Photos by Todd t-uck
Assistant Police Chief David Clayton addresses residents as Lt. Christ a Long looks on.
Residents seek help in
combatting crime
East/Northeast Neighborhood Association founder
Marva Re id speaks.
Shirley Spease
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Members of the East/Northeast Neighborhood
Association addressed their concerns about crime last
Thursday at the association's first meeting of the year.
Winston-Salem Assistant Police Chief David
Clayton was on hand at the meeting, held at Hooper
Funeral Home, to address residents' concerns.
The neighborhood association was founded in
2005 by Marva Reid in response to crime in the com
munity.
A current rash of home break-ins brought at l?ast
two residents to the meeting. Shirley Spease said rob
bers have twice entered her home.
"I wanted to hear more about what the police
department plans to do," Spease said about her moti
vation to attend the meeting.
Reid said crime has improved over the years, but is
still an issue.
"It comes in spurts ... I want to say it's gotten bet
ter," she said. "We get a different type of crime; some
times the reason behind it is still the same. Needless to
say, the struggle continues."
Christa Long, one of the
police lieutenants over
District 2, which includes
East Winston, listened to the
residents and jotted down
notes. She said public input
and cooperation are key to
crime prevention.
"We can't do what we do
without them, without their
input and telling us what's
going on in the community
for us to act," said Long. "It's
huge to have that relationship
with the community."
Clayton is the cpmmander of the police depart
ment's Support Services Bureau, which coordinates
with Neighborhood Watches around the city. He
offered common sense crime prevention tips and said
that "community driven" neighborhood watches can
be the "best form of crime prevention."
He used Bessie Henderson as an example.
Henderson organized a Neighborhood Watch group on
Rich Avenue. Clayton said her efforts were responsi
ble for reclaiming the area from the criminal element.
"How many people did it take to turn her commu
nity around?" said Clayton. "It starts with one."
He also pointed to Mattie Young, known as the
Mother of Cleveland Avenue Homes, whose efforts
yielded similar results.
Clayton also fielded questions about the ongoing
search for a new police chief to replace the retiring
Scott Cunningham. Clayton, a respected WSPD veter
an and former City of Winston-Salem Employee of the
Year, said he is considering applying for the position
himself.
Reid said she has concerns about the City's use of
the Internet to disseminate information about the
police chief search. She fears those in her community
who lack computers and Internet access will miss out
on opportunities to provide input. Reid said she would
like candidates for chief to appear at a future associa
tion meeting to meet face-to-face with residents.
The East/Northeast Neighborhood Association's
efforts to make its community a better place have been
many. Members advocated for the creation of
Harambee Park, a City-operated area that has become
a sort of community square. The association also
sponsors an annual National Night Out crime preven
tion event, kite days and other family-friendly events.
"(Neighborhood Associations) are the beating
heart of the community," said Reid.
Reid urged her neighbors to get behind the
Winston Lake Park Master Plan, which includes many
improvements and additions to East Winston parks.
She also encouraged them to take part in the next com
munity clean-up event on March 23. A petition against
a proposed electricity rate hike by Duke/Progress
Energy was also among the meeting's agenda items, as
was information about the law that requires pet own
ers to clean-up after their animals.
The Association meets at 6 p.m. on the last
Thursday of the month. All future meetings will be
held at 14th Street Recreation Center. For more infor
mation, call Reid at 336-997-2519.
I Burr measure calls
for March 29th
'Vietnam
Veterans Day'
Photo courtesy of Office of Sen. Burr
US. Sen. Richard Burr has more
seniority than any other member
of the Senate's Veterans' Affairs
committee.
*
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican
and the ranking member of the Senate Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, has introduced a resolution to honor vet
erans who served in Vietnam by designating March 29 as
"Vietnam Veterans Day."
March 29 marks the anniversary of the day that combat
and combat support units withdrew completely from
South Vietnam.
"Despite serv-.
ing honorably and
bravely in
Vietnam, our sol
diers arrived home
to a country in
political, turmoil
and never received
the recognition
they deserved,"
Burr said. "By set
ting March 29th
aside as a day to
remember and
thank our Vietnam
veterans, we can
show our unified
gratitude for their
service and the
sacrifices they
made on our
behalf."
Burr. a
Winston-Salem
resident and Wake Forest University alumnus, is encour
aging communities throughout the country to take meas
ures to commemorate this day by honoring Vietnam veter
ans in their area. This is the third consecutive year that
Senator Burr has introduced a resolution for the establish
ment of "Vietnam Veterans Day." His colleague Sen.
Barbara Boxer j(D-CA) co-sponsored the legislation.
The US Armed Forces began serving in an advisory
role to the South Vietnamese in 1950; in 1965, ground
combat troops were sent into Vietnam. U.S. troops were
withdrawn horn Vietnam on March 29, 1973, under the
terms of the Agreement Ending the War and Restoring
Peace in Vietnam, commonly known as the Paris Peace
Accords. More than 58,000 members of the United States
Armed Forces lost their lives and more than 300,000 were
wounded in Vietnam.
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