BI ck youth i involv in imilar minor
nt , h 's no t k, n home H i arr ted, t ken to poli
nd book d. H h n has a poli rd. He ge
nalty of fine and p ible j il time along
u nt n lty of jeopardized futur employment
of the police record.
v r the y I h v witn ed police discourtesy to Black
m n nd women and police kowtowing to white people. How
n the proposed crim bill eliminate race bias of this type, gain
th r of all ci iz ns nd achiev the tat purpos of
prot ing all citiz ?
First we mu t r gnize the crime bill for what it r lly is.
I " 00" sid i h it would help to feguard th public from
th "harden" nd "dedicated" criminal who would go
wrong with or wi houtsocially victimizing or provoking circum-
tan s.
Th e delinqu nt p rsons have exi ted in all so ieties and
in all rae sin pr historic tim .
The "bad" id ofth bill i that it is predominantly a reaction
t.o th rio in 1.0 Angel and el ewher .
It is al 0 a poorly disguised attempt to ignore and mi repre-
nt provoked and instigated rage at poverty and racism by
r orting to pr t ns and decep ion. It should be called "The
Raci n� Protection and Camouflaging Act." But it has the
convenient but d ptiv label of "crime pr v ntion."
THE KER ER OMMIS ION years ago warned Amer­
ica that the racism produced the riots of the sixties. Racism in
riou forms produced the Rodney King verdict in 1992, and
00 uent upri ing.
hough man Mexic n Am r ican , white' and orne
ians were shown on videotape obviou ly participating in the
looting and burning at Las Angel ,thee is a strong d ire to
puni. h Blacks who w r justly outr ged by the verdict of
"inn nt" for th police offic rs.
ondition th contributed to Black people's difficulty with
polie have d v 10 d over many years, but here are some steps
that could b tak n to improve the situation:
• ive every Black child the id that he or she i a valuable,
w rthy and hopeful human being worthy ofresp t and dignity.
• Examine r ord all xisting police officers and new re­
crui ,ser ning for conn tions with the Ku Klux Klan, th
Ameri n Nazi Party, th White Citizens' Councils or any other
hat group. R � cts must be fired. Those found acceptable
hould b r quir d to take an oath to enforce the law without
regard to r th violators would be fired.
• U e much of th crime bill money to train poor people for
rman nt job . Th community is tter with independent,
U xpaying work than with jail d tax-con uming inmates.
Ru h Limb u h id May I, that Haitians come from the
"Bay ofre-NI
Views / Opinions
,
Lester's World
O.J. SIMPSON
,"
• 1"
HE JUST
KEEPS GOING
I r m mb r d that unny
Sunday morning h t in hi
old rockingch ir, roc ing on th
front porch, my grandmoth r
prep red for church. I watched
a hi body arted baking,
hands f1 w into the air, hi color
tarted changing, within c-
on , my hero w d d. H w
a heavy drinker, nd loved fried
nd picy food . Th ou id w
cIe n, but th insid d troy
him.
... AND'
GOING
B RB D 0 stated.
that much of our h Ith prob­
lem can solved by some v. ry
imple tep :
:-1 Early Checku ;
Exerci e, and a
Proper Diet.
Sound imple, but ome-
tim it take changing lifelong
habits.
In many 'of our households,
we are still on the" lave diet." I
remember ten y 1'8 ago when I
decided to change my ting
habits, there was cooking grease
on th kitchen wall so thick
that I could cut it with a knife,
from deep frying. That was the
t food in the world.
OKAY, ENOUGH OF the
preaching. What doe good
health have to do with the politi­
cal and social struggles of the
African American people? It
00 ursel Vi I ,
from r ism nd eco ic ex-
ploitation, then turn around and
kill ourselves with salt-pork and
gin.
I REMEMBER WHEN I
was young and food was a politi­
I issue within our struggle. I
was working, at 'the time, with
peration Breadbasket in Chi­
cago. W learned that th super­
markets in the white
neighborhoods were taking old
food from their helve and
dumping it in th ghetto mar­
kets. Breadbasket member
would walk into the markets
and throw the bad fruit and
vegetabl into the aisl .
The fact is, we were dying
be u eofwhatandhowwe t.
W must change. We must look
at food, diet and our bodi as
. political w pons of survival.
- READERS WRITE -
ions and in th n tion' highest
ri y pons.
Th only t of their
tori :
GERONIMO JI
JAGA (PRATT)
, n
.. AND·
GOING
orvrlght ". , q -------1 �I.' J I' ",., -------1\11 night. fI ••• ,v.t.I
By Bernice Pow II Jackson
. evidenc provid by th FBI
paid inform r who had hi own
vend tta 'agains Pratt nd sup­
press ing vot h r k y vid n
which was cruci 1 to Prat ' d -
fense.
ernt I n
Like- ; eronuno I rn t , P lt ic r
, + ims the t h WHS f nmod on
fals e murd -r chm gP:. which a
t.h "n u Its of a II ('tWO Ill! 'r 1 ){>­
t.wr n !'HI :t} ·I.,t and l ndums
on t h • Pill Hldg· Indian H ><; 'I
vt t u n III SOUl h Dn kot: in I! 75
In" hir-h t wo ugr-nts u ud n nnt.rv«
Am -rirnn W( 1 'kiJl I
AL JANDRINA TORRES
LEONARD PELTIER
Leonard P 1 ier i
n An-
hours a day and which has n
cond mned by Amnesty Inter­
n tional and oth r human rights
grou . She is not scheduled for
1 until 2004.
, wri :
n
Writ to
