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PROJ CHEPS DEPT, MAIN 4 UGA
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Aut a Sorving Motro Augusta, fl o
South Carolina and The C
August 12-Augustl9, 2004
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Shuttlesworth takes oft
Interim SCLC Presi
dent Reverend Fred
Shuttlesworth official
ly took over as head of
the organization
recently after being
elected to head the
group during its
tumultuous 2004 con
vention. Page 3A
Brothers go toe to toe
With his address to
the DNC last month,
Hlinois golden boy
Barack Obama
became a larger than
life candidate in the
states U.S. Senate
race. Burt Alan Keyes,
the newly appointed
Republican chal
lenger, says it’s not the
size of the dog in the
fight. Page 2A
What about the
injured?
Little attention or relief
is given to the thousands
of men and women who
make it home from war
alive but plagued with
often debilitating mental
and physical illnesses.
What will this country
.do to help them?
: _@'e 8A
They hate you, too
Director Spike Lee’s
latest effort, “She Hate
Me” has gotten less
than favorable reviews
from movie critics
across the country.
Page 1B .
From doctor to dean
.. MCG School of
~ Medicine recently
- named Dr. Christo
~ pher White the new
dean of faculty
/;:49*'6,12&:“::1&-&” and
educarional achicve
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Vol. 23, No. 1172
Majette takes
on millionaire
and wins
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
The turnout was nothing
to brag about. Just five per
cent of the eligible voters in
Richmond County both
ered to cast their ballots in
the run off between
Democrats Denise Majette
and Cliff Oxford for the
U.S. Senate seat being
vacated by Zell Miller.
But the results was nothing
short of history making. U.S.
Representative Majette easily
defeated her challenger to
become the first woman
and the first African Ameri
can from Georgia to win a
U.S. Senate nomination.
In Richmond County, it
Perdue: “No provision”
to stop Walker
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
mrdedr%laoml litical pundits
recently wheni(c): said that there
were “no provisions” to block
the Democratic nominee for
Georgia Senate District 22,
CharrFes Walker, from being
seated if elected in November —
even though Walker is facing a
felony indictment.
T{\cne is no provision under
indictment. O[gviously we fol
low the rule of law in America
and the presumption of inno
cence until proven guilty,” Per
due stated g ing a live inter
view on a lodurlg%ijo talk show.
The comment follows Walk
ers landslide win in theguly 20
Primary Election. It left many
of his adversaries questioning
whether Walker could legally
be seated if he prevails against
Republican challenger, Sen.
Don Cheeks in I\Fovember.
Some even went as far to say
that the governor would imme
diately rfi?c steps to have Walk
er suspended.
The law being debated stems
from the Georgia Constitution.
It does cover public officials
under indictment, to include
members of the General
Assembly. However, there is no
provision for a political candi
date. Additionally, the legisla
tion was written speafi@firs to
Nuwabians evicted by feds, given seven days to move out
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
About a dozen families —
members of the United
Nuwaubian Nation of Moors —
have been evicted from their
g(:)mm ?:n (:il 46-acre Putnam
un .
Fed:tyral afiatilcglriti&s were
allowed to seize the pro
along with an Athens homepcfgz
lowing the conviction of the
goups leader, Dr. Malachi
ork, on charges of unlawful
sexual activity with minors. The
seizure was cleared foflowi% a
July 12 forfeiture ruling by U’S,
Judge C. Ashley Royal. ‘Judge
Royal rejected the claims of
Anthony and Patrice Evans that
they were the true owners of the
was no contest. The fresh
man congresswoman
received 78 percent of the
votes — even though Oxford
outspent her by millions.
“Money didn't matter in
this race. We won it the
old-fashioned way, by
working for every vorte,”
Majette is quoted as saying
in The Atlanta Journal Con
stitution shortly after learn
ing of her win.
With one hurdle cleared,
she still faces a formidable
Republican challenger in
U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson.
Isakson won the GOP
nomination in July. The
two will face off in the
November 2 General Elec
tion.
b - v"‘&
Gov. Sonny Perdue
protect the “rights and interests
of the public” - a public which
even Igrdue admits was famil
iar with Walker’s legal predica
ment and chose him anyway.
“Obviously the people of the
22nd District should fiavc been
aware d?f that. It happenfld :ihur
e cam an
g e cmpag? .by
commented.
Perdue went on to say that
Walker would have to be con
victed for the state to be able to
step in.
c'Ef'he law is clear if a sitting
legislator is convicted, then
there seat is considered vacat
edl,;’ ht?\a said. okl
t that point, a s ec
tion woul‘c)io have to be held
according to Georgja law. The
?ovemor canot appoint a state
egislator.
real estate and not York.
What has outrzzficd
Nuwaubians, acoordirzfizto eir
official web site, is that they
were onl& t}a?"orded seven lg:sys
to get off the property. i
dcngtgt were se;:vcgcrsvyld'l the
notice to vacate on ]i._Lk’ 28.
That notice from eresa
Rocifius, United States Marshal
for the Middle District of Geor
gia, stated that occupants
would have to Zamte the prem
ises :
‘“llzficf\c:fifr( of forefeiture was
already signed. Whenever
there’s an order of forfeiture we
can take possession immediate
ly. We gave seven days notice as
a courtesy to those individuals
who were still living there,” stat
ed Rodgers.
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225
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African Americans have
long pondered how a group
as creative, resourceful and
determined as they have
found themselves in the per
petual plight of being cast as
inferior beings, intellectually
Board questions need
for revitalization law
By HALFY A. WUNBAR
Augusta kocus Staff Writer
A plan developed by the county’s Hous
ing and Neighborhood Development
(HND) Department that calls for the cre
ation of a revitalization ordinance is being
met with skepticism by community leaders
and members of the commission.
During the August 9 meeting of the
administrative services committee commis
sioners dissected a proposal from HND
Director Warren Smith that asks for the
establishment of a Revitalization Districts
Ordinance.
“I hear you talking about how good this
program is going to be but I have a lot of
concerns about this. There are some parts
of this thing that definitely have to be
changed before I can give it my approval,”
said Commissioner Marion Williams.
In its current form, the proposal calls for
the commission to establish a set of criteria
by which to determine Revitalization Dis
tricts. Using the criteria, HND would then
designate districts throughout the county
in which to begin the revitalization process.
Similar to Augusta Neighborhood
Improvement Corporation’s (ANIC) pro
gram, which has poured some S2O million
into the inner city, HND’s initiative would
begin in the Laney-Walker area and even
tually grow to include blighted areas across
the entire county. The program would also
return commerce to the areas, thereby mak
The Putnam County proper
ty is estimated to betfvgrdfi
excess zg sßly %on and is r::hw
occupi o Efimn -
fices and build'j;g t housed
the group’s church, library and
resicE?ts. The York home in
Athens valued at more than
$500,000.
The Augusta Focus was
unable to get official comments
from Nuwaubian spokesmen
P
two year lo -
ammentmg :l% the basis of
anonymity glnc ma;mfl:ier of the
U intend to pur
s :? r:zvs mzl for York bgsed
on the fact that key witnesses
for the prosecution have recant
ed their testimony.
www.augustafocus.com
lacking, morally bankrupt by
non African Americans.
Even Africans have been crit
ical of their brothers and sis
ters in America.
The Augusta Focus will
explore some of the answers
ing it a multi-million dollar effort. Smith
explained that funding would come from
Community Development Block Grants
(CDBG) as well as HOME program funds.
Private investments would also play a role.
While the board was pleased with the
plan’s ultimate goals, members took issue
with a segment in the proposed ordinance
that allows HND to make all decisions
regarding the revitalization process.
Williams said that such a law would essen
tially give the department a license to
bypass the commission and potentially set a
dangerous precedent. But Smith told the
group that the ordinance is merely a means
of building on the community develop
ment programs HND already has in place.
“We have many programs that already
exist to deal with the blight but we can’t get
it all done with those resources,” explained
Smith. Adding: “All 'm saying is that this
is the next step in the process. With this
program we expect to bring businesses back
to these areas, clean them up and make
them safer.”
Smith’s ordinance seeks to reach goals
similar to those of area Community Hous
ing Development Organizations (CHDO)
such as 30901 Development Corporation,
East Augusta Community Development
and ANIC. But the plan, while including
the CHDO's in a marginal role, gives them
little voice in the process. For that reason
Commissioner Betty Beard said she too has
See Law, page 11A
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Photo by Theresa Minor
Ebony Richards, (left) is pictured with her husband, Gerald
(right) and their infant son. The couple was among the families
forced to vacate the Nuwaubian viailage.
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
AUGUSTA GA
PERMIT NO 302
FIFTY CENTS
to this complex situation in a
two part report on the origin
of the “slave mentality” and
its most notorious architect,
Willie Lynch. Details on
page 9A, Willie Lynch: The
making of a slave.