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Uity Region
National HIV Testing Day Event Scheduled
By DEBORAH W. MOODY
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
An estimated 180,000 to
280,000 Americans have
HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS, and are not aware of
it, according to the Federal
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). This
organization reports more
than thirty thousand cases
diagnosed in Georgia alone.
The state ranks fifth (behind
New York, Florida, Califor
nia and Texas) out of ten
states reporting the highest
number of AIDS cases.
HIV remains an invisible
problem across much of
CSRA. POWER 107.7-
FM’s Miss Monique stated,
“The stigma associated with
Local Butler High
student attends The
Teen Forum Show
i’ /8 4 ?‘-j S
M% Tt
Tavarus Brandon
By REBECCA KEARNS
Spedial to the Augusta Focus
On Wednesday, June
13, Tavarus Brandon
from Butler High School
in Augusta, GA partici
pated in the live broad
cast of the Teen Forum
Show at Georgia South
ern University during the
annual Georgia %oys
State. This is a%cadership
conference for males who
are rising seniors in their
high sc%mols and are
interested in politics and
government. The panel
on the show discussed
issues regarding immi
gration as it affects those
in America and across
Duke University announces financial
By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)
~ Duke University has
reached an undisclosed
financial settlement with
three former lacrosse
players falsely accused of
rape, the school said
Monday.
Duke suspended Reade
Seligmann, Collin
Finnerty and Dave Evans
after they were charged
last year with raping a
stripper at an off-campus
party. The university also
canceled the team's sea
son and forced their
coach to resign.
“We welcomed their
exoneration and deeply
regret the difficult year
an HIV diagnosis forces
many of those who think
they are infected to avoid
secking health care or even
getting tested in the first
place.”
The needless stigma of
HIV remains strong in
Augusta, and people don't
get tested because of it. If it’s
causing the virus to be
unknowingly spread in our
community, it's entirely pre
ventable. That's why the
Richmond County Health
Department, located on 950
Laney-Walker Boulevard in
downtown Augusta will offer
free, anonymous and pain
less walk-in HIV testing on
Wednesday, June 27. There
will also be giveaways, infor
mation, fun and food.
the border. The Teen
Forum Show has been
broadcasting from
Columbia, S.C. since
launching in 2000. It
has had fresh voices of
teens tackling tough,
controversial issues every
Wednesday from 4:00-
5:30 p.m. The show is on
more than twenty-four
radio stations in the
southeast, and recently
launched a weekly tele
vision show. The show
features a regular diverse,
cight-member, all teen
crew that travels fre
quently to high schools,
colleges and businesses
around the southeast.
they and their families
have had to endure,” the
school said in a statement.
“These young men and
their families have been
the subject of intense
scrutiny that has taken a
heavy toll.”
The allegations were
debunked in April by
state prosecutors, who
said the players were the
innocent victims of a
“tragic rush to accuse” by
Duliam County District
Attorney Mike Nifong.
He was disbarred Satur
day for breaking more
than two dozen rules of
rofessional conduct in
fiis handling of the case.
The players’ families
racked up millions of dol
lars of legal bills in their
AUGUSTA FOCUS
What everyone should
know about
HIV TESTING
And it's why you hear Miss
Monique recently promot
ing the testing over the air
waves. She will also broad
cast at the Laney-Walker
location from noon until 1
Southern Justice Tour
comes to Augusta
By DEBORAH MOODY
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Headlines, sympo
siums, and just regular
conversation are com
monplace with accounts
expounding how blacks,
and black males in par
ticular, are becoming
ever more disconnected
from mainstream society.
Fortunately, as many are
complaining, Gerald
Rose is doing something
about it. “We are con
cerned about police
shootings across the state
of Georgia. Our organi
zation desires to wake up
the city of Augusta; to let
them know that every
body needs to pay atten
tion on what’s going on
in there community,”
expressed Mr. Rose.
This leader, members
and supporters of New
Order National Human
Rights Organization will
ho%d a press conference
Saturday June 23, at
300 pm. at the U.S.
Federal Court House
located at Ford & Walker
Streets (near the main
post office) in downtown
Augusta.
Bringing unity to the
African American com-
defense, and appear likely
to file a lawsuit against
Nifong.
The players said in a
joint statement that they
hoped the agreement
would “begin to iring the
Duke family back togeth
er again.”
“The events of the last
year tore the Duke com
munity apart, and
forcibly separated us from
the university we love,"
they said. “We were the
victims of a rogue prose
cutor concerned only
with winning an election,
and others fctcrmincd to
railroad three Duke
lacrosse players and to
diminish the reputation
of Duke University.”
Also Monday, Nifong
p.m. on that day. Health
Departments throughout
Georgia have ordered thou
sands of dollars worth of test
kits and lined up staft
enough to serve a steady
%Y g E
-y O
4"” v I &
> st i -
‘V ~! i s- -
y %fl, A7iy B ¥ b,
; PHOTO by ROSE
Leon Brewton (National Vice President) Gerald Rose (Founder)
& (Clayton County Resident) in front of the Clayton County Cour
thouse preparing for a Unity March in Protest of Black on Black
crime in Clayton County.
munity is conceivably as
an uphill battle, but Rose
is willing to trudge the
teatl, - "We know irs
going to be a long road.
We know that not every
one is going to support
this. But the mindset in
our organization is that
we feel this is very neces
sary. We believe we are
not wasting our time .If
our former leaders had
that attitude 1 would
not be doing this inter
view today,’ Rose
affirmed. They encour
age all that want to affect
cEange to come out and
hear what the group has
settlement with exonerated lacrosse players
released a letter to Gov.
Mike Easley saying that
he planned to leave office
July 13. He announced
plans to resign during his
five-day ethics trial last
week but had not set a
departure date.
A disciplinary commit
tee of the North Carolina
State Bar concluded Sat
urday that Nifong had
lied to the court, made
inflammatory statements
about the three indicted
players and their team
mates, and withheld criti
cal DNA evidence from
defense actorneys. After
some administrative steps,
Nifong will have 30 days
to turn in his law license.
Nifong also sent his res
ignation letter to Superior
stream of customers
throughout the day, starting
at 1l am GOt 5 Ban
“They are trying to help peo
ple taking the test identify
their risk factors,” she said.
to say.
Founded in Toledo,
Ohio, fourteen years ago,
New Order focuses on
lowering the rates of
Black-on-Black crime,
mentoring black young
sters and protecting
African American liberty,
according to the group’s
Web site. Five years ago,
Mr. Rose established two
Atlanta-area chaprers.
He previously comment
ed that reports of racial
pmfiling and violence in
Augustas black commu
nity persuaded him to
start a chapter here.
“New Order has been
Court Judge Orlando
Hudson, who is oversee
ing a pending request to
remove Ni?ong from
office.
“It is my fervent hope
that this action will spare
this community the fur
ther anguish a removal
hearing would entail and
will allow the hcaling
process to move forward,”
Nifong wrote.
Dick Ellis, a spokesman
for the state Aéministra
tive Office of the Courts,
said Nifong will still be
eligible for his full retire
ment benefits - a pension
and health care - that he
accrued while working a
state employee for nearly
30 years. But because he
served fewer than five
June 21, 2007
Some of those risk factors
include unprotected sex, shar
ing needles and muldple sex
partners.
“You may not do those
things, but if your partner does,
that also puts you at risk,” Miss
Monique acknowledged.
This years National HIV
Testing Day is slated for
Wednesday, June 27.
“l think people forget that
they're not just with one part
net. Theyre potendally with
every partner that partner has
ever had,” said the local radio
host.
For more information, please
contact Sandra E. Wimberly
Public Health Fducator for the
Richmond ~ County Health
Department at (706) 667-
4342,
traveling across the state
of Georgia to let the
local and state Politicians
know that we are not
going to take it anymore.
Shooting victims of sev
eral families will be trav
eling with us. We do
plan to hit every major
city in the state of Geor
gia,” he stated. The Tour
went to Athens and
Atlanta in April and
established its presence
in Macon during May.
The national chapter is
now headquartered in
Cobb County, just north
of Atlanta. Besides
Augusta, chapters have
also been established in
DeKalb, Clayton, Fulton
Counties, Macon, and
Chicago, 111.
New Order National
Human Rights Organiza
tion is geared toward
cncouraimg community
responsibility, proactive
fatEerhond, good health,
the importance of educa
tion, etc. Rose stated,
“We need to bring love
back to our community
it seems we have lost that
tradition. You need to
know your neighbor.”
Other civi% rights
See Augusta, page 9A
years as district attorney,
he is not vested in a more
lucrative retirement sys
tem for judges, prosecu
tors and the director of
the courts office.
There was no word on
whom Easley will chose to
replace Nifong, who was
appointed in 2005. The
governor said Monday he
would immediately
remove Nifong — who has
worked in tic district
attorney's office since
1978 — if he could.
“You are given a lot of
power ans you can
destroy a reputation in
moments witE just a few
words,"" said Easley, a for
mer prosecutor. “This was
mucg more than a mis
take.”
3A