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NEWS/^te CtatUttt
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Historic church in limho over site’s value
Continued from page 1A
If that doesn’t happen,
Grace Church could be head
ed for the wrecking ball.
“If the Board of County
Conimiafiioners does replen
ish our funds, the flistoric
Landniariis Conunission will
make a higher offer than
what it’s been willing to do in
the past to purchase the
church,” Morrill said.
“After that, the issue will be
with the members of Grace
Church and whether they are
willing to accept that offer
And I think it will be a veiy
generous offer ”
Officials from Grace did not
return phone messages from
The Post seeking comment
At least one commissioner
doesn’t see a problem with
paying more than $840,000
for the Grace site.
“It’s not problematic for me
at all,” Democrat
Wilhelmenia Rembert said.
“Grace Churrfi
is a vital part of
the Charlotte
community
and its her
itage. That site
means a lot to
many people,
and we should
do everything
we can to preserve it. I truly
Rembert
believe there’s a way for this
to woric out well for everyone -
for the city (economically) and
for the members of Grace
Church”
Morrill said the Historic
Landmarks Commission has
not yet determined how much
it will offer Grace CTiurch for
the site. That, he said, will
largely depend on how much
money the county commis
sioners are willing to provide.
If the Historic Landmaihs
Commission doesn't get the
money firom the Board of
COimty commissioners, or if
Grace is not willing to agree to
whatever offer the
Landmarks Commission
gives, then the memb^ of
the church could sell to anoth
er buyer.
That buyer, however, could
be an investor who merely
wants to clear the site for a
paridng lot or another busi
ness venture, thus ending
years of significant history in
the Queen C!ity
“I cant predict what the
outcome will be,” Morrill said.
“I think the chtirch’s'prindple
desire is to have enough
funds to build another churdi
at the new site. But I just
hope we can make this work,
because the Grace site is too
important to this city to lose.”
Black fraternity subjected to racial insults at S.C. university
By James Wright
AFRO S^^^^SPAF^JiS
One of the oldest black
Greek letter fraternities is
challenging a rash of racist
Internet messages posted on
a national fratemity/aorority
Web site.
The Zeta Zeta chapter of
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
based on the campus of the
University of South Carolina,
has been the subject of bigot
ed and derogatory postings
regarding its move to the all-
Nagin
meets
evaeuees
in Houston
By Jesse Muhammad
niEFISAl.C.MJ.
HOUSTON - With an opti
mistic spirit, New Orleans
Mayor C. Ray Nagin visited
Houston recently to update
Hurricane Katrina evaaiees
on the recovery efforts of the
devastated city Hundreds
filled the domed sanctuary of
Pleasant Grove Missionary
Baptist Church for an oppor
tunity to liear his addi'ess,
share their frustrations and
regain hope.
“Everything that you didn’t
like about New Orleans, let’s
get rid of it. Everything that
you liked about New
Orleans, let’s enhance it.
Everything you dreamed
about and wished New
Orleans had, let’s make it
happen,” Mayor Nagin stat
ed
The visit was one of sever
al meetings Mayor Nagin is
convening outside of
Louisiana as a way to assure
displaced residents that the
dty will survive and prosper.
Although his report revealed
that New Orleans is facing a
$200 million budget deficit,
he foaised on the accom
plishments since the storm —
neariy 4 million cubic yards
of debris have been removed;
60 percent of the city now
has electricity and about 50
percent gets natxiral gas ser
vice. He also informed that
clean drinking water is
available in many of the
neighborhoods and emer
gency services, such as 911,
are functioning.
“Tliere will be an explosion
of school activity after the
first of the year,” he said,
adding that those willing to
work at minimum-wage jobs
at Sears or Burger King can
earn bonuses, where they
will make upwards of $16 an
hour.
Mayor Nagin is focusing on
three core issues with the
federal government: rebuild
ing the levee system, solving
crucial housing issues and
tax incentives for New
Orieans businesses.
For rebuilding the levee
system, Dutch and German
officials are being consulted
about how to strengthen the
levees to withstand a greater
impact Mayor Nagin pre
sented the proposed develop
ment of a regional levee
bos^ that will be a consoli
dation levee boards fix>m
rwighhnring states
He also said Federal
Emergency Management
Agency officials had begun to
identify safe fjaces to set up
mobile homes for as many as
6,400 returning families. He
also urged eveiytme to start
Rease see NAGIN/7A
white Greek Village, The area
mainly asinprises mansion
like houses owned by predom
inately white fraternities and
sororities,
Omega Psi Phi, founded at
Howard University in 1911 by
three undergraduate stu
dents and noted scientist
Ernest Just, has more than
100,000 members in 700
chapters in the United States,
Europe, Afiica, Asia and the
Caribbean.
Prominent members
include the Rev. Jesse
Jackson, fonuer Vuginia gov
ernor and present Richmond,
Va., Mayor Dou^as Wilder,
NBA legend Michael Jordan,
former Clinton adviser
Vernon Jordan, comedian-
entrepeneur BUI Cosby and
the late Dr. Charles Drew.
The new house is a project
of the fraternity’s national
oiganization. Scheduled for
completion in the fall of 2006,
it will be the first black Greek
organization to have a house
in Greek Village and one of
the few black Greek houses in
the country located in a pre
dominantly  white
fratemity/sorority area of a
m^or, state-sponsored uni
versity
Lewis Anderson, director of
membership services for
Omega, said the fraternity is
reserving comment about the
messages, but he did say "We
have made contact with the
president of the University of
South Carolina and have
alerted the local media. We
are not going to abandon the
project.”
Some postings on the
Internet site www.frattynet
have expressed disdain at
having the Omega house or
any other black-owned facility
in Greek Village;
• “The spocUcs, i mean Q-
dawgs, are buUding a house”
(Re: use Greek village/Reply
No. 2 on Oct 24, 6:38 p.m.).
• “There goes the neighbor
hood” (Re: use Greek vil
lage/Reply No. 4 on Oct 24,
8:20 p.m.).
•”1 propose throwing a cot
ton picking party for them
when they move in a thou
sand pounds of cotton in the
frnnt yard sure jesse jackson
will be here in a heart beat,
but it will be funny as hell
watching them pick it up” (Re:
use Greek village/Reply No.
7 on Oct 24,11:41 p.m.).
• “That cotton idea is funny
as **** and a great way to set
the tone for their time here.
Hopefully, the house never
actually gets buUt, thou^ It
will only bring loud niters,
even louder n*****
and trashy *** wipers and
white-trash girls around But
hopefully Darwin was right
and these spooks will wind up
tearing the house down in a
week or two. Much longer
than that and well have to do
it for them. What do you say
guys? Heres to ridding the vil
lage of our african-american
infestation” (Re: USC Gre^
villa^/Reply No. 8 on Oct 25,
1:02 a.m.).
• Tm going to hang a black
dummy out my window when
they are ready to move in”
(Re: USC Greek village/Reply
No. 9 on Oct 25, 9:26 a.m).
• “Hah. yall ready for this?
nothing but crack viles and
broken forty bottles in the
street, gunshots in the middle
of the ni^t, overgrown plants
and weeds on the lawn, nig
gers walking around with
crunk chalices. Pimped-out 95
Accords, and unsanctioned
parties at 4 am. in the morn
ing on Tuesdays. I hope the
Zetas don’t discover jungle
fever and hang with them
negroids looking for some sex”
(Re: Q-Dawgs in the
Village/Reply No. 4 on Oct 23,
10:42 p.m.).
The Web site is based in
California and serves as a
chat board on Greek organi
zation issues.
Dennis Pruitt, USCs vice
president for student affairs,
said, "We are not going to
allow stud^ts to engage in
behavior that threatens or
intimidates other students.”
J^ry Brewer, USC director
of student life, said that the
$2 million facility will contain
living spaces for 40 students,
plus gathering places and
food service for non-resident
Omega memb^ and meet
ing and entertainment
spaces.
USC Director of Greek Life
(jena Runnion said she hopes
the house spurs other organi
zations into action.
"Ihat Omega Psi Phi has
chosen to build a house in the
Greek Village means that
their organization and alum
ni believe in their students at
the University of South
Carolina and are willing to
make this kind of investment,
financially and otherwise,”
Runnion said. "My hope is
that the construction of this
house will spur other histori
cally black sororities and fra
ternities to do the same.”
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