BENTON HARBOR
D.I'U�'A - Some Benton H r
City
pproved three ye r contract ith the
Michigan G Utilities to provide ervi in
upgradin collectio for the City' r d
Sewer D partment.
"You h ve turned your b c on Benton
H or City employees, the union orke d
th citize of Benton Harbor by ot giving
them t ese job," Benton Harbor employee, John
"Sams aid.
Sams, P ident oftbe Local Union 1433, of
the American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees, ppeared before th City
Commis ion to k, why did the commi ion
contract out union jo to the Michigan G
Company.
Why? S ms repeatedly asked. "Benton
Harbor is a depressed area and this would have
been a perfect opportunity for this body to fulfill
over 1
ro
w
n
By BERNICE BROWN
BENTON BARBO - The City
subsidized Business Growth Center,
at the comer of Paw Paw Avenue and
Territorial Road is attracting all
types of small business activity.
John DeBoer, owner of Precision
Control Systems in the Center
appeared before the city commission
pleading for help of police
protection.
DeBoer said on several occasions
cars have been broken into and
batteries stolen in bread daylight.
DeBoer said tbete is now a bigger
prq "
owners in the Cc2l er witness young
lad! prosti flag dOWD cars.
He said there was not only
solicitation, but the prostitutes are
using the Growth Center's parking
lot to conduct their business.
h
Ii
Sy JEAN L BONNETTE "The program is designed not just
C!pIta/ New. Setvlc. to get people jobs but to train them to
keep jobs," Shiller said." That is our
LANSING-The Berrien County service and effort to keep
unemployment rate is lingering at unemployment down."
about 8.6 pe�nt. Nearly 3,000 , Department of Labor Director
additional jobs were created in the Lowell Perry said job training is a big
county compared to last year but the .. f hi
number of people without work also pnon ty or IS department but
increased. I limited funds could be a drawback.
"You can't spend what you don't
Michigan's 12 major labor have," Perry aid. "There are good
markets dropped in all areas but one, b
according to Michigan Employment . programs ut hey, what do you do."
Security Commission unadjusted The Job Training Partnership Act
work force estimates. and Jobs 2000 are two programs
· Manufacturing and construction sponsored by the federal
employment experienced the government and initiated by the
greatest increases.
. . In August 1991, there were 6,800
unemployed and 78,600 in the
civilian labor force. This includes
those where are laid off or searching
for new employment. In August
1992, 7,000 people were
uhemployed with a labor force of
81,600.
·
"WE ARE SOMEWHAT
accustomed to this happening out on
the street, but it suddenly hit us that
theY're now using something that we
feel is ours, our parking lot, " DeBoer
said.
DeBoer went on to say that the
ones soliciting were not older
women, but young girls not older
than 10-14 years of age.
"This is the future of Benton
Harbor that is doing this," he said.
"I'm not here to try to propose any
type of solution, I'm here to try to get
the commission to take a look at this
problem in the vie that that tbi is
, out)'outb that is doing this."
DeBoer stated that if the City
asked for help from the Berrien
County Sheriff's Department and the
State Police, they would help to
solve this problem.
Commissioner Charles
state.
THE JOB TRAINING
Partnership Act distributes about
$150 million in federal funds to
businesses to train woIkelS. Jobs
2000 allocates federal money to the
state. The state then distributes
funds to local levelS.
"We are trying to get down to the
local levels where people know the
problems and where they.know the
olutions to those problems and how
to solve them," Perry said.
Schiller said the Berrien County
area has some advantages since
Yarbrough aid he knows then; is a
problem with solicitation on
Territorial because he ees it and he
knows everybody else sees it while
they drive down Territorial.
"It sounds kind of drastic, but it
works, " Yarbrough said. "Your wife
knows, your family knows, your
friends know. When you get caught
soliciting, your name goes on a tree
in the area where you get caught at"
"Put their name on a tree, I
guarantee you they won't come
back, " Yarbrough added.
In Detroit, the police confiscate
the automobiles of the "johns" and
auction them off, just as they do for
drug sellers.
"WITHOUT A CUSTOMER,
there is no business," Yarbrough
said. "You can't fault the young
ladies for being out there fur trying
to make a dollar if they can, but
you've got to stop the guys from
going down there being customers."
Yarbrough said he saw a program
on television where a neigJlborhood
was having problems with a lot of
, solicitation. He said if a man was
caught paying a prostitute for ser­
vices, his name and address would be
put on a tree in the neighborhood
where he was caught for his family
and everybody could see it.
"I will do it later
on " is the brother
of "I did';' 't do it"
-African proverb
Fran nd Von W hin ton, of W hington Productio , In ., of
1 mazoo, ve completed or on vid 0 project t t may pl
their young company in th n tional edu tiona! poUight.
Th project, called "City House". will be premiered in Chi in
ovember by i ponsor, th tional Alliance of Bl School
Ed to, which it' primary concern th content nd quality
of education for the nation'
African-American chool
population.
"City House" i a eri of
dram tic vignette . featuring
African-Americans encounter­
ing ituatio that are of concern
in today's society. The vignett
are educational tool de igned to
provoke thought and conversa­
tion mong high chool and col­
lege studen .
NABSE, n organization of
more than 3,000 educators, is
"dedicated to an affinnation of
the inherent worth, dignity and
educability of Black People."
The setting for the unveiling of
the project will be November 18-
22, 1992 NABSE National Con­
vention.
THE "CITY HOUSE" idea was presented to NABSE by Von
Washington at their convention in Atlanta, GA., last November. In
explaining the rationale for such a project Dr. Washington com­
mented, "I have alway felt that not being exposed to. presentations
featuring African-Americans was one of the important 'missing-links'
in my education and I feel that it is our duty as educators to make sure
that it doesn't happen to present and future generations."
The Washingtons are aiso working on two other video projects,
"Screamin' Lydia" and "Worth", which are designed to entertain and
inform.
WPI is co-producing these two videos with Lawrence Productions
of Galesburg, MI. "Screamin' Lydia' reveals a young girl's discovery
of Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday, as she deals with self
image and her approaching adulthood.
"Worth" reveals several students attempting to get an education in
a volatile and uncooperative educational setting. The video will be
available through WPI and Lawrence Productions. "Lydia" should be
available by ovember ' , g release.
In addfdon, I· }" . , lifted for
home and educational usc. Titled ,"The WhoIeLifeo/SanJco and Kiki,"
See VIDEO, 85
there is no dominant corporation or
industry. .
$600
FOR INFORMATION LEADING
TO THE ARREST AND
CONVICTION IN THE
DROWNING DEATH OF
ERIC McGINNIS
Call the 'NAACP at (616) 925-4824
with information or to donate to reward fund .
Ber ien [obless rate steady
: BRENDA JIWAJI, MESC
analyst, said the 1 percent drop from
11)91 to 1992 is not anything to get
exci ted about.
: Njiwaji said the 200 people
leaving the labor force is a concern
but the figures are not a sign of
stgnificant change.
: "These rates are not as high as
some other areas," Njiwaji said,
"This does not mean these are good
times; 8.6 is not a great rate. It is still
lUgher than the national average."
· The unadjusted national
unemployment average is 7.3
percent, Njiwaji said. '
, Programs in Berrien and adjacent
counties are trying to improve
'unemployment in Southwestern
Michigan.
· Carol Schiller, Private Industry
Council operations support
specialist, said unemployment
figures continually fluctuate with
plant closings and positions opening.
THE PRIVATE Industry
Council provides job training and
p�acement for economlcaljy
distressed people in Berrien, Cass
and Van Buren counties.
NAACP REWARD
"This is not an unusual area, "
Schiller said. "Unemployment will
always fluctuate as it does anywhere,
but we have quality people here
looking for jobs and there are quality
jobs in the county."
The ruin ofa
nation begins in
the homes of its
people.
-African proverb