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The Chronicle
Volume 45, Number 21
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
THURSDAY, January 31, 2019
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Poverty statistics don’t tell all
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
A few weeks ago a report started making its rounds
around the Internet indicating that Winston-Salem had
one of the highest childhood poverty rates in the country.
According to recent numbers from the U.S. Census
Bureau, 35 percent of the children in the Twin City are
living in poverty, which is the 20th worst in the country.
Other North Carolina cities that made the bureau's list
of cities with the worst childhood poverty rates include
Fayetteville (29%), Greensboro (27%), Durham (26%),
Charlotte (21%), Raleigh (20%). The Twin City also
ranks higher on the list than large metropolitan cities like
Dallas and Chicago.
While anyone can look at these numbers and come to
the conclusion that more needs to be done to lift our com
munity out of this hole, it is equally important that we
look at the root causes of these issues and uplift programs
and organizations that are already doing the work to
change the narrative.
And most importantly, there is a need to point those
who need it most in the right direction to receive the assis
tance.
It's no secret that having a criminal record can have a
negative impact on an individual’s ability to find legiti
mate employment, which in turn makes it difficult to pro
vide for one’s family. In 2010 the Center for Economic
and Policy Research released a study, which found that a
felony conviction or imprisonment reduces the ability of
ex-offenders to find jobs and it costs the U.S. economy
between $57 and $65 billion annually in lost economic
output.
Since 2014, the city’s SOAR Program has helped
more than 100 ex-offenders find gainful employment. The
program allows individuals to join the City of Winston-
Salem’s workforce for six months, performing routine
labor jobs such as landscaping and maintaining public
buildings, and various departments. In addition to work
experience and a steady job, participants in the SOAR
program are provided life skills training, financial man
agement, GED and post-secondary education, job search
techniques and much more.
After the six months, participants are encouraged to
apply for full-time positions with the city.
The city also offers a similar program for youth who
have dropped out of high school called YouthBuild.
Participants learn job skills and leadership development
while getting paid and working toward their GED.
Regina Hall, city reintegration & youth development
manager, said oftentimes individuals who have a criminal
record or have dropped out of high school feel as if they
are limited; so programs like SOAR and YouthBuild are
important.
“...These are important because it sends a message
that you’re not counted out. And that if you’re willing to
take the first step, there’s somebody who is going to be
willing to take a chance on you and allow you an oppor
tunity to better yourself,” Hall said.
Food insecurity in our community is another con
tributing factor to the childhood poverty rates. To combat
these issues, last summer the City of Winston-Salem
Ministry received a grant, totaling $115,500, from the
National League of Cities to fight hunger throughout the
community.
According to an article published in The Chronicle on
August 23, 2018, the funds from the “Think Orange”
campaign will be focused on feeding children and
Courtesy of Crisis Control Ministry
Last year Crisis Control Ministry provided food for 4,489 adults and children.
expanding participation in the federal SNAP
(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
While the city partnered with the Winston-Salem
Urban League to increase participation in SNAP some
time last year, later this year the city will roll out the ini
tiative to feed more youth and families in low-income
communities. Thanks to a partnership with Second
Harvest Food Bank and the Recreation & Parks
Department, soon children at local recreation centers will
be able to receive hot meals, free-of-charge.
“They’re actually going to start rolling out hot meal
programs at the recreation centers, so some of the youth
who go to recreation centers, whose mothers work 2nd
and 3rd shift, can have somewhere to go after school and
be able to get a hot meal,” said Hall. “There’s also a focus
on expanding summer meal programs throughout the city
and the county.”
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System is
doing their part to fight hunger as well. Last summer the
district unveiled a food truck that traveled to various loca
tions throughout the community delivering meals to chil
dren in need.
The city has non-profits and other organizations with
big hearts doing the work every day to uplift those in need
and addressing the root causes of poverty in our commu
nity. Crisis Control Ministries, Family Services, The
Salvation Army, Samaritan Ministries, Social Heart, the
Bethesda Center for the Homeless, HOPE of Winston-
Salem, Neighbors For Better Neighborhoods, the Z.
Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Black Philanthropy
Initiative, the Urban League, are just a few that come to
mind.
When discussing poverty in the area with The
Chronicle last week, Hall said although it may be hard to
look at the statistics on hunger and childhood poverty, the
best part about Winston-Salem is that there are a number
of opportunities.
“You hate to see poverty in your hometown but it’s
always good to know there are opportunities. There are
opportunities for people, so they don’t necessarily have to
feel like they’re never going to get out. There are pockets
of opportunity for people.”
Larry Little, WSSU students,
join fight to free Ronnie Long
N.C. man has spent 42 years in prison for crime he didn’t commit
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
A lot has changed since 1976. Ten different presidents
have taken office, the Internet and social media has
changed the way we communicate, and thanks to Uber
and Lyft, people are more comfortable riding with a
stranger than taking public transportation. But for 63-
year-old Ronnie Long, not much has changed over the
past 42 years.
Long has been in jail since he was 19 years old for a
crime he says he didn't commit. And last week students
from Winston-Salem State University joined the fight to
help Long seek justice.
In 1976 Long was convicted of burglary and rape dur
ing an alleged attack of a wealthy white woman in her
home in Concord. The victim, the widow of a top-exec
utive at Cannon Mills, a textile mill in Kannapolis, told
officers she was in her kitchen on April 25,1976, around
9:30 p.m. when she felt someone grab her from behind.
According to police reports, the man pressed a knife
to the victim’s neck and threatened to kill her before he
ripped off her clothes and raped her. Initially the victim,
who has since died, described her attacker as a black man
wearing a beanie and possibly gloves. She also later said
her attacker was "yellow-looking" or light-skinned.
On the day of the trial, despite having no evidence
connecting him to the crime scene and having an alibi,
Long was sentenced to 80 years. Over the past 43 years,
Long has maintained his innocence and during that time,
more information has come to light to support his claim
that he wasn’t given a fair trial.
For example, the jurors in the trial were all white and
handpicked by officers with the Cabarrus County
Sheriff’s office. A hair was found on the scene that didn't
match the victim or Long and wasn’t included in evidence
files.
While there are several other red flags in the handling
of Long’s case, the way Long was identified may be the
most alarming. About two weeks after the incident, after
she couldn't identify her attacker in a photo line-up, offi
cers took the victim to the district court wearing a dis
guise and told her that her attacker “may” or “may not” be
in the courtroom that day.
Long was in the courtroom that day for a misde
meanor trespassing charge that was dismissed. After wait
ing for about an hour, the judge called Long to the front.
He had no idea he was being watched. As soon as he
stood up wearing a long black leather coat, the victim
identified Long as her attacker. The officers immediately
took the victim back to the police station, showed her a
photo line-up of possible suspects with Long's photo
included, and she identified him again.
On May 10,1976, officers showed up to Long's house
and told him he needed to come fill out papers for the
trespassing charge and that he would be back in a few
minutes.
He hasn't been home since.
“... They told my mother I would only be gone 10 to
15 minutes; those minutes have now become 43 years,”
said Long during a phone call last week.
Long said he put his faith in a system that is supposed
to seek out the truth and do what’s right, but after a few
years dealing with the system, it became obvious that he
Submitted photo
Ronnie Long
was dealing with a system that is willing to ignore evi
dence, logic and common sense.
“... My legal documents are online; I have nothing to
hide. I was a young black man charged with sexually
assaulting a very wealthy white female. I was tried by a
white D.A. before a white judge and convicted by an all-
white jury,” continued Long. “... They have no physical
or biological evidence to connect me to the crime. My
case went before a seven-judge panel and came back in a
3-3 tie. The N.C. Supreme Court has seven judges. Why
did my case end in a 3-3 decision?”
Long said the handling of his case was nothing more
than a “modernized lynching sanctioned by law.” He went
on to say he’s not looking for any special favors or privi
leges; he only wants a fair trial.
“All that I ask is what the Fourth and the Fifteenth
Amendments of the United States Constitution guaran
tees me. And that’s due process and equal protection
under the law. I have the right to a fair trial.”
See Ronnie on A2
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