After dismal
year, N.C. GOP
chair won't
seek re-election
CHRONICLE STAFF RHPORT
Linda Daves, chair of the
North Carolina Republican
Party, announced last week
that she will not seek re
elect km to the post.
Last year was not a good
one for the "N.C. GOP. In
April, even Republican
Presidential Hopeful John
McCain criticized the party
for running an ad that
emphasized Barack Obama's
ties to his former controver
sial pastor, the Rev Jeremiah
Wright .
The party had tried to use
the ad to discredit Be\
Perdue and Ricahard Moore,
two Democrats locked in a
tight race for- the party 's
nomination for governor.
The ad stressed that both had
endorsed Obama.
That ad and little else did
anything to help N.C.
Republicans in 2008. Obama
won "the state, becoming the
first Democrat to win N.C.
in a presidential contest in
more than two decades.
Perdue was elected governor
over Republican Ptit
McCroy. GOP favorite Sen
Elizabeth Dole was also
ousted from office by new
comer Kay Hagan.
In a statement. Daves
thanked the party faithful for
Linda Daves
the opportunity to lead the
GOP for the past two years
"1 think it is good and
healthy for an organization
to have fresh, new leadership
periodically At the conclu
sion of my term in June. I
will step aside and allow
someone else the honor and
responsibility of guiding this
party into the future," she
vud "I am an activist, and 1
will continue my work with
candidates and Republican
leaders across North
Carolina to ensure our
progress forward and to
advocate for conservative
fiscal and social policies."
The North Carolina
-Republican Party will elect a
new chairman at the 2009
NCGOP Convention in
Raleigh in June.
Census
from pdite A1
door work will require many
more workers next year. Not
counting people in a census
can he costly.
"Each person lost that we
nuss counting, over a ten year
period, our county loses
$27,862 per person." said
Loyd "And that's a lot of
funds if w e miss a lot of peo
ple being counted "
Ken White, the area cen
sus office manager, said its
not just the government that
is concerned with census
;numbers. A business looking
to :move into an area looks at
census numbers to determine
if the population 'will meet its
needs . He said the statistics
Oakland
Jnm pag e A3
charges." she said. "1 don't
know what degree. 1 don't
practice law. but you cannot
see a video like that and
think that there shouldn't be
some criminal charges
brought against that particu
gathered affect every area of
people's lives.
"It's probably the most
important way to provide
input in our democracy other
than voting." said White.
"The voting is who you want
to represent you. the census
determines who you are.
w here you live and what your
needs are so the government
can help you.''
White said the biggest
challenge in the count is enu
merating people who speak
English as a second language
and that workers with bilin
gual skills are in need to
reach those populations.
To apply for a local job
with the census, call 1-866
86 1-2010. ? -v
lar police person."
The BART Police
Officers Association issued a
statement of condolence
Saturda\ to Grant's family
and said the union w as work
ing with investigators to
"ensure that appropriate pro
tocols are- in place so this
type of incident never hap
pens again."
Meek
fr<>m ;hhv a:
never shied away from a
challenge." said Ana Cruz, a
Tampa-based political strate
gist who met with Meek on
\1 o n d a y
>*fc?fidrick has
traveled the state,
class size i> a per
fect example of
that, and he's here
in Htllsborough
Count} today I
think he has a
firm grasp of
what Floridians
from the
Panhandle to the
Ke\s need in a voice in
Washington."
If he succeeds. Meek
would be the first black can
didate elected to statewide
office tn Florida
Meek, at Pelosi's request,
has led the '30 Something
Working Group." which uses
creative ways to deliver
House policy messages to
younger voters/He serves in
the same seat his mother.
Carrie Meek, held for 10
years.
Meek's announcement
will likel\ be quickly fol
lowed by other candidates
Democrats considering a run
include state Chief Financial
Officer Alex Sink.
US Rep Allen
Boyd and state Sen
Dan Gelber Gelber
is likely to announce
plans to run late
4 next week.
Republicans
considering a run
include Attorney
General .Bill
McCoHum. who
unsuccessfully ran
for Senate in 2000
anu _uu-t. iormer nousc
speakers Allan Bense and
Marco Rubio; and L'.S Reps.
Connie Mack and V'ern
Buchanan:
Martinez announced in
December that he wouldn't
seek a second six-year terra.
Former Gov. Jeb Bu>k had
considered running for the
seat, but said last week hp
decided against a campaign
Jtb Bush
Want to get a passport?
All kincJs of
goverp m??hr i nfbrm'ation aro
a click or Cdl) away
PIRSTGOV gov
t (BOO) F ED trvlFO
Vigil
frum pom Al
harshly criticized for what
some call sloppy and biased
investigative work that helped
convict Hunt Many believe
that cops were just as lax with
Smith's investigation.
Both cases also had a racial
element. Hunt and Smith are
black men, while the victims
in each case were white
women. Critics of the way that
Smith's case was handled
believe that racism played a
role in his conviction and pos
sibly in the way the case was
handled by the police and
prosecutors
Hunt attended the vigil to
show his support for Smith He
said he wants to make Smith's
case known nationwide He
also said there are plans to pur
sue charges of civil rights vio
lations in Smith's case
"This is not the end. this is
just the beginning," said Hunt,
who now runs the The Darryl
Hunt Project for Freedom and
Justice.* "We're going to do
whatever we can to make sure
that Kalvin Michael Smith gets
justice."
The Hunt Project helps
men and women recently
released from prison with job
placement and other services.
The agency is also an advocate
for those believed to be wrong
ly convicted Friday night's
vigil was sponsored by the The
Darryl' Hunt Project for
Freedom and Justice, the
Ministers Conference of
Winston-Salem and Vicinity
and Mothers for Justice of
Winston-Salem.
Last week's review of the
case was seen by many as a
chance to re-examine the evi-'
dence. but a judge dashed
those hopes. Attorneys for
Smith argued that .the state's
case relied on a witness who
later said that his testimony
JUSTICE :J
FOR 1
KALVIN SMITH
Doztns came out to show their support for Kalvin Michael Smith
Ptio?o? by Todd Luck
was untrue and made after he
was coerced byi police. They
also argued thai a videotaped
police interview) with Marker
was ?wiibhCTEM from Smith-'s
attorney, and that Smith's
court-appointed trial attorney
was ineffective. Smith's next
step will be asking the state
appeals court to review last
week's ruling.
Among the many speakers -
at the vigil were the Rev. John
Mendez. pastor of Emmanuel
Baptist Church and a well
known freedom fighter;
Mothers for Justice Director
Lynn Warmath-Boyd; and
Larry Little, a Winston-Salem
State University professor who
is well-known for his work on
the Hunt case.
Wake Forest University
Religion Professor Steve Boyd
compared Smith's case to
Hunt's. He said in both cases.'
it was an injustice not just for
the wrongly incarcerated but
for the victim, since the law let
the perpetrator get away.
"The person is still out
there. Do we care?" he asked
the crowd. "Yes!" they shouted
back.
He then asked "Does our
justice system care?" to which
they responded "No!"
Regina Lane tearfully told
the crowd she had firsthand
know ledge of how a wrongful
conviction ' can compound
tragedy. She's the fourth vic
tim of Willard Brown, who
committed the rape and mur
der that Hunt spent 1 8 years in
prison for. She said her heajt
went out to Marker, who suf
fers from permanent brain
damage -from the attack.
"There's no way to bring
Jill Marker back to what she
was and the future that she
had." said Lane. "There is no
w inner when someone goes to
prison, because families are
devastated by the loss of that
loved one."
The Rev Carlton Eversly,
the president of the Winston
Salem Ministers Conference
and one of Hunt's most vocal
supporters during his incarcer
ation. said it was the color of
Smith's skin and not the evi
dence, that put him in jail. But
he did see one encouraging
sign of progress - the racial
diversity of those who attend
ed the vigil. ,
"The original Darryl Hunt
DeTense Committee was an
all-black movement." said
Eversly. "The fact that the
KalviD Michael Smith move
ment for justice is as thorough
ly integrated as this group
reveals is a testament to the
progress we are making in
Winston-Salem/'
After the vigil, a meeting
was held at the Hunt Project's
downtown office. About 20
interested individuals formed a
group devoted to freeing Smith
and launched a Web site,
www.kalvinmichaelsmith .com
. devoted to the case.
Community forums at local
churches about the case were
also discussed.
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