Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 18 November 1999 — Page 1

The Muncie Times, 1304 N. liroadw.iv. Muncie, IN 47303

ipk:; : .!•

Harold Mason strives to improve Whitely community.

The Muncie Times remembers NAACP heroes.

BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID MUNCIE, IN PERMIT NO. 304

Page 14

Page 12

rage a** lugt xa

The Muncie Times

Vol. 9, No. 14 Also serving Anderson, Marion, Richmond and New Castle communities November 18, 1999

P R O T E S T Mayor, MHA board under fire after ousting Smith

Mayor Dan Canan talks to protesters at City Hall about the firing of Muncie Housing Authority Executive Director Benita Smith.

Controversy Canan brings in mediator, asks MHA to retain Smith

By T. S. Kumbula In their most robust exercise of political power, Muncie African Americans convinced Mayor Dan Canan to say he might give the Muncie Housing Authority board guidance in how to handle the controversial firing of MHA Executive Director Benita Smith. More than 150 people, mostly blacks, packed the police roll call room in City Hall to demand answers from Canan on why the popular Smith was fired by a Canan-appointed board of commissioners. Few answers were forthcoming. The crowd was openly skeptical as Canan denied prior knowledge of the firing or that there was a conspiracy to remote Smith, who became executive director in 1996. There was some relief, however, when Canan announced that the takeover of former MHA employee Henry Fuse as Search

From Staff Reports The Muncie Police Department continued its search for the fourth suspect wanted in connection with an Oct. 31 fraternity party shooting that left one person dead and Five others injured. The shooting occurred during an “after set” party at 1017 F. Bethel Ave., Muncie, known as the unofficial

interim director would be delayed. But the mayor endured catcalls and boos when he said, in response to calls for her immediate reinstatement, that Smith would continue to receive her full pay until an investigation into the sacking was completed. Also repeatedly booed was Jerome Williams, controversial chair of the MHA board, when he declined to disclose the reasons for removing Smith. The normally voluble Williams, a chief investigator for Delaware County Prosecutor Rick Reed, said he wanted to wait until this week when the full board would meet to discuss the firing. After he had been jeered at a number of times, Williams whispered in Canan’s ear and then left the meeting. Some at the meeting said was recently appointed to the board so he could

home of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. About 150 people were at the party when suspects fired about 40 shots. Many of them fled the house or fell to the floor when the shooting started. Julius Brown, 28, of Gary, Ind., died from a chest wound. The wounded were taken to Ball Memorial

SHOOTING SEE PAGE 26

Pastor Larry Carther of Faith Center for All Nations supports Benita Smith. engineer Smith’s removal. Just before the meeting ended, a woman who identified herself as Terry L. Davis asked to address the crowd. With Canan standing by she said: “Jerome has no qualifications for this

SMITH SEE PAGE 8

INSIDE Editorial P a g e 2 Editorial P a g e 3 News briefs page 4 For Your Health page 9 Making a difference page 14 Community Focus page 33 Cooking page 32 Obituaries page 34 Civil Rights Journal page 37 They Had A Dream page 38 Classifieds page 47

“IVhatsoei’er you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead and no man yet born could do it any better. ”

Mayor Dan Canan tried to find middle ground in the swirling controversy over the dismissal of Muncie Housing Authority Executivce Director Benita Smith by enlisting the services of former Muncie Schools Supt. Dr. Sam Abram as a mediator. The mayor read a prepared statement and then left a packed City Hall

auditorium without asnwering questions, because he had to attend to a family medical emergency. The mayor tried to please both sides by saying: 8 He would not dismiss the Muncie Housing Authority board of commissioners because that would entail a drawn-out

CANAN SEE PAGE 26

Muncie police continue search for shooting suspect