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Ed Mclntyre County plans NAAC 0 11 Jesse presents
decision gets to beef ordinance deplor - ' u -’Henges’
mixed reactions to aid HRC court deL>.. rats
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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 8
Sentencing July 9
Mclntyre accepts offer:
no appeal, no 2nd trial
In a surprise move Monday,
former Augusta Mayor Edward
M. Mclntyre accepted an offer
from the prosecuting attorneys
that he would not be tried this
week on two additional charges
Augustans respect
Mclntyre ’s decision
by Theresa Minor
Before it became official that
former Augusta Mayor Edward
M. Mclntyre would not stand a
second trial on federal extortion
and conspiracy charges, it had
leaked among the press that a type
of plea bargaining agreement was
in the works.
Reporters confronted U.S.
Prosecutor Fred Kramer and
Defense Attorney Robert Fierer
about the rumor following the
conviction Saturday of Real Estate
Agent Mary Holmes on similar
charges stemming from the alleged
riverfront land development scam.
The question evoked only smiles
from both men.
The rest is history now and area
residents though for the most part
reacted with surprise by Mcln
tyre’s decision to give up his inten
ded appeal of his conviction in the
first federal trial, the majority
seem to believe the stated reason
for making the deal; to save Mcln
tyre’s family the expense and
emotional ordeal of going through
another trial.
An informal poll of area
residents follows.
“I feel like he’s sincere in not
wanting to go through a second
trial for his family’s sake. There’s
a breaking point for everyone. I
guess he just got tired.”—Robert
E. Jones Jr., Augusta.
“All the talk about his going to
fight, fight, fight. It makes you
think he’s guilty for not fighting. I
wouldn’t go to prison for
something I didn’t do. If he’s in
nocent, he should appeal. I think
his family should be willing to go
through it no matter what. I don’t
think he should’ve just given
up.”—Kathy Moon, Martinez.
“I’ve only been in Augusta for
Jesse presents 6
‘challenges’ to DNC
(WASHINGTON, D.C.)-
Declaring that political party
“justice must come before
unity,” Democratic presidential
candidate Jesse L. Jackson presen
ted six major “challenges” to the
Democratic National Committee
platform committee this week after
officially closing his primary race
for the White House at an
evangelical meeting of the People
United to Save Humanity (PUSH)
civil rights organization here.
“Not one major white elected
offical or (white) media
organization endorsed my can
didacy. Yet. I am supposed to fall
in step behind the white candidate
for party unity. We mush have
Augusta Nmo-&tri£iu
of extortion in exchange for his
giving up his right to appeal his
April 28 conviction by a federal
jury on three separate extortion
charges. The second trial was
scheduled to begin this week.
about three weeks, but I get the
feeling that he was probably set up
from the very beginning.
Everybody tells me that he’s done
alot for the city. It was probably
too much. I think maybe the deal
he made was not so much an ad
mission of guilt as it was him being
influenced by his attorneys saying,
‘Listen Ed, you’re not going to
come out of this too good.’ He
listened to people he
trusted.”—Lynette Elam, South
Richmond County.
“It’s shocking, that’s the only
word for it. I wonder what’s going
to become of him; if he’s going to
run for public office
again.”—Ann Martin, West
Richmond County.
“I’m just surprised. I feel bad
for his family. In away it’s saying
he’s guilty. As a politician I’d be
leery of him now. But as a person,
I realize* he’s human and he’s
probably learned from his
mistakes.”—Johnny Weaver,
Hephzibah.
“I think it was wrong to make
the deal. But he knows what’s best
for him and his family. I don’t
know if I think he’s guilty. There
are too many things confusing me
about the situation.”—D.H. Lam,
Augusta.
“I respect him for pulling out
for his family. 1 think he’s in
nocent still. I wish he could have
hung in there but I respect him for
not dragging his family through it
again.”—C.H. Handy, South
Richmond County.
“I think it was considerate of
him to think of his family. It seems
his family responsibility is alot
greater than that to him
self.”—Cheryl Williams, Augusta.
justice first. “Reverend Jackson
declared, as he reminded cheering
supporters of his efforts to form a
“Rainbow Coalition” for all
Americans
The minister signalled that he
will coninue his dramatic cam
paign to change American politics
by calling all of his 400 elected
delegates to another “Rainbow
Convention” in Chicago, June 29-
30, two weeks before the
Democratic National Convention
in San Francisco. And he confir
med plans to go to Cuba and
possibly Latin America to seek fur
ther changes in U.S. foreign policy
before the Democraatic nominee is
selected.
In addition to calling for a
Mclntyre told the News-Review
last week that even if he won an
appeal, it would simply mean a
new trial and more legal expenses.
He did not indicate at that time,
however, that he did not plan to
appeal the verdict.
Mclntyre’s attoney, John H.
Ruffin, Jr., said that the decision
to accept the offer from the
prosecution was Mclntyre’s
decision although the defense team
agreed with the decision.
Ruffin said that Mclntyre still
maintains that he is innocent of the
charges brought against him. He
said that Mclntyre made the
decision to spare his family the
strain of another trial and “to get
his lifereoriented, back together.”
Mclntyre was convicted on three
counts of conspiring to extort and
two charges of attempted extor
tion. The maximum penalty is 60
years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
His co-defendant, Mary
Holmes, was convicted Saturday
of conspiring with Mclntyre to ex
tort and attempted extortion from
an undercover FBI agent posing as
a Florida land developer.
A July 9 sentencing date has
been set for Mclntyre, former City
Councilman Joseph C. Jones and
Mrs. Homes. Jones pleaded guilty
April 5 to two of the three charges
on which Mclntyre was convicted.
In return for his guilty plea and
tesimony against Mclntyre, Jones
was promised that prosecutors
would recommend that the serve
no more than five years in prison.
Mclntyre’s agreement not to ap
peal his conviction does not
prevent him from petitioning
Federal Judge Dudley Bowen for a
reduction of any sentence Bowen
gives him.
w *
Jesse Jackson
“Jackson, Mondale,Hart”
marriage in the selection of a run
ning mate and final strategy in the
fall campaign against Republican
President Ronald Regan, Jackson
listed six “challenges, not threats”
the Democrats must consider to
‘Reach out” to his “three million”
supporters during the upcoming
convention.
He called for “uniform primary
elections” in all states with elimib
nation of “thresh holds” requiring
party candidates to get from 10 to
20 percent of the statewide vote
before receiving any delegate.
Jackson has repeatedly asked the
proportional representation in
voting instead of winner take all,
while seeking the elimination of
second primary elections when a
candiate docs not get a majority in
see Rainbow page 2
June 23,1984
Frank Thomas
An Edgefield County resident
will receive the highest award
given by the American Civil
Liberties Union of South
Carolina at a reception in
Columbia Friday.
Dr. Thomas C. McCain, a
member of the mathematics
faculty at Paine College, will be
given the John Bolt Culbertson
Award for his years of working
for voting rights in South
■Carolina.
Melissa Metcalfe of the
ACLU said McCain will be
presented the award during a
reception scheduled for 7:30
p.m. at the Columbia Town
House.
NAA CP deplores court’s
affirmative action ruling
WASHINGTON— Benjamin
Hooks, NAACP executive director
deplored the opinion of the U.S.
Supreme Court in the Memphis
Firefighters affirmative action
case, calling the decision “a
throwback, a roll back, and a
jump back, to darker periods in
the country’s race relations.”
Hooks said, “This is a dark day
in the annals of civil rights and the
struggle to remove racial barriers
in employment and other areas of
society.”
By its 63 judgement in
Firefighters v. Scotts, the United
States Supreme Court has “pulled
the rug out from under affirmative
action” and Federal Courts
which have been earnestly seeking
to uphold the law and the Con
stitution.” Hooks added.
“What the court said, in effect,
was that present hard times or
futrue deteriorating financial con
ditions can take precedence over
remedial steps instituted to include
those person who have been
traditionally locked out.”
Additionally, the opinion
provides a backdoor method for
communities that have adhered to
discriminatory practices to avoid
remedies for their misdeeds. It
could reverse many affirmative ac
tion programs which are already in
place and will stop completion of
similarly contemplated action,” he
said.
The High Court has regrettably
upheld the “last hired, first fired”
doctine in a nation that has had a
history of excluding classes of
people because of race, creed am
sex in a very questionable manner.
“The court has joined the Regan
Administration in leading the
nation to turn its backs on those
groups and classes who have suf
fered such discrimination.” Hook
continued.
It is impossibe to stress too
Less than 75 percent Advertising
HRC encouraged
by county’s pledge
The County Commission is
reluctant to give the Human
Relations Commission subpoena
power it has requested but has
assured the HRC that the county
will strengthen the ordinance to
force respondents to comply or
face legal action by the county, ac
cording to Frank Thomas,
executive director of the HRC.
County Commission Chairman
Jack Miles and County Attorney
Bob Daniel met with the HRC
Tuesday. Thomas said the stronger
ordinance will help bu the agency
also needs a plan to have the Coun-
■» ■ f 31 1 'MWißwa
DR. THOMAS C. McCAIN (left) with Operation PUSH
President Jesse Jackson at a rally in Edgefield, S.C. in 1982.
&
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b I
Hk H
Benjamin Hooks
strongly that the court’s opinion is
ominous. This judgment is a
throwback, a roll back and a jump
back to darker periods in the coun
try’s race relations.
“We find it especially troubling
that the court made such a memen
tous judgment on a case that was
moot.” he concluded.
The Memphis Firefighters
judgement is close in impact to the
Plessy v. Ferguson judgement
which established the “separate
but equal” doctrine and gave con
stitutional saction to second class
citizenship for blacks in 1896 Even
though the court’s opinion in the
Memphis Firefighters case was
limited to the provisions of Title
VII of the 1964 Civil Rights, Act it
will have very chilling impact on
civil rights enforcement programs.
The opiniom is equally reminiscent
of the Dredd Scott decision which
held that blacks had no rights that
whites were bound to respect.
For what the Supreme Court has
said to the nation is that racial
discrimination in the workplace is
alive and well. White employers
are free to protect the jobs of
whites at the expese of morally
ty Commission subpoena em
ployers who fail to respond to
inquiries.
“It’s a positive step from where
we were, but we have a long way to
go to be able to do what we were
put here to do. I hope it’s not just
lip service,” he said.
Thomas said that each month
there are no more than two
respondents who won’t comply.
“Some will comply with the
requests only after a second or
third letter. If you don’t have a
means to force them to comply
they you’re totally inneffective.”
sound affirmative action
programs. Lower Federal courts
have no legal obligation to remedy
the effects of past racial
discrimination in areas involving
seniority rules.
The United States Supreme
Court has kicked aside morality
and soundd reasoning to make bad
law. It has rendered an advisory
opinion that was not based on
evidence. This shameless actin
compunds the wrong inter
pretation of civil rights laws that
the court had made earlier this year
in the Grove City College case that
involved Title VI of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act. The court by these two
judgments has destroyed much of
the law through which Blacks had
hoped to achieve equality in em
ployment and other areas of
society.
The Court has clearly sided with
the forces of injustice and with the
Reagan administration in working
to demolish the foundations of
sound law and understanding upo
-n which Title VII of the 1964
Civivl Rights Act was created. The
court pointedly overlooked the
fact that although Title VII bars
quotas it expressly sanctions af
firmative action.
The court’s action, as Justice
Blackmun makes clear in his
dissent, is so grossly faulty. We
believe, as Justice Blackmun said,
that “Today’s opinion is troubling
less for the law its creates than for
the law it ignores.”
That is a very sad example that
the High Court has set for the
lower courts, muicipalities and
private employers. Political
shenanigans and racial injustice
are the rules of the day when it
comes to equality for Blacks.
Sound legal priniciples and
precedents be damned. Racists
through the land are rejoicing and
having a field day.
30C