NAACP leader focused on healing
community, not lawsuits for now

By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
July 13, 2003
The head of the local NAACP chapter said he is concentrating on healing the community and not thinking about the possibility of legal action after last week's shooting at Lockheed Martin a shooting some have labeled as racially motivated.
Walter Patton, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said several well-known lawyers, including a representative of Johnny Cochran, have contacted him about the possibility of lawsuits against the company and others they feel share responsibility for the shootings.
But, Patton said, he has told them that he's not focusing on that right now.
Patton, whose wife has worked at Lockheed Martin's Lauderdale County plant for 21 years, said he is keeping a close watch on the investigation, but is not ready to jump to any conclusions about the shooter's motive.