Page 6B
NATION
Thursday Novnulxi
Bonfire Remembrance
Ceremony
November 18, 2:42 a.m.
The MSC will provide a positive environment for students
to gather and share in the Aggie Spirit. Prior to the
ceremony, a wide variety of free, constructive activities are
planned and professional counseling will be available.
•Dominoes, Cards, and Food
9:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
MSC Hullabaloo
•Free Bowling and Pool
9:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
MSC Basement
•Crafts: Painting and Card Center
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
MSC 212
•MSC Tours
Every Thirty Minutes
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
•Ceremony Cards
MSC Hallway
MSC Flagroom
Rudder Fountain
•Scripture and Prayer Service
University Lutheran Chapel
315 College Main, 12:42 a.m.
•Bonfire Remembrance Prayer Vigil
12:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
St. Mary’s Catholic Center
603 Church Avenue
•“Fearless Witness”
Baptist Student Ministry
Saturday, November 18
Call 846-7722
•Forrest Gump &
Bonfire Benefit Concert
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Rudder Auditorium
•Camaraderie Breakfast
1 1:30 p.m. -1:00 a.m.
MSC 12th Man
•Bingo
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
MSC 224
•Vocal Performances
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
^ MSC Flagroom
•Poetry Reading:
Poems from
Last November
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
MSC Flagroom
•Wesley Foundation
7:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
i 201 Tauber Street
Pastor Available
•Bonfire Service
Thursday, November 16
at the Bonfire Site
Episcopal Student Center &
Episcopal Churches of Bryan and
College Station
Now is the Time to
Make a Difference!
Teach in Massachusetts
+ $20,000 Signing Bonus
+ lob Placement Assistance
♦ Summer Training and Certification
+ Mentoring and Support
All Majors Welcome!
(Math, Science, and
Foreign Language encouraged)
Current Seniors
Grad Students
Mid-Career Professionals
0n-Campus Recruiting
Thursday, November 30 • 5:30pm • 704 Rudder Towers
Application Deadline: January 31, 2001
Massachusetts Signing Bonus Program for New Teachers
Apply online at: www.doe.mass.edu/tqe
For questions call: 781.338.3231
THE BATTALION
3 LAPD police officers
convicted of conspira
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three officers accused of
framing gang members were convicted of conspiracy and
other crimes Wednesday in the first trial resulting from the
biggest police corruption scandal in Los Angeles history.
After weighing testimony from a parade of gang mem
bers and police officers, the Superior Court jury found
Sgts. Brian Liddy and Edward Ortiz and Officer Michael
Buchanan guilty. A fourth officer, Paul Harper, was ac
quitted of all charges.
“There’s good cops and there’s bad cops,” said jury
foreman Victor Flores. “A lot of us on the jury felt that
they just didn’t happen to cover themselves enough and
they never thought it would come back to haunt them.”
The convicted officers face one to four years in
prison at sentencing Jan. 16. Defense attorneys said they
will appeal.
“There’s been so much publicity
about the Rampart scandal the jury
might be afraid if they came in with
all not guiltys, people would think it
was the O.J. jury,” said Harland
Braun, who represented Buchanan.
The scandal, centered within the
anti-gang unit at the LAPD’s Rampart
station, involves allegations that offi
cers framed gang members, planted
evidence, committed perjury and even
shot innocent victims.
The scandal has led to the dis-
“The issues in
this case go to the
very heart of the
criminal justice
system/'
missal of about 100 criminal cases tainted by police tes
timony. Dozens of officers have quit or have been fired
or suspended. According to some estimates, it may cost
the city $125 million to settle lawsuits resulting from the
scandal.
The first trial was considered an important test that
could determine whether prosecutors would go forward
with cases against more officers. So far, only one other
officer has been charged and is awaiting trial.
The partial convictions were a victory for District At
torney Gil Garcetti, who lost his re-election bid one day
before the case went to the jury. He had been criticized
for pursuing a case that appeared thin, and he was still
stinging from losing the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
“The issues in this case go to the very heart of the
criminal justice system,” Garcetti said. “We must be able
to depend on the honesty of all police officers.”
Prosecutors had pressed forward with the trialdef
losing their star witness: Rafael Perez, a disgraced;. Pro
mer cop whose allegations started the scandal lastr"
Perez turned informant in exchange for leniency*
he was caught stealing $ 1 million worth of cocainefiy^^mi
a police evidence room. 'UU* kn
He was expected to be the top prosecution witne^-aL^ tel
til he demanded immunity from murder allegatioy- He is
now recanted — made by an ex-lover. The jury w.slccess i
ready deliberating when Sonia Flores said shemai.dustry ai
the story about bodies buried in Tijuana, Mexico,bee.blttle wi
Perez had spumed her. | Bier me
Without Perez, prosecutors were forced to relyooLptv over
members with credibility problems and policeoffi an lyric;
who said they knew little if anything about the chars Emin
Ortiz, 44. said he was baffle; hisconsl
the verdicts. speech a
“1 still believe to this day tk :. Conti
are innocent and that wedidoiraihere hi
keep the citizens of L.A., keepfflniversi
streets safe from all the gangs an. Ception.
the crime that’s going on outtfcMance a
he said. : aiBscussii
Barry Levin. Ortiz’s lawyer. Be ad mi
he should have tried to movetheCt: A we<
out of Los Angeles. “I was defercBis gain
an officer that had already beenfi tivist gre
guilty in the minds of. not only be posted a
jurors, but the public,” he said, fures on I
The four men were accused of wrongdoing inr pi esente
cases between 1996 and 1998. In one incident, anoifi Even
was accused of planting a gun on a gang member. Ir. the activ
— Gil Garcetti
District Attorney
other, an officer allegedly rubbed a gun on asuspetiBith uni
hand to get his fingerprints and frame him. Liddy*) bring
B uchanan were accused of fabricating a story aboutre t The g
members trying to run them down with a truck. Bondoni
Besides conspiracy, Liddy and Ortiz wereconvicuBringing
of filing false police reports. Buchanan, 30, and Li me cone
39, were convicted of charges related to their claim aim The a
gang members trying to run them down. ■irected
The defense called only the defendants and one a® Eminem
dent-reconstruction expert. : fight to 1
A former partner of Perez is awaiting trial omfiity havi
tempted murder charges in the next Rampart case.Offr The g
cer Nino Durden is accused of shooting a handcuffed® worts i;
pect and leaving him paralyzed. ||or its st
pon and
Television companies
lation a r
Nick
News in Brief- oumai
Man indicted fbi
face minority issues
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Major broadcast networks have included more blacks
in their shows but otherwise failed to live up to agreements earlier this year to pro
vide more ethnically diverse programming, a coalition of civil rights groups said
Tuesday.
The pictures at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox remain largely black and white to
the detriment of Asian-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, the coalition
of the NAACP and others contend.
“There is no progress in terms of Latino representation in the media,” Raul
Yzaguirre of the National Latino Media Council told a news conference.
The NAACP, while lauding the increased hiring of blacks in acting and other
behind-the-scenes jobs this season, said the coalition remains undaunted in its ef
fort to make TV truly inclusive.
“We don’t want them (the networks) to think hiring African-Americans will
appease the entire minority community,” said NAACP spokeswoman Debbie Liu,
adding that there is still room for improvement for black representation.
Karen Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium of
fered a dismal “report card” grading networks on their inclusion of Asian-Amer-
icans. The highest grade was a “D-plus” for NBC, which features a handful of ac
tors such as Ming-Na in “ER.” CBS got an “F.” ABC and Fox both received
“D-minuses.”
She also blasted the networks for missing opportunities to make the casts of
shows such as “Welcome to N.Y.,” which is set in a conspicuously multicultural
city, more diverse.
Last winter, the coalition secured agreements from the four networks to in
crease the number of minorities on-screen and development deals with writers
and producers.
The deals were reached in January and February after separate discussions be
tween the coalition groups and the networks. The agreements generally did not
include specific numbers that could provide a benchmark for progress.
The networks opened negotiations with civil rights groups after the NAACP
floated the threat of a TV boycott or legal action because of the lack of minority
actors on the fall 1999 schedule of new shows.
The networks say they are trying to change.
“Diversity remains an important initiative for us here at ABC,” said John Rose,
who is directing die network’s diversity effort. “We’ve done a lot and made sig
nificant progress, but we realize more has to be done.”
He said the network has started a talent development initiative that has enlist
ed educators and nonprofit groups to “nurture and support” minority writers and
directors.
three sex killings
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.(AP)-
A man was accused Wednes
day of three sex killings dating |
to 1987 after investigators
used new DNA technology to
link the crimes.
The indictment against
Patrick Baxter, 31, was un
sealed in Westchester Count)
Court. His attorney entered5
plea of innocent.
Baxter is accused of killings
14-year-old girl in 1987, a 1J
year-old woman in 1988 andc
25-year-old woman in 1990. ]'
DNA evidence from seme';
was recovered at each criR
scene in Westchester Count))!
but the cases had not
linked because the DNAsar
ossessi
Is, but
Ihem en
pie from the 1987 scene ,
too small to be tested until re r tve nt ;
cently. | e "'f
The county forensics labde i
termined this year that ,k lulKl
same person was involved ir
the 1987 and 1990
and the district attorney’s
obtained a court order fore
DNA test of Baxter, who hac
been a suspect.
Baxter was already servinga •'
prison term for reckless en.5 tate
dangerment and possessionof;
stolen property. Jr , '
Police officials said in June WHO)
that the DNA linked Baxters
jtish
drive
the killings, but he was
pose
charged at that time.
Odd
ution tl
theh
If you missed our College Station Open House, please consider coming to our Houston headquartersJbroui
Employment Open House
Saturday, November 18, 2000
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
6700 Hollister
* Software Support
* Software Installation
* Windows Development
* Project Analyst
* Consulting
* Programming
* Translating
* Training
* Sales
* Networking
* Tax Accounting
* Technical Writing
Come by and meet with our employees to discuss these opportunities.
This is a come and go event and refreshments are provided. We offer salary plus full benefits including pai"
medical, dental & vision insurance, 401k matching, direct deposit and semi-annual performance reviews. For
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in Houston, College Station and regionally throughout the United States. EOE.
Universal Computer Systems, Inc.
6700 Hollister, Houston, TX 77040
(713) 718-1400 or 800-883-3031
(713) 718-1401 - fax
www.universalcomputersys.com
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