Hispanics, blacks share concerns about cops , housing
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Last week's Beyond Soul
and Salsa forum was yet
another lively discussion
addressing issues that affect
- and afflict - African
American and Hispanic com
munities.
It was the seventh such
forum held since 2005 by the
city's Human Relations
Commission, which is
actively seeking to dispel
stereotypes and misconcep
tions between the two com
munities. Although they
often share the same neigh
borhoods and struggles, the
relationship between "blacks
and browns" has been distant
and sometimes hostile.
There have been sparks at
past forums as blacks, for
example, have accused
Hispanics of hoarding servic
es and jobs, and Hispanics
have labeled blacks unpro
ductive and disrespectful.
Last week's forum - held
Sept. 24 at Sprague Street
Recreation Center - was
informative and spirited
rather than contentious.
One issue cleared up by
City Council Member Evelyn
Terry, whose Southeast Ward
is the city's most racially
diverse, is the misconception
that Winston-Salem Police
officers have the authority to
question Hispanics about
their U.S. residency status.
Terry said Police Chief Scott
Cunningham has made it
clear that his department is
not in the immigration
enforcement business.
"Not at all," said Terry,
who insisted law abiding
Hispanics have nothing to
fear from the police.
The Rev. ^ermin
Bocanegra, pastor of Iglesia
mCMAMBRIUD
I 1
Photo by Todd Luck
Forum panelists (from left) were Alvin Atkinson, Molly Beacham, Rev. Fermin Bocanegra
and Gordon Patterson.
Cristiana Wesleyana in
Kernersville, said there are
other reasons for Hispanics
to be leery of cops. He said
he has had several instances
where he was pulled over and
his vehicle was searched by
police for no reason. An
African-American woman in
the audience stood up and
said that wasn't unique to
Hispanics. She said her hus
band had been pulled over
and had his vehicle searched
several times.
There were other prob
lems shared by both groups
that came out during the
forum, which focused on
gangs, voting, immigration
and home foreclosures.
Alvin Atkinson, the inter
im executive director of
Winston-Salem State
University's Center for
Community Safety, sounded
the alarm about the growing
incidents of gang violence.
He said the number of gangs
and their influence on other
young people is expanding
rapidly.
"Unless we can really put
in the kinds of prevention
and intervention program
ming to go along with the
suppression that goes along
with what law enforcement
does, we're really not going
to stem that tide,** said
Atkinson.
Molly Beacham, of
Democracy North Carolina,
talked about the importance
of voting in upcoming elec
tion.
Gordon Patterson of the
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
(HUD) talked about housing
issues. His department deals
with discrimination claims in
housing. He said its been
hard to prove racial discrimi
nation with predatory lend
ing and sub-prime loans,
which have resulted in
droves of foreclosures.
"There are no doubts that
statistics show that minority
neighborhoods are hit hard
est by this mortgage crisis
and by predatory lending,
sub-prime loans in general,"
said Patterson.
Bocanegra railed against
immigration policies, which
he says has many Hispanics
living in fear. He said a path
to citizenship should be
instated by elected officials.
"1 want a reform. 1 pray
for a reform. 1 hope for a
reform that will be humane,
just, that can look at each one
as a human being," said
Bocanegra.
Wanda Allen-Abraha,
with the head of the Human
Relations Department, said
that demand to continue the
series is strong.
"Every time we think
we're finished, we get a
request from several people
to say 'Please don't stop
now, the issues are on
going,'" she said.
Future forums will likely
be done with new modera
tors. Longtime moderator
Stephen Hairston will end his
term as president of the
Winston-Salem Branch of the
NAACP in December, and
co-moderator Juan Suarez's
term as chair of the Human
Relations Commission will
also end.
News
Clips
Johnson will be A&T's fall
graduation speaker
Greensboro Mayor
Yvonne J. Johnson will be
the keynote speaker for
North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical State
University's Fall
Convocation at 10 a.m. on
Thursday, ? Oct. ? 9, ? in
Harrison Auditorium on the
school's campus.
Johnson, a Greensboro
native and Aggie alumnae
who began her political
career as a city council
member in 1993, will also
be the grand marshall for
the university's homecom
ing parade on Saturday, Oct.
11, at 8 a.m.
A&T's Fall Convocation
is free and open to the pub
lic.
Scouts selling popcorn
Thousands of Cub
Scouts and Boy Scouts in
the Old Hickory Council,
which serves an eight-coun
ty area in northwestern
North Carolina, will be out
knocking on doors through
Oct. 26, taking orders for
gourmet popcorn products
in what has become an
annual million dollar sale.
Orders placed for the
eleven different popcorn
products, including tradi
tional butter microwave,
cheese corn, caramel corn
and others, will be arriving
in early November and
should be delivered to cus
tomers by Thanksgiving.
More than 70 percent of
the purchase price of the
popcorn goes to local
Scouting activities and
helps Scouts do things like
attend summer camp, pur
chase camping equipment,
buy merit badges and gener
ally fund their pack and
troop programs for the com
ing year.
Consumers are asked to
contact their local Scouting
unit to place their order or
call the Old Hickory
Council at 336-760-2900 to
find out where they can pur
chase popcorn to support
Scouting.
For more information
about local Scouting you
.can go to
www.oldhickory council .org
Woods graduates from Air
Force training
Air Force Airman
Ricarlo D. Woods has grad
uated from basic military
training at Lackland Air
Force Base, San Antonio,
Texas.
During the six weeks of
training, the airman studied
the Air
Force
mission,
organiza
tion, and
military
customs
and cour
t e s i e s ;
per
formed
drill and
Airman Woods
ceremony marches, and
received physical training,
rifle marksmanship, field
training exercises, and spe
cial training in human rela
tions.
In addition, airmen who
complete basic training earn
credits toward an associate
in applied science degree
through the Community
College of the Air Force.
Woods is the son of
Gloria Woods of Winston
Salem, and a 2001 graduate
of East Forsyth High,
School.
Brian Piccolo Golf Tourney
Wake Forest University
students, alumni, faculty and
staff will compete in a golf
tournament Oct. 4 at
Tanglewood Parte to raise
money for the Brian Piccolo
Cancer, Drive. The tourna
ment is sponsored by the
Theta Chi fraternity and the
Interfratemity Council.
"Every person in the
community has either known
someone who had or has can
cer, or has had it themselves,"
says Taylor Donn^r, a junior
at Wake Forest and member
of Theta Chi. "The Brian
Piccolo events are great for
raising money for cancer
research because each event
really does try to get the
entire campus involved."
The 18-hole tournament
will begin at 1 p.m. at the
Reynolds Course at
Tanglewood Park. All pro
ceeds will go to the Wake
Forest Cancer Research
Center.
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