Th Mchgan Daily1
Vol. XCI, No. 29-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Tuesday, June 16, 1981
Ten Cents
Sixteen Pages
Council hears
protest over
convict
By LOU FINTOR
Daily city government reporter
In an emotionally charged City Coun-
cil meeting last night, more than a
dozen civil rights activists, criminal
rehabilitation officials, and angry
citizens voiced their opposition to a
proposed city ordinance that would'
require city halfway house residents
and parolees to register with City Hall.
. Shortly before the speakers were
heard, Mayor Louis Belcher said the
proposal had been pulled from the
council agenda for consideration along
with a proposed noise control ordinan-
ce.
ACCORDING TO Belcher, the
proposal - which would require half-
way house prisoners and parolees to
register with the city administrator
within 10 days of establishing city
residency - was tabled in favor of a
"resolution" to be drafted by Council
member Leslie Morris (D-2nd Ward).
Many speakers, ranging from social
workers to gay rights activists to
University students, voiced their strong
opposition to the proposed city ordinan-
ce.
Ann Wadely, a representative from
state Sen. Edward Pierce's (D-Ann Ar-
bor) office, spoke against making the,
halfway house prisoners the
"scapegoats" of local crime problems.
Wadely urged the council not to support
an ordinance that would "give this
community a bad name." .
James Spivey, a Detroit resident who
said he had spent 36 years in the state
correctional system, said, "All of the
people we have in our prisons are not
rapists and killers.
"THESE PEOPLE are begging
society for a chance at being decent
human beings," Spivey said.
According to James Toy, a delegate
to the state board of the American Civil
issue
Liberties Union and member of the
Gay/Lesbian Caucus, the general wor-
ding of the proposal could conceivably
be used against people guilty of "vic-
timless crimes" - such as
homosexuality and prostitution.
Toy quoted from the biblical passage
describing the crucifixion of Christ.
"Ann Arbor is often called a paradise,"
Toy said. He referred to the biblical
chapter in which he said Christ was
placed on the cross next to a "convict"
and told him, "Today you will be with
me in paradise."
"What he didn't say was 'When we
get to paradise we'll have to go down to
City Hall and register'," Toy said.
CALVIN MICHAELS, chairman of.
the Washtenaw County American Civil
Liberties Union, said, "We believe the
proposal violates several guaranteed
rights under the Constitution of the
United States," adding that the ACLU
opposes the enactment of the ordinance
- "We believe the proposed ordinance
challenged in court would be found un-
constitutional."
Steve Freedman, another speaker,
described the proposal as one step
toward the "big brother" society of
George Orwell's futuristic novel,
"1984," and also pre-World War II Nazi
Germany in which certain citizens were
required to report their whereabouts.
At the conclusion of the public
hearing, individuals came forward
registering their opposition to the
proposal saying only that they were
totally opposed, and then giving their
name and address.
AFTER THE hearing, Councilmem-
ber Lowell Peterson (D-1st Ward) said,
"The opposition was to the principle of
the ordinance so that the resolution that
would be substituted for this ordinance
See CITIZENS, Page 10
Daily Photo by JACKIE BELL
A LOCAL ATTORNEY speaks before City Council last night. He, like many
others who attended the public hearing, sharply criticized a proposed city
ordinance that would require halfway house residents and persons on parole
to register with City Hall. Council members postponed consideration of the
measure, saying they would seek to enact a resolution instead.
Cutbacks, layoffs
iz t 'U'
Botanical Gardens
By ANN MARIE FAZIO
Daily staff writer
The University's Matthaei Botanical
Gardens' budget will be cut by almost
*6percent by July 1, Garden employees
said yesterday. The cuts will
necessitate laying off at least five of the
Gardens' employees and closing one of
five greenhouses, they said.
Acting LSA Desn John Knott would
not confirm the budget figure, but ad-
mitted that a final figure had been-
reached by the faculty review commit-
tee, along with steps to implement the
cuts.
GARDENS' DIRECTOR William
Benninghoff said he didn't know the,
exact figure but that "the cuts were
severe."
However, Bob Henry, one of four hor-
ticulture assistants at the Gardens, said
that the staff lad been informed of the
approximate 36 percent cut about two
weeks ago through stuff eings
According to the Gardens' senior hor-
ticulturist Bill Collins, the cuts will
amount to anywhere from $100,000 to
$105,000, but that "none of (the Gar-
dens) will be closed."
HE ALSO said Knott \ assured the
Gardens' staff that the current budget
situation is temporary. A great deal of
energy will be put into looking for
alternative funding sources, both
agreed.
Three full-time positions and two
part-time positions have been
eliminated so far, Henry said. He was
particularly concerned because he feels
the Gardens are already short-handed.
He added that with a reduced staff,
workdhas to be done quickly and not
necessarily in the best interest of the
plants.
About one-half of the deficit resulting
from the cuts will be made up through
the elimination of the five positions,
See CUTS, Page 9
Reprieve for Amtrak
A Senate committee has boosted Amtrak's federal allocation,
which would allow the railroad to continue offering passenger ser-
vice to most parts of the country. Officials say service in Ann Ar-
bor and Michigan should be largely preserved if the committee's
recommendation gets the expected Senate approval. See story,
Page 3