The Artist is kinder, gentler and playing Charlotte Jan. 17/Page 4B
C!)arIotte Bosit ■
VOLUME 22 NO. 17
THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
THE WEEK OF JANUARY 9,1997
75 CENTS
ALSO SERVING CABARRUS, CHESTER, ROWAN AND YORK COUNTIES
An uneasy coalition
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
The Rev. Ben Chavis, announced plans for Black Monday during a
news conference Tuesday.
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Plans for Black Monday
moved forward despite contin
ued opposition from some
Afiican Americans.
National African American
Leadership Summit head Ben
Chavis met with several black
leaders Tuesday to discuss his
call for the day-long demonstra
tion and boycott Jan. 27 and
later outlined a modified hst of
suggested actions.
Black Monday has opposition
“I am encouraged that some
who spoke in opposition to
Black Monday are now leaning
toward supporting Black
Monday,” Chavis said Tuesday.
“We are revising our mission
statement to be more inclusive
of all elements of the African
American community who will
be at work or at school that day.
“They can participate in the
workplace or classroom to show
their support.”
Chavis said those who could
not stay out of work or school
should wear buttons or black
arm bands to show support for
the boycott, called as a response
to the shooting death of James
Willie Cooper by a white poUce
officer.
A mass rally will be held on
the night of the Black Monday
so those who had to attend
Drive for
cop video
underway
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
A group of African Americans
is hoping to persuade Charlotte
City Council to support the
installation of video cameras in
pohce cars.
The Mobile Video Recorders
Campaign, spearheaded by for
mer city council member Ron
Leeper, has launched a cam
paign to raise $100,000 for
video equipment. The money
would buy cameras for 25 cars,
which Leeper said he hopes
will be put in areas in areas
with a greater likelihood they
will be needed.
“There is a broad base of sup
port throughout the city for
installing video cameras in
police cars as a way to reduce
unanswered questions that
lead to mistrust,” Leeper said.
“Budget constraints within the
police department should not
keep this effort from moving
forward.”
The cameras activate when
the siren is activated, recording
activity in front of the vehicle
for later use.
At a press conference last
week, the group announced it
had raised $25,000. Organizers
said they will ask businesses
and churches in the black com
munity to raise an additional
$75,000 in the next 30 days.
The citizens group, in its
release, said it is “asking for
assurances from the police
department and the Charlotte
City Coimcil that this money be
used to immediately install
video cameras in cars
patrolling areas with a high
likelihood of police interven
tion.”
They also want the city to
estabhsh pohcies to ensure the
system’s integrity.
See CAMERAS on page 2A
A fantastic finish
^0'
Carolina Panthers Mark Carrier, Anthony Johnson and Muhsin Muhammad acknowledge fans Sunday after Carolina’s 26-17 win
over the Dallas Cowboys at Ericsson Stadium. The Panthers play the Green Bay Packers Sunday for the National Football
Conference championship. More coverage in Sports, page 1B.
Panthers claw toward unlikely date
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE PRESS
How hout them Panthers!
Unless you’ve been out of
the coimtry (or just don’t care
about football), the Carolina
Panthers earned a trip to
Green Bay, Wis., Sunday to
play in the National Football
Conference championship
game against the Packers.
Carolina advanced after dis
patching the Dallas Cowboys
26-17 in front of an Ericsson
Stadium record crowd of
72,808. The arena seats
72,685.
Carolina throttled the
Cowboys, who were tiying to
advance to their fourth Super
Bowl in five seasons despite a
series of player suspensions
and criminal allegations.
Although the Panthers were
underdogs, they didn’t play
like it, feeding off the home
crowd to whip “America’s
Team.” After dispatching
Dallas, Panthers players took
an impromptu victory lap
around the field, slapping
hands with giddy fans who
savored what’s arguably the
most important in Charlotte
See PANTHERS on page 2A
First Night defight
Farrakhan meets
with Gadhaf!
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS I
Courtney Love, Kami Davis, Candace Jennings and Shelby Lewis of Sista Productions per
formed at Spirit Square as part of the annual First Night Charlotte celebration.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO, Egypt - Louis
Farrakhan talked and prayed
with Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi on Monday, hugging
him in front of television cam
eras in what Libya said was a
show of Muslim solidarity
against U.S. sanctions.
State-run Libyan television
showed the two men embracing
warmly upon Farrakhan's
arrival at Gadhafi’s office, then
sitting down for a chat.
It was the Nation of Islam
leader's third trip to Libya in a
year. Farakkhan came to dis
cuss “issues of concern for Islam
and Muslims and the causes of
freedom worldwide,” Libyan
television said in a broadcast
monitored in Cairo.
Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam is
a movement among black
Americans that Farrakhan says
is guided by the Koran, though
it is not considered a true
Muslim sect by others who prac
tice Islam.
Libya's state-run JANA news
agency said Farrakhan was
touring a number of coimtries
“to expose American injustices
over Islamic countries.”
These injustices, it said,
included the U.N. sanctions
imposed on Libya in 1992 to try
to force Gadhafi to surrender
two Libyans wanted in connec
tion with the bombing of a Pan
Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The 1988 bombing rilled 270
people.
Farrakhan also urged
Muslims worldwide to ally
themselves politically.
school or work can peirticipate,
Chavis said. Afiican Americans
are still asked to avoid spending
money in white-owned business
es. Churches will be asked to
open their sanctuaries and fel
lowship haUs for teach-ins and
worship services.
The day-long demonstration is
not meant to imdermine or con
flict with other community-
based action, including raising
money for video cameras in
pohce cars or gamering support
See BLACK on page 2A
Marlow
hearing
starts
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte pohce official began
an internal hearing this week
on possible disciplinary action
against the officer who shot and
killed an unarmed black
motorist in November.
“We are hoping to have a deci
sion this week, certainly no
later than first of next week,”
said police spokesman Keith
Bridges. ’
James Wihie Cooper, 19, was
shot and killed by Officer
Michael Marlow, who joined the
police force two years ago.
Cooper’s four-year-old daughter
was in the car when the shoot
ing occurred in east Charlotte,
off The Plaza.
The shooting enraged the
black community and has lead
to several protests smd efforts to
defuse tensions. One group is
raising money to put video cam
eras in pohce cars and a grass
roots effort, speEurheaded by the
Rev. Ben Chavis, has cahed for
a Black Monday boycott on Jan.
27.
Cooper was the second
unarmed motorist killed by
Charlotte pohce in three years.
In 1993, Windy GaU Thompson
was shot by Officer Mark
Farmer, who remains on the
force.
District Attorney Peter
Gilchrist declined to prosecute
either Farmer or Marlow.
Bridges said the hearing into
the Cooper shooting began
Monday before a chain of com
mand review board, which wih
determine if Marlow followed
departmental pohcy and proce
dures. The review board
includes the officers who super
vised Marlow - his sergeant,
captain, major, deputy chief and
the internal affairs major.
Also on the hearing board is a
civihan member of the commu
nity relations committee,
Wilham “Butch” Simmons of the
See SHOOTING on page 2A
Inside
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