OPINION
The Chronicle i
Ernest H. Pitt
Publisher Emeritus
1974-2015
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Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
wali D. Pitt Digital Manager
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The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
-esidents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
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lively debate throughout the community.
Vote for peaceful
America and
against the
obstructionists
There were protests across the country and vio
lence in the streets of America. The year was 1967.
The frustration that was brewing had come to a boil.
Early in 1968, the Kemer Commission, appointed in
1967, issued its report.
The commission, formally known as the National
Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, was an
11-member commission established by President
Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the
1967 race riots in the United States and to provide
recommendations for the future.
The commission said that America was "moving
toward two societies, one black, one white - separate
and unequal."
The report suggested that one main cause of
urban violence was white racism and suggested that
white America bore much of the responsibility for
black rioting and rebellion. (See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemer_Commission.)
Later in 1968, two prominent American leaders
were assassinated: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
Robert F. Kennedy. King was black and Kennedy
was white. They had been involved in the Civil
Rights Movement in various ways.
In the 21st century, in 2016, it appears the condi
tions are ripe for a renewal of the sentiment of 1967
68, with a twist. We know white racism is still here.
In Dallas on Thursday night, July 7, a black
American who has not been linked to Islam, has been
linked to the assassinations of five white police offi
cers and the wounding of seven other police officers
and two civilians. According to police, the black man ,
in Dallas, Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite,
Texas, cited the fatal shootings of two black men at
the hands of police for targeting white police officers
last week.
Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was
fatally shot while in the custody of Baton Rouge
Police Department officers on July 5. Police held him
down while he was shot.
Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man, was
fatally shot after being stopped by St. Anthony police
officers in Minnesota. He had a gun legally but was
shot anyway.
High-profile violence in the United States in the
last few months had been linked to American terror
ists in San Diego, California, and Orlando, Florida,
who were purported to be Muslims. Those American
terrorists pledged allegiance to ISIS. They used mil
itary-style weapons in their massacres.
In 2016, the twist is that black men, unlike in
1968, have access to the same military-type firepow
er the non-black men have access to. The violence
has escalated to a new level. Micah Johnson served
in Afghanistan and had served in the U.S. Army
Reserve. He had no prior criminal record. There was
nothing to keep him from obtaining the weapons he
used to kill and wound the police officers and wound
others. He used his Second Amendment right to bear
arms.
Johnson might have still been able to obtain
weapons, but if the military-style weapons were not
available, the police would have been on a more level
playing field. The Dallas police were not equipped
with the military-style weapons.
Why are these weapons available to civilians?
What are they used for outside the military? The
weapons are designed to kill people en masse. What
other use could there be for these weapons?
Republicans in Congress have resisted addressing
gun violence in America. In the manner of protests in
the 1960s, House members protested to get votes in
the House on several gun control-related measures.
Assault weapons should be banned. Those weapons
should be taken out of the hands of civilians, who are
not fighting against a foreign military force.
The debate on gun control continues as the
hatred, white and black, boils over and shows its face
behind the triggers of assault rifles. Americans
nationwide, including in Winston-Salem, are shaken
by the killings of black men by police and the killing
of police officers by Micah Johnson. They are unit
ing in grief and protests.
Until the gun violence in America is addressed,
the grief and protests will continue.
Just as the assault rifles should disappear from the
civilian marketplace, the obstructionists should dis
appear from their seats in Congress. Vote in
November for those who put a peaceful America
first.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Congratulations
to The Chronicle
for great work
Hello to the Great Pitts,
Congratulations on 1st place
Sports, second for Best Layout and
Design (Broadsheet), second for Best
Special Section - happens to be
Black Theatre Festival (definitely
1st), 3rd Historic Kioto - Mass
Moral Monday March.
Many thanks to Donna Rogers,
Todd Luck, Ron Rogers, Tevin
Stinson and Judie Holcomb-Pack. All
those long hours and hard work paid
off.
Please congratulate your staff -
great job! The Chronicle is a newspa
per I read from cover to cover.
Stay happy & healthy - Love to
you.
Claudette Weston
Winston-Salem
McCrory's signing
ofHB972
is appalling
To the Editor:
I am appalled at Gov. McCrory's
decision to sign HB 972 into law.
This law is a disservice to the com
munity.
Recent events have proven that
we not only need body cameras, but
that their content must also be part
of the public record. These record
ings provide an accurate record of
police activity which better protects
citizens and police.
Gov. McCrory's actions are yet
another example of his tone-deaf
leadership. He is out-of-touch with
the community.
US. Rep. Alma S. Adams
NC District 12
Charlotte
Note: N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory,
following the recent shootings of
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and
Alva Braziel (killed by police
Saturday morning in Houston, TX),
signed House Bill 972, which
excludes police video recordings
from scrutiny as public records.
?
Tragedies linked
to gun violence
are horrible
To the Editor:
As a native Louisianan, I was
horrified to see the video of the
death of Alton Sterling. I have stood
on the very corner in Baton Rouge
where he died. Seeing the video of
the aftermath of the death of
Philander Castile, another African
American man at the hands of police
[outside] St. Paul in what should
have been an everyday traffic stop,
only exacerbated my frustration and
the frustration of many across this
nation. Unfortunately, this is not
new. What is new is social media's
ability to broadcast these occur
rences in real time.
Everyday interactions with
police in poor, black and Latino
neighborhoods should not result in
death. We must ensure that interac
tions between police and non-violent
members of the community are safe
for all involved.
I was similarly heartbroken to
learn of the calculated murder of
five officers and one civilian by a
lone gunman in Dallas. This heart
less act is not acceptable and does
not speak for the tens of millions of ?
families of who seek partnerships
with police to make their communi
ties safe.
The Winston-Salem Urban
League is committed to healing the
rifts between law enforcement and
the communities they serve. In the
coming weeks, the Winston-Salem
Urban League and several partners
will begin an effort in that regard.
National Urban League President
and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the
following statement in regard to the
deadly violence against police offi
cers in Dallas:
"Like all Americans, we in the
Urban League Movement are horri
fied by the fatal shootings of five
police officers in Dallas. The vio
lence in our streets is a crisis of epi
demic proportions, and we must
come together as a nation to end it.
Our hearts go out to the families
of the slain officers and those who
were wounded and may be fighting
for their lives at this moment. We
honor the sacrifices that first respon
ders make and the risk at which they
put themselves, and we pray every
day for their safety."
Winston-Salem Urban League
President and CEO James
Perry
Americans must
come together
as Americans,
RNC chief says
To the Editor:
Last night's [July 7] disturbing
and cold-blooded violence in Dallas,
resulting in the deaths of five brave
police officers and the wounding of
seven more, was an ugly continua
tion of a week of tragedies which
have shaken our country.
It is devastating to see those who
wake up every day to protect us
senselessly gunned down in the line
of duty. Our hearts break for the
families of these slain officers as
well as the families of Alton Sterling
and Philando Castile, and our
thoughts and prayers are with them
as they try and put their lives back
together.
All life is precious and it grieves
us to see it lost in the many ways it
has been this week. All of these
tragedies need to be investigated and
justice needs to be served in an open
and transparent way.
It is deeply troubling what is
happening in our country, and this
dark and divided time must come to
an end. We must seek understanding
with one another, and work as one
nation to prevail over injustice in all
its forms. Americans want to see our
differences resolved in non-violent
ways.
We commend law enforcement -
officers around the country for serv-.
ing their communities and putting
their lives on the line every single
day. The sacrifices they make to
maintain law and order allow us to
enjoy the freedoms we are so privi
leged to have in this country. We
honor the daily calling of police
officers across the nation who repre
sent the shield with professionalism,
fairness, and restraint, and we
express the highest gratitude for
their service.
Now is a time when we must
come together as Americans. We are
better than racial division, senseless
violence, and feelings of lost hope.
Now is the time for strong leader
ship that includes everyone in the
same, shared vision of the American
Dream. In every era, America has
shown an extraordinary capacity tQ^
rise above even the bleakest
tragedies. Let us work together, let
us heal together and let us stay
together.
Republican National Committee
Chairman Reince Priebus
Washington, D.C.
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