I LIO
SUI
HARBOR- Civil Right
cti . t Inez Holme has rued a S 1 million
I the Berrien County CET A
char' racial di rimination
ent.
it, m d la month in federal
District Court, name as defendant:
eldon Burden, CETA Director; CET A
rd of Director . D vid Kirschenher-
, S ff ttomey of Berrien County
eighborhood Legal Service Bure u, ..
In ., and Berrien County eightborhood
Legal rvice Bur u.
The ca ha been a ed to
. U.S. D' trict Judge Benhamin F. Gib­
n, Grand Rapid court.
The uit charg that due to the
defendant' • no ledge of Inez J.
Holme ' years of dedication to impro­
vin the iot of member of the Bl c
community in B nton Harbor and due
to id defend nt cial discrimin tion
against BI c Defendant did conspire
to cau TUG to lose federal funds from
T ."
. Holme is dire tor of TUG
The Urban Gat ay which received
CET fund until pril 3, 1981. TUG
ha pon red the Readin I Funda­
ment I RIF pro r m also.
The uit further alledge th t the
defend nt ontinu to try to under­
mine and ubvert the effort of plaintiff
Holme and TUG in uplifting the Blac
c rnrnunity. '
ccordin to die complaint filed
by rs. Holme , the eighborhood Legal
S rvi e Bure u ha ' ept alive" a com­
pl int by former G employee Idella
John n fired by r. Holm ovem­
b r 0 1979.
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By Terry Kelly
B TO HARBOR - Th
tion Fund
ter C n rva­
e feel it i appro­
ity of the require-
nd ter on rva-
ti n und t.'
In June the city h d pr p d 11-
ing a trip of the p rk to St. Jo eph
in ur n e gent. The Citizen onta ted
the D R t that time to chec the legali­
ty of the le.
The city u d te nd federal funds
to c n tru t the Jean Kloc Pavillion in
1979. cording to Ad m the city
bmitted the p r b und rie a inclu­
din th piece f property it no want
to II.
d m reminded Coo e th t when
the city built the ne b thhou
d mply. ith
The it ys that the- Legal Services
Bure u for four year h s pursued the
cau of . John n de pite "many
decisions" on the fuing in favor of r.
Holme. Only one decision by an d­
ministr tor did not upport the firing,
the uft contend .
The uit also alledge that Burden
" nt one Jerry orks, an employee
of Berrien County CETA, to plaintiff"
office to intimidate Plaintiff' personnel
regard in the termination of Idell
Johnson on September 18, 1980."
According to the suit, orks ,. cted
very unprofe ional and abusive and
m de many r ial slurs gainstPearlene
Davenport, an employee of TUG."
orks also threatened Mrs. Holme
ould 10 her CETA contract, the com­
plaint ate.
ccording to the uit Works' ctions
ere due to a "con piracy to discrimin­
ate" gainst r. Holmes and TUG. The
conspiracy wa by Burden and the CET
rd becau s. Holmes is "Blac and
TUG is run by Black for the benefit of
Black.
The uit y the di rimination
hara ment, intimidation denied rs.
Holme nd TUG of their civil right .
o u h imilar harassment di rimina­
ti n and intimidation ere directed
to ard hite gen ie by CET or
Legal Servi e ,the uit ch rge .
T suit for 500 000 for
emotional and mental tre . It see
nother 500 ()()() for punitive damages
for their maliciou wanton and reckle
disregard of plaintiff" civil right and
a deterrent from violating others
civil rights in the future.
•
te " 0 property quired or devel-
oped ith a . tan e under this ction
all ithout the approval of th Secre-
tary, be converted to other than public
outdoor recreation u s. The Secretary
11 approve uch conversion only if he
finds it to be in accord ith the then
e isting comprehensive state ide outdoor
re re tion plan and only upon such
c ndition he deem nece ry to
a ure the ub titution of other re rea­
tion properties of t least equal fair
m r et value and of re onably equiva-
lent u fulne nd 10 ati n."
d ms rote to the city, , e
re pe tfully request that the City advise
u of their pl n prior to on umating
any ale tran ction involving property
within the project boundary to en ure
compliance with the grant greement."
oc
B TO H RBOR reduction
in the Title II commoditie give ay
from the i hi n Dep rtment of du-
ti n h c used the eliminati n f
(B A July
n, cc to harl
tor.
JULY 27 - AUGUST 2, 1983
c
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Editor:
Although ould like to
re pond to your column' at Do You
Thin " in your July 0-26 issue. I ha e
a fe ling that reporter Sherri S ott in­
terviewed all Blac s. I maybe in error on
this however s a white I would like to
put in my 2 cent orth.
s one who was living in a community
in Indiana and ttended all of grade
ho 1 and high hoot in h ols that
ere one-third to one-half Black I have
not been able to find any difference
bet een Black and hite except pos-
ibly in color. orally in any group I
have been with, there are go done
and bad one. Phy . cally , there have
been the weak the trong and tho ho
seem to be especially endo ed by God
toward physical pow ere in physical
sports. entally, there have been idiot
geniu and most of us in the middle.
There seems to be an equal divi . on of
the t 11 the short the fat, and the thin.
I particularly agree ith the comment
of Arthur Bell and Joe Ho ell.
I would pray that yet within our
lifetime will come the day when we are
all judged a human beings and our
abilities, talents gifts, and grace are
judged for what they are and not whether
we are Blac bite red yello or po a
dot. I could add much more to thi but
I think thi ufficiently t te my feelin .
I ould li e, ho ver tau t­
ion n t in thi re ard nd that i . t
i ues or
op rat d
deepe t
c unty i
a uth
to
ripti n in ur are
o
b
r·
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I
re eived -.4 ':J
f r di tributi n,
1, 53 In
be eivcd thi III nth, H nd r-
n id.
B lh
nd utter ill
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and me of that uld b done b
column or t 0 on m of the . ue
of uth county.
I might u est to y u for an inter­
vie for e ample of Lu Hubb rd.
In ca e you are una are of ho he i ,
she i a Blac om n ho h been on
veral city committee nd has erved
on the ity ornmi i n. I mi ht I
ugg t Rev. rren it h II a resident
of Benton Harbor and rvin a church
and trying to do very m aningful or
in the Blac communit of Buchanan.
I might al 0 ugge t me type of a dri e
to make, particularly the Blac although
I am sure there are al many hite
a are of your p per and about et-
in more subscription in our 10 I.
Thank you for hearing me out.
rd D. Pi rce
Buchanan. i hi n 49107
Editor: We are or. ing with our rather
limited resources to reach the B k com­
munity from Elkhart around throu h
Battle Creek. Rev. litchell has con­
tributed a greatl appr dated column
highlightin Black history in u th­
western ichigan and irs. Hubbard
is a current contributor t our church
pa e. e l' l m any and all 11 •
from any ne of ur re er.
'Still Hav
Dr am'
the _ th
1
,. i th
f ugu t
di -
ign :J
rcc ipt f th '( mill
al pr nt th r
vi II I di tri ut d.
rc lui cd II
indic tin"
Th mu I
.ard � r -
h