Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 29, 1990, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Pag0 A4 WinstonSahm Qirvnkle Thursday, March 29, 1990 Winston-Salem Chronicle Founded 1974 ERNEST H. PITT Publisher MICHAEL A. PITT Assistant to the Publisher NDUBISI EGEMONYE Co-Founder RUDY ANDERSON Managing Editor ELAINE L PITT Office Manager JULIE PERRY Advertising Manager Know where your tax dollars go, what officials do Thank you, black women In the face of sometimes overwhelming odds and at considerable cost to themselves, black women have endured and helped maintain the survival of our race. Thank you. This tribute comes for no particular reason or occurrence that sin gles out such merit, but rather for the many unsung deeds that you have done over the centuries for no other reason than to help us survive. Thank you for making the men of our race feel like they were somebody, when white society often made us feel and often told us we were nobody. You endured the rage of our men kept locked away from white eyes because they felt it was useless to fight against the oppres sor. It was you who endured the ravages of racism and sexism, you who took a stand against both evils in defense of yourself, your children and your man. It was you who sacrificed your dreams to make a home for your family, you who put off until another time that little snatch of plea sure that made life livable. You took that job men were sometimes too proud to take. You worked that second or third job while at the same time making sure your children got the attention they needed. And very often, you raised that family alone. Somehow, in spite of all the obstacles you faced, you not only sur vived, you prospered. And you passed your knowledge on so that the next generation would have it better. It is their fault some chose not to listen or to learn. And so here you are, poised to meet the formidable challenges of the next century, knowing that you will most likely have to face those challenges alone. Why? Because so many of your men are addicted to drugs or alcohol, are in jail or dying of AIDS, or have dropped out altogether and eke out an existence as street people, or are dead. Because you are aware of this grim picture of your race at risk, you have again taken it upon yourself to save those you can. It is you who are starting and maintaining neighborhood groups fighting drug traffic. You are fighting for quality education and job training programs for the young. You are fighting to keep the employment opportunities open. Thank you. So often in life we pass through having wished we had said what was on our minds but for whatever reason never getting around to it. We chose not to let another opportunity pass without saying what was on our mind. In our view, what you have done is far too important to go unrecog nized. The trouble with broccoli The trouble with broccoli is that the president of the United States does not like it. And therein lies the rub. We watched with amazement at how passionate broccoli producers became when President Bush boldly proclaimed; "I hate broccoli. Tm the president and I don't have to eat it if I don't want to." Or something to that effect. So agitated were these producers by the president's pro nouncement that they sent him a message - 10 tons of broccoli. Now take that, Mr, President! What we want to know is where was all of that passion for the nation's poor and hungry? They would not have cared whether it was broccoli or beans, as long as it was something to eat, whether they liked it or not. Yes, we understand that the White House kept a few stalks for the first lady and the rest was sent to the nearest soup kitchen. We are sure the poor in the Washington, D.C., area appreciate the benevolent ges ture of the most powerful people in the world. But let's be real. It took a presidential blast for the broccoli producers to send the food that may never have reached the poor otherwise. We wonder what might have happened had the president said, "I hate beef." We may have had cattle grazing on the White House lawn. The point here is that there is plenty to become passionate about when it comes to the poor and the hungry in this country and around the world. In our view, food producers would be better served making a point to those in need that someone cares about them rather than trying to impress the president when he yells he doesn't like the food they pro duce. To The Editor: As a concerned taxpayer (facing a 40-percent tax increase), 1 read with much interest the story of Elijah Snipes (March 20), who was lost inside the county jail for six months, I have this old-fashioned belief that a taxpayer deserves to know how his monies are being spent and how his elected officials are performing. Since the article seemed to be made up most ly of comments from the Sheriffs and District Attorney's offices, I was inclined to make some phone calls to try to find out a little more about the problems with our jail and court sys tem. I found out more than 1 wanted to know. I called about two dozen people, starting with the Sheriff and District Attorney, along with as many of the people mentioned in the article as would talk to me. From there my research included everyone from the local and federal offices of the NAACP and the ACLU, the State Attorney's office, newspaper reporters, community leaders, county commis sioners and one of the candidates for Sheriff in the next election. Here's a synopsis of my six hours on the phone. • Would Mr. Snipes' sentence have been lighter had they not "lost his paperwork"? Probably, with time served (six months), they'll be sending him back to Forsyth County within six weeks to three months. • Did we, the taxpayers, pay to keep him in our county jail for six months when he really should have been in a state facility? (This turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.) • Mr. Snipes' probation was revoked for not paying restitution (on a rental washer and dryer). What are his chances of paying restitution from a state prison? What are the odds of this young man coming back a bitter and vengeful professionally trained criminal? Will he extract his restitution from us? Does he realize he's being "rehabilitated"? We can't keep him in jail forever - we can’t afford it. Poor and undereducated people seldom stray far from their home, so this is definitely a problem the com munity must deal with sooner or later. And don't kid yourself - it's not an issue of black and white. It's an issue of rich and poor, educated and undere ducated. If you don't agree, read on. The county jail is in danger of being sued over inhumane conditions and overcrowding always. If a suit is won. the money would come from the taxpayers' pockets - not from the elected officials who have helped to create the situation. We have a right to know why this situation persists. The Sheriff said that 80 to 90 of the 450 inmates will be processed this week, due to a new indigence screen ing program. Any prisoners left over 268 constitutes grounds for a lawsuit. If the court system is so clogged, how can we process nearly one-fourth of the jail population in one week? Why wasn't this done sooner? Is the jail being kept overcrowded intentionally to keep up pressure for a new facility? Are our elected officials playing hard and fast with the taxpayers' money, and at the same time, treating our tried and untried prisoners like sacks of garbage to be thrown on the floor, in hopes of a new landfill soon? Yes, these are serious questions, so 1 continued my phone campaign for opinions and answers. I HAP THIS GREAT PREAM ^5T NIGHT...! preamt THAT S0/V1E60D| SAT POWN ANP TALKEPTT? ME AMP ASKEP ME A!! THESE SW£tI Qoesr/oMs ukethevact!Jall^ CAREP ABOUT HOW) I FEUT ANp wHAcrr-mouGHT/ 9'know,„ FUNMV.I have a PREAM mkethateverviovears How can we process 90 prisoners in one week? First, plea bargains. After sleeping on the floor for 90 days, a man will start to compromise. Sec ond, cases that "can't or shouldn't" be tried. People told me that a public defender and a judge seldom dismiss cases because of lack of evidence. Instead, their cases are continued until the defendant breaks or new evidence is found. No strong evidence is neces sary to get a guilty plea - just weeks (sometimes months) of intimidation and hopelessness. Another common opinion was that bails are set entirely too high and a person's ability to pay is not consid ered. This is not a question of guilt or innocence. At a bond hearing you haven't been convicted yet. Remem ber, the next victim could be your grandson or a valued employee, in jail for 90 days without a trial or a phone call. It happens. In this same article a man, after 90 days of incarceration without a hear ing, had his bail reduced from $22,000 to $500. One of these figures is wrong, and my guess is the first one. When oversights like this occur, the as yet unconvicted person loses his job ... goes farther into debt... his family suf fers ... he suffers. And all the while we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill for this untried/unconvicted man's room and board, lost productivity, and sometimes we support his family through food stamps and welfare. If you don't mind paying the taxes neces sary to handle the problem this way, you aren't seeing the "big picture." If we can alleviate the problem of overcrowding by setting more reason able bails, is the excessive population intentional? Are these 80 to 90 prison ers who are being released this week people who shouldn't have been incar cerated (for so long), or are they crimi nals who shouldn't be released (so soon)? I've supported the proposed new jail facility, but those running the pre sent system will have to account for these problems first. If we keep our local prisoners near home and don't cut off communication with the world for 90 to 180 days at a time, we'd have a better chance of reducing the number of repeat offenders. Elijah Snipes could be living in jail but on work release to help pay restitution. He could be keeping touch with the few people who care about him, instead of getting a state-paid training program on how to steal more and get caught less. These are questions we must answer, problems we must face, now or later. Write a letter, make a phone call. It's your right to know how your CHRONICLE MAILBAG Our Readers Speak Out money is being used or misused, as the case may be. Remember, elected offi cials work for you, and are paid by you, and come November, can be fired by you. Mark G. Eyre Winston-Salem Day care availability To The Editor: Parents are having a very difficult time finding safe, healthy and reliable day care, especially in a residential setting. The city of Winston-Salem should be helping, but is instead dis couraging growth and is rumored to be planning a crackdown in June on all residential day care operators. I cannot comprehend what purpose the city must have in mind for standing in the way of this much-needed and sought- after service. Almost two years ago, the North Carolina Day Care Commission pub lished regulations to encourage "small home" day care facilities (five to eight children) to grow to "large homes" (12 to 15 children) in a private residence. Such growth would have almost no additional impact on the neighbor hood, but could place two to three times the children in the care of two or more adults who could each take over if one were to be injured. A good idea - but the city of Win ston-Salem has never approved even one such permit. (Such facilities do operate here, but they do so illegally.) The Planning Board fears the impact on residential neighborhoods (the only zoning in which large homes are permitted), but has never seen a large home. Despite urging, they have refused to visit one to see at first hand its minimal impact on the neighbor hood. Some members privately con fide that they wouldn't want one in their neighborhood, certain that it would look like a commercial day care center. The Planning Board staff provides the technical reasons for their growth inhibiting rulings. Their staff has maintained that a large home must meet parking requirements for a "Day Care Center," despite wording to the contrary in our Zoning Ordinance, internal disagreement among the staff itself, and non-concurrence by Traffic Engineering. They say they feel that a large home in a private residence needs a commercial-style parking lot with Entrance and Exit signs to protect the children and prevent a traffic haz ard. According to the City Attorney's office, they have the power to ini such prejudices in any way; believe is "reasonable." If a large home operator didi this requirement for a Conditiom! Permit, they would very like!] refused a Special Use Permit,j they would almost surely violait requirement to "... be in harmom the area." Since both permit required, the Planning Board isii prevent a large home from everi ing in our city. The parents of our city havj right to choose between residentiti institutional day care for their cliilj We believe that the growth of it| tional day care is assured by the| motive. Residential day care, i; other hand, needs the cooperation encouragement of state and local emment to survive. Parents who value the opiii residential day care should call!! Martha Wood's office at 727-20Jj express those views, before resi day care is crushed completeijj biased bureaucracy. She's listened to us - she'lij to you. Robert AJ Dorinda LJ Winstoa-Si Right on! To The Editor: What an excellent editon today's (March 22) Chronicle bj sevelt Wilson! The language and filth inii music and television are certainl; tributing to rape and de humanity in every way - whites, male, female, youit maybe older folks. Thanks. Richards Winston-i Alumni beware To The Editor: When will we learn that it is important to save our learning i: tions than our immediate mfi livelihood? We have allowt demented children - albino A1 or light-skinned Africans - to i our libraries and institutions of ing at least five times: 1. Gr« Egypt, 2. Greeks in Persia, 3,i tians (Holy Roman Empire) ini 4. Europeans in Timbuktu, 5, peans in Mexico (Mayans). R the eve of the 21st century vi Please see page AS Lenten season is time to remember injustice, vow to work for justic During this season of Lent and Holy Week, churches the world over are commemorating the unjust, cruel and senseless murder and martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth. It recalls with pain and anguish again how the chief priests, the judges, the Sanhedrin Court, the bribed false wimesses, the Roman police and death squads con spired together to kill an innocent man. To this end, no plotting in dark or smoke-filled conference rooms, no repression, no political maneuvering, no lying, no bribery was too debased to employ against Jesus. They were dedicated with heart and soul to the success of their political murder of Jesus of Nazareth. Their aim was for Jesus to die the most ignominious of deaths so they themselves could come out looking good - but not necessarily right. They did all of this in the name of justice but their justice turned out to be the agent of death. Even through Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of all charges, he did not matter because he was just another poor, wretched Jew who happened to fall into disfavor with the local authorities. Why should Pilate risk his political career to save a nobody like Jesus? So, he delivered Jesus to be killed and washed his hands, Pilate could wash the blood stains from his hands, but not from his Tisdale, and a few vindictive police officers are more desperate and dedi cated to the success of their legal lynching of Darryl Hunt. No repres- GUEST EDITORIAL By THE REV. JOHN MENDEZ conscience and soul. In Winston-Salem, as we observe these Lenten services, and we sing that old Negro spiritual, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" we must answer yes, we were there, because we see Jesus of Nazareth being conspired against and crucified over again in the unjust treatment of Darryl Hunt. Did not Jesus say, "What you have done to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me"? Just as Jesus' life did not matter to Pontius Pilate, the Sanhedrin Court or the Roman police, Darryl Hunt's life does not matter either. Now Warren Sparrow, Donald sion, no political maneuvering, no lying, no harassing of wimesses and no bribery is too vile in order to get a conviction to make themselves look good even if they are not right. Issues of justice and truth are no longer objectives in this case; the issue is convicting Darryl. Already we have observed with moral outrage some political maneu vering by the state and police to get a guilty verdict. The trial has been moved from Winston-Salem to Hicko ry, where the state feels confident they will get an all-white jury whose men tality is already conditioned for a legal lynching. The judge will be the same judge Rousseau who presided over the Sammy Mitchell trial and who follow ing a mistrial gave Mitchell 50 years for the murder of Arthur Wilson. Since when docs a judge award that much time for black-on-black crime? Yet he is the judge in the Hunt trial. Certain police officers like Hicks and Weaver who should be out trying to solve the dozens of unsolved mur ders of blacks in this city are instead mysteriously showing up in court for bond hearings and change of venue hearings with respect to Darryl, unnecessarily. They have also been accused of harassing certain wimesses for the defense, while slate witnesses who have committed crimes since Darryl's conviction have had charges dropped by the District Attorney's office. No doubt there are a minority of police officers who feel they must do these unlawful acts to vindicate former detective Dalton who was demoted for his mishandling of the Deborah Sykes case. However, the bottom line, we believe, behind this whole scenario is Donald Tisdale's hatred and personal vendetta not for Darryl Hunt but Sammy Mitchell whose case he lost back in 1974. If it meant killing Dar ryl to gel to Sammy, so be it. If Darryl would have cooperated with the state in falsely testifying against Sammy, Darryl would be free today. These are desperate and dangerous men who will go to any extent to bend the law to serve immoral ends. If truth was really on their side, they would not have to be so manipulative. Yet in the face of these vicious attacks and maneuverings by the state, Darryl, like Jesus, has remained silent, unprovoked and undisturbed, because somehow he knows that "truth crushed to earth will rise again." His silence has unmasked the treachery and the hypocrisy of the state. It's no longer Darryl or Sammy who is on trial, but Sparrow, Tisdale, the police and the state. For they may run Win-^ ston's judicial system. But there is a higher court of moral law to which we have appealed with the righteous God presiding who says, "No lie can live forever." Darryl may appear to be weak and defenseless against such overwhelm ing evil odds, but there is a moral power in the universe that says arch of the universe is widt tends towards justice." DarryU have the money to invest in the way the state does, bull struggle for justice he has thef truth and justice on his side. Hi faith in a God that says, "Gooil' may reign for a day, but it ni mately give way to the triu* Easter morning." Darryl andS and thousands of others wlii been victimized by this vicious; are not alone, because the G* sets the oppressed free will t* cosmic companion. The same God who susi Nelson Mandela for 27 yu* made a presidential palace' prison will sustain Darryl and The same God who enabled C* bend England to his will wiU^ with Darryl. The same Gi' empowered Martin Luther® with moral authority will al® Darryl's cause just. The sa» who gave prophetic visions H ham Heschel, Fannie Lou ft Please see page AS
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 29, 1990, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75