"Our go
nee the
n y ruce, the
din 1988 a-
tionai Football draft, a
signed with t e Lo Angele
RaId a a Plan B free nt, the
team annoUDCed yesterday. After
career t Auburn, Bruce played
for the Atlanta Falcon for four
ea on. He u d at Hne c r
until begin converted to tight end
la t ea on. The Raiders plan to
play him at linebacker. A a
linebacker with Ati nta, Bruce
credited with 176 tackle , 16
cks, eight forced fumbles and
three Interception • As a tight end,
he caught one pa •
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You are at risk if you're:
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The facts are, glaucoma
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in An heim, C liforni , Wood
o ed the pro d the eri.
Almo t 2,000 f folio d .
during the qualifying round.
Woo , bee me the you h t
pi yer d only African Am rican
to win the United Stat Junior
Am teur champio hip 1 t um­
mer. He spire to tum profe -
ional after ttendin college.
Both father d on admitted
the prodigy w off his game last
eek., but w th experience
learning one.
"My game w n't there, but that
wa o.k.," Tiger aid. "It w a I n­
ing experience, and I learned that
I'm no that good. Eventually, I'll be
out here. I just have to grow up,
that's all."
"Even though he is only 16, Tiger
takes the long view of things," the
elder Wood said.
Wood's game displays great
maturity despite the fact that his
lanky 6-foot, 140-pound frame is
till growing. He is exceptionally
long off the tee, frequently driving
in the 280- to 290- yard range, but
y on Verdic
There are a number of social
demons involved in the Mike
Tyson rape case. One of them is an
old standard. Its historic and
systematic. It's white supremacy.
The so-called American system of
criminal justice is still thoroughly
racist
This reality makes if difficult, if
not impossible, for us to identify
the other evils involved in this
matter. Is this a case of an arrogant
and deranged athlete using his
awesome physical strength to
violate one of our sisters? Or, is
this a case of a money-hungry or
insecure model crying rape as a
result of greed, or some sort of THE APOLOGISTS and
post-sex rejection, shame or anger? proponents of American
A little knowledge of history jurisprudence will no doubt remind
and a good look at the Tyson jury us of Clarence Thomas' victory in
is all that is necessary to remind us the Senate confirmation hearings
that We still oon't have an answer before an all-white jury of sorts.
to either of these questions. "The system has changed," they
Like all other American will say. "The Thomas situation,"
institutions, the U.S. "criminal' they will contend, "is proof of
justice" system was founded and is change. "
maintained on the principles and We of course must note, when
practices of white supremacy. this example is raised, that any
similarity between Thomas and the
vast majority of Blackmen and
Blackwomen who face white
American "justice" is only skin
deep.
Thomas is a man who has sold
his soul. He is absolutely
committed to the most reactionary
white racist policies and powers in
America. He is supported by these
powers because they fully
understand the unique opportunity
Thomas offers them.
Seldom has any Black puppet
been more willing than 'Thomas to
serve as a tool for the
rationalization and denial of white
racist practices in America. Indeed
Thomas as a Court of Appeals
judge for a relatively short period
of time, wrote or cosigned aver 20
opinions which rejected Black
defendants' cries for relief from
conv ictions and long sentences,
and left them to rot in prison for all
or most of their productive years.
Thus when Thomas aCCUSed the
Senate panel of a "legal lynching,"
his honesty can be questioned but
not his experience with this
practice, He personally has helped
to "string up" a number of Black
"lynch" victims in the past
By CHOKWE LU UMBA
� Irperaon of the
Peop'M Org..,IZIItIon
Afrtk n
William Kennedy Smith case, the
Delorean trials and many other
cases demonstrate, the white
American fares much better in
American courts.
Of course "we" will be
reminded that two Blacks sat on the
jury in the Tyson case. Generally
two Blacks out of twelve are far
less than what is needed to reach a
reliable verdict in a case involving
a Black defendant. Moreover,
judging by the reluctance of either
of the two Black jurors to speak for·
themselves after the trial, one must .. IIiII • __ ._�
wonder whether they' were
committed to thinking for
themselves during the trial and the
deliberations.
•••
can'
NONE 0 WH T has been
said here cuses Mike Tyson for
raping Desiree Washington, if in
fact did Indeed none of this
even escus Ty on or Don King
for their pathetic participation in
the legacy of time-warped white
supremaci t criminal defen e
practices by .choosing a Caucasian
lawyer to handle the Tyson case
tru t i
"�I
• ••
y y.
Al n Der howitz
e ception lly trong in ar of
co tituti nal 1 W, aid ttorncy
Andy err, an Indianapolis leg I
n lyst. "The only re I
constitutional i ue would h ve
been the on of jury election." :
Tyson' defense ttomeys argued
unsuccessfully shortly before his
trial b gan Jan. 27 that the system
that picks jurors from voting rolls
is unfair because Bl cks are
under-repre ented
ABC revealed late last wee
th t Dershowitz, a Harvard law
peofessor, would handle the appeal.
The attorney has' been unavailable
for comment
Tyson, the fonner heavyweight
boxing champion, is w iting
sentencing on his Feb. 10
conv ictions for rape and two counts
of criminal deviate conduct in
connection with sexual ault
against Desiree Washington, 19; of
Covington, RI. Tyson f ce a
maximum of 60 years in prison.
DURING THE MAJORITY
of the time that we and our
ancestor have been under U.S.
rule white Americans have not
found it necessary to take an
accused New Afrikan (B lack
person) to trial. Charges against us
were, and often still are, resolved
by resort to the nearest whip, rope,
axe, or gun, or by an invitation to
joint the cham. gang - an invitation
that We could not turn down.
Constant rebellion, protest and
unrest on our part has made it
necessary in the last half of the 20th
century for the American system to
afford us the minimum appearance
of fair play. The appearance of the
same is meant to keep us quiet,
misinformed and confused
So now the New Afrikan is
entitled to a jury trial if accused
However, today the fate of the
accused B lack person on trial in
more ins tances than not will be
determined by the descendants of
the same people who historically
saw fit to brutalize and murder us
with out a trial, because of their
steadfast "belief" in the p'oposition
that "we" were inferior.people and
not full human beings.
In short, the jury that Tyson
faced, and the juries that most New
Afrikans face today, have more in
common with David Du e than
they do with . Wellover90%of
II Blackmen d B c omen
charged ith aime today ill be
convicted when tried before jury
with the am racial composition
the one in the Ty son trai l.
Meanw ile, the verdicts in the
while eminently qualified New make the important decisio bout
Afrikan (Black) attorneys are our lives. Self-help requires
av ailable. self-determination.
TY 0 -s INDIA APOLIS
attorney, James Voyles, said he
thought Vincent J. Fuller of
Washington remains the fighter's
chief counsel. Voyles s id he
wasn't sure about his own status.
Marion County Prosecutor Jeffrey
Modisett, whose office handled the
prosecution, acknow ledged that
Dershowitz was a good appellate
attorney. However, he said
authorities are confident the state
will win the appeal.
What Tyson's case reveals once
again is the ily dilemma which
confronts us due to our continued
SUbjugation to the American
politic 1, economic, social and
legal systems: We can neither
properly identify our problems or
solve them without self-rule over
the institutions and systems which
We must govern ourselves,
establish and control our own
courts of ju tice, chools, and
economic instituions if "we" are to
effectively make better life, and
protect ourselves from the evil
demons which lurk within, as well
those which attac from the outside
of our communities.
The State of Michigan Owes You.
r
If you are a DSS client or former GA rectplent, the State of
Michigan may owe you money for your home heating bill .
For information about where you can get help with filing
Michigan Home Heatlnq Credits, please call 965-8000.