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75 CENTS TOP TEENS OF AMERICA PAGE A10 30 PAGES THIS WEEK AAU Wrap-ups YMCA basketball teams battle for wins in play-off and final rounds pf AAU. PAGE B1 Melodic Strings Local musician puts heart and soul in compositions on acoustic guitar. PAGE A5 Winston-Salem Chronicle THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993 "Power concedes nothing without a struggle ? Frederick Douglass VOL. XIX, No. 37 Knight: Stoner "Just Another Dead Nigger" A Detective reads accounts of grizzly, racial slaying ~ By RICHARD L WILLIAMS ~ Chronicle Managing Editor A day after Carlos Colon Stoner's castrated body was found near Washington Park, a suspect in the killing, Rickey Eugene Knight Sr., dismissed the killing by telling police that Stoner was "just another dead nig ger," a city detective said. Detective Tommy G. Young of the Winston-Salem Police Department testified in Forsyth County Superior Court that Knight made that statement during a' 32 minute interview that began at 5:35 a.m. on May 28. N*a*t*i*o*n*a*l NEWS DiacKs Killing BiacKS DURHAM - The Atlarita^based Centers for Dis mm Control have funded three piolet programs iitmi M large part it etmatoflg the epidemic or vio lent deaths among young black males. Currently, gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death among teenage males as a group. But; among black teenagers, the number of murders has shot up by nearly 250% since 1985. In 1985, 643 black males. | aged l5 to~t9,3i?d of gunshot wounds, but by last year the number stood at 1,640. The CDC pilot pro grams have begun in Durham, North Carolina, Hous ton, Texas, and NEw York City. Their approaches include parent training and developing student lead ers. The goal is to determine which apporach works best to reduce teen violence. Politics Fail to Help Poor o ? ATLANTA - A new study, "The Status of Black Atlanta", is critical of black politicians and suggests that their rise to positions of influence has done little to better the lives of poor blacks. The study was compiled by Clark University's Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy.' The center's director, Dr. Bob Holmes, said of Atlanta, "They (blacks) are in the majority in the city council and on the school board, but they need to focus on a general agenda for black people and not a personal agenda." The study focused on Atlanta because it is viewed a?a symbol of black political and economic progress. But, Dr. Holmes charged that life for low- and moderate income blacks has not improved during the 20 years of black political power. He implied that his results probably applied to most other cities where blacks have gained political power. New Hope for Black Life WASHINGTON - A new manual from a black anti-aging group suggests that average black life expectancy could surge to over 100 years, if African Americans would "adopt some simple lifestyle changes." Anti-aging researcher, James Nathan, adds: "The three keys to a long life are the strengths of your heart, lungs and mind." Nathan believes there are physical exercises, eating habits and mental techniques which can make the heart, lungs and mind produce life spans in excess of HK) years. WHERE TO FIND IT I) Business Ci.assifif.os Community Nfws Editor i a us Entp.rtainmfnt OBITl'ARIF.S Rfi.ioion Sports .....' This Week /.v Black History On May 12, 1967. H Rap Rro*n replaced Stokely Carmichael as chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committer ..H / BI2 ..A3 A 1 2 ..BK Bl I ..B<) ..Bl He stated, I don't see what the big deal is; it's just another dead nigger.'" Young said. Stoner was black; Knight and the other three men arrested in killing are white. Knight is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Stoner. who was found on a greenway off South Broad Street on May 27. He had been castrated, had a gaping hole in his chest and his penis had been cut off and stuffed in his mouth. Young read Knight's entire statement in court before the prosecution rested its case Tuesday afternoon. Dwavne Gregory Doby, 22, and James Andrew Gilbert, 24. have pleaded guilty to second-degree mur der in exchange for thetMestimohy against Knight and Mark Anthony Smith. Both have already testified against Knight. Knight said he and his friends wanted* to beat up Stoner for "talking shit." He said they lured Stoner into a pickup by saying they had some crack cocaine. "We told him that we had a rock and we wanted him to go and smoke it with us," Knight said in the statement. "We just decided that we'd take him and beat him up." After they arrived at the greenway and got out of the truck, Young testified, Knight struck Stoner in the head. "I said let me introduce you to this. Bam! Hit him in the head. He spun around and Andy (Gilbert) stabbed him in the stomach," Knight said. "I said what you do that for? We just supposed to beat him up. He said 'Let's do this mother-fucker." He fell on ground and I stabbed him three times after that." Stoner was left at the greenway, but the men returned a short time later to ensure that he was dead. When they returned. Knight said he "stabbed him in. the chest three or four times" stuck the six-inch blade Anatomy of a Black Police Officer Top Black Cop Talks. About Stoner, McKel Iaf By KARliN M. HANNON Chronicle SialT Writer Twenty-five years in law enforcement has no! made Oliver D. Reiki eallous, insensitive, cynical or hitter. . Ami that's no small wonder considering that he has seen some of his comrade in arms lose their lives ? three officers within the last 10 months; he has seen white officers accused of treating Mack citizens ' unfairly; and undoubtedly he him self has seen his share of racism while climbing through the ranks in the Winston-Salem Police Depart ment. where, as assistant chief, he is the highest ranking African Ameri can on the force. Although the city and the department have been rife with racial tensions over the past year. Redd siiiil a good police officer is able to balance being black and being a police officei. ? "A less mature officer, whether African American or not . . . (is) just out there with blinders on and wants to be a part of a group." he said. "But as the years go by and they gain experience and knowledge and understanding, they become more sensitized about all things that may be improper. After young officers gain some maturity and experience and understanding, they become behind Stoner's ear, twisted it and pulled it out. He said in the state ment that it was a trick his father had learned in Vietnam. "We made sure he was dead," - Knight said. "Dead men tell no tales." Prosecutor Vince Rabil wants to show that Carlos Stoner Please see page A9 I ssistant Police CI whole and have closure in their abil ity to deal with the public." The department was severely criticized last summer following the iej Oliver I). Redd by four white men who cut, cas trated him and stuffed his penis in his mouth. Police did not release details of the killing until the "If you go to the jail on visitor's day and look at all these people lined up with small kids trying to get in to see somebody , it really is an eye-opener, and it's sad." ? Oliver Redd deaths of Carlos Stoner and Sheila Epps McKcllar, both of whom were black. Stoner was allegedly killed Chronicle conducted an invest iga Vlease see page All Blacks' Numbers Low In Police Ranks A Many offer explanations , but no solutions on table By MARK R. MOSS Chronicle Staff Wriier While blacks comprise nearly 40 percent ot the city's population, only 18 percent of the Winston-Salem Police Department is black. Of the 419 sworn fa-w enforcement officers in the department, only 76 are African American. City officials as well as black community leaders say they are not happy with the numbers. Both say that the representation in the department should mirror the percentage of minorities in the city. "It's a number that we wish was higher," City Man ager Bill Stuart said. The reasons for the small number of African Amer icans on the force vary. Some say the negative pereep tion the black community has toward law enforcement keeps them from applying. Others cite the failure ot blacks to meet the academic requirements in the police academy, while some say the department does not ilo enough to attract African-Amcrican candidates. Stuart said the city has a goal of one-third of all protective services ? which includes the Winston Salem Fire Department and administration for both departments ? to be black. The current figure for sworn and civilian employees in the police department is 22.5 percent. ? The percentage of minorities for all protective ser vices - below the rank of sergeant for police and super visor for the fire department - was 14.5 in 1 1>S(>. That included a work force of 372 positions, said Stuart ( ur rcntly, there are 521 positions, and minority representa tion has risen to 29. 1 percent. "That's 150 more positions," said Stuart, "while we doubled the minority percentage." That doesn't satisfy everyone though. "The police department ought to Ix* more sensitive Please see page \l / Beaming With Pride , Kinfolks Log Miles for Graduation A Watt tells grads to cany the torch By M ARK R MOSS ChronUlt Staff Writer , Although Rep. Mclvin Watt was the featured speaker at Winston-Salem State University's com mencement on Saturday, he was not the reason for the healthy crowd who had gathered Saturday mornine. at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. People like Mary Greene and Willie Thompson had driven miles to see their dream come to life with the bestowing of degrees on their cherished kin. and the fact that the congressman was there was merely embroi dery on the dress it took four years to make. ? "Oh yes!" Greene responded, when asked was she excited about her granddaughter's graduation. "I'm so proud." Greene, along with her daughter and grandson, had gotten up early that morning for the tour-hour drive from Riegelwood. Decked out in their Sunday best, the three waited patiently for Vita Jacobs to march onto the floor and receive her business communications degree. "I'm excited, proud and relieved." said Willie Thompson, who came from Roseboro to see his daugh ter. Dwan Lynnette Thompson, get her nursing degree. Thompson, who. was accompanied by 12 other relatives who had come from as far away as Atlanta, said that his daughter had gotten many job offers, and he empha sized that she was going to go to work. "She's needs to work: she's been dependent for too long," he said, chuckling. When told that Watt was speaking. Thompson WSSU graduates say their good byes. shrugged and looked out towards the growing ? -.*a of mortarboards assembling in their placet below . Please see page A 9 E TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 919-722-8624
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