JULY 15-21.1910
Plan
O';'SAD
arch by 'Slack males
By Se I
Co"upondent
DETROIT - Black men
concerned about the "high
rate of dea th and
destruction" of African
American young people are
invi ted to see solutions in
a March and Rally,
sponsored by the
organization, SO-SAD
(Sav Our Sons and
Daughters) Saturday, July
14, starting at Hart Plaza 12
noon.
Darwin "Duke" Wasson,
the march coordinator,
suggests that African
American male children
and teenagers represent an
"endangered species"
exposed at early ages to
Black and Black violence,
dangerous drugs,
imprisoned at "abnormal"
rates.
"Black men have to
come together, united, and
care for tbe young," he
states.
. Was on suggest that a
major part of tbe problem is
a lack of self-esteem and
"positive role models."
Young people, he notes,
are often impressed by
material things and those
who have it. As a
youngster in Perishing
High School, active in
track and football, during
the 50s. he recalls that the
"main focus" for hi
genera tion was on the
athletes.
Toda y, he warns, in
many cases, the models are
drug dealers, those who
make money and gain
expensive things through
destroying the Black
community.
Those who make money
in legitimate ways, such as
doctors, he says have often
left.
Wasson suggests that we
must teacb our youtb to
stop honoring expensive
jackets, gold and cars and
look at "the quality of a
person. "
"We are out brother's
keeper," he said.
W son .. believes. the
very spectacle of men
marching to sbow they care
may provide other, more
positive models for youth,
but be emphasizes it is not
enough to stop there.
He hopes that men will
volunteer for SO-SAD
programs belping those
getting out of prison,
visi tin� young men in
prison who re seeking
constructive alternatives to
crime or talking to a
troubled youngster,
preventing him from
gelling into crime in the
first place.
Another problem IS
-helptng young people Who
wish to obey the law find
legitimate jobs with
adequate pay.
This would mean
helping young people
understand tbe
opportunities wbicb exist,
through. job fai rs and
for
". e
find
businesses to provide
services and jobs."
Wasson admitted tbat
tbere were difficulties,
because of white
discrimination and
redlining, but emphasized,
"We bave to find solutions.
ICHIGAN CITIZEN PAGE 3
We can t let things go on
and sit by, making excuses,
ratber tban getting out "and
putting every effort."
For further information
on the march and SO-SAD.
program:" "c(ill (313)
833-3030.
Conyers uses vote
.
to punish Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C, -At
a House Judiciary
COl}lmittee. markup
recently',' : Rep. John
Conyer, "Jr. (D-MI),
Chairman of the House
Committee on Government
Operations and a senior
member of the Judiciary
Committee, voted against a
$9 billion authorization bill
for the Department of
Justice, citing gro s
ineptitude by the Attorney
General for failure to
prosecut . o.� th Sav'n
d Loa" every:" .'
m ·vot n� g t thi
bill becau e am
s ufficientl y troubled tha t
Attorney General
Thornburgh has nor
vigorously prosecuted S&L
fraud ca e ,ha caved into
pressure from big busine s
and withdrawn "the'"
Department s support for
tough sentencing guidelin s
for corporate criminals, h, s
failed to root 0 t overt
ra i m within t BI, ha
att mpted to derail
moderate civil rights
legislation, has chemed to
keep his' own internal
watchdog in the dark about
leaks within the Department
designed to damage the
reputation of Rep. Bill
Gray, one of the most
re pected African
American members of the
House of Representatives,
and �s reportedly
consi ering a change in
venue to retry Congre sman
. Harol Ford in a district
with few African
American.
"Th S&L candal is the
larges fraud in the history
of thi country which is
estim ted to cost 500
billion to cl an up. By th
Attor ey General's own
BOY HOP 4 'MARATHO ' FU DRAI� ER - Ron Id E. miley (le ), corpor te
rr ir centr I region m n ger for Anh u r-Bu ch Companie ,pr ent contribution
to Emm tt ot n, bo rd member t Boy Hop ,d rin tee 001' "24 Hour of Hop
r thon" under i r. T e corpor te contribution, whic will provide ru d for
oper tin co ts t th r cillty, "d "oy Hope p rttcip ftt prep red for a r ce
round the tr ck.
estimates, one third of the
S&L failures have been
cued by criminal fraud.
Yet virtually no on has
gone to jail for these crimes.
The Attorney General's
failure to pro ecute has s nt
the ignal that th
Department of Justice
intends to look the other
way on crime in the suites.
At the present time there are
21,000 S&L.. fraud
complaints that hav not
been investigates. In the
face of this tidal wave 0 "
corporat cri ,I t year
Attorn y General
Thornburgh turned b ck
one third of th 75 million
tha t Con gress au thori zed
for pros' cuting S&L fraud.
In addition, Attorn y
General' Thornburgh
continues his efforts to have
the President veto mod rate
civil right legislation (H.R.
4000, the Civil Rights Act
of 1990) tha t wou Id
rei n s tat e
anti-discrimination law
that have been on the books
for the past twenty years.
Instead of becoming a
bridge to the Pre ident for
th civil right community,
as he once promised he
would be, Thornburgh ha
become wall.
"Inside the FBI racism is
still" rampant. Eight n
percent of the minorities
hired by the FBI ince 9 4
have quit becaus 0
Intolerable haras ment in
th workplace. The
Attorn y General h s don
little if anything to change
this situation.
. "All this adds up to
Attorney General
Thornburgh's Iailur of
leader hip and commitment
to fa i r pi y."