Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 16 No. 800
PR
;%% ; Veteran
P A columnist
S\ /A -
B o~ Phil
/'"\\ i Waring
B _——— (AL honored by
i ‘ SamaEE Paine College
» B Class of '97
Veteran teacher fires back,
sues Larke, school board
B Westside High math teacher says
politics, not competence is reason
she is being fired. Feud with
principal Gayle McGhee and
pending grievances for mistreat
ment made her target, she charges.
By Frederick Benjamin Sr.
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Rosena Reid is not one to take things laying down.
The veteran math teacher at Westside High School
has been engaged in
a running feud with
Westside principal
Gayle McGheefor the
past couple of years.
Ms. McGhee, who is
white, was recently
suspended for inap
propriate racial re
marks made to a
school security of
ficer. She is back on
the job after a brief
two-day suspension
pending aninvestiga
tion. »
Ms. Reid, who is
black, has filed griev
ances against Ms.
McGhee in the past for alleged unfair treatment. She
has also charged Ms. McGhee with treating black
students and teachers at Westside differently than
she treats whites. None of her grievances, however,
were handled in the manner prescribed by school
board policy, according to Brian Watkins, Ms. Reid’s
attorney.
A week ago, Ms. Reid was notified that her con
tract was not going to be renewed despite nearly two
decades of work in the classroom. No reason has
been given for this action, but Ms. Reid is convinced
that Ms. McGhee has decided to make an example of
her.
“I have been complaining about this principal for
two years and nothing has been done,” Ms. Reid told
Augusta Focus. “Now that I have decided to speak
out, they are not going to renew my contract. If this
can happen to me after 19 years it can happen to
anyone. It says to other teachers, if you feel you have
been mistreated, be quiet!”
See TEACHER SUES BOARD, page 3
INSIDE
m@ , .
”» '-«\ # é‘ §
i’ =
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JESSE’'S GONE /r. 6
r—inorld/National News 2———
B Local/Regional News.............cocuvcsvensaennnins 8
BB EAItOEIR] vivisovs sonsurosviisarsipibatiraossmssisssmbons
B LANANG iR R L
B Church News.............ccounmieeiusvesninssossnss 12
B Calendar ‘ 16
B Buisinens ... Gl S L
“l have been
complaining
about this
principal for two
years and nothing
has been done.
Now that | have
decided to speak
out, they are not
going to renew
my contract.”
— Rosena Reid
. -
Disenfranchising the black mare vo.;"
An assault by the criminal justice system - P.B
| %fleflopolitan Augusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area '
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Zairian villagers lie wounded at a Red Cross facility in the village of Kasese, near
Kisangani. On Monday, unknown assailants killed six people. Zairians blamed militiomen
among the Rwandan Hutu refugees for the overnight killings. See page 2. (AP Photo/Adil Bradiow)
Local attorney set-up,
jailed in Edgefield Co.
B Arrest of Charles
Lyons for disorderly
conduct occured under
highly unusual circum
stances.
By Tawana Lee and F. Benjamin
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Augusta area attorney Charles
Lyons must be feeling, ‘there ought
to be a law.’ At the conclusion of a
court appearance in Edgefield
County, South Carolina, his client
was released and he was hand
cuffed and taken to jail.
The bizarre tale and how it un
folded causes one to wonder how
anyone in Edgefield County gets
justice if attorneys aren’t success
ful in keeping themselves out of
the lockup. ' :
w‘!hemtoccntndm A) 0,
S 2vstt hoat § n front of hi
'APRIL 24 - 30, 1997
Attorney Charles Lyons: no
justice in Edgefield County.
The entire affair was too un
usual. Mr. Lyons is convinced he
was the subject of a highly orches
trated criminal justice sideshow.
“It was clear everyone working
there at the court knew what was
going on and when \wm)t to jail,
they also knew,” said Mr. Lyons,
The matter began over three
weeks previcusly on March 15,
when Mr. Lyons attempted to in
terview a client at the Edgefield
County jail — about 30 miles out
side of Augusta. It was a Saturday
and Mr. Lyons was dressed casu
ally in blue jeans and sports shirt.
He was informed by a white fe
male jailer that no visits were per
mitted on Saturday.
Thinking this was highly un
usual, Mr. Lyonsinformed her that
he was an attorney and he needed
to speak to his client. The jailer
continued to resist even after Mr.
Lyons assured her that he had
visited the jail previously on Sat
urdays with no problem.
After trying with no success to
see his client, Mr. Lyons, frus
trated, told the jailer they should
have posted a sign. The language
‘he used, however, was not very
professional so after he left, he
mmd mtly. mm
was accepted because the jailer
replied, “that was fine and come
back Monday through Friday, nine
wfifimm hours.” He
1 returned to e
, *w—mmm
City panel
wants cash
retumed for
River Race
B Richmond County commissioners
are in the dark about why $50,000
was given to River Race Augusta
officials to pay their back bills even
though no 1997 event was planned.
City administrator Randy Oliver -
says he wants the money back.
By Miranda Gastiabure
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Augusta-Richmond
County commissioners
stated Wednesday that
they will hold a personal
behind-the-scenes inves
tigation to determine who
approved release of
$50,000 funding for the
River Race Augusta that
never happened. The
funds in question were
apparently approved to be
given to River Race Au
gusta by an unknown
county official to help the
Race pay off debt from
races held in previous
years.
According to River Race
Augusta officials Gene
Staulcup and Felix
Patrick, they asked the
county to help pay off lo
cal merchants and give
more money at the start
of 1997 as funding for the
race. “We went to the
Mayor and asked for two
checks. The first to be used
to pay off bills from ’95
and the second to help
fund a race for '97,” said
Police chief’s
firing sparks
protest march
LANCASTER, S.C.
(AP) Hundreds of march
ers took to the streets last
week to protest the firing of
police Chief Benny Webb,
who they say was dismissed
because he is black.
“We want everybody in
Lancaster, both black and
white, to know we’re not
going to settle for what is
going on in these times,”
Ella Mcllwain said as the
group made its way down
(léainStmet."Wemtired
|
Saturday’smarch wasthe
latest strategy planned by
ministersand the Lancaster
branch of the NAACP to
-convince the City Council to
‘rehire Webb, who was dis
‘missed March 24.
The Lancaster City
Wb, based o City Ad
Webb, on
S iibion.
criticized Webb’s hiring
et Soniciabrats
’NTS
BULK RATE -
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NO. 302
AUGUSTA, GA -
Patrick. “We got the
check in the mail and
were tickled to death,
and went right to those
we owed to start paying
off the debt.” 3
Patrick stated that
River Race Augusta was
started 13 years ago in
cooperation with the
Augusta Ports Author
ity as a volunteer effort.
Proceeds from the an
nual event went to sev
eral different charities.
“We’re volunteers,
we'’re not getting any:
thingout ofthis,” hesaid.
“We’re certainly not a
bunch of crooks trying
to rob the county’” -
Most commissioners,
however, say they knew
nothing of such an al
lowance for River Race
Augusta until last week’s
commission meeting.
The debt dilemma for
River Race Augusta be
gan in 1995 when, ac
cording to Patrick, the
IOGP, a boat drivers’
association, was splitand
some drivers formed
See RACE, page 13
skills, and cooperation
with other city officials.
“Wearedemonstrating
to try and send a messgge
to City Hall to let Dick
Graves know he’s done
the chief an injustice in
firing (Webb),” NAACP
chapter president Larry
Dixon said.
Demonstrations and
boycottsof city businesses
also have been staged in
an effort to get the coun
cil to rehire Webb and
force out Graves.
“Wedon't want to hurt
the merchants of the
city,” said the Rev. Wayne
Murray, spokesman for
Lancaster Concerned
Citizens. “However, wé
will do what is necessary
tomake thecity hearus.™
Organizers said the ef<
forts now will be halted
while a grievance com«
mittee considers whether-
Webb'’s firing was im-