TCB June 9, 2022 — Waiting for Justice

JUNE 9-15, 2022 TRIAD CITY-BEAT.COM

‘I say goodnight to him every night.’

WAITING FOR JUSTICE

Joe Lopez continues to fight for justice after his son was killed by a Greensboro police officer in November 2021.

by Sayaka Matsuoka | pg. 4

A Brilliant wake

pg. 2

Formula shortage hits the Triad

pg. 8

Northern Roots Coffeehouse settles in

pg. 12

UP FRONT | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Being Al Brilliant

June 17-July 3

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THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER CENTER

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BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey

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OF COUNSEL

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Jonathan Jones

AD MANAGER

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

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Sayaka Matsuoka

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CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS Suzy Fielders James Douglas

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1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 ART WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc ART DIRECTOR

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TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2022 Beat Media Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Juliet Coen

COVER: Joe Lopez, father of Joseph Lopez, wipes his tears away as he listens to a press conference at the Beloved Community Center on Monday.

Lopez’s son was shot and killed by a Greensboro police officer on Nov. 19, 2021.

Photo by Juliet Coen, design by Charlie Marion

e laid found a bunch of his poems in the Al Sun and read them until I hit a payBrilwall. Yesterday I devoured most of liant his autobiography, handed out as to rest on Satura keepsake at his gathering, in the day, a roomful same way I binged upon his “Bus of us that he Journal” in 2007 or so, a real-life

by Brian Clarey affected in his document of Al’s adventures in long, dense and curious life. public transportation.

To rest! I mean that figuratively, And I fear — I hope! — that pieces of course, infused with meaning of his writing style have crept into below the surface as with all things my own. The exclamation points! connected to him. I have no idea The clear and simple prose. The what they did with his remains, occasional phrase turned. There’s what state they were in or where something of Vonnegut to it, I think, they ended up. and the voice of the Pretty sure Al The exclamation clear-eyed, young would not care beatnik he once points! The clear was. about that either — and simple prose.

I believe he’d just Al Brilliant was as soon we cast his really something.

The occasional ashes into a strong When everyone phrase turned. wind, much in the else was watching way he handed his the war in Vietnam own life over to the whims of fate on TV, he was publishing Vietnamall those years ago. ese poets. When every fancypants I loved Al. Simply. I loved the way with an MFA was trying to score a he made me feel: grounded, lisbook deal, he literally — not figutened-to, worthy. And the way he’d ratively! — made his own books. I drop an anecdote from his own once saw him make a bound book deep well of experience. out of a Froot Loops box. And if Oh yeah, that was when I was you asked him for a cup of coffee working in the bookstore in Times at his shop, Glenwood Coffee and Square.

Books, he might or might not have I found one of my old pieces it on hand. Fifty-fifty. about him, and another that he What a guy! What a life! wrote for us in 2014, our first year. I What a life.

by SAYAKA MATSUOKA

FRIDAY, June 10

Anytime in June Baby Supply Drive @ Deep Roots Market (GSO)

SATURDAY, June 11

Lyrics by the Lake @ SECCA (WS) 6-9 p.m.

Help parents out by dropping off goods for Precious Cargo’s Baby Supply Drive at Deep Roots Market in Greensboro for the month of June. Items in need include diapers, wipes, baby food, clothes, shoes, toys, formula and more. To learn more about the project or to make a donation, visit preciouscargonc.com.

THURSDAY, June 9

Hosted by Winston-Salem’s own LB the Poet, Lyrics by the Lake is a bimonthly outdoor event in which the community gathers for live musical performances, spoken word, comedy acts and more. For more info and to buy tickets, visit secca.org/calendar-monthly.php.

A Decade with Camel City Jazz Orchestra @ Millennium Center (W-S) 6:30-10 p.m.

Innovation & Cinema Presents Queen of Katwe @ Bailey Park (W-S) 7:30-11 p.m.

Join the community to celebrate 10 years of the Camel City Jazz Orchestra. Starting at 6:30 p.m. there will be dinner, dancing, a silent auction and an evening of live music performed by the band. Tickets are available at camelcityjazzorchestra.org/post/celebrate-a-decade.

As part of their ongoing summer movie series, Innovation Quarter and a/perture cinema is doing a free showing of Queen of Katwe at Bailey Park this Friday.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the film starts at 8:30.

Popcorn by a/perture and drinks by Incendiary Brewing will be available for purchase. The film follows a Ugandan girl who sees her world open up after being introduced to the game of chess. Visit innovationquarter.com/innovation-cinema for more info.

Oakwood Cemetery African-American History Walking Tour @ Oakwood Cemetery (HP) 10 a.m.

UP FRONT | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

CITY LIFE JUNE 9-12

This event by the High Point Museum will take visits on a walking tour through the “colored section” of Oakwood Cemetery. Free and open to the public, visitors will learn about the historical significance of the location, which was highlighted in the Emmy Award winning project, “Forgotten Souls of North Carolina Black Cemeteries.” Call the museum at (336) 885-1859 for more info.

SUNDAY, June 12 LUCHAS Winston-Salem Grand Opening @ 2021 Griffith Road (W-S) 4-9 p.m.

The wait is over! Visit 2021 Griffith Road for the grand opening of Lucha Libre Ice Cream and Churros in Winston-Salem. The first location in Greensboro has been a hit since they opened in 2019 and they’re bringing that same flair to Winston-Salem!

VANPOOL Are you environmentally and budget conscious? Take a look at the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation Vanpool program.

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It’s very simple!

Less Impact on the Environment Reducing singleoccupancy vehicle traffic improves air quality and helps decrease traffic congestion.

Let us help you with your mobility needs. Visit PARTnc.org/Vanpool

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NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

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NEWS

GPD officer indicted on manslaughter after killing Joseph Lopez, an unarmed Mexican man in November 2021

by Sayaka Matsuoka

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Guilford County grand Before the press conference on Monjury has indicted a day, Lopez told TCB that he goes to his Greensboro police offison’s grave, which is located at Lakevcer who shot and killed iew Memorial Park where he works as an unarmed Mexican man, Joseph the superintendent, every day to talk to Lopez, on Nov. 19, 2021. The indicthim. ment which was publicized in a short “I tell my wife, ‘I talked to my son statement by District Attorney Avery every day and I can’t break that tradiCrump’s office on Monday afternoon, tion now,’” he said. “So I go out every came just hours after Lopez’s father, morning and I say goodbye to him Joe Lopez, and his team of lawyers every night.” held a public press conference at the On why he decided to file a civil Beloved Community Center, noting lawsuit, Lopez said that it’s because he that they had filed a civil rights lawsuit wants some accountability and transagainst the officer involved as well as parency about what happened to his the Greensboro Police Department. son.

According to the memo put out by “[Officer Hamilton] is out there the DA’s office, Officer Matthew Edliving a happy life and I’m out here ward Hamilton with the Greensboro living a miserable one,” Lopez said Police Department was indicted “with before news of the indictment had been the crime of manslaughter pursuant released. to NCGS 14-18.” The statute cited in Later in the day, after news of the the memo does not specify whether indictment, Lopez said that he’s grateful COURTESY PHOTO Hamilton was indicted on a voluntary for the support of the community but or involuntary manslaughter charge. that he’s still hurting.

Joseph Lopez was shot and killed by Greensboro police officer Matthew Hamilton in November 2021.

“The indictment means that the “The people that are behind me are grand jury found probable cause to going to make the ride easier, but it’s Graham Holt, passed around a civil lawsuit that was support the crime alleged,” the memo states. “Hownot going to ease my pain,” Lopez said. “No matter filed in court just before the meeting. According to the ever, even after an indictment a person is presumed what happens at the end of the day, I still don’t get to filing, the family is suing Hamilton as well as the City innocent until and unless proven guilty.” speak to my son anymore.” of Greensboro for “damages and other relief for the A memo released by the GPD on Monday afterLopez said that he had received a call from DA death of [Lopez’s] son.” noon stated that “as a result of the indictment, effecCrump earlier in the day to notify him about the The nine-page report claims that Hamilton’s use of tive June 6, 2022, Officer ME Hamilton was terminatgrand jury’s decision to indict and that he is scheduled deadly force was “unnecessary, unreasonable and exed from the agency.” to meet with Crump’s office in the next few weeks. cessive because Joseph was unarmed, made no threats Less than five hours before the memo was released, Lopez’s attorney, Flint Taylor, told TCB that the and presented no immediate danger to Hamilton or Lopez gathered in the shady lawn behind the Beloved decision by the grand jury to indict after the morning’s others.”

Community Center for a small press conference. He press conference wasn’t just a coincidence.

In a December 2021 interview with TCB, father sat behind the podium in a light blue, short-sleeve, “I feel that it’s more than sheer coincidence that Joe Lopez described how he spoke to his son just a buttoned-up shirt, with slacks and his work boots. It’s this indictment came out within an hour or two from few hours before his death. Joseph had told him that been a long seven months since his son was shot and the time we had our press conference and we filed our he was going to the house to pick up some clothes killed by Officer Hamilton back in November. As first complaint and called for the DA to do her duty and because he was temporarily staying there. A few days thoroughly reported by Triad City Beat, Lopez’s son was indict this officer,” Taylor said. “Also Graham had before, the son was pulled over by Greensboro police killed after officers responded to a 911 call that alleged mentioned in court a month or so ago that we were and subsequently arrested after barricading himself in that Lopez was attempting to enter a home. After going to file this complaint so the DA knew that we one of the rooms at the house — the same one where locating Lopez in a shed behind the house, officer were going to take action even if she wasn’t. So, I feel he would later be killed. One of the questions that Hamilton fired his gun and killed Lopez. that the power of the community and the lawsuit had troubles Lopez is why police were able to coax his son During Monday morning’s press conference, an impact on the DA and pushed her to release this out of the house a few days earlier without incident, Lopez’s attorneys, which include Flint Taylor of the indictment and of course, we are very pleased that he but didn’t do the same thing on the day he was killed.

People’s Law Office in Chicago and local attorney has been indicted for manslaughter, and we will work

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NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

NEWS

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JULIET COEN

Joseph Lopez cries as he listens to speaks talk at a press conference on Monday at the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro.

with the DA to make sure that he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

low-point gunshot wound.

After fatally shooting Joseph, Hamilton exclaims, “Oh shit… fuck,” according to the lawsuit.

According to a public records request by TCB, HamBackground on the case ilton has been on the Greensboro Police force since ccording to the recently filed civil law2007 and worked as part of the Special Operations suit, which describes police body-worn Division.

He was placed on administrative leave after camera footage viewed by attorney the shooting and was fired from the department on Graham Holt, numerous GPD officers Monday.

The records request shows that Hamilton was were called to 3504 Cloverdale Drive in Greensboro on making $61,408 per year as of December 2021. the night of November 19, 2021. Shortly after arriving, As Taylor read excerpts from the lawsuit detailing his police located Joseph Lopez in a small room located at son’s death at the press conference, Lopez covered his the rear of a two-car garage and Hamilton approached face with his hands and intermittently wiped the tears the room with his police dog on a leash. As Hamilton that welled out of his eyes. stood next to the open door, he called inside stating, He still has not watched the police body-worn “Greensboro Police: If you’re in there, make yourself camera footage, which has yet to be released to all of known.”

Lopez’s lawyers.

It’s a move that many parents of those To that, Joseph replied, killed by police can’t bring “Yes, I’m here.” themselves to make. In the Then Hamilton said, case of Marcus Deon Smith, “Come on out with your for example, mother Mary hands up or I’ll send my dog Smith has not watched the in there and he’ll bite you.” multiple videos that captured Lopez then responded sayGreensboro Police Officer Matthew her son’s death. Smith filed Hamilton after he shot Joseph Lopez. ing he would come out when a civil lawsuit against the it was “safe” to do so. Shortly city of Greensboro and the thereafter, Hamilton released police department in 2018 his police dog into the room where Joseph was sitting; which culminated in a settlement of $2.57 million just the dog began attacking Lopez. The lawsuit then states this past February.

And as members of the community that Hamilton “pulled his handgun from his holster, familiar with the Smith case gathered on the lawn on stepped into the room, and without saying anything, Monday morning to show support for Lopez and his shot Joseph once square in the face with his service family, many wondered again if the city would fight handgun.” to keep details about what happened to Lopez’s child Joseph Lopez died on the scene as a result of a hol-

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Oh shit... fuck.

a program of:

1001 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104

TCB-3x10-MHA-2022.indd 1

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4/12/2022 11:21:21 AM

NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

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hidden from the public just as they had done in the Smith case.

“Here we are again,” said activist Hester Petty.

“And it doesn’t seem to matter how many times we say, ‘Enough is enough,’ it never stops. It’s been going on for decades here in this city. But I’m ready to get back into the fight. Don’t want to, don’t want to keep doing this but this has got to stop, and it is going to have to be up to us because city council has done nothing for decades and the city manager’s office has nothing for decades. The police department has not changed for decades. So I’m making a vow to for myself that I’m going to do whatever is necessary to get justice for Joseph Lopez.”

And while it’s true that city officials have been relatively quiet on the murder of Marcus Deon Smith as well as the shooting of Fred Cox in High Point, the indictment of an officer in cases of police shootings is remarkably rare. In addition to the indictment, activist and former civil rights attorney Lewis Pitts brought up the point that a municipal election this year will determine who sits on city council, including the mayoral seat, for the next four years in Greensboro.

“I want to speak particularly to the moment in which yet another outrageous act of police, racist violence and cover-up is taking place,” Pitts said. “Our city is in the process of electing or unelecting every city council member. We have elections coming up in July. We have the clearest chance now to demand transformational leadership from our city council to put an end to this seemingly unspeakable pattern of racist violence…. And we are in the process of hiring a new chief of police. We can zero in on putting pressure on the city council because they hire a city manager who hires a chief of police.”

The next steps in the civil case, according to Taylor, is for the attorney’s team to receive more data about what happened to Lopez including the State Bureau of Investigation’s report as well as increased access to the body-worn camera footage. On the criminal side, the team is planning on meeting with the DA’s office in the next few weeks to proceed with the indictment and charging process for Officer Hamilton.

“It’s been extremely frustrating, painful, agonizing for Mr. Lopez, who has stepped up on behalf of his large family, a loving family,” Taylor said during the press conference. “To take on the burden of this lawsuit, the burden of getting to the bottom of what happened to this son, the burden of what getting… some modicum of justice, some modicum of transparency.”

NEWS

What GSO candidates are saying and how the local police association plays a role

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n a lengthy statement released on Monday, Amiel J. Rossabi, the attorney representing Matthew Hamilton, called the indictment a “tragic result for Greensboro’s citizens.”

The full statement, which was uploaded online by FOX8, notes that Hamilton’s actions were “consistent with GPD and State of North Carolina training and standards” leading up to the shooting, which Rossabi blames on the “very little lighting in the shed.” Rossabi also writes that the law justifies Hamilton’s actions because it states that officers are “justified in using deadly physical force upon another person…when it is or appears reasonably necessary thereby: a. to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force…”

Rossabi writes that Hamilton believed he needed to defend himself because “Lopez turned towards Officer Hamilton with a black object in his hand that resembled a handgun and pointed it towards Officer Hamilton.” The police report and body-worn camera footage as viewed by attorney Graham Holt did not show that Lopez had a gun.

In fact, Rossabi notes this in his memo.

“The fact that Mr. Lopez ended up not having a gun on this occasion is immaterial,” he writes.

This is not Rossabi’s first time defending a Greensboro police officer. In fact, he and his partner Gavin Reardon, currently represent the Greensboro Police Officers Association, a local political PAC made up of members of the Greensboro Police Department. On their website, one of the benefits of being a member of the association is 24/7 legal representation through Rossabi Law Partners to “provide advice and consultation with GPOA members who have been involved in an officer-involved use of deadly force, a critical incident, a situation of grave importance or other serious job-related incident.”

In the past, the law firm represented the association in a case before the NC Supreme Court on whether city council members should be allowed to speak publicly about police body-worn camera footage from an incident in 2016.

As a political PAC, the association has the ability to make contributions to political campaigns for those running for elected office. According to campaign finance reports from earlier this year, the Greensboro Police Officers Association has made donations to three political candidates: incumbent Mayor Nancy Vaughan, District 1 City Council candidate Felton Foushee, and current at-large representative and atlarge city council candidate Hugh Holston.

Foushee is running against incumbent Sharon Hightower after coming in second place during the primary election with 12.9 percent of the vote. Holston, who was chosen to fill the seat left vacant by former city council person Michelle Kennedy in Sept. 2021, placed fourth during the primary elections for the at-large seat behind incumbents Yvonne Johnson and Marikay Abuzuaiter. The top six vote-getters from the primary election will face off on July 26 for two at-large seats. The fifth-place candidate for atlarge is Katie Rossabi, who is married to Amiel Rossabi and said in a campaign video that Marcus Smith “died in the

Justin Outling

Mayor Nancy Vaughan

ambulance after police officers humanely helped him get assistance.” Smith died from a homicide by police after they hogtied him. His family was awarded $2.57 million in a civil suit against the city of Greensboro and the police department this past February.

Records show that on March 2, the Greensboro Police Officers Association made $500 donations to both Foushee and Holston. On May 1, the association made a $1,000 donation to incumbent Mayor Nancy Vaughan.

In a statement via text on Tuesday, Vaughan responded to questions about the indictment against Hamilton.

“I have not seen the lawsuit,” she said. “I assume it contains many of the items alleged in the Marcus Smith case that the judge dismissed. In the interest of transparency, I have been working with the city attorney and the city manager to release the [body-worn camera footage]. In the event the judge does not allow the [body-worn camera footage] to be released publicly, I’ve asked our legal department to petition the judge to allow us to view it and speak about what we see.”

Vaughan did not respond to a question about the police association’s recent donation to her campaign.

In a text statement on Monday, Vaughan’s opponent Justin Outling said that he has also asked “the city manager to begin the process of asking the court for permission for the council and the public to see the police-worn body camera video of the incident.”

“The indictment of a Greensboro Police Department officer for manslaughter in the death of Joseph Thomas Lee Lopez once more draws our attention to larger issues of police and community interactions,” Outling wrote.

“There is much we do not know, and will not know, until the officer’s trial.”

“There will be some who portray the issues associated with events such as these as a choice between public safety and police accountability, as if those two things cannot co-exist,” Outling continued. “I reject that viewpoint and have been consistent in expressing the idea that we must view law enforcement through a lens of high appreciation for the work officers perform, high standards which they must meet in their conduct and high accountability for their actions in accordance with the position of trust they hold.”

Holston, who was reached by phone on Tuesday after-

NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

Hugh Holson

Felton Foushee

noon, said that he’s “proud of all of the donations” he receives.

“I’m not bought and sold by anyone,” Holston said. “I am a person who looks at a situation and will make a determination based on its merits and based on its benefits for the city of Greensboro. There is not one of my endorsers who under any stretch of the imagination [believes] that I’m in their pocket. I’m not in anyone’s pocket. I’m in the pocket of the citizens of Greensboro.”

Asked about people who may still be concerned that he receiving money from a PAC that defends officers involved in shootings and killings, Holston said, “Just look at the actions that you have from your elected officials and that should be a good guide. There should not be any implication that because one has received money from any organization that they’re going to make decisions based on those groups.

Those groups are making decisions to support candidates who support them, and I do support the police officers, I do support public safety — that’s one of my key provisions. That doesn’t mean that it is a blind support.”

Holston also said that he is in support of releasing the body-worn camera footage to the city council and to the public.

“I think it’s good to get all of the information out there, to get all of the details out in front of the people that we are responsible to,” he said. “Council members are simply stewards of the people of Greensboro.”

Reached by phone on Wednesday, District 1 candidate Felton Foushee said that his stance on police accountability has not changed since he started his run for office.

“I want to see things work the way they should if you’re in the wrong,” Foushee said. “And if you’re a police officer, as I’ve stated on multiple occasions, there’s a level of responsibility that comes with that job.”

As a Black man, Foushee said that he understands the level of distrust that some communities of color have towards police, but that police aren’t going anywhere.

“I’m in the same place I was before I received any donations,” Foushee said. “I said this to [the police association]: The police aren’t going anywhere, the community isn’t going anywhere. We can’t keep having moments where there’s no rational conversation or thought to what actually occurred. Everything is not a black-andwhite issue, there’s a lot of gray. And it’s got to be unpacked and communicated and hopefully understood so that when situations like this occur, there’s not this extreme polarization that leads to an inability for people to talk that aren’t going anywhere. We have to have open lines of communication. That means transparency, that means releasing the body-camera footage…that means true accountability and proper punishment for those that act outside of the law, no matter which side you are on.”

As far as the actions taken by the district attorney in presenting evidence to the grand jury which led to Hamilton’s indictment, Foushee said that “so far this is taking place in the way that it should.”

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...There’s a level of responsbility that comes with that job.

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NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

NEWS

Local parents and experts discuss the impacts of the formula shortage in the Triad

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by Suzy Fielders JULIET COEN

Shelves at most stores selling baby-formula remain empty as a nationwide shortage causes stress for parents.

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s parents across the country scramble through stores, desperately looking for formula for their children, those in the Triad are no exception. The shortage, initially started by an Abbott brand recall, is creating stress and fear among local parents of infants, myself included. I’ll be having my second daughter in June, and while I hope and plan to breastfeed for at least few weeks, due to medical conditions, I won’t be able to much longer than that. This means I’ll need formula in the very near future, which is hard to come by these days. Like many parents, I’ve had a difficult time finding formula on store shelves. According to Datasembly, there is now a 40 percent decrease in infant formula available in stores nationwide since the Abbott recall in February.

In the Triad, parents are sharing their stories of how they’re dealing with the issue while experts share options and resources for those needing formula.

Local parents commiserate on the formula shortage

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hen Victoria Idol had her third child in January, she had no idea that the formula shortage would take place in a few months, wreaking havoc on her family’s life. Her son is now four months old, and they are constantly dealing with the “nightmarish scavenger hunt” of finding products he needs.

Two ways they’ve made it through the shortage is by having family and friends scout out different stores and pharmacies and by being flexible when it comes to which brands to buy. While most parents prefer to stick to a brand they know that their baby accepts easily, this shortage has made that impossible for many moms like Idol.

“After searching multiple stores with no luck, I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried,” Idol says. “I was heartbroken for myself and all the other moms who

were sharing the same battle. I knew if I was struggling to feed my baby then hundreds of other moms were too.”

It was during yet another disappointing trip to multiple stores that yielded no formula that pushed Idol to a breaking point. In that moment she was inspired to create the Facebook group, Formula Finders of the Triad, which she began on May 13.

“I thought if I could find a way to connect us all together, we could help each other and feed our babies,” Idol says. “A mother’s love conquers all and if you gather hundreds of mamas together, we can accomplish anything.”

The group currently has more than 350 members and parents are sharing photos of stores where they find formula as well as giving away or selling formula they do not need.

“When I started this group, I really didn’t think it would grow to what it is,” Idol says. “But I am so thankful that moms have a way to connect and spread love, support, and formula.”

Facebook has become one of the more popular places where support groups have popped up to help parents find formula. There are other groups, both nationwide and statewide, on Facebook that have a thousand or more parents. Formula Finders, a nationwide Facebook group, has well over 1,600 members and Formula Finders (NC) Facebook group has membership that exceeds 1,700. Both groups were started in April.

Like many other parents, Jessie DeLapp had to turn to online groups after the Abbott/Similac recall in early spring made it difficult to find formula for her daughter, born in December 2021. In fact, all of the cans that DeLapp had been buying up until that point were part of the recall, so she was forced to find all new formula.

At first, her family was able to find a generic brand relatively easily. But as time

progressed and the shortage grew larger, it became harder to find.

“I couldn’t find her formula in the stores at all,” DeLapp says. “I searched everywhere and no formula. I pulled up the store’s app on my phone and bookmarked it on my MacBook. I would check hourly and several times throughout the night, hoping to catch when they restocked online or in store. No matter how much I looked, nowhere had formula.”

DeLapp eventually resorted to reaching out on Facebook groups to see if anyone was selling formula. After extensive searching she found someone selling the formula she needed. Unfortunately, the seller was in Indiana and DeLapp had to pay $30 to ship just eight cans to the Triad.

Her advice to other parents searching for formula is to join formula-finding Facebook groups, like the one Idol started. She also recommends asking family and friends, no matter where they live, to be on the hunt for formula as well.

For mothers like April Mattina whose 6-month-old child was born premature, the formula shortage is even more dire. While many parents are looking for any formula they can find, some babies, like hers, require specific high-calorie formulas.

“It has been stressful,” Mattina shares. “On top of everything else going on in the world, we now have to worry about running out of formula for our infant. We have had to drive to different stores and cities to find formula.”

Luckily, her child’s doctor recently said it was okay to take him off a special formula, but due to stomach sensitivities he still has to be on a specific kind of product. Mattina often has to resort to finding sample-size cans in Facebook groups, which don’t last long.

Mattina says she has found hope and inspiration in the many moms that have stepped up for others throughout this crisis.

“I have met many nice moms out there who have given away formula to others and myself,” she says. “There is so much negativity in the world and it warms my heart to see people helping others. Hopefully we will see an end to the shortage soon, but when the time comes for my youngest to be done with formula if we have any leftover, I will be donating it.”

Racial disparities, online harassment contribute added stress

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ccording to the CDC, 85.5 percent of white parents, 87.4 percent of Hispanic parents and 73.6 percent of Black parents breastfeed their children. This indicates that Black parents have a higher need for formula and are likely to be more impacted by the shortage.

Furthermore, lower-income families that are eligible for and are receiving WIC benefits are only allotted a certain amount of formula within a set timeframe. That means they cannot ‘stock up’ and are only able to purchase what formula they are able to find, if any.

In addition to racial or socioeconomic disparities that parents may face, biased societal expectations around breastfeeding is causing an increase in online harassment towards parents, too.

Susan M., who is choosing to go just by her last name for privacy, has a preemie baby who requires special formula. In her search for formula, Susan has experienced online strangers who have harassed her and other parents.

“It is extremely hurtful to read comments online saying ‘If only there was a way for mothers to feed their babies without formula? Stop being lazy and nurse your baby,’” she says. “It has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with health. I’d give anything to be able to provide all the calories my daughter needs.

I’ve done everything to try to increase my supply including working with lactation, nursing on demand, baby wearing, power pumping, increased hydration, and supplements, that ultimately made me sick, but nothing works.”

Mother Alicia McIntosh, who is feeding her 6-month-old with a combination of breastfeeding and formula, has witnessed harassment firsthand too.

“I have seen a lot of people saying that women need to start breastfeeding,”

NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

NEWS

JULIET COEN

Mother Jessie DeLapp has had a difficult time finding formula for her daughter who was born in December.

McIntosh says. “I would like those people to know that not everyone can, as not all babies will nurse, and some women have production problems.”

For now, McIntosh has found that generic brands are working as well as brand names and encourages other moms to utilize those if they can. At the end of the day, Idol, who has also witnessed harassment, says that the goal is to be able to feed your child.

“Fed is best,” Idols reminds others. “Even in this scary time of having an infant, people still find ways to ‘mom shame’. Breastfeeding is an incredible thing but not all are capable, or it doesn’t work for every baby or mom. As for myself, I breastfed for the first few weeks, then I had to pump because my son refused to latch. My supply died off fast. Always remember, how a mom decides to feed her baby is her choice.”

Triad experts provide advice during the shortage

D

r. Tammie Wiley from Winston-Salem Pediatrics says if parents can’t find formula in stores or pharmacies, check with WIC or HHS.gov. When purchasing online only buy from well-recognized distributers. Be mindful that there is no guarantee that donor milk is safe, especially if not purchased through an accredited milk bank. Check healthychildren.org for up-to-date information on donor milk.

Wiley also cautions parents against making their own formula or watering formula down no matter how tempting it can be.

“Do not every try to make your own formula or water formula down as this is very hazardous to babies, and potentially life-threatening,” Wiley says. “If your baby is older than 6 months, providing whole milk is a potential option for under a week time span. But, in that scenario always check with your pediatrician first.

Finally, please do not stockpile as that only aids in the shortage. I recommend keeping an ongoing 10-to-14-day supply.”

Beth Sanders of Greensboro Lactation Consultants shares more tips for helping formula last longer.

“One way to help during the formula shortage is for parents to only make the amount that the baby needs at that time,” she says. “This minimizes waste and makes your supply last longer.”

Linda Coppola of Peaceful Beginnings weighs in on milk sharing and donations.

“Milk-sharing is when women donate unpasteurized breast milk via local Facebook sites such as, Eats on Feets, Human Milk for Human Babies, and Milk

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NEWS | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

NEWS

Sharing Mommas of the Triad,” Coppola shares. “However, there are guidelines and mothers seeking milk should ask a lot of questions about the donor and donors should be willing to provide honest answers to the questions. Recipients should not be paying for the milk via these sites, but can offer gas cards, storage bags, etc. to the donors” Currently, there is only one accredited milk bank in North Carolina at WakeMed, located in Cary. Furthermore, their milk is mostly reserved for NICU babies in North Carolina and on the East Coast.

On breast-milk-sharing, Sanders “recommends first trying to find milk donations from close friends or family. Donated milk can be pasteurized at home using the flash heating method. For detailed instructions on how to safely prepare donated milk, refer to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s website.”

Owner of Lollies Lactation in Winston-Salem, Kacie Mintz, also shared that parents should reach out to their pediatrician for samples or ask friends who have recently had babies if they have any samples they are not using. She also pointed to the Baby Formula Exchange website which was launched by Olympian Shawn Johnson to connect those who need formula with others who have it.

Another option for parents is relactation, or the process of restarting a parent’s milk supply after they have stopped breastfeeding or given birth. However, Mintz shares that relactation while possible, is difficult and not always successful.

“Support, a quality breast pump and a plan with an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant are critical in relactation success,” Mintz says. “Realistic expectations and reasons for not currently lactating need to be considered before trying to relactate. The time frame post-birth is not the most pivotal indicator of reestablishing milk supply, but it is usually more successful the closer you are from birth. Relactation is time intensive, not immediate, and sometimes will not meet the supply requirements of the infant so it is not a quick fix.”

Is there an end in sight for the formula shortage?

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xperts and parents both agree they are unsure when the formula shortage will end. It is currently an issue Congress is addressing.

Rep. Kathy Manning of District 6 recently voted in favor of both the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 7791 and the Access to Baby Formula Act, H.R. 7790.

The Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act will provide the Food and Drug Administration with $28 million in funding to address the current formula shortage and prevent any future shortages. The Access to Baby Formula Act will help low-income families have better access to formula by allowing the US. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive certain WIC requirements. The North Carolina Department Health and Human Services recently updated their WIC program on May 31 to allow WIC families to purchase two other types of Gerber formula as well as products in bigger sizes.

On May 12, President Biden’s administration publicized efforts to help during the formula shortage. The first is aimed at simplifying the process for formula makers to allow for a quicker production process. The second keeps retailers from increasing formula prices at a time when parents need it most. Finally, the FDA will begin working with other countries to import more formula. Typically, the U.S. produces 98 percent of the formula it consumes and Mexico, Chile, Ireland, and the Netherlands are the only other major countries for formula imports. As part of these import efforts some airlines, such as United Airlines, have stepped up to offer free flights transport products.

To get through this crisis, mother Jessie DeLapp says mothers and parents will need ongoing support.

“It’s incredibly important to simply support people taking care of infants right now,” DeLapp says. “This is an extremely hard time that none of us could have ever predicted. If someone formula feeds, support them. If they breastfeed, also support them. Times are hard enough, just be kind.”

EDITORIAL The NC Senate threatens to enter the 21st Century

W

ho knows how it happened. Maybe the Republicans who control the North Carolina General Assembly have already gotten everything they’ve wanted on their wish lists and have no other ideas. Maybe it’s because NC leadership doesn’t mind being among the last states to enter into modernity, just not the last. Or maybe, finally, someone among them finally did the math.

Either way, the NC Senate has indicated a move forward on both medical marijuana legislation and an expansion of Medicaid, more than 12 years after the passing of the Affordable Care Act that created Obamacare and gave medical relief to more than 30 million Americans who really needed it.

Remember, this is the Senate: Phil Berger’s joint, where he’s waged a stalwart war against progress since 2001, when he was an acolyte of Rep. Virginia Foxx, who also got her start in the NC Senate. His ascension to the post of President Pro Tempore of the Senate in 2011 marked a firehose of deep-red pablum for the Obama-hating masses that included the Bathroom Bill, failed Voter ID laws, illegal districts, the politicization of the UNC System and other bits of reactionary political actions too numerous to list here.

What does it say when even Berger is starting to come around?

The marijuana bill — which its boosters prefer to call “cannabis” — has passed the Senate and

awaits House action. It would be the most restrictive in the nation, meant solely for people with terminal illnesses, chronic conditions, PTSD and debilitating symptoms. Thus far, 38 states have passed legislation legalizing cannabis to some degree; 19 have passed recreational cannabis laws, including Virginia where, we’re told, the dispensaries will open in 2024.

The Medicaid-expansion bill may be more seismic. Thus far 39 states have passed legislation to include federal Medicaid funds in their overall healthcare portfolios, and though it, too has passed the Senate, House Speaker Tim Moore has said that he’ll likely table a final vote until next year.

When it comes to the bottom 10 percent, we’re at the top of the list!

But both of these measures represent “cracks in the windshield,” as they say in policy circles.

The cannabis bill is designed to change as soon as the federal laws more accurately reflect reality. And the Medicaid bill has always been an inevitability, economically speaking. It has cost us more than $18 billion — NC Health News puts it at $1-2 billion per year that could have been absorbed by Medicaid expansion.

Under Phil Berger’s watch, these developments are practically revolutionary. But even he must eventually reconcile with reality, which has a well known progressive bias.

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

OPINION | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

OPINION

The NC Senate has indicated a move forward on medical marijuana and Medicaid expansion.

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere 11

CULTURE | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

CULTURE

Northern Roots Coffeehouse calls downtown space home, bringing clean design and living wages

by Sayaka Matsuoka

JULIET COEN

Northern Roots Coffeehouse has moved into a long-vacant spot in downtown Greensboro, near the cormer of Elm and Washington Streets, becoming the first living-wage brick-and-mortar in the area.

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he downtown storefront at 300-B S. Elm St. has finally found a on for herself. But as Apple let her daydreams grow, she realized she wanted long-term tenant. to have a larger brick-and-mortar business.

CAPTION has undergone numerous In the last couple of years the space “I was driving around down here to coming to get coffee downtown,” Apple changes, from a UNCG pop-up shop to former presidential canrecalls. “And we were stopped at the light, and it was the day after Wrangler, didate Mike Bloomberg’s campaign office. But now, the recently renovated who was next door, had just moved out and I saw the ‘For Lease’ sign. So, I space is bright and airy with pops of greenery that elevate its mostly white said, ‘Let’s pull over and take a peek in there.’” walls and minimal décor.

After that, she asked the owner about opening a coffee shop in that corner Since May 19, Northern Roots Coffeehouse has called the spot home. space but Hype Clinic, which is there now, beat Apple to it. So, she set her Through the window, passersby on the sidewalks can peek at the booths sights on 300B next door and called her friend Amanda Marley to design the covered in a plush, green carpet-like material and space. decorated with pebble-shaped pillows. As the eye “She opened her laptop and I looked [at her draws further back into the space, egg-shaped wickdesign] and I said, ‘I don’t want to change anything,’” People were just so excited er chairs line one side before the counter while large Apple says. to see something finally, boxes with a black-and-white textile background “I was really excited about the vision, and it came float off the wall on the right. together perfectly,” says Marley who owns interifinally come in here.

“People would walk by and they’d knock on the or-design and woodworking company Real Fine door and they’d be like, ‘It looks great!,’ and give us Place. a thumbs up,” says owner Trina Apple. “People were For the coffee shop she envisioned creating a just so excited to see something finally, finally come in here.” bright, open atmosphere that wove the outdoors throughout the interior Apple, who has lived in the Triad for the last nine years, formerly worked at because the space is so long. the Jumping Bean, a drive-through coffee shop in Summerfield, before she “It is such a long space and I wanted to make sure it didn’t feel closed off opened her own shop. After managing Jumping Bean for three years, she to the outside just because it was a long skinny space,” Marley says. “I wantthought she would eventually buy the business from the owner and take it ed to bring the outdoors all the way in and have it feel very clean and natural.

CULTURE | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

CULTURE

Designer Amanda Marley and owner Trina Apple partnered to bring their vision of Northern Roots Coffeehouse to life. The shop opened in mid-May and brings Marley’s clean design and Apple’s love of community together.

So that’s why we have a lot of natural wood and a lot of black and white, and then the green is the pop of color.”

In addition to the window booths and the egg chairs, the shop has custom-built tables made from butcher block along the walls as well as a living room-like area in the back of the space with a large egg-shaped couch and faux concrete table.

All in all, from groundbreaking to opening, the renovation of the space took about a year.

“When I know a project is going to take a long time, I try to look at the forecasting trends as opposed to the trends right now,” Marley says. “That way, by the time it’s finished, it’ll be perfect.”

And that’s why the shop looks different than other coffeeshops in the area, Marley says.

“I feel like it turned out great because it’s different,” she says. “I designed it differently than any other space downtown. I drew inspiration from a lot of different things but nothing that I’ve ever seen here. So I feel like this space is truly original.”

In addition to the design, the use of coffee as well as the way Apple has set up her business aims to be different, too.

For her coffee, she’s partnered with Loom Coffee Co., a local, specialty coffee roaster that has made paying a living wage the core of their business model. In a previous article for TCB, the owners of Loom said that

they would only partner with businesses that were in line with their mission, like Borough Coffee. And now, with the addition of Northern Roots Coffeehouse, they have become the first living-wage, brick-and-mortar coffee shop in Greensboro.

“Where I was at in Summerfield, I was being paid well and I was able to survive as a single parent on what I was making there,” Apple says. “So my thing was, we need to give that to other people. Because if we enjoy this so much, let’s continue that. So when Christopher said to me that they’re only going to work with shops that are paying livable wages, I was like, ‘We’re here.’”

Currently Northern Roots employs six workers who are all paid between $14 and $16 per hour plus tips.

In addition to fostering a career in coffee for her employees, Apple hopes that the shop becomes a comforting space for those who visit downtown.

“I want for every person who walks through that door, for every sense in their body to come alive,” Apple says. “I want them to see beauty, hear beauty, taste it, feel it. I want their experience to start the second they walk in…. So let’s serve an amazing cup of coffee and let’s just do this.”

Visit Northern Roots Coffeehouse at 300B S. Elm St. in Greensboro.

Follow them on Instagram at @northernrootscoffeehouse and on Facebook for hours and more.

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BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

North Greene Street, Greensboro

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Kelly Gould of Rhodes Academy of Irish Dance based in Virginia, competes in the Greensboro Feile Rince Feis. Gould went on to win the 267 Open Championship for 18 & over. Hundreds of Irish dancers from all over the East Coast gathered in downtown Greensboro for the competition.

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PUZZLES | JUNE 9 - 15, 2022

16

CROSSWORD

‘This and That’—if one exists, the other does too.

by Matt Jones

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

Across

1. “Be kind to animals” org.

5. Anna’s Disney sister 9. Figure out a Rubik’s Cube 14. Prepare carefully 15. “Let’s Make a Deal” option 16. Egg-shaped 17. Cardinal direction that doesn’t begin a state name 18. Braggy answer to a food allergens quiz if you know your wheat proteins?

20. Not all alone 22. Part of the teen punk band name with the 2022 song “Racist, Sexist Boy” 23. Fifth-century pope called “the Great” 24. 2022 horror sequel (or the 1996 movie that started it all) 26. Award for “The Crown” 28. Agcy. spawned by the Manhattan Project 29. “Sign me up!”

33. Crew equipment 35. Brings in 37. Barrel rib 38. Costar of Sid on “Your Show of Shows” 40. “Don’t worry about it” 42. Shade named for a flower 43. British racing town that lent its name to a kind of salt 45. Card game with Skips 46. Say it loud 47. “___ got a golden ticket ...”

48. “Field of Dreams” locale 50. Get ready for hockey 53. Soothing stuff 56. “Lawrence of Arabia” Oscar nominee 59. Accelerate 61. All-sock reenactment of the Swiss apple-shooting story?

63. Day saver?

64. Falco and Brickell, e.g.

65. ___ sci (college course) 66. Anti-D.U.I. group 67. Makeup of Maslow’s hierarchy 68. Put the brakes on 69. Pennsylvania port city

© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

13. “Slow Churned” ice cream brand 19. A public util.

21. Domestic class, briefly 25. Score silence symbols 27. PBS chef Martin 30. Ripping coupons with your bare hands, as opposed to fancy scissors?

31. View from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre 32. “People Got a Lotta Nerve” singer Case 33. Shampoo bottle spec 34. Friend, in France 36. “Canterbury Tales” pilgrim 37. Pastry often served with mint chutney 39. Competed in the Kentucky Derby, say 41. ___ polloi (the masses) 44. French automaker with a lion logo 47. Rapper who starred in “New Jack City” 49. Message on a dirty car 51. Find ___-than-perfect solution 52. Taqueria option 54. He wrote three operas based on Shakespeare 55. Break down Down 56. Uncap 1. Ejects, as lava 57. Sass, if you’re stuck in the ‘80s 2. Interwoven hair 58. “The Andy Griffith Show” kid 3. Giant medieval structure being transported 60. Resell quickly on wheels?

62. Does a “harmless” prank (but it’s really 4. “La Marseillaise,” for France annoying to clean up) 5. U2 guitarist The ___ 6. Hangs loose 7. Warhol motif 8. It’s designed to be on display 9. Justice Sotomayor 10. It’ll help you handle some hot stuff 11. Trucker’s haul 12. Discover competition

SUDOKU

© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: