Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 October 2003 — Page 1

Preparing a conscious community today and beyond

Neighborhood organization aims to help Blacks buy homes. Page D1

iThe Indianapolis

INDIANA’S GREATEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Volume 108 ■ Number 43 ■ Since 1895 ■ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2003 ■ www.fndianapolisrecorder.com ■ Four Sections ■ 75C

It's life after Def...Jam that is for Montell Jordan, the 6 foot, 8 inch multi-platinum singer, songwriter and producer who gave us hits like "This Is How We Do It" and "Get It On...Tonight." Recorder Editor Shannon Williams recently spoke with Jordan about his decision to leave Def Jam Records, his latest CD, which was released earlier this week, and his family. Turn to page C3 for the full story.

New dinosaur discovery The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in cooperation with the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research and Eli Lilly and Co. announced a first-ever discovered dinosaur pathology found in its Gorgosaurus specimen. The pathology impaired the dinosaur's balance and mobility and likely led to its death. The Gorgosaurus also is the first specimen to arrive at the museum for placement In Dinosphere: Now You’re in Their World, opening June 2004. Breaking Free volunteers needed Breaking Free Inc. is looking for volunteers to spare two to four hours a week helping someone break free from an abusive relationship and start to regain their life. Breaking Free is an organization dedicated to providing education, awareness, safety, health and growth to those in abusive relationships. For more information call (317) 2029366. Child’s toy trade-in The Neighborhood Alliance for Child's Safety (NACS) is hosting the Toy Gun Buy Back and Educational Fair. The educational fair will provide information on violence reduction. Carnival games with prizes, a moonwalk for children, and an exchange for one toy gun per child for a gift certificate to a toy store. The event will be held in the NACS parking lot at 2001 W. Washington St. on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact Jennifer Anderson at (317) 951-8476. Artist coming to Children’s Museum The Children's Museum will host a Visiting Artist series on Nov. 2. This series is free and open to the public. High caliber artists will be present to supplement arts education for children and adults. The program will be at the Lilly Theatre inside of the museum. For more information visit their Web Site at www.childrensmuseum.org.

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Local Democrats advise voters to be careful how they vote

By BRANDON A. PERRY Staff Writer A week after embattled Democratic and Republi- , can party officials came to an agreement on how voter’s ballots should be structured, another confusing aspect of the design has come to light. Speaking with The Indianapolis Recorder, Marion County Democratic Chairman Ed Treacy pointed out a potentially distracting, but totally legal procedure that occurs when a citizen goes to a voting machine and fills in certain ovals for their candidates of choice. “Let’s say, for example, the voter fills in the little oval for the Democratic Party, or the block that is intended for a straight party vote,” explained Treacy, “Ifyou (then) vote for one Republican, the vote for the Republican will count but it will erase all four votes for the Democratic City-County Council at-large candidates.” In other words, if the person votes for a straight Democratic ticket then tries to vote for just one Republican after they have filled in the block for the Democrats, they cancel out all the Democratic council at-large votes and the only thing that will actually register is the one Republican vote. The process may also be detrimental to voters trying to support a straight Republican ticket because the situation can occur in reverse. “It robs everybody if you don’t understand the rule,” said John Keeler, ► See VOTE, Page A5

T MARION COUNTY, MQtANA 1*1

MUNICIPAL ELECT ION

NOVtMBtR 4, 20M

ITS A CRIME TO FALSIFY THIS BALLOT OR TO VIOLATi WOIANA ELECTION LAWS OFFICIAL BALLOT MUNICIPAL ELECTION MARION COUNTY, INDIANA NOVEMBER 4, 2003 PRECINCT 01001

CASTING A VOTE: To vot« for the candidate of your cholco, darken the oval f^) at tha LEFT of the candtdate’e name. V you*make a mietake. return your ballot to tha Election Official and obtain another. Do not attempt to change any marks made In error. WRITE-IN: To vote for a write-in candidate, write tha name of tha candidate on tha Una provided and darken tha oval. A wrfte-fn vote will NOT be counted unless tha vote la for a DECLARED write-in candidate. STRAIGHT PARTY VOTING: You may vote a Straight Party Ballot tor all tha candidates of tha party of your choice by darkening tha oval for that party In tha STRAIGHT PARTY section. Your voting mark wl> give every candidate of that party a vote. SPLIT-TICKET VOTING: You may vote a Straight Party Ticket by marking ONE of tha party choices and than voting for Individual candidates of your cholca In any other party OR you may vote for Individual candidates for your choice In each office.

STRAIGHT PARTY

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TICKET

OFFICES

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REPUBLICAN PARTY

DEMOCRATIC vJSy ww

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

CITY-COUNTY OFFICES

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1A GREG JORDAN

REPUBLICAN

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DEMOCRATIC

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REPUBLICAN 2A SEAN G FRICK 3A CARMEN HANSEN-RIVERA 4A JANICE SHAH UCK MCHENRY SA PETER PlZARRO DEMOCRATIC 2B ROZELLE BOYD 3B LONNELL (KING RO) CONLEY 4B bon gibSon 58 JOANNE M SANDERS LIBERTARIAN 2C JOSEPHINE R COLEMAN 3C THOMAS SANDERS 4C TOSCA WEBB SC LEOITA WILSON

CITYW

COUNCIL

COUNTY COU MTMCTIb

Vote For ONE (DOW

6A HENRI DALE GAITHER REPUBLICAN

66 WILIAM (DUKE) C OLIVER DEMOCRATIC

6C KURT ST ANGELO LIBERTARIAN

Voter Ronald Smith (left) is just one of the many citizens Indianapolis City-County Council candidate Ricky Hence greeted as he canvassed door-to-door in Saddlebrook, a Pike Township housing addition. (Photo/J. Hurst) TIRELESS CAMPAIGNER Ricky Hence a rising stor in local poliNcal circles

By BRANDON A. PERRY Staff Writer Any individuals who plan to spend a day with Ricky Hence should be advised to use the most comfortable pair of walking shoes they could find. And if they spend enough time around this guy, they might suddenly find themselves cheerfully passing around campaign brochures on his behalf or stopping door to door with him as he greets voters face to face. Hence, 32, is the Democratic candidate for Indianapolis CityCounty Council in District 1, which sits snugly in Pike Township on the Northwestside oflndianapolis. In recent days, the energetic campaigner has supercharged efforts to familiarize himself with voters before the election on Nov. 4.

A rally of supporters held Saturday in front of the Pike Township Government Center at 56th Street and Lafayette Road kicked offwhaf Hence hopes will be the smoothest leg ofh is journey to the City-County Building. Hence recently took time out of his busy schedule to talk with The Recorder about some of the plans he would like to see implemented if he wins the election. “1 would definitely like to help our district acquire improvements such as wider streets and better sidewalks,” he said. “We must connect business with schools so that they can work together in a fruitful partnership. It’s also important for our community to get more involved with support for developing ► See HENCE, Page AS

MARCH TO MIAMI

Groups against free trade make stop in Indianapolis

Black Coaches Association will grade Division l-A hiring process

By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer This is the problem: there are only four African-American head football coaches in Division I-A out of 11? colleges and universities and over 50 percent of the players are Black. NCAA President Myles Brand recognizes this as a serious problem. He says a better search process with accountability is the best chance to solve the problem. “I’ve drawn the conclusion that there is something wrong with the current process in place. We have to change the process in order to solve the problem," he said. “There should be a search com-

mittee in place and the BCA has gone a step further and that is an accountability measure for individual institutions with respect to using the process and that is the report card.” The Black Coaches Association (BCA) recently announced the “hiring report card,” which will serve as the significant component in the evaluation of NCAA Division I Institutional hiring and searches for head football coaching positions. Colleges and universities will be evaluated in five categories: the contact with the BCA during hiring process; the efforts to interview African-American candi-

Award presentation Brian Burke (left) presented James Mosby with the "This Is Your Life" award during a recent ceremony sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. Mosby was recognized for his family dedication, career and community involvement. (Photo/ J. Hurst)

dates; the diversity of their hiring process; the time frame of the search and the adherence to institutional affirmative action hiring policies. “It is the belief of the (BCA) and those who have collaborated with the BCA that for positive change to occur, overall knowledge is essential to understanding the issue,” said Floyd Keith, executive director of the BCA. “The public must have a completely thorough perception ofthe problems surrounding the inequities in the hiring of and honest consideration of coaches of color for head football coaching posi- ► See BCA, Page A3

By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer The March to Miami, a series of educational forums, protest marches and press briefings made a stop in Indianapolis this week. Working people from across the country are participating in this stand against the Free Trade Area ofthe Americas (FTAA), a trade policy that would eliminate tarifl’s in every country in the Western Hemisphere, except Cuba. Many feel this is a bad policy and will only hurt the countries involved. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has already hurt the U.S. and Mexico. According to the American Federation of Libor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Web site, w ages have fallen, poverty has increased and

environmental problems have also gotten worse, especially in Mexico. “We have to re-evaluate our trade policies,” said Jim Robinson, district director for the United Steelw orkers of America (USWA) Union District 7- “The verdict is out on NAFTA. It didn’t do what they said it would do. The promises that were made didn’t come true.” Robinson helped bring the March to Miami to Indianapolis in conjunction with the AFL-CIOand many other load unions. There are many groups participating in the tight to stop the FTAA from pass-

ing.

‘There is a very broad coalition of unions, environmental, civil rights and religious groups against this,” said Robinson. They are all needed to stop ► See FTAA, Page A3

Peterson, Jordan trade jabs in TV debate

By AMOS BROWN III Recorder Correspondent Just two weeks before the election, Mayor Bart Peterson and challenger County Treasurer Greg Jordan faced off in the campaign’s first prime time televised debate. Broadcast live Monday night, commercial-free, on WTHR/ Channel 13 and co-hosted by The Indianapolis Star, the debate covered some ofthe campaign’s main issues; though few issues ofconcorn to African Americans

were discussal. The debate, the eighth of nine scheduled fortliYcih’s nine townships, was held at Ben Davis 1 ligh School, in western Wax lie Town ship. Despite being heavily publicized and located in a solidly Republican township, the *).'>i)seat auditorium was just one-sev-enth filial. .Inst 140 persons, including a smattering ot African Americans, attended, making it the poorest attended telex isal debate in recent history. Despite the poor attendance, the debate was fast paced, engag

ing and at several times lively and contentious. Jordan, the Republican candidate. repeatedlx chided Democrat Peterson for "not doing enough three years ago" to bring jobs to thi' city. Asking voters “is Indianapolis better oft’ now than four xears ago?" "L'reat ing jobs wasn't a priority m the Peterson Plan," charged Jordan. "If I'm elected jobs will he my number one priority. I ll stem the high unemployment. ► See DEBATE, Page A4

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