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JANUARY 15-30, 20132 COMMUNICATOR NEWS

When you’re gambling with someoneelse’s money, who cares how high thestakes may go and whether you win orlose. But shooting craps with stolenmoney can get you in trouble, unless

you’re the mayor and the city council.On December 21, 2012, they ended up infront of a judge who slapped their handsand sent them home. Would you or I re-ceive such a soft reprimand if we’d triedto steal 2 million bucks? Not likely, butthese are good men, not criminals. Uhhuh.One year ago, while the battle raged inWisconsin’s capital over worker’s rights,Racine politicians were pandering tolocal labor unions, hoping to secure theirsupport. We’re with you, they claimed,let’s make a deal. Let’s get a contractsigned to protect you, and oh by the way,there’s an election coming up and wehope we can count on you. Could youdistribute some literature, put up some

signs, and some financial support wouldbe nice.With Governor Walker on the ropes, hisanti-labor agenda seemed in jeopardyand a quick deal to secure peace with theunions was a priority. If Walker were tolose, those unions might be inclined toup the ante and make greater demands.Surprisingly, despite a million signaturescalling for his recall, Walker prevailed inthe election. He managed to portray gov-ernment workers as spoiled and greedy,even though they had bargained manyconcessions before he destroyed theircollective bargaining rights. This meantActs 10 and 32 would go into full effect.That set the wheels to turning in theminds of our local politicians, who real-ized that they’d bet the wrong horse.They figured maybe they could just hitthe reset button on that contract they hadwith local labor unions. Just make theclaim that Acts 10 and 32 should beretroactive and nullify the contract. Whatthe heck, there were close to 2 millionbucks they could “recover” if it worked.Imagine all the wonderful things thatcould be accomplished with 2 millionbucks. Maybe some more phallic sym-bols like the ones on the city hall round-about.The scheme quickly gained support inthe city council, with past and presentcouncil presidents Greg Helding and JimKaplan leading the way. Only two alder-men recognized the foolishness of that

Who Bet $2 Million Bucks & Why?

COVER

STORY

JANUARY 15-30, 2013 3COMMUNICATOR NEWS

By Heather PremoHealthcare Network has been

around since 1987 when thenumber of uninsured was at 32million. Today it is at a high of46 million. That is 46 millionpeople in the United States thatdo not have any insurance sothat something as simple as an-tibiotics for a respiratory infec-tion can be treated. So manyissues concerning the health-care crisis have travailed us foryears and years, but one thinghas stood honest and true andthat is that the Healthcare Net-work will continue the dedica-tion and vigilance to treat theresidents of Racine with thelove and compassion thateveryone should have.

Without Healthcare Network,I would have possibly not beenable to write this story. Theyhave been coming through forme for the last several years. Iam on the waiting list forBadger Care, and I have been

on that list for 3 years now. Alot has happened in 3 years. Ihave gotten several infectionsthat have required treatment; Ihave needed medications for al-lergies and asthma which areconstant. They have helped mewith all of it over the years. Iam not sure where I would behad they not been there for me.I love seeing the people there,as busy as they are, if just tosay Hello and Thank You withall my heart.

Healthcare Network plays anessential role here in Racinethat has become a staple inhelping people survive in theharshness of the times. With do-nations from various organiza-tions, Healthcare Network maycontinue to provide for theneeds of individuals in Racinefor years to come.

Now it is 2013 and this is the26th year in which HealthcareNetwork has been operating. In

Another Glorious Year of Helping Uninsured in Racine County

At the desk, Veronica Meltzer and Alma Garay welcome patients to Health Care Network

Please turn to page 9

Please turn to page 4

Did you, like many other Americans, il-

luminate your home with bright and cheery

holiday lights? For many, Christmas just

wouldn’t be the same without at least a

tree trimmed with hundreds of tiny lights.

Some may add a row of icicles along the

eaves of the house while others go all out

and put on a display that could be seen

from space, and which causes the electric

meter to spin like a top.

And right there is the rub, that meter

that spins round and round putting a smile

on the face of the energy company and a

dent in the wallet of the homeowner. But

it’s more than just the electric bill that you

might want to consider when you flip that

switch to light the display and spread good

cheer to all who drive by. Pause for just a

moment and consider just where all that

electricity comes from.

Most of the electricity in America

comes from a turbine spinning in a power

plant somewhere miles away from where it

is used. And the thing that makes that tur-

bine spin to generate that current is high

pressure steam, which is created by burn-

ing fossil fuels to heat water. Fossil fuels

are coal, natural gas and fuel oil. Here in

Racine, WI, nearly 70% of our electricity

is generated by burning coal, and coal is

ranked as the “dirtiest” method for produc-

ing electricity.

Even “clean coal” is still dirty electric-

ity. A brief list of what gets released into

the environment when coal is burned in-

cludes acid gases, such as hy-

drogen chloride and hydrogen

fluoride; Benzene, toluene

and other compounds; Diox-

ins and furans; Formalde-

hyde; Lead, arsenic, and other

metals; Mercury; Polycyclic

Aromatic Hydrocarbons

(PAH); and Radioactive ma-

terials, like radium and ura-

nium. That doesn’t even

count carbon dioxide, which

is the worst of the “green-

house gases” that are causing

global climate change.

Lakes as far away as New

England are affected by the

pollutants that rise into the air

from our Midwest power

plants, making the fish caught

in them risky to eat.

Now, if that were all of the

problem with coal it would be

bad enough, but there’s more.

Much of the coal used for

electrical generation is now

gathered in a process called

“surface mining”, which

means they dig it right off the

top of the ground. Of course

they have to remove every-

thing that covers it before it’s

actually at the surface. In

mining company language,

this is called “mountaintop

removal” and the stuff that covers the coal is

called “overburden”. To regular folks,

“overburden” is known as forests, streams

and mountains.

You will be shocked at what I’m about to

tell you now. Every week, the explosive

equivalent of the bomb that destroyed Hi-

roshima, Japan to end World War II, is deto-

nated in the Appalachian Mountains of

America. Those explosives are used to liter-

ally blast the tops off of mountains to get at

the coal. The “debris’ from that blasting is

shoved into adjoining valleys and streams

causing a huge problem with pollution of the

areas water. All living things that are “in the

way”, including families who have lived

there for generations, are either killed or dis-

placed.

Perhaps this is all of little consequence to

you. Perhaps this is a small price to pay for

the Christmas Joy that you and others expe-

rience from that beautiful tree and all of the

lights that glimmer on the house and in the

yard. Then again, perhaps you would like to

consider what is happening hundreds of

miles away when you flip that switch. Imag-

ine an atomic bomb going off when you flip

it. Perhaps you would like the people and

wildlife of Appalachia to have a little clean

air and water to enjoy next Christmas. And

maybe, instead of buying more lights to illu-

minate the yard, you would consider buying

a solar panel to put out there. Maybe hang a

wreath on it for the season.

Felize Navidad.

AN AFTER CHRISTMAS THOUGHT

2012, there were 165,000 appointments and this has made HealthcareNetwork the largest free clinic in Wisconsin.

There are a team of great women who demonstrate such compassionfor the community by organizing fun events to raise money and aware-ness for the services that the Network has provided for the public. Thereare more events that are upcoming.

The Healthcare Network Website gives detailed information on whathas occurred over the years and the dedicated people that assist, volun-teers and workers, to keep Healthcare Network running to a divine ability.I commend the long standing people that have dedicated their work to thehelp and success of others. Thank you.

The Healthcare Network has also been recognized in the White Houseby President Bush and President Clinton for the extended efforts theyhave made throughout the years. If you look inside on their wall on theRight, there are many plaques of recognition including by President Clin-ton with the White House monogram.

Currently they are working hard on the dental issues that many peopleface. Their mammography program to ensure early detection of breastcancer began in 2010 giving women mammograms made possiblethrough partial funding from the Susan G. Komen foundation.

For more information on Healthcare Network and how you can help,go to www.healthcarenetwork.org. The website will provide you with allthe information needed and upcoming events and ways to contact them.Included in this is a newsletter to provide you with the most recentevents.

Healthcare Network is located at 904 State Street in Racine WI 53404.

Cut out this photo and tape it over a switchplate to remind you of coal’s impact on theAppalachian environment


HEALTH CARE NETWORK From page 3

NATIONWIDE: A new poll finds thatCongress, with a surreally dismal 9% fa-vorability rating, ranks behind 26 seri-ously unpopular things it was testedagainst, including Cockroaches, RootCanals, Brussel Sprouts, Lice, colono-scopies, NFL replacement refs, GenghisKhan, the country of France and theband Nickelback. They did beat out tele-marketers, gonorrhea, North Korea,Fidel Castro and the Kardashians.So...There's hope?NEW YORK: New York City’s “stop andfrisk” law was ruled unconstitutional inthe U.S. District Court on Jan. 8. Underthat law, New York police have been dis-rupting the lives of mostly Black andLatino citizens for over a decade. In2011, more stops of Black males oc-curred than there are Black males in thecity, indicating some citizens have werebeing stopped repeatedly. More than90% of stops resulted in no arrest forany type of crime whatsoever. There’s

been no report of Wall Street operativesbeing subject to “stop and frisk” despitewidespread suspicion that they havestolen billions.MAINE: The Organic Seed Growersand Trade Association appeared in fed-eral court on Jan. 10 to argue their case

against Monsanto,the St. Louis basedagribusiness giant.Jim Gerritsen, presi-dent of the associa-tion stated, "We arenot customers ofMonsanto. We don'twant their seed. Wedon't want their gene-spliced technology.We don't want theirtrespass onto ourfarms. We don't wanttheir contamination ofour crops. We don'twant to have to de-fend ourselves from

aggressive assertions of patent infringe-ment because Monsanto refuses tokeep their pollution on their side of thefence. We want justice." Must be likehaving your neighbor’s mongrel jumpthe fence to impregnate your prize hunt-

ing dog and then sending you a bill forstud fees.WASHINGTON DC: Remember the“bank bailout?” The 800 billion dollarrescue that was the last act of the out-going George W. Bush administrationprovided 180 billion to AIG alone. AIG isnow attempting to sue the governmentfor that help, alleging that they werecharged too high an interest rate andthey had to sell off some subsidiaries tosurvive. Poor babies…, somehow I don’tthink they suffered as much as the fami-lies who had credit card rates jump tonearly 30% and had to have yard salesso they could afford food"NEW HAMPSHIRE: According to stateRepresentative Dan Dumaine (R) “A hol-stered gun is not a deadly weapon... Butanything can be used as a deadlyweapon. A credit card can be used tocut somebody's throat." Makes you won-der just how he figured that out.

NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE


The Miss Racine Scholarship Program washeld at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at StarbuckMiddle School, 1516 Ohio St. Ten contest-ants competed for the title of Miss Racine2013. University of Wisconsin-Parkside studentElise Elmblad was crowned 2013 MissRacine after treating the crowd to a renditionof “Think of Me” from Phantom of theOpera.The other contestants were: Ashely Monti,18, of Racine, a student at the University ofMinnesota-Twin Cities. She sang “So MuchBetter” from the musical “Legally Blonde”and her platform was “ Grief Management— Extinguish the Fire of Depression. ”* Delilah Rezk, 17, of Racine, a senior at St.Catherine’s High School. Her talent was be afashion design demonstration and her plat-form was the “Livestrong” organization.* Elise Elmblad, 19, of Kenosha, a studentat the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Shesang “Think of Me” from “The Phantom ofthe Opera” and her platform was “Share thePower of a Wish: Supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”* Alyssa Bohm, 18, of Racine, a student atUW-Parkside. She sang “A Dream is a WishYour Heart Makes” from “Cinderella” andher platform was “Enhancing Opportunitiesfor Special Needs Youth.”* Stephanie Parco, 19, of Racine, a studentat UW-Parkside. She performed a tap danceto “Show Me How You Burlesque” and herplatform was “Promoting an Active and In-dependent Senior Lifestyle.”* Kursti Robinson, 20, of Racine, a studentat Gateway Technical College. She dancedfor her talent and her platform was “Der-matomyositis Awareness.”* Tajai Turner, 23, of Racine, a student atUW-Parkside. She ssng “Listen” from“Dreamgirls” and her platform was “WomenEmpowerment.”* Kelsey McCarthy, 21, of Burlington, a stu-

dent at Gateway Technical College. Her tal-ent was a Tae Kwon Do demonstration ” andher platform was “Child Abuse Prevention.”* Abby Krekling, 19, of Racine, a student atMadison Area Technical College. Her talentwas a vocal performance to “Hallelujah” andher platform was “March of Dimes.”* Lauren Rabidoux, 19, of Racine, a studentat Marquette University. She danced to“Fever” for her talent presentation and herplatform was “Eating Disorder Education.”

Miss Racine Outstanding TeenThree contestants competed for the title ofMiss Racine Outstanding Teen 2013. Theyare:* Mara Mandli, 14, a student at HorlickHigh School. She performed a tap dance to“Can’t Touch It” and her platform was“Reaching Out to Others in Need.”* Jamie Morelan, 14, a student at Case HighSchool. She sang “Orange Colored Sky” andher platform was “Making Your Mess YourMessage.”* Taylor Larsen, 14, a student at Case HighSchool. She danced for her talent presenta-tion and her platform was “The Sparkle Ef-fect.”The theme of the pageant was “Miss RacineGoes Country” and featured Miss Racine2012 Paula Kuiper and Miss Racine’s Out-standing Teen 2012 Jennifer Schmidt.Kuiper represented Racine in the Miss Wis-consin Pageant in Oshkosh in June, whereshe was named a top 10 semi-finalist, wasselected as the Spirit of Miss America Awardrecipient and received a Health and SciencesScholarship. She attends the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee and her platform was“Breaking the Age Barrier.”Schmidt, who also competed in Oshkosh forthe state title, is a junior at The PrairieSchool and her platform was “Health Habitsfor a Healthy Lifestyle.”This year’s program emcees was Maggie

Hill, Miss Southern Lakes 2012, and CaitlinMorrall, Miss Racine 2002. Hill, a graduateof St. Norbert College,, is employed with theGreen Bay Packer Organization as a nutri-tionist. Morrall, who went on to becomeMiss Wisconsin USA 2007, is a graduate ofAlverno College and is currently the RoadWarrior traffic reporter on Today’s TMJ4“Live at Daybreak.” Elise O’Connell, MissSouthern Lakes Outstanding Teen 2012, willbe a guest performer at this year’s pageant.She previously held the title of Miss

Racine’s Outstanding Teen 2010 and is astudent at Chicago Academy for the Per-forming Arts.The Miss Racine Scholarship Program,which has been in existence since 1960, is alocal affiliate of the nonprofit Miss AmericaOrganization, one of the nation’s leadingachievement programs and the world’slargest provider of scholarship assistance foryoung women.

UW-Parkside student crowned Miss Racine 2013

Elise Elmblad, cen-ter, a student at UW-Parkside wascrowned MissRacine 2013. Alsocrownded to the farleft is Mara MandliMiss Belle city’sOutstanding teen2013. and to the farright Jamie MorelanMiss Racine Ous-tanding Teen 2013


Fifteen religious leaders representingmany major faith groups in the country havewritten a letter to Congress seeking to makeU.S. military aid to the State of Israel con-tingent upon its compliance with applicableU.S. laws and policies. (excerpts below)

Dear Member of Congress,

In response to our Christian call to bepeacemakers, we have worked for decadesto support both Israelis and Palestinians intheir desire to live in peace and well-being.We have worked alongside our PalestinianChristian sisters and brothers to help build apeaceful and resilient Palestinian civil soci-ety by supporting hospitals, schools, clinics,and social service agencies. These ministriesinclude cooperative efforts with Israelis andPalestinians as well as with Jews, Muslims,and other neighbors here in the UnitedStates. Through our presence in the region,and regular visits to our partners there, wesee first-hand the impacts of the conflict onboth Palestinians and Israelis and hear fromthem directly about the reality of their lives.

Through this direct experience we havewitnessed the pain and suffering of Israelisas a result of Palestinian actions and ofPalestinians as a result of Israeli actions.

We have also witnessed widespread Is-raeli human rights violations committedagainst Palestinians, including killing ofcivilians, home demolitions and forced dis-placement, and restrictions on Palestinianmovement, among others. We recognize thateach party—Israeli and Palestinian—bearsresponsibilities for its actions and we there-fore continue to stand against all violenceregardless of its source. Our stand againstviolence is complemented by our commit-ment to the rights of all Israelis, as well asall Palestinians, to live in peace and security.

Unfortunately, unconditional U.S. mili-tary assistance to Israel has contributed tothis deterioration, sustaining the conflict andundermining the long-term security interestsof both Israelis and Palestinians. This ismade clear in the most recent 2011 State De-partment Country Report on Human RightsPractices covering Israel and the OccupiedTerritories, which details widespread Israelihuman rights violations committed againstPalestinian civilians, many of which involvethe misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons.

Accordingly, we urge an immediate in-vestigation into possible violations by Israelof the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and theU.S. Arms Export Control Act which respec-tively prohibit assistance to any countrywhich engages in a consistent pattern ofhuman rights violations and limit the use ofU.S. weapons to “internal security” or “le-gitimate self-defense.”

More broadly, we urge Congress to un-dertake careful scrutiny to ensure that ouraid is not supporting actions by the govern-ment of Israel that undermine prospects forpeace. We urge Congress to hold hearings toexamine Israel’s compliance, and we requestregular reporting on compliance and thewithholding of military aid for non-compli-ance.

In addition to specific rights violations,we see a troubling and consistent pattern ofdisregard by the government of Israel forU.S. policies that support a just and lastingpeace. The Oslo peace process, which began

in 1993, was publicly promoted as leadingIsraelis and Palestinians to a just peacebased on a two-state solution. Instead, since1993, the number of Israeli settlers in theWest Bank, including East Jerusalem, hasmore than doubled. Rights violations result-ing from Israeli settlement activity includeseparate and unequal legal systems forPalestinians and settlers, confiscation ofPalestinian land and natural resources for thebenefit of settlers, and violence by settlersagainst Palestinians.

According to the Israeli human rightsgroup B'Tselem and the U.N. Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs, therehas been a dramatic rise in settler attacksagainst Palestinians this year. They reportthat these attacks are often intended to drivePalestinians from areas the settlers wish totake over, and that Israeli authorities havefailed to take significant action to stop theviolence or hold the perpetrators account-able. We believe that these actions directlyundermine peace efforts and threaten, ratherthan support, Israel’s long-term security in-terests.

As Israel is the single largest recipient ofU.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is es-pecially critical for Israel to comply with thespecific U.S. laws that regulate the use ofU.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourageCongress to support inclusive, comprehen-sive, and robust regional diplomacy to se-cure a just and lasting peace that will benefitIsraelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples ofthe region, and the world.

With respect and gratitude, we offer youour prayers.

Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of theGeneral Assembly, Presbyterian Church(USA)

Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop Evan-gelical Lutheran Church in America

Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, President,Council of Bishops, The United MethodistChurch

Peg Birk, Transitional General Secretary,National Council of Churches USA

Shan Cretin, General Secretary, AmericanFriends Service Committee

J Ron Byler, Executive Director, Men-nonite Central Committee U.S.

Alexander Patico, North American Secre-tary Orthodox Peace Fellowship

Diane Randall, Executive Secretary,Friends Committee on National Legislation

Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary,American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.

Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, General Ministerand President, United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Min-ister and President, Christian Church (Disci-ples of Christ)

Rev. Julia Brown Karimu, President,Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),, Di-vision of Overseas Ministries, Co-Executive,Global Ministries (UCC and Disciples)

Rev. Dr. James A. Moos, Executive Min-ister, United Church of Christ, Wider,Church Ministries, Co-Executive, GlobalMinistries (UCC and Disciples)

Kathy McKneely, Acting Director, Mary-knoll Office for Global Concerns

Eli S. McCarthy, PhD, Justice and PeaceDirector, Conference of Major Superiors ofMen (CMSM)

Christian Leaders call for end to unconditional US military aidJANUARY 15-30, 20138 COMMUNICATOR NEWS

Pope Benedict XVI spoke from the

window of his studio overlooking St.

Peter's Square at the Vatican, Tuesday,

Jan. 1, 2013. The Pope slammed capital-

ism and economic inequality in his an-

nual message of peace. (AP

Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI said in his New

Year’s peace message today that the

world was under threat from unbridled

capitalism.

The pope said "hotbeds of tension and

confrontation caused by the growing in-

equality between rich and poor and the

prevalence of a selfish and individualistic

mentality also expressed by unregulated

financial capitalism."

The 85-year-old Catholic Church

leader spoke at a New Year's Day Mass

in the Vatican, then greeted a crowd of

tens of thousands outside St Peter's Basil-

ica. The Catholic Church marks its World

Day of Peace on New Year's Day with

events around the world.

The pope said economic models that

seek maximum profit and consumption

and encourage competition at all costs

had failed to look after the basic needs of

many and could sow social unrest. Thou-

sands of peace marchers carrying rain-

bow banners released balloons in cold St

Peter’s Square as the pope spoke.

A longer version of the Pope's annual

message was sent to heads of state, gov-

ernment and non-governmental organiza-

tions on December 14th.

Reuters reports that in that message

"the Pope called for a new economic

model and ethical regulations for mar-

kets, saying the global financial crisis

was proof that capitalism does not pro-

tect the weakest members of society."

The pope said people, groups and in-

stitutions were needed to foster human

creativity, to draw lessons from the crisis

and to create a new economic model.

– Craig Brown, staff writer, Common

Dreams

Pope Benedict Slams Capitalism,

Economic Inequality

bet, Keith Fair and Michael Shields of the 1st and 3rd districts. They advised their fel-low council persons that the scheme was not only wrong, but it would never make itthrough the courts. And it didn’t.The Mayor and the City Administrator are now contemplating ways to deal with thefinancial obligations remaining from this failed maneuver. Layoffs, other budget cuts,renewed negotiations for concessions from the unions and an appeal of the court’s de-cision are among the options being considered. So far there is no mention of a trip toPotawatami, but if they ask you for money, you may want to think twice about it.

$2 Million Bucks? from page 3

Nearly 300 students and adults are expected to take part in a march to show their dis-

content with the pulling of funds that had helped them for the past three years to host sev-

eral events aimed at honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on his birthday.

Youth Empowered in the Struggle, an arm of Voces de la Frontera, will stage the 10

block march, Monday, January 21, starting at 11 am.

The peaceful march will begin at High Street and Martin Luther King Drive, traveling

south to the corner of State Street and MLK Drive, where a brief ceremony will be held

at the base of the civil rights leader’s memorial sculpture.

“The march will remind many of how King stood up against injustice in so many

facets of society,” explained Kenneth Lumpkin, a veteran Racine County Board Supervi-

sor and organizer of the wreath ceremony for the past 12 years.

The youth group was instrumental in convincing RUSD to observe Dr. King birthday

as a holiday for students and teachers. Lumpkin said that he is proud to see the young

people stand up again for an event that they so strongly believe in and have worked over

the years to participate in.

For the past three-year YES, financially helped by United Way, Racine Unified School

District and Racine Foundation, the young people had hosted a Day of Volunteering, a

Community Family Dinner, and had participated in the kick-off Wreath Ceremony. Sur-

prisingly, a few months ago Mark Belling, a Milwaukee WTMJ conservative talk show

host took to the airwaves accusing the young people’s group of being a political action

committee because of their successful voter registration efforts during the fall elections.

The pressure by Belling, who has described Milwaukee’s Hispanic voters recently as

“wetbacks”, led to the hasty decision by local groups to drop their support of the young

people’s student club, made up of primarily Hispanic and African-American students.

Alexia Gates, YES Student Organizing Intern, and a senior at William Horlick High

School, said that the ordeal caused by Belling has not deterred her peers effort. “Being

criticized by a right wing radio host, we didn't let that stop us but

instead it motivated us to work harder and live out King's dream,” she said.

Gates said instead of getting dropped off at the King Statue, “We are

going to march in order to create a larger impact. The Students

United Will Never Be Divided,” she concluded.

Lumpkin said that he has also asked the African American clergy to follow in the foot-

steps of Dr. King and stand in solidarity with the young people.

Emulating historical marches in the 60’s by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, students

from the local group, Youth Empowered in the Struggle will march 10 block to

dramatize their discontent with hsving funds pulled from their organization that

was to be used to celebrate King’s holiday

Youth In The Struggle tohold march to protestagainst lost of funds


SeeJohn Nichols

Tuesday, January 22nd6:30

@ Siena Center5635 Erie Street

Racine,Wisconsin

The purpose of a John Doe investi-

gation is to determine if criminal ac-

tivities have been engaged in and,

through discovery and review of per-

tinent facts, determine just who has

committed said crimes.

Alderman Keith Fair, recently filed

a complaint with the District Attor-

ney’s office alleging that bid-rigging

has occurred in the granting of city

contracts and that there is currently

an attempt being made to do so in re-

gards to control of the local cable ac-

cess channel (CAR-25).

CAR-25 (Cable Access Racine)

has been in existence for approxi-

mately 10 years. Originally the brain

child of two Racine Aldermen,

Michael Shields and Jim Spangen-

burg, it was loosely modeled after

similar TV outlets in other communi-

ties. The purpose of such channels is

to provide a platform for local citi-

zens to share information and events

that they consider meaningful. CAR-

25 has broadcast everything from

Unified School lunch menus to edu-

cational lectures by visiting authori-

ties, interviews of area personalities,

local sports events and even city

council meetings.

For the past several years, CAR-25

has been under the management of

Scott Nelson, a lifelong resident of

Racine and the channel’s first em-

ployee. Nelson formerly worked for

Time Warner Kenosha, a channel

that preceded CAR-25 in existence.

Despite their earlier start, and a

much larger budget, Kenosha-14 re-

portedly models some of their offer-

ings after those that appear here.

About the middle of last year,

someone in city hall made the deci-

sion to send out an RFP (Request For

Proposals) regarding future manage-

ment of CAR-25. An RFP is typi-

cally sent out to people or agencies

who might possibly have an interest

in a contract to provide services of

some kind. Despite being the current

manager of CAR-25, with no history

of community unhappiness with his

services, Nelson was somehow over-

looked as someone who might have

interest and he did not receive the

original RFP (RFP 7), or one that

was issued later to replace it (RFP

15). Upon becoming aware the situa-

tion through other sources, his com-

pany (Badger Media Group) did

submit a proposal.

Ultimately, an audio recording stu-

dio operating out of Kenosha (with

no stated experience in video pro-

ductions) was selected to provide fu-

ture management of the station, and

that’s where it becomes curiously in-

teresting. The selection was seem-

ingly made on the basis of a rating

system of unknown origin and valid-

ity using data that had not been gath-

ered from presentations that were

never made.

This is why Alderman Fair has

submitted a request for a John Doe

investigation. Perhaps there is a sim-

ple, reasonable and entirely valid ex-

planation for all of this, but

interested parties have yet to arrive at

one. Until or unless someone can

provide a clear and legally accept-

able explanation for the inconsisten-

cies and apparent unfairness of this

process, it is entirely appropriate for

the District Attorney to investigate.

Reports from citizens digging into

this situation indicate that irregulari-

ties exist around other city contracts

as well.

In a time when taxpayers are hard-

pressed to make ends meet in their

own households, they have every

right to be assured, through thorough

documentation and open records

policies, that the monies entrusted to

their government representatives are

being spent with appropriate thrift

and impartiality. If that’s the case in

this instance, those officials should

welcome the opportunity to provide

their constituents with reassurance

that all is well. Taking offense at citi-

zens’ interest, such as has been

brought forth by Alderman Fair, is

not reassuring.

Alderman Keith Fair, recently filed a complaint with

the District Attorney’s office alleging that bid-rigging

has occurred in the granting of city contracts and that

there is currently an attempt being made to do so in

regards to control of the local cable access channel

(CAR-25).

Alderman Fair Calls for John Doe investigation

Alderman Keith Fair


That certainly seems to be the message

here in Racine, WI. I’m reminded of the

pre-civil rights days of the 1950’s when

White performers such as Pat Boone grew

rich and famous off of covering “Negro”

music. Black music, most often rhythm and

blues and later rock and roll,

was viewed as radical and

leading to antisocial behavior

if performed by the artists

who created those styles. It

was far more acceptable by

the mainstream audience

when performed by “good

kids” like Boone, and of

course Elvis Presley.

Times may change, attitudes and behav-

iors often live on beyond their time and old

prejudices and stereotypes continue to af-

fect the social norm. While barriers con-

tinue to be broken and a new reality

progressively unfolds, those who find

themselves on the wrong side of those bar-

riers are still left wondering why any barri-

ers remain at all. What purpose do they

truly serve in a society that prefers to see

itself as an equal opportunity venture?

The Hip Hop of today is different from

the R&B and Rock of the 50’s and 60’s,

and as much as musical forms have

changed, so has the delivery system that

carries it from the artist to the audience.

The 45’s and LP’s of then have been re-

placed by a variety of digital formats and

where a club or a theatre was once the venue

for live music, it is now the stadium or the

arena that is the preferred stage.

The juke box remains the routine musical

offering in most nightclubs and taverns and

the “disc jockey” continues to be the pri-

mary “live” entertainment offering for spe-

cial occasions. True musicians and

performers will take exception to labeling

recorded music as live entertainment, but

economics often dictate tastes and a DJ is

certainly cheaper than several musicians and

their equipment. Additionally, one DJ with

a sound system can provide the styles and

talents of several polished performers, a

challenging assignment for a small group of

musicians.

People still love to gather in crowds to

talk, dance, listen to music and do a little

people watching. Club owners understand

this well and Hip Hop is one of the biggest

attractions now on the scene. Hip Hop nights

can sure put some money in a club owner’s

pocket. And that’s a good thing, right? It

stimulates the economy and it makes people

happy so what could be wrong with that?

Well, apparently nothing, if the owner of

the club is White. It’s more than a little pe-

culiar that Black owned bars in the City of

Racine have been warned against and some-

times prohibited from playing Hip Hop

music. The Public Safety and Licensing

Committee, the seat of wisdom and piety in

such matters, has apparently determined that

this music is dangerous in Black bars, but

not an issue in White ones.

All Black owned bars and clubs have had

issues with this committee, which has at-

tempted to prohibit or restrict their playing

Hip Hop. Park Six, the owner of which re-

cently won back his license to operate a tav-

ern, was closed by the committee as a threat

to public safety, despite other White owned

establishments having more frequent and se-

rious police interventions.

Now we see two downtown clubs, within

a few blocks of Park Six, offering Hip Hop

nights, and we have found no record of the

licensing committee having any objection to

this. So is it the music that they find objec-

tionable, or is their issue with the color of

the bar owners? I certainly don’t begrudge

anyone profiting from a successful strategy,

and I’m not necessarily a big fan of Hip

Hop, but I am a big fan of equal treatment

under the law. I’m beginning to wonder if

I’ll ever see the time when the Black com-

munity is allowed to enjoy the prosperity

that is generated from its own creativity.

Be-Bop to Hip-HopIf you’re White, it’s alright?


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