Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 16 No. 810
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Tribute to Jackie Robinson
Bravesdon Negro League uniforms. See P.IOA
Police raids
draw fire
from family
of fugitive
Article of Analysis and Interpretation
By Frederick J. Benjamin Sr.
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
: AUGUSTA
Lately, Elizabeth Jones Roberson has not had any
thing too good to say about the Augusta police. Jones
begins to fume every time she thinks about six Rich
mond County deputies who barged in on her and three
children at 2:30 a.m. last Thursday morning looking
for an escaped inmate. No, they did not have a war
rant, according to Ms. Roberson, and yes, they did
have their weapons drawn. ;
When Ms. Roberson heard the knocks on the door,
she peeked out her window and saw the six policemen.
“This is the Richmond County Sheriff's Depart
ment,” Ms. Roberson recalls one of them saying.
“What can I do for you?, she replied.
They told her they wanted to come in, but she told
them to wait until she could get properly dressed and
come to the door. But before she could even leave her
badroom, they were already entering, she said.” '
They told her they wanted to search the house
because someone had told them that Bobby Lee
Roberson was there. At the time, Bobby Lee was
duckingpolice, having recently escaped from the Rich
mond County lockup with two other inmates.
She was incensed.
“He’s not here. You have no business searching my
house. You’re going to have to leave,” she scolded.
The police did not leave. Police in Augusta do not get
the lousy reputation for community relations they
enjoy by leaving a citizen’s home when asked.
Instead, they kicked in her daughter’s bedroom
door. Sixteen-year-old Carla Roberson, cowed and
shaken, was awakened by armed Augusta police
shining flashlights in her eyes.
“She was not fully dressed. What if they had shot her
by mistake?” Ms. Roberson asked.
When they couldn’t find any fugitives, the police left.
The police must have figured that Bobby Lee, whose
brother Larry was being detained at the county jail
awaiting a bail hearing, would go to Larry’s house and
hide out. Ms. Roberson is Larry’s common-law wife.
To Ms. Jones, that was absurd.
“He (Bobby) doesn’t even know where I live. And
See POLICE, page 2A
INSIDE
~ Exhibit displays work of
TR S OSR O R
LN R ST T
[ National/International .............ccocccevnenee 2A
B Local/Regional News 3A
-‘People 4A-5A
PR ARBEAL ...........cvoceninnsiusisinisasssipopmiianasines BA
I Editorial/Opinion .......ersne BA-9A
D LAVING ....onicisniniinnesssbsssssevins lOASTIA
B Chirch News ..o 12A-18A
Sports: ASU narrows coach field - :7on ~ ™
Uommentary: Driving while black - P.BA
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Census repOrts African Americans
now 12.8 percent of U.S. population
By Randoiph E. Schmid *
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
The percentage of blacks in America
is'at its highest point in' this'century,
the Census Bureau reported recently.
The black population of 33.9 million,
or 12.8' percent, is up from 30.4 million
in the 1990 census, when blacks made
up 12.3 percent of U.S. residents.
Nearly one American in five was black
in the first census in 1790, but the
share gradually declined throughout
the 19th century as the white popula
tion grew sharply. In 1900, blacksmade
up 11.6 percent of the population and
their share declined to 9.7 percent by
Malcolm Shabazz’s lawyer condemns
possible murder charges against youth
By Jim Fitxgerald
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
YONKERS, N.Y.
A lawyer condemned prosecu
tors who could seek to bring a
murder charge against 12-year
old Malcolm Shabazz for allegedly
setting the fire that killed his
grandmother.
“What is there that drives a pros
ecutor to take the last measure of
pain from a family? What did
Malcolm X do? Is it a payback?
What did Betty Shabazz do to cause
this pursuit?” said Percy Sutton,
the boy’s lawyer.
Prosecutors, in court papers
made public recently, said Malcolm
“has a sense of superiority and
entitlement” and may be “enjoy
ing the publicity” he’s receiving.
The Family Court papers, which
were filed before the widow of
Malcolm X died, could be upgraded
toinclude a charge of murder. Even
then, under juvenile law Malcolm
could be sentenced to no more
by year until his 18th birthday.
JULY 3- 10,1997
B America’s love/hate relationship with Mike
Tyson mirrors its schizoid view of boxing itself.
The scandalous incident Saturday, June 28 in
Las Vegas was roundly denounced by nearly
everyone, but don’t look for Tyson’s punishment
to be career-threatening. The Tyson Factor will
see to that.
Simply put, MONEY will bail Iron Mike out of his latest bit of
mischief. If Las Vegas is abou ing, it isabout money and Tyson
can make it appear in hu bers. Here’s a snapshot of the
financial picture. A
Las Vegas, likg/@iy Saurist de
nation has its OOt Si S :
sons. The Neysis ! g re;
tors knows full We nportice
Here’s a case in point. Prior to the
Tyson fight weekend Sine Was &
dismal month so VEgas: Hotet yee
enues were down ‘SO 15 Dercent.
and gaming revenues weragows I
to 6 percent. Amatchlike the Tysons
Holyfield DAL “\(.v‘, mage 10 ord :%‘; ar
Vegas' beginififigimer dol=
drums. As the GeREeE of the pgize
afford to end CHie career 6f Mike
Tyson. Even witly the Saturda
night fiasco, businesS"wi§ brisk
“Although thefight was a bizarse
disappointment, business Was
great,” said Alan Feldman, a spokes=
man for Mirage Resorts Inc.
Onthebroadcast end of the Tyson
Factor, business was unbelievable.
The Showtime network, in charge
of the pay-per-view broadcast,
hosted its largest audience ever,
1930, before starting to climb.
The Bureau’s new report; “The Black
Population of the United States: March,
1996,” shows 15.8 million black men
and 181 million black women.
The nation’s black population grew
rapidly before the Civil War, but growth
eased after slavery was abolished. At the
same time there was a boom in the
growth of the white population because
of the arrival of waves of European im
migrants.
Growth of the share of black Ameri
cans began to increase after 1930 and
approached a level close to the pre-Civil
War era during the post-World War 11
Baby Boom, the bureau reports.
Among other findings in the report:
L
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Muslim pallbearers escort the casket of Betty Shabazz towards the entrance
of the mosque of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York Friday June 27,
1997. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel)
spokesman for the
said preliminary
n the fight was
nl.Band 1.9
million people, breaking the 1.6
million record set by the first
wson-Holyfield match last No
vei i he fight carried an aver-
BER DRICBBES4O.9S, although some
cablesystems gharged as much as
Féver there wiis a golden goose,
a Tysga heawweight champion
ship AUNENEEN. < I:vone really
. Iyson, 81 Has many years of
Boxing aheed of him. Since he
ked*out of prison 27 months
ago, he has earned an estimated
$l4O million for six fights. Pre
sumably, much of thatcashisstill‘
ininterest-bearing accounts. Were
Tyson to be banned from boxing, ‘
it’s a clear bet he could retire into
the lap of luxury. Even Evander
Holyfield wouldn’t want toseethat
happen.
B Blacks are younger, with a median
age of 28.4 years, compared with 36.5
for whites. Median means half are
younger than that age, half older.
[ 31 percent of blacks age 15 and
over are married and living with their
spouse, while 43.6 percent had never
married. Among whites, 57.8 percent
are married and living with their spouse
and 23.6 percent have never married.
B 84.5 percent of blacks have fin
ished high school, 32.1 percent attended
college and 13.7 percent have a college
degree. For whites, the figures are 92
percent high school graduates, 29.4
percent attended college and 30.6 per-
See CENSUS, page 2A
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AUGUSTA,GA | -
Griffin
to leave
WJBF-TV
By Frederick Benjamin Se. :
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer .
AUGUSTA
Longtime WJBF-TV Channel 6
news anchor Deaiddra Griffin may
be leaving the station to accept &
position in Hartford, Conn.,
sources close to the broadcasting
station revealed this week. Grif
fin, an Augusta native, is widely
viewed as one of the station’s top
on-air personalities and hasstrong
ties in the community. '
Ms. Griffin will reportedly pass
up an opportunity to renew her
contract with the station to relo
cate to the northeastern market
station. With the station for four
years, the broadcaster played a
key role in maintaining the
station’s preeminent position in
local newscasts. Channel 6 News
only recently dropped out of the
top spot in Augusta. ‘
Sen. Walker’s
local groups
Fifteen local organizations will
have an easier time meeting theit'
goals in 1997 thanks to the efforts
of Augusta Senator Charles W.
Walker.
Augusta commissioners recently
approved the allocation of some
SBO,OOO to local organizations.
The amount of local funds to be
shared by community organizations
is quite a bit more than was re
ceived last year.
“It’s doubled. Last year we were
able toprovideabout $40,000,” Sen.
Walker said on Wednesday.
The funds are from the state’s
1997 supplemental budget.
Among the beneficiaries are The
Sandhills Writers’ Conference, Jack
& Jill Outreach Program, The Im
perial Theatre, Paine College,
Golden Harvest Food Bank, and
the Augusta Symphony. .
Newsday, The New York Times,
the Daily News and the New York
Post have petitioned the Family
Court to open the case. An attor
ney for the newspapers distrib
uted the court papers in which
Westchester County prosecutors
said Malcolm would welcome be
ing the center of attention at a
trial.
“It is possible that he is enjoying
the publicity that this case has
received to date,” the prosecutors’
memo said. “Additional publicity
might undermine the rehabilita
tive focusof the Family Court Act.”
Westchester County Attorney
Marilyn Slaatten refused to ct::
ment on the papers, saying
office considers them confidential.
The papers also disclosed that
charges filed so far against
Malcolm include the juvenile
equivalents of attempted murdet,
attempted manslaughter, arson,
assault and reckless endanger-
Judge Howard Spitz scheduled
ahearingJuly 8 on Malcolm’s com
petence to participate in his own -
Mrs. Shabazz, who witnessed her
husband’s assassination in Feb- |
ruary 1965, died of burns suffered !
in the June 1 blaze at her apart- '
ment just north of New York City: .
The medical examiner blamed
“multiple complications” from
See SHABAZZ, page 2A