Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 July 2005 — Page 4

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2005

O’CONNER

► Continued from Page 1 the Ten Commandments.

Myra C. Selby, who served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1995 to 1999, praised O’Connor and believes the absence of her personality and strength will be a deep loss

for the high court.

“She was someone who took her role very seriously, in terms of being the first woman appointed to that court and being equal to her peers,” said Selby, who herself was the first woman and African American to serve on the state court. “She was also quite an example for young women who would like to enter the legal

profession.”

Selby, who is currently a legal advisor at Ice Miller, had a chance to meet O’Connor on two occasions and described her as “a warm, genuine and friendly person.” This week, attention has turned toward the selection of O’Connor’s replacement. Nominees chosen by the president must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before taking their place on

the bench.

In a national “action alert” the NAACP warned that if O’Connor is not replaced by someone who shares her moderate views, decisions in several cases involving such topics as discrimination in high school sports, legal assistance to the poor and the right of state lawmakers to consider race when drawing voting districts could be overturned. “The stakes involved in a Supreme Court nomination could not be higher,” said Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau. “Crucial civil rights and civil liberties issues are frequently decided by the Supreme

Court. “

Like the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law have encouraged Bush to nominate a consensus candidate whose legal interpretations can be trusted by all of America’s diverse communities. Selby noted that an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court is perhaps one of the most critical decisions a president can make because justices not only rule on important cases, can serve many years before deciding to retire. “I hope the president will listen carefully and broadly not only to those who agree with him, but also to other groups so that this appointment will underscore the representative nature of the Supreme Court,” said Selby. “Having said that, however, most presidents appoint an individual who reflects their own ideology, and I don’t think President Bush will be an exception.” In a press conference on the day O’Connor’s retirement was announced, Bush promised to select a justice “Americans can be proud of,” and who meets “a high standard of legal ability, judgment and integrity.”

Abu Henderson, interim president of the Martindale-Brightwood Neighborhood Association, studies materials regarding problems left by the American Lead Foundry during the meeting. (Photo/C. Guynn)

CONCERNS

► Continued from Page 1 the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. “That is what this particular clean-up is

(focusing on).”

Several meetings have taken place in recent weeks between the residents, church leaders including Wilkins and Frank Alexander, pastor of Oasis of Hope Baptist Church, which is located off of 25th Street and Keystone Avenue, and employees at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to try and figure out a solution. Alexander says participation by both sides is imperative in order for a resolution to take place. “One of the big problems that we have right now is that the people in the community have not responded,” he said. “I’ve held two or three meetings (at the church) and we haven’t had 20 people at either meeting. But if you make it look like a crisis you might get more people out.”

action, voting rights and education. “Throughout her tenure on the court, Justice

O’Connor demonstrated an independence in her decision-making that often led her to cast the all-important swing vote in cases of concern to us,” Modal stated. “On occasion, she sometimes saved the day by voting to uphold civil rights

protections.”

O’Connor did indeed cast the deciding vote in a 2003 ruling that upheld the right of the University of Michigan to have an affirmative action program designed to boost Black and

Hispanic enrollment.

“Attaining a diverse student body is at the heart of the law school’s proper institutional mission,” O’Connor wrote at the time. “In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly opened to talented an qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity. All members of our heterogeneous society must have confidence in the openness and integrity of the educational institutions that provide

this training.”

Although O’Connor was criticized by some civil rights advocates for supporting a 1993 court decision that allowed white voters to challenge oddly shaped election districts drawn to benefit minorities, she was also praised for ruling in favor of a June decision that prevents prosecutors from striking minorities from juries

on the basis of race.

A week before the 2004-05 Supreme Court term came to a close, O’Connor was lauded by property right activists and advocates for elderly and low-income urban residents for opposing a majority ruling that allows cities to use eminent domain for private property. State and local governments can now seize private property to complete non-public economic development proj ects, as long as they can prove that the projects will benefit the public at large by bringing more jobs, infrastructure improvements and increased tax revenue. O’Connor offered what was perhaps the most strongly worded statement against the majority decision, saying that use of eminent domain means the “specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.” The issue could become more prominent in Indianapolis in the near future, as empty lots of land in Marion County are disappearing rapidly due to a decade-long boom in the construction of housing developments and office buildings. Although O’Connor was appointed in 1981 by Ronald Reagan, a firm conservative, she later became known for taking a practical, individualistic approach to issues such as abortion, campaign finance reform, and public display of

Recent meetings held at Martin University have shown that the neighborhood now believes that the lead problem is a crisis. “There were more people at those meetings than at the two I held combined,” Alexander said. Wilkins says that his concern is bigger than getting the community involved, “they know of the problem and want to do something about it,” he said. But the problem is getting more testing and clean up done on more proper-

ties.

“My belief is when they finish these 250 properties that is all that they are going to do in this neighborhood,” Wilkins said. “They are trying to say that the lead contamination on (Scottish United Methodist’s) property and properties further west and north of the plant came from some place else. And I don’t buy that.” Hartsock says that Na-

tional Lead has agreed to

test more yards.

“They will be evaluating outside of the boundaries to see if there is something more that they can do,” she

said.

In the meantime, Hartsock suggests that residents take advantage of free lead screenings. “If you’re concerned about lead at your residence adults and especially children under the age of 6 and pregnant women should definitely have a lead screening,” she said. And if you’re concerned about the cost of having your property checked for lead, the Marion County Health Department will have someone come out and conduct a free lead assessment. If you have questions about lead assessment and blood lead screening call the Marion County Health Department at (317) 221-

2155.

bar*be*que kar’bi-kyu’) n. 1: A passion, an art, an obsession* 2: Hand-pulled pork smoked in-house for eleven hours. 3: Ribs so tender they “fall-off-the-bone”. 4: A gathering of family and friends. See SMOKEY BONES. J| ^

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