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hRp://www.thepost.mindspring.com
THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
THE WEEK OF AUGUST 7, 1997
VOLUME 22 NO. 47
75 CENTS
ALSO SERVING CABARRUS, CHESTER, ROWAN AND YORK COUNTIES
Scarborough campaign opens field
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Ella Scarborough’s entiy into
the U.S. Senate race could create
problems for Democrats, who are
trying to find a candidate strong
enough to unseat Republican
Lauch Faircloth.
In 1990 and 1996, another
black Charlotte Democrat, for
mer Mayor Harvey Gantt, won
the Democratic nomination, only
to lose to Jesse Hehns.
Scarborough, 51, a 10-year
incumbent on Charlotte City
Council, has told fiiends and
Slavery
apology
on hold
By Michael A. Fletcher
THE WASHINGTON POST
Two months ago, Rep. Tbny P.
HaU saw a congressional apology
for slavery as a simple and moral
starting point for a new effort to
heal the nation’s gaping racial
wounds.
But since the Ohio Democrat
broached the idea, it has fallen
victim to all the contentiousness
and misunderstanding that char
acterizes the worst of American
race relations. Few legislators
have embraced the measure, and
even HaU now concedes the idea
is virtuaUy dead. What he has left
is hundreds of letters and phone
messages, most condemning his
idea, often with harsh racial lan
guage.
One man wrote that the gov
ernment should apologize to him
for stripping his great-grandfa
ther of his 435 slaves. Some said
Afncan Americans should be
thankful that slave traders res
cued their ancestors from Afiica.
Others argued that their ances
tors are immigrants who had no
connection to slavery or that,
beginning with the 350,000
Union soldiers who perished in
the CivU War, the nation has done
more than enough to atone for
slavery. Many Afncan American
leaders have rejected the idea,
too, saying it would be meaning
less without a weU-funded effort
to repair the damage.
“The reaction has stunned me,”
said HaU, a white congressman
from a predominantly white dis
trict who once fasted for three
weeks to protest the demise of the
House Select Committee on
Hunger. “If we can’t do something
as simple as saying we're sorry.
See APOLOGYon page 2A
associates she plans to enter the
Democratic primary in May.
Scarborough, who has assembled
a campaign team that includes
her sister, made several stops in
Charlotte last week to spread the
news.
Two other candidates have
already indicated plans to run
against Faircloth.
John Edwards, a Raleigh attor
ney, and D.G. Martin, a former
Charlotte attorney who’s stepping
down as the Uruversity of North
Carolina system’s vice president
of pubUc affiars.
Martin and some political
observers were surprised that
Scarborough entered the race.
Most had expected her to run for
mayor of Charlotte until she
announced last month she was
not running for any office in the
November elections. Martin, who
has not officiaUy announced his
candidacy, said he and
Scarborough talked recently after
he kept hearing she was entering
the Senate race.
“She would be a great candi
date,” Martin said. “She stands
for the right things. She worked
hard on the city councU and
worked hard on the League of
MunicipaUties.
Scarborough is president of the
statewide organization, whose
membership consists of elected
city and county officials.
Martin admits he did not expect
Scarborough to run.
‘T was surprised, but I guess I
should not have been,” said
Martin, who visited the Tuesday
Morning Breakfast Club recently
to talk with a group of black lead
ers.
Edwards was in town two
weeks ago to meeting with black
leaders. That meeting was called
by attorney James Ferguson and
Shakeup in Washington
ASSOCIATED PRESS/KARIN COOPER
Washington Financial Control Board Dr. Andrew Brimmer speaks about the financial situation of
Washington Tuesday at the Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington. Brimmer's board
repiaced four of Washington Mayor Marion Barry's cabinet members just hours after President
Clinton signed a measure eliminating the mayor's controi over most of the city's day-to-day func
tions.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW LEADER; Charles Taylor is sworn in as
Liberian President during an inauguration
ceremony in MonroviaSaturday.
West Charlotte High School staff
still in process of being assembled
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
With teachers scheduled to report to work
Monday, West Charlotte High &hool’s new
principal was scrambling to complete
staffing.
Student report to school on Aug. 18.
Principal Tfeny Chne was reportedly look
ing for another assistant principal and
wanted to hire someone finm his old school
district. He also had several teaching posi
tions to fin.
Cheerieading and band camps have not
been held this summer because the entire
staff was removed at the end of the last
school year in a major restaffing that
included the dismissal of principal Ken
Simmons.
By press time, school officials could not
provide a racial breakdown of the staff or
the names of other school leaders, such as
assistant principals and department heads.
Also unclear is how many of the 44 white
teachers whose request for transfers led to
Simmons’ removal have
been rehired.
Human resources direc
tor A1 Johnson was trying
to compile information at
The Post’s request.
School officials had said
the school would be
restaffed by July 19.
Opposition to the
abrupt removal of former
principal Kenneth
Simmons abated over the
summer after meetings
Community Relations
Cline
called by the
Committee.
Opponents of the move had planned a series
of raUies prior to the Community Relations
Committee’s involvement.
School officials this week said Simmons
will be assigned to work with Calvin
See STAFF on page 6A
Bob Davis, chair of the Black
Pohtical Caucus.
Davis said after that meeting,
he got the call from Scarborough
saying she was entering the race.
“My thought is she has certain
ly bit off a big chunk of pohtical
pie, but she is enthusastic about it
and feels hke she has a winning
hand,” Davis said. “She behoves
she can pidl it off.
Martin senior advisor Mark
Bibbs, a Raleigh attorney, said
Scarborough’s entry into the race
won’t hint his candidate. “It is not
going to cause any kind of spht,”
See SENATE on page 2A
PHOTO/CPAUL WILLIAMS III
Ella Scarborough (right) plans
to .run for U.S. Senate in 1998.
2 officers face
discipline
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Charlotte pohce officers who shot and killed Carolyn Sue
Boetticher have been suspended and one may be fired, according to
pohce officials.
Shannon Jordan and Donn Belz fired 22 shots into a car in which
Boetticher, 48, was a passenger April 8. The officers fired when the
car’s driver, Robert Lundy, failed to stop at a hcense checkpoint in west
Charlotte.
Blacks applauded the disciplinary actions recommended for the offi
cers, but said lingering questions remain about the case and two other
cases since 1993 in which unarmed blacks were kfiled by white pohce
officers who were not punished.
“I think the decision was a partial one,” said Black Pohtical Caucus
chair Bob Davis. “If both officers were shooting, both should have been
fired.”
Davis also noted that the other officers had been cleared in two pre
vious shootings. “This is the first time where any decision has been
made where the officers were concerned,” he said. “I say let him be tried
by a jury of his peers. If found innocent, I could hve with that. But no
actions or decision have been made involving the officers in the last
three years.
“This is a partial breakthrough,” Davis said. “The judicial system has
broken down.”
CivU cases in the Boetticher shooting and the November shooting of
James WiUie Cooper by officer Michael Marlow will continue, Anita
See DISCIPLINE on page 3A
Citizens review board
rounds out with more
black appointees
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Two more African Americans
have been added to Charlotte’s
11-member citizens review board,
which will meet for the first time
next month.
The new black board members
are Anthony Fox, a former assis
tant city attorney who is now with
the Parker, Poe, Adams &
Bernstein law firm, and Robbie D.
Harrison, who works with
Fighting Back, an anti-drug pro
gram for the Mecklenburg
County mental health depart
ment. They were appointed by
City Manager Pam Syfert.
Mayor Pat McCrory and Syfert
appointed six board members
Tuesday, adding to five members
appointed last week by dty coun
cil.
McCrory applauded the large
number of applicants for the
board, more than 300.
“The Citizens Review Board is
an important part of the overall
process in investigating allega
tions of pohce misconduct that
includes the pohce department’s
Internal Affairs investigation and
review by the Civil Service
Board,” he said. “The board will
complement the work of the
Community Relations
Committee. This board will
enhance community trust, com
munications and understanding
of the pohce function.”
McCrory said he was looking to
provide as much racial, geograph
ic, gender and age diversity to the
board in making his appoint
ments. His appointments were
made after Syfert’s.
McCroiy appointed Sharon B.
See REVIEW on page 2A
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