OPINION
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The Chronicle
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Will Vernon Robinson ,
be more than a politician?
I t hasn't taken very long for neophyte Alderman Vernon Robinsoi
to thrust himself into local headlines. He may be getting a lot o
attention now. but in the long run. that visibility may come back t(
ha unt lunr.
At his first Board of Aldermen meeting. Robinson let it be knowr
thai he is both .1 committed Republican and a staunch supporter of th<
Winston-Salem police The police, of course, have come under tht
seiutim of main Mack people and ethnic organizations because of th<
department's use of pepper spray.
for the most part, the aldermen have been divided along racial and
political lines about the effectiveness of pepper spray and whether il
should remain a weapon in the department's arsenal. Although
Robinson is black, he is also a Republican. The two need not be mutu
ally exclusive^But Robinson has left little doubt that if he has to pick
between the two. he will choose his political party.
Robinson refuses to acknowledge that police could be motivated by
anything other than honorable intentions. Only drug addicts and disor
derly thugs will be sprayed, he argues. We'd all like to believe that.
But the statistics clearly show that in Winston-Salem, police are
mere likely to suhdue a black person with pepper spray than someone
who is not black (iood blacks. Robinson insists, have nothing to fear.
And it seems that Robinson is going out of his way not only to pledge
lus allegiance to law enforcement officers, but also to prove that he is one
of those "good blacks."
My constituency is the police department and law abiding citizens,"
says Robinson He adds that he "is not likely to have support from the
criminals' lobby
Robinson is entitled to his opinion. And that perspective may in fact
be one that is shared by the people of the South Ward who elected him
into office But he goes too far when he openly attacks another alder
m in for having an opposing point of view
I ast week. Robinson sought out local media to. as he put it, admon
ish Vivian Burke from playing politics. This is the same man who told
The Chronicle tliat an elected official could "either be on offense or
defense " Robinson, of course, said he "plans to be on offense for the
next four years "
Ilerc s what he told reporters: Mrs. Burke's attempt at taking pep
per spray from the police, the most important public safety tool since
handcuffs, her failure to support competitive compensation for police
officers, and her remarks about minority recruiting at a past graduation
all serve to weaken police morale and make it harder to recruit police
officers be they black, white, green or red."
first of all. it was Alderman Wanda Merschel. not Burke, who made
the motion to withdraw the resolution supporting police use of pepper
spray. Why isrnt Robinson attacking her?
Perhaps it's because he can garner more political points by distanc
ing himself from the other black elected officials. That tactic may score
points with other Republicans initially. But most people have a strong
displeasure for incivility I here was no reason for Robinson to attack
Burke.
Many in the black community have been more skeptical of black
Republicans than their white counterparts. And Robinson's unwarrant
ed admonishment to Burke gives them reason. After a while these ver
bal assaults will become as revolting to those in his own party as they
are to everwfhe else
We had hoped that Robinson would be a positive example of how
blacks can benefit Pom and participate in the two-party system. So far,
all Robinson has shown- us is his party loyalty.
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Who do they
represent
To the Editor,
After the autopsy report on
Warnie lee Patton was made pub
lic last Monday, members of the
Black Leadership Roundtable
proved once and for all that the
real intent behind their opposition
to the use of pepper spray is to
restrict the effectiveness of the
police department.
After the death of Warnie Lee
Patton, members of the Black
Leadership Roundtable, such as
Rep. Larry Womble, Walter
Marshall and Tatum, requested
that the Board of Aldermen place
a moratorium on - or suspend use
of - pepper spray until the official
autopsy report on exactly how
Warnie Lee Patton died was
released to the public. They made
this request during the Public
Safety Committee meeting on
Dec. 8. They said that they wanted
to be absolutely sure that the pep
per spray did not have anything to
do with Patton's death.
The report came in last
Monday and Dr. John Butts, the
state medical examiner, stated in
his report that Patton died from
cocaine abuse and that contact
with pepper spray did not play any
role in his death
Although Womble, and other
members of the Black Leadership
Roundtable said that they wanted
the use of pepper spray to be sus
pended until the report was made
public, Womble appeared on a
local television news report and
basically said that the state med
ical examiner wasn't good enough
for the Black Leadership
Roundtable and that they want
another opinion.
If Womble and the other mem
bers of the Black Leadership
Roundtable really wanted to know
the truth about whether or not
pepper spray is dangerous to use,
they would accept what the state
medical examiner reports. But
now they don't care about the
report. They don't even care about
Patton's drug problem, which ulti
mately led to his death. All they
care about is a platform to stand
on to help them restrict the police
department and they're using
Patton's tragic death to further
this agenda.
They were hoping that the state
medical examiner would say that
pepper spray did play a role in
Patton's death, thereby giving their
claim credibility. Since the report
doesn't support their claim,
they've thrown it out the wirtdow,
even though they wanted everyone
to wait for the report and respect
its conclusion initially. Now,
they're seeking confirmation
somewhere else and intend to pre
sent it to the Board of Aldermen
in March.
But exactly who is the Black
Leadership Roundtable speaking
for^on this issue? Who are they
lobbying for? Hard-working,
respectful, law-abiding members
of the black community, who pub
lic officials are sworn to protect,
are not impacted by this issue
because the police only go after
criminals and the disorderly.
Hard-working, respectful, law
abiding members of the black
community are not strung out on
drugs. Therefore, hard-working,
respectful, law-abiding members
of the black community are in no
danger of being sprayed with pep
per spray.
I think it's clear whose interests
the Black Leadership Roundtable
represent. They represent the
criminals and the disorderly in the
black community, which is why
they want to restrict the effective
ness of the police department.
Even if it means using the tragic
death of Warnie Lee Patton to do
it.
\
Ken Raymond
Kudos to Fields
for suing state
To the Editor,
I applaud Principal Larry
D. Fields of Latham Elementary
School for the civil-rights com
plaint over the ABCs of Public
Education. Principal Fields is jus
tified in protecting his faculty and
students. He is an intelligent
champion who trusts that the U.S.
Department of Education will
enforce the U.S. Constitution for
all its citizens of North Carolina.
Statisticians with the U.S.
Department of Education will
probably determine most of the
end-of-grade data as biased. The
data that did not correlate by the
N.C. Department of Public
Instruction is substantially signifi
cant to the educators at low-per
forming schools because of the
consequences. These educators
should not be penalized because
they teach predominantly disad
vantaged students.
The fact remains that there
would be better racial and socioe
conomic diversity in Forsyth
County Schools if it were not for
the present redisricting plan. I
will not apologize for the bigotry
in my neighborhood, but I will
incessantly appeal to a U.S. gov
ernment agency that does not con
done civil-rights violations and
resegregation.
Principal Fields deserves acco
lades for his courageous efforts,
which mirror our nation's pledge
of allegiance. It is great to see this
exemplary leader spreading love,
hope and benevolence to prayerful
souls.
Eugene Bailey
Volunteers make
program work
To the Editor,
I take this opportunity to
thank numerous individuals, orga
nizations and agencies for their
devotion and commitment in pro
viding services to court-ordered
juveniles through out Teen Court
and monetary restitution pro
grams. Because of their involve
ment, over 200 juveniles paid back
in excess of $12,000, performed
4,000 hours of community service,
and, best of all, have the skills to ?
avoid further involvement in the
juvenile justice system. Without
the assistance and cooperation of
our volunteers, this would not be
possible. 1
Specifically, Samaritan Soup
Kitchen, Wake Forest University,
SCAN, Prodigals Community,
STEP ONE,. Kernersville
Goodwill, Downtown Church
Center, Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools, Big Brothers/Big
Sisters, Vision Works, 2nd New
Bethel Baptist Church, attorneys
and judges, juvenile court coun
selors, the personnel at the Hall of
Justice and numerous businesses
have all made immeasurable con
tributions in creating opportuni
ties for juveniles to make better
choices.
A special thanks goes to the
Wake Forest University Law
School for providing law students
who serve as advisors for Teen
Court and the use of their facili
ties for Teen Court training.
As we all show growing con:
cern at the incidence and intensity
of escalating juvenile crime, the
many volunteers in our communi
ty who are making a significant
difference deserve a well-earned
"thanks."
?
James Blackburn
Program Manager, Restitution
Programs
Forsyth Court Volunteers
Parents Should Keep Pushing for School Involvement ?
hv (jArry burni n
"A school system without par
ents at its foundation," said Jesse
Jackson, "is like a bucket with
holes in it.
experience has taught us that
educational strategies won't hold
water unless they involve parents,
rhat's a key premise of the School
Development Process (SDP). In
place at several dozen Guilford
County schools, the SDP strives to
3uikt trust among faculty, admin
stratdrs and parents. In so doing,
t crehtes a climate that fosters stu
Jent success
I he SDP is not an add-on pro
tram A child-centered process
ohc^ived by Dr James Coiner of
he Yale Child Study ( enter.-the
IDP; recognizes that parents and
l)e community are crucial to
hange
Study after study has shown
hat : paiental involvement
nhartces student athjevement.
hat would seem sufficient reason
>r parents to get involved in their
i . v
" I r"
L
children's education. Yet, many
parents don't visit the school until
there's a problem. Some are not
only reluctant to visit the school,
but are unsure of how to offer edu
cational support at home.
Any principal will tell you,
"Parental involvement can be diffi
cult to enlist."
For years the PTA has promot
ed parental involvement and has
made valuable contributions.
However, the PTA fails to reach
some parents who are put off" by
dues, formality and fund raising.
Fortunately, several Guilford
County Schools (GCS) initiatives
share the PTA's goals. The federal
ly-funded Title I program, for
example, holds workshops and
meetings, issues a monthly parent
newsletter and organizes a parent
advisory council. The CCS Family
Resource Center offers referrals,
training, a resource library and
guide, and Infoline. a 24-hour tele
phone service on parenting issues.
The School Development
Process holds perhaps the most
promise for embracing parents
who have in the past felt marginal
ized. All parents have an open
invitation to attend parent team
meetings.
"The team allows parents to
share their knowledge about their
children and the community with
the staff, which in turn shares its
knowledge about child behavior
and learning with the parents," Dr.
Comer, explains in his book
Waiting for a Miracle.
The SDP parent team advo?
cates on behalf of the school's par
ents and works to involve parents
in every level of school activity ?
from occasional participation to
leadership.
SDP parent teams are not
membership groups and charge no
dues. Parent team leaders are
selected rather than elected. And
decisions are reached through con
sensus, not majority rule. Parent
teams do not duplicate the activi
ties of, or threaten to replace, exist
ing parent groups. Some parents,
however, are active with both par
ent teams and PTAs.
What the SDP parent team and
PTAs share is a desire to create
opportunities for parent (tarticipa
tion and minimize perched barri
ers. Applying the SDP" guiding*
principles of no-fault collabora
tion and consensus decision mak
ing. parent teams foster
child-centered, home/school part
nerships.
Though it was launched just
four years ago in Guilford County
Schools, the SDP is already mak
ing a difference. Parent teams have
not only empowered parents who
once felt disenfranchised but have
reached out to the community as
well.-Jo involve parents who can't
make it to the school, Welborn
Middle School's parent team
helped organize town meetings at
community sites. Seeking to rein
force the discipline policy, Sedalia
Elementary's parent team recruit
ed mentors and community volun
teers.
Washington Elementary's par
ent team alerted the School Board
to the need for bus service for stu
dents from Ray Warren Homes. By
state guidelines, the. public housing
community was within walking
distance of the school. The stu
dents, however, had to cross a
four-lane highway, and school
attendance dropped during
inclement weather. The parent
team and the PTA joined forces
together to address this problem.
The students now recti ve bus ser
ti1
vice.
Fairview Elementary's parent
team offers a six-week series of .
EPIC (Effective Parenting
Involving Children) twice a year.
The team also initiated an after
school program at High Point's
Southside Recreation Center and
enlisted support from the Kiwanis
club. The club sponsors a recogni
tion program to reward student
achievement and leadership.
If any lesson is to be learned
from these successes, it's that par
ents often do a better job than
school officials of involving other
parents. The SDP parent teams
have helped other parents adopt a
more global perspective, instead of
just focusing on their own chil
dren. And that benefits all chilr
dren.
Garry Burnett is a parent facili
tator for Guilford County Schools'
School Development Process. He
also serves as legislative chair for
the Guilford County Council of
PTAs. '
"Parent teams have
not only empowered
parents who once felt
disenfranchised but
have reached out to /
the community as
well"