City discusses legislative agenda
Body cams, elections, juve
nile justice, gender equality
on list
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The ability to release police body cam
era footage, moving local municipal elec
tions back to odd- numbered years, juve
nile justice and gender equality were
among the things considered for the city's
current legislative agenda.
During its meeting on Monday, Nov.
21, the City Council considered the leg
islative agenda it'll ask state lawmakers
representing Forsyth County to champion.
The proposal contained:
? An act that would once
again make the body cam and dash cam
footage of Winston-Salem Police
Department officers public record. The
proposed legislation would allow for
requests for an officer's footage to be
released or reviewed. It would give the
local district attorney's office and the offi
cer five days to get a court order to prevent
its release if it jeopardized a legal proceed
ing. Once that legal proceeding is over, the
footage would have to be released. This is
in response to a state law passed this year
that prohibits the release of police body
and dash cam footage without a court
order.
? An act to move the
city's mayoral and City Council elections
back to odd-numbered years. The next
election would be 2020, with it returning
to its old schedule in 2023. This was the
first year these races were held on an even
numbered year, because of action by the
General Assembly.
? A resolution asking for
the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in
North Carolina to be raised to 18 years old.
North Carolina and New York are the only
two states in the country where teens 16
and older are tried as adults.
? A resolution asking the
General Assembly to ratify the Equal
Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed
amendment to the U.S. Constitution that
guarantees equal rights for women. In the
late 1970s, it passed both houses of
Congress, but failed to be ratified by the 38
states it needed to become an amendment.
? Legislation to allow the
city to recover the cost of publishing hous
ing code complaints and orders in local
newspaper if the owner doesn't pay by
making it a lien on their property that
could be collected through tax foreclosure.
? A resolution eliminating
part of the
city charter
that requires
unaffiliated
candidates
to get signa
tures equal
to 25 per
cent of resi
dents eligi
ble to vote
in that con
test. A state
equirement
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ed candidates need signatures equal to 4
percent of eligible voters already overrides
this provision.
Council members said the body cam
legislation would let the city release
footage when the public has questions
about police conduct. This is what hap
pened locally after Travis Page died in
police custody. Body cam footage of the
incident was released earlier this year to
help alleviate public concerns after it had
been investigated. City Council Member
Denise "DJD." Adams said the current
body cam law would've prevented that.
"The way the state has written the law,
we would have had no ability at all to
release the tapes to a community that may
be on edge," she said.
Robert Clark, the sole Republican on
the council, said most of the items would
be "dead on arrival" and said that moving
the City Council elections back to odd
numbered years, when far less people vote,
was "voter suppression."
Many other council members took
exception to the words "voter suppres
sion," saying it evoked Jim Crow laws and
the recently overturned state voter ID law.
They said the City Council race got
drowned out by the presidential race and
other contests on a lengthy ballot. Adams
and City Council member Dan Besse, who
have had challengers in previous elections,
said they had none this time, something
they attribute to it being a presidential year.
Ultimately, the legislative package was
divided. At the request of City Council
Member James Taylor, the resolution on
juvenile jurisdiction was voted on sepa
rately in order to get unanimous consent on
it. The item on election timing was sent
back to committee to consider a suggestion
by Clark that the election should be moved
to mid-term years. The rest of the pack
age, along with sending that one item back
to committee, passed 6-2. Council mem
bers Vivian Burke and Molly Leight voted
against it. Leight didn't think the election
item should have been removed and Burke
felt Clark's issues should have been
brought up originally in committee.
Adams r
WSSU receives $400,000 NSF
grant to create psychology program
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) has
received a $400,000 grant from the National Science
Foundation (NSF) that aims to increase the number of
underrepresented minority students in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grad
uate programs and professional fields.
lite three-year grant, under the NSF's Targeted
Infusion Project (TIP), will establish an honor's curricu
lum in the Department of Psychological Sciences (DPS)
for psychology undergraduate majors.
Dr. Naomi Hall-Byers, assistant professor of psycho
logical sciences, said this will be only the second program
of its kind at a historically black college and university
(HBCU).
"The project is designed to keep underrepresented
students engaged in scientific discovery, provide an
avenue for focused student-faculty interaction, and
expose students to current and emerging technology,"
said Hall Byers. "Meeting these goals and objectives will
create a paradigm shift within the DPS and improve the
preparation and success of underrepresented students
entering into STEM graduate programs and/or profes
sional fields."
The program will create three new research-focused
courses and a summer cultural neuroscience institute that
will immerse students in mentored research.
The first cohort of honors psychology students will
begin taking courses in spring 2018, and the institute will
begin in summer 2017.
In addition, the grant also will fund:
* Renovations and upgrades of lab spaces at Coltrane
Hall.
*The establishment of a psychology colloquium
series, which will bring a diverse group of researchers
and scholars to WSSU, helping to encourage interest in
psychology on campus, Hall-Byers said.
According to NSF statistics, African-American stu
dents make up only about 5 percent of STEM graduate
enrollment nationwide.
According to a White House report, the United States
will need to add 1 million more STEM professionals by
2022.
HBCUs, engines of economic growth and ladders of
advancement for genera
tions of African
Americans, are seen as
critical to help meet the
need for STEM profes
sionals.
A 2011 report from the
National Science
Foundation found that 24
percent of Black doctorate
recipients received their
bachelor's degree from an
HBCU.
Hall-Byers is the principal investigator (PI) on the
grant; Dr. Michele Lewis, associate professor and chair of
Psychological Sciences Department and Dr. Nelson
Adams, professor of behavioral sciences and social work,
are co-PIs.
Senior personnel are Dr. Jill Keith, associate professor
of life sciences, and Dr. S. Maxwell Hines, professor of
education.
Students who are interested in the program should
contact Dr. Hall-Byers at 336-750-8800 and or
hallna@wssu.edu.
WSSU's Department of Psychological Sciences offers
a structured curriculum that helps students develop a thor
ough understanding of concepts and principles that
attempt to explain human behavior and mental processes.
For more information, please visit
www.wssu .edu/casbe/academics/departments/ps/.
Hall-Byers
Piedmont Wind
Symphony to expand
program involving youth
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The Piedmont Wind
Symphony (PWS)
announces the expansion of
its Wachovia Winds youth
ensemble program to
include the Wachovia
Winds Youth Symphonic
Band.
The top-tier, highly
competitive ensemble was
developed to meet the need
of ever-increasing interest
in youth music ensembles.
Wachovia Winds youth
ensembles will be offering
a unique experience to seri
ous music students, where
they will receive expert
instruction and appealing
performance opportunities.
The development
reflects the significant
growth and change that has
occurred in PWS since
Maestro Matthew Troy
became the music director.
Troy is recognized across
the country to have a sig
nificant background in
music education and arts
advocacy for young peo
ple.
The new top-tier Youth
Symphonic Band will be an
auditioned group that
brings together the best
wind, brass and percussion
students in the Triad. It will
be led by Artistic Director
Danny Green and 2016
Grammy Award Winning
Music Educator Phillip
Riggs, who was also a co
founder of the group.
The intermediate group
is going to be led by
Patricia Hughes Ball, who
is currently the band direc
tor at West Forsyth High
School.
Of this expansion Troy
said, "I am so excited to
build on the incredible suc
cess of the Wachovia
Winds and help reach more
of the youth of our commu
nity, with a meaningful and
exciting musical experi
ence. This speaks to the
great work the Piedmont
Wind Symphony and the
Wachovia Winds have been
undertaking to make a sig
nificant contribution to the
city of arts and innova
tion."
Students will be able to
easily submit audition
videos online. Go to
www.wachoviawinds.org
for audition requirements
or contact Danny Green at
wachoviawinds@gmail.co
m.
The Wachovia Winds
was founded 13 years ago
to provide young musicians
from throughout the com
munity with an opportunity
to come together and learn
through the experience of
an ensemble where quality
music could be made, and
wholesome fellowship
could be enjoyed. The
Wachovia Winds has also
provided conducting
opportunities to several
educators throughout the
community.
For 27 years the
Piedmont Wind Symphony
(PWS) has provided excel
lence in the performance of
symphonic music for the
Piedmont of North
Carolina, continuing this
tradition for the 27th sea
son under the leadership of
the new music director,
Maestro Matthew Troy.
For more information
about the Piedmont Wind
Symphony, visit
www.piedmontwindsym
phony.com.
Troy
Did Vmt
Knoir
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