On A Slow News Day In Eastern Carolina.
Vol. 3, No 20 November 23—December 6, 1982
by Joseph McQuay,
The Weekly News (Miami)
HAVELOCK, N.C.—The banner headline
splashed across the front page of The
Havelock Progress shows how Smalltown,
U.S.A. still walks in fear of homosexual
activities. (
Havelock, the self-proclaimed “gateway to
Cherry Point,” is such a small town, nestled in
the coastal plains of North Carolina. In a town
of 5,000, the police chief apparently has
devised a formula for how many reported
cases of gay child molestings to expect each
school year.
“We had a rash of them in a short period of
time this year, and it appeared they would
continue at a more rapid pace if we didn’t do
something about it,” said Stephanie Hailey,
contibuting editor of the Progress, and author
of the banner story.
“Police asked us to get the word out, mostly
to alert parents so they will talk to their
children,” she said.
Since no charges have been filed, the story
did not detail any reported incident of child
molesting. It did mention a report where a
young boy was “tricked into a car and driven
some miles from his home. Fortunately, he
was able to free himself and get help,” the
article read.
Hailey said the article was an amplification
of usual warnings heard at school: don’t
accept candy/rides from strangers, etc.
“Citizens are urged to report anything of
suspicious nature, such as a car driving
around a neighborhood aimlessly or pulling up
to a school boarding area and trying to talk to
students,” the article warned.
The “strangers” are also waiting outside
game parlors or football stadiums after high
school games, Hailey said.
Police Warn of Homosexual Activity
fc> STEPHANIE S. HAILEY
CbbiHIHi Edhoc
In light of a recent increase in
homosexual activity in the Havelock
area, local police are asking the
cooperation of residents in general,
and parents in particular, in an ef
fort to ward off possible future m
Havetock Police Chiaf Mike
Campbell said citizens are urged to
report anything of a suspicious
nature, such as a car driving around
a neighborhood aimlessly or pulling
up to a school hoarding area and
trying to talk to students
According to Havelock Detective
Lt Bill Dodson, a young boy was
recently tricked into a car and
driven some miles from his home.
Fortunately, he was able to free
himself and get help. Dodson said
All the reported cases so far have
dealt with victims who are young
hoys with maturing bodies
They hive been approached at
school bus stops. after athletic con
tests. and at convenience food oores
and game rooms •
Dodson asks parents to remind
their children (both boss and girls)
not to take rides from strangers, not
to take money or gifts from
dangers, and not allow strangers to
bus food or soft drinks or snacks
for them
In addition. Dodu»n <«rges
parent* to encourage their children
to tell their parent* or teacher* im
mediately if any of the above occur,
so police can be notified.
Parents should instruct their
children to describe the person and
car with license number if they
possibly can
Children should never allow
unknown persona to (el the children
to follow them behind buildings or
into wooded areas for any reason,
Dodson said
And. ih*K rules apply to
teenagers tun as much as to younger
children. Dodson said
Citizens in the Havelock area,
who have school bus stops near their
residences, stagild be aware of any
usual can Or persons who may be
Plowing up when children are
waiting for their bus
"If suspicious about anyom.
citizens are urged to contact police,
and please get a description and
vehicle license plate number, if
possible.” Dodson said.
"Children are at times easily
fused or swayed when eoofri
with such offers. Every adult it
community should be watchful
help protect and safeguard
welfare of an children from persons
who would harm them." Dodson
"We don't want to sound an
alarm but we do want the communi
ty alerted to due problem." Dodson
added
aril
“Whomever they might be, they are preying
on young boys with masculine, developing
bodies,” she said.
Havelock is located a couple of miles from
Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station,”
where about 10,000 Marines and a smattering
of sailors are stationed,” she said. “Certainly
the person or persons who are doing this
might come from there.”
“Besides being newsworthy, we thought we
would let the parents know what’s going on,”
she said. “Under the circumstances with the
number of cases reported, running the story
was a public service.”
She said there was no discussion about
where to piay the story. Although the second
biggest story of the week concerned
Havelock getting its own cemetery for the first
time, over-dramatization of this gay-related
non-story seems a little questionable.
Election Returns
North Carolina’s gay community can be
very encouraged by the results of the
November 2 elections. Although gay issues
were not prominent in- any campaign, the
religious wing of the New Right clearly
suffered a major rebuff in North Carolina.
Perhaps the election is best summed up in the
words of state Republican Party chairman
David Flaherty, who said the results “signal to
me that that the people are more interested in
bread-and-butter issues than social issues.”
The biggest news is that all nine of the
candidates Jesse Helms’ National
Congressional Club backed for the United
States Congress were defeated. Jesse not
only failed to pick up new seats in Congess for
the New Right; he also saw North Carolina
lose the two incumbent Republican
Congressmen—Johnston and Hendon—who
are connected with his wing of the GOP. The
only remaining Republican Congressmen
continued on page 5
Weekend Retreat with
Ram Dass in Chapel Hill
Ram Dass, psychologist, philospher, and
spiritual teacher will be the focus of a week
end retreat near Chapel Hill on Saturday and
Sunday, November 27-28. The Sun, “A
Magazine of Ideas” published in Chapel Hill,
has said of Ram Dass that he “has done for
religion what the Beatles did for music.” Of
particular interest to Front Page readers is
Ram Dass’ exploration of his own
homosexuality and how it relates to
spirituality.
Born Richard Alpert in Boston in 1931,
studied psychology at Stanford University,
earning a Ph.D., he later served on the
psychology faculties of Stanford, University of
California and Harvard.
In 1961, while a professor at Harvard, in
collaboration with Timothy Leary and others,
Ram Dass pursued intensive research with
LSD and other psychedelic chemicals. He
continued his research until 1967 at which
time he traveled to India where he met his
guru or spiritual teacher. While with guru,
Ram Dass studied yoga and meditation and
received the name Ram Dass which means
Servant of God.
In 1973, Ram Dass started the Hanuman
Foundation which sponsors projects
designed to enhance the spiritual quality of
life. Among these projects is the Prison
Ashram Project which helps inmates to use
their time for deep inner work. The Hanuman
Foundation also supports the Dying Project
which assists those with life threatening illness
in deepening their spiritual awareness.
Ram Dass has authored several books: Be
Here Now, The Only Dance There Is, Grist
for the Mill, Journey of the Awakening, and
Miracle of Love.
Asked about romantic and physical
intimacy as it relates to the spiritual journey,
Ram Dass told The Sun: “I can often get
incredibly gratified by physical intimacy.
There is another person that is involved but
there’s not one of us. and I slow down enough
so that we can hear each other, so that what
emerges is the ultimate intimacy, where there
is only one of it. It’s union, it’s yoga, it’s union
in that sense. And that’s the intimacy that I’m
going for with other human beings.
“I can experience being locked in physical
closeness with somebody and we’re not
intimate at all, in that most profound sense.
We are physically rubbing and all kinds of
things and there’s arousal but there’s no real
continued on page 11
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