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RALEIGH
Bicentennial
Section
Section Three
An Open Letter To The City’s
African-American
BY SOLOANA INGRAM
This article is written to the citizens of Raleigh, espe
cially all the many wonderful friends and also my family
that have been so suppor
tive through the loss of my
son. I would like to thank
each and every person for
the many expressions of
concern shown me.
My son, Ivan Lorenzo
Ingram, was shot and
killed on Nov. 8, 1991 by
Mr. Vincent Kerr, a
Raleigh policeman. I hope
you are reading this, Mr.
Kerr, because when you
took my only child’s life,
you destroyed me. I have
not really been living a
normal life and I don't
think I ever will again. I
am barely existing
through these troubled times. If it had not been for God and
my family, I don’t know what I would have done as my life
has been devastated with the loss of my son. My life is so
miserable that I found myself thinking of ending mine. My
child and I were very close friends as he was the most
important person in my life. He was first my son, then my
best friend, my joy, my sunshine—he was my life. When he
was happy, I was happy—when he was sad, so was I. When
he was in pain I felt it too. These feelings are felt by many
parents. I do not feel my situation is any different except for
the fact that my son was killed in such a tragic, useless
manner.
I loved my son so very much and he was taken away from
me by a policeman whose salary we help pay. I thought
poliee were paid to protect citizens, not gun us down.
losing a loved one, especially a child, is terrible but losing
a child in this manner, the way I lost mine, can never be
understood by others until it happens to them. My prayer is
that it never happens to any of you out there. But hey, that
is what I am trying to tell everyone. We must come together
and do something about this.
I know we have a lot of good policemen. I never said we
didn't, but we must do something about the ones that do
these tragic things. People will not continue allowing rela
tives and loved onesbeingpunished and killed by our police
farce. City Hall, take a good look. Be more concerned about
the caliber of persons being hired to “protect” the citizens
of our 0%. (See OPEN LETTER, P. 2)
MS. SOLOANA INGRAM
r
CRIME
BEAT
Editor's Note: This column, a
fixture of The CAROLINIAN in
years past, has returned to our
pages in hopes of deterring
crime in our community. The
information contained herein is
taken from public arrest rec
ords and does not necessarily
mean those mentioned are
guilty of crimes.
CHARGED WITH HAVING
STOLEN PROPERTY
Twenty-three-year-old William
Bryan Polite, 7508 Ray Road, has
been arrested and charged with
possession of stolen property, and
possession of a firearm by a con
victed felon. One .380 automatic
handgun valued at $250 was report
edly recovered from Polite in a park
ing lot at 581E. Lenoir St. Friday at
1:30 a.m.
300 ZX STOLEN
A 16-year-old residing at 2826
Laodicea Drive has been arrested
and charged with felony larceny.
The juvenile allegedly took a red
1987 Nissan 300 ZX valued at
$5,500 from a non-residence at 910
Capital Blvd. Thursday between
10:30 and 10:36 a.m.
DUO NABBED FOR LARCENY
Marita Shorice Collier, Lathan
Hall; and Charles Donnell Barnes,
3016-F, Wakefield Apartments,
have been arrested and charged
with larceny. The duo allegedly took
goods valued at $798 from a resi
dence at 3237-B Calumet Drive
Thursday around 9 p.m.
ASSAULT WITH KNIFE
Arlans Denise Morrant, 204 Alli
son Drive, Knightdale, has been
arrested and charged with assault
with a deadly weapon/disorderly
conduct. Ms. Morrant allegedly as
saulted Lemetrice Herring at a
business located at 2624 Westing
house Blvd. Satuday at 3:40 am. No
injuries were reported.
(See CRIME BEAT, P. 2)
1 een Appeals
Court Decision
In BBGunCas<
BY CASH MICHAELS
Staff Writer
A 16-year-old African-American
youth, given what some have called
an excessive sentence in District
Court in a scuffle with school offi
cials after bringing a broken BB gun
to school, will now have to stand
trial in Wake Superior Court on
April 27 in order to appeal his case.
The youth, Willie Barnes, will
have to go through the court system
again in order to clear his name, and
his mother and stepfather, Mattie
Barnes and Jim Scales, were upset.
“I don’t understand why we have
to go through this again. Why do
they want my son to go to prison?”
asked Ms. Barnes.
The case began last Noy. 15 when
her son took a borrowed, broken BB
gun to Enloe High School. Although
no one at the school ever saw the BB
gun, when Willie was called out of
class and taken to an office to see
three assistant principals, he knew
he was in trouble.
It was after the administrators
refused to call his mother or the
police as he requested after de
manding to search him that Willie
says he became scared and tried to
run out of the office as they were
leaving. When they tried to grab
him, Willie struggled free and left
the school. He was stopped by the
police and searched. The broken BB
gun was not found, but upon being
taken back to the school, Willie dis
covered that he was now suspended
for the year, and would be arrested
for three charges of assault, and two
charges of verbal threats, all ema
nating from when he was grabbed
while leaving.
After a school hearing that upheld
the suspension, Wake Superinten
dent Dr. Robert Wentz reviewed
Willie’s case, reversed the ruling
and transferred him to Mary E.
Phillips School, where he has been
doing very well ever since. But his
problems weren’t ending, they were
just beginning.
Unknown to Willie or his parents,
(See BB GUN TRIAL, P. 2)
■ 4
<1 Campaign *92
Clinton’s Bid For President
Seen As Moderate Conservative
BY RON DANIELS
An Analysis
Though the insurgent candidacy
of former Gov. Jerry Brown contin
ues to be a thorny nuisance for
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, the
Democratic nomination for presi
dent now seems well within his
reach. Clinton’s steady and well
OTchestrated march to the nomina
tion marks a triumph for the Demo
cratic Leadership Conference which
has been urging the Democratic
Party to become less liberal as a
means of retaking the White House.
Frustrated by Walter Mondale’s
humiliating defeat astd the hands of
Ronald Reagan in 1984, the DLC
embarked on a course calculated to
produce a moderate-conservative
son of the South as the Democratic
nominee for president by 1988. The
DLC concluded that the Democratic
Party had to shift to the right on
issues such as defense, crime, af
firmative action and civil rights and
fiscal policy. In other words, the
Democraic Party wouM have to
sound more “Reaganesque” in order
to recapture those Democrats who
had defected from the party to sup
port Ronald Reagan.
An integral component of the
DLC’s strategy was to create a ve
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Mrs. Maggie Peebles, centei
recently celebreated her 102nd birthday. “I am blessed
My daughter’s, Mrs. Daisy P. Walker, left, love an<
patience mean so much and my neighbors and friends
especially my friend, Mrs. Sylvester White, Sr., right,
brings the joy of Christ when she comes.” Mrs. Peeble
was born in Wake County. She attended Crosby Garfiel
“W/A'
School and is a lifetime member of First Baptist Church.
She was married by Rev. C. E. Askew and is a dedicated
I member of the Bible Class in his memory. With a big
, smile, Mrs. Peebles pointed to an appreciation certificate
from the Askew Bible Class. It read: “I will never leave
i you nor forsake you,” Heb. 13:5. She enjoys reading,
I talking and associating with young people. (Photo by
James Giles)
Ingram Family Says
City’s Sympathy “7oo Little,
Too Late” Proceed With Claim
BY CASH MICHAELS
Staff Writer
The family of Ivan Ingram, an
unarmed African-American citizen
sh<ft to death by a Raleigh police
officer last fall, says that despite the
sympathies of Mayor Avery C.
Upchurch and the city council now,
it’s all “too little, too late.” That
sentiment was expressed after Po
lice Chief Frederick K. Heineman
issued his administrative review of
the shooting last Monday during the
Police Affairs Committee meeting.
It was Nov. 8 of last year when
officers of the Raleigh Police
Department’s Selective Enforce
ment Unit staged a raid outside 314
N. Carver St. after an undercover
officer made a drug buy.
When the raid was over, 35-year
old Ivan Lorenzo Ingram lay on the
ground, shot once in the chest by
Officer Vincent Kerr. Police say
Ingram had no drugs or weapons on
his person, no drugs or alcohol in his
system. Ingram’s family contends
that he was a bystander, but Kerr
told investigators that Ingram
failed to stop when ordered, and
reached into his pocket while pro
ceeding toward the officev.
according to Kerr, is why he fired his
12-gauge shotgun.
A Wake grand jury in December
found no evidence to indict Kerr for
any criminal wrongdoing.
In his report, Chief Heineman
said that his investigation corrobo
rated Officer Kerr’s account. He
indicated that a doctor at Wake
Medical center wno aiienueu to
Ingram the night of the shooting
“describes the trajectory of the pel
lets as entering the body at a down
ward angle from front to back as
consistent with someone in a
crouched position,” thereby con
(See INGRAM FAMILY, P 2)
THIGPEN SWORN IN - Chapel HM Mayor Ken Broun, left, administers the
oath of office to Ctessic H. Thigpen, Jr. of Raleigh at a March 27 meeting of the
University of North CaroNna at Chapel HilTs Board of Trustees. Thigpen was
appointed to the UNC-CH board by the UNC system’s Board of Governors to fill the
unexpired term of Dr. William Dartty. Darity resigned in December 1991 to accept
a public health position abroad. (Photo by WHI Owens)
hide for a moderate-conservative to
come out of the South with a full
head of steam as a means of eclips
ing any liberal candidate that might
do well in the early primaries in
Iowa and New Hampshire. Super
Tuesday, holding most of the South
ern primaries on one day in early
(See BILL CLINTON, P. 2)
Police Chief
Blast Report
Bp Relations
Group Here
A report which detailed the alleg
edly strained relations between the
Raleigh Police Department and the
African-American community was
severely critirized by Police Chief
Frederick K. Heineman as “clearly'
in error” and “based on incomplete
information.” Chief Heineman also
called some of the actions of the
Raleigh Human Resources/Human
Relations Advisory Commission,
the body that issued the report, “a
mystery.”
Heineman’s tough words were
presented at the Raleigh Police Af
fairs Committee meeting Monday.
They were in response to a study
requested by the City Council of the
HRHRAC in the aftermath of the
Tony Farrell shooting last January.
The report, which focused on how
police policies, procedures and
training impact community rela
taions, recommended that human
(See POLICE CHIEF. P. 2)
NEWS BRIEFS
RPD ACCREDITED
After five years prepara
tion and $20,000, the Raleigh
Police Department finally
made the cut as one of less
than 300 law enforcement
agencies across the country
that is accredited. The Com
mission on Accreditation for
Law Enforcement Agencies,
Inc. awarded the honor to the
RPD last week at its confer
ence in Tucson, Ariz. The
Raleigh Police Department is
now the 10th law enforce
ment agency in North Caro
lina to achieve accreditation.
WAKE COMMISSION
OKAYS BALLPARK
While the Wake Board of
Commissiones voted to pay
up to half, the Raleigh City
Council is still scheduled to
vote on purchasing a sports
complex for the Durham
Bulls to play. The Bulls were
purchased by broadcast ex
ecutive Jim Goodmon last
year, and he is waiting to
move the team to Wake
County as soon as a stadium
is built. Durham leaders have
promised not to let the team
go without a fight, however.
The Raleigh City Council will
vote on April 7 on whether
the construction of a Triangle
Central Park in Wake should
be paid for by $11 million
worth of certificates of par
ticipation, and while the
majority of citizens at last
Monday’s public hearing
cautioned against it, the
council is expected to ap
prove the ftinding plan.
ST. AUG’S. STUDENT
CHARGED IN RAPE
A St. Augustine’s College
student has been charged
with second-degree rape and
(See NEWS BRIEFS, P. 2)
4
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