniversary of North
Carolina's ratification of the
U.S. Constitution. Delegates to a
constitutional convention met
to ratify the document Nov. 21,
1789, In Fayetteville, one of sev
eral towns that served as the
state capital In colonial times.
Fire destroyed the State House,
where the constitutional con
vention was held. In 1831. It was
replaced by the Market House,
which still stands.
The building Is, too small to
hold the Legislature, so lawmak
ers are scheduled to meet on the
grounds around the Market
House.
Rep. Dan Blue, former chair
man of the Black Caucus, said
black legislators have no quar
rel with celebrating North Caro
lina's ratification of the Consti
tution. But the Market House "is
the wrong symbol from which to
talk about It," said Blue, D-
Wake.
Special To The Poet
Washington, D.C. --- Ninth
District congressman Alex
McMillan paid tribute Wednes
day to Charlotte's Rev. George
Battle, calling him a man of
"great vision and humanity."
Battle was In Washington to re
ceive one of three national
awards given by the National
Community Development Asso
ciation.
Rev. Battle was honored by the
NCDA for founding the success
ful Gethsemane Student Enrich
ment Program. The after-school
and summer program currently
helps 450-low-lncome students
reach their full potential In aca
demic and personal pursuits. It
also seeks parental Involvement
In steering youngsters toward
higher grades and goals.
One such student, Gary Capers,
stood beside Rev. Battle and
Congressman McMillan, Wed
nesday before more than 300
NCDA delegates from across the
country. Gary won the heart of
the audience by telling them
that the Gethsemane program
has Improved his grades and
kept him "out of the principal's
office." Gary was joined on the
podium by his mother and Geth-
semane's program director,
Adelald Hunt.
Rev. Battle, an 11-year veteran
of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School Board, says he started
the Gethsemane Student Enrich
ment program against "all the
odds." Battle says he grew up In a
household short of money, but
not faith. Battle told the NCDA
delegation, "anyone can accom
plish their goals and aspira
tions with faith." After nearly a
decade In operation, that "faith”
has helped hundreds of Char
lotte students overcome obsta
cles. Today, 75 percent of Geth-
semane's students graduate from
high school.
In accepting the award. Rev.
Battle praised Congressman
McMillan, calling him an "early
and constant supporter" of the
Gethsemane program.
Drug Abuse
Conference
Leaders from North Carolina's
largest cities will meet In Char
lotte, April 20-22 to discuss
drug-related problems, share
experiences and develop a bet
ter understanding of the rela
tionships among enforcement,
education, prevention and treat
ment.
Co-sponsored by Charlotte
Mayor Sue M3nrlck and Governor
Jim Martin, the conference will
focus attention on drug abuse
problems In the state and spe
cifically In the large urban are
as.
"Illegal drugs abuse and Its
tragic consequences have be
come the most serious problem
See DRUG On Page 3A
Inside This Week
Editorials
. Pq.
6A
Obituaries...
Pg. SB
Entertainment.
. Pg.
9A
Sports
... Pg. 8B
Lifestyles
. Pq.
1B
Classifieds..
.. Pg. 12B
Church News.
.. Pg.
3B
All lance
... Pg. 13B
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