Newspapers / The Carolinian (Raleigh, N.C.) / Dec. 19, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Carolinian (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
RALEIGH, N.C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, VOL. 51, NO , 19MA •8 y ELSEWHERE 30C Grand Jury Decides, But BY CASH MICHAELS Con trftxa ting Writer What will tha City of Raleigh’s administration do now that a Wake County grand jury has cleared Raleigh Police Officer Vincent Kerr in the shooting death of 35-year-old Ivan Lorenzo Ingram? Thfet’s what Ingram’s family would like to know, but in an exclusive interview with The CAROLINIAN, Ingram family attorney Geoffrey Simmons says what they expect first from the po lice department and the city is an apology. “Of course,- says Simmons; “when a person is killed and unarmed, there should be some kind of apol ogy. [Ingram] was not a suspect, he was not under arrest, he was not fleeing the scene. The man was an innocent citizen of Raleigh who was shot and killed by a police officer, and I think that’s the least [the city] ought to do, to say they’re sorry for taking a man’s life.” Ingram waa killed on the night >■' Nov. 8, when he was shot once in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun dur ing a drug raid at 314 N. Carver St. Officer Kerr said that Ingram re fused orders to stop, and reached in his pocket while stepping toward the officer. Several witnesses at the address challenged Officer Kerr’s version, but a Wake County grand jury Monday cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing after listening to 16 witnesses and deliberating for more than four hours. Attorney Simmons told The CAROLINIAN that it would have been "interesting” if the grand jury would have charged the officer, but the Ingram family didn't expect it would happen. The thing now is to see what the city is going to do administratively to Officer Kerr, whether or not they’re going to con done his actions. The grand jury just said that his actions were not'crimi nal.' Now it’s up to the administra turn to any whether he made a mis take, or whether he was following his proper training in the execution of his duties that night.” Most legal experts agree that in order for a police officer to be crimi nally charged in a situation similar to the Ingram shooting, evidence would have to prove that he went far beyond the parameters of his duties when he fired his weapon. Evidence showing intent and malice afore thought would be needed. A wrong ful death civil action, based on whether Officer Kerr acted properly while carrying out his duties, can still be filed. But attorney Simmons says that won’t be his next step at this time! “We won’t get to that point until after we see what the city’s going to do,” said Simmons. “Our response is going to be directly related to what the city does in terms of how they (See APOLOGY. P.2) Child Advocate Seeks To Aid Youth In Rural South From CAROLINIAN Staff Reports When it comes to health, housing, family income and education, rural children in the United States are faring much worse than their inner city counterparts, and North Carolina’s rural youngsters are among those who face the most se vere problems. So says a report is sued this week by the Children’s Defense Fund, a private national child advocacy group based in Wash ington, D.C. Marian Wright Edel man, president of the organization, joined about 50 other children’s advocates Tuesday at the Legisla tive Building in Raleigh to release details. “North Carolina ranks 49th in the nation in infant mortality, and its leaders need to be trying to see how to keep their babies alive mors of ten,” Edelman told reporters. “And while North Carolina may be mak ing progress, its public school per capita expenditures rank 41 st in the nation. If it’s trying to be a competi tive, economically developed state, [North Carolina] is going to have to invest more in its children earlier and earlier.” The state has appropriated $20 million to curb its infant mortality rate, and officials say the rate has improved over the last two years. The statistics contained in the two-year study on the sorry state of both rural and urban youth nation ally are striking. One in five children is in poverty, one in eight is not covered by any health insurance (meaning that many of these chil dren receive very little if any health care), and one in eight has dropped out of school. Of the nation’s 15.9 million rural children, almost 23 percent are poor, compared to 20 percent of non-rural children. Forty-six point nine percent of North Carolina’s children (approxi mately 778,000) live in rural areas, (See AID YOUTH, P. 2) m * 5 v I POLICE MOUNT UP Tp GROUND CRIME Raleigh-Durham Interna tional now has its own version of mounted police—those on bikes, that is—a sight that may seem a bit out of place among high-powered jets, shuttle buses, taxicabs and travelers hurrying toward their desti nations. But to the RDU Law Enforcement Department, two mountain bikes recently purchased are effective ve hicles to help officers do their jobs better. COMMUTER TRAFFIC TAKES OFF Passenger traffic on the four commuter airlines serving RDU has risen dramatically even though overall traffic is only slightly ahead of last year’s pace. Through October, the number of passengers boarding commuter flights at RDU was up 41 percent to 323,500 from 229,600 tn the first 10 months of 1990. The Raleigh City Council is moving to create a task force to review and address prob lems, concerns, and issues re lating to rooming houses. The task force, which would be made up of city officials, citizens and rooming-house owners, would be responsible for reviewing previous ac tions of the city administra tion, receiving public input, identifying problems, and suggesting responses to con cerns associated with room ing houses. k VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The AIDS Service Agency for Wake County needs volun teers for a variety of positions including buddy, activity (See NEWS BRIEFS, P. 2' COUNCIL TO STUDY ROOMING HOUSES One Shot Argument Results In Slaying According to police records, a Raleigh man was charged Monday with the shooting death of one man ind the wounding of another over a weekend incident. Charged with felony assault and nurder was Lorenzo Earl Turner, 21, of 2214 Foxridge Manor Road. Roderick Cedric Dixon, 32, of Raleigh was shot and killed and Ricky Massenburg, 42, of Zebulon was shot in the leg. Records show, the shooting stemmed from an argument be tween Dixon and Turner. Turner’s girlfriend, Yvette Bethea, 22, at 5400-10 Port tree Place, was charged as being an accessory after the fact <rf murder. Bobby Watkins, 32, of Brough Road in Wendell, also was shot in the leg during the incident. Watkins and Massenburg were treated at Wake Medical Center and released. Turner is being held in the Wake County Jail without bond. In other news: Reports of child abuse and neglect ire growing along with a need for more foster care and welfare, but the funds of many state child-welfare agencies are being cut, child advo-\ cates reported Tuesday. The Child Welfare League of America, Inc., said severe budget cuts and the lack of a national plan for children are dramatically affect ing the ability of many states to protect vulnerable children. The situation for children becomes even more bleak in bad times such as these, said David Liederman, execu tive director of the league. “In hard economic times, when people are losing their jobs, losing (See KILLED, P.2) NEW HOME BUYERS-The Downtown Improvement Corporation (DHK) Joined with the City of Raleigh and officials from Raleigh Federal Savings Bank to celebratye tho sale of eight new homes to. first |ime homebuyers in Southeast Raleigh. Saturday’s event also marked the dedication of ‘Top’ Greene Lane in recognition of John P. Greene's volunteer work over the years to help improve J Raleigh’s downtown neighborhoods. Pictured left to right Gordon L. Blackwell, chair of DHIC Board of Directors; John P. Greene, businessman and chairman of Eastside Neighborhood Task Force and other neighborhood organizations; and new homebuyers holding poinsettias. Danny Coleman was the home building contractor. (Photo by James Giles) Officer Tells Of “Code Of Silence At National NAACP Hearing Scene U/"\T TQnrVYW TftVOO Ana rtf fVlA afa KvAllirKf frt T aa Annnlna . questions constantly raised as the NAACP conducts a series of national hearings into police conduct is whether a “code of silence,” that dictates police officers do not report on the misdeeds of other police offi cers, does in fact exist; and if so, does it have any impact on police-commu nity relations? In two earlier hearings—in Nor folk, Va, Nov. 6 and Miami, Fla., Nov. 13 and 14—police officers, while admitting that such a code seemed to be a part of the police mystique, generally tended to downplay its importance. However, on the second day of the NAACP’s hearings in Houston on Nov. 20, a veteran officer, Mae Walker, president of the Afro American Police Officer’s League, was unequivocal when she said: “We have a code of silence. People can say you do not, but you do not go and tell on other officers. It is not a rule, it’s just what we do as being part of the police department. Be cause anytime you identify anyone, you're singled out. The ones of us who do speak out are constantly retaliated against.” The matter of such a code has played a prominent role in the NAACP hearings primarily because of a belief within the African-Ameri can community that police officers are reluctant to go against their fel low officers, thus making it more difficult to establish police miscon duct. The day before Officer Walker testified, Houston’s Police Chief Elizabeth Watson took a more be nign view when asked whether a code of silence existed in her depart ment. “I would not sit here and make an absolute statement on any subject. I will tell you, however," she declu red, 'hat. a very high percentage of the our attention on police misconduct are made by other police officers.” The difference in the two views illustrated how perspectives on po lice conduct vary according to the sources, with African-Americans being much more critical of the status of police-community rela tions than high-ranking police offi cials. Hus fact has emerged in the three hearings the NAACP -has already held. The final hearing will be held in Boston with a date to be an nounced. The hearings were announced in July at the N AACFs annual conven tion in the wake of the national out rage occasioned by the beating of a King—a beating that was recorded on videotape and later widely shown on television. The purpose of the hearings is to provide a public platform for citi zens, public officials, community leaders, law enforcement personnel and experts to detail why they be lieve there continues to be a wall of mistrust between African-America communities and law-enforcement departments, and a culture of vio lence directed against African Americans. The Houston hearing was held at Texas Southern University. Coinci dentally, several days before the hearing opened a federal jury or i See SILENCE, P 2> Local Police Strive For Accreditation BY CASH MICHAELS Contributing Writer With a history of controversy, strained community relations, and two unarmed citizens shot within the past few months, the Raleigh Police Department has applied for full national accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law. Enforcement Agencies, Inc. If it succeeds, the department will become only the eighth law enforce ment agency in North Carolina, and one of less than 300 across the coun try to be so recognized. The City of Durham’s police department was As part of the on-site assessment, the public and agency employees are invited to offer comments on the police department’s services and performance at a public information session Jan. 13, 1992 at 7 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Raleigh City Council chamber, Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 W. Hargett Street. accredited last July after a process that took almost two years. According to information supplied by the Raleigh Public Affairs Office, accreditation standards were devel oped to help law enforcement agen cies increase their capabilities to prevent and control crime, enhance effectiveness and efficiency in serv ice delivery, improve cooperation with other police and justice institu tions, and increase citizen and staff confidence in the policies and prac tices of the agency. The four areas where the Raleigh Police Department will have to comply with national state-of-the eurt standards are policy and proce dures, administration, operations uid support services. Beth Denniston, director of com nunications for the accreditation :ommission, indicated during a jublished interview several months igo that accreditation assures a (See LOCAL POLICE, P72) Imperial Foods Workers Speak Out On Fire. Needs Of Families Worker* broke the eilence of fear, and spoke out recently for the “right* and “need” for North Carolina work ers to unionise their workplace. Margaret Rose Murray, a long time community activist, opened the workers’ rights forum sponsored by the Hairnet Fire Emergency Readi ness Ad Hoc Comrn.ttee. The com mittee is an organisation of commu nity, church and union activists in which the Black Workers for Justice is a member and based at St. Am brose Episcoipal Church, 813 Darby St. Ms. Murray said that organized response was needed to support the poultry-plant victims as well as make certain that “this workplace tragedy never happens again.” Labor leader and BWFJ member Angaza Laughinghouse, cochair of the forum, said in Justice Speaks that "th* community, and particu larly workers, must learn the les sons of this tragedy. That we must always come to the aid and support of fellow workers struggling for re spect, dignity and a program of fair labor and conditions. “If given a choice between speak ing out and getting kicked out of our job or our life—we must choose to stand up for justice and a better life. The best way to challenge poor con ditions and problems on the job is from a position of strength, from a point of organisation, a workplace committee, preferably a union.” Former Imperial Foods worker Willie Baldwin, a third-shift poultry line employee, described the poor health and safety conditions, low wages of $4 per hour and a high level of fear among workers. WLLE radio personality Cash Michaels facilitated the program, called the Workers Want Fairness Speak Out. The highlight was the organizing effort of Raleigh city workers into a public employees union. Several city workers on the organ izing committee discussed what they said were poor health and safety conditions in the sewer de partment, such as no protections for hands in sewage, no protective bar rier on the highways and roads in parks and transportation, little or no training on dangerous equipment and no equal employment opportu nity. The latter was described as a “buddy-buddy system of hiring and promotion at City Hall.” The city workers and organizers ol the Raleigh City Workers Organiz ing Committee said they were happy to receive the support and assis tan » of the Communications Work i See HAMLET. P.2)
The Carolinian (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 19, 1991, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75