Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 26, 1982, edition 1 / Page 6
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-or 6Thf Daily Tar HeelFnrtv r - Mik abr Dailii dar BM Courtrooms at gunpoint 90th year of editorial freedom John Drescher. Editor Ann Peters, MamiXmX Editor KERRY DEROCHI. Associate Editor Rachel Perry. University Editor Alan Ch apple, Cuy Editor JIM WRINN. State and Nintw wr Linda Robertson, Sports Editor AL STEELE. Photography Editor KEN MlNGIS. Hisuaur G&w Elaine McClatchey. p eJiw LYNN PEITHMAN, News Editor SUSAN HUDSON, Features Editor NlSSEN RlTTER. Arts Editor Teresa Curry. sjWijr Town and gown In any college town there is potential for conflicts between the town and the university. If the university doubles in size in a decade, that potential for conflict becomes even larger. In a five-part series this week on growth in Chapel Hill, The Daily Tar Heel has examined the past, present and future relationships, between the town of Chapel Hill and the University. - . - That relationship is a good one. Only in few college towns does the university community and the town operate so well together. Although there have been problems in the past, generally the University and the town have worked together in reaching decisions that satisfy both sides. The largest problem between the University and Chapel Hill has in volved the tremeridpus, growth of; UNC. In 1960 UNC had 8,000 students; now it has 20,000. Every expansion of the University means more demand on the town for necessities like housing, transportation and water. The quick growth of UNC has been especially difficult because of the village atmosphere of Chapel Hill. Some residents who remember the days when the University had half as many students re sent the school' expansion and consider the growth an intrusion into their lives and a de&r&Jerfof Chapel Hill's quaint atmosphere. Most residents; however, have accepted the University's growth and its effect on the town. Ironically, it is the town that is growingnot the University. While UNCs population leveled off in 1970, the town has continued to expand, largely because of the Research Triangle Park. Chapel Hill is in the center of one of the largest growth areas in the United States and those who expect the town not to grow are not being realistic. With that expansion will come the expected growing pains. It will take careful, long-term planning to keep Chapel Hill's unique combina tion of quiet village and bustling community. While the University is not growing as fast as it once was, it's still important for the town and University to maintain a healthy relationship. The town would not be as special without the University but it's also important to remember the University would not be as special without the town. By KERR Y DeROCHI On Dec. 10, 1981, Horace Wilkerson borrowed his mother's car keys so he could drive to the Guilford County Court house in Greensboro. When the 21-year-old arrived in the district courtroom, Judge Joseph John began to question him. He asked Wilker son why he had not been paying the $25 a week child-support payments to Sherry Diane Abram of Greensboro. About 30 people crowded the court: room. Wilkerson walked to within 10 feet of the judge. He pulled out a concealed homemade gun and shot himself in the abdomen. After two hours of surgery, his condi tion was stable. He would recover. On Feb. 20, 1982, a jury of seven women and five men found Ralph Ed ward Thomas, 37, of Greensboro guilty of rape. Thomas was on trial in the Guil ford County Superior Court for sexually assaulting the 1 1-year-old daughter of the woman he had been living with. As 15 spectators looked on, Superior Court Judge. William Helms sentenced Thomas to life imprisonment. Five seconds later, Thomas shot himself in the head with a .22-caliber pistol he had smuggled into the courtroom. He died shortly after being rushed b Moses Cone Memorial Hospital. Nearly three months separated these unrelated incidents. Yet, they both ended with the same scene a tragic shooting the result of a glaring slip in courtroom security. Guilford County District Attor ney Michael Schlosser has said the violent shootings were a part of an alarming trend. It is a trend which has concerned court officials statewide, and has forced Letters to the editor jurors to judge testimony while looking over their shoulders for the next bullet. "We cannot expect that the next time a juror, witness or district attorney will not be the target or won't be caught in the line of fire," Schlosser said. "If two people can do it, anyone can do it," Jim Wicker, a reporter for the Greensboro Daily News Record said. Wicker had been called to the scene Feb. 20 by reports of the shooting. "Next time they might shoot someone else before themselves. There are a lot of kooks out there." Under North Carolina law, judges can requesj people entering the courtroom be searched for weapons. Less than two years earlier, in the same courtroom as the Thomas incident, a judge decided just that. Using metal detectors from the GreensboroHigh PointWinston-Salem ' Regional airport, the court officials screened people entering courtroom 3C for the trial of six klansmen and Nazis charged in the shooting deaths of five communist worker party members. . No one can guess why, since that trial, two courtroom shootings have occurred in the same courthouse while the rest of the state seems immune to the problem. But any justice official would agree the danger of such incidents exists in every courtroom, at every trial. Because of this danger, an 11 -member commission in Greensboro has been formed to study possible solutions. Schlosser has suggested he would like to see legislation passed in the N.C. General Assembly that would make con cealed weapons in the courthouse a felony offense. The law now says persons found guilty of carrying illegal weapons in the courtroom could receive a maximum of six months in jail. As a felony offense, the sentence would require a 5- to 10-year stint in prison. In the future, tougher laws may help lessen the problem,"but given the time it would . take to push such legislation through the general assembly, a more . realistic and ready solution-is mandated. And certainly, one might consider whether a stiff jail sentence would have been in the forefront of Wttkerson'smind as he reached for his gun, or in Thomas' as he clasped the cold revolver. Another solution, one which would make any taxpayer shudder, would be the installation of metal detectors at the door of every courtroom. Then, when a trial began, each lawyer, defendent, spectator ,and judge would be checked for weapons. The cost of such a plan would be prohibitive. In the Guilford Court house alone, about seven to 10 court rooms are in session each day. And in ad dition to the price of the detectors, tax payers would also have to provide the money to pay the deputies who would have to stand watch over the entire pro ceedings. Adding the security equipment may be the only real solution. No one likes the mess of the metal trappings and flashing lights of detectors, but the machines would effectively uncover any hidden . weapons. As the Greensboro Commission members begin to study the alternative, they must keep in mind the continual threat found in lax courtroom security and that public safety cannot be mea sured in terms of dollars and cents. Un fortunately, most security problems are not realized until after a tragic incident. In Greensboro last wec a. rsPa. killed himself in the courtroom. Officials statewide now must ensure that the inci dent is not soon forgotten. As Wicker added, "It may never hap pen again; but then it may happen tomor row." Kerry DeRochi, a junior journalism and English major from Greensboro, is associate editor for The Daily Tar Heel. Anti-war drums Service first, uniforms second Last Sunday about 40 students and local residents marched across campus to protest the Reagan administration's support of the military junta in El Salvador. Carrying placards, the group chanted, "No draft, no war, U.S. out of El Salvador." While not the large-scale protest of the early 1970s,' the march was a positive sign that students are waking up to the foreign policy of the. Reagan adininistration. For the past two weeks, five student groups have banned together around tables in the Pit to drum support for the protest, distribute leaflets and sell buttons and bumper stickers. On Saturday a busload of students will travel to Pope Park in fayetteville for an educational benefit expected to be attended by about 3,000 peo ple. This kind of activism, with its emphasis on education, is needed to show the federal government that there are citizens who care about this country's foreign policy and that they deserve to be heard. The pro testers are concerned with what they consider unwarranted U.S. in tervention in El Salavador. Indeed, U.S. military and economic aid to El Salvador has failed. Killing continues, with U.S. aid serving to prop a dictatorship in constant battle with revolutionaries. The Salvadoran conflict and U.S. involvement have been likened to the Vietnam conflict of the 1960s. There are, however, some important differences, especially the United States' proximity to El Salvador and what effect that could have 6n this country. Regardless of the similarities and differences between the two situations, it's important for us to be aware of what's occurring in El Salvador. In the early years of the Vietnam war, few people were aware of the amount of U.S. involvement until full-scale war had begun and draft notices had been served. It appears now that people nationwide have begun to keep a close eye on the administration. The participants in Saturday's march in Fayetteville are doing their part to increase awareness of a foreign policy that needs to be re evaluated. Unlike 20 years ago, when an entire nation sat back as the United States became involved in Vietnam, it is refreshing to see students interested in U.S. foreign policy. To the editor: I'd like to respond to a letter written by John L.S. Hickey to the Feb. 24 edition of The Daily Tar Heel. I feel that as a part-time bus driver and, in fact, one that has not been active in the anti-uniform campaign, I may have a perspective of some interest to Mr. Hickey. Mr. Hickey suggests that the protesting drivers are us ing the cost of the uniforms as a "red herring." I wonder in what light Mr. Hickey regards the cost of uniforms when, at the same time, reductions in service are being considered due to budget cutbacks. It seems a peculiar logic to suggest that while we have enough money for uniforms, we don't (or won't) have enough to run the bus system as we do now. Red herring? Something does smell fishy but I doubt it is the red herring Mr. Hickey suggests. Mr. Hickey also says that "the only bus drivers I have seen soliciting signatures around town invariably wore beards, leather cowboy hats, and grubby jeans...." Al though there have been others soliciting signatures, Mr. Hickey here describes a driver I know. His name is Caspar. I suppose that may come as somewhat of a shock to Mr. Hickey, but Caspar is regarded by the drivers and management of the bus system as an out standing driver; he's safe, courteous, and on time. He considers himself to be a professional driver and strives to do his job well. Interestingly, he does this without the benefit of a uniform. Now, what criteria do you want to stress, Mr. Hickey? Would you prefer to have Caspar deliver you to work safely and on time with his leather cowboy hat and long hair flowing or would you prefer a uniformed bus driver? Mr. Hickey might also be interested in knowing that many of us who drive buses wear other hats too; Caspar though I've never seen him without his cowboy hat is a musician; I'm a student. Why should we be uniform or uniformed? Why should we be just one thing or be labeled as such? Mr. Hickey suggests we are "at liberty ... to take jobs which require no uniforms." Interestingly, that's what this job has been until now. Beyond that, however, the implication of what Mr. Hickey says is that labor should really have no say in the running of an enterprise; if we don't like it, we should simply leave. Recent business management research indicates that one reason Japanese corporations have been so produc tive and successful is to the involvement of labor in pro duction planning and decision making. Japanese man agement apparently discovered something quite as tonishing: the workers actually know something about their jobs. If I have one criticism of the upper levels of management of the town bus system it is their unwilling ness to hear drivers out on this and other issues. Bob Godding, the transportation director, was quoted in The Chapel Hill Newspaper as saying that the ques tion of uniforms for drivers was an "administrative de cision" and not subject to the "democratic process." This is an unfortunate and even foolish dichotomization. Administrative decision making does not necessarily pre clude involvement and communication with others. Yet there has been little of that between staff and drivers in this decision. Bob Godding might be surprised that we too know something about our jobs. Mr. Hickey further suggests that "the fact that many drivers wear exemplary dress makes me feel that drivers are not as a whole opposed to uniforms." How's that? Maybe we just prefer to wear exemplary dress. It hardly suggests' we i want to wear uniforms. I don't think that this is the "latest trendy fad." But I'll grant that Mr. Hickey has a point in wondering why we've not complained about Burger King, police, fire men's and basketball team uniforms. As a matter of fact, a number of us are readying a proposal suggesting that when Duke plays here on Saturday we dispense with uniforms and play them shirts and skins. Paul Benjamin Chapel Hill Sobering Thoughts To the editor: In response to Phillip Carriker's letter of Feb. 23 con cerning the proposal to raise North Carolina's drinking age, I would like to present some relevant statistics; In 1981, Chapel Hill police arrested 302 drivers involved in accidents while driving under the influence of alcohol. In 1980, 82,930 drivers were arrested for DUI of whom, 41 percent were age 25 or under and of whom 6 percent were age 18 or under. During this same year 16 percent of reported automobile accidents were known to be alcohol-related, and another 5 percent were suspected of being alcohol caused. Most of these accidents were not victimless. Out of the 22,917 known alcohol related accidents 414 people were killed and 19,075 were injured a ratio of .85 in juries to every accident. Alcohol-suspected accidents claimed another 567 lives. Obviously, drinking and driving is a serious threat to anyone on the road. I agree with Mr. Carrikcr that socie ty must "get its problems out in the open," but ap parently efforts through education in the schools and in the media have -not done enough. Certainly, no one wants to see privileges taken away from those under 21, but recent examples from states which have increased the legal drinking age to 21 prove that this measure is a way to decrease alcohol-related deaths on the road in some cases by 25 percent. We as young drinkers and drivers have a chojce: to stop mixing alcohol with driving and change these statistics, or pay the price the price for be ing the largest and most visible category of drunken drivers. Wendy Walters ; Chapel Hill R Watt discover the joy of politics By JONATHAN TALCOTT "- ' 'i - - President Reagan this week decided to take a new approach in his search for stability in Latin America: if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. In a speech delivered Wednesday to the Organization of $91 .5 billion deficit much to the chagrin of his once ardent conservative sup porters. Reagan is finally having to face the reality resulting from the rhetoric of his campaign During his run for the presidency, Reagan promised a delightful menu of ideas to a delighted country: a strong defense, a personal tax cut and a ba- THE WEEK IN REVIEW American States, Reagan promised to send $770 million in military and eco nomic aid to Caribbean and Central American governments. The Caribbean Basin Initiative as the program has been termed would increase trade ties be tween the U.S. and developing coun tries through special tariffs and tax in centives to U.S. businessmen willing to invest south of the border. Some might say Reagan has changed his tone from aggressive to passive. Don't worry, in cluded in the package is more than $80 million in military aid for guess who: El Salvador. Budget Baking While Reagan was trying to make amends with his Latin American consti tuency, his supporters at home con tinued to fret about his budget pro posal. Reagan's proposed 1983 fiscal year budget contains no less than a lanced budget. Once in the kitchen the chef seems to have found out what the joy of cooking really means. Meals can not be prepared as rapidly as one would like. Apparently, he expects the Ameri can people to wait until beyond 1985 to have their tasty dessert of a balanced budget. But Congressmen pushed on by their hungry constituencies have not been content to sit in the dining room and wait patiently while the chef spoils their meal. Reagan said last week that his critics could "put up or shut up" and many have chosen the former. Tennessee Senator Howard Baker possibly in line for a chefs job himself one of these years, suggested a surtax on personal income be enacted to cover the deficit. Sen. Peter Domenici, R-N.M., offered a compromise bill that would cut defense spending drastically. These and many other suggestions have been offered up in the dining halls of Congress in the past week. For his part, the chef has de cided to watch others slave over a hot stove while he relaxes with some Sal vadoran pineapple juice and his famous jellybeans. Baked Alaska Too bad Secretary of the Interior James Watt cannot join the President at the White House for a few jelly beans. Watt is too busy trying to eat up wilder ness land along with his voracious cor porate cohorts. Watt tried to offer an olive branch of peace to his environ mentalist enemies by proposing to ex tend the legislation that bars develop ment of wilderness lands by mining and oil drilling interests. According to Watt's critics, his olive branch should better be termed a "Trojan Horse." The extension would also allow corpo rations more time to apply for leases to the lands. Without Watt's extension, the lands could have been closed off to developers for good as early as 1984. Now corporations can continue to dream of baked Alaska and other wilderness delicacies until 2003. Smoke-filled Rooms Many people who own land in North Carolina might have wished that they WW 1 '11 I f t lltl I . US. TOREkJN fUCf I9SZ owned wilderness instead when the Surgeon General came out this week with his report on the effects of smok ing. Tobacco growers did not rejoice when they heard Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop says that "Cigarette smoking is dearly identified as the chief preventable cause of death in our so ciety." Dr. Koop made his comments in conjunction with the release of a report that linked cigarette smoking more strongly than ever with cancer. The report said studies showed smok ing not only promoted cancer of the lung, larynx and esophagus, but it also contributed to development of bladder, kidney and pancreatic cancer as well. Dr. Koop went on to say that 30 percent of all cancer deaths could be attributed to smoking. The Tobacco Institute had little to say in defense of its product. Officials simply said that the study's findings were "debatable" and not "en tirely conclusive." Facts? In Atlanta, Wayne B. Williams of fered a little stronger defense against the allegations brought against him. The man who is accused of killing two black youths took the stand in his own de fense this week. "I haven't killed any body," the defendant said. Williams also denied being a homosexual or being prejudiced against poor blacks. Fiction Another fact and fiction drama hit the front page of The New York Tunes this week. The Times revealed that it had unknowingly printed a piece of short fiction, not a piece of investigative journalism in the Tune's Sunday Maga zine. Of course, there was some truth to the feature story about a young jour nalist's travels with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The writer Christopher Jones had conducted one ot two inter views with Cambodian guerillas two years ago but he had not traveled ex tensively with revolutionaries in recent ., months. As a matter of fact, the only traveling he did for the article was in social circles in a Spanish Mediter ranean resort town. Combining his im agination with a few quotes from Andre Malraux's novel on Cambodia, The Royal Way, he created a story exciting enough for the Times to buy. What with both The Washington Post and The New York Times printing fiction in the past year, the reader does not know who will be trying to pass off a false story on him next. Jonathan Talcott, a sophomore history and English major from Litchfield, Conn., is an editorial assistant for The Daily Tar Heel.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 26, 1982, edition 1
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