8 - The Michigan Daily -- Wednesday, October 9, 1996 NATI ON/WORLD Judges refuse to hand down mandated sentences Concerns about racial disparity fuel protest -m" The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Over the last decade, worries about racial disparity in criminal sentencing have erupted in furious debate, with black leaders loud- ly demanding that long-ignored dispar- ities be confronted and federal officials insisting that reforms have all but elim- inated discrimination in the length of prison terms. A more-resolute protest has come from the federal bench. Judges from Washington state to Washington, D.C., have refused to hand down heavy sen- tences required under the law because of concerns about racial disparity. To judges like U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter of Los Angeles, an ardent foe of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the sentencing reforms and mandatory minimum sentences imposed by Congress for certain crimes have creat- ed a lopsided system. In that system, a criminal such as for- mer Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega can strike a deal ensuring no more than 35 years in prison while "almost every Monday," Hatter said, "I'm asked to pass out sentences that carry mandatory minimums of 20 years, 40 years and sometimes life without the possibility of parole, and it's always to a young minority male. Always." Hatter said the toughest sentences are now strictly "applied to basically one group of people: poor minority peo- ple," who are not well connected or do not have attorneys capable of making a deal that "finesses the rules." Other judges across the country have complained about the system's unfair- ness and voiced nagging concerns that reforms mandated by Congress have created new inequalities in the way jus- tice is administered: Last December, U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson of Norfolk, Va., dismissed drug charges after pros- ecutors refused to turn over working papers to show whether they selectively prosecuted black defendants while giv- ing immunity to whites in the sam case. Federal prosecutors later said in court filings that they had indicted 25 blacks but did not bring charges against 50 other blacks and five whites. The case is under review by an appeals court in Richmond. U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall in 1993 dismissed the indict- ments of several black defendants in Los Angeles charged with crack traf- ficking. She did so after the defendants argued that they had been targeted for prosecution under stiffer federal penal- ties rather than state laws, and the gov- ernment failed to comply with Marshall's order to identify The race of all persons charged with federal drug crimes over a three-year period. The government appealed, and this year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the defendants, saying a race-based sele - tive prosecution claim must show t ht whites in similar circumstances had not been prosecuted. The case is back in trial court. Tax exemptions at risk in Colo. U Lawyer targets churches, nonprofit organizations Los Angeles Times FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Nodding to the beat of Irish folk ballads on the tape deck of a motor home plastered with political slogans, John Patrick Michael Murphy plied Colorado's inter- states recently to preach his gospel: Churches and most nonprofit organiza- tions should no longer be exempt from property taxes. With a personal campaign contribu- tion of $60,000, the Colorado Springs trial lawyer managed the improbable feat of getting a state initiative on the November ballot to end tax exemptions for 8,300 churches and nonprofit groups - including the Boy Scouts, Easter Seals, Moose and Elk lodges, Meals-on-Wheels and Planned Parenthood. Facing opponents that include every church and nonprofit group in the state and a political coalition that hopes to raise $750,000 for TV advertising time, market research and campaign manage- ment, Murphy is fighting a quixotic war of sorts. But he is sponsoring Amendment 11 because, he argues, if churches and nonprofit groups paid taxes, homeown- ers would pay less and have more money on hand to support community organizations of their choice. "They want to put horns and hooves on me because I'm acting like an American in a free and equal country exercising my rights," he said. "My point is simply this: Everyone who uses police and fire protection and other public services should share the costs of paying for those services. It's only fair." Behind the wheel of the If hand-painted motor home passes7 I that he calls / "Freddy," Church wi Murphy added: "If this thing biggest hi passes, theo Church will suffer its - John Patrick biggest hit Col since the birth of Voltaire." Mobilized under the slogan "Don't hurt the helpers," opponents fear what they believe could be a death knell for local community services and a bell- wether issue that may resonate nation- wide among increasingly tax-conscious middle-class citizens. "If this thing gets serious considera- tion in Colorado, we will see it pro- posed elsewhere," said Greg Kail;,a- spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver. "This at a time when the welfare reform bill is asking people, not government, to shoulder the burden of taking care of the most vul- nerable populations." Recent polls showed the campaign against the initiative leading, 49 percent to 39 percent. The thngff m Ie catholic ill suffer its it since the ®Itaire. " k Michael Murphy orado trial lawyer good news for Murphy and a handful of financial back- ers is that at least 7 percent of respondents said they were undecided. "My biggest fear is that this initiative is so preposterous and counterin- tuitive that it will lead to apathy and complacency on election day," said opponent Chris Paulson, for- mer state House majority leader and chairman of Citizen Action for Colorado Non-Profits. "Murphy is such a slick salesman that he has been able to obscure the watershed issue, which is whether or not society will turn its back on the helpers." U .0 1 1 EVERYONE WILL GIVE YOU THEIR TWO CENTS WORTH, BUT WILL THAT BE ENOUGH TO RETIRE ON? tapping an ocean of creativity, passion and enemy that, as far as we can see, has no bottom and no shores. " How would you describe GE's work environment? Open, inspiring, charged, fast-paced, non-bureau cratic, apolitical. We think you'll agree these are particularly appeal- ing adjectives. We believe in being "boundaryless." We're taking down walls that divide people, eliminating hierarchies and stripping out bureaucratic processes company-wide. And it's working. We are a 70 billion dollar global enter- prise whose extremely diverse range of businesses are number one ort number two in their markets. Others look to us for management,, best practices and our financial results have shareholders cheering. We'll be on campus this fall. Please check with the Placement Office for more details. We want to hear from Bachelor's and Master's degree candidates. I' you are bright, creative, passionate about your work and determined the make things happen, we want you tkib know we find these to be particu-3 Today there seems to be an investment expert or financial advisor almost every- where you turn. But just how qualified are all these experts? Peace of mind about your future comes from solid planning. From investments and services designed and managed with your needs and retirement security specifically in mind. The kind of investments and services TIAA-CREF has been providing for more than 75 years. WE'LL HELP YOU BUILD A REWARDING RETIREMENT. Our counselors are trained retirement profes- variable annuity accounts. And we're nonprofit, so our expense charges are among the lowest in the insurance and mutual fund industries* That means more ofyour money is where it should be - working for you. TIAA-CREF is now the largest private pension system in the world, based on assets under man- agement - managing more than $150 billion in assets for more than one and a half million people throughout the nation. TIAA-CREF: THE CHOICE THAT MAKES SENSE. f -1ykf c,,4,di~ a ailte"akie o in I i I