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COMMEMIY
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
Vol. XXVII No. 10
110 062201 **********‘S-dIGIT 275
SERIALS DERARTOEMT
CB #3938 DAVIS LIBRARY
UNO CHAPEL HILL
CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-8890
hoice for African American News
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2
rmen put
iscussion
solution
:er
ay of the more than one dozen
iponents, the Board of Aldermen
Monday night a resolution that
i moratorium on capital punish-
*^arolina.
!ve Whiton moved “no considera-
olution, which is being proposed
elson Malloy. When an alderman
moves “no consideration” on
an item, it’s automatically
halted for the current meeting
and moved to the next board
meeting.
Whiton cited the absence
of Alderman Vernon Robin
son, who usually votes with
Whiton on issues, as one rea
son why discussion about the
resolution should be delayed.
But Whiton also said he does
not believe the death penalty
municipal bodies should be dis-
St it ought to be before this body,”
e who have a concern should be
evances to the governor and (leg-
igh.”
he knew that Robinson would not
meeting. According to Whiton,
1 California.
jlution is similar to those passed
ity councils in North Carolina,
the resolution does not take a pro
n capital punishment, but simply
: government officials to halt cap-
until it can be thoroughly investi-
ontend that the punishment is
I and especially harsh toward
ans.
that if the system does need
in favor of doing that, but not by
orium resolution,
eviewing the system, if there are in
_ in it,” he said. “(Legislators) can
issue of capital punishment) with-
of things.”
Whiton’s arguments were flawed,
olution, if passed, would be for-
officials as well as national elected
ishment is the business of cities
loy said.
uncil person or alderman, we rep-
e on death row. They are our con-
oy said.
olution is jam-packed with statis-
the nation that shine a negative
th penalty.
there are inaccuracies in the reso-
much of the information in the
taken from resolutions already
:ity councils of Greensboro and
)se who came to support the pas-
ilution were thrown for a loop by
Photo by Paul Collins
Rev. Sandra Thigpen gives a talk abaut her work with Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministries.
The forgotten population: people
bound by physicakff d spiritual bars
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
At times it seemed like a
revival as Rev. Sandra Thigpen,
assistant senior chaplain of
Forsyth Jail and Prison Min
istries, talked about her work,
during a training seminar last
Thursday night at Galilee Mis
sionary Baptist Church.
She spoke with emotion. She
moved her hands about and
occasionally stood on her tiptoes
as she told the audience of about
15-20 people that we all probably
deserve to be in jail, had we been
caught for our wrongdoings, and
that everyone is a sinner. She also
said many people in jail and
prison come from unfortunate
circumstances, such as poverty,
lack of education, or perhaps
having been raised in a home
where they didn’t have loving and
supportive parents.
Here is part of what she said:
“Sometimes we don’t need to
preach a sermon; we just need to
be a sermon.
“And when we are a sermon,
others can read us very clear
ly.... When they see Jesus, they
want to know what we have. Is
that not so?....
“So I am here to talk to you
about a population that’s often
forgotten, a population that’s
often thrown away, a population
that Jesus took very seriously. He
said...”I was in prison and you
visited Me. And when you’ve
done it unto the least of these,
you’ve done it unto me.’
“People that are incarcerated
are incarcerated for sin. All have
sinned and come short of the
glory of God....We are just
blessed ... because we didn’t get
caught. There are things that we
have done and things that we are
still doing that could put us
See The 'forgotten' on A9
Hunt supporters
want governor to
commute sentence
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Black turnout good locally
See Aldermen on A10
FROM STAFF REPORTS
All indications are that
African Americans answered this
year’s massive call to head to the
polls. Black turnout was high
throughout the land. According
to the Associated Press, turnout
among African Americans may
have been above the 1996 rate.
Locally, long lines were
reported at heavily African-
American precincts throughout
the day. Lines at the Winston
Lake Family YMCA were said to
be out of the door at about the
time polls opened at 6:30 a.m.
Thirty-minute-long waits were
reported at the Brown Douglas
precinct on Indiana Avenue.
Enthusiasm could also be
gauged by the number of calls
received by local groups that pro
vided rides to the polls. The local
chapter of the Alpha Kappa
Alpha sorority not only provided
rides to the polls, but also sent
members to housing develop
ments to knock on doors to
remind people to vote.
The effort had already paid off
big by 11 a.m., according to Vir
ginia Newell. Calls were for rides
were strong and door-knockers
were able to get many people to
the polls who had not planned to
go, she said.
The issues that turned out the
black vote were diverse. Seme
cited judicial races featuring well-
known African Americans; oth
ers were spurred by the city and
university bonds. But many oth
ers cited the presidential race.
While the presidential race
remained a see-saw Wednesday
morning, many state and local
officials were celebrating.
Among those were Judge
James Wynn, who was declared
See Black on A4
A rally and fund-raiser for Darryl Hunt last
week drew more than 100 people and raised
more than $300 for Hunt’s defense fund.
The event was held by supporters of Hunt,
who was originally convicted in 1985 in the rape
and death of a newspaper copy editor. Hunt was
retried in 1990 and again convicted of the
crimes. He is serving a life sentence.
Locally, Hunt has come to symbolize the
plight of of the wrongfully convicted for many
people. Supporters have argued that prosecutors
never had substantial evidence to convict Hunt.
Many of them thought Hunt would be free after
a DNA test in 1994 100 percent excluded Hunt
from the crime.
But the state and U.S. supreme courts have
refused to hear Hunt’s case.
“We have lost with all of our legal options,
now that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to
hear the case. Our hope now is to get the gover
nor (Jim Hunt) to commute his sentence,” said
the Rev. Carlton Eversley, one of several Hunt
supporters who spoke at the rally.
Hunt supporters have begun to circulate a
petition in favor of Hunt’s sentence being com
muted. Thousands are expected to sign the peti
tion, which will then be delivered to the gover
nor, supporters said.
Eversley said supporters have also had con
versations with people in Forsyth County who
are close to the governor. Many of those people
will lobby the governor on Darryl Hunt’s
behalf
State Rep. Larry Womble spoke in support
of Hunt at the rally and said he will work to see
that justice is done in the Hunt case. Other
speakers included Hunt’s longtime defense
attorney, S. Mark Rabil, and Larry Little, a
Winston-Salem State University professor and
an old friend of Hunt’s.
Rich Rosen, a law expert at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was also on
hand. Hunt’s new bride was also at the rally,
thanking those on hand for not forgetting about
Hunt, who has been through many twists and
turns over the past 15 years.
Alderman Nelson Malloy read a letter from
Hunt. In the letter. Hunt also extended thanks
to his supporters.
“He made an analogy in the letter that really
stuck with me: He said this whole situation has
been like rain in his life, but he said his ark, his
shelter from the rain, has been the people who
have supported him over the years,” Malloy*;
said. , :
Malloy said Hunt is remaining strong and
confident that justice will prevail. Malloy said
this is the end of the road with the case and sup
porters are moving full speed ahead.
“We are praying and hoping that Gov. Hunt
will have the fortitude to do what is right,” Malu
loy said. “He was convicted on evidence that
was more than suspect and then the DNA didn’t
match.”
Some at the rally criticized Mike Easley for
See Hunt on A10
Classmates say farewell to Nyoka Hill
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Photo by Kevin Walker
well-wisher as other
Hard lessons are taught in school
every day. But for students at Mineral
Springs Elementary School, the real-
life subject of life and death has been
hard to absorb.
Six-year-old Nyoka Hill, a first-
grader at the school, was struck by a
van Oct. 20 as she rode her bike near
her house on Victoria Street. The child
died later that day after doctors could
not stop internal bleeding.
Two weeks after the tragedy,
Nyoka’s classmates and school staff
held a sweet and simple outdoor cere
mony in her honor. Nyoka was saluted
in song and remembered with kind
words as many members of the girl’s
family stood assembled in a cluster,
clasping one another’s hands and occa
sionally drying their eyes
The event culminated with dedica
tion of a tree in Nyoka’s memory.
The tree is in front of the school,
where children are dropped off and
picked up each day by their parents.
School officials say the tree will ensure
that a part of Nyoka will remain at the
school for years to come.
After the ceremony, Ann Makover,
Nyoka’s teacher, said that the she has
tried to keep the class happy and
upbeat by talking about the good times
they all had with Nyoka.
“She took us all under her wing,”
Makover said of the girl.
“Everyone was her best friend.”
Nyoka was struck soon after return
ing from school on that Friday.
Social workers and psychiatrists
were on hand at the school on Monday
to help students cope, although most of
them already had heard about Nyoka’s
death. Makover and others contacted
the parents of each student in the class
over that weekend.
See Hill on A10
Nyoka Hill
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