Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Aug. 16, 2012, edition 1 / Page 4
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Elliott Lowery and Lora Smith in a scene from "Life Happens." ft ? -- ' m . Monnnea itkhos Local performers take center stage "Life Happens" tells of one family's fight to keep faith alive SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The faith of a family is tested in "Life Happen/," a musical by Sharon Evans that was staged July 27-28 at Mineral Springs Middle School. The play begins in the office of successful busi nessman Henry Chaimberland (Elliott Lowery) as he gloats over his success. The gloating stops when his supervisor (Donna Duckett) lets Chaimberland know that he has been downsized from the company. Chaimberland is so distraught, two police officers (Justin Lynch and Delmar Penn) are required just to remove from his office. At home, Henry and his wife Denise Chaimberland (Lora Smith) argue. Henry takes up a blue collar job during work hours and alco holism during leisure hours. Torn by Henry's lack of responsibility, Denise turns to her pastor Fredrick Watkins (Jeff Clark) and her friends Brenda Lockett (LaShonda Redd) and Jewel Jaminson (Demetris "Dee"Young). The couple's daughters Sherry (Precious Dunston) and Rachael (JaNada Ervin) have their own issues. Sherry is trying to steer her sister back in the right direc tion after she discovers that Rachael has turned to gang members Shemika (Sierra Duckett) and Iesha (Andrian "Dia" Dawkins) for support. Sherry, a college graduate, finds comfort in her rela tionship with Jerome Winclaire (Kevin Caesar). Sherry and Jerome find that they share a lot more in common during a dramatic twist ushered in by Violet Wiles (Donna Duckett). The show, directed by Elliott Lowery, also features Justin Lynch as the voice of Jesus and live musician Tracey Brown (bass/drums) and Kenneth Graves (key board) and Shanta McCoy (saxophone). The show was produced by Sharon Evans Productions in conjunction with Lowery's ^Christian Theatre Alliance. \ J Sharon Evans Smith from page AT area but is not actually involved in the case - on Smith's behalf. After two closed ses sions, the Council opted not to. "The City Council consulted with the City Attorney and her staff regarding the request. After careful and thorough deliber ations, the Winston-Salem City Council, on the advice of the City Attorney, has decided to refrain from filing an amicus brief," read an August 10 statement from the City of Winston-Salem. "The City Council's opin ion of the merits of Kalvin Michael Smith's oetition for a writ of habeas cor * pus would not be legally relevant to the federal court's review of the petition." The decision was supported by the majority of the members, but it was the wrong choice for the Council, Montgomery believes. "Because this case is in the courts, some have stated that intervening is not the role of the city. I must beg to differ," he said in a statement. "This city, through the incompetent investigation led by D.R. Williams and his ques tionable tactics, failed Jill Marker and Kalvin Smith in its investiga tion. I believe if this city has impeded justice, it must do every thing it can to right such a wrong, no matter at what stage it inter venes..." Montgomery said he felt it was important to voice his oppo sition to his colleagues on the council in uus maiicr. "It is the thought that this is the view point and the thoughts of the entire Council, and to me, that does not capture at all how I felt about that," he said. "Whether he (Smith) is innocent or guilty ... we can all state that the investigation was truly flawed and could have absolutely led to the wrong person being incarcerated." Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke said she thinks the Council did the right thing in opting not to file the brief on Smith's behalf. "If I felt that the officer and detectives who investigated this case had done some thing intentionally wrong and had a mean spirit about himself against someone (Smith), I could have looked at it different ly, but I saw him investigating the case," she stated. "If there was a mistake, it was up to the attorney to take care of his client and bring that into the court." Many have likened the Smith case to that of Darryl Hunt, who was incarcerated for nearly 20 years for a murder he did not commit. That case also involved a black, male defendant and a white, female victim. Shoddy police work has been blamed by many for Hunt's conviction. DNA evidence eventually led to Hunt's freedom. Burke, who chairs the city's Public t I Safety Committee, doesn't see a direct c<W" nection between the two cases. "He was pardoned by the state," she said of Hunt. "They clearly saw that an error had been made in sentencing him." Montgomery said he didn't know whether the brief would make a difference in Smith's request for a new trial, but he believes the city's connection to wrongful convictions in the past should not be over looked. "In fitting with that history, I think we should be much more sensitive," he remarked. "...If we don't do it, we'll never know if it could have helped." Council Member James Taylor, who served as vice chair of the Silk Plant Forest Citizen Review Committee (SPFCRC) the Council established to review the WSPDs investigation of the case, also said he was "not happy" with the Council's decision not to file a brief. "I studied this for a year and six months of my life, so this is something I'm making an informed decision about," he said of his stance. "If Kalvin didn't do it, then the assailant is still out on the streets and that bothers me. I don't think anybody knows what happened, but based on the infor mation that I've seen, it appears that we may have an innocent man in prison." The city's official statement said it wasn't the place of Council members to weigh in on the specifics of a criminal proceed ins. "The Winston-Salem City Council rec ognizes that it is not within its jurisdiction to: (1) determine the guilt or innocence of Kalvin Michael Smith; (2) instruct the court system (state or federal) on how to conduct a review of any proceeding before it; or (3) instruct the Attorney General of the State of North Carolina regarding the handling of any criminal matter," the statement reads. Although the Silk Plant Forest Citizen Review Committee reported that it found "no credible evidence" that Smith was at the scene of the crime, Burke said the citizen led contingent's findings weren't enough for the city to take an official stand on the issue. "The committee is not the court - that's the difference right there," she stated. "... I'm not getting into the court's business." Taylor said he thinks the Council's inac tion could damage relations between the police department and the community. "I think we have a real problem with people being able to trust the police force," he said. "...We have to restore our faith in our police force and faith in the people, and taking no stance does not do that." While the issue is no longer before the Council, Montgomery and Taylor have both vowed to keep fighting on Smith's behalf as private citizens. * . Taylor Burke FTT7^j?BSiESS ^te^rkfc, V V* J ,p's ?u ja Aug.lOth Time:12p-8p Aug.11th Time:10a-10p Aug.12th Time:6p-12a 336.793.8888 or 336.9864726 LOOKING FOR MUSICIANS, ARTIST & FOOD VENDORS. Winston-Salem Urban League 2012 "Claim Your Career" Conference & Job Fair featuring September 10-13, 2012 General Track: 9:00 AM -12:00PM "Steps for Success" Resume and Portfolio Development, Electronic Job Search and Interviewing Executive Track: 1:00 PM- 4:00PM "A Brand Called You" Career Assessments, Portfolio Development, Branding, Interviewing and Social Media Training for Mid/Upper Level Displaced Managers Entrepreneurial Track: 9:00 AM -12:00PM "Small Business Matters" Existing /Start-Up Business Development Training in Marketing Financial Planning, Branding, Procurement and Social Media September 14, 2012 -10:00 AM -3:00 PM Triad Job Fair Meet HR Managers of major employer* of the Triad All Claim Your Career Events wiH be 1300 Bolton Street held at the West Campus of FTCC Winston-Salem, NC 27103 For Additional Information Contact Steve Jones 336 245-2710 s)or>espwsurban.org * ? ?*
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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