Bush's pullout
disappointing
EORGE BUSH was not a terribly satisfactory
contender for the Republican presidential
nomination. But Bush fought a long, hard cam-
paign against Ronald Reagan,.and it is disappoin-
ting to see him concede the GOP race to his most
unsatisfactory opponent.
Entering the race at a definite disadvantage,
Bush gained momentum after his startling victory
in the Iowa caucuses last February. But that state
wasn't enough to carry him in New Hampshire and
although he had sporadic wins in six primaries, in-
cluding Michigan just last week, he did not have
enough delegates to pose a serious threat to
Reagan.
Bush tried to appeal to moderates as well as con-
servatives, but he sounded too much like a younger
version of Ronald Reagan to give Republican
voters a real choice in the primary race. Bush,
however, had neither Reagan's name-recognition
nor his winning personality.
Bush's concession to Reagan and his pledge of
support for Reagan's battle-against President Car-
ter means the Republicans will be able to present a
strong, united front against the Democrats in
November. Bush's withdrawal will give the party a
chance to rest, raise money, and plan strategy for
the war with Carter that officially begins after the
July convention in Detroit.
The democrats will have no such luck.Chances for
a united Democratic party seem pretty slim. Many
Democrats will probably refuse to vote for Carter
and either support Anderson or stay home next
November. Blacks, a vital component in Carter's
election in 1976, may decide to boycott the election
all together.
Bush's withdrawal could mean a boost for
Reagan's campaign. And anything that adds the
least bit to Reagan's chances of becoming our next
president is both tragic and frightening.
S^ 6
-aua 1 H ap ws t eeo r9te
A BLACK YOUTH runs from a burning car during last week's Miami riot. The riot was the most
devastating in American history and was the most significant sign of racial dissatisfaction since
the late 1960's.
Roots of Miami racia
rebellion still liUnger
Miami burns. On Sunday and By Manning Marable people-was strikingly different.
Monday night, May 18 and 19, the The Concerned Black
streets belonged to the poor had a black population who wan- Organization for Juatice, an all-
people of Liberty City, Miami's ted to hear some promises for black collective of community
major bladk ghetto. On virtually reform," black community ac- activists and organizers, issued a
every corner cars and trucks had tivist Francena Thomas said. militant counter-agenda, listing a
been turned over or were set The white establishment is series of demands. Included
aflame. Hundreds of burglar "losing those of uaewho believe in within the ist was the rein-
alarma were ringing thia aystem. We've begun to aee atitution of the Bill of Righta for
aimultaneously along Northwest that the promise for racial justice black Miamians-the right to
Fifty-Fourth Street, the ghetto's and nonviolent reform is a lie." free assembly and speech, the
central business district. Huge Black youth typified the level of right to bear arms; the end of all
factory warehouses in the nearby activism. Youngsters under the curfew restrictions, and
Brownsville community were age of eighteen engaged in sniper economic self determination for
torched. Grocery and clothing fire with police and National black working people within their
atores were gutted after the mer- Guardsmen, and often won auch own communities.
chandiae had disappeared. confrontations. "Twenty two The McDuffie verdict was not
Miami police refused to answer caliber guns going up against M- the cause, but merely the fatal
calls for assistance in many area. 16s," reflected Thomas. "That's spark, that ignited the fires in
Only when 2,500 additional a direct indication of the level of Miami's black community. In-
National Guardsmen were added despe;ration that people feel." fluential black leaders like Garth
to the 1,100 who arrived on Sun- As the rebellion gradually sub- Reeves, Sr., editor/publisher of
day was some element of order sided, Mayor Maurice A. Ferre the Miami Times, had warned
restored. asked several national black repeatedly that the violence
Police encouraged, and in some leaders, including Andrew would be the inevitable outcome
instances, initiated the racist Young, NAACP head Benjamin of the historic patters of racial
counter-attack. Several black Hooks, PUSH's Jesse Jackson, and economic injustice in
men were shot under what can Cong. G.T. Leland (Mickey) and Southern Florida. Only two
only be described as suspicious John Conyers to "cool off" the weeks before the rebellion, the
circumstances. In one incident, black community rage. On late Times editorialized that "the
police shot a 23 year old black Tuesday afternoon, Hooks called blueprint for a summer of discon-
man who supposedly charged a meeting of moderate black tent in this community is being
them with a small knife. Blacks community leaders and en- carefully and meticulously
arrested for looting were often couraged them to counsel patien- drawn by the public officials and
segregated from white prisoners. ce. Hooks proposed a cooperative power structure of Dade County.
Looting suspects who returned to effort between white cor- The season's sun will add heat to
their parked automobiles at one porations and black labor to con- the frustrations of the idle
department store after being struct a coalition similar to one young. Neither the mayor nor
released discovered that white fashioned by Detroit Mayor the business leaders of Miami
police had smashed their win- Coleman Young in the early listened to Reeves-much to the
dshields, destroyed their engines 1970's. "we got the top white city's loss.
and had spray-painted all cars leaders and the top black leaders The rebellion has subsided
with the word "Looter." A few to work together to create jobs temporarily, but the root causes
black community activists even and find the money to rebuild and of the racial crisis continue.
charged that some National most of all work together," he in- Francena Thomas states that the
Guardsman were illegally sisted. Black former Miami bloody uprising taught many
providing guns to white property- Commissioner Althalie Range Miami blacks that "justice for
owners. contacted Ray Goode, Greater whites is different than justice for
Significantly, the numbers of Miami Chamber of Commerce us. Nothing that's not profitable
blacks participating in the head, Frank Borman, President survives in American society.
rebellion cut across a broader of Eastern Airlines, and Miami This is why," she concluded, we
class division than during the Herald President Alvah Chap- have ghettoes. And this is why the
1968 uprising. People who stood man to "assist us in seeking Miami "slave rebellion" is sim-
along the sidelines condemning assistance from others within ply a bitter prologue to the
the violence twelve years ago, private enterprise" to restore greater urban fires that are yet to
such as black school teachers, economic order. come.
principals and other The message from the black Manning Marabte is a professor of
professionals, were sometimes workers and unemployed in the political economy and history at Cor-
found among the looters. on Sun- heart of Liberty City-dubbed nell University's Africaiia Studies
day andI Moniday. "In 1968, .you. . ."grn .City."y its. llagk young Center.