Mecklenburg County, North Carolina commissioner Bill James,
Republican, was booed as he took his oath of office yesterday. James
said last week in an e-mail to constituents, "Most people know why CMS
(Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools) can't teach kids within the urban black
community. They live in a moral sewer with parents who lack the desire
to act properly. That immorality impacts negatively the lives of these
children and creates an environment where education is considered
'acting white' and lack of education is a 'plus' in their world." More
than 400 people packed the swearing-in ceremony including many groups
from the black community and local black churches. Many of those sat in
the balcony with posters denouncing racism. Democrat Parks Helms, who
was chosen as chairman, asked the audience to welcome James' family,
and they applauded. When James began to introduce his children, someone
called out, "What about our children?" James said he believed problems
in urban black neighborhoods could be traced to a high percentage of
single-parent families and illegitimate births, and quoted from a book
on black families by the late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Later, he quoted from the Bible, Galatians 4:16. "Am I therefore become
your enemy because I tell you the truth?" he asked, to groans from the
audience. When he said, "The real cause of trouble in the black
community is not so much segregation, or lack of voting power," someone
in the crowd interrupted by yelling "its people like you!" Helms
repeatedly tried to silence the crowd. When James finished, he reminded
them that James was allowed "that kind of speech," and "it's up to us
to hear it and move on." James, a Republican, represents a district in
south Mecklenburg and was unopposed in his bid for a fifth term last
month. [more] and [more]