Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 August 2003 — Page 8

PAGE A8

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2003

EDITORIAL Should mentally ill get unsupervised visits? By SHANNON WILLIAMS Recorder Editor

John Hinckley Jr., the man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 19N1 shooting of President Ronald Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady and two law enforcement officers, has recently made what some are calling an “unrealistic request” to federal officials. Hinckley, who has been residing at St. Elizabeth's Hospital has asked for unsupervised visits with his parents. This request is also for some overnight stays. In 1999, he began taking day trips that lasted a few hours, but hospital staff accompanied him and the United States Secret Service monitored his movements. So. should Hinckley be granted unsupervised

visits?

That’s the million dollar question going

around.

Some are saying that because he has a mental illness and tried to kill the president, that he should not be eligible for unsupervised visits. Others feel that although he is mentally ill, with proper medication, his request should be granted. I'm not exactly sure which way to go on this matter. I guess the real question is, should an individual with a mental illness who has caused another person bodily harm, have unsupervised visits? The decision shouldn’t be considered only because Hinckley’s victim was the President, it should be considered as if it pertained to

anyone.

1 wonder if this would be such a topic of discussion had he shot an average citizen? Before a decision is made on Hinckley, or any other person in his situation, I think a detailed psychiatric evaluation needs to be administered. Maybe it is possible for these people to reform and make a positive change in their lives.

“I

wonder if this would be such a topic of discussion had he shot an average citizen?”

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER DIREQORY

Ctorqt P. Sttwart Marcus C. Sttwart Sr. Eunlca Trotttr William C. Mays Foundar-Edltor Editor-Publisher Edltor-in-Chltf Publisher Publisher 1925*1963 Publisher 1990-present 1895-1924 1988*1990 Presldtnt/C«ntralM«nag«r CarolanvMayt ADVERTISING Exec. Admlnistretlva Astnt Linda Hobbs Sates and Marketing Manager LeRoy Lewis Classified Advertising Sharon L. Maxey EDITORIAL Local Display Advertising Lisa Shoemake Editor Shannon Williams Rita J. Wise StaffWrtter Brandon A Perry C. Denise Petty ............j..., Erlcka P Thompson Erlcka C Wheeler BUSINESS/CIRCULATION CopyEdltor JeckSeles Business Office Manager AngeleKuhn Interim Controller Arthur Carter ART L PRODUCTION Business Office Crystal Dalton Production Manager Jeane Mene Lewis Kay Toliver Adeertlslng/Production Tarran James Shlrl Williams Chris Castle Circulation ..Brucell Mays Senior Designer John L Hurst Jr Receptionist Tracey Miller fha Indlsnspolli Ricordir entourages short, concise letters to the editor end opinion articles from the public. Letters end opinion articles will be .ltd et the editor's discretion end ere subject to editing. We will not guerentee publication of materiel received We cannot guarantae datas of publication. Lettars containing libtlous or untrua statements will not be published AH letters and opinion art Idas must Include a verifiable full name, address and telephone number This Information will not be published at tha request of tha writer. Letters and articles should be typed but will be accepted if handwriting Is legible. (317) 924-5143 P.0. Box 18499, Indianapolis, IN 46218-0499 ncwsroom'Hndyrecorder.com

JUST TEUIN' IT oe Andrew speaks to Black media; rawford and Demos help taxpayers

By AMOS BROWN III If enthusiasm and rhetorical energy won campaigns, then Joe Andrew will be Indiana’s next governor. A week after boldly naming his lieutenant governor candidate a year before he had to ; Andrew gave his first interview with Indiana Black media. In an hour-long interview on our WDNl-TV/Channel 65 morning program, Andrew didn’t hesitate to outline his views on the issues; speaking frankly about what faces Indiana’s next governor. “We need bold, significant change in government,” Andrew told me, backing up his talk with bold suggestions for improving Indiana. “I want the line item veto, something most governors have," said Andrew who admitted that there “is a lot of waste in state government.” Andrew openly called for a convention to reform Indiana’s 19th century-oriented Constitution and disagreed with Mitch Daniels’ idea of stripping economic development authority from the lieutenant governor. Campaigning around Indiana, Andrew, who w r as born in Indianapolis but raised in rural parts of Allen County, said he was stunned by hearing Hoosiers, particularly those living outside the Indianapolis area, say that there’s been ”a breakdown in Indiana.” “Hoosiers feel,"Andrew told me, “that there’s no one standing up for them. That there’s no one promoting the middle class.”

Declaring that “the best social program is a job," Andrew feels fervently that Indiana must take the offensive in job creation, not just in new technologies, but in manufacturing. Addressing this column’s concern about his running mate Bren Simon’s support of Congresswoman Julia Carson’s Republican opponent last year, Andrew defended Simon’s Democratic credentials. “Don’t judge her by one thing she did,” Andrew urged. He promised Simon would address the Black community’s concerns directly through Black media. Andrew has been a longtime party insider and former state and national party chair, but this is his first campaign in his own right. Andrew’s campaign is strongly supported by many labor unions, especially Indiana’s United Auto Workers, who bused hundreds of their members to last weekend’s Democratic shindig in French Lick to boost Andrew’s candidacy. When he was a party operative Andrew was fiercely partisan, but he told our TV viewers that “voters and I are fed up with negative ads.” “I will articulate a new vision for Indiana,” Andrew promised, but not with negative ads. A man of endless energy. Andrew loves talking issues and politics. At a recent lunch, a respected national political journalist said Andrew totally dominated. Andrew is courting Black ministers and leaders here in Indianapolis, though some Black elected officials complain he’s ignored them. I’m still hopeful that Andrew and state Sen. Vi Simpson can merge their campaigns for the good of the party' and Indiana. But, both are strongly attuned to and supportive of the issues of concern to African Americans in Indianapolis and Indiana, better than the other candidates in the increasingly crowded gubernatorial contest.

What I’m hearing in the streets A couple of weeks ago, House Ways and Means chairman and state Rep. Bill Crawford buttonholed me saying he was getting Black Democratic elected off cials together with Center Township Assessor James Maley to discuss putting money back into property taxpayers’ hands - this year. When township assessors calculated assessments, they had to calculate, guesstimate is a better word, how much money townships might have to refund if taxpayers were successful in appealing their assessments. Center Township Assessor Maley, and other assessors, assumed that appeals would be higher after the reassessment. Since Center Township has a huge amount of commercial property, Maley budgeted $43 million for possible appeals. The other eight townships combined budgeted $45 million for appeals. Crawford felt that Malay’s $43 million guesstimate was too high. Mayor Bart Peterson felt some of that money should be'returned to taxpayers. Assessor Maley agreed. But Marion County Auditor Marty Womacks and the county’s six Republican township assessors vetoed the innovative idea to provide relief to taxpayers. Some of the GOP assessors thought it foolhardy to pare down the appeals funds while others charged the mayor and Democrats with playing politics. Well, was it political when GOP mayoral candidate Greg Jordan demanded action for property taxpayers, or when Republican legislators demanded that Gov. Frank O’Bannon take immediate action? If those Republican calls for action were OK, why isn’t Rep. Crawford and Mayor Peterson’s plan to Lake action on behalf of taxpayers?

CenterTownship homeowners won’t get money back because the Neanderthal tendencies of Marion County Republicans placed politics above action. Voters of Indianapolis/Marion County should wonder who’s really looking out after their interests - the Democrats who want tq exercise leadership or the Republicans exercising hypocrisy anil demagoguery. J ***** Gannett/Indianapolis Staf conti nued the perpetuation of thj| newspaper’s segregated marlage; ment team by hiring a white fej male managing editor, the third in three years. Gannett’s first managing editor here three years ago was African American and his successor was Hispanic. 1 guess Gannett figured minorities had their chance in Indy! ***** Last words on the National Governors Conference. Though security at the conference wis tight. State Police Superintendedt Melvin Carraway, Indiana’s National Guard and local law enforcement are to be commended for the professional, friendly way state police, national guardsmen and police conducted themselves. One discordant note. There was an extreme paucity of Afri-can-Americ&n volunteers at the conference. The only Blacks I saw were members of the NGA’s national staff < r their vendors. Except for Floyd Worley, the only African-American senior staffer on Gov. O’Bannon’s staff, the Indiana volunteers I saw' at the governors conference were all white. Couldn’t Indiana find any Blacks to volunteer? See ‘ya next week. Amos Brovi n s opinions are not necessarily those of The Indianapolis Recorder. You can contact him at (3l1) 221-0.915 or e-mail him it [email protected].

By BILL FLETCHER JR. I have never been particularly fond of California Gov. Gray ^ Davis. The man seems ^ to stand for very little, 1 and also goes out of his ■ way to appease politiI cal conservatives, as if H that will keep the dogs I away from his heels. As the recall petition proved, Davis was too cute by half. He appeased no one and his arrogance has tended to infuriate much of the electorate, including his own political base. That said, thecurrent recall effort, rather than enhance democracy, does everything to undermine it. Consider for a moment. Gray Davis, whether you love him or despise him, was elected for a four-year term of office. Not even Davis’ harshest critics will allege that he has done anything that is illegal or would justify criminal or civil charges. The bottom line is and has been that if one does not agree with a standing elected official, one campaigns against him/her in the next election or builds a movement to force that person to resign. Yet in California we have a scenario of those who were defeated in the last gubernatorial election having the right to move a recall petition. To put it another way, they have a second bite of the apple. To add insult to injury, this recall petition would have gone no where had it not been heavily funded by a wealthy politician. I low should one put it? Perhaps, that we have the best democracy money can buy? The issue in the upcoming California election should not be a referendum on Gray Davis, hut actually a referendum on democracy. Does a defeated minority have the right - as long as they have sufficient cash - to mount an effort which may cost the already broke state ofCalifornia around $70 million? Do they have a right to mount recalls as often as they want depending solely on whether they have sufficient funds in order to pay people for collecting signatures? Unfortunately some people of good will in their anger with Davis have become thrilled with the possibility of a political mobilization to oust him and put in his place - God willing - someone more progressive. I can only hope that if the recall succeeds that this will be the outcome, but it is just as likely that Arnold Schwarzenegger will become governor, or,

perhaps even one of the myriad of other col- w orld, as w ell as an energy crisis which was orful candidates who were able to obtain the the direct result of deregulation that politica) necessary signatures to get on the very long conservatives advanced. Billions have been list of potential successors. spent on an illegal war and occupation of Iraq In that sense I believe some good progres- at the national level, while state budgets arf sive folks have missed what is really going on sliced, and workers with them, with no hopq in the state and the terrible precedent it sets, in sight for federal assistance. , The reality of politics, including progres- So, actually, it the architects of the current sive politics, is that some difficult decisions California recall wanted to be true to their will always need to be made by elected offi- principles, they would mount a separate rq T cials. Some of those decisions will be very call: one against President Bush. t unpopular, but at the end of the day, an Alas, that would spoil the party, no pqn elected leader will need to be judged on the intended, and instead would unmask the real, totality of their program. That judgment cynical objectives of this recall. It has little to comes either at election time or when masses do with the pluses or minuses in Gray Davis’ of people encourage the resignation of said column. Rather it concerns the ability of very leader. wealthy and conservative politicians to Opening up the door for recalls, however, nipulate the system, and the minds of the when there is no criteria other than getting people, to serve their calculated ends. j enough signatures, makes every decision a Thus, we sit back and watch, some laughfurtherperversityofthecurrentpolitical prac- ing while others cry, witnessing the lunacy of tice: total leadership by polling rather than a highly financed political game played ouj leadership by a combination of a sense of before the w’orld. Unfortunately, this specwhere the people are at plus the utilization of tacle has given new meaning to the notion of one’s own conscience. “reality television.” ,, What is further infuriating is that the circumstances that California faces are, by and Bill Fletcher Jr. is president otTransAfrica large, the direct result of national level poli- Forum, a Washington, D.C.-basednon-profit cies by the Bush administration and, to a educational and organizing center formed tf) great extent, his predecessors. Every state in raise awareness in the United States aboifl the USA is facing a major fiscal crisis. The issues facing the nations and peoples of Ajtnational recession turned into something far rica, the Caribbean and Uitin America. lie deeper than the officials in government and also is co-chair ot the anti-war coalitiop^ media moguls wanted us to believe. United for Peace and Justify California was wracked by both insane fi- (wu'w. unitedforpeace.org). Hecan he reached nancial speculation in the dot com business at [email protected].