1989-07-08 Indianapolis Recorder

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PAGE IB
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We present out
'Expo Report9
PAGE2A
94th YEAR
Teen Talk
advises runaway
PAGE 14A
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NUMBER 27
SATURDAY JULY 8,-1989
PHONE 317/924-,
Many
criticize
abortion
ruling
By HOUSTON ROGERS
Staff Writer
The predominant opinion in the
African-American community— regarding the Supreme Court's recent
ruling on abortion— is that women
should have the right to do what they
think is right and that nobody else has
the right to decide for them, say some
local leaders.
The high court ruled Monday in the
much-awaited Webster vs. Reproductive Health, making it easier for states
to limit women's right to abortions.
In the Indianapolis African-American community, calls to some local
leaders appeared to favor pro-choice,
with most respondents (both men and
women) stating that women should
have have the right to abortions if they
so choose.
Among those expressing opinions
on the issue were:
Helen R. Clay president of the Indianapolis Chapter of the National
Council of Negro Women (NCNW):
"I feel a woman has a right to make her
own decision. As a group of women,
we (NCNW members) have not taken
a stand, but I personally feel that the
government has no right to get into
making that decision; I think it's up to
the individual."
Atty. Faye Williams, former president of the Indianapolis chapter of the
See ABORTION. PAGE 6A
Here I come...
Ashley McCoy, 3, from Gary, Indiana made her contribution to the July fourth protest in front of
Senator Dan Coats' office at 46 E. Ohio St McCoy joins several protesters for more African-
American judges in Indiana. Photo by Crystal Carney.
Strader keeps state job, layoff talk
starts rumors of potential targets
City-County Councilman Stanley
Strader, an employee in the state's
purchasing department, and another
department employee have been informed that they will not be removed
from their positions despite lay-offs
some are describing as politically-
motivated.
Up to 80 positions in the Department of Employment and Training
Services will be eliminated—a move
that has started rumors that African
Americans and Democrats are the
intended targets of staff reductions.
Strader and Jim King of Anderson— both of whom are African
Americans— were informed in April
by members of the Bayh administration that effective June 30 they would
be removed from their positions in the
state's purchasing department due to a
loss of business from the Indiana
Park cleanup: $2.5 mil
The Department at Parks ami
Recreation is considering a parks
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Department of Highways, which will
now make iLsown requisitions, Strader
said.
However, the administration recanted the statement about a week and
a half ago, saying there was no longer
a need to to remove either man, he
said.
In an apparently unrelaTetTmove,
Lt. Gov. Frank O'Bannon announced
last week that budget deficits in the
Indiana Department of Employment
and Training Services require a reduction of employees.
About 80 positions will be removed,—50 by not filling positions
vacated through attrition and 25-30
more by laying off administrative
employees— said Stephen Sellers,
director of marketing and communication for the state.
The reductions will come primarily from the Indianapolis central
administration office, he said.
Some reductions have been made
in top-level management, according
to Sellers. Four of seven positions
have been eliminated after the four
employees were "asked to find other
employment and did," he explained.
Sellers said that as yet no notice of
lay-offs has been issued because no
determination has been made regarding who is to be laid off. About 52
positions have been vacated by attrition, but that is not enough, he stated.
Rumors have been circulating that
African Americans and Democrats are
the targets of the layoffs.
Sue Kleinke, communications director for the Republican State Committee, said she would be surprised if
that were the case.
"Something I always thought was
interesting was the way Gov. Bayh
said he wanted to provide better service to the people of Indiana. But how
can he do that by laying people off?"
she asked, adding that there have been
several party-affiliated layoffs of
^tepubUcans.
KlemkesSaid she hopes someone
will examine lhe layoffs after they're
effective to determine if they do mostly
involve Democrats or African Americans.
One unidentified employee in the
department believes the layoffs will
be determined by straight classification, meaning that both Democrats
and Republicans, African-American
and white, will feel the impact.
Sources said that a number of people
have been told to leave without notification of lay-off, describing incidents
where people have come to work, and
have then been ordered to clean out
their desks.
Spokespersons for Gov. Evan
Bayh's administration reacted with
confusion when contacted by the Recorder and asked about the rumors.
"Some people have a hard time
understanding the process. Partisan
politics cannot be a factor in this. Nor
can race," Sellers commented.
The reduction in force process looks
at length of service and work evaluations as factors in determining which
positions, if eliminated, would have
See LAYOFFS, PAGE 6A
Low number of
African-American
judges 'abysmal'
BY KIM LANIER
Staff Writer
The African-American representation in the Hoosier judicial system is
"abysmal," in the words of one local attorney. That opinion is shared by a
number of other African American attorneys and judges.
The issue assumed centerstage for a while this Independence Day in the city
as demonstrators paraded in an informational picket before the State House to
protest the state's lack of African-American judges.
The annual event, sponsored by the Gary-based Indiana Coalition of Black
Judicial Officials, attracted demonstrators from Gary, Elkhart, Fort Wayne and
Indianapolis, including representatives from the local branches of the Urban
League and the NAACP.
Racism and discrimination are the bottom-line reasons why there are so few
black judges in a state noted for lawyers, said coalition president Hilbert.
Bradley.
"Since the founding of this country in 1776 and the adoption of the
constitution in 1787, there has never been a black on the Supreme Court of
Indiana, and there are five justices. Simple logic would indicate you didn't have
racism and discrimination, someone would qualify for a position," he commented.
Statistics indicate that there have never been African-American judges in
any of the Indiana's 12 courts of appeals or 90 circuit courts. None of the 10
federal district court judges are African-American, Bradley said.
There are at least 400 African-American lawyers in the state, he estimated.
Of a total of 450 judges, a mere eight are African-American. Those eight
include one city judge each in Gary and East Chicago, three municipal judges
in Indianapolis (Clarence Bolton, Taylor Baker and Carr Darden), two superior
See editorial, Page 4A
court judges in Indianapolis (Webster Brewer and Z. Mae Jimison), and one
superior court judge in Fort Wayne, he said.
This does not include a number of pro-tern judges.
Comparing judicial levels to a ladder, Bradley stated that the superior court
level is the lajftvay mark and African Americans have not been able to climb
beyond marpoint to the higher rungs which include circuit courts, appeals
courts, the Indiana Supreme Court and the federal courts.
Indiana does not even have one African-American magistrate.
"In our sister states of Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, there arc supreme court
judges who are black, district court and appellate court judges who are black,"
he said, adding lhat since 1965 a number of southern states, such as Alabama,
Mississippi, Missouri, Georgia and Florida, have added African Americans to
their ranks of supreme court and and federal judges.
"Indiana is in the dark ages," Bradley said.
Local attorney Bernard Huff agrees.
Huff sees infrequent vacancies as one barrier to more higher-level appointments. Another problem is that there is no sufficient push to obtain more
African-American judges.
"There are plenty of black attorneys qualified to serve as judges. Qualification is not the issue. There is no tremendous drive or commitment for black
judges," commented Huff, who has practiced law for 18 years.
Some have attributed part of the problem to the low numbers of minorities
attending law school. Huff, chairman of the Indianapolis Professional Association, which works closely with the Indiana University School of Law at
Indianapolis, said African Americans are underrepresented in law schools, but
that is not the reason for the low number of judges.
Jimison, Marion County Superior Court, Criminal Division judge, believes
the low number of law school students does contribute to the problem. In the
past, schools tried to open their doors to attract more students with special
See JUDGES, Page 6A
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP Mike Tyson bites into a birthdaycake at
a party in his honor held recently at the Trump HoteL Tyson la
the celebrities expected at this year's Indiana Black Expo.
Welcome MLK Jr. Memorial Baptist Delegates
p