38 Pages This Week
Thursday, May 25, 1989
Task force
to expand
study area
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
Following the recommendation
of its subcommittee, the East Win
ston Development Task Force voted
Tuesday evening to expand the area
of a study being conducted in that
predominantly Afro-American sec
tion of the city.
The consulting firm of Ham
mer, Siler George Associates was
hired last year to conduct a compre
hensive economic development
study of East Winston.
In a draft report submitted by
Clifton W. Henry, lead CQflfeuUaiit.
the firm suggested that the area plan
for the first "real" study of East
Winston-Salem be expanded
because most of the land for possi
ble development in the area is locat
ed north and east of Smith
Reynolds Airport. ?
"The amount of new develop
ment which can be accommodated
in the study area is contingent upon
the capacity of available vacant
parcels," according to the study's
Please see page A11
Photo by Sam Greenwood
A member of the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensem
ble delights hundreds with authentic dance and song during
last weekend's Mayfest activities.
Heat + booze = more violence
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
As temperatures begin to
soar, alcohol flows more freely,
drugs are used more often, tem
pers are less controllable and
these factors combine to increase
the number of shooting deaths and
injuries, said Capt. S. L. Moreau
of the city police department.
Two Afro-Americans are
dead and two others were wound
ed in four shooting incidents
occurring May 20 and May 21.
Dead is 36-year-old Anton
Juan Tatum whose body was
found inside his apartment at 1821
Short St. early Saturday morning.
Mr. Tatum was shot between the
hours of 9 and 11:30 p.m., said
Capt. Moreau.
"We have a possible suspect,
Marty, from information we gath
cred from people in the neighbor
hood," Capt. Moreau said. "Peo
ple said that they think Marty did
it. That's not much to go on, but at
least we've got a start."
Mr. Tatum of 1909 Dacian St.
was shot several times according
to a police report.
Travis Jarard McQueen, 21,
was shot Saturday night following
a domestic dispute with a girl
friend. Mr. McQueen of 2716
Piedmont Circle was shot in his
Vi A
ear with a pistol in the 1100 block
of E. 19th St.
Ronald LanardStroud
"During the argument Mr.
Henry Lee White supposedly
stepped in to break it up and
McQueen was shot in the left ear,"
Capt. Moreau said.
Mr. McQueen was pro
nounced dead by doctors at N.C.
Baptist Hospital early Monday
afternoon.
Mr. White, 30, of 409 Mason
St. was arrested and charged with
assault with a deadly weapon,
however, Monday night the
charge was changed to murder.
Mr. White is being held with no
bond allowed in the Forsyth
County Jail.
Also believed dead is 37
year-old Ronald Lanard Stroud.
He disappeared from his home at
1129 E. 21st St. April 16.
Capt. Moreau said investiga
tors believe that Mr. Stroud's body
was taken from his home. Police,
however, have not been able to
locate him and are depending on
witnesses to call Crimestoppers if
they have information on Mr.
Stroud's whereabouts.
"Right now he's a missing
person who we think is probably
dead but we have nothing on it,"
said Capt. Moreau.
Sixteen-year-old Artemus D.
Patterson was walking north in the
2100 block of Cleveland Avenue
Saturday when he was stopped
and chased by someone named
Anthony, Capt. Moreau said. Mr.
Peterson was shot in the upper
Please see page A9
Elected officials say black politicians
have difficult time winning high offices
By tonya V. Smith
Chronide Staff Writer
This is the last article in a three part series looking at Afro- Americans
and the establishment , present development and future progression of
their claims to political power.
Most historians and political scientists agree that no other single
piece of legislation did more to further Afro-American participation in
the electoral arena than the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
However, since that time Americans have become complacent and
even apathetic about exercising their right to vote. Unless Afro- Ameri
cans begin to use what has been deemed their greatest political power,
the black elected official could become a dying species in the coming
decades, say some local Afro-American leaders.
Despite all the ground that we have gained Afro-Americans could
lose political power if we do not activate that power, said Larry W.
Womble, city alderman of the East Ward.
NEWS DIGEST
Compiled From AP Wire
White supremacist claims frame-up
SHELBY, N.C. (AP) - A white supremacist on "trial for murder in the
slayings of three men at an adult bookstore says he was framed by his family to
get him to participate in a declaration of war against the United States.
Douglis Sheets said he was surprised when State Bureau of Investigation
Agent Dan Crawford accused him in August 1987 of participating in the
slayings at the Shelby HI adult bookstore with Robert Eugene Jackson, Hugh
Black and Jeff Johnston.
College to divest $1.8 million
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (AP - Carleton College trustees have voted to
divest S1.8 million in stock held in three companies that do business in
South Africa, but have not acted on a student request for total divestment
Trustee Lawrence Perlman, president of Control Data Corp., told about
70 students who demonstrated outside the trustees' meeting room Saturday
that he would offer a motion for total divestment so trustees could vote on it
at their fall meeting.
Police investigating racist letters sent to blacks
PEORIA, 111. (AP) - Police said Monday they are investigating the source of
anonymous letters filled with racial slurs and mailed to three black families living in
an east side neighborhood. Police interviewed the three families during the weekend
and warned them not to touch any future letters so they can be sent to a crime
laboratory for analysis, a police spokeswoman said.
"We have not voted our strength, we have not voted ourpotential."
Mr. Womble said. "A lot of African-Americans are not registered for"
some reason. We've got to get registered irregardless of what party --
whether the donkey or the elephant -- because neither will be our saving
grace.
'Then we have to know and study the issues, see who the candi
dates are and what the issues are. We've got to become intelligent about
what we're voting on and then we've got to get out and vote."
There is a future for blacks in politics and that future is getting
brighter and brighter, Mr. Womble said.
"Statewide, we're getting more people elected because lawsuits are
being filed against those at-large voting systems," said Mr. Womble,
who is also state president of NCBEMO (North Carolina Black Elected
Municipal Officials) . "By me being state president, I can see that our
numbers have swelled because of suits, and now African- Americans
have a better chance in running and winning in their own districts."
People are beginning to vote for Afro- American candidates because
of their ability to do the job, Mr. Womble said, however, a 1988 nation
al poll coiKfuctccFby tfie ioint center lor Political Studies found that 17
percent of whites, almost one in five, said they would not support a
qualified Afro-American candidate nominated by their party for gover
nor.
"In the two runs that Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles, made
for governor of California, polls found that from 5 percent to 15 percent
of whites said they would not vote for a black person for governor,"
said Political Scientist Charles Henry in an article, "Why the Higher
Rungs of Power Elude Black Politicians," written by Ronald Smothers.
"The higher the office, the more whites there were who would
admit that they would never vote for a black," said Linda Williams, a
senior research associate at the Joint Center.
"Black politicians whose aspirations have taken them beyond the
safe bounds of predominantly black constituencies have often found
themselves in a limbo of their own," Mr. Smothers said. "In recent years
Please see page A 1 1
Burke keynotes local
Democratic meeting
By TONYA V.SMITH
Chronide Staff Writer
The Democratic Party represents hope, the ful
fillment of unfulfilled dreams, desires and the future,
Alderman Vivian H. Burke told about 60 people at
the 5th Congressional District Convention May 20.
"We need to unify rather than to let others divide
us,* Mrs. Burke said making reference to the low
turnout at the meeting held in the Parkland High
School auditorium.
Also speaking on the low level of Democratic
participation at the congressional rally was Robert F.
Joyce, who ran unsuccessfully for the chairmanship
of Forsyth County. Mr. Joyce spoke in Congressman
Steve L. Neal's stead who was ill and could not
attend the convention.
"It's discouraging, isn't it (the number of people
in the auditorium)," said Mr. Joyce. "We need to get
our Democrats back to precinct meetings. We haven't
lost. We're just not getting these people out to vote
like we used to. We need to be looking for ... a good
candidate to win and run against Jesse Helms."
The Democratic Party has had some difficult
times lately, Mrs. Burke conceded. But true
Democrats must continue to stand, she said.
'True Democrats care about the poor, the forgot
ten, the handicapped, the unemployed, crime, the
children and the children having Children," she said.
"Because we care we are penalized and labeled as
being too liberal ... we need to unify rather than let
others divide us."
Unity, organization and strength begins at the
precinct levels, Mrs. Burke said.
"We must first organize at the precinct level and
work to get true Democrats registered," she said. "In
order to reach people we must reach out. Grass-roots,
Please see page A9
? - -r-tr T! 1
Alderman Vivian Burke
National experts to address drug seminar
From Chronide Staff Reports
The city Board of Aldermen's
Public Safety Committee and the
Citizens Drug Task Force is spon
soring a drug seminar today from
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the M.C.
Benton Convention Center.
Speakers from across the
United States will speak on drug
issues affecting the city, including
total community involvement in
fighting drug abuse.
The speakers include, Bill
Rudolph, administrator, Northside
High School, Atlanta, Ga.;
Michael Schrunk, district attorney,
Multnomoh County, Oregon;
Mark DeBernado, National Cham
ber of Commerce, Washington,
D.C.; Frank Parks, president,
National High School Athletic
Coaches Association; William F.
Alder, chief. Office of Con'gres
sional and Public Affairs, Drug
Enforcement Administration,
Washington, D.C.
The seminar was organized as
a result of local citizens' concerns
about drugs, said Alderman
Vivian H. Burke, chair of the Pub
lic Safety Committee.
"While I was at the National
League of Cities Conference in
March, I decided tq^talk to top
people oj| 'Hr ?
what Winston-Salem can do in
neighborhoods to help solve the
drug problem," Mrs. Burke said.
"They commended us for taking
initiative and pledged to provide
us speakers for a seminar.
"The idea of the seminar is to
bring together various people in
the community to hear these
nationally known experts discuss
what we can do to heln deal untK