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®lu> Daily tutr Hppl J? 105 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Police to Document Homeless Teen Problem By Ferris Morrison Staff Writer The Chapel Hill Police plan to release a study Monday detailing the extent of teen homelessness in Chapel Hill. The Chapel Hill Town Council will use the report at Monday’s meeting to determine whether a teen homeless shelter is needed. Although the number of teens living on the streets of Chapel Hill has not been documented, the problem has been perceived big enough by some residents to warrant a shelter. Residents and church members pre sented the council with a petition on a month ago asking it to examine the need and identify a location for a tem porary teen homeless shelter. Council member Joe Capowski said homeless teenagers had nowhere to go in Chapel Hill. The only local shelter, located on the comer of Rosemary and Columbia streets, is mn by the Inter- Faith Council. “(The IFC Community House) is full, and it’s not designed for them,” Capowski said. Chris Moran, spokesman for the IFC, said that although very few teens had been turned away, the IFC did not have the facilities to house teenagers. “IFC Community House is not an appropriate environment for teens,” Moran said. “We would have to provide supervision. We would want teenagers to be adequately safe.” Moran said the IFC was primarily for adults and families. He said it might not be a safe environment for unsuper vised teens because of the diverse back grounds and problems some temporary residents of the IFC face. He said there had been several requests for a teen homeless shelter, but the need for such a place had not been adequately documented. “What I am suggesting is that there be some research done by talking to teens,” Moran said. “We need as a com munity to come together and to evalu ate what the need is before we say that this is a likely solution." While no direct opposition was See SHELTER, Page 10 Fight for Cannon Hits Capitol Steps By Vicky Eckenrode Senior Writer RALEIGH - Religious leaders from Greensboro and Raleigh gathered on the steps of the State Capitol on Wednesday, denouncing what they per ceived as Gov. Jim Hunt’s dismissal of their claims of judicial inequality. The group called for the immediate release of Kwame Cannon, a black man sentenced to two life terms for first degree robbery in 1986. Religious and community leaders, most of them based in Cannon’s home town of Greensboro, have repeatedly rallied for his release. Last year, a coali tion marched from Greensboro to Raleigh, calling attention to Cannon’s jail sentence. Once again, protestors made their call for Cannon’s release. “We’ve come here to deliver yet another message to our governor; and that is that there is no moral, legal or social purpose by the continuous incar ceration of Kwame Cannon,” said Nelson Johnson, a pastor at the Faith Community Church in Greensboro. Last March, Hunt met with several of Cannon’s supporters. But Nelson said he did not see a direct response from the meeting until this January when Hunt wrote the group a letter stating he was still studying Cannon’s case. “Nothing of substance was said beyond that,” Nelson said. “We think the governor himself is imprisoned by whatever attitudes that compel him to be silent in the face of so clear a cause and so clear a case.” But Hunt has given careful consider ation to the case, Sean Walsh, Hunt’s press secretary, said when called in his 1 ‘.j mf f mat Bh ■ • **" "*"^4 ■>' Hk Il1 "" y - ■’■•■■■* % * - v yVX L —— - :S.L.'Z ' .rraas.afc.j DTH/DAVID SANDLER Thomas Michael plays a game of pool at the Street Scene Teen Center on Wednesday after school. The center, located in the lower level of the Franklin Street post office, serves as a hang-out for teens where they can watch television or talk with friends. Center Keeps Teens Off Chapel Hill Streets By Alicia Main Staff Writer Beneath the everyday business at the Franklin Street post office, teenagers are in charge. The Street Scene Teen Center, which was opened in 1983 by local merchants, is a center designed to keep teens off the street by offering safe, office Wednesday. “A request for clemency is something that Gov. Hunt takes very seriously,” Walsh said. “The governor has made it known he has taken this issue seriously, and he has communicated that to those who have concerns regarding this issue.” Walsh said it was not possible to pre dict when Hunt would make a decision on the case. But while the governor weighs the details of Cannon’s sentencing, political support is mounting for Cannon from several directions. Jeff Thigpenn, a Guilford County commissioner, said public officials such as U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., Sen. William Martin, D-Guilford, Greensboro Republican Sheriff BJ. Bames and Greensboro Mayor Carolyn Allen supported Cannon’s release from prison. “I think there’s political support on a bipartisan level to release him,” Thigpenn said. “People want to have a fair and just criminal justice system.” Cannon supporters released a state ment claiming his case was only “the tip of the iceberg” in reflecting the differ ences of criminal sentences between white and black offenders in North Carolina. According to the supporters’ state ment, 65 percent of North Carolina’s prison population is black, even though blacks only make up about 24 percent of the state’s population. Advocates of Cannon’s release said they saw this number as an indicator that there were many more blacks in the state’s prisons suffering from unfair sen- See CANNON, Page 10 The worst is not always certain, but it's very likely. French proverb Thursday, February 18,1999 Volume 106, Issue 164 alternative ways for them to spend their time. The Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department joined the effort in 1994 to co-sponsor the after school program that runs daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. “There are things that go on in the streets that you don’t want kids exposed to,” explained Carol Walbom, % IjjjP ,il - Hli * DTH/CARA B RICKMAN Pastor Conrad Pridgen of Bethel AME Church in Greensboro (front) prays at a Wednesday rally to free Kwame Cannon from prison. Fight for Freedom A group protesting the incarceration of Kwame Cannon, a man serving two consecutive life sentences for bank robbery, gathered in Raleigh on Wednesday to support their cause. • November 3,1979 ■ Ku Klux Klan-related shooting. Wilena Cannon, Kwame Cannon's mother, was actively involved in protesting the shooting. Some attribute his fate to her participation in the civil rights movement. ■1986 ■ Seventeen-year-old, Kwame Cannon, is found guilty on six counts of first-degree burglary and given two consecutive life sentences as a result. April 1-5,1998 ■ Wilena Cannon organized and participated in a march from Greensboro to the Capitol steps in Raleigh to persuade Hunt to release Kwame. On April 2, the march went through Chapel Hill. SOURCE: JUBILEE 2000 director of Street Scene and coordina tor of the after-school program. A stem disclaimer prohibiting fight ing and the use of illegal substances greets visitors after they descend the stone steps leading to the center that serves 7,500 youths annually. Inside the center, black walls enclose the teens as they congregate in several different rooms designed for playing pool, musical instruments or lounging in front of the large-screen television. A green neon sign spells out “Street Scene” behind a large dance floor, DJ booth and stage. A computer room is also under construction for teens to work on homework. “There are lots of programs for See TEEN CENTER, Page 10 New Court Looks for Diversity Outgoing Honor Court Chairman Gerry Andrady says the court needs a variety of applicants. By Amy Anderson Staff Writer Heightened campus awareness and a more diversified student involvement top the docket for the incoming mem bers of the Honor Court. Outgoing Honor Court Chairman Gerry Andrady said the court whose 54 members hear cases and make deci sions on violations of the Honor Code, needed a variety of qualified applicants to fill vacant positions. “It’s a huge misconception that only pre-law or political science majors join the Honor Court," he said, adding that applications are due by Friday. “We are dedicated to the values of honor and integrity. (The Honor Court) is about decision-making, which is applicable for all students going into any job field.” Because of those values, Teishana Roundtree and Sean Zeigler, newly appointed vice chairmen of the Honor Court, are seeking to create broad stu dent diversity within the court. Together. Roundtree and Zeigler creat ed the selection process and led the recruitment sessions on campus to replace the 26 outgoing seniors. Roundtree said she wanted to increase the applicant selection pool. “We want to make sure that the See COURT, Page 10 News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1999 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. SHS to Add Services For Women Student Health Service Associate Director Jane Hogan says the new position will fill a void. By Selina Lim Staff Writer As part of its plan to increase aware ness of women’s' issues, a Student Health Services search committee con tinued interviewing candidates for someone to manage women’s health. The idea for a head of women’s health came from an outside request. “Students have expressed an interest in wanting to have one, and most peo ple are really excited about this,” SHS employee Shanna Fleenor said. The position would serve the needs of females in the University community, she said. The chosen candidate will be an obstetrician/gynecologist and work in conjunction with the School of Medicine and the upcoming Women’s Center, said Jane Hogan, associate director of SHS. Hogan said six finalists were selected from a pool of more than 100 appli cants. The committee has interviewed four candidates and will choose the head after speaking to the other candi dates in the next few weeks, she said. Despite having a full-time gynecolo gist at SHS, Hogan said a head of women’s health was necessary. “This position will fill a void and provide con tinuity, leadership and management" Previously, someone held a similar position of 08/GYN at SHS, a result of a 1996 report by the Chancellor’s Task Force on Women, Hogan said. “However, the person felt isolated with out peers,” she said. “The best idea was to create this full-time job between the departments of SHS and the School of Medicine.” Requirements of candidates include eligibility for board certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the highest quality medical skills, said Mary Covington, clinic physician. Covington said that besides these criteria, she per sonally was looking for someone who was fairly flexible. “He or she has to be politically aware and be able to relate to students and different staff members,” she said. “I want someone I can talk to and (someone) who would be happy to help me with problems I had beyond the scope of my practice.” Hogan said she looked for a caring personality and an understanding for students in the candidates. “This person will bring a fresh per spective to SHS and will increase our expertise.” The search committee consists of See DIRECTOR, Page 10 || |A| Nk M Thursday Slugging It Out UNC outlasted N.C. State 62-53 Wednesday behind the sharp shooting of guard Jason Capel, who chipped in with a team-high 15 points in the win. See Page 11. Aid for Housing Woes University and community legal resources are available to those students facing landlord problems or even possible evictions. But landlords say that more often it’s they who have problems with students. See Page 2. Today’s Weather 'Ht Chance of rain Mid SOs. Friday: Chance of rain; Mid SOs.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 18, 1999, edition 1
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