Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 December 2000 — Page 3

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8,2000

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A3

Latino Christmas The spicy Afro-Cuban rhythms of Narada recording artist Cuba LA can be heard 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 10 at the Pike Performing Arts Center. The band has worked with Natalie Cole, Santana and Celine Dion. Call 216-5455 for more information.

Prominent Americans urge Clinton to halt federal executions

Special to The Recorder WASHINGTON—As the U.S. government prepares to carry out the first federal execution in 37 years, a group of prominent Americans has called upon President Clinton to declare a moratoriumon federal executions pending a review of the fairness of the process. In a letter delivered to the White House, Citizens for a Moratorium on Federal Executions (CMFE) urged the president to act before Dec. 12th, the date Juan Garza — one of 21 federal death row inmates — is scheduled to be executed. Among the diverse group are former White House and Justice Department officials as well as civil rights, civic an<J religious leaders and artists, a number of whom have worked closely with the president. It includes both opponents and supporters of the death penalty. (See attached list.) This appeal to President Clinton comes at time when public support for the death penalty is shrinking as doubts about its fairness and reliability mount, and as efforts are under way in many states to urge political leaders to follow the example of the governor of Illinois, who declared a moratorium earlier this year. “Whether one supports or opposes capital punishment, it is uoacceptable to go forward with Juan Garza’s execution in the face of serious and unresolved questions about the fairness of the federal death penalty process,” said Yale Law School Dean Anthony Kronman, adding, “To carry out this execution despite the government’s own evidence of racial and geographic disparities in the administration of the death penalty would compromise the integrity of our legal system and undermine the principle of equality that our laws seek to honor and protect.” In the letter, the CMFE cites a recent Department of Justice survey that documents significant racial, ethnic and geographic disparities in the charging of federal capital cases. The survey revealed that among all the federal capital defendants against whom the attorney general has authorized seeking the death penalty, 69 percent have been Latino and African American (18 percent and 51 percent respectively), while only 25 percent have been white. The same survey exposes geographic disparities in the administration of the federal death penalty. In 16 states U.S. prosecutors obtain the authority to seek the death penalty in at least 50 percent of the

federal capital cases that are submitted for review by the attorney general. However, there are eight states where that rate is much lower, ranging from 8 percent to 30 percent and there are 21 states in which U.S. attorneys have either never requested or never received authorization to seek the death penalty. Among the eight states where U.S. attorneys have submitted 20 or more cases for consideration, there is only one state—Texas—where the death penalty authorization rate exceeds 50 percent. As the CMFE letter points out, “Mr. Garza is Hispanic and from Texas—two factors that appear to increase substantially the chances that the government will seek the death penalty in a potential capital case.” When the survey was made public by the Department of Justice on Sept. 12, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder commented: “No one reading this report can help but be disturbed, troubled by this disparity.” Attorney General Janet Reno acknowledged that the survey shows “minorities are over-repre-sented in the federal death penalty system.” She admitted that the department could not explain the disparities and because of this “an even broader analysis must therefore be undertaken to determine if bias does in fact play any role in the federal death penalty system.” Reno has directed that further studies be conducted. Julian Bond, chairman of the Board of the NAACP and a member of the CMFE, said, “Today’s growing concerns about the fairness of the death penalty are not limited to the wrongful conviction of people who are innocent. It is also unconscionable to allow the execution of people who, but for their race or ethnicity, might never have been targets of capital prosecutions.” In a related development, former President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter authorized the release of excerpts of a letter, which was recently sent directly to President Clinton. It reads in part: “There is powerful evidence that the administration of the death penalty in the United States is fundamentally flawed. Renewing federal executions underthese circumstances would undermine your lifelong commitment to equal justice at home. It also would diminish the United States’ moral authority abroad, including your consistent efforts to encourage other nations to improve their rule of law, administration of justice, and human rights record.”

Soul cooking could be worth $50,000 Your original recipe could be worth $50,000! In celebration of the traditions of African-Ameri-can cooking, Betty Crocker announces the third annual Betty Crocker, ‘Recipes From the Soul’ Cooking Contest. The deadline is Dec. 30. To qualify, contestants must submit an original recipe that utilizes any Betty Crocker spoon branded product including Gold Medal Flour, Bisquick Baking Mix, Hamburger Helper Dinners, etc. Entry forms can be obtained online at: www.recipesfromthesoul.com or by calling 800-228-6200 to request one by mail.

LocalNAACP election notice

On Dec. 9, the election for officers of the Indianafolis Chapter of the NAACP will be held at the Julia Carson Government Center, 300 E. Fall Creek Parkway, North Drive. The polling place will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The only contested office is for president. The two people running for that office are Roderick H. Bohannan and A.D. Pinckney. All members in good standing will be expected to vote at this time and place.

Correction A picture in the Dec. 1 editionof The Recorder did not identify one of the those pictured. Carolyn Davis was a winner of a NAACP Life membership award. Her name was left out of the photo caption.

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