European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 09, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes . Tuesday february 9,1993 scholar says executions were racist by the new York times Highland Heights by. As the role of Black soldiers is documented in the history of world War ii a. Robert Lilly is trying to fathom one More distinction of that american fighting Man the fact that almost four times As Many Black soldiers As Whites were executed in Europe after military courts martial eve though Blacks made up less than 10 percent of the troops. This needs to be sorted out and made right Lilly said in a recent interview at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights where he teaches sociology and criminology the professor who is White stumbled on to what he suspects is a Little known chapter of american racism while he was doing research in eng land on prison punishment. First he heard about Albert Pierre Point England s official Hangman during the War. Pierre Point carried out some of the hangings for the american army at Shipton Mallet prison near Somerset. American sol Diers were executed at the prison for the murder and rape of English civilians. This set Lilly looking for official records. Eventually with the help of Frederick m Kaiser a senior research associate at the congressional research service a 1946 summary of court martial discipline dispensed in the War s european theater. He found enough racial data to bolster what he had picked up anecdotally in England Black soldiers were hanged fori capital crimes disproportionately in the segregated Mil itary of that time. With Black history month being celebrated around the nation Lilly is intent on getting All the details of the executions and spreading the information. The pro Fessor Rich with curiosity but Short on Money is plan Ning to write a Book about these military executions. By his accounting 70 soldiers were executed after courts martial in Europe during the War 55 of them Lack and 15 White. About 70 More executions were carried out elsewhere in the american military but so so spokes Chuck Sandburg holds on Light As his partner spurs his Steed toward the finish line during the hell Bent for leather event at the Jackson Hole ski area in Jackson wyo., on sunday. The event which followed the Jack son Hole Cowboy ski Challenge combines Riding Rop ing and skiing. Collapsing7 Justice system emphasis on Long sentences for drug offenders criticized Boston a More people Are being locked up for drug offences particularly minority youth at a time when drug use is decreasing and other violent crimes arc on the Rise the american bar association said have a criminal Justice system in this country that is on a fast track to collapse because of the heavy emphasis on drug enforcement said Neal Sonnett chairman of the Aba s criminal Justice Section. Andrew l. Spinner a prosecutor in Montgomer county md., said he fears communities will continue cutting Back on schools and libraries to pay for More jails and prisons to hold the increasing number of in mates. But schools and libraries have More to do with the prevention of crime than Locking people up for Long terms Sonner said. The Aba group Analysed a variety of government statistics for Federal and state Law enforcement courts and prisons. According to the report arrests for drug offence Rose by 24 percent from 1985 to 1991 although House hold surveys during the same period showed that the share of the population using drugs dropped from 12percent to 6 percent. The number of adults in prison for drug offence Rose by 327 percent from 1986 to 1991, while the num Ber imprisoned for All crimes Rose by 50 percent. The number for violent crimes Rose by 41 percent. The 346,000 adults incarcerated for violent crimes in1991 still was More than double the 165,000 imprisoned for drug crimes but drug offenders make up a growing share of the nationwide prison population. Spending on Law enforcement has become More heavily weighted toward prisons than police the report said. Too often Sonner said violent criminals must be released from prison Early to make room for drug of fenders serving Long mandatory sentences. The Aba has Long opposed the mandatory sentence required by Federal Law mainly for drug offences. Previously Federal judges had wider discretion to set sentences for such crimes. Sonnett said it would be wrong to attribute the de Cline in drug use to the increasing arrests and imprison ments. Instead he said Public education has mad drug use less socially acceptable. Far no breakdown on racial data has been obtained. It was very Clear that Blacks were being punished in almost All instances a hell of a lot More for their behaviour proportionate to their presence than the White sol Diers were Lilly said. There s no question that in most instances the crimes committed were horrendous he said. But we Don t know whether Whites got away with the same acts particularly the the military data he has gathered in Europe show that Blacks or coloured As the military referred totem then made up 79 percent of the soldiers executed in Europe against 21 percent for Whites. The Fate of execution for Black soldiers was even higher for the rape of civilians for which 25 Blacks 87percent and four Whites 13 percent were put to death. In 28 murder convictions 22 Blacks and six Whites were executed. The other executed soldiers were convicted of both murder and rape. Lilly said he has been unable to obtain the racial breakdown of these. Staged Jyh real Agins mormon ends with song Provo Utah a a Man who said he had a briefcase full of dynamite ran on stage in a packed auditorium and briefly held captive the heir to the leadership of the mormon Church. The crowd of 15,000 at Brigham Young University watched in horror sunday night then began to sing a hymn apparently distracting the Man enough to allow some students to sneak up and overpower him officials crowd spontaneously began to sing said by president Rex e. Lee who saw the incident. At that Point he lost control of the crowd and that really seemed to disconcert Judy whose Hometown and age were not Avail Able was held for investigation of a charge of threat against life and property said Utah county sheriffs sgt. Grant Ferre. The briefcase contained books and Aradio police said. The Church Leader 85-year-old Howard w. Hunter was not Hurt in the 10-minute ordeal by spokesman rent Harker said. He resumed his address after Prais ing the crowd s singing. Hunter president of the Faith s ruling Council of the twelve is recognized As next in line to succeed 93-year old Ezra Taft Benson As head of the Church which claims 8.5 million members. He had begun speaking at the Marriott Center when the Man ran Down an aisle with the briefcase and a Black pipeline object he said was the bomb s said Stop right there he told people on the stage to get off Harker said. He approached Hunter put the suitcase in front of him and held what he said was the Detonator behind two Church Security guards assigned to Hunter would not leave the stage but kept a distance. The Man took a three Page statement from his jacket placed it on the lectern and ordered Hunter to read it Harker said. Hunter refused. The crowd then began singing we thank thee ohgo for a Prophet. The audience was just very stunned said Rebec Ataylor a by student. You could hear people crying. They were holding meanwhile four people who apparently had slipped behind the podium rushed in Harker said. Three tackled the suspect while the fourth pulled Hunter tothe floor. Bandits get at least $300,000 from Staten Island Post office new York a three armed robbers made off with at least $300,000 from a Post office Safe police said monday. R the bandits burst into the main Post office in the Borough of Staten Island about 11 40 . Sunday and forced a worker to take them to the Safe said sgt. Deburns a police spokesman. All three gunmen wore hoods and sunglasses. The took Between $300,000 and $500,000 in Cash the ser Geant said. Their getaway car was recovered three blocks away. Hehe were a lot of peple Workin i at the time of the Neist but no one was injured Burns said
