Expo shines light
on good works in
neighborhoods
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
It's no secret that neigh
borhood groups, and non
profit organizations, play
an important role in shap
ing the community we live
in, but often they don't
receive the praise they
deserve.
To show their apprecia
tion for organizations and
individuals who volunteer
their time to helping others,
last Saturday, Dec. 3, the
city sponsored the Project
WE CARE! Neighborhood
Expo. Hosted annually by
the Community and
Business Development
Department, this year the
event featured free lunch
and entertainment. More
than two dozen vendors
were also on hand to pro
vide information on some
of the services the city has
to offer.
Initiated by Mayor Pro
Tempore Vivian H. Burke,
Project WE CARE! started
in 2009 after a national call
for community service by
President Barack Obama.
Kathryn Mobley, city
Marketing and
Communications video
producer and emcee for the
expo, said although she had
already spent most of her
life doing community serv
Mack
ice, at the time Burke start
ed the project she was
inspired to do more.
"She recognized the
importance of honoring
people who demonstrate
civic pride by giving of
themselves to other peo
ple," Mobley said.
"She reminded us that
this is the right thing to do.
It's what makes us able to
call where we live home
and to feel proud about it."
As she stood before the
hundreds of volunteers
inside the Fairgrounds
Education Building, Burke
said, "From the bottom of
my heart I thank you for
caring about this city."
She mentioned the one
thing she regrets about
Project WE CARE! is that
she 'was unable to get
Washington to recognize
the wonderful things that
are going on here in
Winston-Salem.
"We're probably one of
the most forward cities in
the country when it comes
to volunteerism," she said.
"It appears President
Obama will leave office
without knowing the great
work we are doing, but we
will continue to work to
make sure Washington rec
ognizes all the great work
you do."
After lunch, each com
munity organization in
attendance received a cer
tificate of recognition and a
button marking the occa
sion. Chris Mack and
Twanda Montgomery,
community assistance
liaisons and event coordi
nators, also made a special
presentation honoring
Burke for her hard work to
make the city a better place
foreveryone.
Mack said, "We are
proud to take this opportu
nity to recognize an-out
standing visionary leader
in Winston-Salem by the
title of Dr. Vivian H.
Burke.
"Our city has always
been outstanding in com
ing together, and Dr. Burke
has played a major part in
that."
When discussing the
future of the event. Mack
seemed confident that the
expo will continue to grow
as more associations and
organizations become
available in the communi
ty
"This program started
out small with big vision
and each and every year
this program tends to break
the record for attendance,"
Mack said.
Photo by Tfcvin Stmaon
Locals visit some of the many vendors offered at the Project WE CARE!
Neighborhood Expo on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Forsyth Tech has
smallest police
training class ever
to graduate
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONIC! F
With the number of
police cadets dwindling,
the smallest class of the
Basic Law Enforcement
Training (BLET) course at
Forsyth Technical
Community College gradu
ated on Friday, Dec. 2.
Though there were only
seven in the class, they still
had the full, thorough train
ing of the 17- week course
that featured 48 instructors
and'36 written tests. Cadets
were trained in firearms
use, driving, crowd control
and other scenarios officers
find themselves in.
BLETs across the state
have seen falling numbers
in recent years with 2016
being the worst. This year,
32 percent of classes were
canceled because they did
n't have enough students
and only 1,067 cadets com
pleted the training
statewide, compared to
2,028 last year.
Instructors believe that
highly publicized officer
involved shootings caused
the general decline. The
July mass shooting of
police in Dallas, Texas, that
killed five officers resulted
in this year's number plum
meting. The low numbers
in the local class also meant
that minorities and women
that are normally, among
the cadets weren't present.
The class should have
had about 20 students, but
most dropped out after the
shooting. Sgt. Joshua
Church of the N.C.
Highway Patrol told the
class that while law
enforcement is still "the
most honorable profession
out there," community faith
in law enforcement has
never been lower. He
blamed video footage of
officer-involved shootings
going on social media
where citizens - who know
little about law enforce
ments jump to the wrong
conclusions.
"Many are out there
thinking you should wait to
draw your weapon and fire
until you're fired upon, or
they think that in any case
where you shoot an indi
vidual that's unarmed it's
unjustified, but you've
been trained completely
differently," said Church.
"That just is not the truth
any way you look at it."
Church told the class
that "action always beats
reaction" for officers. He
said there were "countless
documented situations"
where unarmed suspects
killed officers and told the
cadets to use their training
to make "good, sound deci
sions" to come home safe.
He also said law
enforcement is the only
profession were you have
to be willing to die a for
complete strangers. He said
misconduct is relatively
rare, and hoped the class
would uphold that tradi
tion. He told them to build
bonds with those that they
protect.
"Our positive image,
the truth of what law
enforcement in America
really is, is up to you now,"
said Church.
Class president Cody
Conrad dreamed of serving
in both the military and
police. After serving more
than three years in the
Army, he now looks for
ward to joining the "thin
blue line."
"It's been the longest,
quickest 16-17 weeks
ever," he told his class
mates.
Conrad, who plans to
join the Highway Patrol,
said he doesn't begrudge
those who dropped out of
the class, since law
enforcement is a calling
that isn't for everyone.
Graduate Frank
Sanchez is a former
Winston-Salem Police
Department officer who,
after some moves and job
changes, needed to take the
BLET again to become an
officer in Kemersville. He
said when he first took the
BLET more than a decade
ago, there were 30 cadets in
his class.
He said he understood
how people might be
scared to enter the profes
sion. He said being an offi
cer is something you have
to have in your heart.
"It's something you
either really want to do, or
you don't, there's no mid
dle ground," said Sanchez.
"You don't do this job
halfway."
Those that completed
BLET are ready to become
sworn officers, though
most agencies include an
additional period of field
training.
? The other graduates of
the class are Jordan
Bullins, Cody Hampton,
John Jackson, Ryan James
and Samuel Paff.
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