European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages a a a the stars and stripes wednesday october 17,1990 Frankfurt officials cancel meeting on gang activity by Gary Pomeroy staff writer Frankfurt Germany a military officials in Frankfurt have shut Down a sergeants grass roots Effort to curtail youth violence in the Community a Platten Strasse housing area. The heart of the dispute is an informal meeting that sgt. 1st class Denise Dawson planned to hold last Friday Between parents and youths from the housing area to discuss the trouble. Frankfurt military officials said they prohibited her from holding the meeting in base housing mainly because she had not sought the Community a permission. Dawson and other residents contend however that the ban followed their request that police not attend the meeting. Dawson decided to organize the meeting after foreign youths chased several american teen agers to the plat ten youth activities Center on the evening of oct. 5. They also stormed the facility smashing windows. Accounts vary but some witnesses said the foreign youths had clubs and at least one of them had a gun. This was the most recent clash Between several groups of american and foreign gangs in the Frankfurt area and concern in the Platten area has reached the panic level. A a in a upset about the violence in the Community a Dawson said. A in order to establish a relationship with the teens someone has to step  Dawson said she Speaks from experience. Her son was with a group of youths in Frankfurt who stabbed and robbed a German cab Driver several months ago. He spent four months in a detention facility then was shipped Back to the states. A i done to want to see other families go through the agony i went through a said Dawson who did not want her unit identified. On oct. 10, Dawson circulated fliers announcing the informal gathering of adults and youths in the party room of their building in the housing area. The next Day Dawson informed the area military mayor Tom Grippo. During the conversation Grippo told Dawson that be already knew about the meeting and that military police investigators would be attending she said. Dawson and others opposed the presence of police. A i think it would have intimidated some of the teens who were involved or had friends who were involved in gang activity a Dawson said adding that she told Grippo on Friday that the group did no to want police to attend. Why the meeting unravelled after that is  off drive a Mikhail Gorbachev look alike poses above the phrase a Pere striker in a poster to help the Japan soccer league bring about its own Reform plan. The organization a playing on the word perestroika or the soviet leaders plan for restructuring a Hopes to promote annual league matches and bolster the weak interest in japanese soccer. The stately looking Gorbachev is really David l. Austin an american to producer. Dawson for example said Grippo told her the meeting was cancelled because she did t have prior approval from the Community. It. Col. Jack Dunn the Frankfurt military Community chief of staff said the meeting was stopped because the parents failed to get permission but also because of Awson a past problems with her children. Dunn also said the Community originally thought the meeting was for parents and banned the gathering once officials realized that youths would also attend. Holding a meeting for children the Community Felt was like a putting the cart before the horse a Dunn said. A it was obvious we were not on the same  but the question of police attendance May also have played a part in the decision to cancel the meeting. For example col. Kenneth Hibl the Deputy Community commander had decided Friday morning that he and it. Col. Allen Grammer the Provost marshal should attend the meeting. It is not Clear whether Hibl Ever received word that the parents did not Welcome the police. Finally the Community somehow conceived that Dawson and the other parents were protesting rather than trying to solve the crime problem in Platten. A it was inferred that we May have a demonstration of soldiers related to the meeting protesting the situation in Platten a Dunn said monday. A we can to have  Dunn said he told Platten residents that their efforts Are appreciated. A a it a one of the few times someone has raised a hand and said they wanted to help a Dunn said. A we did no to understand the tone of what was intended by the  however the group was told to a get a charter together and Well recognize them if they meet All the  the procedure is Standard for All groups who want to meet on government property Dunn said. Grippo has refused to answer questions about the meeting. Community officials have acknowledged that youth violence is a problem in the Frankfurt area. A in the last three months there has been a significant increase primarily in violent crimes a Grammer wrote in the sept. 20 Issue of the Frankfurt chronicle the Community a newspaper. To identify people involved in the incidents and make Platten a safer place to live a we have increased the frequency and visibility of military police motorized patrols and added walking patrols in Platten Grammer wrote. World today soviet legislator rebuked for remarks on Cuba Moscow apr a soviet lawmaker on monday described Cuba As a a totalitarian but was rebuked immediately by the Legislatures speaker for insulting the soviet unions longtime ally Tass said. A of has Suleim nov a supreme soviet Deputy from Kazakhstan in soviet Central Asia made the reference during a debate on foreign policy issues. The official news Agency did not give the context of his remarks. The speaker Anatoly Lukyanov quickly a stepped in to dissociate parliament from the statement a Tass said. A this pronouncement. Is insulting to the Friendly cuban people and supreme soviet members strongly condemn it and dissociate themselves from it a Tass quoted Lukyanov As saying later. Such rebukes have been rare in the legislature which has become a forum for markedly bold statements and Frank debate Over soviet  gets first Call on new hungarian phones Budapest Hungary apr the first cellular Telephone system in Eastern Europe went into operation monday in Budapest and the first Call went to vice president Dan Quayle officials said. The phone system is operated by Westel a Dio Telefoni ltd., a joint venture of . West International holding inc. And the hungarian telecommunications co. The hungarian phone company holds a 51 percent stake in the venture while . West a regional phone company based outside Denver owns the rest. Hungary a minister of Commerce and Trade Akos Peter Bod telephoned Quayle and . Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher. The new system initially will serve 3,000 subscribers in the capital and double that by february officials said. The venture plans to expand service to the Highway corridor Between Budapest and Vienna by the end of 1993. Crowd attacks Mcdonald s protesters Leiden Netherlands apr dutch police tuesday arrested 36 protesters who formed a human Chain across the Entrance of a Mcdonald a restaurant but later had to protect them from furious bystanders police said. The 36 people were among a crowd of 50 who chanted a a Mcdonald a is murder and handed out pamphlets protesting what they said is the hamburger chains role in depleting the tropical rain forests of South America according to police spokesman Dick Graveland. The arrests occurred when the demonstrators ignored a police order to disperse and barred the Entrance of the restaurant in one of this Western City a busiest shopping precincts Graveland said. A Young woman and her three children Felt threatened and called for help from inside the building he said adding the incident turned violent when several bystanders became involved and attacked the demonstrators. A there were quite a few hefty blows a Graveland said adding that police officers eventually pulled the protesters apart and bustled them into vans. Their pamphlet also accused Mcdonald a of a a extorting its personnel and customers and of playing a key role in the meat producing Industry which causes unnecessary suffering to animals Graveland quoted it As saying. The Oakwood  Mcdonald a corp. Owns 59 restaurants in the Netherlands. The hamburger Chain s european critics regard it As a typical Symbol of american consumer culture. Yvette Moll a spokeswoman for Mcdonald a dutch Headquarters said the protesters were a will informed about the chains activities. A none of our meat comes from the rain Forest areas. We just get it from Germany a she said. Group wants health warnings on gum London apr chewing gum contains toxic Mineral hydrocarbons and should carry a health warning a consumer watchdog body warned tuesday. The food commission said people should be advised they Are a chewing on  a chewing gum contains Mineral hydrocarbons a better known As paraffin Wax or vaseline a which have been banned because of their toxicity from All foods except chewing gum Bubble gum and cheese Rind a the Independent commission said in its quarterly publication the food Magazine. Earlier this year the government warned Consumers not to Swallow gum because of the Mineral hydrocarbons contained in the base. But Philip Hamilton managing director of Wrigley which holds 88 percent of British gum sales dismissed the claims As a sensationalist inaccurate and misleading to the  he said every ingredient in Wrigley products was a entirely Safe and complies with All applicable National Ana International standards and  a if the product is Safe Why put a health warning on it there is no need for one a Hamilton said. He said Wrigley had sent details of its own research to the ministry of agriculture and the company a confident government scientific advisers would support Wrigley a claim that its gum is Safe. Britons spent 90 million pounds $170 million Las year on chewing gum and soft Bubble gum. Wrigley a Plymouth factory produces 15 million Sticks of gum a Day