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Mental health
treatment
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VOL. XVI NO. 21 An Informed People Is A Flee People APRIL 10 - 16. 1994
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conolDlc
,
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outh
r
By DONNA BRYSON
A •• ocl.ted Pre •• Writer
South Africa, white hands will
still count the mon y.
The euphoria gr eting the
first all-race election April 26-28
cannot mask the sobering eco­
nomic legacy of apartheid: n
About one-third of Blacks are
unemployed, compared to 3 per-
cent of whites. Most Black
households earn less than dlrs
270 a month, and many lack
electricity and plumbing, while
w bite families earn from dlrs
1,200 to dlrs 3,000 a month.
n Although Blacks make up
75 percent of the country's 40
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
- - Blacks will soon' replace
whites in the president's. office
and Parliament. But in banks
and boardrooms throughout
o
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o
o
By RON SEIGEL I
, S I_I to the Michl _n Citizen
IDGBLAND PARK - At its
April 4 meeting, the Highland
Park School Board approved
proposals made by Dr. Eugene
Cain, School Superintendent, for
a reorganization of the Highland
park School District.
Under the restructuring,
there would be in th next school
year:
- Two hools teachi ng kin­
dergarten through th grade.
- One 7-8th grade middle
school.
- One kindergarten through
second grade school and
- On 3rd-6th grad school.
discipline problems is moving innovative techniqu are neces-
into th high chool from th ary. He added that the state t
Bright n er. up n w requirements, and un-
Sever I te chers expressed less Highland Park complied
concern about childr n who had with them, the state could take
severe di cipline probl ms going over the city school buildings.
back into their old environ- "We have some teachers who
ments. Howev r, Cain said be- have not been evaluated for over
c use these' youngst rs w r 12 years," he said. "Teachers are
r ceiving ial training in mo- . wor . ng hard. What they are
tivation about and w working on d n't relate to the
providing 1 disciplin prob- co curriculum."
lems than avera s ud n.· In said principal are so
Cain's plan would also r - bu y dealing with disciplin
s ructure s ff positions, elimi- probl ms that they have not
nating I m nt ry chool· tim "to get into a c1 room" to
istant principals, th Di c- valuate teaching.
tor of Curriculum , nd th Direc- Cain told of a young student
torofFederalan Stat Proj , who motherwass rugglingto
st mlinin diff rent functions k p him in school. He had been
and cr tingjob i io I ' which hot, and had a four day old
we call ppropn t ." child Wh n Cain as ed him
what h wanted 1;0 be, the young­
r replied, "You know I'm
working on it."
CURRENTL THER
ARE eight hool from th first
through eighth grade and one
comm unity high school.
Under Cain's plan the alter­
native school for students with
eeP
00
'Two t
BY ROBERT TANNER
A .. oc,.,.d Pre Writer
COLU BlAt S.C. (AP) - If
South Carolina adopts a "two
strikes, you're out" law for repeat
violent offenders, Blacks and
other minorities will unfairly
pay the largest cost, say groups
that study prison populations.
Today, lawmakers will review
the proposal' financial costs,
timated at hundreds of millions
of dollars within the next 30
years.
But Black men, who already
make up 70 percent of the prison
population, will pay with their
freedom for many crime for
which whites would go free, say
groups like The, Sentencing Pro­
ject in Washington, .D.C.
The proposed law would man­
date life in prison for anyone con­
victed 'Of two violent felonies,
.uch mut'd r, nn ry
or rape. Three convictions on
8OD1 1 r counts still d med
violent, such as drug trafficking,
also could bring life.
A study ordered by the Flor­
ida Legislature of that state's ha­
bitual offender law found
wide pread racial disparity.
That law also imposes stiffer
penalties for those with previous
convictions.
"IF YOU LOOK at the same
million people, they own just 15
percent of the land, tontrol2 per­
cent of the capital and hold only
2.4 percent of managerial jobs in
business.
WHEN THEIR LEADERS
assume power after the election,
South Africa's Black citizens ex­
pect the new government to
make significant changes in
their lives. They may react vio­
lently if they do not see improve­
mentsoon
"We'll be in charge politically
and that must be reflected em­
nomically," said Aziz Pahad,
See NEED, B5
o
,
type of offender, a Black person
had twice the chance of having
the law imposed on them as on a
white offender," said Jim Austin,
executive vice p ident of the
National Council on Crime and
Delinquency in San Francisco.
After mandatory federal sen­
tenees took effect in 1989, the
white population in federal pris­
ons fell from 66 percent to 45
percent, Austin id. The Black
population increased from 22
percent to 26 percent, and His­
panics increased from 9 percent
to 26 percent, he said.
Mandatory sentences give
prosecu tors, who decide the
charges, too much power, said
William Gibson of Greenville,
national chairman of the Na­
tional Association for the Ad­
vancement of Colored People.
"It can be a call whether it's a
simple assault or a felony. And
this is a call, in most instances,
of a white prosecutor," Gibson
said.
"I'D RATHER SEE it with
the judge, where decisions are
made in the public, than with
the pro ecutor, where deals are
made behind closed doors," aid
Marc Mauer, assistant director
See PAY, AS
L w would
o
domestic violence
By ESTHER WALLEN
HE ADDED THERE are no
solid theories as to why the num-
LANSING - Spous may no ber of reported cases have
longer be classified' the only reached such a high, "but the
victims of domestic violence if a reason for' increase (in dom tic
new measure is adopted by the violence) is not as important as
Legislature. making sure victims are pro-
The package, which passed in tected and something is done,"
the Senate March 24, targets he aid.
anything from stalking to police Women's shelter officials said
procedures in handling reported that ike most legislation, the
cases. plan has room for improvement,
"We're' trying to give the but overall they are satisfied
criminal justice system more with the package.
tools to work with to stop dom - "It is wonderful- just amaz-
. tic violence," said Sen. William ing. It will give our law en for -
VanRegenmorter, R-Hudson- ment people the tools to protect
ville. women and children," said
VanRegenmorter, chairman Christme Warne, executive di­
of the Senate Judiciary Commit- rector of Region Four Commu­
tee, said the package will focus nity Service Center.
on three issu forming anti- The center assists victims of
stalking law , immediate ar- domestic violence from Mason
rests when orders are violated, County and 0 na.
and speeding up the process of 'But local officials say the
obtaining protective orders from . package does not include n w
the court. ide s for pr venting dom tic
VanReg nrnor ter said do- crime.
m tic violence has been an in- "The law is playing catch up,"
creasing problem in Michigan. said Chris VanOosterum, Ma­
In the first ix months of 1993 on County pr utor."M ny
more than 22;000 incidents were counti have already had simi­
reported in'th state, a dramatic
increase from previous y rs, h
said.
Ceplml New. Service
See VIOLENCE, B5
WORKING FOR CHANGE - Economic development was the hot topic which drew crowd to the
recent Highland P rk Chamber of Commerce meeting on "How to Get MOney Out of-Your Banker."
Among tho e attending (I-rl) Council persons Titus McClary and Greta John on nd Riverview
Me cal t ff m mber Deborah Scott. (photo by H. HIli)
