[StBernard] Newark politician in La. traffic dispute not backing down

[Westley Annis]

Newark politician in La. traffic dispute not backing down
By DAVID PORTER

Associated Press Writer

April 18, 2008

NEWARK, N.J.

The local politician who made national headlines for accusing police in
Louisiana of racial profiling is a prep school graduate who once donated a
kidney to an ailing uncle, and two years ago became the youngest person ever
elected to Newark's Municipal Council. 

Oscar James II made national headlines last week when the minivan he was
riding in was stopped outside New Orleans, leading the 26-year-old to level
charges of racial profiling against officers of St. Bernard Parish. 

The ensuing publicity has been surprising and a little unsettling for James,
who said he doesn't consider himself a standard-bearer but in the same
breath left no doubt that he would pursue the case to its conclusion. 

"I don't want to be the face of racial profiling, but I will stand up for my
rights," James said this week. 

Even by the standards of Newark's labyrinthine political landscape, James'
background stands out. 

He grew up in the city's gritty South Ward _ the area he now represents _
and attended Delbarton Prep and Villanova University, earning a degree in
political science at the latter. At 19 he donated a kidney to his uncle,
Larry Walden, a Newark police officer who James said eventually returned to
the force. 

His father, Oscar James, was a close ally of former Mayor Sharpe James,
dating back to the latter's days as a councilman in the 1980s. The two are
not related. Sharpe James was convicted on several counts of official
corruption this week. 

Yet it was current Mayor Cory A. Booker, then mounting a second campaign
after losing to Sharpe James in a nasty 2002 battle, who convinced the
younger James to enter the political arena. 

With his father as his campaign manager and his mother as treasurer, James
defeated two foes _ including Sharpe James' son, John _ in the South Ward,
an area that had voted 2-1 against Booker in the previous mayoral election. 

A week short of his 25th birthday, James became the youngest member in the
council's history. His style is hands-on: On many days he makes time to fill
in as a school crossing guard at a South Ward elementary school. 

His age belies his grasp of the challenges facing Newark, according to
council President Mildred Crump, who observed James' fledgling campaign. 

"I was present at almost every community meeting and coffee klatch, and you
could tell even then that he researched the issues, that he didn't speak off
the top of his head," Crump said. "It didn't hurt that people were crying
for change, but he didn't let that be his safety net. He was prepared." 

James said that because of his age, he has become used to occasionally
receiving extra scrutiny from police in New Jersey, particularly when he
dresses in baggy clothing. But that may not have prepared him for last
Friday's incident. 

Police in St. Bernard Parish have said the minivan carrying James, several
other adults and three teenagers who were taking a break from building
houses in an area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, was speeding and changed
lanes without signaling. 

James said a police officer approached from the passenger's side and ordered
him to get out of the car, which he did. 


>From that point, the accounts begin to diverge. 


Police said James refused to identify himself and began yelling at the
officers, who eventually handcuffed him. Before that, they said, he took a
handful of nails from his pocket and threw them on the ground. 

James contends he may have raised his voice but remained in control, and
produced the nails only when asked if he had anything sharp or dangerous in
his pocket. 

"I was very nervous," he said. "My hands were up and I wanted to get the
nails out of my pocket as quickly as possible. Did I literally place them
down in the most organized fashion? Not at all. But I never threw the nails
in the direction of anyone." 

According to James, it was only when the teens were ordered to get out of
the car that he said to them that they had been stopped for "driving while
black." The officers involved in the stop were white. 

Eventually he was charged with disturbing the peace, resisting an officer
and littering after a traffic stop. 

In an interview on a New Orleans radio station Thursday, James called the
idea of his filing a suit against the police "totally ridiculous" and
expressed his desire to return to the region to continue the rebuilding
effort _ and clear his name. 

"I'm not trying to polarize this and make it a North versus South issue or a
police versus black issue. I'm trying to make this an issue with one cop who
I feel was disrespectful. There's a larger issue here, which is for
volunteers across the country to come down to the area and help our people
who are in need." 



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