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? . CWCH MIKE PENNINGTON I fiUfi/MlND HIGH SCHOOL \ I ? \ . Photo by Bruce Chapman Coach Mike Pennington answers questions after the game. Parkland from page A J relax and play ball. I thought all along that we were a better team than they were. No disrespect to them, but I thought we were a more complete team." The Mustangs showed that the rest of the half and the game. Parkland displayed its unselfish style of play in the first half and was able to beat back several challenges by the Fal cons. After the action went back and forth through the game's opening minutes, the Mustangs were able to put some distance between themselves and West Rowan at the end of first quarter and led 24-18. Parkland had six players to scratch in the score book in the period while West Rowan was diminished to a one man gang. Frank Williams of West Rowan got the Falcons off to a flying start, but Scooter Sherrill took over from there and put on a show for the crowd. However, after West Rowan rallied to take a 34-32 lead at the 4:21 mark, Sherrill and his team mates went cold and Parkland's reserves came up big. Isaiah and Banner provided key steals and timely offensive bursts. Gathings also got his lowpost game going. He caused the bigger Fal cons all kinds of problems in the final minutes of the half. He had nine of the Mustangs' 11 points during a two minute stretch and the Mustangs were able to get a comfortable working margin. West Rowan scored only once in the final 2:32 and that came on Sherrill's two free throws with 5.1 seconds left in the half to cut Parkland's lead to 49-38. He was called for a technical foul on his drive to the basket, however. After he made his free throws, Gathings hit both free throws and Isaiah made a follow shot just before the buzzer to give his team a 53-48 lead at the half. Parkland, having a height disadvantage, managed 26 points in the paint in the first half and West Rowan scored 16. Gathings nearly matched Sher rill's 21 first half points. He scored 20 on seven of 10 shoot ing from the field. Sherrill made seven of 15. In the second half, Sherrill struggled to find his shpt. After getting nine points in the open ing minutes, he had little success the rest of the way and finished with 33 ppints on 10-of-27 shooting from the field. Parkland, meanwhile rolled on offense. Crawford's game finally came around and the Fal cons had no answer for his pene trating moves to the basket. They also didn't find a way to stop the silky-smooth Gathings from working his way free inside for key shots. For the game, Parkland held a distinct advantage in field goal percentage. The Mustangs made 43 of 74 shots, while West Rowan was only 28 of 72. The Mustangs, controlled the back boards on both ends. Parkland had 53 rebounds and West Rowan managed only 32. /The Mustangs doubled the Falcons' rebounding total, grasping 30 to West Rowan's 15. Brutality ! from page AI { "Our nation's police officers every day put their lives on the line for the rest of us," Clinton said. "But I have been deeply disturbed by recent allegations of Serious police misconduct and continued reports of racial profiling that have shaken some communities' faith in the police who are there to protect them." The Initiative proposes an additional* $40 million in funding to improve police training nation wide. Clinton called for an addi tional $2 million to help police departments recruit more minori ties. "Police departments ought to reflect the diversity of the commu nities they serve," the president said. The plan also calls for widen ing the community policing pro gram and increasing the number of police officers on the streets. Clinton's proposal came short ly after Kweisi Mfume, the nation al president of the NAACP. wrote the president asking him to address the issue. Mfume was moved to write Clinton after a rash of well publicized incidents of police misconduct. In his letter, Mfume described the nation as being in a state of ' emergency. "It's time to stop the tears of the families of police brutality vic tims," he said." At about the same time that Mfume was penning his letter, thousands of African. American protesters descended on Wall Street in New York City to protest the shooting death of African immigrant Amadou Diallo at the hands of New York City police officers. Diallo, who was unarmed, was shot more than 40 times by four white officers who reportedly mistook him for a suspect. Residents in Riverside, Calif., are similarly outraged after a woman there was killed by police officers under similar circum stances. The Justice Department is reviewing the police department in the nation's capital after questions arose about how frequent D.C. cops use deadly force. And states like New Jersey and Washington are currently considering legisla tion that would require law enforcement officers to keep track of the race of the people they pull over for traffic stops. The numbers would be used to combat so-called racial profiling, when law enforce ment target minorities for traffic stops simply because of the color of their skin. A similar bill - sponsored by N.C. Sen. Frank Ballance. ( D Warrenton ) - was just approved by the North Carolina General Assembly. Highway patrol officers will now be required to note the race of each person they pull over. The president of the Winston Salem chapter of the NAACP says tie thinks Clinton's proposal is 'okay" but that it should have come two years ago when the nation's crime rate was beginning to go down and the number of police officers was going up. Bill Tatum said 15 to 20 per cent of all the cases reported to the local NAACP come from minori ties who feel they have been mis treated by the police. He said when the organization does decide to investigate a case of police miscon duct, they are careful not to indict the entire department. "We try to give them the bene fit ot the doubt as an organization because as a community we need their protection," Tatum said. He added that the most popu lar complaint that minorities lodge against the local police has to do more with the issue of respect than excessive force. Tatum does not object to the money Clinton pro poses to aid police departments with training, but he added that departments may have to take additional steps, including increas ing the focus on minority recruit ment, to bridge the divide. "Once some of them have those negative stereotypes built up inside of them, you can't train it out of them," he said. The Winston-Salem Police Department is facing the same problem of departments around the nation. In a city that is more than 40 percent African American, black officers make up a little bit more than 19 percent of the department's officers. According to a report released recently, police departments throughout the state of 'South Carolina sorely lack a minority presence. -?eventy-seven percent of all law enforcement officers in the state are white, the report states. - The nation s largest depart ments are nbt immune to the prob lem, according to a report by The New York Times. Sixty-seven per cent of the officers on the NYC police force are white, although the city has a white population of only 43 percent. The WSPD says that it has inade a strong effort to increase the department's diversi ty, even holding special minbrity recruitment fairs. But many people of all races are by-passing careers in law enforcement to pursue jobs that offer more safety and more money. Tatum said perception may be a part of the reason why some blacks avoid the profession.' Blacks are not promoted as frequently and are fired at higher rates than whites at departments around country, Tatum said. They (blacks) hear about what's going on with these depart ments and they aren't willing to get involved in that process," he said. Although Capt. Patricia Norris of the Winstoq-Salem Police Department wasn't familiar with the particulars of Clinton's pro posal, she said the department welcomes any effort that will help it build better relationships with ' the community. t "We don't just need black 1 recruits, we need minority offi- ] cers," she said. "In order to match < the inner city of Winston-Salem, we need black and Hispanic offi- 1 cers." The department upholds the highest standards for officers and takes allegations of police miscon duct very seriously, she said. "It is always a pleasure to work with people in the community, (especially) when people respect what we do and feel comfortable with us," Norris said. NOrris said she is not blind to the fact that police misconduct does occur; she says the very nature of police work also fosters hard feelings between law enforce ment and the public. "It is never a pretty sight to see someone arrested," she said. "There is no way we can dress that up." She added that often police officers are just as outraged when one of their own is involved in a brutality or misconduct case. Norris said "it just makes (her) angry that there are folks out there" who don't honor the uni- . form "There is always a good way to do something and a better way to do something," she said. "Officers must always conduct themselves with pride and integrity." One of the Winston-Salem Police Department's strongest allies believe's that Clinton's initia tive is totally misguided. "The president is confused as usual." South Ward Alderman Vernon Robinson said. "Police are not the major problem for black Americans, criminals are. How many black people have been killed by the police and how many have been killed by thugs? We need to have our priorities in order." Robinson also questions why a federal initiative is needed to cor rect the problems that should be handled on a state and local level. "My constituents don't tell me that we need more police sensitivi ty training. They say we need more police." Robinson said. "The gov ernment is deaf." Although he did say that it is 'unfortunate when police break the law," Robinson said more like ly than not community leaders cry police brutality when it does not ;xist. He pointed to the case of Warnie Lee Patton who died on Oct. 25, 1997 after been arrested and sprayed with pepper spray by Winston-Salem police ofTicers-The Patton family claim that his death was suspicious and that police mis conduct may have played a part. A 220 page report from Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith and a 750-page report from the State Bureau of Investi gations both state that.Patton died because of the cocaine level in his body. "(Community) activists are damaging the reputation of the police department for their own political gain," Robinson said. But Tatum says the problem is real and it's alive. He says for police departments to truly build better relations with minority groups it will take more than pleas from the president and a multi million dollar federal initiative. It will take a serious effort from both sides, Tatum said. "They are people just like we are. They have a job to do," he said. "I would give our police department a C+. They do a good job even though there are a few bad apples." The Associated Press con tributed to this story. , beware!!! Termite Season Cali Triad Pest Control 1535 S. Martin Luther King Drive Winston-Salem, NC Announcing the LAW OFFICES OF PATRICK G. 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