I
*
" ^afcrfc lfat Si ? ~~ "WI
liberty Street "Strip," scene i
lot is where, concerts are hek
Joan Littl
For Wilsi
by Robert EUer
Chronicle Staff Reporter
Joan Little returned to
Winston-Salem August 18 to
pledge her support in the
* appeal of a young black man
who was recently sentenced to
life in prison after being
A S _ P - __
connciea 01 raping a wnire
woman.
At a news conference held
at the Black Panther Headquarters
Miss Little said she
will support William Christopher
Wilson, 24, ih his appeal
' to the North Carolina court of
appeals. Wilson, a Mocksville
native, was convicted July 31
Bicentenni
White Onl"
Many black citizens, both
locally and throughout the
nation, have recently questioned
the significance of the
nation's 200th birthday as it
relates to them. The attitude
has been one of apathy and a
feeling of being "left out."
Many black citizens have even
voiced contempt to what they
# say is "the 200th birthday of
slavery."
? Patron
rVI N Si
"" ?. '-TJ. ! '.. .uaM I.
s&staa*Salag>f frtotth Cgrotea *?
B^tV I Ijff
:- V-"^ 111^^1
il^^f^F^Av^jB
of last week's shooting. Parking
I.
e Pledges ?
?n And Ref
of second degree rape and
first degree burglary. He was
found guilty of entering the
home of Reba Wilson in
Clemmons on November 5,
1974 and raping her.
Wilson's wife, who was
present at the news conference
along with his 18
month-old son, and his mother
both gave testimony in the
trial accounting for Wilson's
whereabouts at the approximate
time of the crimes.
However, Wilson was convicted
by a jury of 11 whites and 1
^1 as M ^4 AS as ^ t
uiatK diici uic viiuiii
identified Wilson as the
al Not for
y9uir.days
However, efforts here to
include blacks into every
phase of the nation's
vear-lons birthdav celebration
have been sincere and
concerted, according to the
chairman of the WinstonSalem/Forsyth
County Bicentennial
Commission.
"We have tried very hard to
include everyone" said Mrs.
See BICENTENNIAL Page a
ize Equal
\ C* A I
nssauii
In Liber
by Robert Eller
Chronicle Staff Reporter
Conspiracy to committ
murder and assault with a
deadly weapon charges are
being sought against J.T.
Thompson of the Winston
Salem Police Department in a
shooting last Tuesday night on
North Liberty Street here.
Nelson Malloy, head of the
local Black Panther Party said
In an interview earlier this
week, "the community wants
Thompson charged with
Support
nrm
assailant. An earlier trial in
Forsyth County ended in a
hung jury.
At the conference. Miss
Little said justice in North
Carolina is a "dual system"
designed to "convict black
people."
See LITTLE Page 10
Street
The only conflict on Liberty
Street's "strip" this past
week has not been between
those who say officer J.T.
^I
- >.' m
W I I
m
Johnny X
"...stop concerts"
Opportui
Charges
ty St. SI
O ? IMA /* 1
^unapuawy iu cummin muraer
and assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill. We
won't rest until justice is
done."
Malloy said he has hand
written statements from a
number of people who
witnessed the shooting.
Anthony L. Smoak, 26. of
1623 E. 23rd Street was
wounded in the chest and arm
during a disturbance on North
Liberty Street Tuesday night
August 12.
Winston-Salem Police Chief
T.A. Surratt appeared before
the Board of Aldermen
Monday night and reported
the findings of an extensive
investigation to the board. The
investigation's findings contend
that Thompson did not
shoot Smoak.
At the meeting Surratt said
the mood of the area he called
a place of abuses and vises
had made "preservation of
constitutional rights extremely
dangerous up there." (on
Liberty Street).
He also stated that
r a- T1
Liuiiccris ij
Businesses
Thompson shot Anthony
Smoak and those who say he
was shot by a sniper.
Another matter of heated
discussion centers around the
concerts that have been held
in the parking lot between the
Dungeon Club and the Big
"D" Lounge this summer.
The concerts have been
sponsored by the Dungeon
Club's Summer Youth- Employment
Program.
Johnny X, operator of the
Big "D" Longe, said in an
interview this week that the
outside concerts are to blame
for the trouble on "the strin"
r
this summer. Mr. X said, "the
concerts caused the problems
because of the congestion of
the area.'V
%ity Adve
? ? < ?
?
Sought
booting
conditions on North Liberty
Street have reached the point
"where the participants are
waiving their constitutional
rights."
Malloy criticized Surratt's
remarks to the Aldermen. He
said Surratt was saying the
situation on Liberty Street is
one of anarchy." He is saying
people who congregate on
Liberty Street must waive
their constitutional rights. He
is saying the police will move
in a military fashion even
though no police officers were
seriously injured. What he is
savino is that the nnlire u/ill
kill people." Witnesses said
the trouble on Liberty Street
started about 12:00 on die
night of August 12. "A fight
broke out near Gilmore's
funeral home between a young
boy and girl.
The Winston Salem Police . .
Department received an
anonymous phone call of
trouble in the area and
responded. Witnesses said
uniformed officers had the
See ASSAULT Page 6
lamed
Organize
He said he has formed a
committee of businessmen in
the area who will try to get
' together and work the trouble
out. This week it was learned
that petitions are being
circulated to stop the concerts'
from continuing.
Howard Wiley. Director of
the Dungeon Club's Summer
Youth Employment Program,
disagrees with X. "Many
people say our concert was the
cause of the trouble here this
week," Wiley said. But this is
not true."
"The people who say this
are trying to use this as an
excuse to condemn the
Summer Youth Program and
discredit Rodney (Sumler.
see BLAME Page 5
trtisers