European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday August 19, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 7 hispanic Fri agent claims race Bias Elpaso Texas a a mormon who is a now High ranking Fri official tried to destroy a hispanic agent s career for racial and religious reasons the agent testified wednesday in a discrimination suit against the Bureau. Sammy Martinez testifying in a class action by hispanic agents said he was falsely accused of wrongdoing by John Walser now executive assistant director of the Fri when Walser was his Boss in Mexico City in 1986. I know there was a contract on me Martinez said explaining that in Fri Jar gon a contract Means someone s out to get you and sabotage your career. Martinez testified that he had been discriminated against and that he did not believe the incident would have happened were he non hispanic or mor Mon. Walser did not return a phone Call to his office wednesday. The 311 hispanic agents who have joined the lawsuit being tried in . District court contend the Fri discriminates against hispanics in hiring promoting and disciplining. They want damages and a change in the Way the Fri promotes agents and handles discrimination complaints. About 400 of the Fri s 9,000 special agents Are hispanic or 4.4 percent. Nationally 8 percent of the population is hispanic. Martinez said Walser accused him of a Security violation the agent did not spec Ify what it was. Martinez was demoted and assigned to los Angeles a Post he asked not to be assigned to because i knew hispanic agents there had complained about mormon before Martinez was transferred from Mexico City he filed an internal equal employment Opportunity complaint pro testing Walser s actions. He said he found out later that the chief of the equal employment Opportunity office mailed the confidential complaint to Walser. Martinez said he appealed his demo Tion and Transfer and the Fri did not resist. He was reinstated to his previous Grade and transferred to Washington where he works in the same division As Walser he said. When defense attorney Alan Ferber reminded Martinez that Walser has adopted four mexican children and that his brother in Law is hispanic Martinez said he studied mormon theology to fur ther understand Walser. The Book of mormon says mexican americans Are cursed with dark skin Andare defiled Martinez said. It says when they Are brought into the Church they become White and Martinez said he believes Walser is biased against hispanics but that he did not know whether the alleged Bias is based on religious belief. Power surge closes nuclear Plant Washington a a Power surge occurred last week while operators were seeking to restart nuclear reactor used in weapons production at the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina an Energy department official said. Ernest c. Baynard Iii assistant Secretary for environment safety and health said that As a result of the incident officials at the Plant had decided wednesday to shut Down the reactor temporarily. They re bringing it Down to Zero Power level he said. The two other weapons reactors located at the Savannah River Plant Are also shut Down one of them for a scheduled maintenance outage and the other due to safety concerns. Baynard government was particularly concerned that operators of the reactor continued building up Power despite the 2 percent Power Spike a abrupt and unexpected increase in temperature and pressure. In simple terms it s not the machine that bothers me so much As the reaction of the people running it he said. So we be had a lot of discussion with them Savannah River Plant officials about what we need to do in Aiken s.c., a spokesman for the Dupont co.,which operates the Complex for the Energy depart ment reactor had been shut Down while an Independent review panel investigates the aug. 7-9 restart process. The spokesman Cliff Webb review pane has questions and concerns about the operators decision to continue to build Power in the reactor Al though there were indications of problems in main Taining a nuclear reaction. According to Webb the reactor was shut Down aug.9, then restarted briefly after tests showed that the problem was a buildup of helium in the reactor vessel. Dupont then proposed this week that the reactor be shut Down Early for routine testing that had been scheduled for september. The reactor will be out of service while the review panel studies the restart Inci Dent Webb said. Man releases 3 hostages wife Dies grand Junction Colo. A a Man who took three hostages at a county courthouse surrendered peacefully to authorities wednesday ending a 23-hour standoff during which he released his captives then claimed his wife had killed Patrick Firth 30, was taken into custody at 9 15 ., police sgt. Greg Kuhn said. He had reported four hours earlier that his wife Helen had committed were Uncertain pending an autopsy whether the woman had killed herself or was shot to death by her husband Mesa county District attorney Steve Erkenbrack standoff began tuesday morning when Firth s wife slipped him a gun and the two t9ok three hostages jus prior to the jailed Firth s hearing on sexual assault charges. A Jailer was sprayed in the face with Mace during the apparent escape attempt authorities said. Firth a Delta Auto Mechanic was released from prison in october after serving time on a rape convict said she had smuggled explosives into the courthouse according to police. During the standoff Firth threatened to blow up the two Story building. A bomb squad searched the courthouse after Firth was taken into custody but no explosives were found authorities said hostages had reported seeing wire tape and round objects inside the courthouse. There apparently was something there to make the hostages believe there were explosives he hostages court clerks Joyce Bailey and Sheila Shumway and receptionist Linda Romersberger were released one at a time the last walking out about 2 , the first to be set free said Firth made the hostages lie on the floor in a judge s huddled together for two hours holding hands and praying she said she was More frightened of mrs. Firth than of Firth himself. She was aggressive an nervous and mad she said during a news conference by the three hostages wednesday. He was relatively Calm but i was Only there for two authorities said Firth appeared willing to give him self up about 3 30 ., but his wife walked and threat ened Many times to detonate said they believe the incident began As an abortive escape attempt. But Firth made no demands except to talk with investigators about the sexual As Sault Case pending against him authorities said. Choosing image proving problem for los Angeles los Angeles a los Angeles is hav ing an identity crisis of monumental proportion. A $40 million Monument sort of statue of Liberty West will be built downtown to Greet those who drive into the City s Core. The airspace has already been donated. Money is no problem if corporate sponsors come through. But How do you capture the mood of los Angeles in a Way that will make everyone Happy More than 150 designs were submitted to an International Blue ribbon panel appointed by mayor Tom Bradley. The members reduced the choices to five on tuesday and will pare that to one by nov. 6. Los Angeles has an identity but we Don t know exactly How to show this identity said French panellist Roland Schweitzer. We have to find the Shakedown deleted from Competition a four Block Long Dollar Bill a 400-foot-tall Gold aluminium Star a solar Lumetrie Rainbow Arch with an Interior subway an inflatable sculpture subject to change with the passing of time a nude Man and woman holding up the Globe and a giant baseball Glove. The Winner could be a transparent Eagle whose wings would extend Between off ramps with an egg dropping in the Center or an untitled machine like Structure said to fit in with the automobile culture of los Angeles that includes a giant video screen facing Drivers a building offering Jye performances a Library food stands and one emphasizing global communications Complete with cinemas and technological demonstrations. Or it could be a series of towering water fountains designed to create a landmark visible for Miles that will drown out traffic noise. Then there is the Lineal Structure projecting the historical District described As a vessel for social gatherings. Or it could be a Complex of Heaters galleries and the general use of open space. New find helps retell key civil War Battle Washington a recently discovered re Mains of a Middle aged Soldier from new York felled by Confederate Rifle fire in the bloodiest Day of Ameri can military history Are providing historians unique details about the Battle of Antietam a turning Point inthe civil War. Bones buttons and bullets uncovered this Spring a burial Sites near the Western Maryland Battlefield show that the Soldier and three companions were members of the famed Irish brigade from new York which charged the Confederate line on sept. 17, 1862, an that they were Cut Down by Rifle fire. About 24,000 soldiers Union and Confederate were killed or wounded that Day. This gentleman was in the front rank As the Irish brigade tried to dislodge the Confederate troops on that Day Stephen Potter an archaeologist for . National Park service said at news conference wednesday. He ammunition discovery demonstrated that the confederates were armed with Supe rior rifles. Burial Sites for four members of the Irish brigade were found in april by three Amateur archaeologists searching a Field near the boundaries of the federally owned Battleground near Hagerstown my. A team from the smithsonian and the Park service excavated the site and sifted tons of Clay soil to find artefacts of the Battle. Dennis f. Frye Park service historian said that the Battle of Antietam named for the Creek which flow through the grounds is considered by Many to have been Pivotal in the american civil War. Though intended in a draw Frye Battle halted the South s first invasion of the North persuaded France and eng land to withhold recognition of the Confederate government and marked the first time that 4he Union retained command of a Battleground after a clash with Southern troops. The attack by the Irish brigade came at after wave of the Union troops smashed into the Confederate line dug in along a sunken Road. Within afew hours bodies were piled like cordwood and that Small Road became known to history As the bloody bodies were buried in shallow Graves within Days after the Battle and two years later the government paid area Farmers to dig up the remains of Union sol Diers for Transfer to a nearby National cemetery. Douglas Owsley a physical anthropologist at the Nat ural history museum said among the Bones found in the Graves was a shoulder Blade. Based on the evidence of arthritis found in this Bone and on the amount of Wear on Teeth from the same body Owsley said he estimated that the Soldier was about 45 years of age. Because of the unusual age he said there is a Chanc that the Middle aged Soldier May one Day be identified by name
