36 Pages This Week Thursday, August 30, 1990 Winston-Salem Chronicle 'The Twin Citys Award-Winning Weekly" VOL. XVII, NO. 1 Tom Brown Health dept. closes league food stands By TRACY L. PROSSER Chronicle Staff Writer Thousands of local children who play football or cheer in the Northwest Midget Football League may be with out a league next year. Last week, the Forsyth County Department of Health closed down almost all of the organiza tions' concession stands, the source of revenue ThaTfceeps the teams equipped. ? The Forsyth County health depart ment closed the concession stands of eight of the nine, organizations because "mits or were in violation of food service codes. The Kernersville Raiders con cession stand is the only one in the ieague which can operate legally. ? Bob Whitwam, environmental^ ? health supervisor for the-Foreyth-Cotm? - ty Department of Health's division of environmental health, said the county first came across the problem with the concession stands when there was a complaint about a particular stand. They investigated the complaint and found that the stand had no permit to serve the foods they were serving. The health department then visited the other concessions and found them in violation of the taw as well. Whitwam said the county became aware of the permit violations Friday, Aug. 17. Please see page A 10 Hospice comforts terminally ill patients By PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING Chronicle Staff Writer Traditionally, African-Americans have nurtured and taken care of each other in times of sickness and trouble. Even in death, neighbor, and friends bond together to ease the pain of the family. Hospice is a concept that is very similar to that experience of sharing. It is a philosophy of care for patients and loved ones in the final stages of terminal illness. But, it is a concept with which many in the African-American community are not familiar. Hospice exists to provide support and care for persons with a limited life expectancy and for their families. What Hospice volunteers and staff do for families is enable them to bring the terminally ill patient home to his or her own surroundings to die a dig nified death through symptom and pain control with spiritual and emo tional support. Hospice endeavors to affirm life while recognizing that death is a normal process, as a natural part of life and living. Perhaps because of their unfamil iarity with the Hospice concept, many African-Americans in the area are not involved, either as volunteers or as patients. "What we're trying to do, starting Sept. 1, is recruit more black volunteers for Hospice," explained Mrs. Dorothy Kirby-Green, who is in charge of that effort Out of the 1 25 volunteers with Hospice, only five are African-American, and of the 52 Hos pice patients, nine of them are African-Americans, which is a very small percentage, given the popula tion in Winston-Salem, according to Mrs. Green. "Because many of our people do have the terminal diseases. ..why wouldn't we have many more involved with the Hospice program?" Mrs. Green asked. She feels that, once the African-American communi ty understands what Hospice is all about, the attitude will change. Mrs. Green said that Hospice is noba "welfare-type program", which is what some African -Americans may think. She added that, because Hos pice is designed to allow the terminal ly-ill patient to be taken care of at iff it I Woman charges police officer with assault By RUDY ANDERSON Chfonicte Managing Editor An attempt to get home after an evening of baking cakes and brownies became a nightmare for ^0-year-old Thelma West brook. She has charged that a Winston-Salem police officer assaulted her nearly two weeks ago for no apparent reason as she tried to make her way home.. Ms. Westbrook, a single parent and nursing student at Forsyth Technical Community College, told a warrant clerk Thursday, Aug. 23, that an Officer D.R. Williams of the Winston Salem Police Department stopped her three times around 1 a.m. near her home at 833 Willow Court in the Happy Hill Gardens community. She said that after questioning her on subsequent stops about her name, address, license, and defective operating lights on the front and back of her vehicle, Williams grabbed her and began slinging her around violently. She said he then forced her into his patrol car which caused her to injure her knee. Ms. Westbrook claimed the assault also bruised her shoulder, neck, hand, and arm. Ms. Westbrook said all she was trying to do was get home and that she wants this officer prosecuted. Police charged Ms. Westbrook with operating an unsafe i i?- r:ii . <- - ? . ~ Photo by L B. Speas Jr. From left, Emery Rann, Human Relations Director, the Rev. Carlton Eversley, pastor of Dellabrook Pres byterian Church, Alderman Vivian Burke and Thelma Westbrook leave the Police Department after filing her complaint. vehicle, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon. Lt Rick Lowder, head of the department's internal affairs division, said it would be inappropriate to discuss the case because it was a personnel matter and still under investigation by internal affairs. Officer Williams did not return the Chronicle's phone inquiries. But a 21 -page copy of a handwritten statement read by Ms. Westbrook to investigating officers Wednesday, Aug. 22, sheds some light on what happened early Friday morning, Aug. 17. in the statement Ms. Westbrook said she had been baking cakes and brownies at a friend's house for a family picnic. She said when she arrived at the comer of Pitts and Free Streets about 12:50 a.m., she noticed the street was blocked by police officers and by a police car. The statement read that before crossing Free Street she sat in her car, a brown Buick Electra, for about five - minutes then turned on her high beam lights to get a good look at the crowd of eight to ten people standing on the right side of the street. "They were talking to a tall white police officer," she wrote. She continued that once she made sure "tfcy weren't shoot ing or fighting" she drove across the street to the other comer of Pitts Street but couldn't go any further. She wrote, "While sitting Please see page A10 NO TOXIC WASTE! Photo by L B Speas Jr. Linda Williams, Jan Myers and Cathy Colllcutt protest a proposal to build a hazardous waste incinerator in Iredell County, 35 miles downwind of Winston-Salem. The protest was held Tuesday, Aug. 28, outside the Stouffer Win ston Plaza, where Gov. Jim Martin was attending a fund raiser for N.C. Senate candidate Ken Bell. i m Photo by L B Speas Jr The Hospice team members who assist in the home care of Mr. Wash Byrd, seated, are, standing from left: Jack Strickling, Hospice volunteer, Mrs. Freda Redmond, Hospice nurse, Mrs. Byrd and Mrs. Manu Oongre, Hospice social worker. home, some families may fear being pain," she said. "Bui, that's what Has able to cope. "Sometimes, family picc is for.. .making the patient com mcmbcrs don't want to bring patients fortablc," she added. home because they are afraid that the person will be screaming out with Pfease see page A 1 1 McCarters struggle for proper zoning Special Occasions in violation By PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING Chronicle Start Writer * When Ed and Miriam McCaner held the grand open ing of their floral shop and book store, Special Occasions, the one thing that was missing from the surroundings was the signage that would highlight the store, conveniently ~foraied~arthmexur of Martiiv Luther King Drive an