VOLUME 19 NUMBER 932
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Radio host suspended for saying
JesseJacksonwantedtohekilled
“All we need now is a shooter.” —
Andy Stuart, radio talk show host
TOLEDO, Ohie
(AP A radio talk show host began a week-long suspen
ston Monday tor telling his hsteners the Rev Jesse Jack
son wanted to get assassinated
“There is a limit to what we will allow on the public
arrwaves,” smid Andy Stuart, vice president and market
manager for Clear Channel Commumications Inc., which
suspended WSPD-AM radio host Scott Sloan without pay.
Sloan’s comments angered rehgious and aity leaders,
but Stuart smid that while Sloan was not trving to incite
violence, his comments were “totally inappropriate and
outside the bounds of good taste ™
Sloan’s phone number was unlisted, and he could not be
reached to comment
During his three-hour show on Nov 17, Slean said
Jackson intervened i a Decatur, 111, dispute to be a
martyr like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was
shot on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.
“All we need mow 1s a shooter,” he said on the air in
reference to Jackson
Six students at Decatur’s Eisenhower High School were
expelled for a Sept 17 brawl at a tootball game Jackson,
who has been protesting the expulsions, was arrested
Nov 16 at the central llhinois school
The Rev Rudolph Sutton, president of the Baptist
Ministers Conference’s Toledo chapter and pastor of Spring
Street Baptist Church, asked the radio station to fire
Sloan, whose show has been on the air for more than three
vears
o
Abu-Jamal sympathizers
claim responsibility
for Swiss explosions
IURICH, Switzeriand
(AP) A group trving to free Pennsvivania death-row
inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal claimed responsibility for dam
aging three US -related buildings with explosives early
Thursday, Zurich police said
No one was injured in the attacks, carried out by
fireworks fastened around the doors and windows, police
smd. Total damage was estimated at SB,OOO, police said.
Glass was shattered at the America Center, a US
consular office, a branch of Chase Manhattan Bank; and
a building housing an office of American Airlines, police
smid. Walls and floors were also spray-painted
“We deplore any use of violence to make a political
statement,” saitd Mary Ellen Koenig, spokeswoman for
See ABU-JAMAL, page 2A
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Kweisi Mfume, president of the NAACP, far
right, speaks during o hearing on racial di
versity in network television employment and
programming Monday, Nov. 29, 1999, in Los
Angeles. Mfume says he will decide by year's
end whether to initiate o boycott among TV
viewers, based on what he learns from indus
Groups demand networks
Increase minority presence
By DAVID GERMAIN
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES
The NAACP said Monday it will decide by the
end of December whether to follow through on
threats of boycotts and demonstrations if major
television networks don't quickly put more mi
norities in front of and behind the cameras
Boycotts, picketing of network headquarters,
affiliate stations and advertisers would be “aimed
at driving down the stock value of the four major
networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox),” NAACP
President Kweisi Mfume said at a davlong hear
ing on television diversity organized by his group
Minorities have complained about a perceived
lack of progress and even indifference to improv
ing the depiction and employment of blacks, Asian-
Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and other
DECEMBER 2 - 8. 1999
WTO protesters
turn violent
Worid Trode Orgo
nization profesters
kick out windows in
downtown Seattie
Tuesday, Nov. 30,
1999. Police in riot
gear fired tear gas
and red pepper
spray Tuesday at
demonstrators who
blocked streets and
forced canceliation
of the opening
ceremonies of the
‘argest trade event
ever staged in the
United States. (AP
Photo/The Seattie Times, Jmi
Lot
try representatives regarding their efforts to
improve such diversity. Also shown are, from
left, Karen Narasaki, executive director of
the Asian Pacific Legal Consortium; Dennis
Hayes, NAACP National General Counsel,
and Esteban Torres, representing the His
panic Coalition. (AP Photo/Ned Jacobs)
ethnic groups.
The NAACP invited top executives of the four
big networks to the hearing, but only CBS Televi
sion President Leslie Moonves showed up. ABC,
NBC and Fox all sent broadcast content and
standards executives.
Moonves used his time before the panel to tout
CBS’success at improving its depiction of minori
ties, including producer Steven Bochco's upcom
ing series, City of Angels, about an inner-city
hospital. The cast and crew is mostly minorities
While 21.5 percent of CBS employees are mi
norities, only 14.8 percent of the executive ranks
are minorities, “an area where we clearly need to
improve and where we will improve,” Moonves
sad.
Actor Blair Underwood, one of the stars of City
See NAACP, page 7A
FBI opens civil
rights probe
into black
teen’s death
ELKHART, lnd
(AP) The FBI has opened a
civil rights investigation into
the killing of a black teen-ager
who police said was shot by
two teens who wanted to be
come members of a white su
premacist prison gang.
The FBI will work with po
lice in Elkhart to determine
whether Jason Powell and Alex
Witmer killed Sasezley
Richardson simply because he
was black, a charge that under
federal law could bring the
death sentence.
Richardson was walking
home from a shopping mall in
See CIVIL RIGHTS, page 4A
gdv*}:
Cloudy, cold
lo 30s
See Page 6B
U 8 POSTAGE PAID
NO 302 AUGUS G
City addresses
ethics issues as
special grand jury
is appointed
By Eileen Rivers
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
With the formation of a special grand jury,
and its impending investigation looming over
head, accusations of ethics violations continue
to dominate discussions within Richmond
County government
During committee meetings held on Mon
day, November 29, commussioners, and city
officials, spent most of their time responding to
imphications of bidding violations and illegal
hiring practices -- charges brought forward
during previous grand jury probes. that have
now been passed on to the newly formed specral
grand jury for further investigation.
Members of the jury were officially seated on
Monday by Judge Albert M. Picket, and consist
of 25 Augusta residents, including two alter
nates. They were given copies of previous
grand jury reports, in addition to written testi
mony from Richmond County commissioners
Some members of the commission welcome
the investigation, stating that previous grand
Jury reports were unfounded and further probes
into the workings of county government would
negate past criticisms
“It takes more than one day a week for a few
weeks at atime of investigating, to understand
the workings of the government,” commented
Ulmer Bridges, district eight representative
“The previous grand jury didn't do enough
investigating to understand what was going
on, but hopefully this one will *
Commussioners Wilhe Mays, Lee Beard, and
Steve Shepard requested that the latest grand
Jury’s criticisms be brought before the commis
sion for further discussion
“They wanted to insure that all the rest of the
information [not previously addressed] was
put out there for the pubhc to know what 1s
See GRAND JURY, page 14A
Black churches
- w .
take their shopping
out of South Carolina
COLUMBIA, 5.C
{AP) Some black church members have.de
cided to take their hohday shopping out of
state to honor the NAACP's economic boycott
of the state
The National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People’s boycott, aimed at
bringing the Confederate flag down from atop
the Statehouse dome, is scheduled to begin
Jan. 1 But the out-of-state shopping trips
were scheduled as early as Saturday
Union Baptist Church in Columbia had
onginally planned to take about 100 shoppers
to Myrtle Beach, but the boycott changed
organizers' minds. The group plans to head to
North Carolina this weekend.
Bethel AME also in Columbia will take a
shopping trip to North Carolina. Churches in
Eastover, Winnsboro and Jenkinsville have
shown interest in the idea as well.
Durham Carter, a Union Baptist member
says the growing list of shoppers is an impor
tant part of the boycott.
“One church can make a difference whet
vou think in terms of a hundred plus people
going into North Carolina to shop,” Carter
said. “Economically, that's going to make ;
difference ”
Union Baptist Church has a rich civil right
history. NAACP members in the 1960 s an:
1970 s came to the church to work on strate
gies.
Member Shirley Felder-Epps says th.
church today plays a similar role.
“Years ago, we could only meet in two places
in the home and in the church,” she said. “Ths
church has always been the foundation so.
the black movement.”
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