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VOLUME 21 NUMBER 1050
"The Many CR P
Faces [ |
Of C - " 4 " 3 -
Al-Amin draws life
®Jury spares life
islamic cleric
formerly known
as Rap Brown.
ATLANTA
(AP)Prosecutors on
Monday urged jurors to
ignore defense pleas for
mercy and sentence Jamil
Abdullah Al-Amintodeath
forkillingasheriff’sdeputy
two years ago.
Assistant District Attor
ney Ron Dixon told the
jurythatevidencetheyhave
already heardin Al-Amin’s
three-week trial justifiesa
recomrhendationofadeath
sentence. ‘
OnWednesday, however,
thejuryrejected thedeath
penalty for Al-Amin and
sentenced him to life in
prison without parole. His
attorneys said they would
appeal thesentence.
Al-Amin —the militant
civil rights leader known
in the 1960 s as H. Rap
Brown — was convicted
Saturday of killing Fulton
County Sheriff’s Deputy
Ricky Kinchen and wound
ing Deputy Aldranon En
glish in a shootout in
March 2000.
.“You will hear cries for
mercy and leniency,”
Dixon said in his opening
statement. “When the de
fendant had the opportu
Malcolm X auction canceled
BButterfields
auction house
calls off sale of
documents
attributed to
martyred black
leader.
By DEBORAH KONG
AP Minority Issues Writer
SAN FRANCISCO
An auction house on
Tuesday called off the
sale of an extensive col
lection of speeches, jour
nals and notes attrib
uted to the late civil
rightsleader Malcolm X.
Butterfields will not
goahead with its March
20salein San Francisco
becauseitreceivedalet
ter from an attorney for
several of Malcolm X's
six daughters and the
estate of his wife, Betty
Shabazz, that raised
questions about the
chain of ownership of
the documents, said
Butterfields spokesman
Levi Morgan.
Separately, Public
Storage Inc. filed a law
suit in Los Angeles Su
perior Court on Tues
day askingthat the auc-
Serving Metropolitan glA&Jstu, South Caroling and the Central Savannah River Areo
, ‘:;._--v-,«;,»ui:?‘—“,s‘-‘ 1 i r' :
Former 1960 s radical H. Rap Brown, left, sits with one of his lawyers,
Michael Warren, as his family looks on from the courtroom gallery
Saturday, March 9, 2002, in Atlanta, moments after a jury convicted him
of killing a Fulton County sheriff’s deputy and wounding another.in a
March 2000 shootout. Shown, from background left, are his brother, Ed
Brown, concurrentwives, Karima Al-Amin and Amira Al-Amin, and son,
* Caili Al-Amin. AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser :
nity to show mercy to
Ricky Kinchen, hefailed to
do sO.”
Defense. attorney Jack
Martin urged jurors to
look at “the totality of the
person.”
“No person should be
judged only on their worst
act,” he said.
Martinbrieflyrecounted
for the jury Al-Amin’srise
from a campus activist in
the ’6os to a Muslim com
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A Quran owned by Malcolm Xis surrounded by family photographs and
handwritten speeches during a media viewing of Malcolm X memora
bilia in Los Angeles in this Thursday, March 7, 2002, file photo. An
auction house on Tuesday, March 12,2002, in San Francisco, called off
the sale of an extensive collection of speeches, journals and notes
attributed to the late civil rights leader. Butterfields will not go ahead
with the planned sale March 20 in San Francisco because it received a
letter from an attorney for several of Malcolm X’s sixdaughters and the
estate of his wife, Betty Shabazz, that raised questions about the chain
of ownership of the documents, said Butterfields; spokesman Levi
Morgan. AP Photo/Krista Niles
tion be stopped and alleg
ing “a defect in the pro
cess of sale.”
The lawsuit states that
awoman named Malikah
Brown rented a storage
space in Casselberry, Fla.,
but failed to pay her bill.
MARCH 14 - 20, 2002
munityleadercreditedwith
cleaningup Atlanta’s West
End neighborhood.
“You will hear about
lives he touched,” Martin
told the jury.
Prosecutors wanted ju
rors to hear the testimony
of three New York police
officers involved in a
shootout with Al-Amin in
New York in 1971, but
Superior Court Judge
Stephanie Manis refused
Asaresult, thelockercon
tents — Malcolm X's
speeches, diaries, photo
graphs and his Quran —
were auctioned off to
James Calhoun, the law
suit states. It offered no
information about
to let them to take the
stand.
Thejurywillbeallowed
to hear about the
shootout and Al-Amin’s
convictions for aggra
vated assault,armed rob
bery and weapons
charges. But the judge
barred the officers’ testi
‘mony because she said it
wouldbeunreliable after
SeeAl-Amin, page 5A
Calhoun.
Malikah Brown is
Malikah Shabazz, the
daughter of Malconn X
and Betty Shabazz, at
torney Joseph Fleming
See MALCOLM X, 5A
GEZORGIA NEWSPAPER rmw Sl
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~ A visit with
cast member
Alain Rodkin, 1B |
oy : Photo by Bhun Norris
Allegations against Walker
without basis, ethics panel rules
ATLANTA
After a lengthy and
thorough review, the
State Ethics Commission
recently (March 8) dis
missed and absolved com
plaints against Senator
Charles W. Walker (D-
Augusta) as groundless.
The Commission rendered
the decision in response
to a complaint alleging
that Senator Walker had
failed to disclose an own
ership interest in
CresTech LLC, asubcon
tractor of MCI World Com,
a state contractor.
The decision confirms
what the senator has
been saying for months -
- that he has no connec
No change needed,
black ministers say
By Shun Norris
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The Concerned Minis
ters of Augusta held a
pressconference Monday,
March 11, to oppose the
proposed legislation that
would make changes to
the city’s government.
With the support of the
local chapter of the Na
tional Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People, the association of
ministers said that the
proposed changes to the
government structure
would eliminate voting
strength of African Ameri
cans.
“We are here to an
nounce to all of Augusta
that we, and our congre
gations, oppose veto power
for the mayor and any
other changes that would
tilt the political power in
Augustatoonegroupover
Forum
addresses
race
relations
By Kimberly Bush
Special to AUGUSTA FOCUS
) AUGUSTA
Bringing “unity to
the community” has
become a day to day
struggle for Mayor
BobYoungand other city
leaders in the garden
city, but they say they're
in it for the long haul.
“Our city govern
ment is committed to
See RACE, page 3A
“':’ P
5
' e =8
Sen.CharlesW. Walker
tionsto CresTech. It fur
ther confirms that none
e 5
g Martin,
[ . pastor
.NN . Antioch
W ~/ Baptist
: S. Norris
another,” said Rev. Ken
‘neth Martin.
Augusta’s legislative
delegation hasintroduced
two bills that makes
changes to the city’s gov
ernment structure, in
cludingchanging the way
commissioners vote and
increasingmayoral power.
Three unofficial propos
als and one amended bill
are also in discussion.’
The minister’s group
and the NAACP are
against any and all
changes.
“It is significant that
African Americansarethe
largest racial group in
'.-I;‘3'l,' 1 i
3§ ]': ‘}( \’WF
1A
Hare
K § ' ]
YR .
‘f' ] '.“:'/';1 .
Secretary of State Cathy Cox stresses the impor
tance of accurate voting machines for the up
coming election. Cox spoke at an election rally
sponsored by the Richmend County Democratic
Party on Friday, March 8. Photo by Shun Norris
O
PRSRT ST
US POSTAGE PAID
AUGUSTA GA
__PERMIT N 0 302
of the senator’s business
ventures had any con
nection to CresTech.
Moreover, the Ethics
Commission’s findings
prove that allegations
from critics of the sena
tor were baseless and
without merit.
“This decision con
firmed what I have been
saying for months,”
Senator Walker said. “I
am pleased to have this
matter resolved and my
position vindicated. Asl
have always done, I will
continue to focus my
energies on serving my
constituents and the
people of Georgia.”
— From staff reports
Augusta. Ahd we are not
willing to become second
classcitizens again,” said
Rev. Martin. “Despitethe
fact that the billsrestruc
turing city government
include two black au
thors, they are wrong; and
they renege on the trust
implicit in the consolida
tion charter.”
Senate Majority Leader
Charles W. Walker (D
--22), one of the two black
legislators to draft pro
posed changes, commends
the ministers but still
wants what’s best for
Augusta.
“I’m going to listen to
all concerned citizens in
cludingthe NAACP. I will
work to help develop a
system that will best serve
the citizens of Augusta. I
am glad that the minis
ters have come together
to voice their opinions to
See MINISTERS, page 3A