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Hajj Womack Finally Gets His Day in Court
By Andrew McCaskill
Staff Writer
After almost a year in jail,
Hajj Womack is finally taking
the stand in a one-month trial.
Womack, a 1995 honors
graduate, was imprisoned in
the maximum security wing of
the Fulton County Jail
December 8, 1995. He has
been charged with 97 counts of
felony, including 18 armed
robberies, 48 counts of
aggravated assault, three
counts of kidnaping, and
weapons violations. The
allegations stem from a spree
of armed robberies at fast-food
restaurants between
December 1994 and May 1995.
Juror selection and
opening statements by both
defense and prosecution
attorneys in the Hajj Womack
trial began last week, ten
months after Womack's
incarceration.
Despite Womack's Phi
Beta Kappa nomination,
community service and 23
testimonies to his character,
the City of Atlanta refuses to
release him. The Fulton
County Court has denied three
bond requests, stating there
was a threat of additional
crimes being committed if the
defendant was released from
custody.
The trial's outcome is
expected to depend greatly
upon Womack's involvement
with the Five Percent Nation,
an Nation of Islam
organization recognized by
the State of Georgia as a gang.
Deputy District Attorney
Shawn LaGrua argues that
while the Five Percent Nation
does not publicly advocate
violence, some Atlanta
members wanted to stockpile
weapons. "[Womack] belongs
to a sect whose primary goal
is to overthrow the
establishment by robbing fast-
food restaurants.
Womack's defenders
argue that this case is full of
inconsistencies. Womack was
away at a History conference
in Louisiana during one of the
alleged robberies. On another,
he was participating in the
College's commencement
exercises.
While the prosecution
contends there are witnesses
who can place Womack on the
scene of the crimes, he has yet
to face a police lineup.
Although the State has
conceded Womack may not
have been physically involved
in each of the incidents, the
counts of armed robbery,
aggravated assault and
Womack was
away at a History
conference in
Louisiana during
one of the alleged
robberies.
possession of firearms for
those still stand.
While addressing jurors,
George Lawson, lawyer for the
defense, pledged to show
evidence proving the Five
Percent Nation is not a gang.
Two other men indicted in
the case are still being sought.
According to the prosecution,
Roy Norwood, a fifth accused
robber, will testify against
Womack and McCray. An
attorney for the defense
warned jurors to be wary of
Norwood's testimony, citing a
history of theft and crime.
Students and community
members from throughout
metropolitan Atlanta gathered
in Morehouse's Sale Hall in the
week leading up to Womack's
long awaited trial. In an effort
to bring the case to the
attention of the public,
members of the Hajj M.
Womack Defense Committee
held a teach-in. According to
the Defense Committee,
Womack's imprisonment
should be placed within the
larger context of the covert war
waged against countless
African Americans
reminiscent of Mumia Abu-
Jamal, Geronimo Jaga Pratt,
and Sekou Odinga.
Womack belongs to a sect whose [alleged] goal is to
overthrow the establishment by robbing fast food
restaurants.
Chivers and Lane Dining Hall: A State of Emergency
By Chester Starks
Staff Writer
When asked their opinion
of the cafeteria, students rarely
have anything positive to say.
Common complaints are that
the lines are too long, the food
is bland, the tables aren't clean,
the dishes, glasses and
silverware are always dirty,
there is not enough variety,
and the ID check is a hassle.
And many believe that the
problem begins with the
catering company. Senior
marketing major Michael
Young states, "I think that
Morehouse needs to get rid of
Gourmet Services."
During a recent Food
Service meeting, Vice Provost
Eddie Gaffney, Dean Sterling
Hudson, Masterchief
Hutchinson, a Gourmet
Services Manager, and
concerned students sat down
to discuss these issues.
According to Gourmet
Services, meetings like this are
held regularly to improve the
quality of the dining
experience.
The first issue discussed
was the length of the lines.
Vice Provost Gaffney
explained that the cafeteria
was initially designed to feed
800 people. Approximately
1500 people are fed there now.
After some members of the
Morehouse administration,
including President Walter
Massey, volunteered to serve
students in the cafeteria, they
experienced the things that
employees go through every
day. That helped spark an
initiative to refurbish and
improve the cafeterias on a
physical level. The renderings
for the anticipated
improvements can be seen in
the Lane Dining Hall. This is
just one initiative that will be
carried out to help with the
long lines.
One reason the lines are so
long is because the servers are
handing out food faster than
the kitchen can prepare it. The
Gourmet Services
representative explained how
the kitchen prepares 900
pounds of French fries a day.
After complaining about the
cafeteria's poor service, a
disgruntled student was
invited to work in the kitchen.
A half hour into his work, he
threw off his apron in disgust,
telling the kitchen manager, "I
believe you."
Gourmet Services
employees and Morehouse
administrators challenge
students to volunteer inside
the cafeteria to better
understand what it takes to
keep things running smoothly.
Students from Robert Hall
volunteered one Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Initiatives such as this help
students see that food tastes
bland because there are
students who have health
issues and cannot eat anything
seasoned with certain things.
Others don't want the
vegetables cooked in animal
products. And the tables
aren't clean because some
students don't bother cleaning
up their plates. Gourmet
Services wants students to
understand that it is the
student's job to pick up their
trays, not the line servers' job.
Leaving dirty dishes and trays
on the tables also contributes
to the slow process of washing
them.
The sanitary condition of
the cafeteria has been a
concern. The dishes have not
been clean in the past because
the dishwasher is older than
most students. Gourmet
Services just took the initiative
to find a special part needed
to get those dishes spotless.
When asked why Morehouse
does not simply purchase a
new machine, Gourmet
Services explains that
'Mdue
has
not
gotten
around
to it
yet
b u t
will
soon."
s ¥
resident
director
has
been
irshudad
to post
i n
their
dorm
the
weekly
menu
that Gourmet Services has
now released. Now students
don't have to waste time
walking into the cafeteria to
see if they are serving anything
they want.
Student identification is
checked to prevent off-campus
residents from sneaking in and
"grocery shopping" for free.
Although some off-campus
students feel as if they paid for
this "service" while living on
campus, it is the responsibility
of dorm residents to inform
them that their "all you can eat
for free" attitude won't
improve the situation for the
brothers who presently pay for
campus housing.
V) 8$
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