6A
NEWS/ The Charlotte Post
Thursday, May 22,1997
u)'-:
District remap on election board’s agenda
Continued from page 1A
a Republican or Democratic
candidate because of its demo
graphics - new development
coupled with annexation.”
District 4 includes the major
ity African American communi
ties of Hidden Valley and
Hampshire Hills, as well as the
fast-growing areas around
UNC Charlotte.
“Some Republicans are trying
to jockey for position to
strengthen their presence in
this community,” Cannon said.
“Obviously there is a pattern
that exist that Republicans
still get into office, regardless
of where they reside.”
Democrats want to maintain
the status quo, but Mayor Pat
McCrory vetoed their plan
which was passed ■ 6-5 along
party lines Monday night. He
then tried and failed to get an
outside group to select a redis
tricting plan.
City redistricting will be on
the agenda when the
Mecklenburg County Board of
Elections meets today.
“The reality is the district’s
ought to be in place by early
May, so maps can be prepared,
voters can be assigned to dis
tricts and preparation for the
election can begin,” Elections
Supervisor Bill Culp said earli
er this month.
Culp said that since district
elections began in 1977, redis
tricting has usually involved
minimum changes to districts.
“We have never had this prob
lem before,” Culp said. “This
year, tradition is out of the win
dow.”
A plan must have at least
seven votes to be veto-proof.
Republicans would need at
least two Democrats to vote
their way.
“Until they get somebody to
cross party lines and support a
map, they are deadlocked,”
Culp said.
Filing for city elections are
scheduled to open July 4,
though July 7 is the first busi
ness day. The primary is sched
uled for Sept. 23 and the gener
al election is Nov. 4.
It is possible to hold the may-
oral and at-large council elec
tions on schedule, if the dis
tricts are not ready, Culp said.
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W:f)e
Review board gains momentum
Continued from page 1A
review proposal.
“Cannon has emerged as a
statesman in his handling of the
review board,” Davis said. “He
has done a great job. He has been
open to input from other sources
and he has done a good job of
documentation.
“He has been potitically astute
in his handling of it with his fel
low council persons. He had not
been overbearing and he has
been willing to go to any group or
individual who wanted to hear
more about his plan to answer
their questions and get their
input.”
It was the police shooting of
unarmed motorist Windy Gail
'Thompson in December 1993
that revived the idea of citizen
oversight of police. Earlier pro
posals had failed and when
Cannon raised the issue, the plan
fared no better.
Only Cannon and fellow council
member Nasif Majeed voiced
public support and the plan died,
in part because the N.C. General
Assembly would have had to
approve. The legislature had
killed an earlier plan.
After J2unes Willie Cooper was
shot and killed by a police officer
in November, the community
again called for citizen review.
The cry seemed to fall on deaf
ears among council members,
but Cannon kept working. The
public outcry grew and grass
roots and mainstream organiza
tions began calling for citizens
review.
Cannon’s strategy was to pre
sent the outline of exactly what a
citizens review board would look
like and what it would do.
Earlier proposals had been
vague on details, permitting
“study” and “debate” to delay
action.
Ironically, the Cannon
Amendment was presented to
the City Council in April, one day
before Carol^ Boetticher, anoth
er Afiican American woman, was
killed as she rode with a driver
who ran a police road block off
Rozelles Ferry Road.
No decision has been made on
disciplinaiy or criminal action on
the two officers involved in the
Boetticher shooting. 'The officer
who shot Cooper was cleared of
wrongdoing, as was the officer
who shot Thompson. The city did
agree to pay 'Thompson’s two
children $550,000, however.
Community emotion has
moved the citizens review board
Sudan pact slammed
Continued from page 3A
Army John Garang. Garang,
who dubbed the agreement a
sellout, is the commander of
the NDA forces, which was
hurriedly put together in
neighboring Eritrea late last
year. The force has captured a
strip a territory along the
Eritrea and Ethiopia borders
in the past four months.
But Kelueljang,said the peace
group would appeal to
Garang's forces to come home
and participate in the referen
dum. 'We have been demand
ing self-determination since
1947 and now we haye got that
chance. It will be a shame for
southerners not to vote,” he
said.
The conflict in the Sudan
erupted in 1955. After 17 years
of war, former president
Gaafar Nimeiri signed an
accord with the South Sudan
Liberation Movement which
had led the fight for the south
erners up to that point, granti
ng the south local autonomy
within an united Sudan. That
agreement collapsed in 1983
after it was abrogated by
Nimeiri, who then further
angered the southerners by
imposing the Islamic sharia
laws across the country.
'The southerners, who form
about 40 percent of the coun
try's 30 million population,
turned to the guerrillas again.
An armed rebellion began, this
time led by the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army, to establish a
“united democratic secular
Sudan.”
Find a comfort zone
when being interviewed
Michelle
White
HfBTVIlEWSCIiaMtifcl
When I go out to cover sto
ries, I like to make the people I
interview feel comfortable and
relaxed. Frequently, I bring to
life feature stories, which
means I come in contact with a
number of folks who've never
been in front of a TV news cam
era.
First of all, I really eiyoy
what I do. Secondly, I want the
person or persons interviewed
to have fun too. I find, when
the subject of my story is at
ease, I am able to tap into the
“heart” of that person, result
ing in a better story.
Going in front of a ’TV news
camera can be intimidating. I
still get nervous when I go on
the air. I’m human too. At any
rate, I’ve literally seen folks
tremble, sweat and stutter
once the camera starts rolling.
So to make the interview a
pleasant experience, I go the
“extra mile,” often taking time
I do “not” have to comfort that
individual.
Here are some tips you might
find valuable if you ever find
yourself in front of a ’TV cam
era;
1. ) 'The interview is “not” live
unless the reporter says differ
ently. “Don’t sweat it.” The
reporter will only choose the
best portion of the interview.
2. ) If you feel uncomfortable
with something you said, you
can ask to say it again. It’s
quite all right to do so.
3. ) Most importantly, the sto
ries we do rarely nm over a
minute and thirty seconds. Be
concise, say as much as you can
“without pausing” in between
each word. That will help you
better get your point across.
Help us to help you.
Now you are ready! I look for
ward to meeting you in front of
the camera.
Michelle White is an anchor-
reporter at WBTV
NewsChannel 3 in Charlotte
proposal to the front burner and
made adoption of some type of
proposal likely. Cannon said this
week the proposal accepted by
most council members would
have 11 members and would be
named the Citizens Review
Board. ’The mayor and dty man
ager would appoint three mem
bers each and city council would
appoint five.
Cannon favors letting the coun
cil appoint the board’s chair, per
haps with the mayor appointing
the vice chair.
’The board would report its find
ings to the city manager, who
would then get a response fiom
the police chief
Unless state personnel privacy
law is changed, the board’s hear
ings would have to be closed to
the public. Cannon said.
'Though the first board mem
bers would not have to have prior
attendance at the police training
academy, subsequent appointees
would. 'The first board would get
the citizens training after
appointment. Members would
serve three-year terms.
People convicted of felonies or
serious misdemeanors would not
be eligible. A two-thirds vote of
the council would be necessary to
remove a sitting board member.
'The Citizens Review Boeird
would be required to make at
least two reports to city council
each year, but would also consid
er cases brought to it when citi
zens were not satisfied with
results of a police Internal Affairs
Division investigation. Cannon
said.
'The board may also be able to
initiate its own investigations,
Cannon said.
“I would hope that would be the
case,” he said. “Someone may not
have loved ones to file complaints
on their behalf, the homeless,
battered wives and women, for
example. 'The review board could
look at those cases and ask that
they be considered for review.
“The board would have author
ity to look at ways we might be
able to prevent a citizen or even
an officer, from being the victim
of an excessive or deadly force
incident.”
Final details of the proposed
board are being worked out, but
Cannon feels good about the
plan’s chances of passage. A
majority of council members and
Mayor Pat McCroiy have voiced
support of some type of citizens
review.
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There was a man who lived by the side of the road and
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He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.
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Fran Farrer,
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He put up signs on the highway telling how good they
were.
He stood by the side of the road and cried 'Buy a hot dog,
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People bought
He increased his meat and roll orders. He bought a big
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Bob
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