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Thursday, August 24, 1989
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-Salem Chronicle
"The Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly"
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VOL. XV, No. 52
Gunmen ruin
family festival
Children, adults take cover .
under apparent gang attack
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
John and Debra Hunter are on a mission to
unite and better the city's predominantly Afro
American neighborhoods by teaching children and
their parents Biblical and traditional morals.
On Sunday night their mission was interrupted
as the Hunters and the 50 children attending a film
festival in their front yard had to hit the ground ancL_
take cover from flying bullets.
"Sundaynight we^were xlosing out our family
film festival and we had refreshments, snacks and
drinks for the 50 youth who were here," Mr. Hunter
explained. "We had the equipment set up in our
front yard. At about 10:30 about four car loads of
guys pulled up at the corner of Ansonia and Short
streets and they had shot guns, rifles and something
that looked like a machine gun.
"One of the guys said, Where is he?' like they
were looking for somebody. That guy started com
ing towards0 the house until one of the other brothers
told him there were kids over here. Then this guy
began shooting. That's when I told the kids to get
down and take cover." ? ..
About two to three police squad cars arrived on
the scene and Mr. and Mrs. Hunter gathered the
children and hurried into the house and, hopefully,
Photo by Mike Cunningham
John L. Hunter explains how he and his family (from left) Debra, Johnnel! and Debraille had to
take cover from flying bullets in front of his home at 2531 Ansonia St. Sunday night.
hard."
After about 30 minutes the commotion died
down and Mr. Hunter said he thought he could
safety, he said.
"My wife took the girls into voom and
the boys and I were in here, the living roOnIT he
explained. "All of us laying on our bellies as guns
were going off everywhere. We started praying real
Please see page A 1 1
Post added
to decrease
learning gap
By ANGELA WRIGHT
Chronicle Managing Editor
Details are sketchy, but a newly created posi
tion in the city/county school system is designed to
increase the achievement levels of minority and
average students, according to school officials.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of
Education approved a budget request Monday from
Superintendent Larry D. Coble that included provi
sions for more than 70 new positions. One of the
. new slots is for a director of minority/average child
achievement.
"We have been looking at the gap between the
test scores of black and white students," said Dr.
Coble. "We're going to try to find someone who
knows about the delivery of instructional services
and the way children learn. We're looking for some
one who can advise us on learning styles and the
use of technology."
In making his recommendation to the board's
budget, finance and audit committee Monday, prior
to the full board meeting, Dr. Coble issued a state
ment which read in part: "This school system could,
thru a consistent plan aimed at some of the prob
lems fqr minorities and impoverished students,
design a plan that trains administrators and teachers
toward better teaching methods for these groups.
Unless we* come up with a plan, many black and
Please see page A 1 1
Roadway proposal incites stiff opposition from SE residents
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronide Staff Writer
Residents in southeast Winston-Salem rallied together Monday
night in opposition to a roadway' proposal that would force the city to
demolish at least 15 houses.
City staff proposed that the Board of Aldermen approve a project to
widen Clemmonsville Road to five lanes or build a new road along the
north side of Woodcote Street between U.S. 311 and Old Lexington
Road. Both projects would cost about the same, $2.2 million.
One of the roadway projects is needed because state officials plan
to close ramps at the Old Lexington Road exit sometime next year to
meet federal spacing requirement standards. The state has agreed to put
up $ 1 .5 rtiillion for either project.
If the city opts to widen Clemmonsville Road, nine homeowners
would have to be relocated and their homes demolished. The proposal
. . .And it was a good week!
$1 ,000,000 brought in by festival
h By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Chronicle Staff Writer
Larry Leon Hamlin is
whistling a happy tune in the
wake of last week's National
Black Theatre Festival, and he's
whistling it to the tune of $1 mil
lion.
Mr. Hamlin said Wednesday
that, although the paperwork from
the festival still is being complet
ed, early indications are that the
festival "generated about $1 mil
lion." And that figure, he said,
does not even take into account
the additional revenue generated
in the local community. Mr. Ham
lin, the festival's producer, said
that he expects that all of the
goods and services consumed by
festival participants produced an
additional $1 million in the local
community.
The management at the Stouf
fer Winston Plaza Hotel, which
served as the official headquarters
for the six-day festival, was more
than pleased with the impact the
festival had on its monthly vol
ume of business.
"It was spectacular. It was
nothing less than spectacular for
this hotel," said Thomas L. Marel
lo, general manager of the hotel.
"It absolutely made a major
impact on our month from a rev
enue and occupancy standpoint."
Mr. Marello said that the fes
tival crowd was larger than antici
pated and the volume of guests
pushed the hotel's occupancy rate
to well over 90 percent: He fcaid,
also, that the hotel staff was at 100
percent.
Early in the week, some of
the festival's workshops were
drawing larger than anticipated
audiences and meeting room
schedules were reworked to
accommodate the crowds.
"It far exceeded any of our
expectations. We expected no
more than 50 people at each work
shop, but the Tuesday workshop
was full and we had to start rear
ranging things," said Pat Degraf
finreaidt, the hotel's catering sales
manager. "I guess you just can't
describe just how tremendous the
response was to this entire event."
Mr. Hamlin admitted that the
turnout for the festival exceeded
even his expectations. But he said
he feels the festival remained true
to its purpose of uniting black the
ater companies from across the
country and celebrating their
to build a new road along Woodcote Street in the Easton Community
would require the city wiping out 14 homes on the north side of that
street.
Residents weren't pleased with either proposal and some suggested
"It seems to me that the people we vote in think more of
business than the people that voted them in."
? Calvin Campbell
that the city buy out the whole community and rezone it for industry.
"There seems to be a big emphasis on access for the AT&T build
ing," said Calvin Campbell of 750 E. Clemmonsville Road. "AT&T will
be closed completely down in December. What plan does the city have
for that plant."
J. Allen Joines, city development director, said the property on Old
Lexington Road is bemgrrctively marketed by many business-recruiting
Photo by Mike Cunningham
Larry Leon Hamlin, festival producer, and actress Cicely Tyson
discuss the merits of black theatre during last week's festival.
mutual spirit. founder and artistic. director of the
"I think we certainly had a t North Carolina Black Repertory*
special bonding among the theater Co. "But f think it had a way of
companies in a very profound
way," said Mr. Hamlin, the Please see page A11
agencies in the city.
Rick L. Weddle, president of Winston-Salem Business Inc., said the
Woodcote road construction plan is tjie city's best bet. Mr. Weddle's
company is the primary economic recruiter in Forsyth County.
"We think that it's absolutely imperative that good vehicular access
be to this location if were are going to bring businesses to that facility,**
Mr. Weddle told aldermen.
Alderman Vivian H. Burke asked Mr. Weddle if any company had
expressed interest in locating in the AT&T building. He did not name a
company but said "it's a very difficult facility to sell because it's so very
large, so very unique. It will take all the tricks we have and all the help
we can muster up."
Mr. Campbell said many of his neighbors are retired, have their
homes paid for and don't want to move.
Please see page A 11
Local woman files suit
against Greyhound Inc.
By ANGELA WRIGHT
Chronicle Managing Editor
A woman who says she and her two daughters were forced to ride
in the back of a bus because they are Afro- Americans is seeking dam
ages against Greyhound Lines Inc. for violations of her civil rights.
Vickie H. Hairston barely beat a three year statute of limitations
when she filed her complaint last week in Forsyth County Superior
Court.
The alleged incident took place in August 1986 as Mrs. Hairston
and her daughters, Jemithra and Joy (then 1 1 and 4 years old), were
making a cross-country trip to Portland, Oregon.
Mrs. Hairston said she and her daughters had boarded a Greyhound
bus in Winston-Salem on Aug. 15 and had arrived in Cheyenne,
Wyoming on Aug. 17. She said that a new driver boarded the bus in
Cheyenne and that while traveling from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Rawl
ings, Wyomihg the bus driver harassed her and her children.
"When he started his route, he took my tickets and asked me why I
had so many," said Mrs. Hairston. "I explained to him that I was travel
ing across country. He told me to wait until all the others had boarded
the bus, then when he told me to get on aifci he returned my tickcts,
they were all in disarray."
Mrs. Hairston said she and her daughters sat behind the driver. She
said the driver kept fumbling with his rear view mirror and muttering to
himself.
"Then he began eating sunflower seeds," said Mrs. Hairston, "and
opened the side window and spat them out so the seeds were flying
back into our faces." Mrs. Hairston said that the driver also told her II
year-old daughter that she could not chew her gum.
Mrs. Hairstbfi said she dismissed all of the driver's actions until the
driver told her he wished to talk with her when they got to a rest stop in
Rawlings, Wyoming.
Please see page A 1 0