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Tuesday, January 25, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
story idea? 864-4810
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'Black Avenger' speaks out on 'blame whitey' syndrome
The Associated Press
Denver — Ken Hamblin refers to Denver's African-American community as "Darktown." On his talk show, he rails against quotas, welfare dependency, illegitimate pregnancies and the "blame white" syndrome.
But if this sounds like your typical radio rabble-rouser, think again: Hamblin is African American. And though ostracized by his community and vilified by African-American leaders, he is determined to speak out.
"IIf can motivate one Black or Hispanic kid to say, 'I'm going to show him all Hispanics and Blacks aren't that way,' then it's worth it," he said.
"We've tried it all — more welfare, lowering standards. I would like, just once, for these kids to sav' ... make it harder."
His forums are his talk show on radio station KNUS — his colleagues call him "The Black Avenger" — and a twice-weekly column in the Denver Post.
"I want to know why 60 percent of Black babies are born out of wedlock," he said. "Is that the fault of white people? I want to know why so many Black kids can't speak proper English. I want to know why Black people can't pass a civil service examination. The excuse is that it's culturally biased. Well, I'd like to know what could possibly be culturally biased on a test for a firefighter."
Both have drawn attention — good and bad. The idea, he told the New York Times, was to say things "that a white person couldn't get away with.
Hamblin, 53, has been on the air for 11 years; at first, his was a pleasant, liberal, unaccented voice which gave no clue that he was African-American.
In so doing, he earned fans and enemies.
Last month, during a meeting in Denver, the National Black Caucus vowed to complain to the Federal Communications Commission about Hamblin's "racial epithets" and threatened a convention boycott of Denver if his remarks are not toned down. It urged the Post to drop Hamblin's column.
But gradually, Hamblin — a successful businessman who owns a plane, a boat, a fine home and several sandwich restaurants — became more strident.
The caucus criticized Hamblin's references to "Darktown," and to those who live there as "Darktown dwellers," and "promoters of violence." California State Rep. Diane Watson complained that Hamblin's description of caucus members as "spooks" exceeded the bounds of protected free speech.
Hamblin retorted that free speech "is something dark little people like you (the caucus) could never understand. Dark, because your hearts are dark."
Hamblin said the caucus should listen to his message: "There is no room for the Black parasite or for the Hispanic parasite. We must
become competitive. We can't blame white people."
The Post, however, responded to the caucus' complaint by announcing his column would be edited more closely.
Editorial page editor Chuck Green said Hamblin has become "increasingly acerbic and increasingly strident," and has "accelerated his use of words that infuriate the Black political establishment and many Black citizens."
"By eliminating the detracting slurs, his message might well take on greater clarity," Green said.
Then this month, Hamblin was suspended from KNUS for three days and his Denver Post column was dropped for two weeks after he was charged with misdemeanor harassment. A KNUS co-worker accused him of pushing her against a desk and simulating sex at a New Year's Eve party.
Hamblin denies he did anything improper, and there is no indication that the suspensions will tame his tongue.
The son of a New York City police officer, Hamblin grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn College for 10 months after a four-year hitch in the Army, then joined a Congress of Racial Equality voter registration group in 1960.
"I've been chased by KKK members in Greenboro, N.C., and in Montauk. I was in a car not just with Black brothers but with white guys and white women," he says. "And we were all the enemy."
"And when I speak to groups with African brothers who now have foreign names and foreign clothing, I remember those people with names like Schwerner, Chanye, Goodman, and I remember Emmett Till. I lived it. And when I saw 'Eyes on the Prize' on PBS, I cried."
He has no time for what he calls "The Soul Patrol," African-American community members who dictate politically correct Black fashion and street talk.
And he is unwaveringly critical of Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and other members of the Black establishment leadership. He accuses them of guiding African Americans into government dependency, a morass of broken families and unwed mothers, and a victim-entitlement mentality.
As a result, Denver's most outspoken African-American man is shunned, no longer welcome at parties and gatherings. "It's heartbreaking," he says.
But he has his supporters. After the National Black Caucus attacked Hamblin, about 500 people called KNUS to express their support for him.
The Rocky Mountain News, Denver's other major daily newspaper, defended Hamblin's right to state his opinions: "Clearly Hamblin represents a minority opinion within the minority community, but so what? Cannot the majority of Black lawmakers withstand the occasional rough-edged critique?"
James Wilcox / KANSAN
Caught in the act
Jason Kumm, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, tickets an illegal parked vehicle in the lot in front of Memorial Stadium. Kumm is a parking officer for the KU Parking Department.
Jackson may settle child's lawsuit, pay $10 million minimum
The Associated Press
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Michael Jackson will pay at least $10 million to settle a teen-age boy's sexual molestation lawsuit, a source said yesterday.
The settlement, expected to be announced today during a hearing before Superior Court Judge David Rothman, includes a eight-figure settlement, the source said.
An exact amount wasn't disclosed. Recent media reports have put the amount between $5 million and $50 million.
Jackson's attorney Howard Weitzman wouldn't discuss the case. The boy's lawyer, Larry Feldman, also declined comment.
February Jackson plied the boy, then 13, with lavish gifts and vacations, then seduce him.
Jackson, 35, has denied the allegations. His lawyers say they were the result of a failed $20 million extortion attempt by the boy's father and lawyer.
The lawsuit claims that beginning last
The Los Angeles County District Attorney announced yesterday that an investigation into the extortion claim was complete and that no charges would be filed against boy's father or his lawyer.
There are two ongoing criminal investigations into the boy's allegations.
An out-of-court settlement would severely damage any criminal case because under state law, a sexual abuse victim can't be forced to testify.
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