Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 13, 1985, edition 1 / Page 5
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June 13, 1985 Page A5 1HE FORUM More opinions, columns and features. llOVE debacle: Appalling insensitivity from The Philadelphia Tribune. CROSSWINDS rhe nagging question remains: tydid police drop a bomb on , move rowhouse on Osage -enueMay 13? fV reporters have replayed-the jfover and over; radio broad- ;iers have discussed it with jt listeners; newspapers have Other Views reporters, other media staff and members of national news teams, have placed the blame for the fire and the catastrophe it caused on MOVE and MOVE alone. But many other people, here ’ll is crystal clear that the Philadelphia police knew, or jDuldhave known, that gasoline and kerosene containers mi lots of wood and debris were on the roof of the 0E house. Those containers, empty or full, presented 0obvious danger of explosion or fire. They were in plain iidyzed the siege, the bombing (1 its fiery aftermath;, and jliyor Goode and his police and jit commissioners have defend- jiheir actions over and over (jain. And after all that explana- ioi, the question remains: Why I they drop a bomb on a pliouse with people inside? Pollsters say many people sup- |0[l the mayor’s actions in mov- !j against MOVE. Many in- jiidiials, interviewed by Tribune and across the country, have questioned the wisdom, even the sanity, of the decision to drop a bomb on a rowhouse. Why did they drop a bomb? In a courtroom, when it can be shown that the person who strikes a match in a danger zone knew or should have known that flammable substances were near by and that a catastrophic fire could result, that person is held responsible for any injuries. deaths or property damage that occurs. It has been reported before that the police planned to use their “explosive device” for some time before the siege. It is crystal clear that the Philadelphia police knew, or should have known, that gasoline and kerosene con tainers and lots of wood and debris were on the roof of the MOVE house. Those containers, empty or full, presented an ob vious danger of explosion and fire. They were in plain view; TV and newspaper cameras photographed them before the bomb was dropped. Police helicopter teams flew over the house many times during the May 13 siege, and Lt. Frank Powell, who actually dropped the bomb, reported later that he “probably (knew) that roof better than my own back yard.” Why did he drop a bomb, then, and why did Police Commis sioner Gregore Sambor authorize him to drop it? As the informa tion comes out about what ac tually was known about MOVE’S threats to burn the house down, and about what police knew or should have known about the contents of the house and the roof, the claim that Sambor was unaware that a huge fire would result becomes less and less credi ble. The decision to let the fire burn as a way of getting rid of the pillboxes on MOVE’S roof and of forcing MOVE to flee the house is also increasingly suspect. The authorities had listening devices to tell them that MOVE had retired to the basement; why couldn’t the heavily armored special weapons personnel get on to the roof and break in while MOVE was otherwise occupied? The reports of firemen being held back by sharpshooters and of police hampering firefighters’ efforts because smoke obscured their vision put the story in an even more damning light. Nowhere in those reports is there anything of concern for the human lives being consumed along with the neighborhood, for the four children among the besieged, for the idea that these children deserved to live just as much as the police and Please see page A14 Ik proposed new coliseum: 77/ be doggoned ifFll votefor it on June 25 They call it “Bizarro World” (["Saturday Night Live.” kail it Winston-Salem. In “Bizarro World” logic has 10 place. Up is down. Right is The same apparently applies to itTwin City’s black leaders. Never mind that the city’s itlitical establishment has kicked itblack community in its collec- iitiear end more than once. Never mind that what began as istemingly earnest attempt to br- i| black contractors into the iiinstream with “enabling” i|islation has become a political SCO. Never mind that the white community keeps wooing black support for what it wants but gives little in return. Yet, come to think of it, I don’t know if I can really blame white politicians. Every time they kick us in the pants we keep com ing back, like faithful puppies who don’t know any better. If I were a white politico, I wouldn’t respect black folk, either. Why should I? And why is it that black people seem inclined to be so faithful, forgiving and understanding that it hurts us? Why is it that when we have rare opportunities to wield political leverage - as with the FROM MY POINT OF VIEW By A lien Johnson coming coliseum bond referen dum - we throw them away? I know the city needs a new coliseum. Anyone who has winc ed at the tacky, undersized eyesore we have now can see that. But I also know that this city desperately needs to lend a help ing hand to its struggling black contractors and, more important ly, to mend its badly damaged credibility in the black communi ty- The city would, if its priorities were in the right place - which they aren’t — and if black people would stop being so gullible - which they won’t. As you have probably surmis ed, lam not voting for a new col iseum. I have all of the respect in the world for NAACP President Patrick Hairston, Dr. J. Ray Butler, Coach Clarence “Bighouse’l Gaines and the host of other black citizens who intend to promote the coliseum bonds in the black community. But 1 sure as heck don’t agree with them. nor do I,understand their think ing. And I’ll be doggoned if I’m going to hop on their band wagon. Call it sour grapes or myopia, if you will, but I’ve had my fill of rhetoric about how economic development will benefit everybody in this community. To date, it hasn’t and I’m not con vinced that it will in the future. I’m also absolutely amazed that even some of the black leadership has fallen for the line that the coliseum and the enabl ing legislation are not related. On the contrary. The coliseum, say its pro ponents, is supposed to promote jobs and tourism and boost the local economy. The enabling legislation, say 1, guarantees in writing that black people will get their fair share of the pie. But some people don’t see it that way. They don’t mind sing ing the praises of economic gains for whites and blacks. They just don’t like being committed by law to do it. They neither want to put up or shut up. I suspect my view is unpopular in most circles these days. But what is at stake is much more im portant than a place to play Please see page A14 Send Otnr City Home With a FVietid. We’re lucky to live in a special place like Winston- Salem. We have more live entertainment and art exhibits than most cities three or four times our size. There’s Stevens Center, North Carolina School of the Arts, Reynolda House, Southeastern Center For Contem porary Art, and more artistic and creative outlets than could ever be mentioned in one single ad. We have the historic German Moravian town, Old Salem. We can golf, ride horseback, swim, picnic, watch polo or ride paddleboats at a place Better Homes and Gardens calls one of the best vacation surprises in the South, Thnglewood Park. We have so much to offer to the people who come here. Share Winston-Salem with your friends, relatives, groups or organizations. Whether it’s your uncle from Washington, D.C., the Greater Jacksonville Glee Club, or candle-making conventioneers from California — invite them to Winston-Salem. Once they get here, they’ll realize what we’ve known all along. You really can take home something special from Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem Take Home Something Special I Send for your free “Tkke Home Something Special” Visitor Kit. Write the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of ■ Commerce, 610 Coliseum Drive, P.O. Box 1408, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1408; or call 725-2361. I Name Address _ City . State. Zip. Phone _
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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June 13, 1985, edition 1
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