420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mich. Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints. Wednesday, May 26, 1971 News Phone: 764-0552 NIGHT EDITOR: MARK DILLEN Bittersweet victories JUDGE HAROLD MULVEY'S decision to drop the mur- der-kidnap charges against Black Panther Chairman Bobby Seale and New Haven Panther leader Ericka Hug- gins, is apparently the latest chapter in a series of fail- ures by the government to use the judicial system as a po- litical arena for disposing of revolutionaries. While in recent years it has become commonplace for various governmental agencies to bring radicals to trial on trumped-up charges, both juries and judges are begin- ning to-assert that they will not become the executors of the government's political schemes. An indication of this trend came less than two weeks ago in New York, where 13 Black Panthers were acquitted of 12 counts of bombing and murder conspiracy, after the prosecution presented a case largely composed of out-of- context statements, irrelevancies and appeals to racial fears and prejudices. In Los Angeles, the trial of Angela Davis has been de- layed while five prospective judges have been removed from the case. Three disqualified themselves because of friendship for a judge who allegedly was slain by a gun owned by Davis while two other judges were removed by defense challenges - but the message is clear - no one wants to hear this case. Three weeks ago, charges of threatening the life of the President were dropped against Panther Chief of Staff David Hilliard after a judge ruled that illegal government wiretaps would have to be revealed in court. Thus, the government continues to lose cases against black revoltitionaries. But it cannot be realistically said that the defendants have won these cases. SPECIFICALLY, the cases have left deep wounds in the ranks of the Panthers. For example, in the Seale case, Panthers were compelled by the state to testify- against other Panthers, and there are indications that some were given reduced charges in exchange for their testimony. Also, these trials have been extremely long, and the cost of legal help has left the Panthers virtually penniless. The Seale trial lasted over six months, while the trial of the New York 13 was the longest trial in the history of New York State -- lasting almost a full year. In addition, these cases have kept many Panthers in jail for long periods of time. Huggins had spent two years in jail before being released yesterday. Seale, after spend- ing a year in a Connecticut prison, is still in custody, awaiting the posting of bail on his four-year contempt conviction in the Chicago Conspiracy trial, and some of the New York Panthers - faced with prohibitively high bail - were imprisoned for two years before their acquit- tal, THUS, THE RECENT court decisions in favor of the Pan- thers are bittersweet victories. Past experience indi- cates that the Panthers will continue to be harassed by the government and victimized by the judicial system, in spite of whatever temporary reprieves they win in the courtroom. -ALAN LENHOFF' Enforcing the housing code: Help where it's needed? By MARK DILLEN S HE WAS STANDING outside the office of Ann Arbor's Model Cities program, saying how she felt Model Cities wasn't doing the right thing in not participat- ing in the city's federally-sponsor- ed housing code enforcement pro- gram. "People think they'll (city in- spectors) come in and take ev- erything away and charge y o u more money than you can afford," she said. "It's 'cause they don'b, know that they'll help you." There was much truth in what she said. For while some of the low-income members of the com- munity are fearful of having their homes inspected for housing vio- lations - afraid they'll be forced to make repairs they can't af- ford - it's hard to say whether their fears are justified. This fed- eral program really hasn't been given a chance. Called the "Concentrated Code Enforcement" program, it has been in existence since July, 1969, and is aimed at renovating old homes before they require the de- molition characteristic of massive. oft-criticized urban renewal pro- grams in other cities. To some degree t h e ten-man city staff assigned to the program has been successful in reaching its goal. By increasing inspection of homes in A n n Arbor's older neighborhoods and using federal funds to help make repairs, homes in the designated area have been saved which otherwise would have gradually decayed. In addition, many landlords - especially in areas of large student population - have been forced to satisfy housing code violations which scanty inspections in the past caused to go unnoticed. Yet these plusses of increased inspection for code violations are outweighed by several drawbacks for a large portion of the area's residents. The increased enforce- ment area - forming roughly a C-shaped area to the south, west and north of campus - contains residents of many income levels, some of whom fear they won't receive enough money to repair all violations on their homes. In establishing the regulations 4 homes seldom checked by city in- spectors. The very idea of "en- forcement" created, naturally, a bad feeling among black residents of the north side area, who were afraid they would be forced ou t of their homes. THUS, THIS FEAR, felt by many members of the Model Cit- ies Policy Board - another fed- erally sponsored program in the northern black section of the cor- centrated code enforcement aresa -kept inspectors out of the model cities area. The Model Cities board specifically requested no inspec- tions. Bounded on the south by Huron and Ann Sts., on the east by Division and on the west by Seventh and Brooks Sts., the en- tire Model Cities area has been without the concentrated inspec~- tion - or for that matter any kind of regularized inspection - during the entire two years of the program already over. In January, City Council at- -Dasuy-immJuakis like to see inspected "for their own information." One of the community relations personnel at- tached with the concentrated code program, Jesse Hill, still expects inspection of the area to begin in a "matter of four or f i v e weeks." "We do have limitations in funds and there may be situations in which enough money simply will not be available to an individ- ual for repairs," Hill says, "but we continue to work with a fam- ily until the resolution of t h e i r problem." Hill emphasizes that no one has been forced out of his home by the renovation process and that in some cases money for repairs has been obtained from commun- ity organizations, such as t h e Black Economic Development League (BEDL), for help in meet- ing the costs of renovation. YET APPARENTLY, nearly two years after the start of the program and with only a year re- maining of guaranteed federal funding, these assurances h av e failed to filter through to much of the community and the rising dissatisfaction with the actions of the Model Cities Policy B o a r d on the part of members of t h e community has made the situa- tion that much more uncertain. Meanwhile, the f u n d f o r grants to individuals for home improvements is getting smaller thoughthe Model Cities area - recognized as the area most in need of repair - remains unin- spected and unaided. Though there are well over 2,000 homes and apartment units in the con- centrated enforcement area, with only a year left in the contract, only 941 structures have been in- spected and only 75 of these in the Model Cities neighborhood. And of the 941 inspected, only 386 have been "certified" - in- dicating the process of comply- ing with the housing code h as been completed. City officials claim they really aren't behind schedule and don't seem really worried that $161,000 of the $437,000 allotted for grants to people to help repair t h e i r homes is already spent - all with- out even inspecting homes in what is commonly recognized as the area most in need of repair. Some of the residents in the untouched Model Cities - many of whom are black, many pen- sioners on small incomes - have become upset that so little action seems to have been taken after learning of the plan's details. And students, scattered through- out the code area, but predomi- nating in the southern sections, are disturbed that their rents are being increased after renovations following inspections. FOR BOTH groups, money is available providing the regula- tions are met. Making them aware of this must be the pro- gram's top priority. 4 -i - t -- ~-- - ii &f# ,s "At the drop of a hat-or less-we find adrenal-fueled lawyers cry out. . ." -Chief Justice Warren Burger governing the program, the De- partment of Housing and Urban Development set a limit of $3,500 on the amount of money available as a grant to each homeowner or landlord. But to be eligible fora grant, HUD also said one had to be paying over 25 per cent of his monthly income in housing pay- ments, heating, repair work, etc., or be earning less than $3,000 per year. They also said that all violations found by inspectors in their searches would have to be rem- edied before a dwelling's proces- sing was complete. Although offi- cials said poor families would not face many problems in cost or re- location, the lower income areas have not been covered yet so how it will work in practice is any- body's guess. For the minority who were aware of these regulations and had little contact with the new concentrated c o d e enforcement staff, their skepticism increased; To them, the regulations would not provide an adequate payment for the hundreds of violations in- tempted to deal with the prob- lem by suggesting the Model Cit- ies area be "sampled" for a re- presentative indication of how great the rate of housing c o d e violations would -be. Then Coun- cilman Nicholas Kazarinoff (D- 2nd Ward) alluded to these fears of black residents when he said: "The Model Cities Policy Board has expressed reservations that the (concentrated code enforce- ment) program would bring hard- ships of many kinds to Model Cit- ies area residents. It has be e n suggested the housing commit- tee (of City Council) that a "dry run" inspection of homes in the area be made so as to bring forth facts by which the effects of the concentrated code program could be better judged." But since then, little, if any action has been taken. The few members of the city staff ac- quainted with the problem seem hesitant to push Model C i t ie s to agree to inspections. And th e Model Cities Policy Board, for its part, has not submitted the list of houses in the area they would .