\ DETROIT CITIZEN A3
SEPTEMBER 4 - 10, 1994
e ide ts
sue police
over racial
incidents
A NOTICE
Custome
By HEATHER HILL
HARRISBURG (AP) - A cur- • ,
few could have headed off two
night of racial unrest in
Hanover and the- south-cen-
tral Pennsylvania borough
should compensate youths it
arrested in the melee, th ir
la wyers argue.
Police knew about plans by
white motorcyclists to cause
trouble and should have
acted even as crowd gath
ered in the town square, law
yers said Monday in opening
arguments in a civil-rights
lawsuit stemming from th
July 1991 disturban .
Th lawsuit, fil d by th
American ivil Lib rti Un
ion in U. S. Middl District
Court names the borough po
li chief and 12 other offi
cers.
Defense la wyers said po
lice heard rumors of a poten
tial dispute but did not expect
hundreds of whites to con
verge at the town square,
where a racially mixed group
of youths often congregated.
"No on knew that this
was going to happen," de
fense attorney David Dowl-
ingsaid. '
DURI G THE INCI
DENT, hundreds of white
bikers and town residents
shouted racial slurs and
chased the small .group of
Black and white youths.
On th disturbance's
ond night, whit gathered
near an apartment building
where the grqup of youths
had gone. Whites on the
stre t thr w rocks at the
building, and youths on its
roof responded by spitting
and inciting furth rut,
poli said.
ACLU officials argu d
that under fed ra.l law, peo
ple who have prior knowled
of a wrongful act but do not
tak tep to prevent it are
liable to parti injured.
Though non of th youths
wa physically injured, orne
uffered psychological dam
a from th eli tur n nd
th ir su u nt arrests on
di orderly conduct char ,
said Stefan Presser, the
ACLU' legal di or
"These young men and
women are entitled to com-
pe tion because they h
n hurt," P r said.
t
A landmark race discnrnirn Ion iawsot against the Denny's Restaurant
chain has been settled. Denny's has agreed to compensate all African
American customers and their companions who are determined to have
valid claims of discrimination on the basis of race or color at any Denny's
Restaurant anywhere in the United States except in the State of California
between July 1, 1987 and May 24 1994.
•
If you believe you have been discriminated against on the basis of race
or color at a Denny's Hestaurant, and if you would like to be considered for
a share in the settlement as a class member. then you must file a claim by
September 30, 1994.
I
p
00
Or write, sending your name, address, day and evening
telephone numbers, social security number and date 'of birth to:
Denny's Claims Administrator
c/o Rust Consulting Group, Inc.
54 South 9th Street, Suite 320
inneapolis, Minnesota 55402
C1