(P Two)
t of you know, 1-
though I m originally from
t t Co t, I m currently
college dmini trator ba ed
in LA County. One wee
fter LA erupted, I w in­
.vited to pea at a college
.forum which w designed to
'reflect on th ituation.
The following were orne
of my thoughts and com-
men. Some time ha
p ed, but I offer thi two
p rt column as another point
of reference for an important
period that college tudents
re entering.
Ye , the ROdney King
beating, the Rodney King
whipping was and is about
clas and ethnicity, but le
about class in my view. Just
• sk Wesley, Snipe , Blair
-Underwood, Lavar Burton,
· Don Jackson, Al Joyner, etc.
When the verdict was
handed down and the ci ty
'erupted, one of the easiest
: things that I could have done
· was rush to an open mike and
declare myself to be the
leader of African American
students. Some prominent
personalities did. That
would have been one politi­
cally correct thing to do.
BUT I TRY not to make
decisions based on election
, time, tenure time or show
: time. I am not, however,
suggesting that most of the
: people who immediately
· protested were insincere. In
· fact, many excellent points
, were registered.
N!>, my office didn't rush
to the mike or to be at the
head of the protest rally. We
did, however, encour ge tu­
dents to express their outrage
of the verdict by any means
that they deemed ap-
, propriate, such as marches,
· rallies or classroom discus­
sions.
At the same time, we offi­
· cially chose to utilize and en­
: courage students to use
: another time proven strategy.
· "Keep your eyes on the
: prize."
From this point on, dedi­
cate your studies and future
careers to. addressing and
reversing some of the inequi­
ties that you see around you.
Now is the time to connect
. with those who can help you
: position yourselves for future
issues.
Yes, the people in LA, LA
County and surrounding
counties will need your
physical, financial and moral
, support immediately and
. long term. Be a long distance
• runner (educated and posi­
tioned to make far reaching
changes) in addition to being
immediately angry for a few
weeks.
WHEN I first moved to
California, I lived and
worked in Compton, which
borders South Central LA.
This past weekend (with the
troops stationed throughout),
I went back to Compton to
lend my support. I also went
into East LA, Koreatown,
Hollywood, Beverly Hills
and South Central (Watts).
The damage was thorough.
Several of my friends and
acquaintances who still live
in the African neighborhoods
of South Central, Compton
and Long Beach have told me
to continue with my positive
columns and get that doc­
torate. "That is how you can
be of most service to Black
people long range."
Yes, through all of this,
the African community
remains optimistic, loving
and forgiving, but today, it
has also been reminded that
"a war is going on." Class
and ethnicity are factors, but
less class, in my view.
HILTON: HIGHER EDUCA­
TION is designed to dialogue with
college and world read rs. Let's
talk. (714) 899-0650.
ever I ee
highligh th connec on
ce and violence in eri n li e.
The e enti I definition 0
"r ci m" throu hout merle n
hi tory ha been the y tem tic
di crimin tion d exploitation of
people defined u rdinate d
inferior" ci group."
And the force which perpetuated
inequ lity of m teri condition
between Blac nd white, the
ab ence of full voting and legal
righ , the u tandard p y t pl
of employment, violence.
During the period of lavery, from
1619 until 1865, few hit ever
que tioned wheth r Blac were not
inherently inferior to white .
Slaves were the constant victims
of all type of violence, from the
forced ep ration of familie to
systematic rape and whippings.
Violence again t BI c wa
endemic to th Jim Crow segreg ted
South. Between 1884 through 1917,
more than 3,600 African-Americans
were lynched aero the South.
The terror w a deliberate part of
a social order designed to maintain
the permanent inferiority of
African-Americans.
VIEWS/OPINIONS
hi in tum, rep violence
d inequali ti in it daily Ii
Violence by whi te g in t
BI c 0 continue to permeate
erican life, although it
m ni� t i elf 0 Ion er in the
t dition I orms of lynching or
terrori m g i t Blac le ders.
High te of un mployment, th
cl ure 0 b ine in Bl c ,
th proliferation of dru ,and tb
failure by government to provide
decent ho ing and health care or
the poor are perceived forms of
i titution "violence. "
Although mo t civil righ le de
and Blac elected offici I are
committed to legal forms of prot t,
nd oppo e c of disruption gainst
civil authority or vandalism of
property, the Lo Angel uprising
may easi; y trigger a eries of m ive
urban conflagrations over the next
decade. For the young men who
have been ocialized in a world of
urban treet gang , drug and
Bl ck-on-Blac murdet feel within
them a nearly ungovernable rage
again t 11 forms of power and
privilege.
THAT RAGE may express itself
into collective acts of violence and
elective terror imil r to tho e
identified with the Irish Republic
Army in the United
ve radical P tini
people feel th t 11
reali tic, effecti e
tablisbed order bloc ,they
m y move to w level of violence
which could be tar eied t 0 ci ,
prominent e ecutive and the police.
Th next tage of radical violence
could becom more ophi ticated
and terrifying for th authoriti . In
the end, 11 forms of terror re
counterproductive and destructive to
those who initiate violencc-but this
fact does not negate the po ibility
that this my happen in America in the
near future.
Dr. Manning Marable is
Professor of Political Science and
History, University of Colorado.
"A.long the Color Line" appears in
over 250 publications' and 50 radio
stations internationally -,
READERS WRITE
JoinDOM
I am back in my beloved home
town of Detroit on a genuine and
sincere campaign effort to have
Michigan become the first state in
our nation to light a capital dome in
the soft, warm colors of our nation's
flag on only the evenings of special
legal holidays to pay tribute and
respect to All of Michigan' good
citizens for their unselfish sacrifices
and contrtbutlons in building
Michigan and the e United State of
America.
This noble gesture will pay
respect to every ethnic, social,
religious and occupational diversity
who gave of themselves for all
mankind. Honoring all soldiers, the
homeless, disabled and all others.
State officials - many of whom
have given their names of approval
for this divine gesture - refuse how­
ever to bring the proposal before the
floor of the state house for enact­
ment. In the four years I have
worked faithfully on this dream for
pu h
us all they have simply ignored this
inexpensive, non-controversial and
non-offensive propo a1. All High­
land Par citizens are honored also.
As a native born Detroiter of
African and Gree extraction I am
asking those of our African­
American community to let tate of­
ficials kmw they, too, are a part of
this great nation and have worked
hard, dUfgently and faithfully to have
this great distinction accorded them.
They will settle for nothing Ie
because they deserve nothing less.
So, please, dear friends write to
your local newspapers, call your
favorite radio stations and write to
your area state representative and let
your voice be heard.
Let our Great Dome in Lansing be
lit-for All Mankind.
It is an idea whose time has come.
Andrew Anthos
Project Co-olrdlnator of DOME
Readers Write:'
Appreciates coverage
munity and your article was a sig­
nificant step in our efforts to reach
those individuals. .
Thanks again.
Kathy Evans, Director
Each One, Reach One
o
lac
'can-
upp d
Germ y.
The y purcha ed over 250
million in w bon , hopin t
their p tnoti m would h lp hield
them from r ci t violence, and
permit them to ecure greater
democratic righ . Yet immedi t ly
fol wing the conflict, in the "Red
Summer of 1919," over 70 Blac
were lynched, nd eleven were
burned live.
When Afri'c n-American
mobilized in nonviolent
demonstrations to overthrow the Jim
Crow y tem ge ration ago, they
were again confronted by white
violence.
The eruptio of innerclty
violen of th 1 w th t
ignificant demonstration 0 illegal
force by thou nds of
. n-Ameri , aimed g inst
ymbol 0 hi civil uthority
d priv te property. The urban
"rio " of 1964-1972 led to 250
de ,10,000 erio injuri , and
60, arrests. In Detroit' 1967
civil unrest, 43 residen were killed,
bout 2,000 were injured, and over
2,700 white-owned busine es were
torched nd vandalized, with half
completely gutted by fire.
Al though the medi described
th e cts of collective violence
"riot ," this ob cure both the
political element which motivated
thou and of young
African-Americans into the treets,
well as the degree of concurrence
for the e actions by Blacks who
tood along the sideline .
People committed arson, theft'
and assaults not because they were
"lawbreakers" or "criminal," but
acted in the belief that the
established civil authorities and the
standard rule of ociety were
structured in a way to preserve white
power and domination over Blac
lives. Thus Blacks acted in violence
against a ystem and its symbol
BL C CHURCHES and
homes were bombed; civil rights
leaders and community organizers
by the thousands were beaten and
arrested, and dozens of key leaders
were assassinated, most prominently
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
I would like to thank you for the
May 24-30 article on the Each One,
Reach One summer tutorial
program's efforts to get volunteers.
It was'deeply appreciated.
I believe that there are a number
of concerned people in our' com-
can be juxtaposed with "North,"
"West," "East," or even "Court,"
with equal applicability.
A people who once looked to the
court for enlightened protection,
now face only benighted hostility.
Nowhere is that clearer than in
capital cases before the Court; for in
America, let it � clear, beyond cavil,
that at the heart of this country's
death penalty scheme is the crucible
of race.
Who would dare argue otherwise
after examining the pivotal case, Mc­
Cte key v. Kemp (1987), where the
Court took a delicate moonwalk
backward ,away from a mountain of
awesome evidence which showed,
incontrovertibly; 1) Defendants
charged with killing white victims in
Georgia are 4.3 time as likely to be
sentenced to death as defendants
charged with killing Blacks; 2) Race
[of the victim 1 determines whether a
death penalty is returned; 3) Nearly
six of every ten defendants co jcted
of killing whites would not have
ten the death penalty had their vic­
tims been Black; 4) 20 of every 34
Black defendants would not have '
'MUMIA
ABU.JAM
naw, You have to go
get aJob J
Sorry­
New regulatlone; 5ay'
that you don't qualify for
college financial ald.
Ca6h or, charge. unless you're
on General AS515tance I
"It is about time the Court faced
the fact that the white people in the
South don't like the colored
people ... "
Wm. H. Rehnquist, law clerk,
1953
A light-skinned Native of Lenare
lineage sidles up to a fellow prisoner
in a nearby steel cage for a bit of
small talk. .
"Damn, man-" the Indian youth
exclaims in his northeastern Pen­
nsylvania nasal twang, "I been here
too damn long."
"Why you say dat, Runnin'
Bear?"
"Well cuz I caught myself
sayin"poh-leece' insteada 'puh­
lease,' [police] and 'fo' in teada
'four." '
The two men yuk it up. Gallow
humor.
Bear, for the first time in his life,
lives in a predominantly Black
"community," albeit an artificial,
warped one, for it is bereft of the
laughter of women, or the bawling of
babes.
Only men "live" here.
Mostly young Black men.
ade
Welcome to Huntingdon's Death
Row, one of three in Pennsylvania.
If the denizens of Death Row are
black as molasses, the staff, the
guards, the ranking officers, the
civilian staff are white bread.
were full did full recognition dawn
�hat the only men caged were
African.
Where were the white cons of
Death Row?
A few moments of silent observa­
tion proved the obvious. The Death
Row, block offered direct access to
two yards, one, composed of cages,
the other, "free" space, water foun­
tains, full-courtbasketball spaces
and hoops, and area for running.
The cages were for the Blacks on
the "Row." The open yards were for
the whites on death row. AU of the
men condemned to death-the
Blacks, due to racist insensi tivi ty and
sheer hatred, condemned to awaiting
death in indignity.
FROM
DEATH RO
LONG-TERMERS on the
"Row," those here since' 84, recall a
small, but seemingly significant
event that took place back then.
Maintenance and construction
staff, forced by a state court order
and state statue to provide men with
a minimum of two hours daily out­
side exercise, rather than the cus­
tomary 15 minutes every other day,
erected a number of steel, cyclone­
fenced boxes, which strikingly
resemble dog runs, or pet pens. Al­
though staff assured inmates that the
pens would be used only fordiscipli­
nary case , the construction ended ,
and the assurances were put to the
test.
The first day after completion of
the cages, death cases, all free of any
disciplinary infractions, were mar­
ched out to the pens for daily exer­
cise outdoors. Only when the cages
THE EVENT PROVIDED an
excellent view, in microcosm, of the
mentality of the criminal sy tern of
injustice, uffused by the toxin of
racism.
The notes of a youthful law clerk
of 1953, are the ruling opinions of
America' highest court of today.
The clerk of yesteryear, is today's
Chief Justice, and the word "South"
received the death entence had their
victims been Black; and 5) Case
involving Black defendants and
whi te victims are more likely to
result in a death entence than cases
featuring 'any other racial combina­
tion of defendant and victim.
McCleskey' claims, wrote the
Court' centrist, Justice Powell can-
, ,
not prevail, because " ... taken to its
logical conclusion, [McCleskey]
t�w into erio que tion the prin­
s that underlie our entire
,
See FADE, A10