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VOL. XVI NO. 11 �/) tntoi nu-ct Peoplt' Is A Fret"' Pt�oplt· .JANUARY 30 FEBRUARY 5. 1994
Black males misdiagnosed as
hyperactive
AN 4RBOR-Restless, anx­
ious Mrican American teen-age
boys who can't concentrate are
frequently misdiagnosed as hav­
ing "attention deficit (hyperac­
tivity) disorder" or ADD.
The correct diagnosis is more
likely to be "agitation syn­
drome," which is triggered by
environmental stress, according
to a University of Michigan
tudy.
The U-M researchers, Oscar
A. Barbarin, director of the U-M
Center for the Child and Family
and prof r ofpeychology, and
graduate student Robin E.
Soler, analyzed National Health
Interview Survey (NHlS) data
collected through interviews
with a repreeentative sample of
1,458 African American parents
about their children, ages 4-17.
The NHIS data included in-
By AARON M. FONTANA
ClIp"" New. Service
LANSING - Even with a pro­
posed decrease in corrections
spending for the 1995 budget,
Michigan will be opening Mound
Prison in Detroit this year.
Mound Prison was completed
in June 1991, but was not really
needed until now, according to
Department of Corrections
spokesperson Warren Williams.
"Before this, we had sufficient
bed space," Williams said. He
added that opening Mound has
become an absolute necessity.
Despite this addition, the
growth rate for corrections ex­
penditure is tapering off, said
Mark Murray, deputy state
budget director. "Ninety-four
will have a bigger increase in
corrections than there will be in
ninety-five," Murray said. In ad­
dition, the recommended in­
crease of 6 percent from flSC81
year 1994, is well below average
16.6 percent of the 1980s.
Michigan's Executive Budget
for the fiscal year 1994-95 gives.
a few reasons for this. The Cor­
rections's Department has ex­
panded the use of double
bunking and initiated altered
work schedules to cut down, on
overtime charges for prison em­
ployees. Also, staff hiring has
been limited to only those neces­
sary for operations.
IN ADDITION to this, 1995's
expected prison population
growth of 1,100 would be the
smallest increase since 1985.
There is an expected increase of
1,300 for budget year 1994.
However, the prison population
will continue to grow because of
increased mandatory minimum
sentences and other increases in
ee PRISON, AS
ormation on general health,
academic achievem nt, I rning
behavior, ocial b haviors,
family structure and socioeco­
nomic ckground
"Th data present an extraor­
dinary view of how African
American parents appraise
their offspring, who are fre­
quently described tive and
worried.
IN ADDmO ,nearly half·
said their children were moody
at least some of the time and 20
percent . th ir children w re
o - in 12 no
their children more 'fre­
quently high atrung and fear­
ful," Barbarin eaid.
Under normal circumstances,
the vast msjority of children be­
come socially competent and
emotionally adjusted adults, he
noted. They learn to direct their
behavior, control impulses, fo­
cus attention and regulate their
emotions.
"But children who are ex­
posed to a number of problems
poverty, drugs and alcohol in the
womb, premature birth, family
instability, deathofa parent, do-
See MALES B5
Arta Extended G II rye Th exhibit
•• (photo by eralg HilI)
By RON SEIGEL
Mlchkl n CltlDn
HIGHLAND PARK - Chuck
Peller, pokesperson for the
Michigan Department of Social
Service (DSS) contradicted
tatements by Highland Park
Mayor Lin ey Porter about
planned developments for pro­
. posed city hall building project
and the building of two social
services offices.
According to Porter's plan,
city hall would be housed � the
old union hall of the Brother­
hood of Maintenance Way Em­
ployees, at .Woodward and
California. The 80th District
Court, the jail and Public Safety
Department would be near by on
the ites of the now empty Mon­
terey Motel and Howard
Johnson restaurant.
Members of the Porter Ad­
ministration stressed that.it was
necessary for city council to
chose a developer as soon as poe-
By CRAIG HILL
Michl n Citizen
Johnita Scott and Kalonji
Olusegun, co-chairpersons of the
National Coalition of Blacks for
Reparations in America (NCO­
BRA) attempt to raise dialogue
with President Bill Clinton
bout reparations for slave de­
scendants.
On the eve of last Christmas
and Kwanzaa observance, Scott
and Olusegun released copies of
o
a response from President Clin­
ton.
"We wanted our issue ofrepa­
rations to get out to Clinton and
his executive office hile also
letting them know that we exist
as well," Scott said. "We sent this
letter out to inform the public
how the president ponded. "
According to Scott and
Olusegun, President Clinton
avoided a direct commitment to
help N'COBRA convince Con­
gress to pay reperations-pay-
ment due for slavery and post­
slavery discrimination .
Scott and Olusegun also re­
leased their own reply, initiating
a second round of contacts. They
publicly expressed confidence
that Black people will continue
to organize 'nationally and ulti­
mately win the struggle for repa­
rations.
IN THEm ITIAL letter,
Scott and Olusegun proposed
that President Clinton support
the idea of an income tax "check­
off," whereby ch year people
would volunteer to donate 10 or
more toward payment of the
long-overdue debt, calculated in
many billions of dollars.
Scott and Olusegun pointed
out that the advantage of th
proposal would not impact nega­
tively on the U.S national deficit.
They. estimated that the first
year of the program could make
a downpayment on reparations
S DEMAND,A8
sible, 80 that the tate buildings
would be a part of the city's
building project.
"There is a time deadline,"
Porter said, "We wish we had a
longer time, but we don't. The
State of Michigan has to have
the buildings up by August 1,
1994."
Scotty Wainwright, adminis­
trative assistant to the Mayor,
told The Michigan Citizen that
was the reason why the city took '
only a one week period to adver­
tise bids.
However, Peller, speaking for
DSS, told The Michigan Citizen
that there were no t time lines
for having the DSS buildings
constructed. Although he id
the department wanted the
buildings built "as soon as possi­
ble," Peller said, "We are talking
about a year or two. "
PORTER SAID THAT th
reason it was 80 n ry to
build the municipal complex at
the sarne time as the DSS build­
ings is that if they were built
together, thestate would lease
the DSS office pace from the
ci ty. The I e money would
then pay the costs of the new and
expanded city government
buildings.
However, when Peller was
asked how much the state was
going to pay to lease the build-
Se DSS,A8
your
opinion of
rap mu ic?
- A lot of it is perverted and
racist ... a lot of unnecessary
language."
-It depends upon the group.
Some of it (rap) has a message
if you listen to it long enough ..
Most of it (rap) is too profane.·
- Jerry Cr tt nd n
• After a long day on the job, I
prefer to listen to something a
little more soothing, as
opposed to the 10tJd pulsating
beat of rap. �
-B �h dleon
- Sh an Hlte
"I think the filthy nasty lyrics are
loathing. More gospel-rap
should be incorporated.·