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Volume 83 No. 3
(jrnmsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
November 30, ^007
Former prisoner shares his telling tale,
an innocent man sitting on Death Row
IBY BLAIR BLOOMQUIST
Staff Writer
O n Thursday, November
1, wrongfully accused
Juan Melendez arrived on
campus to share the story
of his 18-year incarcera
tion in Florida. Melendez
was convicted in 1984 for
the murder of cosmetology
school owner Delbert Bak
er. Although there was no
physical evidence connect
ing Melendez to the crime
and the witnesses of the trial
were deemed questionable,
Melendez was found guilty
of both armed robbery and
first-degree murder.
Throughout his 17 years,
eight months, and one day
in jail, Melendez experi
enced a full gamut of emo
tions including hatred, fear,
enragement, and betrayal.
Although most of his expe
riences during incarceration
were not positive, he believes
that if he had never entered
jail, he probably would not
have learned to read, write,
or speak English as well as
he does now. He attributes
his gained knowledge to
his friends who grew to be
family members to him. He
also attributes his will to live
to those people who taught
him how to love and show
compassion. During his time
in jail, Melendez witnessed
many of his friends end their
own lives, as they believed
"the only way to escape
was to commit suicide."
However, Melendez was
able to maintain his own
sanity because of his "beau
tiful dreams" and letters of
encouragement from his
mother and pen pals across
the nation.
Witnessing unfair racial
treatment towards his fel
low jail mates was the most
devastating and hopeless
situation Melendez experi
enced. One such instance oc
curred when a fellow inmate
needed emergency medical
assistance, yet none of the
guards answered his pleas
for help. Consequently, Me
lendez performed CPR on
his friend while the guard
stood idly by. As his friend
died in his arms, he felt more
hatred and anger towards
‘lit
w
\ ‘
Medical careers teacher Lisa Stewart talks with Juan Melendez regarding her
ence as a prison nurse. Melendez has traveled nationwide to speak with high
students and proclaim his views against capital punishment.
experi-
school
the prison staff than he had
ever experienced in his life.
"I truly believe I was
saved by the grace of God,
in spite of the system," said
Melendez of his release from
Death Row.
Although Melendez was
both thrilled and relieved
to be acquitted, he also felt
sadness since he was leaving
his friends behind. When
departing, he told his cell
mates to keep faith and to
fight for their rights. Even
though almost 18 years of
his life were spent in
jail, Melendez understands
imperfections in the judi
cial system cannot always
be erased.
"Law is made by human
beings, carried out by human
beings. We are human be
ings, and we make mistakes
as well," said Melendez at
the end of the presentation.
Student activists travel to Capitol Hill
■BY RACHEL WEINSTQCK
Executive Copy Editor
Global warming has
become an increasingly dis
cussed and debated issue
in recent years. Thirty-two
students and four chaper
ones attended the Power
Shift 2007 conference to unite
with fellow youth environ
mentalists and try to make
a difference in Washington
D.C., from Nov. 2-5. Chap
erones were social studies
teachers Joe Hill and Jennie
Enright, Spanish teacher
"Profe" Jade Dickerson, and
former graduate and parent
of freshman Caroline Smith,
Mrs. Smith.
"[Power Shift's goal is]
to overcome the challenges
of the 21st century, build
a clean energy economy,
achieve energy indepen
dence, create millions of
green jobs, increase global
equity, and revitalize the
American economy," states
its website.
Sophomore Shelby Stonek-
ing helped organize the trip.
She heard about the confer
ence from her sister, who
was working with Power
Shift as a campus coor
dinator.
opinion
Point Counterpoint:
Can females govern
as well as men?
Teen interest in news
articles wavers, as do
their media choices
Grimsley was the only
high school represented
from the 5,500 participants.
"Most attendees were in
college or has just graduated
from college and lived in all
50 states and even Puerto
Rico," said sophomore Isabel
Chasse, who heard about the
trip through her AP Gov
ernment class.
Participants attended in
formational seminars and
lobbied their respec
tive congressmen.
"At the conference, we
heard key speakers and at
tended panels and work-
shops. These were similar
Martineau advances
male soccer team
with superior goals
to college classes and re
ally got you involved," said
Stoneking.
Power Shift featured nu
merous well-known speak
ers, including politician
Ralph Nader and Speaker
of the House Nancy Pelosi.
"Most of the speakers
there were famous, such as
Julia 'Judy' Bonds, born and
raised in the Appalachian
Mountains of West Virginia,
a coal miner's daughter and
the director of Coal River
Mountain Watch; Bill McK-
ibben, a writer and activist
on global warming; and
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. a
minister, community activ
ist, and one of the most in
fluential people in Hip-Hop
political life," said senior
Lily Proctor.
Another important aspect
of the conference was learn
ing how to educate others
about the devastating effects
of global warming and what
to do in order to stop it.
"A lot of the confer
ence was learning how to
plan things on your home
campus, such as rallies and
demonstrations, so we can
work on making a differ
ence all around the world,"
said Stoneking.
Proctor has already taken
these messages to heart. Last
year, she started the "Acting
to Conserve the Environ
ment Club," also known
as A.C.E. Through this or
ganization, Proctor hopes
to promote environmental
conservation at school, such
as encouraging students to
recycle plastic bottles from
their lunches.
College and high school-
aged students are not the
only people who are ac
tively working to help the
environment.
(cont. on page 2)