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Ministers’ Conference calls for full
disclosure of scuffle, arrest of teen
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
After a cell phone vid
eo showing a 15-year-old
being taken to the ground
with excessive force by an
officer with the Winston-
Salem Police Department
(WSPD), the Ministers’
Conference of Winston-
Salem and Vicinity (MC-
WSV) has called for full
disclosure and transpar
ency from the WSPD
Here’s what we know:
On Saturday, Nov. 7,
around 6:30 p.m., police
were investigating re
ports of several teenag
ers trying to break into
abandoned houses. Offi
cers approached a group
of teenagers on Hartford
Street.
Cell phone video re
corded by a resident who
lives on Hartford Street
shows officers asking one
of the teenagers in par
ticular her name and the
young lady refused. When
the young lady tries to
walk away, Officer Zach
ary Jones follows the
teenager and asks for her
name again and again she
refused. At that point the
group of teenagers ap
peared to begin arguing
among themselves. Visibly
frustrated with the teenag
ers and the person record
ing, Officer Jones can be
seen trying to grab the
teenager and she begins
to resist. In just a matter
of seconds, Officer Jones
forced the teenager to the
ground and eventually put
her into handcuffs.
Earnest Sides, father
of the teenager who was
heaved to the ground by
the officer in the video,
said he didn’t have the
words to express what he
felt when he saw the video.
submitted photo
Chief Catrina Thompson speaks during a recent press conference.
He said after seeing simi
lar incidents play out in
cities across the country,
he never thought he would
have to explain something
like this to his daughter.
“I hate that under the
circumstances we have to
be here at this second, but
we are here. It is real, it’s
not fake, and there’s noth
ing that I can see in that
video that calls for (her) to
be attacked or pursued, or
made to give any informa
tion without my presence.
I’ve played it clip by clip
to try to understand the of
ficer’s actions as well as
my child’s actions, and I
just don’t think it was nec
essary.”
When discussing the
cell phone video, Bishop
Todd Fulton, chair of the
MCWSV’s social justice
committee, said one of the
things that was most dis
turbing was when Officer
Jones violated the 15-year-
old’s first amendment
rights when she refused
to tell officers her name.
While some will argue that
the teenager should’ve just
given her name, Fulton
said, “It was in her right
not to give her name.”
“This young lady
was exercising her first
amendment right by not
giving her name and the
first amendment right was
violated by Officer Jones,”
he said. “Not only were
the first amendment rights
violated, Officer Jones
violated the citizen whose
yard he was in by tell
ing her to get back or she
would be put in handcuffs.
These are the things the
African American com
munity has been experi
encing for years and we’re
not expecting empathy or
sympathy. We’re here to
day to call out the powers
that be and say that we’ve
had enough.”
The Ministers’ Con
ference also contends
that Officer Jones never
attempted to use any de-
escalation techniques and
was “overly aggressive”
while engaging with the
teenagers. The group is
calling for full disclosure
from the WSPD about the
incident and the release
of the 911 dispatch call,
all video from the police
department, and any in
formation related to the al
leged criminal charges and
pending investigation be
released to the family.
Mayor Pro Tempore
Denise “D.D.” Adams
said Officer Jones’ actions
were unacceptable and she
didn’t mince words when
discussing her thoughts on
the role race played in the
incident.
“I don’t care how you
shape it ... how you want
to construct it, how you
want to put it on a plat
form, it’s unacceptable,”
Adams continued. “This is
racism, y’all... Let me ask
you one question: If she
had been white ... if this
had been in Buena Vista,
if it would’ve been a group
of teenagers walking down
Stratford Road, would this
have happened?”
Chief Catrina Thomp
son has said the WSPD
has launched an internal
investigation into the inci
dent. “As your chief of po
lice and as a mother of two
teenage African American
children, I share your con
cern,” Thompson said dur
ing a press conference last
Sunday. She said after see
ing the video, she immedi
ately directed the Internal
Affairs Division to begin
their investigation.
Thompson also men
tioned that the family of
the juvenile in the video
has been given informa
tion on how to file a for
mal complaint against Of
ficer Jones. Although laws
prohibit the WSPD from
releasing the body cam
era footage to the public,
Thompson assured that
they would be transparent
throughout the investiga
tion.
“We have pledged to
complete a prompt, fair
and thorough administra
tive investigation and we
have asked for your pa
tience until the investiga
tion is complete,” Thomp
son said.
Chief Thompson also
took a moment to send a
message directly to the
Sides’ family. She asked
the family to trust her. “I
give you my word that we
will conduct a thorough,
complete investigation
using facts and evidence
and guided by our laws,
our Constitution, and our
departmental policy,” she
continued.
“Once that investiga
tion is complete, we will
act appropriately. You
have my word.”
The Chronicle has re
ceived information that the
Sides’ family has hired a
lawyer to look into the in
cident.
CDC, NCDHHS advise scaling back Thanksgiving
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
With the COVID-19
pandemic seemingly tight
ening its grip on commu
nities across the country,
health experts have ad
vised Americans to forget
the traditional gatherings
during the holiday season
to help turn the tide against
the rising number of cases.
At the time of publica
tion there were more than
11 million active cases of
infection nationwide and
here in N.C. things are
worse than ever. There
are 315,000 active cases
across the state and num
bers have been on the rise
since September. Over the
past two weeks the number
of daily positive tests has
topped record highs five
different times.
Here in Forsyth Coun
ty nearly 2,000 people
have tested positive for
www.wschronicle.com
the virus over the past 14
days and there has been re
ported outbreaks at several
schools throughout the
district impacting teachers
and staff, as well as stu
dents.
In response to the rise
in cases across the state,
during a press confer
ence on Thursday, Nov.
10, Gov. Roy Cooper ex
tended Phase 3 for three
weeks and reduced the
limit on indoor gatherings
from 25 to 10. Cooper said
science has shown us that
indoor gatherings increase
the risk of transmission
of COVID-19, and the
Executive Order seeks to
limit gatherings that could
spread the virus.
“This reduction in our
indoor gathering limit aims
to slow the spread and
bring down our numbers,”
Cooper said. “It also sends
a serious signal to fami
lies, friends, and neighbors
across our state: Success
in slowing the spread will
help our businesses.”
With Thanksgiving a
week away, the Center for
Disease Control (CDC)
has urged people to avoid
activities that risk spread
ing the virus even more,
including the traditional
potluck style dinner, shop
ping, and holiday parades.
If you do plan on having
dinner guests, the CDC
suggests having one per
son wearing a mask serve
all the food, limit the num
ber of people going into
the kitchen, and require
everyone in attendance to
wear a mask when they’re
not eating.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, sec
retary of the N.C. Depart
ment of Health and Hu
man Services (NCDHHS),
stressed the importance of
wearing a mask in public
and taking the necessary
steps to keep loved ones
safe.
“Let’s keep our friends,
family, and loved ones
safe this holiday season.
If you are going to travel
or get together, plan ahead
to reduce the risk to your
family and friends,” Co
hen said. “Remember, it’s
not how well you know
someone when it comes
to wearing a mask. If they
don’t live with you, get be
hind the mask.”
The N.C. Department
of Health and Human Ser
vices (NCDHHS) also re
leased health guidelines to
help people celebrate the
holidays safely. The guide
lines can be viewed by vis
iting www.ncdhhs.gov.
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