Rodney King jury includes two blacks, Hispanic
NATIONAL
I.OS ANGKI.ES (AD — A jury
i hoseii Monday
^e lour while policemen in the federal
Rodney King tmating trial
lawyers for Ixrth Miles agreed on
the jury's makeup after a day ol wrangling that includ
ed tin unsuci essful hid by defense attorneys to dismiss a
him k man from the panel
U S Disirii I fudge fohn (> Davies ordered the jurors
sworn in. then released them to return home and col
lie:! their Imlongings I adore luring sequestered at a hotel
The trial is expected to take ns long as eight weeks
Davies set opening statements for Wednesday and said
selection of alternate jurors would continue Tuesday
The jury that will try the four officers for allegedly vio
lating King's civil rights includes eight men and four
women Six of the men and three ol the women are
white.
The jury that acquitted the officers on most charges
m an earlier stale trial included no blacks, one Asian and
one Hispanic.
That decision set off three days of rioting in the Eos
Angeles area, killing f>4 (maple and causing more than Si
billion in damage
"I’m pleased with the jury." defense attorney Ira Solz
nuin said outside court I think they're fair considering
public opinion anti the way it stands."
The last man seated, a young Hispanic, said he knew
little about the case and had never seen the famous
videotape of King, who is black. fming beaten by white
polii e of fit ers after a traffic stop All of the other jurors
said they had seen the videotape
Among those seated were a welder, a woman who
teat htw insurance agents him to sell, a woman postal
worker, a man who sells real estate and two men who
appeared to tie retail clerks Written jury questionnaires
describing the jurors' on upntions were sealed by the
judge, who promised the panel anonymity
On trial ore l.os Angeles Polu e Sgt. Slat ev Koon, Offi
cers Theodore Briseno and I-aurem « Powell and former
officer Timothy Wind They are charged with violating
King's civil rights
Both sides act opted the jury after a last-minute legal
dispute over its racial composition.
The defense lost its challenge of a black man from the
city 's Watts anui after government preset utors argued it
was (wised on nothing hut race and the judge agreed
But an unusual defense hid to block u government
challenge of a w hite former National Guardsman on sim
ilar grounds of racial bias was rejected by the judge.
Davies ruled there was "a race-neutral explanation"
for the dismissal of the w hite man, who helped police
the Watts area during the race riots of He also indi
i aii*d the man would tend to believe police witnesses
more than civilians.
Defense attorneys claimed their effort to dismiss the
black prosper live juror was "color blind" and based on
inconsistent ins in the man's answers
"If that gentleman was white and lived in Beverly
Hills, I would exercise the challenge in the same way."
SaIzmnn said.
But the judge upheld the government’s claim that
there was no reason other than race for excusing the
juror He based his decision on U S. Supreme cases that
have held that lawyers cannot use peremptory chal
lenges to exclude jurors by race
When the controversy over the black juror arose, one
bla< k woman had already been selected for the panel.
"The defense now feels they have their token him k
juror." complained Assistant U S. Attorney Steven Cly
mer.
The man, in his 60s. said he has lived in the predom
inantly black South Central I.os Angeles community of
Watts for 25 years Ho said his home wasn't damaged
during Inst year's rioting.
Asked his reaction to last year's verdicts, he said he
was "a little angry But I didn't know the exact details."
He wasn't worried about his neighbors’ reactions to
the federal case, he said, because "they don't know I'm
on this jury." Numbers rather than names are being used
to keep jurors unidentified.
Georgia leaders ask for old flag
A'I I ANT A (API — Son* of civil rights move
ment loaders joined in a marc h to the state
(’.apitol today to support the governor's plan to
remove a reminder of the ( av d War from Geor
gia's flog
Gov /.ell Miller wants the flag, revised in
1 'IMi to iru lode the (Confederate Imttle symbol,
returned to its prev ious design, a red, white and
blue haiiner emblazoned with the state* seal
Several efforts to c hange the flag have failed in
the I egisl.iture
Advoc ates for c hange argue that the flag is
anathema to blac ks and other minorities, while
opponents say the flag is symbolic: of Southern
heritage
Local c lergy, civil rights leaders and elected
offic ials, including Fulton (.omit) (Commis
sioner Martin King 111 the son of civil rights
leader Martin l.uther King Jr., joined the march
In alxrtil 75 people
Fulton (Countv (Commissioner Ralph David
Abernathy III. son of i ml rigfits leader Ralph
David Abernathy |r., also (oined the group at lire
Capitol
Thu Rev Joseph Lowery, president of the
Southern Christum Leadership Conference,
addressed the group (it the Capitol
The current flag "represents an era that is in
the past We must leave it in the past." Lowery
said. "We must take down tins flag and raise
the flag of jnstH e, equality and brotherhood and
sisterhood
There were no counter—demonstrations
It was the second march in Atlanta against
the state flag in two days About 100 man hers
from thns' historic Atlanta i hunches prayed and
sang on the Capitol steps Sundov
Candace Johnson. 12. held a pre-tOSfi flag
during Sunday's march organized by the
Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Cairn option.
Central Presbyterian Church and Trinity Unit
ed Methodist Church
"I am supporting this flag i^use the old one
wasn't a good flag." she said "During the (Civ -
if) War vve were split, but now that we are back,
together, this is the flag we should have "
Gore asks for support
on economic desian
KANSAS CITY. Mo. IA1>)
After an hour of familiar ques
(ions and familiar answers. Vi< e
President Al Gore decided to
raise Ins voice — literally — in
support of the administration's
new economic plan.
"It gives us the change we
need ns a nation to put the past
behind us. to break out of the
gridloi k." Gore said forcefully
— and loudly — Monday night
at the close of a Missouri town
meeting. It will happen only
when you de< ide. personally . to
lie a part of the i hange that y ou
want to see in America "
Gore flew to Kansas City for
the televised town meeting after
a morning appearance with
Clinton in California, os the
president and vice president
continued their cross-country,
tag-team sales pitch for the ecu
nomii; program unveiled last
week
The vice president broke no
new ground in fielding ques
tions about Clinton's plans for
the economy, health care
reform, higher taxes and job
retraining programs, but was
enthusiastically received by an
audience he implored to pres
sure their congressman and sen
ators to support the Clinton
plan
"We re at a crossroads in the
history of America." Core said.
"VVu need you to send a message
loudly and clearly that you the
American people are ready for
change even when it requires
tough choices"
Gore acknowledged all Amer
icans would pav more in energy
taxes in the Clinton plan.
Man who beat and raped woman committed indefinitely
ST PAUL. Minn (AP) — Scott Nils
Ny at rout ran down Linda Henry with his
tar. then brutally float her and raped her
When In* was up (or parole, he wrote her
a hi/.irrt> letter assuring her he wouldn't
"seek revenge "
He served his sentence, but he's not
going free Nvstroin is committed to the
Minnesota Security Hospital indefinitely
as a "psvi hopathic personality" under a
MKI‘1 state law that's being challenged
Indore the state Supreme Court.
llenrv says Nystrorn's commitment
allows her to live with less fear and with
rebel that lie won’t rape again.
"There has got to be a wav to keep
women safe," said Henry, a freelance
writer
Nystmm attacked Henr\ in White Hear
l.ake in 1*179, when both were 17. She
has no memory of the assault because of
head injuries: she recalls only waking up
in a hospital.
While Nystrom was free on hail for that
attack, he raped a woman m Duluth He
was sentenced in the two cases to a total
of 20 years in prison, and he was up for
parole when efforts to commit him began.
He was committed in August 1992.
Nystrom fought against his commit
ment, contending that he'd changed
Henry fought for it. (.hilled by a letter that
In his whole letter, he
never said he was sorry.
It was obvious his
thinking was still a little
bit screwed up.’
Linda Henry,
beating and rape victim
began, f irst of all, let me reassure you
that i will never seek revenge on you
"In his whole letter, he never said he
was sorry. Henry said It was obvious
his thinking whs still a little bit screwed
up "
Henry recalls sitting in the courtroom,
listening ton ps\( hiatrist testify that Nys
trom would pose a “reasonable risk" if
released.
"I'm sitting there in the back with my
mother, and I wanted to stand up and
scream. It's a reasonable risk for whom?
for your wife? For your mother ' For your
daughter?' " said Henry
"There are all these white men in suits
pontifu ating on the 'interesting facets of
the situation,' " she said, "with no clue
about the fear that we live with whether
it's happened to us or not "
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