Section A·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, September 22, 200 $ ^{n} $
Report says racism not eliminated
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The laws of the United States meet the requirements of an international treaty eliminating racism, but American society itself has not achieved that goal, according to a new federal report.
In its first analysis of U.S. compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the U.S. government admitted that racism is still a problem despite an ongoing "vigorous" debate about it and efforts during the past 30 years to eliminate it through laws.
Researchers cited several incidents during the past decade that have served as sharp reminders of the need to eliminate racism: the 1991 police beating of African-American motorist Rodney King, the shooting death of African immigrant Amadou Diallo by police in New York, the burning of synagogues, mosques and African-American churches, the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. in Texas, and the shootings at a Jewish cultural center in Los Angeles.
A decided shift in the racial and ethnic composition of the country also is an exacerbating factor, the report said. While whites are a majority of Americans — 196.1 million — they are a shrinking percentage of the population, falling from 75.7 percent in 1991 to 71.9 percent today.
During the same period, the country's Asian population increased by 46 percent, to 10.9 million; the Hispanic population increased by 40 percent, to 31.4 million; Native Americans increased by 16 percent to 2.4 million and the number of African Americans rose by 14 percent, to 34.9 million.
However, in a separate report, civil rights and social advocacy groups said the United States is out of compliance with the U.N. treaty in certain areas, such as affirm-
active action, racial profiling by police and administration of the death penalty. They urged the United Nations to consider American-style racism a human rights problem.
The State Department report stopped short of declaring racism in the United States a human rights concern, saving the problem is not unique to the United States.
The report to the United Nations was compiled by the State Department, with assistance from other federal agencies. The United States ratified the discrimination treaty in October 1994, and was originally to have delivered Thursday's report in 1995.
The report did not address the delay in delivering the report, but said the federal government had been engaged in a major review of racial issues since June 1997, when President Clinton launched his national dialogue on race. Clinton promised to write his own report on racial issues two years ago, but it has not materialized.
"As a vibrant, multicultural democracy, the United States—at all levels of government and civil society—continually re-examines and re-evaluates its successes and failures, having the elimination of racism and racial discrimination as its ultimate goal," the report said. "The United States looks forward to discussing its experiences and this report with the committee."
State Department researchers said racist practices today are "more subtle and elusive" than those at the height of the civil rights movement, and threaten to undermine the "significant progress" made in race relations since the 1960s.
"Therefore, even though U.S. law is in conformity with the obligations assumed by the United States under the treaty, American society has not yet fully achieved the convention's goals," the report said. "Additional steps must be taken to promote the important principles embodied in its text."
CAUSES OF THE ENDURANCE OF RACISM:
Persistent attitudes of individual Americans that are steeped in "a legacy of segregation, ignorance, stereotyping, discrimination" toward minorities.
Poor enforcement of anti-discrimination laws because of a lack of resources.
Rollbacks in affirmative action.
Economic disadvantage that disproportionately lumps minorities "at the bottom of the income distribution curve."
Discrimination against minorities in employment practices, from hiring and salaries to tenure, training, promotion and general work environments.
Practices that maintain segregation in housing, despite laws that prohibit it.
- Lack of equal access to business' capital and credit markets, technology and technology skills.
■ Unequal educational opportunities due to residential segregation and "white flight from the public school systems in many larger urban areas."
■ Police brutality, racial profiling, "startlingly high incarceration rates" and general discrimination in the criminal justice system that affect minorities, particularly toward blacks and Hispanics, disproportionately.
Erosion in voting rights because of a tendency by the federal courts to restrict creation of minority voting districts.
Source: Survey compiled by the World Organization Against Torture USA.
Beer and bike celebration to make stop in Lawrence
By Matt Merkel-Hess writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The Tour de Fat will make its third stop tomorrow in Lawrence.
Jason Elliott/Kansan
The celebration of beer and bikes is free to the public and is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company, brewers of Fat Tire Amber Ale. The tour celebrates cruiser bicycles featured on the label of Fat Tire beer, said David Kemp, event organizer and "tour connosseur" for New Belgium.
"It's a good chance to come and appreciate bikes and step back into time," Kemp said. "And hopefully, raise awareness about bikes as an alternative form of transportation."
Kemp said Lawrence was chosen — along with cities such as Seattle, Missoula, Mont., and Flagstaff, Ariz. because of its atmosphere and support of biking.
the proceeds from the Tour de Fat will benefit local non-profit organizations including the Red Cross, the Humane Society, the Yellow Bike Program and the Lawrence Mountain Bike Club, which maintains area trails such as the levy trail.
The club built a new trail for the event, which will take place at the Circle S Guest
Ranch north of town.
"The Circle S Ranch is the most beautiful venue we've had for the Tour de Fat," Kemp said. "It's the epitome of what an old cowboy ranch would look like."
The festival will feature food, New Belgium beers and the World Class Cruiser Bike Olympics, which includes the paper boy challenge, a Huffy Bike toss and a half-barrel race in which contestants will ride around kegs while holding a bottle of beer.
There will also be vintage bike collectors from across the state and two bands, Fear and
Whiskey and Bomb, a one-man band.
Bryce Guinn, a New Belgium Brewery Beer Ranger, which is a marketing representative, said the event incorporated the laid-back style of the cruiser bike with the excitement of mountain biking. The brewery is based in Kansas City, Kan.
"Lawrence is kind of our niche of people," Guinn said. "They do do quite a bit of business for us, so it's our way of saving thanks."
The Circle S ranch will open for mountain biking at 9 a.m., and the festivities will run from 11 a.m. to about 6 p.m.
The Associated Press
XENIA, Ohio — A tornado swept through town, killing one person and injuring dozens of others as it left overturned cars, damaged buildings and downed power lines.
Tornado sacks Ohio, one person left dead
Authorities searched through the night for other possible victims of the storm that hit around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"We are going home by home to see if everybody is OK," Mayor John Saraga said.
The storm — confirmed as a tornado by the National Weather Service — was a frightening reminder of a twister that struck the southwestern Ohio city a quarter-century ago, leaving 33 people dead and millions of dollars in damage. Authorities said the damage Wednesday, while significant, was far smaller.
"Ninety percent of our city is in good shape," Saraga said.
Still, at least 100 people were injured, and at least 14 were admitted to hospitals. One person was in critical condition and three were in serious condition yesterday.
The person who died, whose identity was not immediately released, was in a car that was crushed by a tree near the Greene County fairgrounds, Sheriff Jerry Erwin said.
Ruby Godfrey was in the Dayton Avenue Baptist Church when she heard hail pound the roof, which was eventually torn off.
"We're hitting the floor, getting under pews. You heard the roar. You saw the roof flying off and then it was gone." Godfrey said.
Gov. Bob Taft issued an emergency declaration for Xenia late Wednesday night.
Crews searched through the night for possible storm victims in the rubble of a grocery store that collapsed, though there were no reports of anyone missing. Nothing was found as of daybreak yesterday, but one more search was planned.
All that remained of the Groceryland was a tangle of steel girders, drywall and insulation. But cans of food still could be seen stacked neatly on a shelf inside.
Substantial damage also was reported at a Wal-Mart store where cars were overturned, utility lines fell and trees splintered. Windows were shattered and walls collapsed.
"There really was no warning," said employee Travis Waddle, 20. "I saw the tiles come down and people running and everybody screaming."
About 75 percent of Xenia remained without power at daybreak, the city manager said.
STATE BRIEFS Board of Regents has meeting on Fort Hays State campus
HAYS — The Board of Regents needs to be more customer oriented, board member Steve Clark said yesterday.
It was the first meeting the Board of Regents has had on the Fort Hays State University campus since legislation created a new board last year. The regents.now govern all the state's post-secondary institutions, including 19 community colleges and 11 vocational-technical schools.
Most of the discussion at yesterday's commission meeting involved cohesiveness and cost effectiveness.
Kansas State University President John Wefal said he thinks each institution has its own responsibility, especially when it comes to promotion.
Board chairman Clay Blair III of Olathe said one of the biggest accomplishments of the new department was
He said the board has to question whether it is managing correctly in a global age.
Tribe sues federal government in attempt to open casino
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Wyandotte Nation said it has sued the federal government in a move that could end state regulation of casinos operated by American Indians.
The tribe of Wyndotte, Okla., is planning to open a casino in an old Masonic Lodge that's located between the tribe's historic cemetery and City Hall in Kansas City, Kan.
The tribe said it would rather open the casino at the Woodlands racetrack or at some other location in Wyandotte County.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. contends that legislation in Congress, which would allow the tribe to build its casino in a location other than the Masonic Lodge, has been illegally blocked by Sen. Sam Brownback, other members of the Kansas delegation and Gov. Bill Graves for three years.
The tribe said that if it wins its lawsuit, it could result in compact provisions being removed from the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. That would mean that all states that currently regulate Indian gambling would lose that authority.
States that receive money from Indian gambling would no longer be entitled to that money.
The tribe also claims that Graves and others have delayed the tribe in court for more than four years in a frivolous case that was still pending.
Firefighter's son dies in wreck after car strikes concrete culvert
Daniel Graves, 18, of Solomon, was killed Monday afternoon. Officials said his speeding car struck a concrete culvert with such force that the engine was pushed beneath the dashboard.
SOLOMON — A volunteer firefighter who was among the first people responding to a flaming traffic accident discovered that his son had been killed in the crash.
Saline County Deputy Gregg Swanson said speed was a factor in the crash. Graves, heading toward Solomon on the dirt road, apparently lost control of his car and it slid into the culvert. The car was burning when the Solomon Fire
The car was burning when the Solomon Fire Department arrived.
David Graves, Daniel's father, is a volunteer firefighter with the department and was one of the first to respond when the call of a car on fire was dispatched.
Because of the extensive damage and thick smoke, it took several minutes before Graves realized it was his son's car that had been destroyed, Britt said.
The Associated Press
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September 30,2000
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