.on lac majc to push
druq-tree zone for city
PONTIAC - Activists Dick
Gregory and Father 'George
Clements will lead a march and
rally in Pontiac Sunday, Sept. 10
to launch a campaign to combat
drugs here.
The Committee for a Drug
Free Pontiac, a coalition of
grass roots organizations work
ing to tablish a drug-freejone
within the city, announced the
march plans last
The Pontiac effort will be
modeled on a strategy devised
by nutritionist Dick Gregoy to
curb drug activity in Shreveport,
Louisiana.
· Gregory and Father Cle
ments, a leader in Chicago
neighborhood anti-drug efforts,
led marches and camped in a
local Shreveport park to con
front nd intimidate drug
dealer who frequented h
area.
TIle Committee for a Drug-
. Free P . . implement the
Shreveport .. by mobilizing
reside to m ch to Steed
Par OD the city, south
ide, ith Clements and
Gregory, Sept. 10 beginning at 3
p.m. at the Antioch Baptist .
Church, 318 Auburn AveDue. .
The area aro d Steed Par
area of drug ctivity. After
Sept..W Com-
7 p.m. until the presence of
drugs in the area is eradicated.
"Our community is the first
city in the United States to take
the Shreveport model and
adapt it to local needs," said
Marie Johnson, co-chair of the
Committee for a Drug-Free
Pontiac. "This is not simply a
one-day event. We will march
each and every day - for as /
long as necessary - until Steed
Park has been reclaimed. - .
- "Becan e we have unity,
strength and power in numbers,
have the power to recapture
our 10 neighborhoods: said
Rev. J� Keyes, minister of
Monumedt of Faith Bapti t
Church in .Pontiac, "We t
the message to get out to
everybody - yoUDg and 0 d,
Black ad hite - that
together we can do somethiDg
the drug crisis in our city.
It can be done.·
Accordiog to Pontiac Police
Dept., drug-reI ted crime is
three times higher in the area
urrounding Steed Park than in
any other location in the city. .
"It may be because of fear,
apathyoranynwmherofca�
b a toleration of drugs exists
in this area 'that contributes to
drug trafficking." id Ponti c
Police C . f Reginald Turner.
"Peop� fro t mm ity
m take the lead in improving
the areea. We· hope this effort
will help diminish people's fear
and ap thy."
Pap 3
People's Platform calls for
City/Community artnership
ByR
Cotr!spondmt
DB11\orr - Vacant lots with
garbage and overgrown weeds.
Holes and bro en pavement in
treets, alley and sidewaJ .
Poor lighting in poorer areas
and for some periods of time, no
lighting t all. Closed recrea
tion center and dirty par .
These are some of the '
problems listed in the Neigh
borhood Plank of the People's
NOTE: In July II group 0/
community orgtUIizatiolU put
togeth. II People'. Plat/onn,
which tMy U!P contmJUlity resi
"'1$ to use in gtGding the CQII
didllte8 lOT city office. The
MlChigrua ·tizen COvmlge 0/ the
Pllltform continues.
Blae
Engineering
tudents
yFLOD
$tIl(f Reporter
S.RlGGS
DETRO - trioa Harris,
18, of Detroit and Dwight Jen
nings, 22, of Inkster have some
thing in common.
This fall they wiD not have to
der how they wru pay for
college t for the next four
year
On August 30 the Wayne
State Univer ity students
received 0 • ps to p DC
degrees in engineering hom the
oesaato Chemical Co. of
A urn Hills.
David Adamany, presi t
of Wayne State U· .ty, said
scholar hips of this type are
ood ttemp in c10sin the
p ·esand
�ority college tudeata i
too
John Mason, president of the
onsanto Fund, told a lundl-
receive bri
ht futures
achievements and finaDci I
academic, pr..ofessionaJ and
personal counseling to the stu
dents.
Harris said the relief of not
worrying about paying for
school wiD be a plus·in her col
lege career.
Jennings id he particularly
like the entor idea. As
gr duate of Henry Ford Com
munity College aid he is a
aware of how students can be
come frustrated and bored with
school,
. Having a mentor �i11
eliminate this. Harri said, be-
need. cause they will be there to keep
Hanis a June Fad te of them on their toes.
Detroit', Cass Technical High Harris said, in the future, he
School chosen mechanical would like to participate in the
eDgineerin u her field of . program as a mentor or part
. Jenn,inp a gr d e of of a company aw rding the
Inbter High School Henry scholarship.
Ford Community CoUege plans Willian Ginter, Monsanto
to get his dqree in electrical en- autOJDOtive aWketing director,
giDeering. .' said Harris and JenniDgs
Not only do they get - have met onsanto half y by
lance fiDucially, Harri and earning � scho . no
Je· are being teamed up Monsanto to·ck with its
. meators who are eoginee commitment.
themse . . --rIley're done their part,"
Monsanto, the university, Ginter said. • It remains to be
aDd the Detroi Urban League seen if (Mon ante) ill do
also have agreed to offer ours,"
I
Platfo
To correct this, the Platform
calls not only for more concern
with preserving neighborhoods,
but more power and participa-
ion liven to n igbbor ood or
ganizations.
The platform sa service to
residential areas should be "the
top priority" and ·caDs for the
creation of "a partnership be
tween city government and
neighborhood organizations to
make Detroit neighborhoods
the gems of the city."
It called for specific changes
in city government:
- Disassemble the Com
munity and Economic Develop
ment Department (a
superagency established under .
the administration of Roman
Gribbs, which citizen district
councils charged we kened
citizen participation) and estab
fish a Department of Neighbor
hood Development with
representatives from the com
munity, which would "encom--
housing, public services to
neighborhood , park , com
IIlCrcial strips and all peets of
neighborhood life.- A depart
ment organiud in this V, the
platform ted, would dopt an
ingegrated appr ch to plan
ning and policy in revitalizing
and preserving neighborhoods."
- Implement ion of com
munity coUDCils outlined in
Article 9 of the City Charter -to
decentralize the d . and the
responaibilitie of ousing is-
ues to the gr roots level.-
- Create multi ervice
managers with a combination of
in pection nd supervi ory \
responsibilities. The platform
stated that such officials would
carry out their jobs with an eye
to all the neighborhood's
11