Newspaper Page Text
ACLU to honor First B ] ac k Black women 11 Amprie a ns
John Ruffin, Rose Bowl speak 01 E
George McGovern Queen elected Vanessa starve
Page 1 Pagel Page 3 Page 1
VOLUME 14 NUMBER 24
Tenants call it 'murder'
NEW YORK—The head of a
community activist group has writ
ten to Governor Cuomo seeking an
immediate investigation into the
fatal shooting last Monday of a 67-
year-old grandmother in the Bronx
by a city housing police.
Rev. Herbert Daughtry, chair
man of the Black United Front
said he also intends to ask the U.S.
Justice Department to look into
the matter.
Mrs. Eleanor Bumpers, mother
of three, was shot to death when
she allegedly resisted an attempt to
be evicted from her $89.44 a mon
th apartment in the Sedgwick
Houses at 1553 University Ave., in
the Morris Heights section of the
Bronx.
Vai Coleman, a spokesman for
the Housing Department said that
Mrs. Bumpers, who had been
living in the apartment for more
than two years, was about five
months in arrears in her rent
payment and had been asked to
give up the apartment.
When city housing police were
called in to assist a marshal to evict
her. Mrs. Bumpers who weighed
300 pounds put up a resistence.
Although Mrs. Bumpers had
swollen feet due to arthritis and
could hardly get around, police
, said the victim lunged at them with
a knife. At this point, investigators
revealed, she was shot at point
blank range by Officer Stephen
Sullivan, 43, a veteran of 19 years.
After the shooting, Sullivan repor
tedly collapsed and was rushed to
nearby Lincoln Hospital where he
was treated for shock and released.
Mrs. Bumpers’ daughter, Mary
told reporters that she was on her
way to her mother’s apartment
when she saw several cops standing
around.
“I heard a gun shot and started
to run. When I arrived there police
Black Rose queen
For the first time in the 67-year
history of Pasadena’s Tournament
of Roses, a Black woman will reign
as Rose Queen over the New
Year’s Day parade and football
game, tournament officials said
Tuesday.
She is Kristina Kaye Smith, 20,
of Altadena, Calif., chosen 1984-
85 Rose Queen from among nearly
900 contestants.
“She screamed”, spokeswoman
Alison Holt said, describing the
Sybil Mobley named
to Hall of Fame
Ju
Dr. Sybil C. Mobley
Augusta Neuis-IReuteui
1 • ■
* " X ‘
l||L
Rev. Herbert Daughtry
were all over the place and as I at
tempted to get into my mother’s
apartment, I was physically
blocked by about two officers,”
the daughter explained.
The daughter said most of the
police whom she saw at her
mother’s apartment were equipped
with restraining bars, plastic riot
shields and shotguns.
A tenant in the building, Rosale
Thomas confirmed Mrs. Bumper’s
daughter’s statement, adding, “It
seemed as if the police were ready
for combat duty”.
“I hope this will not become a
practice with the police. I cannot
get over the thought that a woman
was shot to death because her rent
was overdue,” Ms. Thomas said.
Deputy Police Commissioner
Alice McGillion said it appears
that the shooting was justified and
within department guidelines.
“We don’t have to wait until
someone is stabbed before we
act”, referring to charges that
Mrs. Bumpers had threatened the
new Rose Queen’s reaction. “She
was shocked and surprised and
very excited.”
Smith, a Pasadena City College
sophmore majoring in; child
psychology, enjoys cooking,
hiking, reading and aerobics and
plans a career in psychology or
journalism.
The theme of the 1985 Rose
Parade, presided over by Chrysler
Chairman Lee lacocca as grand
marshal, is “The Spirit of
America”.
TALLAHASSEE, FL
Florida Governor Bob Graham has
named Dr. Sybil C. Mobley, dean
of Florida A&M University’s in
ternationally recognized School of
Business and Industry, to the
Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.
She is one of eight women honored
this year.
Mobley, 58, is a member of the
boards of directors of Anheuser-
Busch, Champion International,
Sears, Roebuck and Hershey
Foods. A CPA, Mobley earned a
B.A. from Bishop College, and
M.B.A. from the Wharton School
and a Ph.D. from the University of
Illinois; and has served as a special
consultant to the United States
Agency for International
Development.
police with a knife.
Meanwhile, Bronx District At
torney Mario Merola said he will
launch an inquiry into the fatal
shooting.
Mr. and Mrs. James York,
tenants, said they were shocked at
the shooting and couldn’t believe
an old lady would be killed over
rent payment.
The couple said they heard
about the shooting when they
returned home. They said they
couldn’t eat dinner because they
were too upset. Mrs. York said she
had seen Mrs. Bumper on a num-"
ber of occasions and she didn’t
seem to be the type who could
harm a fly.
A top official of the Housing
Department almost incited the
tenants when he said that “if you
Americans diet while
Africans starve
Hundreds of thousands of
people have died from hunger in
Africa in the last year, with a
million more expected to perish
before the end of 1984.
At least 5 million Africans
may starve to death this year, ac
cording to Bread for the World, a
Christian advocacy group for the
hungry.
Bread for the World reports
about 150 million citizens of 24
African countries are severely af
fected by food shortages. The
U.S. Congress has appropriated
$l5O million, or about $1 per af
fected person, for emergency fund
aid.
In Ethiopia alone, 6 million
people are in danger of starving,
according to a United Nations
report.
Seventy percent of Africans live
in rural areas where small lan
dholders and laborers produce
most of the food. Women do 70
percent of food production work.
The rapidly escalating famine in
Ethiopia has been brought into
American living rooms by
television news reports, but the
"4:s w \
W’ B
ff 1
—*-**-■?
November 10,1984
folks had acted earlier, Mrs. Bum
per wouldn’t have been five mon
ths behind on her rent payment.
He was booed and told to get the
hell out of the meeting hall.
Mrs. Busy Leila Crttendon, a
girl scout leader, found it difficult
to understand how an armed police
officer could shoot and kill a
defenseless grandmother.
Debra Kirby said:“My mother
was murdered. I don’t know why
but I know she was murdered”.
Mary Bumpers, the oldest
daughter of Mrs. Bumpers added:
“My mother was killed by an of
ficer with vengeance in his heart”.
Agnes Johnston, secretary of the
Tenants Association said : “We
underestimate the crowd. This
shooting has residents of the Bronx
demanding better policemen”.
From the Amsterdam News
recent massive attention is the
news media is about a year late.
Western relief officials, mean
while, said there were indications
the famine was spreading from the
north of the country to parts of the
south and west.
“The number of affected areas
and people is growing on a weekly
even daily basis,” one official said.
Relief officials estimated that as
of now between 6 million nad 8
million people face starvation in
Ethiopia with as many a 1 million
deaths expected between March
and December this year.
Ethiopia’s famine has been
exacerbated by the mountainous
country’s poor transportation
system. Another contributing fac
tor to starvation has been
Ethiopia’s politics.
Since the country went com
munist, some countries have been
reluctant to provide aid. In the
United States, there are still some
reservations about aid, but by and
large, the U.S. Agency for Inter
national Development and the
State Department have been
motivated to help.
Less than 75 percent Advertising
h I Mi
b 1 | | .& S J *
—•
TlfW/' /
B J HBB' 'T
A CL U to salute
attorney John Ruffin,
ex-Sen. George McGovern
Augusta Attorney John H. Ruf
fin Jr. and former Democratic
presidential nominee George
McGovern will be honored Friday
night by the American Civil Liber
ties union at the Twin Towers State
Office Building in Atlanta. The
annual banquet pays tribute to
persons who have made outstan
ding contributions to the protec
tion of the Bill of Rights.
Ruffin is a former president of
the Augusta branch of the
NAACP, and has led most of the
legal battles for civil rights in this
area. He has also argued cases
before the U.S. Supreme Court.
A former chairman of the Voter
Education Project, he is a member
of the State Judicial Nominating
Election surprises
No one can argue that Ronald
Reagan represents the values of
most Americans. But that in itself
is a sad commentary.
The best that can be said for
Reagan is that he has given
Americans hope for greater
prosperity, although most of them
have benefited little from the
alledged recovery.
Reagan, we believe, was re
elected just as much for his
racism—as evidenced by his sup
port of South Africa, opposition
to affirmative action, support for
tax exemptions for private schools
that discriminate based on
race—and his trigger-happy macho
image.
As for Mondale, we applaud his
honesty and his willingness to try
to make America live up to its
promise of equality and justice.
However, decency in America of
tens spells political suicide—as
evidenced by his telling the people
he would raise their taxes, and his
courageous decision to choose a
Attorney John H. Ruffin
Committee.
Ruffin is the former president of
the Georgia Association of
Criminal Trial Lawyers
Association. He has also served as
president of the Georgia
Association of Black Lawyers.
A graduate of Morehouse
College and the Howard Univer
sity Law School, he has been a
finalist in consideration for a
federal judgeship as well as seats
on the Georgia Court of Appeals
and the Georgia Supreme Court.
A former chaiman of the Voter
Education Project, he is presently
a member of the State Judicial
Nominating Committee
Editorial
woman running-mate.
Locally, there were a number of
surprises. Mrs. Julia Glover’s vic
tory in the school board election
increased Black representation on
that board to five (of 16) for the
first time. It was an ironic victory
given the fact that she had recently
appeared before the board in an
effort to fight being terminated as
a teacher.
She agreed to retire, then ran for
the board and won!
Two veteran Democrats, State
Rep. Travis Barnes and State Sen.
Jimmy Lester, were defeated by
Dick Ransom and Frank Albert.
Both lost by less than 100 votes.
While most Blacks found little
to cheer about in the national and
state elections, we picked up three
important seats locally. In addition
to Mrs. Glover’s victory, Henry
Howard and Henry Brigham will
have seats on the County Com
mission. It will mark the first time
a Black has served on that body
other than former Mayor Edward
M. Mclntrye.
34K