Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 December 2000 — Page 4

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29,200#WI

SLEEPING Anti-violence media blitz initially excludes Black media

ContiniMd frbm A1

That

perception of sec or i t y within a committed relationship is a way people self-select J.L King t h e m - selves out of the (HIV) pool, said Rhonda Bayless, program director of Woman to Woman, an HIV/ AIDS prevention outreach pro-

gram.

“Nobody wants to be labeled as promiscuous or dirty,” said Bayless. “There is still a lot of

By AMOS BROWN ED Recorder Correspondent

Over the next few weeks, Indianapolis will see a new media campaign designed to reduce violence in the community. Even though violence disproportionately impacts the African-American community, the media campaign created by the Indianapolis Violence

Mayor Bart Peterson explained die campaign this way: “By woriong together we hope to deter people from committing violent crimes and we hope to deter violent felons

from carrying guns.”

The introductory theme of the projected six-month campaign is “Unlucky Seven/Gun mid Crime= Seven Years Hard Time.” The campaign is designed to educate India-

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having a gun, then maybe they’ll^ think twice about gambling with "' ' their future” *or!w Even though this problem is V* great in the Black community, the to'' Indianapolis Violence Reductiori '{a' Partnership ignored the city’s B lack f >! media in the planning and launching of this media campaign. •’ The city’s Black-formatted ra- uc^ dio stations and Black-oriented ui

excluded all forms of Black media. The .media campaign involves billboards in “inner city” neighborhoods, ads on the inside and outside oflndyGo buses and signs on specially designed trucks. Ihe Indianapolis Violence Re

Federal laws prohibiting those convicted, of violent and (hug-related crimes, from carrying firearms. If felons are caught with firearms, they’re subject to seven years in

prison.

The billboard, truck and bus ads

stigma associated with the disease duc^on partnership is a combined play on the seven-year sentence as nership officials, they apologized

and be it right or wrong many people place a lot of faith in their relationships not really thinking that all it takes is one time to be-

come infected.”

Those facts are reasons prevention specialists recommend more women had better negotiate sexual power to protect themselves and urge their mates to wear condoms. “Women have to begin to empower themselves,” said Catherine Wyatt-Morely author of AIDS Memoir: Journal of an HIV-Posi-

tive Mother.

Wyatt-Morely contracted HIV from her husband who she did not know injected drugs. “My husband and I did everything together, I never knew he abused drugs and that’s the point. We are not always with our partners 24/7. However, we are responsible for what goes on in our lives and in our bodies.” Editor’s note: Next week. The Recorder talks with Catherine Wyatt-Morely and other local women living with HIV/AIDS.

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4Sil

effort of the law enforcement agencies of the City of Indianapolis, Marion County Sheriff and Prosecutor and the United States Attor-

ney.

At a news conference last week.

ringers will staff the red kettles until Saturday, according to a news release from the Salvation Army’s state divisional headquarters. Cold weather may have chilled giving this year. Salvation Army officials said. “Drastically cold temperatures have kept people in their homes on the weekends, in their offices during lunch breaks, off city streets and out of the malls,” said Jack Getz, Indiana divisional commander. Denita Tom, community services director in Michigan City, where the corps has collected only 59 percent of its $110,000 goal, echoed that concern. “We could be in serious trouble after Christmas,” She said. Death row inmate appealing sentence because off ‘computer glitch’ FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Aman convicted m the 1981 murder of a Gary police officer is appealing his death sentence because of a computer glitch. Zolo Agona Azania, 46, contends that an “alleged computer error” excluded up to 70 percent of eligible Black jurors in Allen County from the jury pool, therefore jeopardizing his right to a fair

trial.

Azania, formerly known as Rufus Averhart, was tried in Allen County because of pretrial publicity. He was sentenced to die in

1986.

The Indiana Supreme Court reversed his sentence in 1993. A new penalty phase was heard in 1996 and a jury recommended death. Allen Superior Court Judge Kenneth R. Scheibenberger gave Azania the death penalty. Meanwhile county officials discovered a computer glitch in late 19% that had excluded most jurors living in Wayne Township, said Allen Superior Court Judge John F. Surbeck Jr. The township, which encompasses much of southcentral Fort Wayne, has a large minority population. The judges gave county attorneys an opportunity to postpone jury trials from die last quarter of 1996until the Erst quarter of 1997, when the computer program had been corrected, Surb^k said. The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld convictions in the appeals of three other Allen County defendants tried at about the same

time.

Azania also is asking that all Allen County Circuit and Superior Court judges recuse themselves from bearing his case, arguing that

gambling with onp’s future. “These people are homicides waiting to happen,” said Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman. “If we can reach them and make them aware of the consequences of BRIEFS ContlniMd from A1 By skipping a lunch or foregoing trips to the candy machine, they have helped save $500 for a reward fund they hope will lead police to a man who assaulted a 12-year-old girl as she was walking to her bus stop Dec. 5. “Everyone was deeply saddened and outraged by that crime,” said South Side Middle School Principal Bruce King. “We wanted to do something to get that individual off the street—to see that justice is

served.”

The money, which staff and administrators have also contributed to, will be given to anyone who supplies information that leads to the arrest and conviction in the

attack.

The school is now hoping to enlist the rest of the community in

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their hearts,and they’ve really done a great job,” King said. “We need to flush this guy out. We need to get him off die streets-so we can make bur community safer.” The money will be given to the Anderson Police Department’s Crime Stoppers program. The officers will soeen the people who

supply information.

“I think it’s great anytime the community, especially the youth, come together to stand up for what they believe is right,” said Officer John Baysinger, crime watch coordinator. “The community has to

look out for each other.”

NAACP to oppose

Ashcrofft

nomination ffor attorney general Kweisi Mfume, President & CEO, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said the organization would strongly oppose the nomination of Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft as U.S. Attorney General because of his strong opposition to civil rights laws and affirmative action. A large African-American voter turnout in Missouri, one of the states where the NAACP worked to mobilize voters during the presidential election, largely contributed to Ashcroft’s defeat for re-election to the senate. In 1999, Ashcroft led the senate opposition to President Clinton’s nomination of Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White to a seat on the Federal District Court. White was first African-American jurist to sit on Missouri’s highest court. Ashcroft voted against hate crimes legislation and as attorney general, he would be in charge of enforcing existing hate crime laws. He also opposes background checks for gun

Black Hollywood directory filling up LOS ANGELES (NNPA) Time is running out for inclusion in the Black Hollywood Educatioij and Resource Center’s Director^ of Black Hollywood Professional^ in front of and behind the camera^*? — a virtual “Who’s Who in Blaclj Filmmaking.” To ensure that all qualified Blaclj professionals have an opportunit to be included in this historic direct tory, BHERC has extended it<j deadline for submissions to Jan?«

31,2001.

One of BHERC’s most exciting projects, The Directory of Black Hollywood Professionals will be a comprehensive list of Black actors and professionals in a wide variety of technical crafts—screenwriting, sound, cinematography, etc. TTie Directory of Black Hollywood Professionals will be a vital resource for those filmmakers seeking skilled Black professionals to work in the production of both major and independent films, and in television. Inclusion is free to all Black Hollywood professionals, who have a track record in either independent or major studio filmmaking and television production. For more information about the BHERC Directory of Black Hollywood Professionals, call (323)957-

Scheibenberger was personally in- purchases and supports the death 4747; write BHERC at 1888 Cen-

volved in the investigation of the alleged computer glitch and may therefore be called as a witness in

his case.

Students raise 4 funds to help catch

alleged rapist

penalty.

“If this nomination is an example of how Bush reaches out to all Americans, we are in for a long four years,” said Mfume. “You don’treachoutto all Americans by nominating someone with an anticivil rights record to hold the

tury Park East, Suite 1900, Los Angeles, CA 90067-2199; or visit the BHERC Web site:

www.Wierc.OTg Correction

A story in the Dec. 22 issue, “Bama’s Place” stated that owner Andrew Edwards earned his master’s degree from the Univer-

nation’s highest law enforcement

AnSeRSON. tod.-Middle Potion. When Ashcroft ran for ^*mSSs^IfcearaedUfr^m school students here are doing their Indiana University. The Recorder part to help police find a man who "can-Anwican v <*erS in Mnraoun apologia for ^ errof

njed and battered one of their y oted for the late Mel Caranhan.

own.

Founded in 1909, The National

Reduction Partnership has initially napolis residents about state and television programs and station • ' »1

weren’t contacted in advance by?hV* the partnership. The partnership’s'^^ * media strategy inexplicably didn’t include the city’s two African-: *>'<l American newspapers. ' - When The Recorder brought this 1 'c' 1 Oversight to the attention of part- a

and assured die community that Black media will be a part of their - media effort to reduce the level of ! gun violence that continues to*'* n plague the city’s African-Ameri-*.,.**,, can neighborhoods. :mj >1

qqal i-»d.ic pi: •;

Association for the Advancement j f) j of Colored People (NAACP) is the j nation’s oldest and largest civil ;i f L rights organization. Its half-mil- f , ^ lion adult and youth members ^ throughout the United States anejj ^ f the world are the premier advo-.j^ j cates for civil rights, conducting^,, voter mobilization and monitoring^,. equal opportunity in the public and , private sectors. ,, ^ j

r.no)

New Year’s Eva DUL saturation patrols * State, county and local law en- ^ j

forcement agencies, in coopera-/,,, tion with the Marion County Traf- i fic Safety Partnership, will con- 1 ’, '

duct DUI saturation (roving) pa-. trols Sunday, Dec. 31. During tins ‘ holiday season, the Marion County^. +

their ftpid-mising.efforts... Trafficr'^Partnershipreminds;'^ “We asked everyone to open , motori&m vrin parties; [ Ui ir hearts,and they’ve really done to bring the new year in by “desig^,

nating a driVet**. If you are hbsting a New Year’s Eve party, be a responsible server and don’t let; guests drink and drive. An acti\ network of citizens joined effo and started the Marion County Tr fic Safety Partnership. The grouf helps develop, facilitate and coorj dinate education activities to re-j duce the number of traffic fatali-i

ties and injuries.