^P" ^^m •!^P W "*^ >p ,i Pupil |P !•• i 1-7 •S^'Tn-.I^VT^'WW'i- i ' • • lomeTbwn COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK Ulesttano dDbseroer Your hometown newspaper serving Westland for 36 years Thursday, June 8, 2000 hometownnewspapers.net 75c Volume 36 Numb* 2 Westland, Michigan C2QO0 HoowTown Communication* Netvwwfc™ THE PAPER Milestone marked Budget TODAY OK'd Let's get physical: Field Days promote fitness and • Agreement reigned Mon­ fun for children./A9 day as Westland City Coun­ cil members unanimously HOMETOWN LIFE approved a new budget. BY KURT KUBAN Dedicated: Two Franklin STAFF WRITER For the first time in several years, High School seniors the Westland City Council unanimous- breathe new life into a ly approved a budget. The council put learning center at COTS aside political differences and voted 7-0 to approve, the 2000*01 fiscal year bud­ in Detroit/Bl get Monday at its regular meeting. In addition to paying for several In the stars: An astrono­ major projects, the new $48,316,639 budget also includes several tax cuts my group draws gazers for residents, including reductions in from far and wide./Bl the millage. rate, which has been reduced one mill, and water-sewer rates. The success of this budget is that it AT HOME retains all the services we have enjoyed in the past and allows us to do manyof Play time: How times the projects we had hoped for," said Mayor Robert Thomas. have changed. The tubu­ "Probably the best thing from the lar A-frame swing sets of STAFF PHOTOS BT ftfATTH* TAFLWC3K perspective of residents are. the tax cuts. The reduction of one whole mill is the 1960s have given way Memories: Above, a& significant. And for those who use a lot to impressive wood struc- emotional embrace of water, they are really going to see tures commonly referred takes place at John the difference in their bill." to as play gyms, play sys­ Glenn High School tems or play scapes. /Dl commencement Sat­ ~~ Please see BUDGET, A5 urday morning. At right, Wayne Memo­ rial students antici­ ENTERTAINMENT pate the beginning of the commencement Old-fashioned fun: Find ceremony Saturday out what's new this sum­ afternoon at Eastern mer at Greenmead His­ Michigan Universi­ BY KURT KUBAN torical Park and Green- ty's Convocation Cen­ STAJT WRrTKR ts r. For more on the rr\ ' l i n r • n • : 111 . , _ . 1. ., .1 fieta vutage. /El ICXtin ttsiuclii Willie oitivtri uau two Wayne-Westland never heard of Westland when he Musk: The Great Lakes high school com­ crossed the city line Saturday evening. mencements, includ­ To him, it seemed like any other town. Chamber Music Festival ing lists of graduate However, two Westland police? officers begins Saturday with a names, please see made sure the black motorist would not soon forget his visit. program of 20 concerts, page A6 of today's Slater, 37. has accused Officers showcasing 35 interna­ Observer. Robert Kenyon and Burke Lange of tional musicians and fea­ racial profiling and racism when they pulled over the 1994 BMW he was driv­ turing the music of Bach, ing, because of an air freshener hang­ Chopin and Brahms./El ing from his rearview mirror. Before the incident was over, the cur was impounded. Slater had spent two hours in jail, and his passenger, Lynn REAL ESTATE Thomas, who is also black, was left on . the curbside to walk home. The incident further calls into ques­ Putting up winners: Triese tion the policies of the department, designers and builders which was accused of a similar racial did really good work,/Fl incident in February. Several African Americans, including the head of the. Western W7ayne NAACP, have recently criticized the police of racial profiling during traffic stops. INDEX A former resident of Detroit, Slater has lived in the Houston suburb of Apartments/04 HomeTown Katy, where he works for the Exxon­ Mobil Corp. He is in the area spending At Home/0 Life/Bl Automotive/M Jobs/Hi ,.: • Plea«e see STOP, A2 Classlfied/F(GU 0bituaries/A2 , Classified Opinions/A14-lS lndex/F8 Real Estate/Fl Crosswofd/F7 Service Guide/Ji Fire station groundbreaking source of civic pride Entertainment/El Sports/Ci BY KURT KUBAN Thrtmas, who was on hand. STAFF Warna Although the station has long been a. Although the skies were gray and the goal of Weslland officials, it didn't weather was miserable, Westland Fire become a reality until recently when Chief Mark Neal called Monday's Fire the city was able to obtain a Housing Station 5 groundbreaking ceremony on and Urban Development loan from the the city's southeast corner "a ray of federal government. sunshine for the area." "We are extremely grateful that this A number of city officials and local day has finally come, especially for residents braved the rainy conditions those of us who have been around here to attend the ceremony for the new sta­ awhile and have been trying to revital­ tion, which is on the corner of Annapo­ ize the area," said Charles "Trav" Grif­ lis Road and Irene Street, just east of fin, president of the Westland City Middlebelt. Council This is just going to !>e a great facili- The new station will serve an area of - the city that has traditionally experi­ ty. enced the longest response times for Jamejn Gilbert, Westland'* director of emergency aid from fire trucks and community development, said it has ambulance*. been a long battle to g*>t the station The area had response times three built in the low-income area. to four times longer than anywhere "We told the resident* th«t we would stay with them and persevere. J admit elae in the city, That is why this station ST*JT PHOTO ST Ttm HAVUff is going to make a tremendous differ­ there were times I questioned whether ence," Neal said. it was going to get done." Gilbert said Accomplishment: Groundbreaking for the new Westland Fire After the new station is operational, This groundbreaking means we are Department Station 5 took place Monday evening. Above, Earl Neai said the area will have a response going to meet our commitment to the Half EGH contractor Heft, to rightK eit\ council President time as short as two minutes, which is people of this area * Charles "Trai" Griffin, Pearl Childs, president of Southeast down from between nine and 12 min­ While city officials .touted the day, their excitement paled in comparison Homeowners Association Lori Wilson. Mayor Robert Thomas, the utes. Fee. John 1). Hectrn, Director of Community Dcielopmcnt James "This is a fantastic dsy for this to the celebratory mood of sonic of. the neighborhood," said Mayor Robert Gilbert and Fire Chief Mark Seat[throw dirt for thr offwml start. Please see STATION. AS i r.i.-tsMtiorl id 734-S91-0900 Newsroom 734-953-2104 Home Delivery: 734-591-0500 mam ^mm^m WPOTWWVOTVWOTWOTWWVW^i wm*mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*mmimmmwm The Observer & Eccentric/ THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2000 (W)A2 """,l ' ' •' • T— license, they found an unpaid Slater also noted the officers they would have been liable if ticket issued to him June 3, chose to impound the car, something had happened to it. Stop 1999, in Hamtramck for driving despite the fact Thomas has a "I absolutely do not condone without possession of a driver's valid driver's license and could racial profiling, whatever that from page Al identification. have driven it home. The officers means. I don't know how many Slater explained to the officers then told Thomas to "have a nice times I have to say it," said his. weeklong vacation with his he was not in Hamtramck in day* as they left her on the curb- Price, noting the first thing Pestbnft ©bseruer family in Detroit. 1999, and hasn't been in Michi­ side. Slater and Thomas did was Slater and Thomas, of Detroit, gan since September 1996. He "How are you supposed to have argue with the officers they had •*«•«•« •j 4 4***1«*;»« were visiting her brother in said anyone could have used his a nice day when you have to been stopped because they were Wayne. She needed to buy a tele­ name during that stop. walk home in the dark?" Slater black. phone, so her brother, Willie Lange and Kenyon then cited questioned. "It is becoming more common Susan Rostok, Thomas, suggested they go to Slater for not being able to pro­ Slater, a former member of the for black motorists to make this Publisher the Best Buy on Wayne Road duce a registration or proof of U.S. Navy, and Thomas were so claim, particularly because all of near Westland Center. (734)953-2100 insurance, even though Slater enraged by the treatment they the media attention that has srosiekm»,homecomm.net The two got lost and pulled said they found each when they received, they came to the West- been given to the issue." into the Dunkin' Donuts at Ford searched the car after arresting land City Council meeting Mon­ As for the air freshener, Price Road and Wildwood Avenue to him. day and recounted the details of ask directions. At this time, said U is an infraction audit is Slater, who dished out $500 the incident to a shocked council up to each officer to decide Kenyon and Lange also pulled for bail and another $100 to get and audience. '. into the establishment, and pro­ whether to enforce it or not. the car out of impoundment, said Westland Police Chief Emery Slater, who is to appear at the ceeded to follow the BMW, which he felt the stop was a case of Price, also in attendance Mon­ Hugh Gallagher, belongs to Slater's brother, racial profiling run amok.