Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 January 2004 — Page 1

Preparing a conscious community May and beyond An inside look at cervical cancer, Page Cl

Volume 109 ■ Number 2 ■ Since 1895 ■ FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2004 ■ www.indianapolisrecorder.com ■ Four Sections ■ 75C

Minister Damon Muhammad recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Muhammad Mosgue 74, located at 2248 E. 38 th St. In an in-depth interview with The Recorder, Muhammad hot only discussed the contributions the mosgue plans to make to the community, but he also addressed common misconceptions that plague the Nation of Islam. Turn to page 81 for the complete story. Kappa Alpha Psi anniversary celebration The Indianapolis Alumni Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. will celebrate the 93 rd anniversary of the fraternity's founding on Jan. 16-17. The celebration will include a chiliyupper social on Jan. 16, a memorial tribute to the founders at Crown Hill Cemetery on Jan. 17 at 10 a.m., and a reception and banquet will be held at the Marriott East Hotel, 7202 E. 21st Street on Jan. 17. The cost for the banquet is $50 for financial brothers, and $60 for nonfinancial brothers, $30 for undergraduates. Contact Donnell Stewart at (317) 797-4974 for more information. Garrard to lead city’s public works Mayor Bart Peterson has named James Garrard, currently administrator of the Indianapolis Animal Care & Control Division (ACCD), as the new director of the Department of Public Works (DPW). He succeeds Barbara Lawrence, whom the mayor named city controller la,st month. Garrard joined city government in 2000 as the city's labor-employee relations and risk manager. As risk manager, he was responsible for addressing employee grievances and union concerns, as well as ensuring employee safety and complying with federal and state safety regulations.

Columnist s book signing Leroy Robinson, columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder will be appearing on The Bottom Line with Willie Frank Middlebrook, on WTLC-AM 1310, Jan. 15 from 4-6 p.m. Immediately following, Robinson will host a booksigning at X-Pression Bookstore, 970 Ft. Wayne Ave. U.S. adds 1 resident every 12 seconds The U.S. population was 292,287,454 on Jan. 1, up 1 percent over the year, the Census Bureau said. The new total is an increase of 2,816,586 from the same date in 2003. The bureau said that as of January the United States will be recording a birth every 8 seconds, a death every 13 seconds and adding an immigrant every 25 seconds. The result is an increase of one person every 12 seconds, the agency said.

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AGAINST ALL ODDS Mother survives adult life of adversity, misfortune

Barbara Sanders, 49, recently visited the gravesite where her three children are buried. They died in 1976 in a house fire. (Photo/E. Wheeler)

By ERICKA C. WHEELER Staff Writer The desire to overcome adversity is a statement that best describes Barbara Sanders, a Black woman who has fought misfortune all of her adult life. Life seemed very promising back in 1972, when Barbara Fields (her maiden name) gave birth to her first child, a daughter. Two more boys would follow. By 1976, her family was well established, preparing for the holidays until one December night when she came home from her Greyhound Bus Station job to find her home in flames. Her children were trapped inside the home where a furnace had caught fire. At the tender age of 22, before having a chance to experience all that life had to offer, this young mother experienced death. Her 4-year-old daughter Sheri Fields and tw'o youthful sons, Anthony and William III were pronounced dead on Dec. 7, 1976The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. “I came home and the house was burning,” said Sanders. “I can remember talking to my daughter a hour or so before I went home and she told me that my youngest son had burned himself. 1 had not realized what w'as going on but th£ fire was going then.” Anthony, the youngest boy, was in the back room where the fire had started, he suffered second and third degree burns. Fire authorities later found the children, in the front part of the home in Sanders’ bedroom, huddled together. After the death of her three young children, Sandersdecided against having any more chil- * dren.

By 197H her aunt, Brenda Johnson, convinced her to have more children. Sanders agreed and shortly thereafter, her son Jason was born. Two years later, she gave birth to her daughter, Ericka. “I convinced her to have more children because I knew that she would be happier. My mother and I knew that she capable of raising a family," said Johnson. “I am blessed to have two wonderful children now. One can

not imagine the pain felt with losing three children,” Sanders said. While birthing her now eldest son. she was diagnosed with diabetes, a disease that would only cause her tragedy the rest of her life. But more adversities were to come. In 1984, she divorced the father of her five children. She said he physically and verbally abused her throughout their marriage.

“Even after the tragedy that we had suffered together, I was abused for years. I could only take so much and 1 vowed that I would not lose my children again. I had to get out," she said. In 1993, she married her current husband Floyd Sanders. During their wedding, her son gave her away because three years prior to her marriage, her father, William “Skinny” Alexander died of cancer on Christmas Day. When her father passed she spent the night at his residence. Upon returning back to her home the next morning, she received a call from St. Vincent Hospital confirming the death of her mother who died from complications of diabetes, after a sixmonth stay in the hospital. “I had lost both my mother and father, one day apart. I just knew that I could not keep my sanity,” she said. Later she was admitted to a mental institution where she was kept under a watch to ensure that she did not harm herself and to help her cope with her depression. “1 w'as still dealing with the death of my three children during the December months, now my parents, it was just too much to bear,” she said. In 1996, Sanders underwent thyroid disease surgery. She suffered the disease so intensely that she w'as unable to walk for long periods of time. And just when she thought things could not be worse, another medical tragedy hit her. In December 1997. she w'as diagnosed with breast cancer. “I found the lump myself,” she said. “I went in to see my doctor

►See MOTHER, Page A4

Dr. Edwin C. Marshall

Dr. Marshall elected chair of American Public Health Association By ERICKA P.THOMPSON Staff Writer He is sitting on top of a mountain overlooking 50,000 public health professionals representing 50 occupations, at least for the next year. Edwin C. Marshall, O.D.* a resident of Bloomington, was recently elected the first optometrist as chair of the American Public Health Association (APHA) Executive Board. He is also the professor of optometry and associate dean for academic affairs and adjunct professor of public health in the Indiana University School of Medicine. While a student at IU, Marshall was unsure about his future plans until a friend influ-

► See MARSHALL, Page A4

Sniper investigator Moose talks about probe, public safety By ERICKA C. WHEELER Staff Writer The city of Indianapolis is in for a treat. With the recent trials for the D.C. snipers wrapping up, what better time for former Police Chief Charles A. Moose to speak about the 2002 sniper investigation and public safety. “I think people misunderstand what is entailed in public safety," Moose told The Recorder in a phone interview. “I want people to get a fetter understandingofwhat this line ofwork consists of.” Chief Moose headlines the 2004 Speaker Series presented by Steward and Associates. Included in thisyear’s line will be Essence Magazine editorial director Susan Taylor on Feb. 5, and Rubin “Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongly convicted of a crime and spent two decades in prison. He will be in town on April 1. “The whole thrust is to bring in nationally known speakers so that people can witness the dialogue and learn from these speakers,” said Matthew Steward, president of Steward & Associates. Chief Moose stepped down after a dispute over a book that he had published arose. Moose said that the county

Former Chief of Police, Charles A. Moose commission’s code of ethics violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Since publishing Three Weeks in October, The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper, he has traveled the country speaking and consulting. “I learned a lot. Life is important and I learned that tomorrow is not promised to anyone," he said. Moose visited Broad Ripple High School Thursday and spoke to an audience of students and teachers. “Broad Ripple High. School suffered from the most violent crimes in the county last year." Steward said. “With all of our speakers, we want them to come to the city to speak to either a high school or university directly.” After his visit to the high school he will attend a round table discussion moderated by Amos Brown of Radio One and a columnist for The Recorder. Community leaders such as India-

► See MOOSE 0 , Page A4

African-American homicides rose in 2003, while total homicides fell

By AMOS BROWN III Recorder Correspondent In 2003, African-Ameri-can homicide victims in Indianapolis/Marion County increased by two, according to The Indianapolis Recorder’s annual examination of African-American homicide statistics. In the year just ended, 78 AfricanAmericans were homicide victims, compared with 76 Black homicide victims in 2002-and 79 Black homicides in 2001. Though the number of Black homicides increased 2.6 percent last year, it is the third lowest number of Black homicides in five years. The total number of homicides in Indianapolis/Marion County in 2003 was 115; three less than 2002 and four fewer than 2001. African Americans accounted for 67.8 percent of the overall homicides in Indianapolis last year; whites comprised 25.2 percent of all homicides and II ispanies 5.2 percent. The totaj number of homicides in neighborhoods patrolled by the Indianapolis Police Department declined last year. However, AfricanAmerican homicides within I PD’s areas increased 5.1 percent to (i2; an increase of three Black homicides from 2002, but down nine homicides from 2001.

Of the total homicide victims in IPD’s areas, 76.5 percent were African American; 18.5 percent were white and 4.9 percent were Hispanic. African-American homicides in areas patrolled by the Marion County sheriff also increased last year. In 2003, there were 14 Black homicide victims in the sheriff’s patrol areas, an increase of two or 16.7 percent from 2002; and up 75 percent from 2001. Blacks accounted for 45.2 percent of the homicides in the sheriff s areas; whites 41.9 percent, Hispanies 6.5 percent. An additional two AfricanAmerican homicide victims were tallied in the city of Lawrence.

YEAR 1991 1992 1991 1994 1995 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

The total number of homicides in the sheriffs area, including the cities of Law rence and Beech Grove, declined by two to 34, down from 36. That’s the first net decline in total homicides in the sheriffs jurisdictions in five years. Four of every five Black homicides (79-5 percent) in Indianapolis occurred in neighborhoods patrolled by the Indianapolis Police Department, even though those neighborhoods contain less than twothirds of the city/county’s Black population. Just 20.5 percent of Black homicides occurred in areas patrolled by the sheriff, even though those areas contain over a third of the city/county’s Black population.

HOMICIDES 73 86 63 104 85 104 106 119 81 74 79 76 78

AFRKAN-AMERICAN HOMICIDES IN INDIANAPOLIS/MARION COUNTY 1991 to 2003 Chart Compilation @2004 The Indianapolis Recorder

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