Ministers' Conference partners with
The Chronicle for MLK Jr. Day activities
BYTEVIN ST1NSON
THE CHRONICLE
The Ministers'
Conference of Winston
Salem and Vicinity
announced earlier this
week that a few changes
have been made to their
annual Martin Luther King
Jr. Day festivities.
While the conference
will still hold a march and
afternoon service to com
memorate the life of Dr.
King, the organization has
decided to partner with The
Chronicle to sponsor the
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
breakfast held annually at
the Benton Convention
Center.
"We are proud to
announce that we will be
joining forces with The
Chronicle to sponsor the
2016 Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day Breakfast
Forum," said MCWSV
president Bishop Todd
Fulton.
Fulton said the organi
zation decided to join
forces with The Chronicle
because it would be more
beneficial to the communi
ty and, the scholarship pro
gram the conference pro
vides for local high school
students.
Last year the confer
ence donated six $1,000
scholarships to high school
seniors. Fulton mentioned
this year he hopes to pro
Rev. Carlisle
Bishop Fulton
vide even more students
with funds for college.
"We decided that if we
take this route we would be
able to give more scholar
ships to deserving students
in the area," said Fulton.
"We are extremely excited
to partner with The
Chronicle as we keep the
dream and vision of Dr.
King alive."
According to MCWSV
third vice president Rev.
Alvin E. Carlisle, the annu
al march and rally held to
honor King will have a
revamped route.
The memorial march is
usually held at Mt. Zion
Baptist Church located on
File Street. This year the
march will begin and end
outside the convention cen
ter following the breakfast.
"After the breakfast we
will gather in front of the
convention center and pro
ceed to march around the
building located on West
Fifth Street," he continued.
"Even if you are unable to
attend the breakfast, we
encourage all local com
munity organizations to
join us for the march.
Carlisle mentioned that
although the march will be
shorter than it has been in
the past, the rally and
march will send a powerful
message.
"It won't be a long
march but it will be power
ful," said Carlisle. 'The
shorter route will be a bet
ter fit for those who have
trouble walking as well, so
we encourage the entire
community to join us."
The breakfast will
begin at 8 a.m. on Monday,
Jan. 18. The rally and
march is expected to begin
at 10:30 a.m. The evening
program will be held at St.
Paul United Methodist
Church at 7 p.m. The
keynote speaker will be
Rev. Dr. Robert
McGowens. McGowens is
the pastor of Greater
Galilee Baptist Church
located in Charlotte.
Two exhaustive and independent reviews each lasting about a year
and a half--have npowd a botched investigation. questionable proaecu
tonal Uctkv and a host ol fact* unknown 10 the judge and )ary. Ihe Sdk
rum r?m CMrm lnri?w Comntw*. mpintlinl by tbt Wn>ioii
Salem City Council. concluded it did 'not have confidence In the invest)
gat ion. the information In question, or the mult of the investigation 4
and found-neoodiMr evidence'that KaMn Smith was at the Silk Plant
iwnt on the day in question l ormer Assistant fW Piretaor Christopher
Swether. in his own independent review, document* (he original invest',
gauon was "serioualy flawed and woefully incomplete, thus calling
into qoesdon whether the original trial jury rendered their verdict
haeed on ad the relevant and accurate facta ef the eee*.a Director
Swecbrr concluded "only a new trial that considers foe fall record and
evidence net ewilnMe. mivrpreamtrd or emitted in the qrifhud
trtoi will provide the/id! meoeure ef>wr?ke the re mm anliya^tyin
We tafi an Attorney General toy Cooper to move sudftiy to vacate
SmMtl conviction and petition the court for his unmedfote release Free
KaMaKfoK
Supporters of Kalvin Michael Smith have formed a website: www.freekalvinnow.org?
Supporters continue
fight for Kalvin
Michael Smith
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
As another appeal was
Filed in the Kalvin Michael
Smith case last week, local
advocates are renewing
their request for Attorney
General Roy Cooper to
stop defending his convic
tion.
Smith is serving up to
29 years for the 1995
assault of Jill Marker at the
Silk Plant Forest store that
left her with severe brain
injuries. In 2008 Forsyth
County prosecutors
declared a conflict of inter
est in the case. Since then,
it has been handed by the
District Attorney's office
of Cooper, who is how run
ning for governor.
For the past decade, the
Silk Plant Forest Truth
Committee has been advo
cating for Smith's release,
saying that he was wrong
ly convicted. The commit
tee has tried over the years
to appeal to Cooper,
including holding a rally
outside his office.
"So it's his sworn duty
not to defend a conviction
on faulty evidence," said
committee co-chair
Stephen Boyd, a Wake
Forest University religion
professor.
Boyd said the commit
tee has sent reports to
: Cpoper about doubts in the
cas*. One was from die
Silk "Plant Forest Citizens
Review Committee that
was empaneled by the City
Council to review the orig
inal case. That panel con
cluded it did not have
"confidence in the investi
gation" and found no cred
ible evidence Smith was at
?
0
Silk Plant Forest. The
other was from former
Assistant FBI Director
Christopher Swecker who
also found serious ques
tions about the case that he
determined needed to be
answered in a new trial.
The committee has
information on how to con
tact Cooper's office and
demand that he vacate
Smith's conviction on its
website, www.freekalvin
now.org. The committee
also makes presentations
on the case to churches and
groups, attends hearings in
the case, and does advoca
cy on anything involved
with the Smith case.
Smith's cause has
drawn diverse supporters.
The committee's advisory
board is composed of cler
gy of different faiths,
lawyer Ro]>ert Elliot, WFU
Criminal Justice Director
Kami Simmons, and
Darryl Hunt, who served
more than 19 years in
prison for a murder he did
n't commit. Boyd was also
involved with the move
ment to free Hunt. He said
that case opened the eyes
of many in the white com
munity to the role of race
and class in the criminal
justice system, resulting in
broad community support
for Smith now.
The latest appeal in the
Smith case involves accu
sations about the lead
detective. According to
court papers. Detective
Don Williams told his
brother Ricky Williams
that he believed a white
man committed the Silk
Plant Forest assault and
that "If the nigger didn't do
this, he's dpne something
else," referring to Smith.
The white man he was
referring to was Kenneth
Lamoureux, who had a his
tory of violence, threatened
Marker the night of the
attack, and moved out of
town during the investiga
tion. The jury never heard
about Lamoureux at trial
Lamoureux died in 2011.
According jto court
papers, Ellen Lamoureux,
his wife who had separated
from him and accused him
several times of assaulting
her, asked Williams about
the evidence pointing
toward Lemoureux.
Williams didn't see why it
would matter to her
because he moved out of
town and they got a crack
dealer off the street, refer
ring to Smith. The court
papers said there was no
evidence Smith sold crack.
There's also a request
for an evidentiary hearing
on an affidavit obtained in
2008 by Forsyth County
prosecutors. In the affi
davit, police officer Arnita
Miles said Marker identi
fied her attacker as a black
man.
In Miles' original
report she said Marker was
incoherent and could not
describe the attacker.
Though it was not filed in
court, the petition asks for
a hearing to see if it was
secretly used by prosecu
tors.
Over the years. Smith
has had his many appeals
denied. Boyd said that
Hunt had a similar strug
gle, as dozens of judges
ruled against his case
before DNA evidence freed
him.
Have a Story Idea?
Let us Know news@wschronicle.com
I ?
Erie 8. Ellison
Attorney At Let*
Is Your License Ravokad or
even Permanently Revoked?
I May Be Able to Get You a
Driving Privilege.
Is the Ball Bondsman Too
Expensive? Maybe You
Need to try a Property Bond.
Call Me!
112 North NI.in.lMll Slreel
Winston Salent. NC 27101
t J it ft Horth of I\t Street)
Phone (.'.'6) 72.' 7170
Fax ( '.'6) 72.' 7.'72
ellisonlaw ft earthlink net
-J f\
"Dedicated To Providing You The Best Service."
National Folic Acid Awareness Week
January 3-9,2016
DM you know that more than 1/2 of all pregnancies
are unplanned? Talk to your provider about planning
your next pregnancy.
(Remember- fade add should be a part off every
woman's dtot to help prevent
birth defects.)
/jX Forryth County
, R^ucTo^'Swon ?
-fti- Habitat
Mil for Humanity
ot Forsyth County
Want to be a Homeowner
or know someone who does?
Come to an orientation
session to learn more about
the Habitat programl
Monday, January 11
6 p.m.
L 1023 W. 14th St.
Space is limited.
No children, please.
Can't make it this time? More
orientation sessions on
Saturday, February 13,10 a.m.
Saturday, March 12,10 a^m.
?e ? jfj
I"