Serving the Stille's African Americtlll Community
o
o
HIGHLAND PK - Holland
Consulting Co. proposed to
the City Council the develop­
m nt of a community-owned,
and developed shopping cen­
ter.
According to Ellio Holland,
pr . consulting
company, the shopping center
uld be cb'e ped along the
lines of Vrrginia Park Com­
munity Plaza in Detroit, for
HII�LB,d ummer tudyin b i
Job Enrichment Training Scholarship program. Pictured are:
, Valdez Rayford, dart d, Miller, C 11 n-
A. Slaugb ,HI Rayford, Antonio White, Sonya ewby, Char-
les E. McGl , Ayanna J Ali Ras cia, M . qu J 0 Eric lloyd, TIh . L it
Dionn Slaughter, Danielle Ray, Sh McCormick, Sha Williams, Carl HoUier. Also pictured
is clrean Walliams, orthside Y Community Program �irector. Story on P 16 •
g
e
which Holland served as
developer.
In a phone interview, Mayor
Robert Blackwell said the Hol­
land proposal was one of
many that has been presented
to the city. Blackwell said no
definite co . t or se c­
tion would be made until the
develop nt committee to
oversee the $7 million Chrys-
Continu d on P. • 5
Marcus
Garvey's
lOOth'
Birthday
••. Page 2
By Wendell A. LaGnmd
Tucked neatly into the cen­
ter of the southern lower
Michigan pennisula lies the
largest walled prison in the
world Surrounding this in­
stitution is a small yet equally
as viscious city.
Jackso
Benton
arbor DDA-
s it
,
-
Jackson Prison and the sur­
rounding city of Jackson are
Commentary
parallel in many instances.
The Black population of
Jackson is imprisoned not by
egal?
County prosecutor investigates; court case pending
BENTON HARBOR - Is
the Downtown Development
Authority (DDA) here, legal?
That· a question in the
minds of many.
Berrien County Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Tom
Byerley told the Michigan
Citizen that the Benton Har­
bor DDA· "under investiga­
tion" and refused to comment
further.
City Commissioner - and
top yoral vote-getter in the
Angus primary - William
Wolf expressed concern
about both the origins and
oper tion of the appointed
board
He . joined by three city
businesspersons. The three
were fired last last summer by
Mayor Wilce Cooke from
their positions as DDA board
members.
The County investigation
grew out of a May 14, 1986 let­
ter written by County Coor­
dinator Roger Petrie and sent
to members of the city staff
andDDA
The letter notified the city
that both the DDA and the
Tax Increment Finance
Authority (TIFA) were never
presented to the Berrien
County Board of Commis­
sioners for consideration of
the fiscal and economic im­
plications of the �opo&ed
development area."
Accoding to Petrie's letter,
"these actions, or lack of ac­
tions, by the Downtown
Development Authority Bo d
and the City Commissione of
Benton Harbor certainly vio­
late the 1975 Public Act 197
which states that the County
Board of Commissioners
should meet with the
Authority and be fully in­
formed before the public hear­
ing on the Downtown Develop­
ment Authority or the Tax In­
crement Finance Authority."
Byerley said he thought
there were legal penalties for
such a violation, but he was un­
sure of what those penalti es
would be.
One of the fired DDA
board members, Connie Irvin,
owner of a video company at
175 W. Main, says that the
firing came when she began to
ask questions of economic
development director Alex Lit­
tle. Since then, Little has also
asssumed the duties of city
manager.
Little could not be reached
by the Michigan Citizen for
comment, and did not return
any of three phone calls
placed by this newspaper over
a wee -long period
little serves as the acting
Con tin
P 7
z
•
ISO
the large brick walls, but by
the walls of corroded and al­
most undrivable streets.
From north to south First
street imprisons the Blac
neighborhood, along with the
smoother and wider Airport
Road Meanwhile the closing
streets of Michigan Avenue
and Prospect complete the
squared imprisonment of the
city's Black populous.
In all, most Blacks remain in
this inner city square. While
this area is fashionab in
some places, the controlling
structures of housing projects
are ever present. The cleaner
and better kep neighbor­
hoods lie south of town.
In some ways one cannot
help but onder if Jackson
Prison and the City of J ack­
son have existed for 0 long
because of each other.
They both loudly hum with
tone of racism and discrimina­
tion.
Perhaps the Southern Lo er
Michigan Prison has helped
fuel the fires of racism
towards Blacks within the city.
The reformatory employs
thousands, most of them white
and many times racist
Continu d on P 3
