OPINION
The Chronicle i
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Ernest H. Pitt
Donna Rogers
Elaine Pitt
Publisher/Co-Founder
Managing Editor
Business Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth
County by giving voice to the voiceless, speak
ing truth to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
W-S NAACP
needs super
turnaround
The North Carolina conference of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People
held its Women in NAACP Brunch/Gala and its 60th
Woman-Mother of the Year Coronation in Winston
Salem on Saturday, May 30. Members from across
the state were at United Metropolitan Missionary
Baptist Church, where the event took place.
Someone who was not on the program was there,
too. The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber n, president of
the N.C. NAACP, was there, his first public NAACP
appearance after ending his sabbatical in Harlem.
Barber made the usual greetings and introduc
tions, then asked for the presidents of the local
branches to stand. No one from Winston-Salem
stood.
Where was the Winston-Salem NAACP presi
dent?
The Winston-Salem Branch of the NAACP is in
disarray. On Tuesday, May 26, members of the
organization voted for the third time for their 2015
officers. The first and final election was supposed to
have taken place on Nov. 19. However, questions
about the election process clouded the first and sec
ond attempts to elect officers.
Now,-Isaac "Ike" Howard has been elected presi
dent. However, he has no first vice president, secre
tary or assistant secretary to help him because no one
was elected to those positions. It's unclear how he
will fill those positions.
Howard, who says he was unaware of the N.C.
Women in NAACP event, says he and the newly
elected executive committee will be at their first
meeting as new elected officials on June 9. They
have a lot of catching up to do.
Barber announced on May 30 that the NAACP
led Forward Together and Moral Monday Movement
will hold workshops, a walk and rally for voting
rights and justice on July 13 in Winston-Salem. That
is when a federal judge will hear NC NAACP v.
McCrory, the lawsuit "against the law designed to
disenfranchise African- American and other anti
racism voters."
Where was the Winston-Salem Branch of the
NAACP when that announcement was made? Where
will the organization be in just over a month when
the big day comes? Will the branch allow others in
the state to outshine it on this historic day?
Howard has yet to answer that question.
However, one thing is sure: History will be made on
July 13. The question is, will the Wiriston-Salem
Branch of the NAACP be a part of it?
Photo by Donna Rogers
Daphne Holmes-Johnson is the outgoing treasurer
of the Winston-Salem Branch of the NAACP. She
was at the Women in NAACP event as part of the
N.C. NAACP. She said she would help the local
chapter as much as she could.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
House, Senate
leaders seek to void
private property veto
To the Editor:
North Carolina House and Senate
leaders responded Friday, May 29, to
Gov. Pat McCrory's veto of HB-405:
Property Protection Act.
"I am extremely disappointed in
Gov. McCrory's
decision to veto
a bill that
defends private
property rights
and puts teeth
into our trespass
laws - and one
that received
broad, bipartisan
support in both
the House and
Jackson
Senate. I plan to
do all I can to encourage my legisla
tive colleagues to override the veto
and ensure this important bill is
enacted into law."
Senate Appropriations/Base
Budget Committee co-chairman
Brent Jackson
(R-Sampson), who guided the
bill through the Senate
Raleigh
Property protection is a serious
issue that faces North Carolina com
panies of all
sizes, every sin
gle day. It can
take many dif
ferent forms:
patient records,
financial infor
mation, con
sumer data,
merchandise
and intellectual
property; and
currently, weak
Szoka
laws in our State put businesses and
the privacy of their customers at seri
ous risk. The Property Protection Act,
a result of careful bi-partisan negotia
tions, balances the rights of business
owners with the rights of their
employees to strengthen North
Carolina trespass laws. The bill pro
tects property owners against those
who gain access to non-public areas
of the owner's property and then
engage in activities that go beyond
the permission given by the owner.
The bill is narrowly focused on illegal
activities not on infringing on the lib
erties of whistleblowers or press. I
encourage my colleagues in the
House to override this veto, because
North Carolina businesses cannot
afford another day without protection.
Rep. John Szoka (R
Cumberland), primary bill sponsor
Raleigh
Bipartisan effort
will help protect
law enforcement
The lawmakers below successful
ly presented a budget appropriation
amendment on Thursday, May 28,
that provides grant funding in the
amount of $5 million for body-worn
video cameras for law enforcement
agencies.
To The Editor:
This bipartisan effort will inspire
confidence in our communities and
in our officers to work cooperatively
in promoting safe and thriving living
environments.
Our law enforcement officers
rightfully ask us to trust them as the
experts on community protection and
internal policy
associated with
the function.
We filed the
original bill and
this amendment
understanding
that the legiti
macy of the
necessary and
needed interac
tion between
the general pub
Hants
lie and officers must be protected
from attack. Advances in technology
allow us to monitor and learn from
these interactions in previously
unimaginable ways.
Police departments across the
State have implemented body camera
pilot programs in response to
requests for more transparency. The
results speak for themselves. Officers
feel validated in their excellent train
ing and community policing prac
tices. As a result complaints against
officers have been dramatically
reduced as are potential hostile inter
actions and costly/divisive litiga
tion*"
N.C. Rep. Edward Hanes Jr.
(D - Forsyth)
We're excited for our law
enforcement agencies and our broad
er civilian communities. We've had
some truly horrific incidents over the
last few years that have left our
nation looking for answers. This
was an opportunity to protect law
enforcement and community rela
tionships and we took that opportu
nity.
Rep. Charles Jeter
(R-Mecklenburg)
Applause,
chastisement
over veto
In response to Gov. Pat
McCrory's decision veto Senate Bill
2 on Thursday, NC NAAP president
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II has
issued the following statement:
To the Editor:
The NC NAACP and Forward
Together Moral Movement applaud
Gov. McCrory's decision to veto
Senate Bill 2, a bill that would allow
North Carolinians to practice dis
crimination in the public sphere
based on privately held religious
beliefs.
There has been speculation
around two primary factors in the
governor's decision to veto SB 2: one
constitutional and the other econom
ic. While we support Gov. McCrory's
veto of SB 2, we wish that he would
give equal consideration to the
Constitution and
North Carolina's
economic pros
perity when it
comes to other
issues that affect
African
Americans,
minorities, and
the poor.
Why, for
example, did the
governor sign a
Barber
voter suppression bill despite the
15th Amendment and North Carolina
Constitution's mandates that the right
to vote be unabridged?
If Gov. McCrory wants to ensure
healthy business activity in North
Carolina, why has he refused to
expand Medicaid, which would
boost business in every county
across the state?
We support the governor in his
decision to veto SB 2, but we hope
he will apply consistency to the way
in which he governs. So far, he has
not considered the Constitution and
the economic well-being of North
Carolinians as thoroughly as he has
with this veto.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II
N.C. NAACP President
Durham
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