Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 18, 2014, edition 1 / Page 8
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Photo by Kevin Walker (From left) City Council Member Jeff Macintosh with Human Relations Director Wanda Allen-Abraha, Sheriff Bill Schatzman, Chief Barry Rountree, Human Relations Commissioner Chanthini Palmer, Assistant City Attorney Lori Sykes, DA James O'Neill, City Manager Lee Garrity and Human Relations Commissioner Michael Clinton. Trust from page Al things residents can do to help their interactions with officers go smoothly. Comply with officers' requests, he said, and if residents feel they were treated unfair ly. they can take > up the issue later with the officer's supervisor or file a complaint. "Arguing on the side of the road is not the place," he said. Schatzman said he relayed the simple advice his father gave him about dealing with law enforcement officers to his own kids - say "Yes, sir; No, sir: Thank you, sir." He said officers should show similar deference to citizens. "In a perfect world, that is what we should expect and have," he said. Both Schatzman and Rountree said their depart ments are always looking to build trust in the commu nity. Both police and the Sheriff's Office offer citi zens' academy to give regular folks a glimpse into the agencies. If city voters approve an upcoming bond ref erendum, Rountree will open community-based sub stations, one in each of the city's three patrol districts. He said having officers who patrol the districts actual ly working out of a station in the area will lead to bet ter service. Making the police department representative of the community it serves is also a way to build trust, Rountree said, but he conceded that his department has some work to do in that area. The department is 79 percent white; that is about 30 percent higher than the Winston-Salem's overall white population (51 per cent). "We are constantly working on that," he said. O'Neill said 32 percent of his prosecutors are minorities. According to figures provided by Schatzman, 88 percent of his sworn deputies are white. The racial makeup (64 percent white/ 56 minor ity) of the employees of the Forsyth County Detention Center, which is run by the Sheriff's Office, is more in line with the county's racial makeup. Lori Sykes, the City's public safety attorney, and Human Relations Commissioner Chanthini Palmer were also panelists. Human Relations Director Wanda Allen-Abraha said the discussion will be posted in its enterity on the WSTV page at www.cityofws.org. Harris-Perry from page A1 "Mental health is a requirement of democra cy," Harris-Perry said. "Health is not solely, or even primarily, located in the body of the patient. Health is best found in the body of politic. When people are sick, the first place we should look for a diagnosis and treatment is in their nation. A sick peo ple is a symptom, not a cause, of a sick democra cy" Citing the Declaration of Independence and other writings of Thomas Jefferson, Harris-Perry intimated that the govern ment has a commitment to see to the mental wellbe ing of its citizens. "Governments are not just there to protect us; they are not just there for the purposes of protecting our property and manag ing a fair (distribution) of resources. Governments are there to allow for human flourishing, which is an inalienable right given to the people by their creator," she said. She talked about recent statistics that show that blacks' mental health is better or even with that of whites. Harris-Perry views the research with incredulity. She says blacks' mental trauma has been internalized. "How could it be that a group who has such high rates of poverty, such high tates of unemployment, are victimized by so much crime, go to sub par schools and who have such poor (physical) health, all things we know are related to mental health, but when you measure us with the meas uring tools of science, (we) end up showing up as though we may be sick but we are not crazy." she said. "There's a cumula tive biological burden exacted on black bodies as a result of inequality. The reason we don't appear to be crazy is because our crazy is our sickness. Active coping styles con nected with low-resources actually create visible, clear, enduring, negative psychological effects. When you tell people with few resources to work harder, you are killing them." Harris-Perry said injustice and bias are directly linked to one's mental health, and that the effects of discrimination take their toll. "Inequality exacts a price on our hearts, minds and souls. For some of us the price is exacted in ways that can be moderat ed and mediated, and peo ple can find a way to cope," she said. "In the end. the real work of men tal health care provisions cannot be about coping. It must be about change." Harris-Perry was 16 when she entered Wake Forest as a freshman. She earned BA in English and went on to earn a P.h.D. in political science from Duke. She has served on the faculties at the University of Chicago. Princeton University and, most recently, Tulane. At WFU, she is the endowed Presidential Chair and teaches in the Politics and International Affairs Department. Her epony mous MSNBC show airs each weekend, and Harris Perry commutes back and forth to New York City to tape it. Andy Hagler, the exec utive director of the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County, is pleased to have such a high-profile ally in Harris Perry. He said mental health certainly needs the spotlight. "Mental illness is a silent illness because of the stigma that is often associated with disorders such as depression, bipo lar disorder, anxiety, post traumatic stress, schizo phrenia and eating disor ders," he said. "Mental ill ness also knows no racial, gender or social-economic boundaries ... We want the community at large to realize that mental illness is real, common and treat able." Blake Harrison, a fel low at Wake Forest, said Harris-Perry was spot-on when she described how some try to downplay mental illness. "A lot of times people say 'you need to work harder' or 'you need to let it go and move on.' It is really an issue in society that we need to fix so that people don't have to feel oppressed all the time," he said. Sherea Delsol liked what she heard and praised Harris-Perry for making her think. "You think of mental health separate from race and not something that works together," Delsol said. "Bringing that view for me was really enlight ening. Bringing the histor ical and political aspect into it was very interesting because you don't think about the body of politic when you think of mental health." rnoios oy *. nanei Davis Harris-Perry speaks. ? 1 Blake Harrison Sherea Delsol NCCU's Moton to sign books SIM CtAl roi III CHKONia E N.C. Central University Head Coach LeVelle Moton will sign his book "The Worst Times Are The Best Times" at at Special Occasions Bookstore, located at 1321 Lawrence St. on Sunday, Sept. 24 from 5 -7 p.m. The event is open to the public and books will be available for purchase. Co-authored by journalist Edward G. Robinson III, the book highlights Moton's per sonal experiences of overcoming the challenges of boyhood in low income neighborhoods of Boston and Raleigh and encourages those in similar situations to work hard and dream big. Each chapter of the book includes Inside the Locker Room and Chalkboard sections sharing lessons learned and empow ering information the reader can apply to his or her own life. It was purposefully designed to be moving for adults, poignant for youth and informative for basket ball fans, all while still being relevant and engaging for anyone facing an obstacle. As part of an ongoing commitment to give back to the community, a portion of every book sale will be used to purchase books to be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America - an organization that played a vital role in Moton's upbringing. Moton and Robinson hope to pro vide complimentary books to every teen Boys & Girl's Club member across the country. The book signing is part of a tour being hosted by the NCCU Alumni Association this fall with events in Durham, Rocky Mount, Greensboro, Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York City. Molon Kay stands up for middle class families. Kay Hagan puts North Carolina first. r ?? < Kay Hagan works for North Carolina: ? Fighting to create jobs and build an economy that works for everyone ? Improving education and investing in HBCUs ? Defending everyone's right to vote ? Protecting Social Security and Medicare ? Working to make health care more accessible ? Fighting for equal pay for equal work for women ? Pushing to raise the federal minimum wage Early Voting starts October 23rd. Election Day is November 4th. I KAYHAGAN ^j^FOR U.S. SENATE www.kayhagan.com Paid for by Hagan for U.S. Senate, Inc. Jessie Draft & Associates LLC Jessie Draft/Broker CRS, GRI, REALTOR RNJDRAFT@MSN.COM 3750 Beeson Dairy Rd Winston-Salem, NC 27105 (336) 403-1254 Business (336) 217-8200 Fax REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT TWO GREAT AUCTIONS September 20th # 10:00 AM 82 Acres with pond 8t timber in Bluefield WV September 27th # 1:00 PM 301 Acres divided in 8 Tracts in Grayson Co. VA Visit www.graysonretreat.com for more details Sate being conducted by Riverside Realty ?. Auction Inc. VAAFi (IS WVR1M0 S4t I Riverside Drive Suite A North Tazewell VA 24630 844-276-SOtD VA Brolier Marcus Gilbert WV Broker Allen Nee! SFfiSr Riverside Realty A Auction Inc
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