The Chron 17 :204JC Vol. XXXVI No. II WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, November 12, 2009 MEAC tickets now available to the public -See Hum "V Red Hat members gather in Winston -See Pane All City holds ~75~cents annual Veterans ~ PuMtSarol,na ^oom Forsyth County Public , 66&Weet Fifth Street5 ^ N, Winston-Salem, NC 27f01l> Locals do not expect a backlash Fort Hood incident has some Muslims on edge BY- TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE' ? \ While Muslims: around the nation are bracing themselves for a public backlash after last week's Fort Hood. Texas shoot ings, those who practice Islam here have faith that their neighbors won't stigmatize File Phoio Imam Khalid Griggs at the Community Mosque. them for the actions of s o m e o n e else. Mosques and Muslim organiza tions across the nation have r e c e i v e d threats since Major Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly went on a shooting spree that left 13 dead and 29 injured last w e e k Mosques in Chicago and other large cities have requested extra police patrols, and the American- Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, which con demned the shooting, suggested Muslims and those of Arab decent take special pre cautions "due to the potential backlash against these communities." Although those of Middle Eastern or Arab linage have become the most obvious targets of anti-Muslim sentiment. Imam Khalid Griggs of the Community Mosque in Winston-Salem said such backlashes usual ly target all Muslims. "The distinction is not made necessarily about who is an Arab or anything else, it's just anyone who remotely identifies as a Muslim," said Griggs, an African American whose mosque includes followers of every color. Shahid Chaudhary agrees. A native of Pakistan who has lived in the United States since 1989, Chaudhary says there was a change in how some in this country viewed Sec Muslims on A2 ' WSSL" ptuflo bv Garrett Garni*. Dr. Cornel West, the noted Princeton University professor, author and great-thinker, speaks at Winston-Salem State University last week as part of the school's three-day conference on health disparties. To read more about the conference, see page A3. Veteran employee named county's budget director BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE Ronda Taturri.who has worked for Forsyth County for 16 years, has been named director of the Budget and Management Department. Tatum was selected from a wide applicant pool to replace Joe Bartel, who retired recently, after more than three decades with the county. "We interviewed proba bly a half dozen candidates (for the position)," said County Manager Dudley Watts. " Ronda just stood out as a person who's going to succeed Joe (Bartel) very well. She had the right background, the right work ethic, and she's very dedi cated." Watts, who has been county manager for about three years, said Tatum's work ethic impressed him right away. "In my time here, Ronda's been somebody Photo by Layla Parmer Ronda Tatum has worked for the county for the past 16 years. who really reaches out to do things really ahove ana oeyonu. ne comment K * Sec Tatum on AS Candidates: Low turnout should be addressed Terry Campaign Photo Evelyn Terry, center, on the campaign trail in September. BY LAY1.A FARMER THE CHRONK I I Despite the best efforts of candidates, voter participation was dismal for the Nov. 3 munic lpui eieciiun>. Less than 10 percent of the city's more than 186,000 registered voters took the time to cast bal lots on Election Day or during early voting. This year's turnout slipped more than a per centage point since the last municipal election in 2005, when turnout was just over 1 1 percent. C off man The downhill spiral represents a trend that has been ongoing across the nation for some time, according to Rob Coffman, director of Sec Voters on A9 Photo courtes) of Vlikr Jomn Michael Jones will be sworn in this coming January. W-S native Jones wins a seat on New Haven Board He credits mom Denise Franklin for opening his eyes, ears to the world BY LAYLA FARMER (III CHRONICLE Winston-Salem native Michael Jones. 20, isn't wasting any time in making his mark on the world. Jones, a junior studying political science and urban studies at Yale University, was elected to the New Haven. Conn. Board of Aldermen on Nov. 3. Thirty aldermen sit on the hoard, which is racially diverse and typically includes Yale students. Though he ran unop posed in the General Election. Jones, a Democrat, faced fierce competition from two other Yale stu dents. Katie Harrison and Minh Tran. for the Ward I scat in the primary. "It feels really good, because it's something that I Franklin put II months into." Jones said of the victory. "...To win convincingly was just the validation that a lot of the issues that we talked . about ... were also of con 1 ccrn for the residents." Jones attended local schools, most recently Parkland IB Magnet High School. He com pleted his high school education at the Durham based North Carolina School of Math and Science, where he served ;is president 01 the Student Council. He says his Winston Salem roots remain strong; "Everything that I do iv based upon my experiences growing up in Winston Salem." Jones remarked. Jones grew up with a Sec Jones on A4) DON' I PASS I III BUCK BUY LOCAL _ ro ? BfM r ? CTN M