Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 21 NUMBER 1035
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A new novel by ; g e e e
See 4B | !
- Seving Metropolitan Augusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area
Brigham,
Hankerson
stick to
game plan
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The two men going neck-and-neck for the
District 5 seat haven’t changed their methods
just because their race ran into overtime.
They’re just doing more of the same.
Reverend Bobby Hankerson says he hasn’t
changed his method just because he’s in a
runoff election. He just never stopped cam
paigning.
“I’m going door-to-door,” the Rev. Bobby
Hankerson said. “Talking to people and still
handing out literature.”
Hankerson is what’s left of incumbent Henry
Brigham’s opposition. As for Brigham him
self, hehasn’t changed what he’s doing either.
“It’s just a little bit more intense.” Asked if
he’s doubled back on the ground he covered
earlier in the election, he said yes.
See, thetrick for both gentlemen istoget the
voters out, even though the memory of how
aggravating the voting process can be is still
fresh in their minds.
“It’s hard enough to get them out there that
first time,” he said, but remained determined
to be positive. “I see it as a challenge.”
Hankerson is facing the same challenge. “I
want to get the message out that there is a
runoff,” he said, adding that runoffs usually
take place two weeks after Election Day, not
three, as is the case this go-round. “People
haveatendency toforget. We’re trying to keep
the message before people that we have to
See ELECTION, page 3A . £
Xbox makes its debut
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Chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft
Bill Gates, right, plays an Xbox game with World
Wrestling Federation star Duane “The Rock” Johnson
in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 14,2001. Johnsontook
part in events surrounding the launch of the Xbox
which went on sale in the United States Thursday,
Nov. 15, 2001. Gates said, “The future of gaming
starts today, and it starts with Xbox.” AP Photo/Jeff
Christensen S
Is U.S. Army training
Latin-American terrorists?
Commentary by Bernice Powell Jackson ~ 8A
Happy O hanksgiving
[Vigil R
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Paine College students came together on Thursday, November 15, 2001, fora
vigil for Paine student Victor Hammond. Hammond had suffered a car
accident on November 10 and was initially pronounced dead. He was later
revived and remuins in critical conditicn at MCG {rom massive head trauma
injuries. Photo by Jimmy Carter
Officers, prosecutors say
they did not investigate killing
By TIMOTHY D. MAY
Associated Press Writer
ey YTVeY
: YORK, Pa.
One former York
County district attor
ney said he didn’t
know about the un
solved killing of Lillie
Belle Allen during a
raceriotin 1969 when
he took office five
years later.
Two other former
York County prosecu
tors said they knew
about the murder of
Allen, a black
preacher’s daughter
from South Carolina,
by a white mob, but
didn’t have the re
BET announces results of national
survey of African Americans
BEffort is first ever
by a major black
news organization.
African Americans believe
that racism is the most impor
tantissuefacing their commu
nities with 49% identifying
themselves as victims of racial
profilingand they citea lack of
education asthe biggest threat
to their progress, according to
an unprecedented new
BET.com/CBS News survey.
The study, which examines
attitudestoward key elements
of Black lifeand culture, is the
first of its kind ever to be
conducted by a Black news
organization.
The study found that racial
unityisastrongcomponent of
African American identity in
theUx(fitedStates, with 70% of
NOVEMBER 22 - 28, 2001
sources or authority
to pursue it. In any
case, nobody ever
gave them files on the
old slaying, they said.
At a hearing Mon
day to examine why it
took investigators 32
years to charge nine
white men — includ
ing York Mayor
Charlie Robertson —
inthemurder, current
and former law en
forcement officials tes
tified about the star
tling absence of inter
est over the years in
reopening the case,
one of two unsolved
homicides that oc
curred during the
city’s 10-dayraceriot
inJuly 1969. A white
police officer, Henry
Schaad, also was
killed.
IntheAllenkilling,
eight white men are
charged withfiringat
a vehicle in which
Allen rode;
Robertson, who was
a city police officer
during the riots, is
charged with hand
ing outibullets and
encouraging whitesto
kill blacks before
Allen was shot. All of
themhave pleadedin
nocent.
Two former city po
licedetectiveswho tes-
Blacksagreeingwith the state
ment that what happens to
Black people as a group in
Americahasadirectimpact on
their own lives. This attitude
is most common among well
educated middle class Blacks,
in direct contrast to the typi
cal American pattern of middle
class ethnic assimilation. 85%
of Blacks indicated that they
still feel the impact of slavery
today and 62% believethat the
U. S. government should offi
cially apologize for slavery. -
Contrary tothe popular ste
reotypethat Blacks whostrive
for educational achievement
are “acting White,” Black par
ents see higher education asa
vital goal for their children
complete graduate school.
However, there is a substan
tial difference of opinion on
the best way to me&t achieve
this goal, with 56% of Blacks
tified Monday said the
Allen case had been
investigated by the
Pennsylvania State
Police in 1969 and no
charges were
brought. So investi
gators and prosecu
tors turned their at
tention to the ever
growing docket of
new crimes in York
County.
“It’s not that we
weren’t concerned
about it — we didn’t
know about it,” said
Donald Reihart, who
was York district at
torney from 1974 to
See YORK, page 2A
respondingthat parentsshould
nhot receive tax-funded vouch
ers for private and religious
schools, if public schools fail.
At the same time, Black
Americansare harshly critical
of some of their own failings.
Most (56%) believe that Black
men havefailed their own fami
lies and blame Black fathers
for not being at home, with
92% citing absentee fathers as
a serious problem. Material
ism is another source of con
cern with nearly 70% saying
that Blacks place too much
importance on material goods.
Rap music, the nearly univer
sal language of Black youths,
is seen by nearly half as hav
ing a mostly negative influ
ence on young African Ameri
cans . i
Although 39% feel that hav
ing children out of wedlock is
always wrong, 45% say it is
GA 30602 5/3/01 j k
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CITY GOVERNMENT
WAfter rescinding his
resignation last week, the
Housing and Neighborhood
Development head is ousted by
city commissioners. <
By Rhonda Jones -
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
It was nearly 7 p.m. by the time the commis
sioners shuffled back into the chamber to hear
the administrator’s recommendation regard
ing Housing and Neighborhood director Keven
Mack. The department head had recently re
signed, and then taken back his resignation.
Buton Nov. 20, the decision passed out of his
hands.
“It is my recommendation that the commis
sion terminate Mr. Keven Mack as director of
the Housingand Neighborhood Department,”
said county administrator George Kolb. “Rea
son being that I have lost confidence in his
ability to lead that department effectively.”
County attorney Jim Wall said Mack and his
attorney had been notified of the hearing. They
had not, however, attended.
“My recommendation,” Kolb continued,
“would includé that the termination be effec
tiveimmediately.”
The motion passed with seven affirmative
votes, in the absence of Commissioner Steve
Shepard, who had already left for the evening.
Henry Brigham abstained.
But Ulmer Bridges voted against letting
Mack go based on work Mack did early in his
tenure as HND director, helping the county
out of trouble it was having collecting on
loans. “Keven streamlined that process,”
Bridges said.
He said Mack caused the department to
follow aset procedure and adhere tostandards.
“Ijust think you’re going to see hogs line up at
See MACK, page 3A
okay under certain circum
stances, and most believe that
marriage is not seen as nearly
as important as it was a gen
eration ago. This may explain
in part why the family struc
ture has changed so dramati-"
cally and the rate of marriage
for Blacks- 37%- is lower than
it is for the nation as a whole-#
57%. 53
“This survey is important
because most national polls
only have a small sampling of
African Americans and often
Blacks don’t really open up to
the White media,” explains
Retha Hill, Vice President of
Content Development for
BET.com. “Because the sur
vey was on behalf of BET.com,
we got very candid responses,
the type of responses you usu
ally hear in Black-only ven-
See BET SURVEY, page 2A
EO M 3 IR
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