EDITORIAL
Youth could be,
should be a
national priority
Young people roaming Detroit' Jeff r on Avenu
on a warm Spring night have triggered a minor
uproar. Merchant and itizen regi te r d loud om­
plaint with the media whic then added it voic to
the howl for "control" of the kid.
Mayor Coleman Young got on the b ndwago n an­
nouncing stringent rule and trong repercu ion
for teen violators and their parent. In the proce of
hi news conference he aid the kid in Detroit were
no different than the kids on 13 Mile, the uburb.
Though the Mayor is ab olutely right, "compari on
are odiou "because the comparison mi e the point.
And the yelling for control of the kid, is a choru
out of ync with the realities of our ociety.
From Wa hington, D.C. to Detroit, to Benton Har-
bor, thi i ociety at abuses its young.
ayor Yo ng 's propo ed budget would cto e two
re tion centers in the city. Benton Harbor has
already clo ed its rec center leaving the management
up to the chool y tern-if it can find the cash.
And c.:ommunity chool are no better 011 than
com m u ni t y re ere arion program. Ed uca u on a c r o �
the nation, nOI ju t Michigan i in financial chao.
Legislators from Lansing to Ala ka are toying with
gimmick to quell citizen disgu t with the state of
the schools. We hear about school of choice, nation­
al testing. We hear nothing about returning money to
the people for the people.
The average working per on will labor until May
8 this. year to pay the tax collector. For each dollar
Uncle Sam takes, S1 cents goes to the military. Each
day as we go to work, we should think about that. We
are laboring away, not for the kids, but for the great
war machine our leaders say makes us a "superior
power."
While our military might be superior, our educa­
tion, health care, child care and reacreation .ys te m:
are definitely inferior to the rest of the indu t r ia l iz cu
nations, and orne of the "third world" countries,
The old folks have their saloons and churches.
Young people have hanging out or crui ing-ci ty r
suburbs.
So, the differences in geography arc irrelevant.
The kids are the same, the needs are the arne. Wi 1.1
.this ge n e r a tro n of old folks do anything to r the
young?
Detroiter can start by insisting that the city not
close the recrea tion pro gra ms. Tri m the bu re a uc ra t ic
fat. Start 'with the luxuries the leader hip have ur­
rounded themselves w ith.i Take their car and travel
for a beginning. Put the money with the youth.
Then push the elected lead rs hip at the city and
state level to adopt resolutions of upport for laking
tax money for people programs: jobs, health care,
education, transportation, housing.
CITIZEN
THE MICHIGA
Published eaoh
Sunday by
NEW DAY
PUBLISHING ENTERPRISE
12541 Second Sf
P.o. Box 03560
Highland Park. MI 48203
Phone: (313) 869-,0033 / Fax II: (313) 869-0430
Western Michigan Bureau: 175 W. Main St
P.O. Box 216. B nton Harbor. MI 49022
(816) 927-1527
Publisher: Ch .. ,1 • D. Kelly
Editor: Teresa Kelly
Western Michigan Editor: B rnlce. Bro�n
City Editor: Derrick L wi.
Copy Editor: L ah Samuel
Entertainment Editor: Kascen Barks
Correspondents:
Bernice Brown - Mary Golliday - 0 rrick Lewis
William Le - D borah Culp - L ah Samuel
Nathaniel Scott � V ra White - Carolyn Warfield
Production Manager: Dewayne Buchana
Production St ff: Ka.cen Bark - Id II Cart r
The rna ses of
African-Americans
are catching hell
in th ghetto.,
urban
reserv tions and
rural wastelands
of this nation.
Bl
to turnout I
election d
Ind d om 70 million
pot nti I voter re un-
r i t red in the United
St te . T 0 third of tho
who re unregi teed re low
inco m people; poor nd di -
dv nt gcd people who re
victi m 0 the Americ n y­
tern of we lth and .pro perity
for fe nd mi ery nd mi -
Cortun for the rna e.
In the 198 election for
f the United
SO% of the
bothered to
H
u
52% 0 YOUR FEDERAL
DOllAR GOES 10 mE
Mill ry
52%
Non-military Inte,.. t 12�
..
Unemploym nt Compensation
2%
Natural Resources and
Environment 2�
Employment & Tr1Ilnlng 1%
Other
6%
Community and Regional Development
Wo
Pnpucdb\"
Jobs with Puce Campaign ,
76 Summer S
Bost n. MA 02110
(617) 33&-5783
I LIO
OF Black
Ttus "pre charI" r�flKls Iht true dl\'ISlon of your I led rallOcom� IU dollar
ThiS diviSIOn looks dllf�renllhan Ih� soY�rnmen"$ for IWO rusons,
1 Many milllary·relaled cos.s which are usU'.lIy krpc in �rale ('Iegom�s .,e combined here 10 lellerl
'he (OSISolIO(al military spend," Thew costs Indude Ih� Natlon.1 Of!fen� Fcncuon 050, military
r laleel in ernl on Ihe �bI, veterans, and Internatlon.1 SecUritIeS AUI$lan e
pliance with all treaties with
Native Americans.
- REPARATIONS FOR
AFRICAN IN AMERICA -
the U.S. government must
agree to begin payment to
African Americans for the
psycho - cultural. economic
and physical damages done to
Africans in America as a
direct consequence of
Slavery. . , .
Now that's program worth
figh t for! Poli tical ed uca tion
and agitation around this kind
of program must lead to the
-coe rce d confessions. Since
eve rybod y ge ne ra 11 y knows
that unrestrained power has a
corrupting influence we must
assume anythtng goes as long
as it's "us" against "them."
However, since too many of
"us" (g o o d guys) are now
"them" (bad guys), who ill
define "good faith?" .
Also, now that pol ice are
free to beat citizens at will.
does this mean ther will be
less stress and more coffee
breaks since arre ts and .con­
victions will come easier?
INSTEAD OF LAW enfor.­
cement officials being held to
a higher standard of conduct.
many are permuted every al­
lowance despite evidence of
immoral, illegal, and corrupt
activity. Even if police aren't
held to a greater standard than
the average citizen becau e of
concerns that they do a thank­
Ie s job under much tre ,
there should be no one so
great in ociety that law
governing J.O. Public should
not also apply to them.
The wanton abu e of law
by pollee. whether it' killing
citizens while racing through
town improperly or merely
mole ting children who eek
8id and comfort, de erve stiff
puni hment.
Kelley's word ound good
but obviou ly don't apply to
the real world. Retirement
through di ability with a life­
long .pension or a temporary
reprieve from the treet cour­
te y of a cu hy de k job are
in ult to tax-paying, law­
abldlng citizen. We hould
force 'must be an integral pait=
of the voter revolt against'
racism, militari m and
economic exploita tion in the
United States. We need a new'
society, and a voter re vo l t­
must shape up the old system"
to prepare the way for a New'
Domestic Order.
Ron Daniels serves as­
President of the Institute for'
Community Organization ad'
Development in Youngstown,
Ohio. He may be contacted at:
(216) 746-5747.
. .
The buck stops at the ballot box
slums and blight.
A DOME TIC MAR-
HALL PLAN - the govern­
ment must inve t massive
resources into rebuilding the
inner-city ghettoes and bar­
rio where millions of the
Black poor, minorities, poor
and working people are forced
to ubsi sr.
- ENERG Y ELF-SUI"­
FICIENCY - the habit of
foreign energy dependency
must be broken hy empha iz­
ing efficiency and conserva­
tion and vigorously exploring
Even If police
aren't held to a
greater standard
than the average
citizen because of
concerns that they
do a thankless job
under much
stress, there
should be· no one
so great in society
that law governing
J.q. Public should
not also apply to
them.
people, minoritie , .poor and
working people are turne d off
by the "bu inc "of politic
i nth e U.n i ted S I ate .
Va t numb r of people feel
alien ted and powerles ;
paralyzed by the id a that "my
vote won't count". My conten­
tion i that we mu t organize
the alienated into a for­
midable force for fundamen­
tal change. My conviction i
that a voter revol t can shake
up the ystem in the U.S. and
pave the way for a "New
Domestic Order".
The spark which can igni te
uch a voter revolt i a fight­
i n g r 0 g ram aim c d a t lib e r at­
i n g the rna e of Black
people. rni no r lt i cs . poor and
worki ng peop I c from the a f­
fliction of racism. militari m
and poverty. We must educate
and agitate. Wernust educate
the masses of Black people to
the need for a peace and jus­
tice econorny .a opposed to a
war and inj ustice economy.
It is crucial that those who
are the most oppressed come
to see that it is the respon­
s ibl lit y of a humane society to
meet the human needs of all of
the people as the absolute
first priority. A socially
r e sp 0 nib t' e e con 0 m y s h 0 u d
be commi tted to (it least the
by DANNY R. COOKS
Special to Michigan Citizen
"When a police officer
commits a crime, it is in the
best interests of all concerned
to deal with it swiftly and
justly," Attorney General
Frank J. Kelley said recently,
commenting on the Jackson
police sergeant's conviction
for sexuall y a saulti ng a long­
time informant.
However, the Grand Rapids
police!' officer who killed an
elderly couple- while chasing
an assault suspect without ac­
tivating emergency- lights or
siren only received a slap on
the wrist before being per­
mitted to return to the streets.
The couplet'S car was struck
when the officer raced
through a stop sign.
Further, a Jackson County
police officer convicted of
sexually molesting a 16-year
old runaway received only a
90-day jail entence before
returning to duty.
A long-time veteran of the
Detroit Police Department
'faces allegation that he
sexually molested several
girls in the youth group he u­
pcrvised. will he be puni hed
with orne of Kelley' "swift­
ly and justly" punishment?
A MICHIGAN Appeal
Court Judge also h8d hi day
in court. Former Kent County
Prosecutor David Sawyer was
"very intoxicated," according
to court paper when he wa
arrested for as e ul t i ng
ecuri ty guard thi pa t Sep­
tember t a Milwaukee mu ic
all be punished so swe 11.
In this era of "doing more
with less," improving the:)
quality of police effe ctlve-"
ness is es entiat. Toward thi�
end, corruption and abuse or:
citizens must not be to lerated,"
Police abuses demoraliz��
good offIcers and incite indig-'
nation and rebellion among
peace-loving citizens who"
feel threatened by such beJ
havior. .�
U n d ern 0 c i r cum s tan c e'�
should "to serve and protect'"
translate into "observe the n'
neglect." The. end result '0'(
such unfortunate excursions
into contempt for the rights o�
ci tizens and the rules of civi­
tized living by law entorce-'
ment authorities is anarchy -
the ab ence of law' �nd order.;
RESPONSIBILITY and:
accountabi lity are many times i
interchangeable in a:
democracy. Impeach and;
recall, however, are effective i
tool when u ed in a vigorous-]
Iy-applied program which'
holds office-hOlders account-;
able for jobs they chose to aC-I
cept. �
The founding father ofl
this nation instituted a ystem]
of check and balance:
preci ely bec u e the y under-i
tood the corrupting influence,
of unre tr ined power. Iti
hould never be anything less:
than unAmerican ror citizen!
to permit any form of un-]
checked authori ty-par-'
ti cul rly from those making:
and enforcing laws. :
,
..
. ,
festival. Despite conduct un­
becoming of a judge, Sawyer
is back to di pensing heavy­
handed ju tice.
Meanwhile, a federal grand
jury is exami ning allegation
that City of Detroit aircraft
were subverted for personal
use by police and city govern­
men t 0 ff i cia Is.
And, a Hou e oversight
committee of the Mi c hl g an
Legi lature inve tigated
Governor Engler' appropria­
tion of fund without the man­
dated Legi lative approval.
Into the environment Pre i-
. dent Bush deliver' to Con­
g r e s legi lation which
i ncl ude a propos I. to allow
illegally- e iz e d evidence at
trial, if pol ice acted in good
faith while obtaining the
evidence. .
Al 0, the U.S. Supreme
Court ea e re triction on