{ title: 'Courier-Journal. (Rochester, N.Y.) 1968-current, June 23, 1988, Page 1, Image 1', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/np00020004/1988-06-23/ed-1/seq-1/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00020004/1988-06-23/ed-1/seq-1.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00020004/1988-06-23/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00020004/1988-06-23/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: Rochester Regional Library Council
Jft^>ortsftom$occefOft<Jb<Kt®tbd8to bosebaS and bowffng, dfex*SQft high of smxess In th<MW-6e «*K>OJ year just cofinptettKt Page? £ «w*rf % I By Richard A. Kiley After months of heated public debate on what should be done with Holy Redeemer Church, the fate of the city landmark has been decided. The. combined parish of Holy Redeem- er/St. Francis Xavier announced On Mon- day, June 21, that it had accepted a $113,000 purchase offer for the entire 1.6 acre parcel at the corner of Hudson and Clifford avenues on Rochester's northeast side. The Northside Church of Christ, which is currently-located at 601 Jay St. on the city's west side, will be the property's buyer. \Relieved and' very happy is the general reaction of the people in the parish,\ said Father William B. Leone, pastor of Hply Redeemer/St. Francis Xavier Parish. \God has answered our prayers.\ The priest said that Northside Church of Christ had originally offered $80,000 for the parcel back on June 6, but was informed that the parish was \looking for six figures.\ The Rochester Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter offered $40,000 for the property, and the City School District submitted an offer of $45,000 for the property exclusive of the church building. The district had planned tO'locate atfeatfly childhootfsprogram arthe - - OfficialsjofNorthside Church of -Christ • week and received approval from the parish on Friday, June 17. Northside was one of nearly 30 congrega- tions to express interest in the church building,; according to Father John M. Mulligan, director of the diocesan Division of Ufftui Services. Father Mulligan saidfthat both the parish and the diQccse were impressed with the sincerity of the Northside congregation. ,. •\ >| . \We feel good about this cone because we feet Jhey have the fumlfag necessaryJ%do .&M|#et<nas,tt> be done oyer there,\.F?tther M^gari said, adding that the parish « ~ \\ diocese are pleased that the church m is going to continue to be used for ministerial purposes. Harry Caulfield, a Rochester developer, who is also chairman of long-range planning for the Vietenam Veterans' chapter, said his organization's offer had apparently initiated other bids for the property. ''When we stepped forward, things started happening. We definitely would have negoti- ated with (the diocese) if they came back to us, but we were really just looking to get the ball rolling,\ Caulfield said. \We're so happy that the church is saved and that the diocese didn't have to pay anything for the demolition,\ he continued. \Everybody's a winner now. That was our intent and that's the way things worked out.\ Continued oe Page 11 <£,' ' Around the Diocese—.. Page 2 Calendar Page 7 Classifieds Pate 11 Columnists. Pages 12-13 Echo » p # 10 Editorial & Opinion. Pige 14 Features Igjge 3, 16 Sports..: -Mies 8-9 World & Nation Ppge 5 offer for Holy Redeemer BonniaTralalat/Courter-Joumai SOWETO REMEMMHMCE -Margaret Morris sirHfr wrrh tne Rochester A Capita Chows of the Church of God and Saints of OtrM dating »csj^^ 12th araiivefsary^rf th*^^ About 50 people gathered at St. Mary's Churcfi in ftochfia^T^ toeomrherrKirata the MMng of 700 unarmed South Africans and the wouftdktg of hundred* more. The event was sponsored by the Roeftessar Committee for Justice in South Africa. Citizens' group to study police violence By Lee Strong Three representatives of the Diocese of Rochester are among 18 civic and church lead- ers named to a citizens' commission investigat- ing the shooting death of Calvin Green by Rochester police officer Gary Smith. The newly formed Independent Commission on Police Violence will study the circumstances surrounding the May 24 incident in which Officer Smith shot, Green five times while Green hid in an unlit crawl space in his apart- ment. Officer Smith, who is white, was pur- suing the unarmed Mick man because he-had failed tO;appear {^sentencing; in a purse- snatchingfiheident. *-V. f A Monroe County grand jury found Mon- day, June 6, that there was insufficient evidence to try Smith on criminal charges. Smith, who has been suspended from the police force without pay since the incident, still faces departmental charges. Leaders of the black community .claim the shooting and the grand jury decision were ra- cially motivated, and say they don't believe the police investigation will produce results that will be acceptable to the black community. \We need an independent investigation of the{G^|s%Q$^g^exp]ained die Rev. Ray- mondGrayw||ir^id^t of the United Church Ministry and onf^the^olack ministers who formedthe atmnu^ion. 'Weat ynited Church Ministry are clissarjsfied with the grand jury process and with the district attorney!' The case has also drawn the attention of the FBI and Governor Mario Cuomo. The FBI is investigating the shooting for possible civil rights violations. On June 7, Governor Cuo- mo said he wanted the Temporary State Com- mission of Investigation to look into the matter. The local investigative commission was created not only to investigate the Green's death, but also \to put a mechanism in place that can deal with incidents like this in the fu- ture!' the Rev. Graves said. The panel comprises representatives from a broad cross-section of local church and civic groups. \The commission members are peo- ple who .have demonstrated in the past that they are proponents of justice and truth!' the Rev. Graves explained. Representing the Diocese of Rochester are Father Laurence Tracy, pastoral assistant with the Office of the Spanish Apostolate: Gaynelle Wethers, principal of St. Monica's School; and Kenneth Maher, justice and peace director for the Genesee Valley Office of Social Ministry. The commission is chaired by the Rev. John S. Walker, family counseling director at Com- munity Partners for Youth, and former direc- tor of the diocesan Office of Black Ministries. \The commission is a well-rounded, biracial arid what we feel will be an objective panel qf persons who will research and apply their ex- pertise to the problem, and present a report th^frTs>acc<fpl^bl^to4he~communitv;' the Rev. The commission's report, he noted, will be released within four to six weeks. Blacks and Hispanks are disenchanted with the district attorney's office and have little faith in its ability to deal with racial issues involv- ing the police, the Rev. Walker said. \There's a sense now that police officers can perpetrate anything in terms of physical vio- lence against people of color and not get any- thing more than a reprimand!' he observed. Noting that he has on several occasions per- sonally witnessed police violence against blacks and Hispanics, Father Tracy observed that \the black and Hispanic communities are primary objects of police violence!' The priest added that a significant portion of the minority com- munity no longer trust the grand jury process or the district attorney's office's ability to ob- jectively investigate such incidents. \There's a conflict of interest? Father Tra- cy explained. \The district attorney's office has a vested interest in good relations with the police department. The office has to have a good working relationship with the police department to maintain cooperation during in- vestigations!' Father Tracy said that District Attorney Howard Rettn appears to be an honest, fair man, but the priest questioned whether Relin can be completely objective because his office and the police department \are two segments of a system that work together hand-inrglove!' The goal of the commission, he said, is to product a report with results that will have Continued on Page 11 m*. •££jm&?.j2 %&^ .<$&•»*<