On The Hill
VI
NNPA News Editor
COPS MUST GO AFTER
WHITE COLLAR DRUG BOSSES
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Not long
ago I was idly (how else?) watching
television and on screen popped a
movie called “HIT.” It starred
Richard Pryor and a lean Billy Dee
Williams. The movie was made in
1973,16 years ago, but apart from Bil
ly Dee’s and Richard’s medium
Afros, plus the fact Billy Dee has add
ed a few pounds in the ensuing years,
it could have been made last month.
Billy Dee turns in an astonishing
performance as a grimly determined
avenger, crafty, unrelenting,
resourcefully violent, a cerebral cop
whose performance was all the more
gripping because he played it in such
a gritty, laid-back way. There is an
interracial romance (Billy Dee
makes love to a white dope-addicted
prostitute; this must have been
somewhat eyebrow-raising in those
days, for all of Billy Dee’s cleancut
recctitude and the woman’s tainted
virtue. And the camera moves moodi
ly through the film as if in a real-life
crime documentary).
It’s the kind of movie I like—violent
action, tough scripting and good guys
winning in the end. I wondered how I
could have missed it the first, second
or even 10th time around.
The movie’s theme was simple: the
quest of a bereaved father who,
although a law enforcement officer,
opted to break the law for the greater
good—in order to stamp out the top
dope kingpins and thus avenge his
13-year-old daughter’s drug-induced
death.
Tne operative words here are * top
dope kingpins." Billy Dee dragoons
his daughter's spastic young lover in
to Angering the black dude who sold
them the fatal doipe. Billy then pro
ceeds to go up side the dope pusher's
head with maniacally methodical
vigor. In fact, he has this chap in the
back seat of an auto and is busting
him up with his fists in such a
singlehanded way that the dope
pusher, who has visions of the Grim
Reaper, cries out, “Don't kill me. I
am just [a little man] on the street. If
you kill me another will take my
place.” The bloodied wretch blubbers
that Billy Dee should be going after
the real culprits—the men in plush
law and. banking offices downtown.
But, of course! This creepis in reality
a victim. His name, as they say in the
Bible, is Legion because be is many.
The urban centers that festoon our
nation are awash with them. They are
the jobless, the macho, the desperate.
They are ripe for action—criminal
action. Kill one and 10,000 spring up in
nis place. Is there a direct correlation
between the murderously high (40-60
percent) Unemployment among
young black males in our Altering
ghettoes and the high rate of crime?
You bet!
It suddenly made sense to Billy
Dee, who pause<f in the midst of his
absorbing preoccupation and thus,
the movie begins to heat up and shifts
to a sensible level. Billy Dee’s “top
dope kings" happen to be French
businessmen/racketeers somehow
protected by members of Billy Dee’s
fraternity, the police. But that doesn’t
deter Billy Dee despite his boss’s ad
monition. He cannily assembles a
team of misfits, including the pro
stitute, and proceeds to do the im
possible-tracking and wiping out a
powerfully entrenched French drug
mafia.
It makes one think: Why can’t the
D.C. officials or other big-city brass
find the local dealers and summarily
dispose of them like Billy Dee did? Of
course, silly, Billy Dee’s is a fantasy
world, but no more so than real life
drug operations and the violence that
springs from them—all of which are
wracking our urban centers, piling up
young black male bodies, playing
havoc with decent citizens’ way of life
and civilized law and order. The
street-level drug traffic has a black
or Hispanic face. But you better
believe that the face of the drug
overlords is predominantly white.
And perhaps this is part of the pro
blem. It’s easy to bust these un
protected street cockroaches; but
tougher to tear away the veil of
respectability and police protection
payoff and fumigate the white-collar
lice.
D.C. Police Chief Maurice Turner
has publicly admitted he can’t do
much to stop the drug traffic or the
killings. On the Hill, Mayor Marion
Barry told Congress he needs hun
dreds more police, more prison space
and millions of dollars to really
engage the war. He was embarrassed
when a congressman pointed out that
a crack house was operating a few
hundred yards from the Catholic
school the solon’s son attends, and he
immediately dispatched a
“surveillance” team to the spot.
What gets me lathered is that
almost anybody in a drug-plagued
neighborhood knows who the drug
pushers are—everybody, that is, but
the police. Black Muslim
neighborhood protectors once charg
ed that some police were part of that
traffic. Honest police ask for citizen
help and have to be led by the hand to
the wrongdoers. Sure, citizens must
help identify honest police. They
can't do it by themselves. But, dam
mit, why can’t they see what is
operating right under their noses?
Perhaps police are weary of the
charade of arresting these nobodies
only to see them sprung immediately
and back in business on the streets.
Additionally, I am frosted when so
much media energy, and indeed,
police attention, is directed at the
simple-minded, strutting little gold
chain-wearing black “donkeys” who
are peddling the crap on the streets.
Why don’t the authorities direct some
attention at the entrenched sources of
the drug traffic—the fat-cat lawyers,
bankers, insurance tycoons, the
white-collar crooks who sit in plush K
Street, Weall Street and LaSalle
Street offices, raking in the real big
bucks—men who are responsible for
keeping alive the flourishing trade
that is devastating 1 our
communities?
In the movie, Billy Dee started otu
beating the crap out of one of the
street vermin who peddle the stuff,
until the nearly comatose “donkey”
managed to attract his attention with
cries pointing to the real operators
downtown. It also turned on Billy
Dee’s being honest and intelligent
enough to recognize the truth when he
heard it, even from the mouth of such
a low form of animal life. Whereupon
Billy Dee organized a small team and
literally wiped out the fat-cat
bastards who are the real culprits.
Until the real-life Billy Dee
Williams’ cops (let that also read the
FBI, Dope Czar William Bennett’s
minions, and other federal and local
gendarmes who say they are serious
about fighting this drug war) get the
lead out and start busting the fat fan
nies of the white-collar drug
overlords, I don’t see how the
average citizen can have much faith
in what they say.
Add this scary corollary: Harass
ed, uptight citizens, fed to the teeth
with hoodlums pushing them around
in their own communities, sick to
death of having federal and local of
ficials blow smoke at them, organiz
ing vigilantes, a la Billy Dee
Williams, and taking the law into
their own hands. Believe me, you
hear more and more of this kind of
talk these days. And it’s not movie
fantasy!
Focus On Youth Is Now
A New NAACP Objective
BY ALLIE M. PEEBLES
Contributing Writer
The Raleigh-Apex Branch of the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People met on
Sunday, April 9, at 4 p.m. at Martin
Street Baptist Church. Rev. H.B.
Pickett, Jr. presided over the
business session, which was opened
with devotion. The membership
report, Freedom Fund banquet
report, and the life membership
report of $1,200 were given to the
secretary in order to expedite mat
ters.
The highlight of the meeting was a
youth forum, coordinated by Ms.
Angela Grimes, first vice president.
Assisting Ms. Grimes were Ms. Sara!'
Dawis of Apex and Ms. Kimberly
Baldwin. The youth panel was made
up of high school students from the
Wake County School System. Cash
Micahels served as moderator, and
he recognized the youth in the au
dience who responded.
The panelists discussed such topics
as the attendance policy in the Wake
County School*, the abortion issue,
the student-parent relationship, the
role of the church, and careers.
The focus on youth is one of the new
objectives of the Raleigh-Apex
Branch, and all efforts are being
made to organize a strong youth
chapter in the Raleigh-Apex areas.
Ms. Betty Gilbert will serve as one of
the advisors. Youth programs and ac
tivities are ongoing on the state and
national levels of the NAACP.
The youth forum will be aired over
radio station WAUG-AM 750 on Satur
day, April 22, at 10 a.m. Youth par
ticipants represented First Baptist
Church, Oberlin Baptist Church,
Martin Street Baptist Church, First
Cosmopolitan Baptist Church, St.
Paul AME Church, Wake Chapel
Baptist, St. Mary’s AME, and First
Entertainment, Dancing
Sedates Hold Celebration
BY MABLK S. PATTERSON
Special To The CAKOI.INIAN
The weekend of April 7 was one to
remember for the 13 members of the
Sedates Civic and Social Club. They
celebrated their anniversary at the
Downtown Holiday Inn on Hills
borough Street.
On Friday night after check-in, the
club members relaxed in their 18th
floor hospitality suite, entertaining
the guests of some of the club
members. Tljey played games of
their choice, some winning prizes
while others chatted, watched televi
sion or listened to music.
Hors d oeuvres prepared by the
social committee were followed by
fun into the wee hours of the morning,
„1T« mull* cnri&i riira-From left to right, McAlister, Alice Collins, Delia McDowell, Kathleen Ray.
jysSiSSBurt ,"d L”" H“
Mayola Winston and Francis Yarborough; standing. Pearl pictured. Elizabeth Jones.
Garner Road YCMA Planning 44th
Annual Board Meeting On April 21
The Garner Road YMCA Board of
Directors will observe its 44th annual
meeting on April 21. The annual
meeting serves as a reporting timei
for the Y organization to the public,
concerning its financial status for the
year.
Dr. Wiley M. Davis, vice chairman
of the Y Board <}f Directors, will
preside over the annual meeting.
Musical selections will be provided
by the St. Augustine’s College Con
cert Choir, Dr. Sevoalyn V. Smith,
director. Welcome will be given by
Dr. J. Mills Holloway, Sr., vice presi
dent of financial affairs. The occasion
will be stated by Y Board member v
W.W. Hurdle, followed by greetings
by Jacob B. Allen, III, board chair- A
man; Norman E. Day, chief ex
ecutive officer; and the Hon. Ralph ^
Campbell, Jr., city councilman. In
vocation and blessing will be offered J
by Rev. C.E. Willie, III, Y board e
member. v
Board member Lawrence B. v
Bradley will introduce the keynote
speaker, Dr. George C. Debnam, Jr. (
Awards will go to the following:
I
CONGRESSIONAL PRIDE-An historic event took place recently when members !
of the newly formed Parliamentary black Caucus invited delegates from the .
Congressional Black Caucus to take part in discussions and festivities in London. •
On hand to celebrate the groups’ common goals at a CBS Records, Inc., sponsored
evening were the evenf s featured artist, pianist Ramsey Lewis, Congressional
Black Caucus representative Amelia Parker, and Congressman Ronald V. Dellums
(D-CA). ]
Dr. Harris To Address
Educators' Conference
CHICAGO, 111.—Dr. J. Jerome Har
ris, superintendent, Atlanta Public
Schools, was the keynote speaker at
the 1989 National Educators’ Con
ference luncheon on April 19. The con
ference, sponsored by the Chicago
Public Schools, Department of Equal
Educational Opportunity Programs,
was titled “In Pursuit of Equity:
Reform, Refocus, Renewal” at the
Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel
through April 21.
Dr. Harris, formerly of Raleigh, is
best known for his accomplishments
in increasing the academic perfor
mance of students in New York City
Community School District 13. Under
his leadership, Community School
District 13 became the only decen
tralized school district in New York
City with a predominantly minority
student population where more than
60 percent of the students performed
at or above grade level on standardiz
ed reading and mathematics tests.
He is one of the founders of the New
York Association of Black Educators
and has received numerous honors
for advocacy, initiative and action in
advancing the excellence of minority
educators and students throughout
New York City’s Public School
System.
Born and educated in Raleigh, Dr.
Harris received his bachelor of
science degree from Shaw Universi
ty. He was awarded a master of
science degree in education from
Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala.
and received a Ph.D. in philosophy
from Claremont Graduate School.
Dr. Harris has served on the
California State Education Depart
ment’s Task Force investigating
school violence and has served as an
adjunct professor at Union College,
City College and New York Universi
ty
The National Educators’ Con
ference will offer workshops, panel
discussions and keynote addresses on
an extensive range of content areas.
It is open to teachers, administrators,
school board members and parents.
For additional information, contact
Mary E. Broomfield at (312) 890-7790.
DR. J. JEROME HARRIS
Religious Service Award—Rev. Dr.
.B. Lewis.
Personal Achievement
ward—Wallace 0. Green.
Human Service Award—Dr.
eorge C. Debnam.
Meritorious Service Award—Dr.
J. Sansom, Jr., board member
neritus.
Political Award—William L.
rindley.
Minority Business Award—James
ulley’s Back Hoe Service.
Community Service Award—Ms.
largaret Pollard.
Education Award—Johnnie L.
'armer.
Youth Servicde Award—Woody
’happell
Outstanding Family—Mr. Lion and
Irs. Dorothy Smith.
Corporate Citizen
twards—Carolina Power and Light
!o. and First Federal Savings and
■oan.
Outstanding Organization—Ral
igh Alumnae Chapter of Delta
igma Theta Sorority.
Volunteer Service Award—James
(evis.
Chairman's Award—Jacob B.
lien, III.
Special Awards Presentation—St.
.ugustine’s College WAUG.
Membership Report—John “Top”
(See YM MEET. P.18)
Dourt Awards
t206K To White
’rof For Bias
BY COLLIE J. NICHOLSON
NNPA News Service
HOUSTON, Texas—A federal court
ury awarded a former white
>usiness professor $206,795 in
lamages in a racial bias suit against
lexas Southern University.
The jury in U.S. Magistrate George
(alt's court awarded Dr. Roy A. Pen
lychick, 72, $156,795 for five years in
ost wages, $25,000 in punitive
lamages for racial discrimination
ind $25,000 in punitive damages for
etaliating against him for his
estimony in another case.
Earlier, Pennychick testified in
ederal court that another business
trofessor was paid less than black
trofessors because he was white.
TSU counsel Renee smith said the
tate will appeal the decision.
According to court documents,
*ennychick was forced into retire
nent at age 65, on June 30,1982, one
lay before a federal court law went
nto effect raising the mandatory
(See BIAS SUIT, P. 18)
when members decided it was time to
retire to their rooms on the 10th floor.
Saturday, April 8, began with
Hreakfast, after which a meeting was
railed by the president, Mable
Scarver Patterson. Unfinished
jusiness was discussed, queen money
-eported and all final details com
peted for the anniversary dance.
After the meeting, the members
were free to spend time lounging, en
joying each other’s company, while
tome went home to check on family,
thopped or occupied themselves
itherwise.
At 5 p.m., the Sedates and some of
heir guests met and enjoyed dining
it the hotel’s restaurant, ‘‘Top of the
itound.”
The Sedates retired to their rooms
it 7 p.m. to prepare for the dance,
they wore black semiformal attire
with wrist corsages of mini-white car
lations, tipped in black and tied with
Pack ribbon.
Official greeters were Annie Buf
faloe, social chairperson, and Mayola
Winston, secretary. Patricia Burt
ind Francis Yarborough, along with
>ther members of the club, acted as
Hostesses.
From 9 p.m. to 1 a m., the Sedates
and their guests enjoyed dancing to
the disco of Zell Lucas. They also par
took of the buffet provided by the
Hotel.
Ms. Buffaloe was spokesperson for
the short program presented by the
Pub. Zell Lucas introduced the club
members and Mable Patterson
welcomed the guests. Mayola
Winston announced Miss Sedates
1989, a first, and Zell Lucas crowned
Her and presented her with a bouquet
of red sweetheart rosebuds and
Haby’s breath.
This writer was crowned queen,
Having raised $300, with Catherine
Boykin as first runner-up and Mayola
Winston as second runner-up. After
the Sedates took the floor for their
dance, they retired to the lobby for
photographs by Chris Hinton.
Ann and Roy Griffin, owners and
operators of Flowers and Interiors by
Rubell, prepared the corsages, the
queen’s banner and her bouquet.
Members of the club are Catherine
Boykin, Annie Buffaloe, Patricia
Burt, Alice Collins, Elizabeth Jones,
Pearl McAllister, Delia McDowell,
Betty McKenzie, Mable Patterson,
Kathleen Ray, Laura Williams,
Mayola Winston, and Francis Yar
borough.
University To
Observe First
Abele Awards
DURHAM—When Duke Universi
ty’s Black Graduate and Professional
Student Association holds its first
Julian Abele Awards and Recognition
Banquet on Friday, April 21, outstan
ding black graduate and professional
students, faculty and staff will be
honored.
Tribute will also be paid to Julian
Abele, a person whose little-known
contributions helped make the
university’s campus among the na
tion’s most picturesque.
A newly commissioned portrait of
Abele, the architect who designed
parts of Duke’s East and West cam
puses in the late 1920s and early 1930s,
will be unveiled during the banquet to
be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Searle
Center.
Abele’s son and daughter, Julian
Abele and Nadia Abele Jones, and his
grandson, Gregory A. Reed, as well
as Duke President H. Keith H. Brodie
will be on hand for the unveiling of the
portrait by local artist William Pin
ckney.
The painting will be hung in the
Allen Building, where it will be the
first portrait of a black person in the
university’s administration building.
Other highlights of the dinner will
be the announcement of the first
Julian Abele Scholarship award win
ner and the presentation of the first
Julian Abele Award for outstanding
contributions by a black faculty
member or university administrator.
Nominations for this award were sub
mitted by members of the BGPSA
and the Black Student Alliance.
Special awards will also be made
during the event to black faculty
(See UNVEILED, P. 18)
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