Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 910
Media coverage of youth
violence draws criticism
BChronicle’s
coverage of alleged
drug-deal murders
criticized.
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer :
AUGUSTA
When photos of three local
teens suspected in a double ho
micide appeared in the June 12
edition of The Augusta Chronicle,
for some readers of the local
daily newspaper, editorial li
cense may have been taken just
a bit too far.
In reaction to The Chronicle’s
decision to run police mug shots
of the juveniles charged in the
murder of an Edgefield, S.C.
couple apparently seeking drugs
in the Underwood Homes area,
some local residents called the
Augusta Focus to voice their
displeasure with what some have
called insensitive reporting on
the part of The Chronicle.
While sympathy is not appar
ent for the suspects charged in
the deaths of James Earl Stone,
30, and his wife, Lisa Stone, 27,
onanotherlevel, criticisms have
mounted towards the Chronicle
for its prominent pictorial dis
play of the suspects — even
though the suspects are all con
sidered juveniles.
The Stones were reportedly
trying to buy crack cocaine when
the murder occurred, along with
S2O being stolen from the couple.
Charged in connection with
thedouble homicide are Quinton
Christopher Cummings, 14 of
Fairhope Street; Judson Harden,
15, of Yancey Court and Justin
See MEDIA, page 2A
Firefighter blazes new trails as
top trainer for city department
#Christopher James
is the first
African American
to hold position.
By Adrienne Turner
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
; AUGUSTA
. Christopher James certainly
seems to know his way around the
classroom. In the 12 years since
he joined the Richmond County
Fire Department, he has been a
model student, taking class after
class at the Georgia Fire Acad
emy. Having spent so much time
behind a desk, it was only natural
that when the new Augusta-Rich
mond County Fire Department
needed to fill its chief of training
position, they would think of Mr.
James, :
: “While I was in the army, a
'sergeant of mine told me, ‘James,
'f’gtoasmanyclum as you can.
If they offer it you take it.” So,
‘when I came out of the army and
‘got on the fire department, I just
‘took that same attitude. At the
«area. I was jmufim‘
«classes as I could and as
‘much about the fire service as
‘possible.”
Celeardte Juneteenth
Augusta Focus
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Youth is everywhere in Underwood Homes. Some residents feel the media are all too ready
to stigmatize their neighborhood. Others admit that many of the youth have gone in an
undesirable direction. Potoby Charles Jones \
Underwood residents feel
pressure since shooting
By Timothy Cox ;
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer- & ;
ne could easily use the word guarded, in
describing the pervading aura surround’
ing the neighborhood known as
Underwood Homes.
These days, members of this tight-knit commu
nity have reason to be tight-lipped when it comes
to not discussing anything about their own — who,
if convicted of murder charges, could be facing life
in prison. That’s because Underwood is home to
Quinton Cummings, Judson Harden and Justin
Williams —the three teenagers charged in the
June. 11 double murder of Aiken County couple
James and Lisa Stone; known crack-cocaine ad
dicts who saw their last days reportedly searching
for a fix in this predominately black neighborhood,
according to police and the deceased man’s father,
James M. Stone. The suspects will be tried as
adults for murder, armed robbery and aggravated
assault, police said.
See RESIDENTS, page 3A ;
e L
[ g iL4 i ‘;‘;&a?"‘ .\:,.‘,a,_ v g
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Christopher James, top trainer, Pholo by Charles Jones.
And his determination to learn
did not falter regardless of the
circumstances.
Evenwhen the Richmond County
Fire Department stopped approv
ing his reguesta for training, Chief
James did not stop. He used his
holiday and vacation time tovolun
teer with the Hephzibah Fire De
partment and attend training un
der their program. He was obsti
nate about becoming a well
rounded, well-educated fire profes
sional. : ‘
ChiefJames’ hard work was not
in vain. His abilities were not
only appreciated but also utilized
BREA< IR L L)
Chronicle exec defends use
- = , k 3
of juvenile suspects’ pix
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
W n response to criticisms concerning their
choice in publishing photos of juveniles
‘ charged with the recent murder of an
Edgefield, S.C. couple, The Augusta Chronicle
‘legal staff and management say their actions are
justified and within the legal realm.
According to Julian Miller, general manager of
the Chronicle, the newspaper’s editorial staff
deemed it appropriate to run photos of the three
teen-aged suspects; Quinton C. Cummings, 14;
Judson Harden, 15, and Justin R. Williams, 16.
“Based on the severity of circumstances, in this
‘cage, murder, this was a judgement call,” ex
plained Miller in telling why it was decided to run
photos of the suspects in the Saturday, June 12
edlition.
' David Hudson is legal counsel for the 100-mem
ber Georgia Press Association and also represents
the Chronicle. The attorney says the paper is
See NEWSPAPER, page 3A
y the dmfim irtment during the six
l@)-;ionths t the chief of training
position wasvacant.
“Whenever they wanted some
body to teach CPR, I was CPR
m When they needed some
to crawl through a crawl
house or teach kids or anything,
I'd been to that school, too,” Chief
James said. I e
He not only took classes that
prepared him individually to be a
bétwmwr but also classes
that allowed him to help his coun-
The numerous instructor
See FIREFIGHTER, page 2A
FeRT Hiy e
MR. QB HENNEBERGER
GEORAIA NEWSPAPER
UNIVERSITY OF GA
ATHENS GA 30602 12/31/99
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Salsa on parade!
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Latin musician Tito Puente is escorted up New York'’s Fifth
Avenue during the Puerto Rican Day Parade Sunday, June 13,
1999. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)
Clinton order on police
profiling could help travelers
WASHINGTON
.(AP) President Clinton’s order for
federal law enforcement officers to
document the race and gender of
those they arrest or detain could
bring relief to travelers who have
longcomplained ofracialharassment
in airports.
Clinton issued an executive order
Wednesday forthe Treasury,Justice
and Interiordepartmentstodevelop,
within 120 days, a plan for collecting
dataontherace,genderandethnicity
of people agency officers stop toques
tion or arrest. Field tests on those
plans would begin within 60 days
after that.
“We have great confidence in our
federal law enforcement officers,”
Clinton’s order said. “We cannot tol
erate, however, officers who cross
the line and abuse their position by
mistreatinglaw-abidingindividuals
or who bring their own racial bias to
the job.”
He said at a meeting of police and
civil rights activists that while his
Barnes to address
black political leaders
f ATLANTA
Gov. Roy Barnes will serve as special guest key
' note speaker for the GABEO convention luncheon
at Savannah State University, Saturday, June 26;
1999, 11:45 a.m. in the student center ballréom:
Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurniorid
will serve as post-luncheon speaker at 1 p.m. The
luncheon, a part of the three-day annual GABEO
event scheduled for June 25-27 in Savannah, will
also feature the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, presi
dent emeritus of SCLC and chair of the Coalition for
the People’s Agenda. bty
“Leading Us into the Next Millennium” is the
theme of this summer’s convention which will focus
on theissue of Y2K and how it will affect the African-
American community. Special awards will bé pre
sented to Mr. Robert Hightower, the first African
American to serve on the Georgia State Patrel
(retired); and Georgia State Representative Calyin
Smyre of Muscogee County, who is the first African
American to chair the House Rules Committep-and
Democratic Caucus. R
“Our annual summer convention is a poier:
packed weekend event,” stated Rep. Tyrone Bm"o_lh,
president of GABEO in a letter to members. “As we
approach the beginnmg of the next millennium it is
appropriate that we address some of those critical
issues facing African Americans and all the people of
Georgia such as: The Y2Kbug; the Georgia Regional
Transportation Authority, which will change the
way we live, travel and conduct business in our state
(the editorial board of the Atlanta Journal calls this
the most powerful state nuthori:g since the writing
of the state constitution); health care reform; the
Snciptine law; the, °°“'“m....uo£"““°°‘ wredganee
e law; ‘open act; tax cu
homestead exemptions; the auto ers/manufac
turers law; radar use by local governments law; bail
seu ABEO, page 2A o
50 CENTS
executive order would cover “only a
fraction” of the nation’s law officers,
hehopeditwouldspurstateandlocal
agenciestobegincollectingsuchdata,
too.
“Weall have an obligationto move
beyond anecdotes to find out exactly
whoisbeingstoppedandwhy,”Clinton
said. He also voiced support for legis
lationbyßep.John Conyers,D-Mich.,
to provide funds for states to collect
similar data, a step that law enforce
mentofficialsgenerallyhaveresisted.
Robert Scully, executive director
of the National Association of Police
Organizations, which represents
4,000 police groups, said there al
ready are laws to address the com
plaintsofthoseclaimingharassment.
“It would be better to invest more
timein thelaws alreadyon the books
rather than add another burden to
law enforcement officets,” Scully said.
ReggieShuford, theAmerican Civil
Liberties Union’s lwd/ attorney on
See PROFILING, page 15A