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V('l \'11/ NO 20 ApII17-13 1991 -
�O c c nt s
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. .
r
He
onl
Iv to a they
f1uen e d y r e.
Conyer dd that Bu hs
pack ge involve plan for
"more pri on , more puni h
ment, and more pro ecutor ",
which would "do little to top
crime in the treet."
C o-n-
r man John Conyer, n
Afrie n Am ric n legi I tor
repre ntin the fir t di trict
includin both Detroit and
Hi hland P r ,and enior
member of the U.S. Hou
Judici ry Committee, ch rged
that Pre ident Bu h ' crime
pac age would thre ten "fun
d mental con t l t u u o n a l
rights," and would do littl to
top tr c t crime.
Conyer warned th t
Bu h' p r o p os I would
o v e the "exclu i o n ar y
,
HE T TE that the U.S.
now incarc rate people t
higher r te for its population
than any other country . n the
world.
Stati tically. he say, the
U.S. ha douhled it pri on
population ince 1980, ut the
crime rat remains un
changed.
Conyer c II for "alterna
tive appro cne ." which he
say have been ugge ted by
tate and local enforcement
official including com
munity policing for com
munity crime control, gun
control and alternatives to in
carceration that emphasize
the responsibility of the of
fender to the community.
He added that .t he
pre i d ni 's package fail to
"confront the problems of
urban America: our citie ,our
ou n our hoots. n our
unempt nt."
"Until Ifort are m de to
olve uch problem," he said,
"the fundam nra l problem of
crime remain untouched."
Senate focu
YER maintained,
hould not permit fun-
d m n ral n titutional right
League, Arthur Fletcher, to be abridged in the name of
c h air man I U' S . C i vii. Rig h t fig h tin g rim e . We can not
Commi ion, and Senator win war on drug or" war on
Terry Sanford, (D.N.C.). c r i m at tQe expen e of in-
The Commi ion will ho t a dividual c n titutional liber
National Con erence on the tie."
Statu of African-American Cony r s al 0 criticized
Males on May 22-24 in Bu h' propo al "for further
Wa hington, D.C. t the Ornni u e of the death pen Ity," tat-
Shoreham Hotel. ing the GAO re le a ed a tudy
Othe n invited p rticipants maint ining raci m affect
in the hearing were: Dr. the u e of the de th penalty
Height. Eddie William. t� n tho e who kill Black vic-
p� nt, Jo n nt r r t m .
l'oH , d nnmi 4 Conyer upport the r cis.
s rud!e • Dr. Margar t Bcal ju tice i , which wo�ld
Spene r , of Emory Univ r- pre�ent government fro�.lm-
ity, Dr. Billy E. Jone ,Gom- po i ng death entence In a
r a c i a I l y di proportionate
See MALES, Pag 8 manner."
es on young Black males
,
Capital New
ervlce
affecting young Black male
in this country.'
Committee Chairman
e nato r Donald W. Ri gte , Jr.
(D-Mich aid, in convening
the roundtable hearing,
"Young Black men today fact:
problems that stack the odd
against them. We cannot
stand by while so many
American fall behind. Our
challenge i to work together
to find so lu ti o ns ."
th 1 wi
00 . L. Do ug la t lde r, of
Virginia, aid, "I i ironic
that a great many of the same
men and women .who served
thi nation 0 valiantly in our
effort to free Kuwait ... will
be returning to this country
only to be caught in the cros -
fire of another war, one which
rages, even as I speak, in
street acro s thi nation. It'
a war in which a to often
Black Americans are victimiz
ing and killing one another."
Special to Midisan Cili1.en
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With
thou ands of Black oldiers
returning from war in the Per-
ian Gulf, a U.S. Senate Com
mittee hifted national focu
to the "tragic plight and
al rming crisis" facing young
Black male in American
urban ci tie .•
The Senate Banking, Hous
in a d Ur an f i Com
mUtt I nv l cd '8 n h1tit�t of
Blac policy maker to par
ticipate in a uniq ue heari ng to.
con ider new policy initia
tives and approaches for solv
ing the. complex problems
WILDER ANNOUN ED
the e tabli hment of a bipar
u an 21 t Century Commi -
sion on African-American
81 of h
c atrpe rson along ItH yot
David Oi nke ns, of New Yor
City, Dr. Dorothy Hight,
pre i dc n t , Nat io n a l Council
of Negro Women. John Jacob,
president, Na . nal Urb n
..
ctlorr' Of Justice
'Re
urr
by MICHAEL CHILLICUTr
Musbgon Co"esponilent
criminal.
sail ant had shot several time
an off duty police officer who
was Chri tmas hopping with
his w ire. The ho 0 tin g 0 c -
cured in the Ha bor Wi • &
Record shop in
Benton Harbor. Detective
Thomas Schadler survived the
shooting and returned to work
two weeks later ..
A clerk at the store spent
five minute talking with the
gunman and showing him
records before she incident.
The same clerk later testified
Carter was not th assailant.
Carter bel ieves he was the
victim of a "kangaroo court
system." After numerous at
temp' to overturn hi convic
tion and clear hi name, he
remain optimtsuc that orne
thing i bound to happen to
"correct this injustice."
"I was e t up ... used a a
capegoat because they
needed someone to place this
crime on-that someone was
CARTER' DEMMA
began in December, 1973, in
MUSKEGON-Fifteen years
ago, A YOUNG Black man
from Gary, Indiana was tried,
con vic t ed and sen ten c edt 0
life in Michigan's pri on sy -
tern.
Today at 46, he remains in
carcerated for a crime he con
tends, he did not commit.
Maurice H. Carter, is well
acquainted with the struggles
of incarcerated African
Americans that have been the
"victims" of biased judicial
convictions.
After a hig hl y publicized
trial, Carter was convicted by
no real evidence.
The trial produced no
weapon. no motive, no
fingerprint or other evidence
tying him to the crime. The
only physical evidence was
the perjured testimony of a
questionable witne s, who
later was sentenced to prison
for perjury as a h b i t ua l
Maurtce II. Carter
'small, predominately Black
Benton Harbor, Michigan. .
An unknown Black
8
·S
PHILIP ILLET: "Yea, be-
cau e, how can you represent
city where you don't live. They
need to experience the city in
which they re representing."