Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 August 2002 — Page 1

Preparing a <ons<ious community today and beyond

RELIGION Gospel singer goes all the way

PEOPLE & TRENDS Great Outdoor Party

BUSINESS gic Johnson is on a roll

VOLUME 107 ■ NUMBER 32 ■ FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2002 ■ PHONE 317/924-5143 ■ www.indianapolisrecorder.com ■ 75*

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Princess of Hip-bop Singing sensation Ashanti is blowing up the charts. Read more Inside Arts and Entertainment. ITPC looks to create ‘change agents’ By ANARti V. HOLMES Recorder Editor The Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition has named Rev. George Bolden as its new executive director. The 4-year-old faith based agency, formerly led by Isaac Randolph, gained citywide attention by patrolling some of the area's toughest, crime ridden streets through their successful "Friday Night Walks.” The weekly walks, in combination with other aggressive Rev. George Bolden street-level crime intervention efforts, played an instrumental factor in a 44 percent decrease in the homicide rate in the Mapleton-Fall Creek and UNWA neighborhoods, according to government and agency reports. The agency will conduct a walk with Mayor Bart Peterson and ITPC Board Chair Rev. Charles Harrison this Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at New Beginning Ministries, 1703 E. 38th St. "I want to take the organization to the next level." said Bolden who brings more than 20 years of non-profit management experience to his new post. "\^e have gotten off to a good-start and l want keep that momentum going by increasing our funding base and creating programs that will empower not only the clients we serve, but the families they are apart of.” ITPC is comprised of more than 30 member churches of various denominations and is a local affiliate of the See COALITION, Page A3

Oat a hot news tip? Want to bo hoard? If you would like to report any newt or ahare your com manta, call the Recorder News Hotline at (317) 924-8143 ext 300.

A HOUSE DIVIDED

Citizen anger comes to a boil at special meeting on IPD, Expo fiasco

By ANARE V. HOLMES Recorder Editor Hundreds of enraged city residents descended upon the Omega Conference Center Wednesday to let city officials hear their anger and displeasure with the way the Indianapolis Police handled security during this year's Indiana Black Expo. The event, sponsored by Congresswoman Julia Carson. WTLC-AM's Willie “Frank" Middlebrook and Amos Brown, drew a standing room only crowd as attendees who could not fit into the conference center stood outside of the building, located at 3110 Sutherland Ave. "It is unfortunate that you Mayor Peterson have inherited this problem of racism." said meeting attendee Reginald Jones. “But this problem that happened during Expo is bigger than just Expo...the Indianapolis Police Department has been killing black men for years and justifying it through the Fraternal Order of Police, but now it's time to settle this once and for all.” “If this city cannot change things then we should move Black Expo to another city." he said. As the crowd applauded and cheered Jones' comments, his anger began to boil to a point where he had to be subdued by a group of men that included Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin and several WTLC staffers. Jones would be the first of a series of frustrated people who all agreed a change has to come with the way city police deal with Black residents. The crowd included young and old. a See DIVIDED, Page A4

This concerned citizen was among hundreds of state residents who came to the Omega Conference Center Wednesday to express their frustrations with Indianapolis Police during a special town hall meeting. (photo/J. Buntin) Black Expo may sue city

By ANARE V. HOLMES Recorder Editor Rep. WilliamCrawford. D—Indianapolis. chairman of Indiana Black Expo's board, told a group of angry citizens at Douglass Family Center the organization may file a law suit against the city for the w ay Indianapolis Police officers allegedly mistreated guests and visitors at this year's Summer Celebration. “We have gone through this for mo'-e than 31 years, and the only way we may be able to put this issue [of how the police treat our guest and visitors] to rest is through the courts,” he said Sunday during the first of two town hall meetings organized to address the situation. “We are going to acquire all the infor-

mation we can from people who experienced mistreatment, analyze it and then act," said Crawford. Crawford met with Mayor Bart Peterson. IBE President Rev. Charles Williams and several other city officials on Tuesday to further discuss the IPDExpo fiasco. “It was a very candid meeting." said Mayor Peterson. “It is out of my hands if Expo should decide to file suit against the city, but I hope it does not get to that point as I am sorry and deeply regret that this whole situation happened.” About 40 people attended the special meeting, organized by Denise Hatcher— a local woman whose son inspired her to

See EXPO, Page A4

Clergy leaders call for Nordstrom boycott Retailer denies allegations

By ANARE V. HOLMES Recorder Editor A group of seven former Nordstrom employees on Tuesday stood in the pulpit of Greater Harvest Church unified in purpose. Each alleged they were victims of discrimination conducted by management of Nordstrom's department store. "They are here to speak out against a culture where Nordstrom displays a horrendous, racist attitude toward AfricanAmerican employees," said Elder Lionel Rush, pastor of Greater Harvest Church. Rush, who has been an advocate for the group for more than five months, said he is

“We take all concerns of discrimination seriously... both a court of law and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that we did not discriminate.” —Shasha Richardson, Nordstrom spokesperson

unsatisfied with how Nordstrom has chosen to resolve the allegations of workSee BOYCOTT, Page A3

Do you know where your child is? Experts say adults must do better job of monitoring children Bv BRANDON A. PERRY Staff Writer

Many Americans have increasing concerns about the safety of their families. Their rising concern is justified. According to the United States Department of Justice, there are nearly 4 million individuals in the nation who have perpetrated various crimes against children, including kidnapping. There is, on average, one child molester or kidnapper per square mile — so, in a county of 2,000 square miles, there i are 2.000 possible problems. “The children cannot protect themselves alone." said Dr. Lorraine Blackman, an IUPUI professor of Social Work. “We as adults have to take on the responsibility of monitoring the whereabouts of our children and what is going on in our communities better than what v/e currently do.” In May. 7-year-old Alexis Patterson of Milwaukee, an African-American child, disappeared near her school. On July 26, 6-year-old Cassandra Williamson of St. Louis was abducted and later found dead. Daily updates appeared on television announcing how close Salt Lake City police j are to finding out what happened to 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart. Like terrorism, child abduction is an equal opportunity threat that has effected individuals from all backgrounds and cultures. | The public rejoiced last moifch after discovering the recovery,of Philadelphia’s Erica Pratt, age 7, who gnawed through duct tape and escaped from suspected drug dealers. Last week, two Los Angeles County, Calif, teens were rescued after the area’s efficient police agencies found and killed their captor. Dr. Blackman said that African-Ameri-cans like their white counterparts have veeredaway from lookingafter their neighborhoods and the children in their neighborhoods. "It use to be a time when we understood the value of community, when mothers and fathers not only looked out for their own children, but those of their neighbors,” she said. “ These recent stories of children being abducted calls for us to start having community meeting on the subject, where adults can start conversations about how they can best look out for one another." Dr. Sheila Triplett, an Indianapolis psychologist who works with Buchanan Counseling Services at Clarian Health agrees. Dr. Triplett, whose practice is specifically designed for children and adolescents, has some helpful advice for community leaders and local parents who are See CHILD, Page A2

Businesses make travel easier for Blacks

Members of American Airlines’ African American Marketing and Sales Team are (top L-R) Warren Manns, Charles Jones (bottom L-R) Robert Hosey and Elizabeth Murphy.

By SHANNON WILLIAMS Assistant Editor Be it work or personal, more and more people are traveling these days and American Airlines and area businesses are offering packages that make the traveling process of African-Americans easier and more cost-efficient. For nearly seven years. American Airlines has infiltrated the Black community with its African-American Sales and Marketing Team. The purpose of the specialty team is to “target African-American businesses and provide those businesses with the same opportunitie> as some of the linger organizations that we support," says Robert Hosey, managing director of specialty sales. What makes American Airlines so unique is that no other airline has a team specifically designed to market the Black

“Our goal is to help African American organizations moot their overall business needs... it’s much broader than just travel needs.” —Robert Hosey. American Airlines

community. In addition to this team, American Airlines has other teams under the specialty group umbrella, including a Gay and Lesbian Sales Team as well as a Military Government Sales Team. All of the abovementioned teams offer a variety of programs and packages to their clients. The African-American Sales and Marketing Team consists of four individuals, each with extensive sales backgrounds and a profound know ledge of the American Airlines industry. Each member has

specific organizations that they support such as the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the National Association for the Advancement of Color People (NAACP) and the Urban League. According to Hosey. the AfricanAmerican Sales and Marketing Team has brought in millions of dollars in revenue from the Black community to American Airlines. Hosey says, “we (are) able to provide goods and services to organizations ...that were kind of neglected because their travel budgets weren’t that large.” Perhaps a key element that makes American Airlines' unique marketing concept even more successful is its promotional efforts, "We bring entertainment personalities in. in exchange for exposure to our prodSee TRAVEL, Page A2

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