Business duo
charge Asl a
with racism .
By NATHANIEL SCOTT
S cl., to tIN Michl .n Citizen
mGlD.AND PARK, MI - Con­
troversy is nothing new to High­
land Park. And now, either
adding to the city's growth or de­
mise is a situation that crosses
racial lines ..
The principle characters in
the controversy are Yong Lee, an
Asian and the co-owner of a
storefront at 14467 Woodward
Avenue and African-Americans,
Vernita Humphrey, a Highland
Park resident and her partner,
Alexander Martin. .
Humphrey and Martin claim
they were racially discriminated
against by Lee.
They said that after Lee has
accepted a deposit on the store­
front, he refused to lease them
the building after: learning they
intended to 11 friean and Afri­
can influenced artand books by
Africans and African-Ameri­
cans.
LEE DENIED THE allega­
tions but Humphrey and Mlirtin
have filed a Civil Rights com­
plaint with the Michigan De­
partment of Civil Rights against
Lee and his co-owner:
The complaint was filed on
AugustS.
In the complaint, Humphrey
and Martin contend; "'We are two
Black individuals and we believe
we have been denied' rental of
this property (14467 Woodward
Avenue) based on race."
According to Humphrey and
Martin, on August 2 they put up
a $500 deposit and were negoti­
ating a five year lease on the
storefront. ,
However, they said, after the
See RACIS ,A8
By TUREKA TURK
Michl n Citizen
CONCORD, NC - Angelo Ro­
binsonjust wanted to get b
fast. What he found upon
entering the local Waftle House
that July, 11 morning as death
at the hands of the police.
An off-duty white cop started.
a confrontation by ordering a
crowd ofmostly Black customers
in the restaurant to "'line up sin­
gle file". An argument ensued
that ended in Robinson, hand­
cuffed and pepper gassed, dying
in the backseat ofa squad car.
Robinson, 24, was attacked by
the officer wielding pepper gas,
commonly known as Mace. Soon
11 other officers were outside
the Waffle House restuarant,
joining, in the attack and spray­
ing more Mace in Robi on'
•
Blac Belt Liberation News
Service, Robinson thrown,
face down, into the back of the
squad car which took off for the
Carrabus county jail. .
Robinson told the offlcers that
he could not breathe but the of­
ficers continued to drive, past
the hospital, to the police garage.
Robinson was dead on arrival.
Officials say Robinson choked on
his own vomit.
ROBINSON'S FAMILY
wondered whether the spray ag­
gravated Henderson's childhood
asthma condition.
Police say four canisters were
found at the scene, none empty,
but all had been used. '
y
The manufacturer of the
pray, called First Strike, ays it
is one of the ad t on th mar­
t.
Three of the officers involved
in the fray have been placed on
"de k duty", but not charged
with any offense.
local official focused more at­
tention on the tensions that
O¢-
med to grow within the Black
community a ult of Robin-
son' d tho
Curle were enforced, parks
ere cl , search for guns
and alcohol ensued, a store in a
Black community was torched,
and gunshots were heard in the
mall town, just north of Char­
lotte.
When police closed a neigh­
borhood par angry Black i­
dents began throwing rocks t
police, ho responded by turn-
ing tire h on the citiz
Police Captain Roy Coley
vised residents to stay i d
and prospective visitors of Con­
cord to postpone their trip until
S YOUTH,A8
Det�oit Mayoral candidate Sharon McPhail peels back a "sell-by" label covering an old r,
expired label on a package of meat at Tom-Boy Market as Malik el Shabazz pre ldent
of Stop Merchants Selling food In Filth, watches. Story on Page 3A. (Photo"by Wanda F.
Roquemore)
Firm spends years repair budget in fi st month
By RON SEIGEL
Michl lin Citizen
mGHLAND PARK, MI- Oliver
Cooper, President of Local 343 of
the American Federation of
State, County, and Municipal
Employees AFSCME, informed
the Michigan Citizen that priva­
tization not only applies to gar­
bage collection and landscaping,
but also many aspects of the
water department.
He said all but two peopl in­
volved in fixing water and sew­
age ere laid off a nd the
functions were put in the hands
of City Management Corp, a
part of th same contract which
authorizes them to collect gar­
bage.
Scotty Wainwright, adminis­
trative aide to th Mayor, con-
"'There are a lot of people out
there having fun. I don't think
the pollee have any right
closing it down. " ,
-Willi martin
"Friday and Saturday is t"he
only time 7 Mile is crowded.
Let the people party on 7 Mile
until school begins. It
-K lif Muh mmad
place to go.
Inner city youth I ck
community centers and other
activities. "
"It's a waste of time and it' a
good place to get jacked (your
car stolen or you may get
mugged}."
firm that this w corr
Cooper aid that th func­
tions of the Maint nance D
partm nt and the S w g
Dep rtment wer abolished.
Whil m t of th fuuctioru w
tak n up by th priva e com­
pany, City Mana ment, Coo r
said not all of th m w reo
was not cove ,Cooper said
there was no provision for han­
dling complaints about leaks or
repairing th m.
Wanda Linsey Bostic, a critic
of th privatization .policy, con­
firmed that v ry break in a pipe
made since th company took
-charge last JUly cost $5,000 to.
repair.
VOL XV NO. 39 A" Informed People Is A Fret.' People AUGUS T 1:) 21 19C), �
what
See EXPAND, A8
Steven Hair ton
-c rv en Tolb rt
hat do
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