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Explosive Situation
Drivers Rude?
^1,5 Chronicle examines charges of
reckless driving and rude behavior among
drivers in the city’s transit system by
observing the drivers first-hand.
Page
I and Editorials, Page 4.
A North Carolina prison inmate discusses
the recent hostage incident at Raleigh’s
Central Prison and its implications for the
future. He also describes what he feels is
an “explosive” racial situation in the
state’s prison system.
Chronicle Letters, Page 4.
Fighting Back
The East Winston community is organiz
ing to combat crime through the East
Winston Crime Task Force. An interview
with Chairperson Norma Smith appears
below while the Chronicle reacts in our
editorial section.
Page 1 and Editorials, Page 4.
The Aldermen
In the first installment in a five-part
series, East Ward Alderman Virginia K.
Newell discusses black leadership in
Winston-Salem, the mayor, her fellow
aldermen and pressing concerns in the
black community.
Second Section, Page 13.
r
Wiiiston-Salem Chronicle
“Serving the Winston-Salem Community Since 1974”
VOL. vin u.s.p.s. no. 067910
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
Thursday, April 8, 1982
* 25 cents
26 Pages This Week
Local Residents
Launch E. Winston
Crime Task Force
Models from the Donald McMIUlan group display a
variety of styles at the Fashion and Hair Show held
al Roots 1, sponsored by Brenda McLaurin, Faye
Wilson and Donald McMiHian. Hair bahlons laie by
Brenda McLanrin and Faye Wilson.
Photo By Santana
By Alien H. Johnson
Managing Editor
A group of concerned East Winston
residents have decided to fight back.
Their weapon: The East Winston
Crime Task Force, which plans to
work closely with police and city of
ficials to stem the tide of crime in the
city’s predominantly black ward.
“We’re hoping to get feedback from
the community and get a lot more peo
ple involved,” said Norma Smith,
chairperson of the group of 10 East
Winston residents that organized
Builders Will Get Center Contracts
By Ruthell Howard
StaH Writer
Local black builders and suppliers who expressed
concern last week that they couldn’t afford to
subcontract part of the East Winston shopping
center project have been called back into negotia
tions with the general contractor, John S. Clark
Construction Co. Inc.
James A. Carter, president of Cartwood Construc
tion Co., said the contractors met with Clark officials
Monday and it is possible that all the minority
contractors who bidded will get subcontract work
with a “marginal profit.”
“We talked with Clark,” Carter said, “and we’re
not getting everything we wanted, but we’re getting
something we can deal with.” Carter said Clark
offered the contractors prices equal to close to the
figures they had originally submitted for work on the
center. According to Carter, three of the contractors
have responded favorably to those offers and, if
negotiations continue along that line, Clark will be
able to satisfy all the black contractors who bidded
on the work.
Discontent had arisen last week over smaller offers
made by Clark to minority contractors that would
give them no profit. In a press conference held last
Friday in the Winston Mutual Building the
contractors noted that Cartwood Construction Co.,
which had bidded $93,000 on the woodwork, had had
its bid reduced to $50,000 by Clark. Last week, they
said, Cartwood was faced with an even smaller
offer-$23,880-for the woodwork on the center.
“We will not participate for nothing,” Carter said
Friday. “We are concerned we may lose work on the
See Page 7
Photo By Santana
Minority contractors and suppliers held a press conference Friday, at
3:00 p.m. to express their anger over the developments In the East
Winston Shopping Center project.
shortly after the Nov. 2 elections. “We
want to get the entire East Ward
involved.”
The group, which includes East Ward
Alderman Virginia K. Newell and
former Winston-Salem State Universi
ty Chancellor Kenneth R. Williams,
had originally planned to channel its
energies into working with youth.
Since the community has been victimiz
ed at least 29 times recently by an
“East Winston robber or robbers,”
however, Mrs. Smith said the Task
Force has altered its strategies,
“Instead of isolating on youths,” she
said, “we’re focusing more on.
families. Whether they be the aggressor
or the victim, such crimes affect the
whole family.”
Mrs. Smith, an East Winston resident
for more than 25 years and a math in
structor at Winston-Salem State, said
the Task Force plans to hold a town
meeting by early May to discuss the
crime situation in East Winston, and
subsequent workshops to better rela
tions between the black community
and the Winton-Salem police.
Mrs. Smith said those relations cur
rently aren’t what they ought to be.
“Ii a lot o! instances, it’s not that
good and we’d like to address that in
our town meetings,” she said.
Virginia Newell agrees. “There are
estranged relationships between police
and the community,” she said. Mrs.
Newell added that some youth in the
community often are conditioned by
their elders to “run from the police.”
See Page 2
Negotiator Disturbed By Handling Of Prison Hostage Situation
By Ruthell Howard
Staff Writer
jUivilized society wants its rules to be protected, then
wilized society has to begin, to act civilized,” said Irvin
• Joyner, criminal attorney who negotiated with inmates
>1 Central Prison in Raleigh last week to free hostages
J. Joyner, prison chaplain; David C. Atkins Jr., a
Sjard, and Hugh Martin Jr., a prison data compiler,
oyner said in a phone interview last week he was angry
that the state reneged on its promise to relocate inmates
William D. Little of Dobson, Melvin Surgeon of
Annapolis, Md., and Ezekial Hall of New York to
Petersburg, Va., and called the decision an act of racism,
and insensitivity. “I don’t agree with statements made
saying this was an act of terrorism,” he said.
Joyner pointed out that the inmates did not make
unsubstantiated claims. Racial segregation, which Joyner
said is illegal, is used in Central Prison. The inmates also
complained that there was a serious roach problem and
that guards called them “boy” or “nigger.” “Every
complaint was confirmed,” Joyner said. “Any guard or
prison official who isn’t sensitive to the implications of a
white guard calling a black inmate ‘boy’ or ‘nigger’
is unconcerned about the racial problems in the
institution.”
Statements, such as the one made by George Gardner,
executive director of N.C. Civil Liberties Union, saying
the inmates were breaking the laws of society, are an
inept analysis of the situation, Joyner said, and do not
justify the state’s action. “The inmates had no other
option open to them so they chose the only method they
could to get them out of a deplorable situation,” Joyner
said. “What someone living in a $100,000 home thinks of
this situation isn’t important. What is important is what
these inmates were feeling.”
Joyner said that prior to the event, he had not met or
heard of any of the inmates, but after spending some time
with them, he was impressed with their intellect, their
concern for the hostages and their concern for the
conditions within the institution. “They could have hurt
someone if they wanted,” Joyner said, “but they weren’t
See Page 9
The Bus System
gers who ride the bus daily, and kindness as well as a
In my brief encounter with lack of consideration. 1 was
Reporter Finds Rudeness, Recklessness
and Courtesy, Caution During Rides
Ruthell Howard
Staff Writer
*i>wcomertothetownof
J"ston-Salem who has
J le enough finding her
J T"'* '’"^-way streets
split avenues that end
Diet*** ''^‘’’*J“'''Salem and
f “P m West Winston-
tj t!”' * liadn’t bothered to
system. Bur
Ws about the condi-
wilh buses along
!en/ citi-
‘vague of passen-
An elderly lady came running across the street
toward the bus door waving her hands. She
banged on the door and the driver glanced in
her direction and reluctantly let her in.
“Whew I” she said, pulling herself up the steps.
“You almost left me.” The driver snapped
back, “I could have, ” and turned again to look
out the window.
Winston-Salem Transit hauled and thrashed
Authority bus drivers, I around like a sack of pota-
along with my fellow riders, toes as well as treated like a
was treated with respect valuable and special
passenger.
I boarded my first bus.
Bus Number Three, Happy
Hill, around 11:45 a.m. last
Wednesday. A cloud of
smoke slowly made its way
from the middle of the bus
to the front as a couple of
passengers attempted to
conceal their cigarettes.
One smoked boldly while
the driver sat staring out
the window. 1 chose a seat
near the front and scanned
the bus. Dirty paper, dis
carded cigarette butts and
chewing gum paper clutter-
See Page 2
Authority’s Ritchey
Defends Bus Operators
Photo By Stntani
Passengers board a bus at
tbe downtown stop on
Fourtb Street. Some local
residents have complained
that bus operators are
rude and reckless drivers
and buses are not clean.
By Ruthell Howard
Staff Writer
Related letter on Page Four.
“Some of the drivers are really nice,”
said Susan Walker, an elderly resident of
Winston-Salem, “but I ride with one
driver who is always rude.” Walker, who
lives at 1713 E. Fifth Street, said she
shares her car with her daughter and
usually takes the bus to and from town to
run errands. “That driver is always
inconsiderate,” she said, pointing to the
driver of a departing Happy Hill bus.
“He doesn’t wait for senior citizens to sit
down or make sure you’re off the bus
before taking off. Sometimes he’ll even
leave you if you’re not standing right at
the bus stop.”
Walker, along with several other resi
dents, feels there are serious problems in
the Winston-Salem bus system. In a
letter to the Chronicle, John D. Bennett
complained that drivers are disrespectful
of senior citizens and black commuters.
“If inconsistent scheduling, disrespect of
senior citizens and black commuters,
total disregard of the public's health and
safety and bad driving are the proper way
of doing business,” Bennett said, “then 1
respectfully submit that Winston-Salem
can do without this kind of business.”
Another Chronicle reader, who feels the
problem is not a racial one, said she had
several incidents of rudeness from both
black and white drivers, and she is very
See Page 2