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THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 23, 1997 75 CENTS
VOLUME 23 NO. 6 ALSO SERVING CABARRUS, CHESTER, ROWAN AND YORK COUNTIES
Separate and unequal in North Carolina
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Blacks and whites often gather at pubiic events such as Ericsson Stadium to wathc the Carolina Panthers, but the underlying sus
picion among races has increased in recent years. To stem the tide, Gov. Jim Hunt will convene a Conference on Racial
Reconciliation Monday in Charlotte.
Charlotte conference focuses on race
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
When a jury decided last
month that an African
American man was more like
ly to be the murderer of a white
woman than her husband, a
doctor, few blacks were sur
prised.
Marion Anthony Gales lost a
civil suit brought against him
by Dr. Ed Friedland though
police investigators found no
evidence he had been in the
Friedland home and the inci
sion which killed Friedland’s
wife Kim Thomas was “surgi
cal” in nature, according to
Gales’ attorneys.
Within a year of his wife’s
death, Friedland married the
woman with whom he had
been having an affair, but the
district attorney dropped the
murder charges filed against
him.
It seemed business as usual
to many blacks.
While many blacks applaud
ed O.J. Simpson’s acquittal of
criminal charges for the mur
der of his white ex-wife, many
whites cheered as hard when a
civil jury said Simpson was
likely the killer.
Such high profile cases and
others - from Susan Smith’s
bogus black caijacker and child
See RACE on page 2A
nig'ger \'ni-gor\ n [alter, of earlier neger, fr. M
negro, fr. negro black, fr. L nigerl (1700) 1 : a
taken to be offensive 2 : a member of any dark
taken to be offensive 3 : a member of a socially >
persons it’s time for somebody to lead all of Ar
people who feel left out of the political process —
usage Nigger in senses 1 and 2 can be found
writers of the past as Joseph Conrad, Mark Twj
ens, but it now ranks as perhaps the most offen:
racial slur in English. Its use by and among bl
tended or taken as offensive, but, except in ser
word expressive of racial hatred and bigotry.
Slur pits civil rights group
against dictionary publisher
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
What is a “nigger?”
According to the NAACP,
it could mean trouble for the
publisher of a dictionary.
The civil rights organiza
tion has criticized Merriam-
Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary’s of a “nigger” as
a “black person” or “member
of a dark-skinned race.” The
NAACP plans a national
letter-writing campaign to
pressure Merriam-Webster
to either drop or change the
definition.
Merriam-Webster stands
by the definition, saying the
term has become acceptable
for usage among African
See SLUR on page 3A
Presidential panel
leader keynotes
Tliesday program
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Historian John Hope Franklin will dehver the keynote address
at the Governor’s Conference on Racial Reconciliation Thesday.
The conference at the Adam’s Mark Hotel
will bring together law enforcement, business
and political leaders from across the state for
two days discussing community-based pro
grams across the state and country and race
relations partnerships.
“Building the kind of future we want for
North Carolina’s children and grandchildren
means hving up to our responsibiUtes to build
stronger mderstanding and respect among
our people,” Gov. Jim Hunt said. “And it starts
with our communities — law enforcement, gov
ernment and business leaders, churches and schools. We need
Franklin
See FRANKLIN on page 3A
School race
injects life into
election season
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Leake
Reid
What’s become a tight Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board race
between longtime educator Vilma Leake and incumbent Sam Reid in
District 2 tops the list of what has been an otherwise ho-hum election
campaign.
Some analysts say Leake, a longtime teacher, may beat Reid, a polit
ical activist elected two years ago
without opposition.
“It’s going to be a name identi
fication race,” said Elections
Supervisor Bill Culp. “Who wins
depends on who has the highest
name recognition. With her edu
cation background, that puts
Leake on an even field with
Reid.”
County-wide, supporters of
Democratic candidates and the
$500 rmllion education and jail
bond packages are worrying about black voter turnout in Nov. 4 ballot
ing.
The election that will not only have a major impact on the future of
local education ($415 million of the bonds are for schools), hut on
whether Democrats retain control of Charlotte City Council.
On social and moral issues. Republicans already control the
Mecklenburg Coimty Board of Commissioners with the help of maver
ick Democrat Hoyle Martin.
But the District 2 school board contest between Leake and Reid has
been the talk of the town. The fiery Leake and the quiet Reid are a star]
contrast, though both have long records of involvement in the ’commn
nity.
See SCHOOL on page 6A
Civil service board
backs officer’s firing
after fatal shooting
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte’s civil service board
has upheld PoUce Chief Dennis
Nowicki's firing of an officer
involved in a fatal shooting earli
er this year.
Nowicki recommended in
August that officer Shannon
Jordan be fired and officer Donn
Belz suspended for 30 days with
out pay for the April shooting of
Carolyn Sue Boetticher.
The civil service board made its
nding Friday, after a four-day
hearing. The board found Jordan
put himself in danger when he
stepped in front of a car which did
not stop at a police license check
point in west Charlotte.
Jordan can appeal the ruling to
District Court.
Boetticher, 48, was an imarmed
passenger April 8 when Jordan
and Belz fired 22 bullets into the
car. A bullet from Jordan’s service
weapon was identified as the one
which struck Boetticher in the
neck, killing her.
Boetticher, who was black, was
a hotel housekeeper who grew up
in Concord and lived much of her
adult life in New Jersey.
The majority of bullets entered
the side and back of the car as it
passed the officers, who said they
thought it was trying to run them
down.
The car’s driver was Robert G.
Lundy Sr., a former West
Columbia, S.C. businessman. He
was uninjured. Lundy, who is
white, was charged with posses
sion of a stolen auto and posses
sion of cocaine, in addition to
assault on a police officer.
An internal pohce department
review resulted in the discipUnar}-
See BOARD on page 6A
Charlotte women ready for march
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte Allen is tired.
Organizer of Charlotte’s Million
Woman March effort, Allen, 47,
has worked since June to reserve
buses to take hundreds of local
women to the rally Saturday in
Philadelphia. First, she had to
find a bus company, preferably
one that is black-owned. Houston
Transportation, an African
American-owned company in
Statesville, is supplying drivers
and buses to take almost 300 peo
ple to Philadelphia.
Then, she had to drum up
enough women to fill them.
“Originally, I wanted to fill 10
buses and 260 hotel rooms,” Allen
said. “But you know how people
are. We got to wait ‘til the last
minute. But you know, I had a
plan and God had a plan. You
know God’s plan is always going
to be the one carried out.”
While local organizers are gear
ing up for the 10-hpur drive,
Philadelphia officials are prepar
ing for the estimated 500,000 to
600,000 women who will converge
on the Benjamin Franklin
Parkway to hear South Afiican
activist Winnie Mandela and Rep.
Maxine Waters, D-Calif. Also
scheduled to speak is Khadijah
Muhammad, wife of Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Parking spaces are being set
aside for 6,000 cars and 2,200
buses in and around the down
town area. The Southeastern
Pennsylvania Transportation
Authority plans to run extra sub
way trains and buses. Hundreds
of police officers, many on over
time, will help with traffic and
crowd control.
Back in May, the women calling
for a million black women to
See RALLY on page 3A
PHOTO/SUE ANN JOHNSON
Kendra Feaster, Mischelle Massey and Angel Whiteside (left to right)
are among the Charlotte women headed to Philadelphia.
Inside
Editorials 4A-5A
Strictly Business 8A
Religion 10A
Health 13A
Style 6A
Sports 1B
A&E5B
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