WSPD takes the stage
during Part Two of
Black & Blue Town Hall
BYTEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
There were few empty
seats inside The Enterprise
Center last Thursday
evening, during Part Two
of the Winston-Salem
Urban League's Black &
Blue Town Halls.
Community leaders, com
munity activists and other
concerned residents filed
into the event hall, with
ears eager to hear members
of the Winston-Salem
Police Department
(WSPD) discuss how they
are trying to improve com
munity relationships.
During the event, Chief
Barry Rountree and
Assistant Chief Katrina
Thompson took questions
from residents,. while
detailing various ways they
are working with commu
nity organizations and
members to improve rela
tions. Rountree mentioned
officers have received
additional training on how
to deal with civilians. He
also mentioned every offi
cer is required to interact
with a certain number of
residents each day.
"We require our offi
cers to get out and talk to
people," he said. "We want
the people in the city to
know that we are here to
protect and serve and we
can't do that without
them."
When asked about the
over-policing of certain
neighborhoods in the city,
Rountree said, "Although
it may seem we are in cer
tain places more than oth
ers, the WSPD has the
same number of officers
patrolling every neighbor
hood."
He also discussed the
Winston-Salem Police
Foundation. He said his
goal is to have a sports
league that would give
young people a chance'to
engage with police.
Thompson discussed
the training officers
received in Mexico,
designed to improve the"
relationship with the
Hispanic population in the
area.
Following the event,
longtime community
activist A1 Jabbar said
although he was glad to see
the WSPD engage in open
dialogue with the commu
nity, more needs to be
done.
"These talks are good,
but talking isn't enough,"
he continued. "We've
talked enough. Now it's
? time we see some action."
Part Three of the Black
& Blue Town Halls will be
held in the fall.
For more information
contact the Winston-Salem
Urban League at 336-245
2710.
Photo by Tevio Suoaofi
Residents filled the Enterprise
Center last Thursday evening
during Part Two of the Winston
Salem Urban League's Black A
Blue Town Hall Series. The
Three part series is designed to
improve the relationship between
the community and the Winston
Salem Police Department.
Smith
from page A7
embarrassment for the
state, like HB2 has been to
many.
"It will become a
national embarrassment,
we believe, for North
" Carolina," said Boyd, "and
then the question is what
will the attorney general do
about that?"
HB2, a law many
believe is discriminatory, is
resulting in boycotts of the
state. Cooper has refused to
defend the law in court.
Supporters of Smith,
including the N.C.
NAACP, have been asking
Cooper to do the same with
the Smith case and join
Coleman in asking for a
new trial.
Boyd said that the com
mittee has sent reports to
Cooper on the case's flaws.
One was from the Silk
Plant Forest Citizens
Review Committee, which
was empaneled by the City
Council to review the orig
inal case, which concluded
it did not have "confidence
in the investigation" and
found no credible evidence
Smith was at Silk Plant
Forest. The other was from
former Assistant FBI
Director Christopher
Swecker, who determined
a new trial was needed to
answer serious questions
about the case.
The N.C. Supreme
Court denied Smith's
appeal last week, which
focused on a 2008 affidavit
in which police officer
Arnita Miles said Marker
identified her attacker as a
black man. In Miles' origi
nal report she said Marker
was incoherent and could
not describe the attacker.
Coleman said that he
believes prosecutors may
have secretly used it to
influence the case, though
it was not filed in court.
V Smith's appeals also
accuse Detective Don
Williams of not pursuing a
white suspect, Kenneth
Lamoureux, after he
moved out of town, and
instead coerced witnesses
to place Smith at the crime
scene. Lamoureux died in
2011.
"Unlocking the Truth"
airs Wednesdays at 11 p.m.
on MTV. It can also be
watchedonlineatmtv.com.
Check out the schedule at
http://wwwjntv.com/show
s/unlocking-the-truth/tv
schedule.
Ross
from page AI
Judges Lisa Menefee and
Denise Hartsfield, City
Council Members Denise
'D.D." Adams, Derwin
Montgomery and Dan
Besse.
The race between Ross
and Burr is extremely tight,
with a Real Clear Politics
average of polls showing
Burr up by only 1 point.
Ross also raised more than
Burr in the second quarter,
getting $2.1 million to his
$1.6 million.
"People all over the
country, they're giving me
money for the race because
they want to take back the
Senate and they know the
road to taking back the
Senate goes straight
through North Carolina,"
she said.
Burr still has a money
advantage, with $7 million
in cash on hand in June
compared to $1.9 million
for Ross.
Ross answered ques
tions from attendees on a
variety of topics. Qn mass
incarceration, she said
reform was needed to keep
low-level offenders out of
jail, and she promised to
stand up to special interests
like for-profit prisons. On
poverty, she said she'd cre
ate jobs with infrastructure
projects, and by taking tax
breaks away from compa
nies that export jobs, while
giving them to companies
that bring jobs to the
United States.
Ross, a lawyer and for
mer state lawmaker, men
tioned her time working
with the late Earline
Parmon, when they both
served in the General
Assembly. She talked fond
ly about working together
with Parmon, who she said
she felt very close to.
Many have attributed
the serious challenge Ross
is giving Burr to
Republican presidential
nominee Donald Tump's
effect on down-ballot can
didates. Polls are finding
Trump to be trailing behind
Democrat Hillary Clinton
and to be disliked by vot
ers.
Ross said that she
believes that in her race,
voters simply dislike Burr,
who she says hasn't been
serving North Carolina.
She said she expects to get
dissatisfied Independent
and Republican voters in
November because the
state is "on fire" for
Democrats.
"We're going to take
the state back," she told
attendees at Democratic
headquarters.
PUotyToJJUd .
Democratic US. Senate candidate Deborah Ross speaks to seniors at Southside
Library on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
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