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VOLUME 16 No. 816 o o ] v e Hfl 'BACK TO SCHOOL IN UNIFORM FASHION * See Page 9A Experts: Crime clans on the rise B Authorities report that a significant number of juvenile and adult inmates are family members. The trend crosses race and class lines. By Carmela Thomas AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA Trinity Jones, 24, served time for his involvement in the 1991 Laney students will stay put, Larke says B Some trusteesreport they were unaware renovations would not be completed by opening day. By Harvey Wright AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA To look at it, Laney High School is in a state of physical chaos. Workmen and build ing supplies are everywhere. Wires dangle precariously from unfinished ceilings; en RN T e " Opening day o ol T . students at T i Laney High -y i - e B are in for e L whi A ri - g surprise. , i |\ “Right now, &iSY % a 3 b _ W ke ;i Lo TR Laney is an .LR .- " accident |o A % ¢ . s A oBT ot - AR iting ¢ e 5 £ L e fi"“’é}”{%} happen... wiore 58 ' i “wa—,_ Would you AR R ) e b i 2 I R e - gy want your s B s ; 9, SR R S :»,,;:,,_:&*‘i? -+ e4B 3 children in B - B ok e ‘:"‘:*’3*‘:;“” L P raa o : ' - this Plcce‘{, TR e RGET LRt Look at it! - - AT R ’fiz»}% ,«afifi? said one e ’ Gl SEGRET R . R ™ AR e e, 0 i T e - Ay SR, RN ': *::Q: ‘f,"‘z;‘,‘ Tsl l.aney X Sy YSk S %/‘ instructor. oo R AT W ey el T : IR i A i R A. Photo by H. Wright Reparations for slavery? IRS denies reported payments B Rumors that the . IRS is making good on reparations for slavery has many calling to request special tax forms. PHOENIX (AP) A rumor that blacks can collect slave reparation from the federal government has raced through other parts of the country and is now circulating here. Black churches on the south side of the city have begun circulating fliers encouraging people to file for reparations and at least 24 Arizo nans have. According to the rumor, blacks can pay $25 to $l2O for someone to prepare a tax form and mail ittothe Internal Revenue Servicetoreceive money. But officials say the rumor is utterly false. In fact, the only thing applicants for the “black taxes” will receive is a rejection letter and a warning thatanother “frivolous return” will result in a SSOO fine. “Legislation for reparations has not been enacted,” said Bill Brunson, spokesman for the IRS. “Any tax claims filed on this basis will be denied.” Still, Phoenix accountant Orves Morrison said he’s charged 100 Health: U.S. babies at risk of chronic illness- r.loa Politics: Blacks in Guba: A special report- p.sa umMfiithw;%mh Carolina ondflloe(ef&HMvetsAreu murder of 60-year-old Phillip Wong, owner of K.F. Wong’s Gro cery store, and his 79-year-old mother, Ruby Wong. He was out by 1996. Now he’s in prison for molesting a 10-year-old girl. His tire areas need to be cemented, and gaping holes dot the campus awaiting attention. In addition, windows are broken, pipe fixtures need to be replaced, and networks of wires are exposed within the ceiling. “Right now, Laney is an accident waiting to happen,” commented one instructor. “Would you want your children in this place? Look atit!” the instructor concluded. The state of affairs has spawned rumors that Laney students will be bused to other _See LANEY RENOVATIONS, page 2A Phoenix accountant Orves Morrison said he’s charged 100 people SBO each to file IRS Form 2439, and he insists the repara tion is legitimate. He said a few clients were paid $9,792 each within three weeks. people SBO each to file IRS Form 2439, and he insists the reparation is legitimate. He said a few clients were paid $9,792 each within three weeks. _ Morrison said that all he knows is that his clients are receiving money. “I went down to the IRS, and they said it’sjust a hoax, but Idon’t believe them,” he said. “They just don’t want people to know about this.” The president of the Maricopa County Chapter of the NAACP agrees and is urging blacks to claim the reparations he says they were promised after the Civil War. “I don’t believe that it’s a fraud,” said Charles Fanniel said Wednes day. Many others apparently agree, because the IRS reports that it’s receiving a lot of requests for the obscure tax form, which actually has nothing to do with blacks or reparations. It’s a form for paying taxes on investments. Rev. Oscar Tillman, the presi dent of the Arizona state National AUGUST 14 - 20, 1997 T ",, @& L 4,‘ ” A N VA # s £ "3 b 5 TR il A ?,.',‘;;_ L 4 b _i ‘ ‘ & ropeee D 5 . — L g L The Cawley brothers, John (L) and Joseph were booted from police force for theft. Photo:RCSD 1 ARG I9D . o pe——_ T' ; . . . }“'Q ~.m1: ’»OC:?:;? § N . A — 10 THE Pugyg ROY l : ;‘“ Gy - ) = 4 'S o ‘ . Rvt By X f LN ASY g K l 2 UNFAIR 7c d v | L wrmne - v TEAMSTERD FNCE : vl e : B e LERS ) . - o - LOCAL o o = e W B B NS N 0.856 o o o o . k o .ié A L Y. AR ™ x . = ; et .' The Rev. Jesse Jackson marches with striking United Parcel Service workers outside UPS in San Francisce, Sunday, Aug. 10, 1997. Approximately 125 workers picketed the facility at the end of the first week of the strike. (AP Photo/Dwayne Newton) UPS, uniontoresumetalks By KEVIN GALVIN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Striking Teamsters and the United Parcel Service agreed to return to mediation today, but the meeting was billed as a discussion, not negotiations, indicating the two sides remained far apart. “While there is no reason for optimism at this point, we will be there, ready to negoti ate,” Teamsters President Ron Carey said. The two sides agreed to return to the table Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the rumor is a scam on the hlack community. “Those folks charging money to fill out these forms — it’s just an other way of bilking our people,” Tillman said. “And it creates false hopes.” Tillman said he does believe blacks are entitled to reparation, but it will have to be done by Con gress. “We should denounce anything that’s not done legitimately, openly and aboveboard. You should not have to pay to fill out a form to get what’s rightfully yours,” he said. The reparation rumors may stem from an article in the April 1993 issue of Essence magazine in which journalist L.G. Sherrod encouraged readers to claim $43,209 in “black taxes,” which issupposedly the cur rent value of property Congress planned to give to freed slaves after the Civil War. Theplan, however, never became law because President Andrew Johnson vetoed it. two younger brothers, Charles, 23, and Jermaine, 17, are now in jail charged with murder and robbery. Police say one of the two struck Glen Love, 42, of Luckey Street with a brick while robbing him last June 4. More and more, offi cials say, they are seeing crime run in families. “It’s becoming very common,” said Chief Deputy Ronald Strength of Richmond County’s Sheriff De INSIDE Motown T artist F ‘{ v Ronnie Py, ‘ Henson is S set to i 4 i 4 make a | splash \ in the music world. See 6A [l National/International...............ccoverene. 2A B Local/Regional News ..........c.cccceeveennrennnes SA B MOBIE .. cisiir s cidinsveninps svssbiassonsivissaniovssiess SN B ATEBOAL ...o.c. 0 oicciviniennisdidorsinssinneess BASTA B Editorial/Opinion ...................ocooocoooeesee. 8A BRI e vkt s binsosaansiasanssoispmnens S RINNE AN M Classifieds/Employment .................. 18-3 B B Church News...........c.cccevvevervnrneeen. 48-6 B BTN i iviiinii i svssssicasnsinsnsasiintrstyosssvis D B GRIBNARY - hhGa g naiassiinie T partment. He estimated that 20 percent of those arrested in the county are relatives. “It’s a cycle much like welfare; one reason is because often-times family situationsdon’t change just because one family member gets into trouble and is taken away because they are being punished. There still must be changes made See CRIME, page 3A on Day 11 of the strike at the urging of Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, who was expected to open the discussion. But Herman said John Calhoun Wells, direc tor of the Federal Mediation and Concilia tion Service, would continue to guide the talks. “I am pleased both sides have agreed to come back to the bargaining table, and I urge them to stay at the table until they reach a settlement,” she said. “The key See UPS, page 2A Jackson may enter race for governor B Sam Nunn definite about staying out of race, but former Atlanta mayor won'’t rule out possibility. By Dick Pettys ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer ATLANTA (AP)Sam Nunn, one of Georgia’s most popular Democrats, won’t be running for governor in 1998, but former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson might. The Democraticrace was turned upside down this week when Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard, the frontrunner, bowed out, saying he miscalculated the degree to which the campaign would keep him away from his young chil dren. Since Howard’s exit, state Rep, Roy Barnes, D-Mableton, who had . been running for lieutenant gov-' ernor, and Secretary of State Lewis . Massey, Howard’s political pro-, tege, have jumped in. : Nunn, who retired this year af ter four terms in the U.S. Senate, was mentioned by some as a pos sible candidate, but he issued a statement Thursday closing the door. : “Colleen (his wife) and I have: enjoyed our seven months in the - sector and I have no plans to run for governor or return to: political life any time in the near future,” he said. However, Jackson let it be known he might enter the race. “He’s still consideringit but has not made adefinite decision,” said a woman who answered the tele phone at Jackson’s office Friday. See JACKSON, page 2A Rights groups contest campaign finance in Georgia ATLANTA A coalition of civil rights groups and low-income votersfiledsuitinthe U.S. District Court in Atlanta on Wednesday charging that the campaign finance system for Georgia’s state senate elections violates the equal protection and First Amendment rights of nonwealthy voters and candidates. The plain tiffs, including Georgia’s chapter of the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Georgia Rural Urban Summit, say that the current system of pri vate money in elections undermines the rights of nonwealthy citizens to vote and to run for politi cal office. “Thirty years ago we won the fight to bring down the poll tax,” says Walter C. Butler Jr., a longtime civil rights worker and Georgia state president of the NAACP. “The campaign finance system in Georgia today isthe newest votingrights barrier, preventing ordi nary citizens from equal AR L BULK RATE . U.B. POSTAGE PAID | N 0.302 AUGUSTA, GA participation in the elee tion process.” In addition to civil rights groups, the plain tiffs include low-income voters who say the sys tem of financing Georgia State senate campaigns today operates as a “wealth primary,” ex cluding non-wealthy vot ers and decisively influ: encing the outcomes of elections. They argue that, like the unlawful white primaries of the past, today’s wealth pri mary violates the consti tutional guarantee for equal protection for allin the political process. The plaintiffs say that the cur: rent campaign finance system undermines theiy constitutional right to an equal and meaningful vote, and will continue to do so in future elections, The filing of this law suit follows the release of" a study in the campaign contributions for all can didates for Georgia state senate seats in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Compiled See LAWSUIT, page 3A