RALEIGH, N.C.,
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 6,1992
VOL. 51, NO. 22
OeDt of Cultural
Resources, N.C. State Li rary
109 East Jones Street
Raleigh NC 27601
-Weekly
)F JESUS CHRIST
SINGLE COPY O P
IN RALEIGH ^30
ELSEWHERE 300
Spike Lee Enters Harvard's
Ivy Halls Teaching Cinema
Page 3
Martin Street Baptist Church
Offers Black History Workshops
Pqge9
Current Economic
Woes No ‘Laughing Matter
BY JA. CHANEY
An Analysis
One of the many reasons Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address remains a clas
sic of American declamation is that
Abraham Lincoln wrote it himself.
Orations today usually begin with
a funny observation and are cued for
laughter and applause. Humor has
its place in politics and public speak
ing. The problem is that the humor
employed by politicians on televi
sion is as contrived as that of televi
sion humorists—and as shallow.
Comedians like Johnny Carson
have teams of gag writers. Presi
dents have teams of speech writers,
as do most politicians running for
election or re-election.
And it’s not helping them. Be
cause the public has come to know
the formula they follow: The
strained humor, the cliche, the ges
tures, the earnest facial expres
sions, the pauses signaled in ad
vance for laughter and applause.
And, of course, the rhetoric, always
the rhetoric.
There is no funny side to the pres
ent economic catastrophe. If humor
is to be extracted from the 1990
sequel to the “Great Depression” of
the 1930s, it must come from irony.
We need somebody like Will Ro
gers, the satirist of the Depression
years, to see the irony and put the
“recession” in perspective.
He used to say on the radio, “I read
in the paper all the news that’s fit to
print; now I’ll choose a little news
and read between the lines.”
Then with dry and often biting
wit, he punctured the egos of politi
cians, humbugs and tycoons. He
perceived the irony of a nation foun
dering because its decision-makers
lacked vision. He put a verbal finger
on the greed and hypocrisy. He
helped America chuckle when there
was little in politics and business to
laugh about.
Unfortunately, that’s true again.
And we don’t have in this “reces
sion” a Will Rogers to read between
the lines.
Like us, he’d recognize our “reces
sion” as a euphemism, an oxymoron
like “happy bankruptcy,” for a
(See ECONOMY, P. 2)
City Panel
Asks Police
Community
Relations Be
Improved
From CAROLINIAN Start Report*
The Raleigh Police Department
should offer “more extensive train
ing in human relations than is cur
rently provided” to its officers, and
“foster the public perception of indi
vidual officer accountability,” par
ticularly with African-Americans,'
women, and other groups. Those
recommendations and more are
contained in an extensive report
issued by the Raleigh Human Re
sources and Human Relations
Advsiory Commission on police
training, procedures and commu
nity relations, officially given to the
City Council last Tuesday.
'Die 35-page report, the result of
various interviews, surveys of com
munity agencies, professional con
ference discussions and independ
ent research over a nine-month
period, examines the current status
of relations between the Raleigh
Police Department and the citizens
it serves. The study was requested
by the Raleigh City Council after the
mistaken shooting of an innocent
African-American citizen by a plain
clothes Raleigh police detective last
year.
(See CITY PANEL, P.2)
NEWS BRIEFS,
SUCCESSOR FOR
BENNETT
Will B. Spence, Jr.,
Wachovia Bank’s regional
executive for Wake and Or
ange counties, has been pro
moted to regional executives
for the Winston-Salem bank’s
business in 29 counties in
eastern North Carolina. He
will assume many of the du
ties now performed by Tho
mas A. Bennett, who is re
sponsible for the bank’s busi
ness in western North Caro
lina but will retire April 1.
BANK SERVICE FEES
INCREASE
Customer fees have in
creased at North Carolina’s
'■ two largest banks but
remained stable at a third,
which raised rates last year.
First Union customers in
North Carolina on Satuday
started paying more for basic
banking services. On Jan. 7,
NationsBank customers in
North Carolina started pay
ing higher fees for some serv
ices.
PRISONER ESCAPES
A prisoner being trans
ported from Wake County to
Franklin County jumped out
ofa patrol oar and fled on foot
into the woods in North
Raleigh on Monday. Casey
Dominique Thomas, 26, was
being transported by a Fran
klin County sheriffs deputy
back to Franklin County on
burglary charges when he
escaped. The car had stopped
at the corner of New Hope
(See NEWS BRIEFS, P.2)
¥
ONE DAY SESSION-Recently thousands met at the Raleigh Civic Center ter
the 39th Woman’s Baptist Heme and Foreign Missionary Convention of North
Carolina, Maturing the seniors, the young aduRs and the youth. The theme of the
meet was, “The Family Life Ministries (Dfscipleship).” Dorothy Frink of ShaHotte,
H.C. and a member of the Little Prong Baptist Church In Ash, N.C. said, “We will
return to Raleigh for another session April 4th from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Eva H.
Johnson is president. (Photo by James L. Giles)
Concerns Mount Over Alleged Beating
Of Youth By Security Guards Here
BY CASH MICHAELS
Contributing Writer
While concerned Raleigh commu
nity leaders prepare to meet regard
ing the alleged beating of a 16-year
old African-American youth by se
curity guards at Crabtree Valley
Mall two weeks ago, the city’s hu
man relations panel has voted to
officially investigate and mediate
the situation.
Both efforts seem designed to
head off an explosion of charges and
countercharges reminiscent of the
confrontation African-American
youth had with the mall over racial
issues 21/2 years ago.
At the center of this latest contro
versy is 16-year-old Lorenzo McKoy.
McKoy alleges that on Saturday,
Jan. 25, he and two other youths
were unfairly accused of loitering
after they had visited several cloth
ing stores in Crabtree Valley Mall.
McKoy says he laid away a pair of
jeans that he was going to buy two
days later when he got paid.
After shopping,then buying some
yogurt and gum, McKoy says he and
his two companions were sitting on
the benches on the upper level when
a security officer told them they
would have to move on or leave the
mall.
McKoy saidhe demanded to know
why white people sitting on benches
were not told to move on, and, re
ceiving no satisfactory answer,
called the guard a racist and began
to leave.
McKoy contends that the guard
became belligerent, challenged the
youth, called for backup and then
prevented them from leaving.
McKoy says security guards then
ordered him to go down a dark hall
way. When he refused, McKoy says,
a struggle ensued during which he
was struck in the face.
McKoy says he was hit with a
nightstick, but mall management,
which disputes McKo/s version of
events, contends he was hit with a
McKoy was arrested and charged
with assault, trespassing and re
sisting arrest. The arrest citations
allege that McKoy assaulted John
Wilson, chief of Crabtree Valley
Mall security. The citations were
signed by Lt. L.W. Orcutt. McKoy
claims that Wilson was the officer
who told him to leave the mall and
then blocked his way, and Orcutt
was the guard who hit him.
John B. Grimaldi, vice president
of Crabtree Valley Mall, refused to
offer the mail’s version of events to
The CAROLINIAN when contacted,
but did say that he felt their security
acted properly and followed estab
lished policies and procedures.
Last Saturday during its annual
retreat, the Raleigh Human Re
sources/Human Relations Advisory
Commission voted to officially in
vestigate the circumstances sur
rounding the incident Dr. Allan
Cooper, a member of the commis
sion and chair of the special task
force looking into the matter, told
The CAROLINIAN, “The commis
sion created a special four-member
task force to investigate this inci
dent and to offer its services to find
a resolution that will satisfy the
interests of both Mr. McKoy and the
mall. Crabtree Mall expressed its
willingness to seek a conciliation
process from our commission within
three days of the incident. We are
hopeful that an amicable resolution
to this matter can be reached
shortly."
Cooper also indicated that the
task force will examine the “no-loi
tering” policy at Crabtree Mall. Mall
officials indicate that the policy is
designed to cut down on people
“hanging out” at the mall instead of
making purchases. But many Afri
can-American youth claim that the
policy is selectively enforced by se
curity, with some told that if they
fist.
don’t have shopping bags they must
either keep moving or leave.
Ms. Margaret Rose Murray, a
community activist and one of the
original protesters to picket with
black youth in 1989 when Crabtree
tried to cut off weekend bus service
from the black community, has
asked that several concerned citi
zens and leaders come together to
discuss this latest situation and
determine a plan of action.
Ms. Murray told The CAROLIN
IAN, “Once again the community is
faced with correcting these prob
lems that seem to be languishing,
problems that our youth continu
ously have atthatmall. Theinsensi
ti vity of the personnel, management
and ownership is clear evidence of
(See CRABTREE, P. 2)
State Of
Black USA
Campaign
'92 Issue
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the
candidates for the presidential
nomination of the country’s two
major political parties opened the
1992 election campaign, some 300
black public officials “from all across
the country” convened here to dis
cuss four top issues affecting Afri
can-American s:the nation’s econ
omy, health care, education and
drugs.
The meeting of black elected and
appointed officials, called the Na
tional Policy Institute, was first
organized in 1967, with subsequent
meetings held in 1969 and in every
presidential election year since
1980. The institute was formed by
the Joint Center for Political and
Economic Studies and six other
national organizations of black offi
cials.
In addition to the JCPES, the
participating groups included the
Congressionasl Black Caucus, the
Judicial Council of the N ational Bar
Association, the National Associa
tion of Black County Officials, Na
tional Black Caucus ofLocal Elected
Officials, National Black Caucus of
State Legislators, National Caucus
of Black School Board Members and
the National Caucus of Black May
ors.
“The institute will serve as a
unique forum for informed delibera
tion on public policy issues,” said
Joint Center president Eddie N.
Williams, in opening the sessions
Jan. 23-25. Key speakers were listed
as Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson
and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, presi
dent of the National Rainbow Coali
tion and “shadow senator” for the
District of Columbia.
The overall number of blacks
elected to local, county, state and
congressional offices has increased
nearly fivefold since 1970, from
1,469 to more than 7,000, JCPES
officials announced. Other sched
uled speakers included Dr. Jewelle
Taylor Gibbs, noted authority on
(See POLITICAL, P. 2)
Can Republican Party Win Black
Support In *02 Presidential Race?
BY JAMES E. ALSBROOK
Special To THE CAROLINIAN
Ever since Civil War ended, U.S.
Presidents as political leaders have
caused the voting allegiances of
African-Americans to swing between
the Republicans and the Democrats.
Although the pendulum today is on
the Democratic side, President Bush
can bring millions of black voters to
the Republican Party by doing two
things:
1. Apologizing to black people for
enslavement and racial
discrimination suffered by blacks
from 1619 until today.
2. Proposing sincerely and urging
that for the next three generations or
sixty years all qualified blacks be
educated in academic institutions,
trade schools, or rehabilitation
centers through scholarships at
Government expense.
This second proposal would include
psychological counseling, self-image
development and reassessment of
values and priorities. It would
increase the pool of trained workers
enormously and help this nation
compete with Japan, the new
European common market,
resurgent China and ambitious
Southeast Asia.
If you think these proposals are
absurd or impossible, think of the
1954 Supreme Court decision
achieved through a persuasive
Republican Supreme Court Chief
Justice Earl Warren and the 1960s
Civil Rights laws achieved through a
persuasive Southern Democrat
President Lyndon Johnson.
The history of this nation is replete
with political actions taken by
Presidents who gained or lost the
support of black voters:
REPUBLICAN, POSITIVE
Abraham Lincoln (1860*1865)
issued Emancipation Proclamation,
defeated Lee’s slavery-supporting
army and won freedom for nation’s
black people.
REPUBLICAN, NEGATIVE
Rutherford Hayes (1876-1880)
Withdrew Union Army from the
South, leaving blacks without “forty
acres and a mule” and at the mercies
of Southern white politicians who
helped him get the presidency. Gave
help to the white South.
REPUBLICAN. POSITIVE
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1908)
fascinated many blacks because of
his liberal tendencies. He outraged
conservatives by inviting Booker T.
Washington to dinner and being seen
with various black people.
DEMOCRAT, NEGATIVE
Woodrow Wilson (1912-1920)
offended thousands of blacks by
intensifying racial segregation in
public facilities in Washington, D.C.
Segregation laws were made more
strigent under his administration.
DEMOCRAT, POSITIVE
Franklin Roosevelt (1932-1945)
1
fought for the poor, and that included
millions of blacks. His wife
befriended Mary McCloud Bethune,
Gave moral support to blacks by
resigning from the Daughters of the
American Revolution when that
group refused to let Marian Anderson
sing in its hall.
DEMOCRAT, POSITIVE
Harry Truman (1945-1952) won
favor of blacks by integrating the
armed forces after WW II and by
continuing retirement pensions for
widows after the death of federal
employee husbands.
REPUBLICAN, MIXED
Dwight Eisenhower (1952-1960)
ordered federal troops to protect
black children at Central High School
in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957, after the
1954 desegregation decision. Advised
blacks to "go slow” after the
decision.
DEMOCRAT, POSITIVE
John F. Kennedy (1960-1963) sent
federal marshals to South to enforce
desegregation orders. Opposed
racism, communicated with black
leaders often.
DEMOCRAT, VERY POSITIVE'
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1968) pushed
through Congress most civil rights
laws that exist today. Appointed
H.U.D. Secretary Robert Weaver and
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood
Marshall. Told nation on TV, “We
(See PRESIDENTS, P.2)