– CBS World News Roundup – October 21, 1999 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
A day full of protests, this October 21st in 1999. Starting with a lockdown on Federal Prisons, who were seeing a spike in disturbances the previous few days. Seems much of it had to do with a Congressional vote against reducing penalties for Crack Cocaine possession. However, The Justice Department cast doubts – still, things weren’t quiet on the Prison front and disturbances were spreading around the country.
Also not quiet were the streets of Okinawa, following mass demonstrations over the U.S. Military presence on the Island. One of the largest anti-American rallies in Japanese history, the protests were sparked by the abduction and rape of a 12-year old girl. Three U.S. servicemen were arrested and charged and were in Japanese custody, but it inflamed long-standing passions against the bases on the island. Although Okinawa is one of Japan’s smallest islands, most of America’s military presence are based there. The protests were an effort to force the government in Tokyo to revisit the long-standing commitment.
And even baseball was in protest-mode this October 21st. With the 1999 World Series set to begin later on in the day, the protests came from Native Americans, who were demanding the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves change their names. The National Coalition On Racism In Sports In The Media held a new conference saying, in effect, that racism in Sports was just as much America’s favorite pastime as baseball. They were calling on the team owners to change the names of the teams, saying the team names and the customs and insignia associated with those teams (and others) were demeaning and wouldn’t be tolerated if it was another racial/ethnic group.
All that, and a lot more for this October 21, 1999 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
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