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ijnVilA THE PEOPLE’S PAPER (i2oe))
IkIMUKW NATIONAL BLACK NEWS SERVICE \\ JJ
MEMBER
Vol. 3
Civil Service Commission Refuses To Reinstate Black
Officer Who Says Police Chief Forced Him To Resign
Paul Collier, one of eleven
Black officers to file a
discrimination suit against the
Augusta Police Department,
the Civil Service Commission
and the City of Augusta, told
the Civil Service Commission
Tuesday that the police Chief,
James G. Beck, had forced him
to resign. The Commission
denied his request to be
reinstated.
Collier’s attorney, John H.
Ruffin, said he did not like
some of the working
conditions imposed upon him
and as a result was absent
without leave. Police Chief
Judge Clears Wife In Husband’s Death
Mrs. William P. Heath of 612
East Cedar Street,was cleared in
the shooting death of her
husband during a preliminary
hearing Tuesday.
Mrs. Heath told Richmond
Hill First Black On
Board Os Regents
(from Attanta Inquirer)
By Ernest M. Pharr
Three months ago, a
committee of Southern
Christian Leadership
Conference officials in an
audience with Governor Jimmy
Carter emphatically stated the
state was “moving too slow” in
eliminating racial
discrimination and that the
Governor’s leadership was not
“as vigorous and couragious as
it need be.”
Governor Carter has since
answered some of the six major
demands presented by
Reverends J.E. Lowery, Ralph
D. Abernathy and J.D. Grier
with a “hot memo to
department heads urging an
end to bias in state hiring and
the appointment of the first
black to the prestigious State
Board of Regents.
In what was nearly a surprise
move, Carter last week named
black businessman and Inquirer
president Jesse Hill, Jr. to an
unexpired term on the board
of Regents. Hill, praised by
Carter as “one of the most
effective businessmen in
Georgia,” will serve until
January 1, 1978, filling the
term of Attorney Philip H.
Alston who resigned in order
to devote more time to his law
practice ■
RIGHT DIRECTION
Lowery told the Inquirer
this week that he thinks the
Governor has taken “one or
two steps” in the right
direction to correct past
inequities and that the
Governor is to be “highly
commended for the
appointment of a black to the
Board of Regents.
‘‘l’m sure Mr. Hill will
arrange his busy schedule to
give adequate time and thought
to this important
James Beck asked that all of his
police gear and uniforms be
returned The only way Collier
could get his check was to
return the equipment. And
after two weeks he, in need of
money, withdrew his
retirement.
Chief Beck disagreed with
Ruffin’s account of the events
and said, “On March 31,
Collier reported to work and
said his pants were torn and went
home to change them. Three
hours later Collier called back
stating that his wife could not
repair the pants and his other
uniform was in the cleaners.
County Deputies her husband
threatened her and her children
with bodily harm during an
argument late Sunday night.
Deputies received a call from
Mrs. Heath Sunday and upon
*
JESSE HILL, JR.
responsibility. Mr. Hill deserves
this kind of recognition and he
is able to do a creditable job,”
said Lowery.
Hill, Vice-President -
Actuary of the Atlanta Life
Insurance Company and an
officer and member of the
executive committee of the
Atlanta Chamber of
Commerce, has already
indicated he plans a “sharp
cutback” in his activities in
order to serve on the Regents
Board.
Lowery said the Carter
memo to department heads is
“another commendable step”
and that efforts are underway
to develop a systematic study
of the state prision system
“but we still want him to
strenghten the Human
Relations Council to be more
sensitive to social services
especially with respect ot
revenue sharing.”
SCLC CONCERNS
The naming of a black to a
state board, improvements in
the prison system and
strengthening of the Human
Relations Council, headed by a
P.O. Box 953
Collier did not report to work
on April 1-5. Beck said Collier
called in April asking for his
check and was told that he was
suspended for being absent
without leave.
A letter stating the charges
and the suspension was taken
to Collier’s home. Collier said
he didn’t read it and refused to
sign it. Lieutenant Al Scott,
who delivered the letter quoted
Collier as saying he was
quitting anyway because that’s
the way the chief wants it.
Collier told the Commission,
“This is what the Chief really
wants, for me to quit, but I
arrival at her house found the
husband lying in the grass next
to the driveway of their home
with a bullet in his chest. He
was pronounced dead on
arrival at University Hospital.
black, were three of the six
areas the SCLC committee of
three met with the governor
about. Other areas included
revenue sharing, capital
punishment and black-owned
financial institutions in the
January 30 meeting.
Carter, at the time,
promised he would name a
black to a State Board when
the first vacancy occurred but
indicated he would not commit
himself to hiring black for
every vacancy that occurs.
Carter’s personal notes to
department heads sent out on
February 10 after a report
documented the state’s dismal
performance in ending hiring
policies as they regarded
blacks. Some areas of the
report showed the Governor’s
office itself “suffered from
tokenism.”
Since Carter took office,
blacks have been placed on 23
state boards as opposed to only
two of the 120-odd state
boards having blacks when he
became governor. Today, there
are at least 47 blacks on
permanent state board
positions.
Some racial barriers,
however, were tumbled in the
Maddox administration who
hired the first black state
trooper and named Graham
Jackson to the Board of
Corrections.
HILL A SYMBOL
In announcing Hill’s
appointment, Carter said Hill
“has become a symbol of
enlighted, reasoned leadership
in Atlanta. He has
demonstrated an ability to
contribute to problem-solving
at the highest levels with
thoughtful, deliberate and yet
highly progressive advice and
counsel.”
didn’t quit. I want my job, I
love my job. But 1 don’t see
why just because we (11 Black
officers) signed the complaint
that we have to be treated so
much different than anyone
else who did not sign the
complaint or who took their
names off the complaint.”
Immediately after the eleven
Black officers filed the
complaint against the police
department, Collier said, “We
were called in, officers S.D.
Jackson, L.E. Allen and myself
were the main three called
trouble-makers....got this thing
started. We had eleven
Mrs. Heath had been charged
with murder, and was held in
the Richmond County Jail in
connection with the shooting.
However, during a preliminary
held Tuesday in civil Court,
Judge L.W. Cooper ruled the
incident justifiable homicide.
Bank Exec Urges
Blacks To Go
The "Extra Mile’
BRYCE NEWMAN
Bryce Newman Executive
Vice-president of the Citizens
and Southern National Bank
told members of the CSRA
Business League that the secret
to success in business lies in
“extra effort, going the extra
mile.”
He urged the Black
businessmen to plan well,
establish a sound base and put
out 110% effort.
With all the advances made
by Blacks, Newman said, “the
surface has not yet been
scratched.”
Asked what a bank looks for
when a minority business man
applies for a loan Newman
said, “The capacity to repay,
integrity, willingness to
succeed, and collateral.”
Normal credit criteria do not
suffice when making loans to
minority businesses, Newman
added.
The CSRA Business League
assists minority businesses in
packaging loans, and offers
management and technical
assistance.
ASJKFHJKAF
people to read and sign the
statement and they agreed.”
Beck, according to Collier,
asked him if he liked the detail
he worked on and Collier
responded, “I love it”. He said
Beck replied, “Well, you won’t
love it no more because I‘m
going to split you up because
you’re nothing but trouble
makers.’’ Collier said Sgt.
Lewis Trout told him that
Blacks who didn’t remove their
names from the complaint
would be walked until they
quit. “Chief Beck also knew that
I had a problem with my feet
and also between my legs
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Former Haile Selassie
Body Gaurd Completes
Studies At Paine
K A
FISAHA ASFAW
The Paine College fall
quarter deans list carried the
name Fisaha Asfaw. The name
may not ring a bell, but it does
in Ethiopia.
Fisaha is one of the
youngest military advisors in
the world today. He, at present
is a senior student at Paine,
with a scholastic average of
3.5, however, at home
(Ethiopia), he is an assistant
advisor to the “Armed Jorces
Chief of Staff.”
Asfaw was the youngest
officer in the history of his
country to be appointed to the
post at the age of twenty three.
Upon graduation from the
Haile .‘Selassie Secondary
School, he was chosen to go to
that country’s equivalent to
West Point, as he was on of the
ten top students in the
country. Following two nad
one-half years in Military
school, Fisaha joined the
military Police in Charge of
security. He was selected to
come to the United States for
further training and spent
thirteen months at the Fort
Gordon Military Police
School-Criminal Investigation
Division.
After his tour with the
Military here, Asfaw returned
to his homeland and stressed
his desire to further his
education here.
The twenty six year old
advisor said he chose Paine
Augusta, Georgia
(Thighs rub together). But that
didn’t matter, he wanted me to
continue to walk or else go
home and turn my stuff in.
After 1 was taken out of the
patrol car I never rode in
another patrol car until I went
home,” beginning the AWOL
period.
When he asked Sgt. Trout
why they were getting this
kind of treatment, Collier
continued, “The only thing
Sgt. Trout said was they got
orders to walk us until we
quit.”
Beck denied this stating, “I
don’t have to give him (Collier)
College over schools in England
and the United States. He said,
“I chose Paine because I
thought, I would be
pleased-and 1 am very, very
pleased with the education I
am receiving, in and out of
class.”
He went on to say, “They
tried to knock Paine because it
is a black school, but I did not
listen or let them sway my
mind-I am very pleased.”
Fisaha wants to earn a
doctorate degree in Sociology
at the University of North
Carolina. Asfaw, who is
unmarried, has one sister ,
Tsega Asfaw.
Hoyt Paine College
Baccalaureate
Speaker
Hr aB
K
DR. THOMAS HOYT, JR.
The Reverend Dr. Thomas
Hoyt, Jr., will speak at the
Paine College Baccalaureate
Service on May 20, at 11 A.M.,
in the Gilbert-Lambuth
Memorial Chapel.
Dr. Hoyt is Associate Dean
of Academic Affairs and
Assistant Professor of Biblical
Studies at the Interdenomi-
a reason for assigning him any
place. He was assigned to a
walking detail because none of
the men wanted to work with
him, or the other two that he is
speaking of (Jackson and
Allen) nobody wanted to ride
with him, they couldn't trust
him; this is the attitude of 70%
of the department. 1 have a
responsibility to the whole
department, not just a few
people. This is why they were
isolated by themselves. Beck
said the two uniforms returned
by Collier were thrown away
because they were filthy.
Collier said he could prove
by the men who have worked
EDITORIAL
The Mustache Danger
Black fireman M. F. Williams was suspended from
the Augusta Fire Department on April 30 for refusing to
cut his mustache. The fireman s code 7 states in part that
| a fireman must be “neat in person, clean-shaven and
' shoes shined.” W illiams was neat, his shoes shining, and
clean-shaven, but he refused to cut his mustache. And
the fire chief ruled that “clean-shaven” means no
mustache. When Williams refused to part with his
mustache, he was taken off duly. The Civil Service
Commission ordered him to work on 3 of his off days
for failing to obey.
Williams wrote a letter to the Civil Service
Commission stating that he was not guilty of violating rule
seven and requested a hearing before the Commission
for a ruling. At the hearing Tuesday, Williams staled
“clean-shaven” means different things to different
people. “The military, other fire departments and even
our own police department are clean shaved, but their
men do wear mustaches. I’d like to get a ruling (from
the Commission) on whether it can be changed.
“Most Black men do wear a mustache,” Williams
asserted.
Os the four Black men present at the Civil Service
Commission meeting -- former policeman Paul Collier,
Attorney John Ruffin, Civil Service Commission
Chairman H. R. Scott, and this editor editor, Mallory
Millender - all wore a mustache.
If we accept that clean-shaven means no mustache,
then we would have to conclude that the Commission’s
chairman was not clean-shaven as he presided over the
Commission meeting.
The Commission upheld the fire chief’s
interpretation, pointing out that a mustache could
represent a FIRE HAZZARD.
If this be true, then it seems that there should be a
ruling requiring that the firemen shave their eyebrows,
clip their eyelashes, shave their sideburns (everybody
knows that sideburns will burn or why else would they
be called sideburns) and certainly if the mustache will
burn, the hair on one’s head must present a major
hazard during a fire.
Os course firemen do wear sideburns, eyelashes,
eyebrows and hair, and no one raises a question as to
whether they are clean-shaven or the danger this
represents. Then why the concern about the mustache.
We think that it is a question of values. Most Black men
do wear a mustache. Most white inen don’t. And since
there are only 5 Black firemen out of 135, it is clear
that Augusta’s Fire Department is a white man’s job. And
since the Civil Service Commission which governs the
Fire Department has oidy 1 Black out of 5, it is clear
that the Civil Service Commission will reflect white
values. And the. irony of this is that the majority of the
population in Augusta is Black and we have to accept
the value judgements of the minority (white)
community. This will stop oidy when Blacks see the
importance of registering and voting, and governing
ourselves.
national Theological Center in
Atlanta, Georgia, and is an
ordained minister in the
Christian Methodist Episcopal
(CME) Church.
He was graduated from Lane
College with a B.A. degree
May 17, 1973 No. 9
with him and his immediate
lieutenant that “1 do not show
no fear. My record will speak
for itself, when I was in that
patrol car, I did a job.”
Ruffin asked that Collier be
reinsated because the
Commission acted upon a
resignation at its last meeting,
and Collier maintains he did
not resign but was forced to do
so.
The reinstatement plea was
denied. The Commission said
Collier was no longer a
policeman, but could re-apply
and the application would be
considered, along with other
applications, without
prejudice.
Magna Cum Laude in 1962 and
received his B.D. from the
Interdenominational
Theological Center in 1965,
also Magna Cum Laude. In
SEE REV. HOYT Page 3