ON THE
AVANT GARDE
BY TANG NIVRI
All This Fuss Over Muffins?
I've .heard of people shooting themselves in the foot, but here
lately, it seems we've been aiming just a little bit higher. Thinking
about moving to Winston-Salem? Boo! I'd turn back if I were you ?
now before it's too late.
Apparently, the quality of life index for Winston-Salem has
reached an all-time high ? so much so that we are now starting to
tell folks that we don't need them.Take a number. Don't call us, we'll
call you.
Welcome to Winston-Salem, where local business and civic
leaders have apparently teamed up to recruit too much new industry,
too many new businesses, resulting in too many new jobs. Welcome
to the truly all-American city where unemployment no longer exists.
W^ere taxes are going down and services going up. Where the threat
of layoffs and retrenchment has all but disappeared. "Where every
day is Sunday and the Sabbath day has no end"
Welcome to a place where every person in the country finally
has a job commensurate with his or her ability! A place where black
folks make enough money to support their families, to send their
children to college, to give to their favorite charities, and even to pay
tithes to their churches, parishes and mosques.
Yes, life here in the Twin City has become so attractive that
some of our local citizens have even proposed that city officials
remove all signage from Highway 52 and Interstate 40. That we set
up road blocks on all roads and highways leading into the country,
making sure that only those folks who have the proper Forsyth
County I,D. will enter these hallowed grounds. Otherwise, 'Keep on
moving stranger." .
Welcome to this truly ail-American city , where instead of the
police having to fight crime, they spend their time hiding out in
bushes, jumping out at would-be visitors to holler, "Boo, I'd turn
back if I were yoir!"
Why All the Fuss!
For a minute, I thought somebody has found a way to stop
young black males from slaughtering each1 other! That after twelve
years of Reagan-Bush policies, the tide had finally turned and now
there were more black males going to college than to jail. That wasn't
it.
I wondered if a noted researcher at one of our local universities
had found a solution to the growing crisis of infant mortality facing
black teen-age mothers living in Forsyth County ? that the gap
between black and white babies had closed instead of having
widened, as it has every year since the early 1980s.
Maybe someone had discovered a cure for heart disease, high
blood pressure, strokes and cancer, an indication that longevity for
black folks would start to approach that of the white folks. But then I
read of recent research that found that black elderly were 4.5 times as
likely to be poor than the white elderly ? that the gap was signifi
cantly worse than previously believed! Well, that wasn't it either. It
wasn't health. '
Perhaps it has something to do with education, that the children
in our local schools are performing so well in mathematics that the
state of North Carolina's proposed requirements for competency in
algebra would present no problem at all. That the scourge of drugs
and violence in the public schools had all but disappeared, and that
young people had ceased bringing guns and knives to school, and
that some of them were now ready to read the books, instead of eat
ing the books. This had to be it. But no, that wasn't it either.
It Was the Muffins!
Imagine my surprise, my chagrin, when I discovered that all the
fuss and furor was about muffins, cornbread muffins ? plain old
muffins. Yes, I kid you not.
Apparently, we have gotten so now that we can't just run our
own business; we have got to run other folks' business, too.
No, it is not enough for us to worry about our weight; we have
got to wony about other folks' weight, too. We can't just watch what
we eat; we've got to watch what you eat, too. If I'm miserable, you've
got to be miserable, too. If I can't eat what i want, I'll be doggone if
you are going to have the pleasure of eating what you want.
But not only do we want to tell other folks what to eat and where
to eat; we want to tell them who to eat with and what to say when
they get through eating! Lord, have mercy. Get a life!
It is no secret that Oprah loves this community and the people
who live here. Many a weekend she sneaks out of her Chicago studio
just so she can find the comfort and solitude of being around and in
presence of regular people ? both black and white.
She especially enjoys attending her local church, where instead
of being greeted as a celebrity or someone" whose gown^peopTe
would like to touch, she is greeted with a simple "Hello, Oprah.
Good to see you. Hope you are well."
We often forget that Oprah, and people like her, are very much
just like the rest of us. That she sometimes needs to walk up to the
podium when the preacher calls for prayer ? coming not to be seen
but to join in the fellowship of worship.
I, along with thousands of others, am glad that Oprah loves this
community. There is good reason to love us. We are wonderful ?
not without faults ? but wonderful indeed.
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Mail to: Winston-Salem Chronicle
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Winston-Salem,
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Hinsfon Salem Chronicle
Community
Police Use Mace to Make Arrests in Kimberly Park
By MARK R. MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
Family members of the two
people who were arrested over the
weekend in a confrontation with
-- Winston-Salem police claim that the
officers used excessive force and
were, in fact, the cause of the melee.
"The cops didn't have no legiti
mate reason to do what they did,"
said Joseph Tart, whose nephew
Marvin Tart, was arrested. "When
they come in the neighborhood with
this negative attitude, they cause
things to happen."
By the time the disturbance
ended. Tart, 19, of 1441 Douglas St.,
and his sister, Marvella, 17, of the
same address, had been arrested, and
a number of people were reeling
from the affects of chemical mace.
Police Lt. P.R. Rumple said
police were called to 1615 Deny St.
around 1 1 p.m. Saturday^ to check
out a report of someone who had
been cut. Officers arrived on the
scene, which is in the Kimberly
Park public housing complex, to
find about 1 50-200 people surround
ing Marvin Tart, Rumple said. Tart
was bleeding badly from his leg and
the crowd was trying to keep him
from moving around. Rumple said.
Joseph Tart, who conceded that
his nephew was high from mari
juana, and crack said police overre
acted.
Rumple said that while the offi
cers were on the scene they asked
Tart if he needed medical assistance.
Tart started cursing the officers and
eventually he allegedly struck one of
them. Rumple said. When the offi
cers attempted to arrest Tart, the
crowd pulled the man away from the
officers and tried to carry him off.
"Apparently the crowd was car
rying on." Rumple said. By this
time, the crowd, along with Tart and
the officers, had drifted to the 1700
block of North Trade Street, Rumple
said.
The officers called for assis
tance - eight officers eventually
arrived - and used the mace. They
removed Tart from the scene and
took him to the hospital where he
was treated for the cut and released,
Rumple said.
During the confrontation with
the police. Marvella Tart allegedly
struck one of the officers. She was
arrested and charged with assaulting
a government official and released
after posting bail.
She said her brother was
involved in a fight about an hour
before the police arrived. The cut
was the result of an incident that
happened before Saturday, and the
stitches broke when her brother
tripped.
She said the crowd was trying
to help her brother when the police
arrived. When the police told the
crowd to disperse, Marvella said she
told them, "I ain't leaving my
brother until the ambulance come."
When the police started spray
ing mace, it caused one of her
cousins to have an asthmatic attack.
Another cousin who got maced was
pregnan^she said.
"The only force that was used
was chemical mace," said Rumple.
"When you got that much of a
crowd, always warn that we're
going to use the mace before we use
it-"
Marvin Tart was in the Forsyth
County jail Monday night with no
bond allowed. He was charged with
assault on a government official and
violating his parole.
"If something isn't done about
the attitude of these cops. . said
Joseph Tart.
Fifth-grade student Phillip Sim
mons shows off the science pro
ject his Pine Hall Elementary
School (Stokes County) class cre
ated to (I. to r.): Larry Coble ,
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
School superintendent; Judy
Mountjoy, past president of the
N.C. PTA; Nancy Crouch , direc
tor of the Western Triad Regional
Partnership of the N.C. Science
and Mathematics Alliance; and
R.J. Reynolds Susan McKarns,
who helped stage the science fair
event at the Bowman Gray Tech
nical Center on April 27.
Women's Conference to be Held
_ -w_^' ?? *,% ' r.
TTic Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Council on the Status of v
Women will hold its Worn
ens work Conference, .a leadership
- conference designed for today's
working woman, May 20-21 at
the Hawthorne Inn (former Hilton
Inn), located on the corner of
High Street and Brookstown '
Avenue. The theme is "Empower
ing Yourself for the 21st Cen
tury ."A champagne sip and silent
auction will kick off the confer- ' , . . _ _ f
ence on May 20 from 7-9 p.m. at Kaycee Hale
the Diggs Gallery on the campus speakers include Charlotte Wed
of WSSU. The morning speaker die, Anne Mackie, Claudia
on May 21 will be Kaycee Hale, a Thomas, Delores "Dee" Smith,
widely acclaimed motivational Beverly Wilson, Joanna Fireman,
speaker. As America's first major Gail Crowe, Phyllis D'Agostino,
black fashion model, Hale will Cynthia Napolean-Hanger, Pene
speak on the "Challenges of the lope Kilpatrick, Florence Corpen
Nineties Women." Hale is the ing, Lisa Aired, Mutter Evans,
executive director of the Resource Mary Ward and Donna Burke. To
Institute of Design and Merchan- call the Council on the Status of
dising in Los Angeles. Other Women at 727-8409.
Mental Health Agencies Sponsor
Screening of New Video Tapes
In observance of Mental Health
Month in May, New Directions
Treatment Center and the Mental
Health Association in Forsyth
County will co-sponsor the screen
ing of two new video tapes, part of
the American Psychiatric Associa
tion's "Let's Talk" series, from 7
8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the
Forsyth County Public Library, 660
W. Fifth St. "Faces of Anxiety" will
be shown on May 19. "Depression:
The Storm Within" will be featured
on May 26.
A. Richard Cook, a psycholo
gist with New Directions Treatment
Center and vice president for Pro
grams of the Mental Health Associ
ation's Board of Directors, and Pat
Weaver, certified biofeedback ther
apist. will moderate a discussion
following the screening.
The screening is open to the
public and free:
Do-it-yourself Workshop Offered
Learn how to save money by
attending the do-it-yourself Housing
Repair School May the
Forsyth County Agriculture Build
ing from 7-9 p.m. The agenda will
include learning how to fix a faucet,
repair a basic drain, fasten things to
a wall or ceiling, dry a crawl space
or basement, repair toilet fixtures,
repair drywalls and ceilings, locks
and doors.
The school is sponsored by the
Cooperative Extension Scrviic rmtt
the Remocielers Council of Home
Builders Association of Winston
Salem Register by calling the
Cooperative Extension Service
Briin ,i)i. r sp< ?u- ur v*tub
members.
SECCA's Artspedition IV to Be Held
The Southeastern Center for
Contemporary Art (SECCA) will
host Artspedition IV, an event fea
turing live entertainment from a
local band, The Groovy Cools, this
Saturday from 8 p.m. until midnight
in its Main Gallery, located at 750
Marguerite Drive. Proceeds will
fund OPTIONS II, a project
designed by SECCA's Education
Department for the Happy Hills
community.
Artspedition IV will feature
door prizes, refreshments, hors
d'oeuvres and live entertainment.
Tickets are $15 in advance and
$20 at the door.- Artspedition IV is
the fourth annual ACCES benefit
event iir support of the SECCA
Education Program. ACCES is a
volunteer group for SECCA. For
information call 725-1904.
American Red Cross Offers
Babysitting Course
The Northwest North Carolina
Chapter of the American Red Cross
will conduct two separate babysit
ting courses, each from 9 a.m. to 12
p.m. on May 22 and June 5 at the
NWNC Chapter House, 690 Coli
seum Drive.
The course costs 5 Upper per
son and is open to anyone .1 1 years
of age or older. The course is
designed to educate participants on
supervising children safely, han
dling emergencies, feeding, bathing
and how to diaper infants. Partici
pants are asked to bring a doll or a
teddy bear to the class.
Participants must pre-register
for the classl To register call 724
0511 and ask for the Office of
Health Services.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Do you have HIGH BLOOD PRE
SSORS? Research participants
21 OR OLMR needed in a study
for an investigational medication
for high blood pressure.
FREE MEDICATION, EXAMS,
AND LABORATORY testing to
those who qualify.
DIABETIC STUDY
We need non-insulin dependent diabetics.
You will receive treatment of oral diabetic
mediction. UP TO $320.00 PAID to those
who qualify. FREE MEDICATION, EXAMS,
AND LABORATORY TESTING to those who
qualify.