Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 May 1997 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

SATURDAY, MAY 3,1997

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Would you trust the state with your life? There are many families who have suffered the loss of a loved one at the hands of another human being. The families of victims of murder are many times the most persuasive advocates for the death penalty. This is not only understandable, but it is to be expected. The loss these families have experienced is immeasurable. The deaths of spouses, fathers, mothers and children at the hands of another human being are nightmares without ends for the surviving family members. When survivors see the accused murderer alive and well, it often gives rise to a quest for revenge. One of the basic problems with capital punishment is that it is not some aggrieved individual who seeks the ultimate revenge. It is that thing we call the “state” that seeks to enact the eye for the eye and the tooth for the tooth. The state has never been perfect. The state seems to have a bias in favor of people who can afford a good lawyer. People who have good lawyers seem to escape the death penalty. Of course, their victims are just as dead as the victims of those who use public defenders. The way capital punishment is practiced in Indiana, and in much of America, smacks of a cold-blooded effort to eliihinate only the poor people who have been convicted of murder. In fact, regular folks don’t care much for poor people. They are the untouchables of America. Though some are still able to break out of poverty, most seem to be locked out of the mainstream by the long-standing practices of our social welfare and criminal justice systems and the neglect of our public education system. All of these factors work together to consistently impede upward mobility in ways that are cruel and unforgiving especially as it relates to poor children. Everyone in America who has seen a loved one murdered may feel entitled to the ultimate revenge of seeing the convicted murderer executed. However, if the accused killer is poor, there is a much better chance that they will be executed. The lesson being that if you want revenge, you must hope that a poor person is convicted of the crime. This has nothing to do with justice. If we choose to kill people for the crime of murder then all convicted murderers should have an equal chance at this punishment. Not just the poor and not just because we detest them. Let’s also remember that this entity called the state is the same faceless operation that gave us McCarthyism and Slavery and female peonage. It’s the same thing that allowed the Klan to run amok in Indiana and the same thing that gave us segregated schools. At what price do we trust the state to be fair and impartial in the administration of legalized killing. We feel there are people who have and who will commit atrocities. These people should be locked away once they are caught; not out of a sense of misguided mercy, but rather a sense of justice. It is understandable the victims of atrocities should feel rage but the venting of that rage only on one class of people is wrong no matter how one feels about capital punishment. While the quest for vengeance is understandable, does not make it right or morally sound. There are many groups with many reasons to seek vengeance on others. Is it then OK for all of us to get the revenge we feel we deserve? Why then should we even bother with the law? In this instance the state is but a pawn in this game of wrath. There are many people in America who seem to feel that the right to get revenge supersedes all other needs. What kind of future will this bring? We already have a glimpse of this. Think about all of the workplace killings and the dead spouses we’ve seen in recent years. Revenge was the motive. We may kill all of the people on death row and not one murder victim will rise from the dead. Sadly, the executions of two men convicted of killing a police officer did not prevent the killing of two deputies just months ago. While some may feel good these killers are dead, many will come to understand that nothing good can come from these tragedies except to somehow forgive and to move on. Moses must have gotten it wrong, it must be “Thou Shalt Not Kill”?

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER DIRECTORY

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On improving race relations in Indianapolis

This column and columnist wasn’t in your Recorder, last week, due to vacation and attending the annual meeting for the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon on behalf of children’s hospitals. As a result, I missed a meeting of Black and White business, civic and political leaders at the Ashantii Room. The Urban League’s Sam Jones and the Chamber of Commerce’s

Just Tellin' it

RyAMOS RROWN

tion and advancement opportunities for Blacks and other minorities. The corporate community should also join with our neighborhoods and enlist in the fight against drugs by demanding that Attorney General Janet

John Mryland brought the group together “to R e no and the resources of the federal govemshare thoughts and ideas on improving rela- me nt be used in a major way to get the drug tions among races, genders and segments of our dealers off our streets and put the big time community.” suppliers under the jailhouse! Though I wasn’t there. I’ll use this space to Indianapolis TV news shares some respon-

state my views on how race relations can be sibility

improved. The local newscasts on channels 6,8,13 and

Our two communities are ships passing in 59 are singularly responsible for aggravating the night! poor race relations in Indianapolis. With their White Indianapolis views our Black com- relentless overreporting of crime and violence munity as a foreign country. Black Indianapo- in Black neighborhoods, Indianapolis TV newslis views the white community as one which casts perpetuate negative stereotypes towards doesn't respect or appreciate our contributions African-American neighborhoods and Black to this city, state and nation. people through the use of racially inflammaWhat does improved race relations mean? t ory descriptions like “inner-city neighborimproving race relations doesn’t mean that hood,” “near Northside,” “drive-by shooting,”

Blacks like whites and whites like Blacks. Our “gang (drug) related.”

two communities are too diverse, complex, Local TV news reports nothing positive about complicated to command unanimity of views. 0 ur community; Indianapolis’ growing Black Improved race relations does require mutual middle class; the explosion in Black homeownrespect. We don’t have to live next to each ership; the expansion of Black-owned busiother, work together, recreate together, but we ne sses and entrepreneurs; record Black emdo have to respect each other’s viewpoints, p| 0 yment; record graduation of Blacks from politics, religious beliefs. Positive race rela- high school; the growth in Black college atten-

tions means being able to disagree with each dance.

other, while respecting each other as children Indianapolis TV news shapes whites’ imof God! ages of Blacks and their steady drumbeat of The corporate community must act! negatives about Blacks and their lack of counThe CEOs of the city’s major companies terbalancing positive stories reinforces all the must speak out publicly on the importance of historicalnegativestereotypesaboutourpeople, improving race relations; publicly challenging a nd ameliorates any effort at improving race

local business to improve employment, promo- relations.

Race relations here will never improve until Indianapolis TV television places more Afri-can-Americans in actual decision making positions; and makes a conscious effort to improve the quantity and quality of positive stories about this Black community. And if they need ideas, they should read The Recorder. Repairing the breach between Blacks and

Jews

It was once a positive partnership—Blacks , and Jews — together changing the world through the civil rights movement. Issues of quotas, affirmative action, Farrakhan, economics tore that partnership apart. Improving race relations in Indianapolis means developing dialogue and rapprochement between Blacks and Jews. Several years ago Black and Jewish women came together, but Jewish and Black men haven’t, yet. On the original “Noon Show,” I interviewed Jonathan Stein, former chief rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. In that 90 minute program, we talked about the gulf between Blacks and Jews, and took calls. Both Stein and I were stunned at the level and ferocity of anti-Semitic comments and untruths coming from Black listeners. Both the Jewish and African-American communities are sensitive to any slight or insult — real or perceived. But, African-Americans must understand and appreciate that the genocide and hatred exhibited towards Jews is recent and fresh. The African-American Holocaust and Diaspora occurred 200 and 400 years ago. Violence against African-Americans in this country claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; and bigotry, racism and violence continues today against African-Americans. The Jewish Holocaust and Diaspora occurred relatively recently, in the last 100 years. During this time, violence against Jews worldwide has claimed tens of millions of lives. The memory of that violence against those who share the Jewish faith is still fresh and vivid; and bigotry, anti-Semitism and violence continues today against Jewish people. Blacks and Jews share a common struggle against bigotry and intolerance. Rebuilding race relations here also means rebuild relationships between these two proud communities. Our responsibility to improve race relations Racism is an act committed by the majority. However, it’s not just the responsibility of Whites to improve race relations in this city. Our Black community can do things to foster better racial understanding. We hold the moral high ground when we criticize police abuse of power. But, ourpublic reluctance to criticize criminal conduct by African-Americans keeps us from building bridges to Whites. Our community, especially Black leadership, must be more forceful and public in condemning Black-on-Black violence and crime. And we must demand that Indianapolis media reports that criticism as prominently as they do our criticism of police abuses. When we focus on issues that whites and Blacks agree on, that’s when we’ll start the process of building bridges to better understanding and mutual respect. If America and Vietnam can get together; if North Korea and America can talk; if the United States and Russia can foster improved relations, surely Black and white Indianapolis can engage in dialogue?

See ‘ya next week!

'Come all ye Tiger Woodses! 9

Spend three weeks recovering from a knee replacement and someone will tell you that the world has changed profoundly while you were snoozing. They will tell you that a charming 21 -year-old golfer of African-Thai-Chinese-American IndianEuropean descent has changed not only that sport but American race relations forever. They link the Tger’s triumph in the Masters to Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough in baseball SO years ago and say that we surely have found a formula for closing what President Clinton calls “the racial divide.” The case can be made that golf will never be the same after the arrival of Tiger Woods’ genius, just as baseball is a profoundly different sport from the one played before Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Robinson a chance to show his skills. But a stronger case can be made that while a few young gladiators will get rich along with some sports tycoons and makers of athletic equipment, the social fabric of America will not be changed greatly by any single athlete, or any group of sports stars. Baseball is the promised land for only a very few talented youngsters of any race, and the same can be said for basketball, football, and other professional sports. A youngster is still more likely to

access.

Thousands of youngsters ol color may now seek to emulate Tiger Woods in golf, but only s fool should expect the country clubs to fling their doors open a; membership committees cry “Come all ye Tiger Woodses!’ Furthermore, professional golf is not a team sport in which a lot ol other players automatically profu win 20 state lotteries than to be- because Tiger Woods excels. Sc come the hero of a Super Bowl or the profit motive that propelled a World Series. teams and owners to bring large Golf offers minority youngsters percentages of Blacks and Hispanthe least hope because it is so much j C s into baseball, football, and basa high cost sport whose “minor ketball does not exist in golf, leagues are the country clubs to 1 propped up my healing knee which so many minority kids lack and watched Tiger Woods with

great joy, but I did not pretend that he is in any way the answer to the problems of America’s great and troubled underclass. Only massive programs in education and of job opportunity for youngsters who never have known them can produce the America that so many commentators have in mind as they extol Woods’ historic feat. Healing that “racial divide” is going to require a lot of person-to-person, group-to-group struggles, and many common sacrifices that will require more of all of us than just a weekend celebration of one marvelous kid’s exploits on a golf course in Georgia.

♦

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