National briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 8, 2000

Italian-Americans parade amid protests

DENVER -- More than 140 American Indian activists were arrested while protesting Saturday's Columbus Day Parade, the first in the city since 1991.

American Indians assert that Christopher Columbus was a slave trader who committed genocide against their ancestors. Their clashes with Italian-Americans during the city's 1991 parade had forced the parade's cancellation for the remainder of the decade.

This year, Indian activists and Italian-Americans had reached an agreement that there would be no protests if the parade was limited to an Italian pride parade with no mention of Columbus, but several representatives of the Italian community later disavowed the deal.

On Saturday, police cut down a section of a fence that had been erected to block protests, and permitted demonstrators to take up spots on the street used for the parade. But after a brief demonstration, police moved back in, giving the Indians the choice of leaving or being arrested.

No one resisted, said police spokeswoman Mary Thomas. They were arrested on misdemeanor charges including loitering and failure to obey a lawful order, which can bring penalties of up to a year in jail and fines up to $1,000.

Among the 147 people arrested was American Indian Movement activist Russell Means.

Couple seeks $125,000 for hot pickle burn

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A woman who claims she was permanently scarred after a hot pickle from a McDonald's hamburger fell on her chin is suing the restaurant for more than $100,000.

Veronica M. Martin claims in a lawsuit filed in Knox County Circuit Court that the burn also caused her physical and mental pain. She is seeking $110,000. Her husband, Darrin Martin, is seeking $15,000, because he "has been deprived of the services and consortium of his wife."

The hamburger "was in a defective condition or unreasonably dangerous to the general consumer and in particular to (Veronica Martin)," according to the two-page lawsuit, which was reported in the Knoxville News-Sentinel on Saturday.

Representatives with Mar Inc., owner of the McDonald's franchise, did not return a telephone call from the newspaper.

Mrs. Martin had second-degree burns and is permanently scarred, according to the lawsuit.

Shoney's gives check, apology to black band

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Savannah High School's black band students and advisers, refused service by a white waitress at a Shoney's restaurant in Louisiana, have received a $10,000 check from the restaurant chain.

Ken Davis, a program manager at the school, said some of the money will be used for band trips.

"But we won't stop at Shoney's for breakfast," he said.

The incident occurred at a Shoney's in Metairie, near New Orleans, when about 125 band members, advisers and chaperones stopped for breakfast during a band trip last November.

When they entered, a white waitress approached and asked how she'd be tipped, Davis said.

"She told me, "You all don't tip,"' Davis said. "I asked if she meant African-Americans don't tip and she said, "You can call it whatever you want, but I'm not going to serve you."'

Davis said almost everyone on the band trip was black, including himself.

A Shoney's official said the company investigated and immediately fired the waitress.

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