February 17, 2000
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Louisiana Democracy Project, Inc. is proud to be a part of SCN and help in informing the public on issues that
impact their lives by helping to distribute the Southern States Action Report which is a service of the Southern Catalyst
Network. SCN is a regional alliance devoted to combating prejudice and
bigotry in the Deep South. To submit news items regarding progressive work, organizational programs, news of interest, or
hate-group activity in your area, contact cfleide@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu**********************************
REGIONAL
CALENDAR OF EVENTS**
March
3-11
SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCH - The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference invite you to join the "Bridge Crossing Jubilee 2000", a commemoration of
the 35th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery March. Beginning March 3-5 there will be a 3-day festival
of history, music and art, followed by the march reenactment on March 5-11th. For more information, contact the National Voting
Rights Museum at 334-418-0800.
March
10-11
CENTER FOR NEW COMMUNITY (CNC) - CNC will sponsor the 2000 Building Democracy Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
The Center is a faith based organization that organizes against hatred and extremism in the Midwest. For more information
on the training conference, contact 708-848-0319 or log on at http://www.newcomm.org.
May
14th
MILLION
MOM MARCH -
The Million Mom March will take place on Mothers Day (May 14th) in Washington,
D.C. The rally is dedicated to the mission of educating children and the public about the life-threatening danger of guns.
Mothers from across the nation will encourage the passage of legislation that includes required waiting periods and background
checks, strict licensing of all handguns, safety locks for all handguns, and limited purchases of handguns. To participate
in the rally, contact 888-989-MOMS, or log on at www.millionmommarch.com.
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NEWS
BRIEFS
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FBI
Reopens Investigation into Slayings of Civil Rights Workers
The FBI has reopened an investigation into the nations most famous killings of the civil rights era. FBI spokesman
Mike Turner announced that the agency has turned over 40,000 pages of its files to Attorney General Mike Moore in the investigation
of the 1964 deaths of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney.
"We,
along with District Attorney Ken Turner (of Philadelphia), are reviewing the files and the case to explore the possibility
of pursuing state charges against those involved," said Special Assistant Attorney General Lee Martin. " That is something
we are actively doing at this time."
Last year the Clarion-Ledger reported one-time Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers admitted in a secret interview that he "obstructed
justice" in the case and was "quite delighted to be convicted and have the main instigator of the entire affair walk out of
the courtroom a free man. Everybody including the trial judge and the prosecutors and everybody else knows that that happened."
Bowers
never gave the mans name, but two confessions by Klansmen reveal the man who coordinated the killings of Goodman, Schwerner
and Chaney was Edgar Ray Killen of Union.
In 1967, a District Court convicted Bowers and six other men
of the conspiracy, but Killen walked free when jurors deadlocked on a verdict for him. No one was ever charged with murder.
(Clarion-Ledger, February 8, 2000)
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Eight States Seek to Post Ten Commandments in Public
Legislatures
in eight states are considering bills that promote the posting of the Ten Commandments in public, a phenomenon that was sparked
by the controversial actions of Alabama Judge Roy Moore who posted the Commandments in his courtroom five years ago. At that
time, the American Civil Liberties Union sued Judge Moore for violating the separation of church and state by his policy of
hanging the Commandments as a plaque and beginning his courtroom sessions with a Christian prayer. The controversy became
further inflamed when then Governor Fob James threatened to call out the Alabama National Guard and state troopers to prevent
the removal of the commandments from Moores courtroom.
The current flurry of Ten Commandments legislation is a direct response to last years
massacre in Colorado at Columbine High School, according to Rev. Barry Lynn, execut. director of Americans United for Separation
of Church and State.
Late last year, the Family Research Council, a conservative organization, announced its
"Hang Ten" project, intended to encourage government officials to endorse and publicly post the Decalogue.
"If posting the Ten Commandments and having a movement of silent prayer is the best people can come up with to solve
the problem of violence in schools, one wonders if they wouldnt be better off in another job and out of the legislature,"
said Lynn. "This isnt much to offer. Ive never known of a posted religious message saving a soul or stopping a crime."
According to Americans United, a Washington-based group that closely tracks church/state-related legislation, three
of eight state bills have made progress.
Ten Commandment legislation is currently being sponsored in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana,
and South Dakota. In Congress, Alabama Representative Robert Aderholt has pushed legislation that would give states the right
to display the Ten Commandments in public places.
(Times
Picayune, February 8, 2000)
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Duke Not Seeking Reelection to St. Tammany GOP Post
Saying hes too busy with his new white rights group to stay on the committee, white supremacist
politician David Duke announced his resignation from the St. Tammany 19-ember Republican Execut. Committee. Duke has served
three years on that committee which sets policies and makes election recommendations in St. Tammany Parish.
His departure was good news to mainstream Republicans. "Were going to unify all the Republican organizations in St.
Tammany Parish together and were going to fly our banner proudly, " said Bob Ellis of Covington, who was elected unopposed
to a seat on the committee. "His baggage was not acceptable to most Republicans."
Duke recently formed the National Organization for European-American Rights (NO FEAR), a national white rights group,
and is currently working on a second book.
(Southwest
Daily News, January 30, 2000)
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15,000 Rally to Support School Prayer
In Monroe, Louisiana, 15,000 area residents gathered at West Monroe High School to show their support for the Ouachita
Parish School Boards recent decision to break the law by authorizing a Christian student group to have a weekly prayer over
the school intercom system, violating the Constitutionally held notion of the separation of church and state.
The
school system has been sued by a student who claims that the schools policy violated constitutional protections against the
establishment of religion. The School Board, in opposition to the suit, has fought to uphold their position in favor of school
prayer.
(Monroe
Free Press, February 5, 2000)
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HUD
Secretary Announces New Campaign Against Housing Discrimination
US Housing
and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced a public awareness campaign to help people fight back against housing
discrimination.
HUD is stepping up efforts to make people aware of their rights under the Fair Housing Act, which bars housing discrimination
on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status and national origin. It covers the sale, rental, financing
and advertising of almost all housing in the nation.
"Housing discrimination is outrageous, intolerable, and illegal, but many people arent aware they can fight back if
they become victims," Cuomo said. "Our message to everyone targeted by housing discrimination is simple: HUD is on your side.
We will help you to exercise your legal right to live anywhere you can afford and to tear down barriers
of discrimination. "Cuomo said HUDs new public awareness campaign will distribute
thousands of booklets around the country, and deliver public service announcements to radio and TV stations about the Fair
Housing Act. It will also provide information available on the Internet about housing discrimination and steps that can be
taken in discriminatory incidents. Complaints can be filed with HUD by calling 1-8000-669-9777, or on the Internet at www.hud.gov/hdiscrim.htm.
(Alexandria News Weekly, January 20, 2000)
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Local
Louisiana NAACP Chapter Calls for Probe into Police Brutality
The Morgan City, Louisiana branch of the NAACP has asked
the United States Justice Department to investigate allegations of police beating of a black man by five white police officers.
In a letter, the NAACP said that the organization believes that Ty Williams civil rights were violated during his arrest when
he was beaten by police officers.
Two Patterson officers have been cleared by a grand jury
of any criminal wrongdoing. However, three sheriffs deputies were charged with one count of simple battery.
Louisiana Weekly, January 31, 2000)
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FBI
Investigates Crossburning in Louisiana Town
FBI investigators are questioning four Sarepta, Louisiana
suspects in a recent cross burning investigation. The four youths, ranging in age from 16 to 20-years-old allegedly set fire
to a cross in the yard of Elizabeth Boyler, a white woman, as a practical joke.
"The three boys that were real cooperative say this was
just a joke," Said Webster sheriff detective Phillip Krouse.
The four youths have been charged by the
parish with criminal mischief misdemeanor. If convicted the charge carries a jail term of up to six months and a fine of $500.
(Shreveport Times, February 5, 2000)
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ACTIVIST JOB BOARD
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The Southern Regional Council (SRC), one of the oldest
interracial civil rights organizations in the South, has an activist positions available.
The SRC was founded in 1919 to promote racial justice,
protect democratic rights and broaden civic participation in the South. SRC strives to empower communities to make lasting
improvements on the issues of racial justice and equality. The
following position is currently available:
Development Director:
The successful candidate will be committed to SRC mission, have three years experience
in managerial or professional position, possess strong written and verbal skills, and be comfortable asking for money.
If you are interested in this position, please submit
your resume and cover letter to Southern Regional Council, 133 Carnegie Way, Suite 900, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1024, or call
Shelley Serdahely at (404) 522-8764 ext. 28. Cover letters should: explain why you are interested in the position; convince
the readers that you are a critical thinker; share how you know you are comfortable asking for money; and make an argument
about why you are the right person for the job. Application deadline is March 2, 2000
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
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PEACE
CARAVAN TO CHIAPAS IN NEW ORLEANS ON MARCH 24 - HELP WANTED!
The IFCO / Pastors for Peace Caravan for Peace and Reconciliation
to Chiapas will be stopping in New Orleans on March 24, 2000. The Peace Caravan project us designed as an opportunity to raise
awareness about Chiapas, and raise humanitarian aid, and purchase food stuffs for indigenous communities in Chiapas.
The New Orleans Caravan effort needs the following help:
volunteers to publicizing and raise material support for the Caravan, organizing press releases, organizing accommodations,
and raising funds. If you are interested in joining the effort, or joining the Caravan to Chiapas, please contact Corrine
Kohut, National Coordinator IFCO/ Pastors for Peace 773-271-4817.
..
============================= INCENTIVES
OF CAPTIVE LABOR
This week the prison population of the United States
broke a record. TWO MILLION people are now behind bars in this country, quadrupling the inmate population in the past twenty
years. We now have more people behind bars than China. States now spend more
on prisons than on universities. http://www.tompaine.com/features/2000/02/14/2.html
More surprising ... tens of thousands of these prisoners
now work for private corporations, creating what some critics have begun to call, THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. Workers who
spent decades fighting for health-care benefits, vacations and holidays now have
to compete for jobs with convicts in prison.
You think corporations pay those convicts full benefits? Of course, not. That's one reason corporations
like prison labor: it saves them money. And, oh, yes, THEY NEVER GO ON STRIKE.
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2000/02/14/3.html
Meanwhile, in California voters in March are being asked
to approve Prop 21, which would vastly expand the already- burgeoning prison population. A kid convicted of spray painting
a park bench could be found guilty of a felony and sentenced to a year in prison.
And who's behind this proposition? Some believe it's corporations which stand
to benefit from a captive prison labor force:
http://tompaine.com/features/2000/02/14/index.html