Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 29, 1990, edition 1 / Page 14
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PageA14 Winston-Salem Oitonkk Thursday, March 29, 1990 Best Choice Center announces schedule of events for April The Best Choice Center has announced its schedule of events through April 4. There will be a "Self-Esteem Parade of Stars" at 5:30 p.m. Thurs day, March 29. The theme will be "Leaders Return to their Roots." A special cultural activity has been scheduled for Friday, March 30. Participants will attend a perfor mance of "Master Harold...and the Boys" at the N.C. Black Repertory Company from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Youth will participate in the Winston-Salem State University National Youth Sports Program from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 31. The Best Choice Center also will sponsor a drug awareness field trip to see the movie "The White Girl" Sunday, April 1, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. games and tutorial programs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. There will be a Nature Science Center presentation Tuesday, April 3, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. On Monday, April 2, the center will sponsor educational activities. The center will sponsor a semi nar on babysitting by the American Red Cross, Wednesday, April 4. FBI probe labeled political 'set-up' New Arrival of Boys Suits & Girls' CHUBBY I or BOVS I DRESSES for Easter Downtown at JEROMES • CURTAINS • READY-TO- • BEDSPREADS 520 N. LIBERTY ‘draperies wear slipcovers 722-7( New Store Hours; Closed Wednesdays From Page A1 rant "to verify, identify and docu ment the nature and extent of any remodeling and renovation to 1322 Cunningham Avenue." The house was deeded to PATH Inc., a not-for-profit organization found ed by Mr. Hairston in 1984, by Naegele Outdoor Advertising, according to the affidavit. Agent Drdak said Mr. Hairston and Mr. Sumler solicited ■funds for renovation of the house, which was to serve as a place of -refuge for the homeless, but that Mr. Sumler used those funds to make improvements in his home at 2515 N. Patterson Ave. "The donations solicited by Patrick Hairston for PATH Inc., were secured by checks made payable to PATH Inc.," agent Drdak said in the affidavit. "A review of these checks show that they were endorsed by Rodney Sumler and based on special agent (Daniel E.) Guerrini's experience, he can state they were remitted for cash." Agents hoped their search of the house - "including inspections of attics, basements, crawl spaces, closets, cabinets and other such areas in the house which may reveal evidence of remodeling" - would show that no renovations have been made to the structure; that Mr. Hairston and Mr. Sumler "solicited funds for PATH inc., under the guise of charitable con tributions" to renovate the house off Cunningham Street and the money was used for Mr. Sumler's personal gain; and that "Mr. Hairston used his position as an elected official on the Winston- Salem Board of Aldermen to . obtain funds in return for favor able treatment by him on matters before the Board of Aldermen, and in fact the funds obtained were not utilized for the purposes in which they were solicited." Disgusted with the FBI/IRS investigation, Mr. Hairston said he wants the city's Afro-American community to know what prompt ed the agents to begin it in the first place. If a businessman com- ; plained about aldermen prohibit ing him from working with the city, then all the aldermen should be under investigation, not just black board members, Mr. 1 Hairston said. "Blacks also need to know about the makeup of the FBI. The ‘ top law enforcement agency in the country was found to be one of the worst discriminators of race of ■ any other department in govern ment,” Mr. Hairston said. "Just last week a court found them guilty of discriminating against black and Hispanics so it's obvi ous that they can't conduct a fair and impartial investigation." The former alderman said he was "set up” in the FBI's "Opera tion Mushroom Cloud" three years ago. A man who identified himself as George Miller and said he was an Atlanta businessman called Mr. Hairston and told him of his plan to locate a factory in the Twin City, Mr. Hairston said. "He said the factory would employ 300 to 500 people and pay $7 an hour. That's one of my greatest concerns, to bring jobs here for blacks, so naturally I was very interested," Mr. Hairston explained. "I showed him possible land sites, including the business park off 1-40 and land down near Stroh's Brewery because I thought he was sincere." After a couple of meetings with Mr. Miller, who was really an undercover FBI agent, the busi nessman explained problems he had with a city council in Virginia when he tried to locate a similar factory there, said Mr. Hairston. "He told me the plant would emit low level radiation, like a hospital, and that the people in Virginia got all upset about it. I told him I was concerned with jobs but not when they would pose a health threat," Mr. Hairston said. "After he assured me that it wouldn't, he continued to say how the project was thrown out of Vir ginia. That's when I said he may need to employ a consultant to allay the fears of people. He asked me if I knew one and I recom mended Sumler." Mr. Hairston set up a meeting between Mr. Miller and Mr. Sum ler, a meeting Mr. Hairston said he suspects was taped. He said they began discussing a contract and that's when he left. "They struck a deal but when they started to talk about money I told them I had no business there and I left," Mr. Hairston said. "There was another time when he (Mr. Miller) offered me some stock certificates because he said I had helped him so much and he wanted to show his appreciation. I said no thanks and all he had to say was that I was instrumental in bringing the project to the city." It was about that time that Mr. Hairston said he got suspicious - because someone was offering him stock in a company that was not yet in existence and because Mr. Miller kept putting off talking to other aldermen. "I started getting suspicious because you know black people can't get a plant here along," said Mr. Hairston. "I told him to talk to the full board, the city manager, the mayor, planning board, zoning people and he kept saying he would get around to it." Mr. Hairston maintains that he has been set up but adds that the purpose of the FBI/IRS inves tigation goes beyond ruining bis reputation. "People need to know how racist and unfair this thing is," he said. "This is more than just arresting Pat Hairston for some- thing. What they've seen in Winston-Salem is four black aldermen and the possibility of a black mayor in the near future and that means that we would have the balance of the power and that's what they don't want to happen. "I know I have not used this office for persona! gain because I don't know where that gain is. I have not violated any laws. I have not promised anybody anylliing to get their money. I did solicit money for PATH because it was something I've always been inter ested in, taking care of the home less. But that money I solicited from people I knew when I was president of the NAACP. And when I was elected to office I rec ognized a possible conflict of interest and I resigned from PATH and turned it over to Mr. Sumler. I never doubted that Mr. Sumler did what he was supposed to do with that money. But what if he didn't use that money for the house on Cunningham. He has 20 other houses in the city that he has reno vated. What's wrong with using money solicited for PATH in those houses,, or using money for other houses for PATH?" But Mr. Sumler is not the "big- time gangster" FBI officials are por traying him as, said Mr. Hairston, pointing to the jobs he helped pro vide and save for Afro-Americans during his nine years as chair of the NAACP's labor committee. The reason Mr. Sumler con verted checks to PATH to cash was because of his bad credit record, Mr. Hairston explained. He continued, "for them to say 1 promised people I would vote is speculative because nobody can tell the truth and say I said that. If so, they need to charge me. They're trying to destroy my repu tation and my business. But that's okay because I'm tough. The FBI can stay here on me until hell freezes over. I'll get a pair of ice skates and sit down and meet with them.” Mr. Hairston questioned how FBI agents, who haven't known the condition of the house off Cunningham Avenue, could deter mine what improvements have been made. In the affidavit, Mr. Drdak said visual inspections of the house in January and February revealed that "the house appears to be badly in need of repairs and does not appear to have under gone any renovations. The house has broken windows... (and)did not appear to have the renovations necessary to be used in accor dance with the purposes stated by Hairston and Sumler." "A lot of people have lived in the house and Hugo and tornadoes have damaged the house," Mr. Hairston said. "When you don't have money to make the repairs and people who don't know how to take care of property ... people ELECTIVE ALES & ERVICE ‘‘A Division ofLouis Roger Sloan " DREAM BELIEVE LIEVE It, ACHIEVE It... My Name is Roger Sloan. I have 19 years of experience in the automobile business. I sell and lease Mercedes-Benz, BMW Volkswagens and Explorer Luxury Vans. My product is V'Class. Allow me to offer you V’ Class service at your home or office. After all, you are a V' Class Customer. I will save you time and money. Roger Sloan star Sales & Leasing Consultant 19 Years Experience Sales & Lease New & Previously Owned who live there free don't care about breaking a window. "They're just uyring to damage the characters of black people with this investigation. They don't want to discourage blacks from going into politics by saying, 'Go into pol itics and you'll end up in jail.'" Because of the amount of time and taxpayer dollars that have gone into the investigation someone will be charged, Mr. Hairston predicted. "I don't see how but I'm sure they'll charge somebody. But what should be in the minds of people is how much this investigation over three years is going to cost taxpay ers. If I'm not charged I'd be sur prised. But then again they may just go away and leave me hanging and reputation damaged. I wish they would go ahead and charge me so I can have my day in court. "If they came here in search of political corruption, why are they going around asking people if they're upset because I have a Cadillac and a truck and house? All of which I owe money on. They're hollering mail fraud. I only had the city secretary write me five letters in the four years I was in office. If Sumler commit ted fraud. I'd charge him because people gave me the money and I gave it to him. If you look at this thing carefully, you'll see the FBI is here illegally. If Rodney is guilty of anything it's a local and not a federal offense. "They're after both of us because we're effective at what we do. I'm not just a good ole' boy. I'm not going to sit there and do nothing but I'm going to call it like it is." ^r.James D. Branch, MD Ophthalmologist Specialist in •Eye Diseases, •Surgery •Examinations of the Eyes. 224 Town Run Lane (Downtown Between 2nd and third Streets) 723-0748 Find Out What Your City Taxes Pay For... Attend the City Budget Community Meetings And Let Your Voice Be Heard Do you know what It costs you and the City .... to pick up garbage? to operate city parks? to provide police & fire protection? to maintain City streets? A presentation about these and other City services and the budget outlook for next year will be given in a series of community meetings. You will have the opportunity to be heard' Each meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. April 3 - April 4 - April 10 ■ April 11 - Speas Elementary School, 2000 W. Polo Road j Albert H. Anderson Center, Winston-Salem Slate ' University, 601 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive ' Bolton Elementary School, 1250 Bolton St. I Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center, 501 Reynolds Blvt' SELECTIVE SALES & SERVICE - CALL ME, HELP ME HELP YOU! "PLEASE ASK FOR ROGER SLOAN." Winston-Salem (919)761-3770 or (704)322-5640 Snoopy Look-A^Like Contest Sponsored by McDonald's 2920 Waughtown Street 780 M.L. King Jr. Drive • 195 Akron Drive Saturday, April (Raindate Sunday, April 8) McDonald's Parking Lot Judging Begins at 3:00 p.m. Bring your dog and Join in the fun! Snoopy has a look-a-like, and your dog may be the on We know there are not too many "Snoopy Look-A-Like's" so we also will judge dS: with longest ears, most spots, and largest and smallest dogs. Prizes will also be awarded in all classes Participants should sign up between 2 and 2:45 p.m. on day of contest. RULES: • Contest open to children ages 5 through 12 years • Class division as follows: Ages 5-8 and Ages 9-12 • Dog must be on leash • Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult • No costumes on dogs, please • McDonald's assumes no liability for accident or injury to participants, spectators ore PRIZES: • All participants will receive a Be Our Guest card for a tree cheeseburger • First Place - Ribbon, Be Our Guest card for a free cheeseburger, and a special treat g \ M • Second Place - Ribbon, Be Our Guest card for a free M \m % cheeseburger Jf ■ • Third Place - Ribbon, Be Our Guest card tor a free cheeseburf iMcDonair I ■ 1
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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March 29, 1990, edition 1
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