..
.'
And d pite all t African f
in the Ointor: Admini. tration, there
i no m ingful African poli y. The
hOJ11 000 probl ms of Africa are
b ically bein ignored.
ion to get the protection."
Clinton a "new Dem rat"
capitalized on thi conservative eli­
m e h rourted"R gan Demo­
era "during the campaign.
Welfare bashing and blaming t
poor fo r th fail ures of a flaw d econ­
omy becam a favorite ta tic of can­
didat Clinton. And civil right and
affirmative action were completely
downplayed during the campaign.
T B C mas es may be
hurting, and BI people may till
be victimized by discrimination and
cist attac ,but Clinton' approach
is not to ay or do anythi ng that might
up et the good up tanding white
fo who esupport the "new Demo­
crats" n d to tay in power. '
Hence. Blac people hould not
be shocked that President Clinton re­
turned to th familiar themes.of wel­
fare bashing when recent polls
showed his approval ratings slipping.
Black people hould not be
stunned that Clinton acked th
nomination of hi old "friend" Lani
Guinier for Attorney General, when
conservatives and some weak kneed
liberals and moderates howled that
her academic wri tings seemed to be
a bit too progres ive on the matter of
protecting ·the rights of oppre ed
and victimized minorities.
BLACK PEOPLE should not be
surprised that the same Bill Climon
who attacked Sister Soulj����l
respected Jesse Jackson, ! ap)
Bill Clinton who executed a mentally
deficient Black prisoner to make the
point that he is for the death penalty,
certainly Black people were not dis­
mayed that this same Bill Clinton
sacrificed Lani Guinier to hore up
his image a moderate-centralis L
Nor should BI k people be
hocked that Clinton, in order to re­
assure white folks that he really i a
new Democrat and n t n f th e
antiquated liberals, brought in David
Gergen, a conservative Republic to
. be a Senior Advi or and new Com­
munications Director.
David Gergen, wh erved as th
Communications Director and a key
message maker and image maker for
Ronald Reagan, is exactly what th
doctor order to perfect Clinton' re­
vised version of Reagani m.
BLA K PEOPL should n t be
urpri ed that Bill Clinton i h wing
his true colo . What Clint n repre­
seats is a fusion of conservative and
moderate Republi an and Demo­
era ti c ideals.
Bill Clinton i a Republicrat wh
will never dvance a liberal-progr -
ive agenda to olve the. taggering
crisis afflicting the Black mas es.
Ron Daniels erves as President
of the Instiiute of Community Or- '
ganization and Development in
Youngstown, Ohio. He may be con­
tacted at (216) 746-5747. \._
many riots that took place between
1964 and 1968?
n w r: The m d of the nation
was pro-civil rights and the onom�
was relatively tr ng. Rcli io and
political leade p k and haved
predominantly in favor 0 the new
civil righ voted f r Bla ks.
Qu ion: Wh did the riot erupt
again in 1980, and continue poradi­
cally until even today? The were in
Lo An eles, Miami, Atlanta and
variou other citi following th
verdict of "inn nt" In th [irst trial
of police 0 lC r: char, ted � ith beat­
ing Rodn lA.I.lo...I-H'r" __
Bl
h und nd ci m
n m [or medi
ndid h ron
m di hich 1 in th rd to con the
y the w nt conf ion i uncertain. Either
eecsuse th ir ndid i meone other th n cPh ii, or
their 0 n racism ref to reco ni Blae fol have
t e ht I·d nnin on. ore than 11 ely, it i comb •
on of t o.
The new pspe
e vo hould wary of one of her opponen who
ality a n of ubu ni
power nd control, th� ne
hi .
Color 0 the city inh bi n i irrelev nt. Suburb nite
hould not control city w rand wer board pluck lucrative
non-bid contr ct or hold down city job . Wby would
McPh it' w ming am t uch xploitation racial ta -
ment? And why would the media e it in racial term ?
Th m dia h no problem rh Warren folk contrc.ling
W rr n r ur ; 0 land County in charg of its board or
Bloomfi Id for Bloomi . If it isn't racism for tho political
leaders to appoint and control their boards and commi ion,
their city contracts and job, then it imply isn't raci t for
Detroi rs to control Detroit.
M Ph il w s iddre ing a very real i u . Suburban gis­
lators ar launching inv tigations into the Detroit wer and
. wa r boards. The inv tigations r thin smoke scr ens to hide
a mpts to take control of th Detroit resources. The: West
BI mf Id lawmaker ordering the pro is the very same
lawmak r who has introduced legi lation for two years running
that would ize control of the water and wer board from
Detroit for their own uburban croni " ow, that is racist.
The daily papers which are manned, owned, run and pub­
Ii h d by fol who are as much at home in the city or with
Black folks as they would be on Mars with Martians have no
expertise with racism other than practicing it. They need, in
fact, to look up raci m in the dictionary where they would see
it i very much connected to power, is in {i ct the use of power
on a racial basis.
As the pre uses its considerable power to call racism, it in
fact e rcise racism by manipulating the campaign discus­
ion. Most Americans hy from charges of racism. For the
newspapers to call candida racist because they push for
If-de rmination is intimidatingenough to be as good as
reforging the chains of slavery. Ignorance binds, truth frees:
Detroi rs want control over their city. The fact that Detroit
is 80% African American does not mean Detroi rs are against
non-African people. They are against non-Detroit people teU­
ing them what to do or how to run their city.
Control and power. That's the name ofthe game as the daily
papers demonstra in their e 0 to control the cam . n
ba ,,'V ''''''',''
W : elcome ny candida 0 e citizen .
Detroit how to control and run this city. Detroi rs have very
little economic control and the evidence is everywhere in the
city, e pecially in its daily newspapers.
e
•
I
a
e
In the case known as Strick­
landv. Washington the u.s. Su­
preme • Court dra ticall y
narrowed the range of chal­
leng to the effective and
competence of counsel at crimi­
nal trials.
The 6th Amendment to the
U.s. Constitution provides a
right, in all criminal cases, to
"assistance counsel."
The 6th Amendment not­
withstanding, are people facing
irnprisonment and severe punishments actually receiving effective and
competent :assistance of coursel"?
You decide.
If your lawyer actually went to sleep during your trial would you think
he or he was effective?
This' what an appeals court ruled in a case named People v. Tippins
(1991); _'
"AJthough defense counsel Slept during portions of the rriat, counsel
provided defendant meaningful representajiPm."
What about if your lawyer was high on drugs=-dunng the tnal?
When one appellate court faced with j t uch an-instance in the
e People v. BadUJ (1 , this w their learned analy � ;
"Proof of a defense counsel' use of narcotics during a trial does rot
amount to a per e violation 0 constitutional nght to effective counsel."
(Note: Cou I edrrutted ing roin andcocaine throughout the trial.)
(In th case, Com. v. Africa, pecifically involving MOVE political
prisoner, MIke Africa, the trial Jawyer later admitted to daily cocaine (and
manjuana] use, but that I ue w n't raised on appeal.)
It would seem that a fairly competent lawyer, having researched the
.eviderce, would pay some attention to how his "client" VI d ed--at
trial.
ot so said a coun of appeals in People v. Murphy (1 ). "Coun-
el's., ming indifference to defendant' attire ... (though] deferdant w
weanng m wea hirt and footwear in court that he wore on day of
crime. did not consntute tneffective istance."
In all of. th real , th attorneys involved were deemed compe-
in their representanors, and their elf nrs COt1VICliOns were upheld.
Und r t ,"counsel" means little more than p ence by' a
I wy r at trial, � r even if he leep, even if hel i a drug addict.
md ed high t the trial I elf, It ain't no than cou I, under trickland's
tortured 10 ic, l"p umed effective."
. nus I j t a ew the many from ac the U.S. that 00w the
pov rty of th 6th Amendm nt (for more info ee EfIectlve I tance
n't M h," by R r Darl IT, Jan.IF· .' u 0 The American Lawy r).
In ingJy, th Amendmen to t U.S. Constltution are m rely
filler for dusty rust.ry 0 which have no pplication 10 real life, the
cou have OOwn repeatedly.
U IA
A�U
JAMAL
FRO
DEATH
ROW
,
front, ab­
solutely nothing been don to
fundamentally olve th cri i in
South Central Los Angel and th
urban ghetto aero this nation
where Blac people and people of
color languish in poverty and de-
pair.
CRI I afflicting the Blac
ni w rever more d v tatmg.
But the political right created a
climate where government i fearful
of adopting "liberal tax am pend"
polici to anevlaje tbe crisis. .
As Richard Moore of the South
West Organizing Project pu it, peo­
ple of color ate "the wrong complex-
"Excuse me Mr. President, but there's a guy here who claims he can
give you a hair cut much cheaper than $200."
,
,
,
By JA S ALSBROOK
Question: What is a riot?
er: Dictionari ,law books
and encyclopedias provide various
definitions from different juri dic­
tions, but all agree that a riot -is a
violent disorder committed by three
or more persons, who dis turb the
peace and destrpy property.
Question: Are Black people un­
usual or different from other people
when they riot?
wer. o. Riots have taken
place throughout history - even
long ago as 5 years before Chri 1.
They curred in ancient Greece and
Rom . They have taken place all
over the world.
Question: Why have riots talc n
place throughout history?
w r: Social ientists report
that m t rio involved hundr ds r
even thousands of .people and re-
ulted from "an aggravation 0 al­
ready evere economic, ocial or
political gnevance /' More than two
too and years ago in Greece, the
no occurred among the poor peo­
ple w were uffering from high
food p.rices, high ren and othereco­
nomIc hard hips.
Question: What is, the most fa-
mous riot In America?
. Answer: The Boston Tea Party
was the mo t famous riot i n America.
It was "a violent di order committed
by three or more persons" who "dis­
turbed the peace and destroyed prop­
erty belonging to oth rs."
selves as victim of unfair and domi­
nating power· tructures including
local or national g vernrnent, busi­
nes , industry or whatever authori­
ties were in effective control.
Riots in America were against
British authority before the Revol -
tionary War, against new immi­
grant from Southern Europe,
against Iri h Roman Catholic immi­
gran , against Asian immigrants,
agai the draftin of men into the
arm ervices, against child labor
c(nd ag t various other ocial con-
ditions .
Some rio were p voked by new
inventions that threatened men'
j b . Labor unions and" trike break­
e "oppo ing each other provoked
riots as America matured in busin
and industry.
Question: Why was the Boston
Tea Party called the "Boston Tea
Party" instead of a riot?
n wer: Because the hi tonans
who gave the not that name were
parti an Am ricans and not Bnti h.
Great Britain legally ruled America
at that time, the "tea party" was in
fact nothing but a riot. The nam
"Tea Party" I a euphemi m be-
towed on th event by delib rately
inaccurate American hi torian
who e loyalty and financial inter
were with America.
Question: Have group other
than Blacks been involved in riots in
America?
w r: Ye . Rioters, indi- '
cated above, are pe ns who are
uffering from mequahty, dl cnmi­
nation, poverty or oth r. trouble that
are usually ciru, political or eco­
nomic. Th e group I n America
have i nel oded the lri h 'the Indians
( ative Americans, the po r, and
various 0 h r group who w them-
Qu tion: When did large riots
tarted by white American take
place and injure Black Am rieans?
n er: After 1865, lynchings
�ere rio approved by police.
During World War I, thousan
o Southern Black cam orth
looking for work and were atta ked
by whites 'Yho thought the Bl ks
would take their job.
Question: Why was there a c a­
tion ofriots after 1968, in spite of the
-,
