T'
Page 8 Phoenix
"more than a newspaper, a community institution "
NEWS & NOTES...For Inquiring Minds
Dear Editor:
I am concerned that
there are a number of guys in the area
which I live who are dealing drugs, A few of
these guys have been locked up before for
selling drugs, but they were released within a
couple of months. 1 would like it if some
type of legislation were passed to keep this
“riff raff’ off the streets. My seven year-old
son is not allowed to play outside because of
the drug trafficking. Something needs to be
done...and fast!
-Concerned Citizen
Dear Concerned Citizen:
Let’s hope the ‘three strikes you’re
out’ law is enforced in North Carolina. It’s
only the early innings, but the rage to lock up
the chronically rotten and throw away the
key is having scant effect in most states.
With the big exception of California - where
more than 700 people are now in prison
under the “three strikes” sentences - these
laws are seldom invoked a year or more after
taking effect.
Washington state cases totaled just
33 nearly two years after passage of a law
expected to bring in 40 to 75 a year. By mid-
September, in Colorado, North Carolina and
Tennessee not a single person had been
incarcerated under their “three strikes” laws.
Basically, the “three strikes” law
gives an individual two chances to mess up.
I’m quite sure that these guys you’re talking
about have been in and out of trouble for
quite some time. If more people like
yourself write to your local and state
representatives, then these guys will surely
be taken off the streets...FOR GOOD. Keep
the faith, but understand that you can make a
difference by quietly doing something about
these drug dealers. Believe me, the sound of
the pen is a lot louder than the sound of a
voice.
To the editor:
There was an -article which
appeared in the ClAA edition of the Phoenix.
The author was LeRoy Richardson. I would
like to commend the AC Phoenix for
bringing in writers such as this who educate
readers on our history. This was-an excellent
article. I am using portions of this article to
teach my students about the history of
African American people. Most children of
Afi-ican American decent are confused about
who they are. Many of them do not know
whether to call themselves “Black”,
“Brown”, or “African American”. I had one
student to say that no matter what anyone
tells his grandmother, she still refers to
herself as a “Colored American”. Who
determines what name we will receive? It’s
no wonder so many children are confused.
In fact, adults are just as confused as our
children. Keep the innovative articles
coming and I’ll keep reading.
-A. Clarke
6th Grade Teacher
Dear A. Clarke:
You keep on reading and we’ll
definitely continue to print resourceful
articles. Call our office and we’ll put you on
a mailing list (910)727-1171.
Dear Editor:
couldn’t have said it better myself "If
you don 'I know who you are as a people,
you don’t know who you are as a person."
(Quote taken front His-Story...by LeRoy Richardson,
Jr.) Our children need to be taught from birth
that Black people come from kings and
queens, and yes they are special. Black
people have a wealth of history that has not
yet been learned by most people. When I
say people, I mean all people. The same
way we are forced to learn European History
we should be forced to learn Black History,
My daughter attends First Assembly
Christian School and during Black History
month she would come home with new
information each day. I never realized how
exciting learning with my daughter could be.
I will make sure that my daughter learns
something new each day regarding Black
History and Native American History,
because not only is our history important,
but so is the history of the people we deal
with on a daily basis.
Carol Burns
Winston-Salem
Dear Editor;
Never have I felt so compelled to
write to you as now. I have been tom on the
issue of having guns in the home. 1 am a
single parent, and I have always kept a
registered gun in my home. Not simply to
have a gun, but for protection “Just in case”.
Last week, my son and his best friend were
playing in my den area. 1 always keep the
gun (unloaded) on the top shelf of my den
storage closet. Somehow my son got his
hands on this gun, and when 1 came home
from work, he and his friend were practicing
their aim. Fortunately the gun was not
loaded, but what if it had been loaded? All
kinds of thoughts rushed through my head,
and the most disturbing thing: what if I had
come home and one of the kids were shot, or
even worse, dead? 1 have been taught to use
a gun safely, but now I’m not sure if 1 want
to keep it in my home or not.
~E. Roberts
Dear E. Roberts:
Our homes contain a multitude of
potential threats to children. Kitchen knives
in unsecured drawers, power tools in the
garage, drain cleaners and other household
products easily attract children. With
supervision, knowledge and safeguards, our
homes can be happy and protected places
for our children. Being a single mother,
living alone with your son, if you feel the
need to have a gun in your home, it is
imperative that you educate your child
regarding the dangers of handling this
weapon. If safe and proper storage methods
are adhered to, there should be no reason for
alarm. The mere fact that your son was
playing with this dangerous weapon should
signal an alarm for you, but it should not
frighten you to the point where you get rid of
the gun. If that’s the case, you’ll be getting
rid of almost everything you own. Anything
in your home that presents danger should be
brought to your son’s attention. Talk to him
about the dangers of messing with things
that do not belong to him. Make
him understand that items such as
knives, power tools and
household products are meant for
adults’ usage, they are NOT Toys. If you
get an understanding with your son, then
your mind will be at ease.
Dear Editor:
I am writing to inform all your
readers that a local car dealership in the
Winston-Salem area has been ripping off
their customers. 1 purchased a used BMW
from this dealership and the mileage had
been tampered with. When I brought this to
the attention of the dealer, he said that there
was nothing he could do, and he refused to
sell me another car on my original deposit.
It seems that there should be something that
1 can do about this situation. Do you have
any suggestions. By the way, 1 know that
there are other people who have had similar
problems at this same dealership.
—Anonymous
Dear Anonymous:
You’ll need to give me a little more
information. Our staff could do an official
investigation if you will contact us by phone
at (910)727-1171. We will have trained
automotive dealers and repair men to look
into the history of the dealership in question.
You do have certain rights as a consumer,
but before we can educate you on your
rights, we need to obtain more details.
For your information: Tampering
with the odometer on a vehicle is a Federal
Offense, and if the dealership was aware of
the mileage change, they will be held liable.
We look forward to hearing from you.
To the Editor:
My girl friend is getting married in
June. She was having problems with her
directress and was looking for a nice way to
retract her offer to this person. 1 gave her a
suggestion, she went with it, and now she
and the directress (her aunt) are no longer on
speaking terms. I tried to help them patch
things up and now neither of them are
speaking to me. So much for trying to be a
friend. Why don’t you guys start a special
section on managing stress when planning a
wedding.
—Jilted Friend
Dear Jilted Friend:
You’re not the first to go through
“wedding bliss” with a friend and you
definitely won’t be the last. If your friend is
a real friend, she will come around. I don’t
know the circumstances behind the
misunderstanding, but you must understand
that brides-to-be are generally under quite a
bit of stress prior to their weddings. This
stress can sometimes cause them to do or
say things that they don’t mean. Beginning
mid-May, the AC Phoenix will be
publishing a special section entitled: “The
Perfect Wedding”. This section will include
everything from stress management to
where you can order wedding invitations.
Unfortunately it’s not going to be out in time
to help you and your friend with whatever
problem it is you’re having.
Minority Crimes Drug Related
(AP)Minorities comprised 5% of the
youth population in North Carolina but
were involved in nearly 16% of all
juvenile arrests in the 1993-94 fiscal
year, a state report said.
The report issued by the Juvenile
Justice Committee studied 9,895
juvenile delinquency cases, including
children accused of crimes and those
accused of “status offenses” which are
not crimes for adults, such as running
away, violation of curfew or possession
of alcohol.
80% of the cases, some of which did
not involve arrests, involved whites and
18% involved minorities. The race of
the child was not known in 2% of the
cases. The same child may be involved
in more than one case, the report said.
Minorities, 50.4%, were prosecuted
at a higher rate than whites, 48.7%.
They were also detained in secure
facilities at more than twice the rate of
whites, 11.8% compared to 4.6%.
Many detained youths were charged
with narcotics offenses.
Out of all the youths convicted of
criminal offenses, minorities were
committed to Division of Corrections
facilities at twice the rate of whites,
26.4% compared to 13.7%.
Most youths in corrections facilities
were accused of serious criminal
offenses and nearly half had previous
probation violations.
One-third of minority youths in the
facilities were charged with drug
offenses.
“Over representation of minority
youth in security institutions may be
directly diminished by preventing the
involvement of minority youth in the
sale of drugs,” the report said.
The best way to combat the youth
crime problem is to arrest adults who
lure youths in housing complexes to sell
crack cocaine. More research is needed
to determine if the disposition of cases
is affected by the backgrounds of
juveniles or their specific offenses.
The committee prepares periodic
reports on minority youth crime to
maintain funding from the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Send Letters to the Editor c/o:
AC Phoenbc News
PO Box 4416
Winston-Salem, NC 27115
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Almost one in every three young
black men is serving a criminal
sentence - either prison, probation or
parole, according to a study by an
advocacy group. That’s a dramatic
increase from five years ago, when the
proportion was one in four.
The report says that blacks
accounted for 24% of all drug arrests in
1980, but the figure climbed to 39% in
1993.
Blacks make up 12% of the U.S.
population. They are 74% of prisoners
serving time on drug charges according
to the report.
Be sure to read Where Do We Go
From Here in this month’s edition of
the AC Phoenix.