00
s imposes- 'gag 'order'
LOSANGI!LES (LOS GI!LES
SBHI1NEL) - For the second
time in I than five year the
AACP has placed its Hol
lywood-Beverly Hills branch
under an" dministratorship.·
In a letter to branch mem
bers AACP Executive Direc
tor Benjamin Hoo said that
the branch is in a st te of
paralysis and that definitive ac
tio is required.
-ourmg the few months,
e occurred which if
DOt checked could destroy what
taken these many year to
build," Hoo wrote.
Hook said the tion is
being taken a result of recent
intJ:a-b� ch conOicts about up
coming Image Awards. He said
th t result, he has p
pointed Director of Branches -
William Pe dministrator
of the Hollywood Branch, and
John M ce, a member of t
organiza . on's natio,nal board of
directors, to serve as the
br nch's sist nt ad-
. mini tra or. Both men have
been instructed to attend all of
the br nch's executive and
ge eral membership meetings,
though the meeting will con
tinue to be chaired by the cur
rent branch pre . dent, Willis
Ed ds.
The uthority of the ad-
•. or will ot urp the
dutie and" responsibilities of
the br ch pr "dent, any other
branch officer or co mittee,
Hook sid. The
administr tor's job, his etter
co . ued,' to ure that the
affair of the branch are carried
ou in ccordance with the Con
stitution nd by-laws of
NAACP branches.
co CT OVE
SHO
While commending the
branch "source of pride for
the AACP by poesoring the
I e Awards Show: he id
the recent conflict about the
awardsi just one more examp e
of wh t has been happening in
the branch in recent months.
"We h ve seen on numerous
occasion , member of the
branch use the public media as
forum for airing internal mat
ters of the branch," Hoo said.
" ot only has such adver e
publicity been harmful to the
branch's efforts, but because of
th nature of this organization,
the reputation and good name
of the AACP is in serious
jeopardy tbroughrout the
region."
Under the admininstator-
hip, branch members must ob
tain prior pproval from the
administrat r or assistant ad
ministrator for all statements to
the news media, all expendi
tures of funds and 0 her mat
ter .
FOR
Mance told the Sentinel that
requiring members to seek
prior approval for public state
ments, should not be construed
to mean that the national
orgranization or the local
branch has something to hide.
"VIe simply want to resolve
any problems we have, within
th� AACP family," Mance
said, "No honest NAACP mem
ber is out there in the public eye,
seeking publicity at the expense
of the organization.·
Branch treasurer Marva
Smith has resigned her post,
citing outside commitments and
the organization' internal
problems.· As ap officer, I do
not choose to be attached to
those problems," she said. Al
though describing the internal
conflict a "tremendou tur
moil," she uld not elaborate.
She said the national organiza
tion has imposed a gag order,
prohibiting members from dis
cussiong internal affairs.
"I want to wait and see ifl can
get approval for a statement out
of the executive committee,"
Smith explained, "and do it ac
cording to procedure."
Hooks said that since the
conflict ha centered around
the 1m ge Awards, he has in
structed the dmini trator to
"step in and take whatever ac
tio to a ure the
success of the effort.
PAYMENT SPA KS DIS�
PUrE
"As a result," he stated, ·we
have negotiated and approved
U in truments having to do
_ with the production . de of the
how, and have worked with the
Image A ards Committee in
establishing procedures to be
followed bY the branch."
The internal conflict at the
branch involves complaints by
some members that branch
president Edward received
$25,000 in unauthorized pay
men as executive producer of
last years Image Awards Show.·
Edwards contends he has
authorization from the national
office.
I An NAACP source, who re
quested anonymity, said 12 of 17
executive board members
demanded Edwards' resigna
tion at a meeting last Friday. '
The source also said Smith
r . ed after learning that the
1:) anch had a ban account,
which had previously been un
known to her and other execu
� committee members.
The branch still 0 S5,OOO
in legal fees and there are other
debt outstanding from last
year awards show, the source
said, adding th t there is only
$750 in the branch's regular
b ccount.
Branch executive committee
member also opposed a recent
national office move to take a
greater control over production
of this year's show. '
Hooks said the executive
committee's action "in effect
reversed much of what had been
set in motion by the Image
Awards Committee and the na
tional office." He said that n -
tional ooffice involvement is
aimed at resolving those mat
ter which have caused the in
ternal conOict.
The first time the branch was
put under and dministrator
ship was in March, 1985. At tbat
time there were accusations
that the branch has failed to ac
count properly for .funds
generated by the 1983 Image
Awards Show.
Mance who is the assistant in
the current administr torship,
served a admininstrator in
1985.
Edwards, wbo h served as
branch president for 11 years,
could not be reached for com
ment.
'8 ack face
racl m trom
Ithout,
d erioration
from
w· hin'- AACP
8y Larry A. Stili
WASHINGTON, D.C.·
NNP A - "Racism from without
and deterioration from within"
are t major porblems facing
Blac America, AACP Presi
dent Bejiamin L. Hooks
declared follwing a three day
conference on the "Present
Crisis in our Society" in the capi
tal.
Approximately 300 com
munity based nationalorganiza
tions, attended the essions n
the Blac family, Black-on
BI c crime, dult illit racy,
teensge pregnancy, unemploy
ment, the homeless, racism ,
intra-group vilolence and "or
ganizing the Blac community
to fight bac ", October 29-
November 1.
Although the conference
was designed a follow-up to
the NAACP's "Silent March"
protest here last August, Hoo
said the Current response was
so great it indicated the need for
an "unbrella gro p " of Black
leaders to mobilize their com
munities.
Participants urged' greater
suport and resource for voter
registrataion, increased partie
pation in the 1990 U.S. Census
count to provide more political
empowerment, and develop
ment of a legislative agemda for
the executive tated. "The first
thing e have to do is to get
Comgress to p some laws
rever ing tho e terrible
upreme Court decisi
Homel
The Homeless F ily Rights
Project (HFRP) is a program
that provid a sen of educa
tional seminar on I gal matters
of interest to the omeless in
shelters in Detroit.
The seminars are designed
to inform the homeless of their
legal rights, to prevent evictions
and to increase their knowledge
of housing rights.
Director Candace Crowley
says HFRP is an outreach
project run by W yne County
Neighborhood Legal Services.
She saysthe program has a spe
cial funding which is channeled
through the city of Detroit
Neighborhood Services
Department. The funds are
federally allocated through the
Stewart McKinny homeless act.
She say the emin rs are
held in each of Detroit's 14shel
ters for the homel . The semi
nar topics range from rights of
the homeless to information on
ho . ng rights. I
Crowley says HFRP's main
purpose is to provide the home
less with information that will
help them to hold on to housing
once they obtain it again, legal
knowledge that will hopefully
prevent individua from getting
into a homeless ituation again.
The project is staffed with a
part-time attorney Sally Roote
and a para-legal, Tyrone Jone ,
who alternatly present the semi
nar in shelters like COTS, Sal
vation Army and Interim House
on a regular bas' .
The five topi - ar . Right of
the Homeles , What You
hould Know Before Renting
Repair Problem and Wh t To
Do About Them, Legal and Il
legal Evictions, and Suing in
Small Claims Court/Collecting
Dam ges.
Crowley said at the end of
e ch eminar, the speakers are
asked a number of que tions by
individuals on matters that re
I e to their particular situation
for
learn rights
If an attorney is presenting the
seminar, he/she will provide, on
a 0 e-to-one basis, counseling
assistance.
Crowley says HFRP has a six
month contract with the city of
Detroit to pu on 60 seminars in
she er nd ten seminars in
community centers.
Crowley as that any com
munity center interested in
having HFRP present their
series of seminars and wor
with them in thering an
audience that could benefit
from the information to cont ct
The Homeless Family Rights .
Project at (313) 962-0466.
Plan to honor
Leland ignites
raelal furo
HOUSTON. TEXAS-A
proposal to rename Houston's
Intercontinental Airport in
honor of late Congressman
Mickey Leland has ignited a ra
cial furo in the city. The con
trover y came to light when a
white member of the city coun
cil Jim ,Westmore land
responded to the proposal by
telling a group of reporters th y
should just rename the airport
"Nigger Internation."
T e comments prompted
hundreds of Black to jam a city
council meeting to demand
Westmoreland' resignation.
Westmoreland ha admitted
the racial slur refu ed to resign.
Meanwhile, it wa later
revealed that there had been
heavy white oppo ition to the
propo al prior to th slur. The
sponsor f the bill Leland friend
Rodney Elli aid much f the
opposition "seemed racially
motivated."
Leland w very popul r
amon Ho ton BI c s. He nd
fifteen others di d Augu t 7
when their plane cr hed while
on a famine relief mis ion in
Ethi pi .