TCB July 27, 2016

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point triad-city-beat.com July 27 – August 2, 2016

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High Point’s racism lawsuit PAGE 10 Hipster bait PAGES 20, 22 The 27 Club PAGE 6

The 2016 Legislative highlight reel

PAGE 14

Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016

JULY 30 MARTHA BASSETT (SWING) AUGUST 12 DEE LUCAS | OPENING PERFORMER - VINCENT CRENSHAW

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Upwards and onwards

UP FRONT 3 Editor’s Notebook 4 City Life 6 Commentariat 6 The List 7 Barometer 7 Unsolicited Endorsement

by Brian Clarey

NEWS 8 N orth Carolina: Trump’s in town 10 HPJ:High point gets sued for racism

OPINION 12 Editorial: Locavore politics 12 Citizen Green: Trump’s whites 13 It Just Might Work: Mandatory Inclusionary zoning 13 Fresh Eyes: The attempted coup in Turkey from an expat’s view

COVER 14 Ball hogs: The legislative highlight reel

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CULTURE

FUN & GAMES

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

20 Food: Slappy’s Chicken stacks up 21 Barstool: Brunch at 1618 Downtown 22 Music: Reanimator no more 24 Art: ‘Libris Mortis’ wins top film project award

26 NBA 1, North Carolina 0

28 East Lindsay St., Greensboro

GAMES

ALL SHE WROTE

27 Jonesin’ Crossword

30 Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Avenue

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I would be remiss if I failed to point out the irony of the misuse of oppressive systems of power to stifle threatening conversations about race in our community, especially since this misuse of power resulted in response to suggestions that these systems exist.

Through its behavior, the city is exemplifying the very thing it suggests does not exist.

— Jason Yates, in the High Point Journal, page 10

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 • Office: 336-256-9320 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey

ART ART DIRECTOR Jorge Maturino

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach

SALES DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Dick Gray

brian@triad-city-beat.com allen@triad-city-beat.com

jorge@triad-city-beat.com

dick@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Eric Ginsburg

SALES EXECUTIVE Stephen Cuccio

SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green

lamar@triad-city-beat.com

eric@triad-city-beat.com

jordan@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL INTERNS Naari Honor

Jesse Morales intern@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry Nicole Crews Anthony Harrison Matt Jones Alex Klein Amanda Salter

Cover illustration by Jorge Maturino

steve@triad-city-beat.com

SALES EXECUTIVE Lamar Gibson SALES EXECUTIVE Cheryl Green cheryl@triad-city-beat.com

TCB IN A FLASH DAILY @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. ©2015 Beat Media Inc.

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed a change on our masthead this week.

Eric Ginsburg will take over as managing editor of Triad City Beat, the most essential role in the editorial department, giving Senior Editor Jordan Green more leeway to spin out his brand of award-winning journalism.

Allen Broach’s title has changed to publisher emeritus, which is more befitting his stature and role here at the paper.

None of this could have happened without him, and his counsel and insight are invaluable to our operation.

And I have finally accepted the fact that I have become what was once the bane of my existence: I am now officially an alt-weekly publisher, though I’ll remain executive editor just so I can keep my hand in the game.

One of the biggest differences is that publishers don’t use the F-word as much as editors do.

I’ve been reinventing myself these past couple of years, learning all I can about the business and marketing side of the operation, getting a handle on the digital revolution that has forever changed the industry to which I’ve devoted my career.

It’s sort of like using You’ll see, in the months a television to look to come, some of the initiaat photographs. tives I’m pushing, most of which are designed to move us toward the day when our digital audience is greater than our print readers.

That day is surely coming, for every publication.

Our market is a few years behind the rest of the country in terms of our digital sophistication — both a blessing and a curse — though just about all of us in the biz acknowledge the seismic changes we are experiencing.

All except one.

I noticed last week that the Rhino Times, which has never fully embraced the power of its website, has actually shut its traditional site down in favor of an e-edition — you know, a facsimile of the paper that shows up on your screen where you turn the pages with a mouse click.

An e-paper is great — every print publication has one these days as part of their digital offerings. But it’s sort of like using a television to look at photographs: It only scratches the surface of what the tech can do.

Video. Breaking news. Slideshows. Mobile optimization.

Programmatic advertising. Comment threads. SEO. You can’t do any of these things with an e-paper.

It’s absolutely insane.

If I were a little more gracious, I might reach out to my fellow publisher, Roy Carroll, and show him the error of his ways.

But I’ve still got some editor in me. So F it. Let it ride.

triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

CONTENTS

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016

CITY LIFE July 27 – August 2

by Narri Honor

ALL WEEKEND Harry Potter Week @ Sweet Josephine’s (HP) Look, there is no use trying to escape it. This is officially the week of Potter, so you might as well use it to your advantage. Sweet Josephine’s will be cooking their delectable little hearts out and using a little extra magic in their treats in celebration of Harry’s birthday from Tuesday through Saturday. Come dressed in your Hogwarts best and get a discount on some pastry goodness.

Muggles welcomed! Detailed info can be found on their magical Facebook page.

WEDNESDAY Tinderbox Circus Sideshow @ the Blind Tiger (GSO), 7 p.m.

Who can resist a circus-style “moonshine-induced madness” troupe that follows the tradition of a 10-in-1 act? You have no idea what I am talking about do you? Perfect. The Tinderbox Circus freaks do their thing at the Blind Tiger for one night only. While circus acts are generally kid friendly, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you should tuck the kiddies in bed for this one. For more information, check out the Tinderbox Circus Sideshow website or Blind Tiger’s event page on Facebook.

THURSDAY

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Grocery shopping tour @Trader Joes (W-S) 8 a.m.

Trader Joes opens its doors to teach consumers the art of healthy eating on a budget.

Couponing divas and dudes are welcomed. Spots are filling up fast so Joe’s is asking that interested parties sign up at their office or call to reserve their spot.

More information can be found on their event page on Facebook.

I say pretend this is one of those wedding dress sales people wait all year for, get serious, make jackets, and map a route for the day of the event. This could be worse than a Black Friday sale.

triad-city-beat.com

FRIDAY

Wizard People, Dear Readers @ Geeksboro (GSO), 10 p.m.

Calling all wizarding houses! Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and yes Slytherin folk too — if you must. However, protective spells will be on deck; so no funny business. Geeksboro Coffeehouse House Cinema shows the Brad Neely film Wizard People, Dear Reader on the weekend of Harry Potter’s 36th birthday and the midnight reveal of Cursed Child. More information can be found on their website for wizards who have lost their Marauder’s map.

Night Paddles @ Oak Hollow Marina (HP) 7:30 p.m.

Have you ever seen the sun set or the pale moonlight while in a kayak? Well even if you have, do it again. Visit highpointnc.gov/1745/Oak-Hollow-Marina or check out the Facebook event page for detailed info.

Leon: THE PROFESSIONAL

Hitchcock’s

SATURDAY

Metaphysical and Wellness Fair @ Ohana Arts & Wellness Center (HP), 11 a.m.

No time like the present to convene with energy and light workers, get your chakras aligned, or stock up on your metaphysical supplies. The Ohana Arts & Wellness Center plays home-base for the Metaphysical and Wellness Fair on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Lectures include Native American Shamanism, Intro into Gypsy Spellcraft, Emotional Focus Therapy, Dowsing, Holistic Alternatives, Astro and Quantum Physics and Sacred spaces.

Extensive list of the day’s itinerary and the cost of admission can be found on the event Facebook page.

All style dance battle Vandetta 2 @ the Artist Bloc (GSO), 4 p.m.

Pop-lockers, river dancers, tappers, steppers, b-boys and girls and all those in between: The artist Bloc holds an all-style dance battle on Saturday. Whether you wish to compete or spectate, the Bloc has a place for you. There will be a cash bar and light treats. More info at the artistbloc.com and on their FB page.

Piedmont Swing Dance Society dance @ the Guilford Grange (GSO), 7:30 p.m.

Attention all you cool cats. The Piedmont Swing Dance Society holds a members-only dance. There’s a door charge if you’re not a member. The band will be Smitty & the JumpStarters. We hear they can swing. More information about the club and the dance can be found on their website and their Meetup page.

SUNDAY

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens @ Geeksboro (GSO), 8 p.m.

Yes, the sharks don’t die, they multiple. At least Geeksboro is giving away a free drink with the purchase of an admission ticket for the B-rated movie premiere starring heart throbs David Hasselhoff and Duane “Dog” Chapman and America’s favorite actress Stacey Dash. For more information, checkout Geeksboro’s Facebook page.

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016

Things black people experience Add to your “Maybe, you like me” list: Don’t have to worry about being followed around a store because of the color of your skin [“Fresh Eyes: Questions for white

Love the sinner, but not the sin I wonder if racial if racial segregationists said, “I love individual black people, but not the fact that they are black,” because that’s basically the same thing as saying,

“Love the people, not their lifestyle.” [“NC GOP delegate: Party unity trumps challenge to HB 2”; by Jesse Morales; July 22, 2016] Anthony Harrison, Greensboro Pat McCrory as Marty McFly The new state motto: Backwards to the future. [“Editor’s Notebook: Get off McCrory’s lawn”; by Brian Clarey; July 20, 2016] Art Kainz, Kernersville

News

Up Front

people”; by Eric Ginsburg; July 20, 2016].

I’m a middle-aged, professional black woman and it happened to me last week… in a well-known national department store.”

Hmmm…, via triad-city-beat.com

All She Wrote

Shot in the Triad

Games

Fun & Games

Culture

Cover Story

Opinion

7 rarely mentioned musicians of the 27 Club

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by Naari Honor 1. Louis Chauvin: March 13, 1881-March 26, 1908 Many people are familiar with the macabre “27 Club” and its most famed members like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. However, there is a hauntingly extensive list of other musicians who passed away at the early age of 27. Let’s start with Louis Chauvin, who left few remnants of his time here on earth. The exceptionally gifted and well respected ragtime musician has an air of mystery about him. Said to be born of Mexican-Indian and African-American decent, his surname is actually spelled Shovan on the 1900 Census and his birth month is listed as February 1882, although some historians argue that he was born in March 1881. Though he is said to have composed endless amounts of work, he took little time to write the music down or get his songs published.

He is best known for “Heliotrope Bouquet,” a composition for which he shares credit with Scott Joplin.

2. Nat Jaffe: Jan. 1, 1918-Aug. 5, 1945 Born in Berlin, Nat Jaffe was a classically trained jazz swing pianist. He was married to wide range vocalist and iconic jazz songstress Sarah Vaughan. He appeared on Vaughan’s 1953 EP Hot Jazz. Jaffe, who eventual went on to lead his own musical trio, also appeared on the album Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra produced by Varsity in 1940.

3. Dickie Pride: Oct. 1, 1941-March 26, 1969 Dickie Pride, born Richard Knelar, was a British rock singer known as the “sheik of shake.”

While he was part of the Larry Parnes arsenal of musical greats,

he is said to have never reached his full potential due to poor handling of his career by Parnes. He performed the song “Three Cool Cats” with Cliff Richard as lead and Marty Wilde on “Oh Boy TV” in 1958. The Coasters later recorded the song in 1959. The Beatles performed “Three Cool Cats” as part of their audition for Decca Records in 1962.

4. A lan “Blind Owl” Christie Wilson: July 4, 1943-Sept.

3, 1970 Musician and songwriter Alan Christie Wilson was known for his blues-infused rock and roll sound. He was influenced by Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Also known as “the Blind Owl,” a name said to have been given to him by John Fahey due to his nearsightedness, he was a pioneer of his time and a blues sage. Wilson was a member of Canned Heat, a blues-rock band formed by Alan Wilson and Bob Hite.

5. Cecilia: Oct. 11, 1948-Aug. 2, 1976 The Spanish singer and songwriter, born as Evangelia Sopbredo Galanes, took on the name of Cecilia from the song “Cecilia” by Simon & Garfunkel.

While with her first music group Expresión she wrote a song entitled “Reuníos,” a personal yet public plea for the Beatles to reunite.

6. Jacob Miller: May 4, 1952 -March 23, 1980 Jacob “Killer” Miller, reggae artist extraordinaire, was the fourth lead singer of the Inner Circle Band. Miller gave an epic

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3723 West Market Street, Unit–B, Greensboro, NC 27403 jillclarey3@gmail.com www.thenaturalpathwithjillclarey.com performance of “Tenement Yard,” the first song he recorded with the band, in the 1978 movie Rockers. At the age of 13, he recorded his first song, “Love is the Message,” with producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd.

7. Jean-Michel Basquiat: Dec. 22, 1960-Aug. 12, 1988 Jean-Michael Basquiat, primarily known for his work as a neo-expressionist painter, was a founding member of the noiserock band the Gray. Formed in conjunction with fellow musician and performance artist Michael Holman, the group had previously been named Test Pattern. The name the Gray is said have been chosen

by Basquiat in honor of his favorite book, Gray’s Anatomy.

Readers: Our readers picked Medicaid expansion, though it didn’t come up with a true majority (50 percent). Income inequality ranked second with 40 percent while food hardship brought up the rear with just 10 percent of the vote. Nobody selected “other,” so I guess we did a pretty good job curating what our legislators left behind.

New question: Do you support renaming Aycock Middle School? Vote at triad-city-beat.com!

30 20 10

50%

Medicaid expansion

40%

Income inequality

10%

Food hardship

Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

to navigate the matters that accompany “coming out of the closet,” both personally and publicly.

Dubose is part of the Greensboro chapter of an organization called QORDS. The program is mostly known for their “school of rock”-style summer camp, but has gradually expanded to provide year-round programming.

When camp is not in session, the QORDS chapters organize events across North Carolina to raise funds for the camp session and to continue their efforts to support queer and trans youth through workshops and informational seminars. QORDS accomplishes its goal to reach queer and trans youth, not only through COURTESY PHOTO its music program, but a wide array of art genres Babette Cromartie, Jermanni Cooper, Jack Currier and Alexander Reann (l-r) such as dance and composition.

I am fond of the program because of its use of involve the camp itself and the formation of a rock band various avenues to connect and communicate with youth. at the end of the session. It’s pretty cool that the camp While music is a fundamental component, the group enoffers children the chance to learn to play an instrument gages a range of subjects including race, socio-economic that may be new to them during their camp stay. status, leadership and self-image.

I would love to be a part of one of those bands and Volunteers come from all walks of life, and include channel my inner Janis Joplin, but for now, I guess I will advocates along with representatives of fine arts and corhave to volunteer instead. However, don’t be surprised if porations. This component provides campers with a realyou get wind that I have decided to form my own band. world view of the issues they face on an ongoing basis.

What can I say, the kids of QORDS are inspirational.

While there is a fee to attend the week long camp, You think I could learn to play “Free Bird” in a week?

QORDS will turn no one away.

Of course, one of my favorite core elements does

Culture

by Naari Honor My daughter came out of the proverbial closet to me more than five years ago in the kitchen of our home. I remember her sitting on the steps fumbling with the right words to say.

“What if I told you I kissed a girl?” she stammered.

I stopped dead in my tracks, but tried to play it off by quickly turning my attention to the food cooking on the stove.

It wasn’t that I didn’t expect that we would eventually have this conversation. It was my fear, as a lesbian myself, that she would be forced to endure some of the same battles I encountered when I voiced my truth.

I was an adult when I came out of my walk-in. She was just a child. Could she handle what awaited her in our sometimes cruel world?

Fast forward some years later and she is owning her pansexuality better than I ever did. It makes me proud that she was able to do something that I had to read a book about just to understand.

I often wonder about how other children handle the social issues that come with declaring a sexual orientation different from the public’s perceived notion of what is “normal.”

Recently I engaged in a conversation with a friend, Tee Dubose. We often find ourselves discussing the plight of LGBTQ children. While I am still trying to find my way to help our youth, she is actively working with teens and young adults to provide the support and guidance needed

Cover Story

QORDS (Queer Oriented Radical Days of Summer)

Opinion

Jordan Green: It’s a shame that the General Assembly has been so preoccupied with which bathrooms transgender people use that they haven’t addressed income inequality or food hardship, but the real outrage is their failure to expand Medicaid by turning away millions of

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Eric Ginsburg: Income inequality. The growing divide between the richest and the rest of us, and the racial income gap contributes directly to this area’s high food hardship rates and the need for Medicaid. All three are important, but let’s get to the roots of the issue.

News

Brian Clarey: Medicaid expansion is major, and people are suffering needlessly without it. Income inequality is at the root of most of our problems. But I’m bummed that Rep. Pricey Harrison’s medical marijuana bill got kicked out to committee. That would be a game-changer for the Triad’s economy. Ask me why next time you see me.

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dollars from the federal government that we’ve already paid into the system through our federal income taxes.

Up Front

In conjunction with this week’s cover story about what our local representatives and senators have been up to — beginning on page 14 — we wanted to ask our editors and readers to pick the most important issue that the state General Assembly ignored this session. There were plenty to choose from, but we offered up Medicaid expansion, income inequality and food hardship.

triad-city-beat.com

What did the legislature miss?

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

8

NEWS

North Carolina: You’re going to be seeing a lot of Donald Trump

by Jordan Green

Donald Trump acknowledged that his path to the White House runs directly through North Carolina during a relaxed, comparatively low-key speech at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex on Monday night, as state GOP leaders, facing headwinds of their own, got comfortable with their party nominee.

“I’m gonna be in North Carolina so much you’re gonna be sick and tired of me,” Trump told an enthusiastic audience. “You’re gonna say, ‘Please, Mr. Trump, we’ll give you our vote, but just leave us alone.’ But I’m going to keep coming back because we need to win in November.”

In contrast to his most recent appearance in the area — a campaign stop in Greensboro in June — when state lawmakers and local sheriffs were the highest ranking Republican elected officials to join the presidential candidate onstage, Monday’s appearance in Winston-Salem on the heels of the Republican National Convention drew politicians up and down the ticket, most notably Gov. Pat McCrory.

An upbeat McCrory, whose contest with Democratic challenger Roy Cooper is razor thin, made light of the national controversy brought down on the state by HB 2, the law requiring transgender people to use the bathroom on their birth certificate, by making a joke about the crowded conditions in the facility.

“If you need to leave, there’s doors on either side,” he said. “And if any of you need to use the restroom….” He didn’t finish the sentence, but howls of laughter confirmed that the audience made the connection.

While inflaming resentment against Latinos, undocumented immigrants and Muslims, Trump has struck a comparatively moderate tone on LGBTQ rights, positioning himself as a defender of LGBTQ people from Islamic terrorist attacks since the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. in June. And he criticized HB 2 in April, not long after carrying North Carolina in the March 15 Republican primary.

“People go, they use the bathroom

Donald Trump hit familiar themes of trade immigration in Winston-Salem.

that they feel is appropriate,” he said during a televised town hall hosted

by NBC’s “Today Show.” “And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment they’re taking.”

PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel ridiculed HB 2 without mentioning it by name during his address at the Republican National Convention last week, while praising Trump for being “honest” about “fake culture wars” distracting the nation “from our economic decline.”

Trump made no mention of HB 2 and did not acknowledge McCrory, who appeared earlier in the program, during his appearance in Winston-Salem on Monday. Meanwhile, McCrory characterized himself as an “outsider,” like Trump, who came to Raleigh four years ago to turn the state around.

“We need somebody from the outside to clean up Washington DC,” McCrory said. “We have no idea about Syrians coming into North Carolina. President Obama is not communicating with me, your governor, about what’s happening.

“We need an outsider because we

JORDAN GREEN

Gov. Pat McCrory jumped on the Trump train while playing HB 2 for laughs.

believe there should be no such thing as sanctuary cities,” the governor added, striking at an issue central to Trump’s campaign — violent crime committed by undocumented immigrants. North Carolina became the first state to ban so-called sanctuary cities in October 2015, when McCrory signed a bill outlawing local ordinances that prevent local law enforcement from providing information to immigration authorities.

US Sen. Richard Burr, who also faces a close reelection contest with Democratic challenger Deborah Ross, made a relatively mild pitch for Trump’s candidacy, praising his children and declaring, “I’m convinced that with Trump in the White House and a Republican majority in Congress you will get the change our children and grandchildren deserve.”

Burr’s speech was followed by several North Carolina Republican candidates for Congress: Ted Budd, Virginia Foxx, Renee Ellmers, Mark Meadows and Robert Pittenger.

The GOP showcase also introduced North Carolina voters to Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence,

JORDAN GREEN

who drew loud cheers when he gestured towards the wings of the hall where police officers stood in position.

“Donald Trump will put the safety and security this country first,” Pence said, “and we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line.”

Trump hit familiar themes in a speech that sometimes meandered, beginning with taunts at presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for capitulating to Hillary Clinton as the Democratic National Convention got underway in Philadelphia.

“We’re tired of being the stupid country,” Trump said, hitting his stride.

“We’re tired of being the country where our jobs are taken away. We’re tired of being the country where our military is being depleted. We’re tired of being the country that can’t make good trade deals. We’re tired of being the country with no borders. We will have a wall, and Mexico will pay for it. Believe me.”

He promised to correct trade imbalance by making “great deals” with other countries.

“We have to use the power of tariffs and taxes,” Trump said. “By the way,

Opinion Cover Story

Convention who attended the Winston-Salem rally, cited religious liberty, national security and economic challenge as three issues that attracted him to Trump’s candidacy. He said he believes many black people privately support Trump, but aren’t willing to declare it publicly.

“I might be one of a small number to stand up and say, ‘Yes, I support Trump,’” Turner said.

As workers on the lower rungs of the economic ladder, blacks are the most likely to be affected by foreign labor and competition for scarce resources, Turner said.

“Illegal immigration — it affects African Americans more than anyone else,” he said. “When you go to Social Services, you primarily see African Americans and Hispanics.

“The Democratic Party has been trying to create division, but it’s not working anymore,” he added. “They want you to see these people as racists.

They want you to see me as an Uncle Tom.”

News

genteel people of the South. It never hurts anyone to show they’re thankful and humble.”

Trump left most of the inflammatory rhetoric to supporting acts, notably Pastor Mark Burns, who has spoken at many of the candidate’s events.

“I think it’s shameful that Hillary Clinton has Michael Brown’s mother speaking at the Democratic National Convention,” said Burns, alluding to the young black man who was killed by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer in the summer of 2014. “That is shameful.

That is a sign to every black person that they should be afraid of the police. The devil is a liar!”

The predominantly white crowd ate it up, roaring, “Stop!” when Burns asked, “What do you do when a police officer says, ‘Stop?’”

“I’m a black man from South Carolina married to a beautiful white woman,” Burns said. “I’ve never been beaten by the police. Donald Trump is not going to pander to just one race to get your votes.”

Ty Turner, an African-American delegate to the Republican National

Up Front

of worship from intervening in partisan campaigns.

“We’re gonna do things for the Christian, the Jewish and the evangelical communities that have never been done before,” Trump said.

While the parade of down-ballot candidates speaking before Trump underscores how the party is closing ranks around its nominee, some party members are expressing something short of full-throated support.

“We gotta be looking at the Supreme Court,” David Singletary, a Republican member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, said before the rally. “There’s no such thing as a perfect candidate, and Lord knows, both of these candidates have some baggage.

We’re going to have to say our prayers with this election and hope some good comes out of it.”

Singletary suggested Trump’s brash Northeastern tone might not be a perfect fit for mannered North Carolina.

“It doesn’t hurt any of us to be more humble,” he said. “[Trump is] a classic type-A figure. He’s an aggressive business type. He needs to appeal to the

triad-city-beat.com

I’m a free trader. Every air-conditioning unit you make [in Mexico] we’re gonna make them pay a 35 percent tax to sell the product back here. You know what we’re gonna do? We’re gonna change their whole bottom line.”

He pledged to make US allies like Japan, German, South Korea and Saudi Arabia pay full freight for their security arrangements with the United States.

“If you say, ‘We’ll never walk,’ they’ll never pay,” Trump said. “We may have to walk…. If we say to Saudi Arabia, ‘Bye bye,’ in two days they’ll be coming back to us.”

Similarly, while pledging to stop Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States, Trump said he would create “safe zones” for them in Syria.

“We’re not gonna pay for it,” he said.

“I’m a developer; I never pay for anything. We’ll have the Gulf states pay for it. They wouldn’t be around for another week if it wasn’t for us.”

Trump also made a pitch to the same social conservatives who form the core constituency for HB 2, promising to “get rid of ” the Johnson Amendment, a law that prevents tax-exempt houses

Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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HIGH POINT JOURNAL

Backlash to racism discussion preceded department head’s firing

by Jordan Green

Internal documents suggest tice in the 21st Century,” Human Relations Commission, and evaluating the needs of the community High Point Human Relacame from a presentawas serving as chair at the time of the to implement programs, maintaining tions Director Al Heggins tion she had previous March 2015 community forum. effective public relationships while was fired last year because given at the White “We didn’t set the agenda,” Yates holding a “sensitivity to the attitudes, she promoted dialogue about Privilege Conference in said. “People came to us after Mike actions and reactions of minorities and racism that made conserLouisville, Ky. Brown was killed in Ferguson and after project[ing] this into the growth of the vative council members and Heggins’ termination [Eric Garner] was choked to death in community understanding and behavvoters uncomfortable. cites a litany of supNew York. And they came to us and ior.”

The official letter posed performance and they said, ‘If it can happen in a town as Heggins’ efforts caused particular notifying Al Heggins conduct deficiencies small as Ferguson and a place as large consternation for Councilman Jim that she was being fired related to her handling as New York City, why can’t it happen Davis, a conservative Republican who from her job as human of an escalating series here?’ And we said, ‘That’s a good represents Ward 5 on the north side of relations director of the of disciplinary actions question.’ The citizens’ concern is what the city, which is predominantly white city of High Point cites growing out of the condrove us to organize what was intended and comparatively affluent.

Al Heggins COURTESY PHOTO a litany of supposed troversy surrounding the to be a single event. At that event, the Minutes from city council’s April 1, offenses, beginning with phrase “white supremcommunity said, ‘This is a good discus2015 retreat at the High Point Museum the use of the phrase acy.” sion; we’d like to continued having it.’

— only four days after the “Black and “white supremacy” on a flier advertising Despite evidence to the contrary, City And we set that up on a regular basis.”

Blue” forum — indicate that Davis a meeting to promote dialogue between Attorney Joanne Carlyle denied that The ordinance establishing the shared with fellow council members that the police and community.

Heggins’ termination had anything to human relations department declares it citizens at a recent town-hall meeting As Deputy City Manager Randy do with the phrase in an interview with to be the policy of the city to “promote for wards 5 and 6 expressed concern McCaslin noted in the Oct. 2, 2015 Triad City Beat last week. and develop mutual respect among all about the “Black and Blue” forum. termination letter, Heggins had been “That’s her wording,” Carlyle said. citizens towards each other” and “to “He felt there is a divide in High warned on April 9 for displaying “poor “That’s not something we would agree work toward the elimination of unfair Point, but attributed it mostly to the sojudgment” in the language on the flier. to.” and unjust dealings between and among cio-economic divide, rather than racial An internal memo obtained by Triad In response to a federal civil rights its citizens and to work for the eliminadivision,” the minutes state. “He shared City Beat that memorializes the April 9 lawsuit filed last week by Heggins tion of discriminatory practices between some concerns that city employees in meeting, which also included Human alleging discriminatory treatment and and among its citizens because of race” city departments have been promoting Resources Director Angela Kirkwood, a racially hostile work environment, and other characteristics as a matter of racial divisiveness and making it an provides additional detail. “When Al Carlyle told Triad City Beat: “I’m sure the promoting “the public health, safety and issue.” asked specifically what was viewed as outcome will show that the city’s policies welfare.”

Councilman Jason Ewing read the unacceptable language, I explained to and procedures are legally title of the flier and Barbara her that it was the title on the flier of sound. The city hasn’t subjectLawrence’s presentation aloud the March 28th for the Black and Blue ed Ms. Heggins to discriminaduring the city council retreat, ‘[Mayor Pro Tem Jim Davis] felt there is event. Ms. Kirkwood added that it was tory treatment. There was no according to the minutes, and a divide in High Point, but attributed it the specific words of ‘white supremacy’ wrongful termination.” added that “residents were that were included in the title. I exAs human relations director wondering why the city govmostly to the socio-economic divide, plained to Al that the public, city counin a city of more than 100,000 ernment was putting stuff like cil and many others had taken offense people that is far from immune rather than racial division. He shared this out and driving conversato the wording and I would need for her from the racial tensions that some concerns that city employees in city tion and controversial racial to work on doing better on communicahave gripped the country since topics.” departments have been promoting racial tions going forward.” the officer-involved death The minutes continue: divisiveness and making it an issue.’

The words “white supremacy” in fact of Michael Brown in Fergu“Mayor Pro Tem J. Davis did not appear on the title of the flier, son, Mo. in the summer of pointed out this was not the — Minutes from the 2015 city council retreat but rather in the heading for a presenta2014, Heggins found herself first time this department has tion at the event by Barbara Lawrence, walking a tightrope between sponsored events that promota professor at Guilford College. A her professional duty and the political Heggins’ job description tasked her ed racial divisiveness and felt it should former officer with the New York City sensitivities of conservative members of with collaborating “with community not be allowed to continue.”

Transit Police Department who holds city council. agencies and organizations in conductThe minutes also reflect discussion a law degree from Indiana UniverThe “Black and Blue” series of coming programs and activities designed to about “communications by the city,” sity, Lawrence said the title, “Police munity dialogue came about because of improve racial and cultural understandincluding the desire by some council Accountability & Citizen Oversight: the unrest in Ferguson, Jason Yates told ing.” Among several “special requiremembers for “some filter system to A Framework for Dismantling White Triad City Beat in August 2015. Yates is ments” for the job were understanding make sure that appropriate terminology Supremacy and Establishing Real Juscurrently a member of the High Point the origin and causes of discrimination, is used when official correspondence is

Up Front

that would “explain how High Point does policing in a way that has helped the community avoid many of the issues that other departments face around the country.”

The events of the past nine months haven’t escaped Heggins’ notice.

“I just think it’s ironic that I was fired for trying to bring together and conversation,” she said in an interview, “[and] now there’s a call for it nationally.”

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released.”

Commission that the sign declared that “One of the events involved During Heggins’ April 9 disciplinary all employees in the human relations spray-painting of swastikas on public meeting with Deputy City Manager department have the right to work in buildings in Monroe, NC,” Yates wrote.

Randy McCaslin and Human Resourcan environment “free of discrimination, “During the discussion, in no way did es Director Angela Kirkwood, Heggins hostility, harassment, unfair treatment Ms. Heggins state, allege or insinuate “stated she did not understand how the and corrective discharge.” any involvement by City Manager Greg words were viewed as offensive or inapBy Kirkwood’s own admission, an Demko. This allegation is a malicious propriate,” McCaslin wrote, “and Ms. internal investigation into one of the misrepresentation of Ms. Heggins’ preKirkwood looked up the words ‘white “unacceptable behaviors” — allegedly sentation of the materials and the verbal supremacy’ on the internet and read the accosting Councilman Davis outside the exchange that followed.” following out loud: ‘White supremacy is city manager’s office on Aug. 17 (not Councilman Jeff Golden, a black a form of racism cencouncil member who reptered upon the belief, and resents the majority black ‘I would be remiss if I failed to point out the irony Ward 1, expressed outrage promotion of the belief, that white people are of the misuse of oppressive systems of power to that the discussion was superior.’” used to attack Heggins’ stifle threatening conversations about race in Heggins said she didn’t character. our community, especially since this misuse of want to use “the wrong “I am completely and words” and requested a utterly appalled that this power resulted in response to suggestions that list of prohibited words, misrepresentation of Mrs. these systems exist. Through its behavior, the according to McCaslin’s Heggins was reported and memo. acted upon without a full city is exemplifying the very thing it suggests “Ms. Kirkwood stated investigation of the facts,” does not exist.’ that [City Manager Greg] Golden said. “I was at the — Jason Yates Demko was setting up a entire meeting and I am communication plan to still questioning why I was ensure all communications are approAug. 29, as the termination letter states) not afforded the respect and courtesy of priate,” McCaslin wrote.

— chalked the episode up as a matter being contacted by the deputy manager Heggins’ termination letter cites three of “he said/she said.” But Kirkwood or the manager since I am the elected other incidents that the city contends concluded that Heggins’ actions were official and the liaison to the human constituted poor judgment, inefficiency, “inappropriate, unwarranted and canrelations commission.” negligence and incompetence. not be tolerated.”

While insisting that Heggins had “On July 29, 2015, you were warned It is unclear why McCaslin deemed not maligned Demko, Yates added, “I for disruptive workplace conduct after Heggins’ conduct to be “inappropriwould be remiss if I failed to point out you reported to work wearing a sign ate” at a human relations commission the irony of the misuse of oppressive attached to your back and placed [a] meeting, but documentation submitted systems of power to stifle threatening similar sign in your office window,”

by Heggins in appeal to her suspension conversations about race in our comMcCaslin wrote. “Subsequently, you suggest that city officials were angry munity, especially since this misuse of were warned and suspended for six about discussion of an alleged hate power resulted in response to suggesdays for behaviors on August 13, 2015, crime in Monroe, the North Carolina tions that these systems exist. Through including inappropriate conduct at a city where Greg Demko worked prior to its behavior, the city is exemplifying the human relations commission meeting, his hiring by the city of High Point. very thing it suggests does not exist.” and for accosting a council member on Two human relations commissioners Following Heggins’ firing, racial August 29, 2015. Twenty-four hours and Councilman Jeff Golden, the liaison tensions surrounding police treatment after your return from the suspension, to the commission, denied any wrongof black men have continued to roil the during a meeting with the human redoing on Heggins’ part.

United States. sources director on September 16, 2015, Commissioner Michael Prioleau said Addressing protesters at a Black Lives you again displayed unprofessional and in a letter to Mayor Bill Bencini that Matter march in High Point in response discourteous behavior.”

Heggins stated at the meeting that the to the deaths of Alton Sterling and An Aug. 21 memo from Kirkwood reports of documented hate crimes in Philando Castile earlier this month, Aslabeled “investigative summary” cites North Carolina contributed to her safesistant Chief Travis Stroud asked, “Do Heggins “for disruptive workplace ty concern, adding that she indicated we have issues to work on? Yes. This is conduct displayed on July 27, 2015 that Demko was aware of the incident just a step. High Point has been able to when she reported to work with a sign in Monroe because he was working as avoid every major event in the nation. attached to her clothing expressing the city manager at the time.

Let’s keep it up.” her rights, posted a sign in the office Jason Yates, who chaired the commisDays later, the police department window, and left the work environment sion at the time, mentioned in a similar hosted a community forum prompted wailing.” letter that Heggins “provided examples by “media attention in recent weeks Heggins said in a complaint filed with of news stories covering recent, local surrounding police/community interacthe US Equal Employment Opportunity racist activities. tion,” according to a city press release,

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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OPINION EDITORIAL

Locavore politics All politics is local.

Remember that when you’re watching the Democratic National Convention this week, or listening to the latest bile coming from Donald Trump.

Trump didn’t give us HB 2. Hillary Clinton didn’t lock up the footage from police body cameras.

Our own state legislators did that.

And that’s not all they did.

In the legislative session that recently ended, they made it easier for people to survive heroin overdoses. They quashed a medical marijuana bill. They meddled in city government. They made it easier to pollute the environment.

Our local delegations — seven from Forsyth County and nine from Guilford — sponsored hundreds of bills, a fraction of which made it into law. Their greatest hits are documented in this week’s cover story, “Ball hogs,” beginning on page 14.

Remember, as you read about their work in the last seven months, that each one of them is up for re-election in the fall.

It says much about the state of North Carolina politics that even in blue counties like Guilford and Forsyth, where Barack Obama won in both 2008 when he won the state and 2012 when he lost it, the delegations are majority Republican.

But let’s put presidential politics aside for the moment — because, really, no one has any idea who is going to take North Carolina, which is shaping up to be one of the most important swing states in the election. NC’s 15 electoral votes loom larger than ever before.

The closer you get to home, the more it matters.

Your city council has more effect on your day-to-day life than the president of the United States. And your state senator and reps will intrude much more effectively than anyone we send to Washington, DC. In this election season, candidates will talk a lot about values and other abstractions designed to appeal to our emotions: fear, outrage, charity, fear again.

But we don’t elect politicians to make us feel good.

We elect them to do a very specific job: Write and pass laws that will help their constituents — the voters, not the special interests that finance their campaigns.

So forget the stump-speech hype in these heady months before the election and concentrate on how your representatives did their jobs this term when you decide whether or not to replace them. Do your own research and make up your own mind.

Your homework begins on page 14.

CITIZEN GREEN

The great, white, working-class hope The first order of business up around 1990 to work in the tobacco fields — I can between now and Novemrecall my exasperation as a teenager when my dad’s friend ber is to defeat Trump. But went on a tangent about welfare cheats. He eked out regardless of what happens, a modest living as a carpenter and marijuana trafficker. his supporters — a conWhen I told him I’d rather focus my discontent on the stituency defined by white wealthy, he responded, “Oh, don’t even get me started,” Christian nationalism and but then went right back to trash-talking the undeserving white working-class frustration poor.

by Jordan Green — aren’t going anywhere. The Tobacco subsidies — welfare for farmers — and the legdefeat of their candidate will only inflame their anger and acy of the United Mine Workers of America once made alienation.

Kentucky a reliably Democrat state, but the elimination While mass incarceration and deindustrialization have of crop supports and cratering of the coal industry has devastated the black underclass in the inner cities and turned the state into a Republic stronghold. While Bill suburbs, rural poverty might be even more challenging.

Clinton narrowly carried the state in 1996, Barack Obama Opioid abuse and fatal overdoses have notably hit white won only 37.8 percent of the vote in 2012. Nowhere has communities the hardest, and beneath the medical reality the reversal been more dramatic than Pike County, in the of addiction lies an inescapable sense of hopelessness. For heart of Appalachian coal country, where the Democratic the first time in years, the Centers for Disease Control vote share plummeted from 60.1 percent to 23.9 percent and Prevention reports, white female life expectancy is in less than two decades. down, with drug overdoses, suicides and diseases related I know Trump’s people from working construction to smoking and heavy drinking leading to death in midjobs in and around Lexington, Ky. after I graduated from life. college. I’ve sat under a tree on break listening to the guy If this sounds like white grievance, who interrupted his complaints about his consider that Alicia Garza, the cofounder ex-wife always being on his ass for child of Black Lives Matter, has issued a call in support to angrily declare his hatred for I’m confident that the current issue of the Nation for white “sand n*****,” his epithet for Latinos. The the rural people I progressives “to take seriously the task of construction industry, as I knew it in the knew in Kentucky engaging white working-class voters who late 1990s was segmented by race: Us have been abandoned by the Democrats whites held most of the stick-framing jobs. are not dumb and exploited by the Republicans.” While The brick masons were predominantly enough to believe black. The roofing crews were Mexican. arguing that the political revolution must be led by people of color and immigrants, At least within the white work-world that Trump’s promises. she also says white progressives need to I knew, the code of male, heterosexual engage white working-class voters “in a domination was strictly enforced. Anyone fundamentally different way — one that doesn’t rely on who wasn’t boasting about his sexual conquests must be preaching, smugness, or pity, but instead addresses the a homosexual. A foreman on a painting crew thought it fears that many are responding to with a concrete plan to was funny to say that a woman had applied to work on the improve conditions for all of us.” all-male crew and she had assured him she wouldn’t mind I know Trump’s people — that is, white, rural workexperiencing sexual harassment. ing-class people who have become estranged from the Despite their anger, stewing resentment and preocpolitical left while answering the siren song of social concupation with domination, I’m confident that the rural, servatism — all too well. While I appreciate Garza’s call to working-class people I once knew are smarter than their action, my life is a testimony to the urge to run in exactly attraction to Trump would suggest. the opposite direction. I once faulted my parents for fleeWhen they hear Trump promise to “make our country ing to the countryside in the early 1970s in search of the rich again” and “bring our jobs back,” there must be a kind simple life of sustenance and sharing while their peers in of knowing wink. They might realize they’re not going to the New Left stayed in the struggle and tried to organize prosper under Trump, but at least they’re getting back unions. In truth, I made a similar bargain in fleeing the at the urban elites who are flourishing in the knowledge country in search of an imagined utopia of cosmopolitan economy. Their nihilism comes from the all-too human diversity, transit, cycling and food co-ops. instinct towards collateralizing pain: If I’m going down, Growing up in the rural hill country that rings the Blueyou’re going down with me. grass in Kentucky — an area with a tiny black population where migrants from Central America suddenly showed

Mandatory inclusionary zoning

by Jordan Green

Attempted coup puts progressives in a bind

Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

Tilly Gokbudak is a former newspaper reporter who won six Virginia Press Association awards in his career.

His Twitter handle is @Tilly70.

Opinion

edition called Today’s Zaman. Additionally, Erdogan wanted to crack down on liberal and left-wing journalists in Turkey. Even before the near coup, Erdogan’s yes men went after the liberal Cumhuriyet newspaper, and now there is a full purge aimed not only against Zaman and Cumhuriyet but even Hurriyet, a respected and popular newspaper.

Today, one can Google the phrase “Turkey protests” and see loads of photographs of people waving Turkish flags in a full display of rampant patriotism in front of statues of Ataturk at Taksim Square in Istanbul. Those scenes might suggest a unified nation, but they don’t reflect how many of us secular progressives of Turkish heritage living outside the country see things.

Erdogan has suggested that the near coup was orchestrated by Gulen’s allies in the military, and there is evidence that there are aspects of truth to these accusations. On July 15, the night of the near coup, rebel soldiers in the Turkish military blocked traffic access to the Bosporus bridges in Istanbul, overtook the government-run Turkish Radio Television building in Ankara and raided a hotel in the resort of Marmaris where Erdogan was staying during his vacation.

But Erdogan was able to avoid capture and post a FaceTime message calling for his supporters to take to the street. The police were allied with Erdogan and ultimately there were not enough rebel soldiers to pull off a successful coup. It didn’t hurt that Erdogan supporters rioted throughout every major city in Turkey.

On the night of July 17, some 48 hours after the coup, I was interviewed by the BBC World Service.

As surreal as the near coup had been, it was even stranger to try to speak for those of us Turkish-Americans caught in the Catch-22 of opposing Erdogan, while not supporting a military coup which would have likely taken Turkey down into the same dark tunnel of the 1980 coup.

I am now concluding that Erdogan could only be removed by force, but as was the case in Iran in 1979, his replacement could actually somehow be even worse. My own contradictions are ones that bedevil many Turkish people around the world, even those who strongly differ with me and support Erdogan.

And I think influential people who share my views in Turkey are as unable to resolve this mess as much as I am. The only thing one can accurately predict is that the tourism sector in neighboring Greece — a country also affected by domestic turmoil in recent years — will likely get many of the visitors who were originally planning to travel to Turkey.

I hope they have a nice vacation.

News

For better or for worse, I am a Turkish-American.

I was born in 1970. Like most Generation X kids, I watched “Scooby Doo” and “Happy Days” as a child, then listened to the Cure and REM in high

by Tilly Gokbudak school. Virtually all those years were spent in Roanoke, Va., my hometown, where I have resided again since 2013 after spending seven years in Reidsville. But the two years our family spent in Turkey from 1977 to 79, followed four years later by my father Mehmet Gokbudak’s untimely death at age 62 on March 4, 1983, my 13th birthday, had a major impact on my life.

Generally, I don’t like to use the F-word while writing. But, my usual answer to the question many people in America ask me about the near coup in Turkey has simply been: “I don’t really f***ing know what happened in Turkey.” It seems convenient. And, for the most part, it is an honest statement. However, most people in Turkey somehow didn’t sense what I knew to be a virtual certainty. Within the last five years, I felt a military coup was absolutely going to happen.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an oxymoron.

Some have said he is a democratically elected ruler.

Others have claimed he is an authoritarian. They are actually both right as Erdogan is democratically elected and Orwellian in his rule. One of the methods to Erdogan’s madness is that after his Islamic conservative AK-Party lost its majority in the Turkish Parliament, the three main opposition parties that gained power in Ankara, the capital, were unable to form an alliance. It was expected that the other major right-wing party, the MHP, would be not be able to collaborate with the center-left CHP nor the progressive Kurdish party the HDP (not to be confused with the PKK, a violent Kurdish separatist movement).

But the CHP and the HDP were not able to find unity to override the right. A controversial second round of elections was ordered. Erdogan’s AK-Party got enough votes from conservative Kurds in eastern provinces like Diyarbakir and Van to take full control of parliament again.

In the aftermath of those elections, Erdogan further suppressed his opponents both right and left, secular and Muslim. Three years ago, he had a major falling out with Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic scholar-activist who strangely enough has lived in Pennsylvania for years. Gulen, a man who also manages a large charter-school chain in America, was a former political ally to Erdogan. With an intense rivalry in place, Erdogan went after Gulen’s Zaman newspaper, a conservative media outlet that also publishes an English-language

Up Front

As Winston-Salem Planning Director Paul Norby noted in a memo to Mayor Allen Joines more than a year ago, Forsyth County ranks as among the worst counties in the country in helping poor children move up the income ladder. A companion study found that a child growing up in a poor family in Forsyth County earns 24 percent less as an adult than a child growing up poor in an average county.

“These studies do not conclude what makes living in high-poverty areas so detrimental,” Norby wrote, “but it is likely a combination of lower performing schools, fewer job opportunities, less access to primary care doctors, lower availability of fresh foods, the presence of lead and other environmental toxins, and the stress of living in high-crime areas.”

Norby’s 2015 memo discusses a tool called “voluntary inclusion zoning” that allows developers to increase density on residential building projects in exchange for including more affordable units. Winston-Salem has had a voluntary inclusion-zoning ordinance on the books since 1994, and Durham, Charlotte and Asheville have since joined.

At least as of June 2015, when Norby drafted the memo, not a single unit of affordable housing had been produced as a result of developers taking advantage of incentives in any of the voluntary inclusion zoning ordinances. The reason is pretty simple.

“In the case of multifamily housing, the required zoning is often easy to get and developers can already get all the density they desire from conventional stick-built construction,” Norby wrote. “If bonus density were taken advantage of, developers would be required to build taller than 4-5 stories in many cases and would use steel and concrete construction, making the cost per unit more expensive.”

Winston-Salem’s burgeoning tech economy and challenges with poverty recommend taking a look at New York, perhaps the city with the greatest chasm between the wealthy and poor in the nation.

A March 2016 editorial in the Nation notes a signal change in direction in New York City, which until the election of Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014 “had been governed for 20 years by mayors who cared more about cultivating the creative class than looking out for the city’s poorest residents.”

De Blasio had campaigned on a promise to make affordable housing a priority. And in March 2016, New York City Council delivered in the form a policy called “mandatory inclusionary zoning,” characterized as “the most far-reaching of any developed in the country to date.”

“And while they will not solve all New York’s housing woes — they do not, for instance, touch the needs of the poorest 20 percent of New Yorkers — they will, nonetheless, mean that when the city creates more value by permitting the construction of new or taller buildings, communities share in some of that value rather than watching it all go to real estate developers,” the editors wrote.

FRESH EYES

triad-city-beat.com

IT JUST MIGHT WORK

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Cover Story

The 2016 legislative highlight reel

Before the 2016 short session had even officially begun, Republican lawmakers called a special, one-day session in March to overturn a local anti-discrimination ordinance passed by Charlotte City Council that protected the rights of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choosing.

On any other year, the legislation passed during the actual short session — including a new law that tightly controls public access to police body-camera video and a bill creating a special privately run district for failing schools — would have been considered earth-shaking. But in the fallout of HB 2, the rest seems to have faded into the background.

We thought you’d want to know how your state lawmakers from the Forsyth and Guilford delegations voted on these and other important bills, what legislation they sponsored and what their success rate was.

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The 2016 session featured one personnel change: With the passing of Rep. Ralph Johnson on the March 15 primary election day, the Guilford County Democrats subbed in Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro to wage battle against HB 2. Sgro’s tenure is temporary; Amos Quick won the Democratic primary and will take the seat in January 2017 barring a successful write-in campaign. In the meantime, many of the other lawmakers face challengers in the November general election, so now’s your chance to decide if your representatives should be traded out or not.

ILLUSTRATION BY JORGE MATURINO

The self-inflicted wound that is HB 2 unleashed a hailstorm of national criticism, boycotts by entertainers like Bruce Springsteen, suspension of business expansion plans by the likes of PayPal and Deutsche Bank, and a battle with the US Department of Education that is likely to eventually wind up before the US Supreme Court.

SEN. PAUL LOWE JR. (D-FORSYTH), DISTRICT 32 About the district: D-32 covers almost all of Winston-Salem, with the exception of a carve-out of affluent, Republican-leaning neighborhoods like Buena Vista along the Country Club Road corridor, as well as with more liberal-leaning areas of Ardmore in the city’s southwest quadrant. The district trails Business 40 to the east and picks up the heart of Kernersville.

Terms: 1 Committees Assignments: Member of Appropriations on Natural and Economic Resources; Education/Higher Education; Health Care, Judiciary II; Program Evaluation; and Rules and Operations of the Senate.

Bills: 12, 9 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

SB 600 — Appraiser Compensation/Judge Perform Marriage Ensures that appraisers are paid reasonable and customary rates by appraisal management companies.

Fees are based on standards such as academic studies and independent private sector surveys obtained by an impartial third-party. Also tucked in is a bit that allowed US Supreme Court justices and federal appellate judges to conduct marriages in the state from July 2-5, 2016 — we’re still puzzling over that one.

Status: Ratified and signed into law.

SB 751 — Commission Membership Winston-Salem Retirement (with Kraweic) Requires members of the Retirement Commission of Winston-Salem to contribute to the retirement fund by deducting money from salary and wages owed to commission members. Status: Referred to committee SB 752 — Small Business Tax Relief Allows small businesses to deduct up to $50,000 on state taxes if the business has not taken in more than $250,000 that year.

Status: Referred to committee SB 753 — Reenact School Sales Tax Holiday Brings back the back-to-school sales tax holiday in August that was repealed in 2014.

Status: Referred to committee SB 757 — Reenact EITC Reinstates the earned income tax credit, repealed in 2014, but at a lower rate, dropping from 4.5 percent to 2.5

percent.

Status: Referred to committee SB 816 — Raise Teacher Pay Raises teacher pay to a range of $43,000 to $61,500 depending on experience, with supplements for advanced-degree and certificate holders.

Status: Referred to committee SB853 — Honor Former Senator Parmon Commemorates the life of former general assembly member Earline Parmon, who Lowe replaced when she left to work for US Rep. Alma Adams in 2015. Parmon passed away in March, and was the Forsyth County’s first black state senator.

Status: Ratified and approved by both Houses SB854 — Automatic Voter Registration/Driver’s License Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to offer voter registration to individuals receiving or renewing driver’s licenses and state identification cards.

Status: Referred to committee

SEN. JOYCE KRAWIEC (R-FORSYTH, YADKIN), DISTRICT 31 About the district: D-31 covers the suburban/rural doughnut of Forsyth County, including parts of Lewisville, Clemmons and Kernersville, along with affluent, Republican-leaning neighborhoods like Buena Vista on the west side of Winston-Salem and portions of Ardmore and areas around Baptist Hospital in the southwest. The district also covers the entirety of Yadkin County.

Terms: 1

residing in North Carolina from the obligation to pay state income tax on their federal military earnings. The bill offers state financial incentive for further growth in NC military base populations, including Fort Bragg’s rapidly increasing Army stationees and the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point.

Status: Referred to committee

triad-city-beat.com

SENATE FORSYTH COUNTY

SB 808 — Study Unfunded Liability/Retiree Health Fund Establishes a commission to determine options for discharging the state’s obligation to cover unfunded medical expenses to retirees. Enumerates seven options for doing so, including reducing eligibility for retirement funds and requiring workers to contribute towards their own retirement. The study commission parameters lean towards reducing state liability for retiree funding while extending more possibilities for contribution of funds from the private sector and private individuals.

Status: Referred to committee

SENATE GUILFORD COUNTY

SEN. PHIL BERGER (R-GUILFORD, ROCKINGHAM), DISTRICT 26 About the district: Phil Berger’s piece of the state covers the entirety of Rockingham County, with a few fingers dipping into northern Guilford.

A handful of precincts carve out territory in the suburban northwest quadrant of Greensboro.

Terms: 8

Committee appointments: Member of Appropriations on Department of Transportation, Commerce, Education/Higher Education; Judiciary II; Program Evaluation; Transportation, Workforce and Economic Development, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Capital, Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee, Legislative Ethics Committee, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice, Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee (advisory member) and Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee Bills: 24, 11 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

SB 802 — Military State Income Tax Relief Exempts any member of the US armed services

Committee Assignments: Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations and the Legislative Services Commission.

Bills: 2, none as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

SB 873 — Access to Affordable College Education Act (with Kraweic and Wade) While not a primary sponsor of any bills during the short session, Berger threw his weight behind SB 873, which proposes dropping tuition at four of the UNC system’s historically black colleges and universities, one near a Lumbee reservation and Western Carolina University down to $2,500 per semester, reduces and then caps student fees at all UNC schools, considers renaming some of the schools and establishes a large merit scholarship at

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016

NC A&T University in Greensboro.

Status: Referred to committee

SEN. GLADYS ROBINSON (D-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 28 About the district: Robinson’s minority-majority district covers about two-thirds of Greensboro and extends into central High Point.

Terms: 3 Committee assignments: Member of Appropriations on Health and Human Services; Appropriations/ Base Budget; Education/Higher Education; Healthcare; Judiciary I; Program Evaluation; Select Committee on Nominations; Transportation; Workforce and Economic Development

Cover Story

Bills: 9, 8 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

SB 734 — Statewide Standing Order/Opioid Antagonist This gives a “practitioner acting in good faith and exercising reasonable care” the ability to administer an opioid antagonist — Naloxone, used to treat heroin overdoses — and immunity from criminal and civil charges.

Status: Signed into law SB 745 — Restore Tax Deduction for 529 Plan Allows parents to deduct up to $2,500 from their children’s college savings accounts on state taxes, negating a law that passed in 2014.

Status: Referred to committee SB 773 — Reenact Child Care Tax Credit In 2013, lawmakers repealed the childcare tax credit — once between 7 and 13 percent of the federal tax credit.

This bill would bring it back.

Status: Referred to committee SB 785: Child Welfare System Recommendations Sen. Robinson was the sole primary sponsor of SB 785, which requires the Department of Health & Human Services’ social services division to come into compliance with national standards of child welfare by using a federal Program Improvement Plan.

Status: Referred to committee

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SEN. TRUDY WADE (R-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 27 About the District: Wade’s district begins in the northeast corner of Guilford County and wraps around Greensboro, circumventing central High Point and picking up a few Greensboro precincts in the northwest.

Terms: 2 Committee Assignments: Co-chairs committees on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources and the Appropriations on Natural and Economic Resources; vice chair of State and Local Government Bills: 17, 16 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

SB 763 — Prohibit Certain Stormwater Control Measures Section 2 says it all: “The director of the Division of Water Resources shall not require the use of on‑site stormwater control measures to protect downstream water quality standards, except as required by state or federal law.”

Status: Referred to committee SB 764 — DEQ to Study Intrabasin Transfers Commissions a study by the Department of Environmental Quality to see if rules for keeping lakes and rivers clean are too strict.

Status: Referred to committee SB 771 — Amend Industrial Hemp Definition This makes it legal to grow industrial hemp — not the kind that gets you high — in the state for research purposes.

Status: Referred to committee SB 779 — Issuance of Advisories/Drinking Water Studies Relaxes a local government’s obligation to issue health advisories for drinking water until maximum levels of contaminants have been reached.

Status: Referred to committee SB 793 — Eliminate and Consolidate Reports to Environmental Review Commission Eliminates 10 environmental reports, including those on mining, sustainable energy efforts, wastewater removal, vehicle emissions, fuel savings, beach and inlet management, and fish-kill activity. It reduces the frequency of reporting on coastal habitat protection, the Environmental Management Commission and waste-management reports from the Department of Environmental Quality.

Also chokes the flow of data on energy, water management and parks, among other sectors.

Status: Referred to committee

SB 803 — Municipal Service Districts/Statutory Changes Groups like Downtown Greensboro Inc. and the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership can be created by city councils, gives businesses the ability to opt out of such special districts and the special taxes associated with them, and allows for them to be abolished by ordinance as opposed to resolution.

Status: Signed into law SB 867 — Protect Students in Schools This requires criminal background checks for school teachers.

Status: Referred to committee

HOUSE FORSYTH COUNTY

REP. DEBRA CONRAD (R-FORSYTH), DISTRICT 74 About the district: D-74 covers the northern portion of the suburban-rural doughnut of Forsyth County, including Tobaccoville, Rural Hall and Belews Creek. The district also reaches a finger into affluent, Republican-leaning areas of Winston-Salem south of Robinhood Road.

Terms: 3 Committee assignments: Chairs Commerce and Job Development; member of Aging; Appropriations; Appropriations, Education; Elections; Insurance; Judiciary II; Public Utilities; House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long Term Solutions Bills: 20, 4 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1058 — Tobaccoville Recall Elections Sets up a process for a recall election to remove members of the Tobaccoville Village Council.

Status: Signed into law HB 964 — Commission Membership Winston-Salem Retirement Fund (with Hanes, Lambeth and Terry) Ensures that retirees have representation on the Retirement Commission of the Winston-Salem Employees Retirement Fund.

Status: Signed into law HB 1069 — 2016 NC Employee Protection Act Closes a loophole allowing law enforcement officers to accept community IDs used by undocumented immigrants and others. The bill was written to address one

REP. ED HANES JR. (D-FORSYTH), DISTRICT 72 About the district: Covering the northern urban portion of Winston-Salem, D-72 is bisected by University Parkway, a de facto racial and economic dividing line in the city. The district includes Smith Reynolds Airport and Wake Forest University.

Terms: 3 Committee assignments: Vice chair of Education K-12 as well as Public Utilities and University Board of Governors Nominating; member of Alcohol Beverage Control; Banking; Ethics; Finance; Insurance; Public Utilities; Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House; House Select Committee on Achievement School Districts; Redistricting Committee for the 2016 Extra Session; University Board of Governors Nominating Bills: 33, 8 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1031 — Special Fund/Help Educators with Loan Payment Appropriates $38.5 million from the Education Lottery Fund to attract qualified teachers by establishing a loan repayment assistance program.

Status: Referred to committee HB 1107 — Automatic Voter Registration/Drivers License Automatically registers an applicant for a driver’s license to vote unless they affirmatively opt out.

Status: Referred to committee HB 1108 — Hire Our Veterans Private-Public Partnership Provides a tax credit equivalent to any small business that employs a military veteran who has been honorably discharged.

Status: Referred to committee HB 1115 — Automatic Expunction/Wrongful Conviction Basically does what it says: Expunges a person’s criminal record if they have been wrongly convicted and incarcerated, but later are discharged from prison as a result of a successful appeal, motion for appropriate relief or write of habeas corpus Status: Referred to committee

HB 1117 — Innocent Defendant Jailed/DA Wrongdoing Allows for the prosecution of state prosecutors when a defendant who is wrongly convicted and incarcerated under specific conditions. The defendant must have been discharged from prison as a result of a successful post-conviction legal action and there is a finding that prosecutorial misconduct may have proximately caused the wrongful conviction. The state Attorney General’s office would investigate and determine whether to bring charges after receiving a referral from the court or the NC Innocence Commission.

Status: Referred to committee HB 1116 — Teacher Loan Repayment Assistance Program (with Lambeth) Establishes a loan repayment assistance program providing up to $10,000 in debt relief to teachers who have been employed from two to eight years. Eligible teachers would be able to take advantage of the program for up to four months.

Status: Referred to committee

REP. JULIA C. HOWARD (R-FORSYTH, DAVIE), DISTRICT 79 About the district — D-79 includes the western tip of Forsyth County, including Lewisville, along with the entirety of Davie County.

Terms: 2 Committee assignments: Chair of Banking; member of Aging; Finance; Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs; Insurance; Judiciary I Bills: 10, 5 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 984 — Transfer of Davie County Correction Center Transfers the former Davie County Correctional Center from the state of North Carolina to Davie County for $1.

Status: Signed into law HB 657 — Math Standard Course of Study Revisions “An act to increase rigor, focus and career readiness to the mathematics standard course of study by requiring the state Board of Education to modify and revise the mathematics standard course of study in order to offer the traditional sequence of mathematics courses.”

Status: Separate versions passed both the House and Senate, but the two chambers failed to concur, and the legislation was referred back to a joint committee HB 1043 — Zip Line and Challenge Courses Tasks the chief of the Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau in the state Department of Labor with developing

rules to govern the design and installation of zip line and challenge courses with a mandate to inspect the facilities annually.

Status: Referred to committee

REP. DONNY LAMBETH (R-FORSYTH, DISTRICT 75)

triad-city-beat.com

particular agency, Faith Action in Greensboro, whose ID program has received backing from the Greensboro and Burlington police departments.

Status: Referred to committee

About the district — D-75 covers much of the southern portion of the suburban-rural doughnut of Forsyth County, including Clemmons and a wide swatch of the county’s southeast corner that also covers outlying areas of Kernersville. The district also includes a digit reaching into Winston-Salem from the southwest covering Hanes Mall and the Ardmore neighborhood.

Terms: 3 Committee assignments: Chair of Appropriations and Health; member of Aging; Education K-12; Insurance; Pensions and Retirement; State Personnel Bills: 12, 8 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1137 — Treasurer’s 2016 Investment Administrative Changes Enacts changes in investment guidelines and administrative rules for the state treasurer.

Status: Signed into law HB 804 — Kelsey Smith Act Allows a law enforcement officer to go before a judge to get a so-called “call location warrant” good for up to 48 hours to obtain call location data for a cell-phone user believed to be at risk of imminent death or serious injury or to be criminally involved in the imminent risk of death or serious injury of another person.

Status: Passed both the House and Senate, but the two chambers failed to concur, and the bill has been referred back to a joint committee HB 967 — Prepaid Health Plans Licensing by DOI “An act to require prepaid health plans to obtain a license from the Department of Insurance and to ensure solvency of all prepaid health plan providers under the Medicaid program, as provided by the Department of Insurance and as recommended by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice.”

Status: Referred to committee HB 1016 — Funds for Educational Training Center Appropriates $2.4 million to finance eight regional professional development centers of K-12 educators.

Status: Referred to committee

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016

REP. EVELYN TERRY (D-FORSYTH), DISTRICT 71 About the district: D-71 covers the southeast quadrant of Winston-Salem, but also includes a narrow, westward corridor hugging Business 40 and reaching to Hanes Mall Boulevard.

Terms: 3 Committee assignments: Member of Appropriations; Appropriations, Transportation; Banking; Children, Youth and Families; Commerce and Job Development; Ethics; Judiciary IV; Transportation Bills: 40, 3 as primary sponsor

Cover Story

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1109 — NC Crime Laboratory Funding Appropriates $5 million primarily to analyze pending toxicology cases and to fund start-up DNA equipment and facility operating costs for the Western Regional Crime Lab. Status: Referred to committee

HOUSE GUILFORD COUNTY

REP. CECIL BROCKMAN (D-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 60 About the district: The majority-minority D-60 takes great pains to encapsulate African-American voters, starting in Greensboro straddling Wendover Avenue, moving southeast and then crossing through Jamestown and Sedgefield in a slim little peninsula before ballooning again in central High Point.

Committee assignments: Member of Agriculture; Appropriations; Appropriations, Capital; Appropriations, Education; Commerce and Job Development; Environment; House Select Committee on Achievement School Districts; and Transportation Bills: 23, 1 as primary

HIGHLIGHTS

About the district: D-62 covers the northwest corner of Guilford County, with precincts in Oak Ridge, Stokesdale, Colfax, Summerfield, High Point and Greensboro.

Committee assignments: Chair of Judiciary II; vice chair of Finance; member of Banking; Elections; Pensions and Retirement; Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs and Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House

REP. JOHN FAIRCLOTH (R-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 61

Terms: 8 Bills: 2, 1 as primary

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 499 — Study/Public Records & Open Meetings (with Harrison and Johnson) Creates a joint legislative committee to “study ways to improve transparency of state and local government in

Committee assignments: Chair of Ethics as well as Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety; vice chair of Appropriations as well as Judiciary II; member of Elections; House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long Term Funding Solutions; Local Government; and Transportation Bills: 22, 1 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 972 — Law Enforcement Recordings/No Public Record Hopefully you’ve heard of this one already (if not you can read more on our website), but HB 972 explicitly makes law enforcement recordings such as body camera footage not a matter of public record. Exactly counter to what a significant number of residents in Greensboro have been pushing for and contrary to the direction of the Greensboro City Council on the matter, which recently released body cam footage of a police shooting after considerable public pressure. Oddly enough, the law also authorizes needle exchange programs.

Status: Signed into law

Terms: 1

HB 1080 — Achievement School District Brockman’s lone bill as a primary sponsor this year would allow the state to take over under-performing elementary schools. A committee headed by the lieutenant governor would pick a superintendent or an entity to oversee the schools. Under the law, local board can choose to close it or transfer the school in question to the Achievement School District. The law requires a public hearing first. The two other primary sponsors on the bill are both Republicans.

Status: Ratified and awaiting governor’s signature

REP. JOHN BLUST (R-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 62

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North Carolina” including greater public access in ways such as streamlining access to records and meetings and developing alternatives “to existing provisions of the North Carolina Public Records Act and Open Meetings Law that restrict or entirely prohibit public access to government records of meetings.”

Status: Referred to committee

About the district: D-61 wraps around Brockman’s High Point precincts, capturing the outskirts of the city and wending east through rural areas in Jamestown, Summerfield and Pleasant Garden.

Terms: 3

JON HARDISTER (R-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 59 About the district: Hardister’s eastern Guilford district circles around Greensboro, hooking in for just a few precincts on the northwestern corner of the city.

Terms: 2 Committee assignments: Chair of Alcoholic Beverage Control as well as Appropriations, Capital; vice chair of Appropriations; member of Banking; Education K-12; Elections; House Select Committee on Achievement School Districts; Judiciary I, Redistricting Committee for the 2016 Extra Session; and Transportation Bills: 4, 3 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1135 — Retirement Credits for Peace Corps Service Would “allow for the purchase of creditable service in the state retirement systems at full cost for Peace Corps volunteer service.”

Status: Referred to committee HB 1011 — Retirement Technical Corrections Act of 2016 A highly technical law dealing with retirement and pensions. Adds gender-neutral language.

Status: Signed into law

REP. PRICEY HARRISON (D-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 57 About the district: Covers the northeast sector of Greensboro, extending to the northeast along Highway 29 and along the I-85 corridor to Sedalia. Significant racial diversity in the D-57, with a majority black population.

Terms: 6 Committee appointments: Vice chair of Environment and Judiciary III; member of Appropriations; Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources; Elections; Public Utilities; Regulatory Reform Bills: 77, 19 as primary sponsor

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1114 — NC Equal Pay Act Enshrines certain provisions from the 1963 Federal Equal Pay Act into state law, specifically requiring every employer to pay men and women equally for equal work.

Delivers a legal avenue for workers to complain if their compensation fails to meet Equal Pay Act standards, including the ability to make an official complaint to the state Department of Labor and pursue compensation by civil suit.

Status: Referred to committee HB 983 — Legalize and Tax Medical Marijuana Allows chronically ill and terminal hospice patients to legally possess and use specified small amounts of marijuana for symptom relief. The provision applies only to patients who receive an active medical diagnosis and marijuana prescription from a licensed physician. Also enumerates an amount-per-ounce tax on medical marijuana only.

Status: Referred to committee HB 1097 — Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Infants Obliges employers to accommodate mothers who

breastfeed their infants, and absolves mothers from jury duty while they are breastfeeding. Provides for the state Department of Health and Human Services to create “an advisory council on breastfeeding.”

Status: Referred to committee

REP. CHRIS SGRO (D-GUILFORD), DISTRICT 58 About the district: This minority-majority district covers sweeping portions of southeast Greensboro and a swath around Friendly Center and Starmount.

Terms: Less than one — Sgro was appointed to fill Rep. Ralph Johnson’s seat after he died in March and was defeated in the primary by Democrat Amos Quick, who will take over the District 58 seat at the outset of the next legislative session.

Committee assignments: Member of Appropriations; Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety; Children, Youth and Families; Commerce and Job Development; Education K-12; Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs; Judiciary II Bills: 7, 2 as primary

HIGHLIGHTS

HB 1078 — Equality for All (with Harrison, Brockman and Terry) Effectively repeals HB 2. Covers nondiscrimination in a variety of areas, including traditional and charter schools, money lending, public accommodation including bathrooms and housing. Redefines protected status to include marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and genetic information in addition to existing classes.

Status: Referred to committee House Joint Resolution 1102 — Ban the Box (with Harrison) “A joint resolution authorizing the 2015 General Assembly to consider a bill to be entitled An Act to Ban An Employer From Inquiring About Whether an Applicant for Employment has Been Convicted of a Criminal Offense and Setting a Civil Penalty for Violations of That ‘Ban the Box’ Requirement.”

Status: Referred to committee

How they voted on three key issues HB 2 For: Republicans Joyce Krawiec, Trudy Wade, Phil Berger, John Blust, John Faircloth, Jon Hardister, Debra Conrad, Julia Howard and Donny Lambeth

triad-city-beat.com

HB 1033 — ID Card Fee Waiver/Disability Waives the fee for a special ID card issued to a person with a developmental disability if they present a letter from a primary care provider certifying the developmental disability.

Status: Signed into law

Against: Democrats Pricey Harrison, Ed Hanes Jr. and Cecil Brockman Excused absence: Democrat Evelyn Terry Not voting (in protest): Democrats Gladys Robinson, Paul Lowe Jr. Note: Though HB 2 passed with some Democratic support, it wasn’t with any help from the liberal or progressive members of the local delegations.

HB 972 — Law Enforcement Recordings/No Public Record For: Democrats Ed Hanes Jr., Gladys Robinson, Paul Lowe Jr. and Chris Sgro; Republicans Donny Lambeth, Debra Conrad, Julia Howard, Trudy Wade, Phil Berger, Joyce Krawiec, John Blust, John Faircloth and Jon Hardister Against: Democrat Pricey Harrison Excused absence: Democrats Evelyn Terry, Cecil Brockman Note: Pay attention to the considerable local Democratic support for this extremely restrictive law that thwarts transparency. Kudos to Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) for being the lone local vote against the law, to which Rep. John Faircloth (R-Guilford) was a primary sponsor.

HB 1080 — Achievement School District For: Democrats Paul Lowe Jr. and Gladys Robinson; Republicans Trudy Wade, Joyce Krawiec, Phil Berger, John Blust, Jon Hardister, John Faircloth, Julia Howard and Debra Conrad Against: Democrats Pricey Harrison and Chris Sgro; Republican Donny Lambeth Excused absence: Democrat Cecil Brockman Note: Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford) missed the vote on the only bill that he was a primary sponsor for this term.

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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CULTURE How Slappy’s Chicken stacks up

by Eric Ginsburg

E

verybody is talking about Slappy’s Chicken.

Over at J&J, fried chickThe fried chicken restaurant in Winston-Saen wings, breasts, legs lem’s Washington Park neighborhood is like a and shrimp sit under a new baby in the family, with relatives cooing over it, heat lamp at the front of taking and posting photos together, rushing in to visit a relatively large kitchen and apparently unable to talk about little else. Within area. For just $6, we hours of first hearing about Slappy’s from a friend, scored three wings, a leg, photos from several others appeared in my newsfeeds. fat potato-wedge fries, a When I walked in a week later at lunch, the exciteroll and a 12-ounce drink. ment hadn’t relented any, and a steady stream of eager (A quarter chicken with patrons ranging from punks to architects lined up to a roll and two sides at order from the relatively spartan menu — choose white Slappy’s is $9.) The cook/ or dark meat, how much, sides and a drink. cashier told us we could The hefty chicken cut arrives in what looks like teriadd “any sauce you could yaki sauce — it’s drenched in the dark brown flavoring imagine” before listing that the menu describes as spicy and savory. But the out a half-dozen of the taste is different: peppery, to be sure, with some kick basics, but we picked but not enough to be hot exactly, and some sweetness hot sauce — Texas Pete, to even it out. in this case — because It’s delicious, and I could understand why friends otherwise the only thing were fawning over the restaurant whose logo looks like making this hot chicken it could be a sticker on a skateboard. But I had queswould be the temperations. ture.

There’s no real sign to speak of yet on the former We pulled up overERIC GINSBURG Acadia Grill where the fried chicken joint now stands. turned milk crates on the The smaller white meat option, seen here with Cheez-It mac & cheese and slaw, tastes delicious and peppery.

But directly across the street, tall banners planted side of the food mart to in the ground advertise fried chicken at the J&J Food split the fare, sampling pensed ketchup.

Mart & Convenience Store, and another by the door the wedges but quickly deciding to pass on most of A juicy order of leg and thigh — just $4.25 — arrived proclaims, “Now serving fresh hot chicken daily.” How, them. The sides at Slappy’s easily won, though we had with a plastic fork stuck in it and basting in a thin overI wondered, does Winston-Salem’s hip new restaurant, been a little let down that the “Cheez-It mac & cheese” flowing sauce. It’s similar to Slappy’s in color, but the part of the culturati, stack up to this hole in the wall didn’t taste more like the orange snack crackers. similarities pretty much end there. Pablo ordered Ted’s that seems to be doing pretty brisk business itself?

But as for the chicken? No contest. For what it is, famous chopped chicken sandwich, which he topped Part of me hesitated to walk across the street and we agreed, J&J is solid, but it’s what you’d expect from with a red vinegar slaw as if it were barbecue, but the find out. Friends and locals might have my head on a freezer-to-fryer chicken that isn’t made to order, chicken lacked real flavor and depth. I poured my exstake if I panned Slappy’s, I reasoned. But I care less instead prioritizing affordability and speed. That has cess onto his sandwich, but it didn’t help much. and less about the opinions of others these days and its place in this neighborhood, considering the flow of To be fair, we were far from hungry by the time we more about cultivating trust with our readers. And my people in and out and the Family Dollar next door, but arrived, and we still enjoyed Pablo’s fries. But while my friend Pablo, whose always down for a food adventure, so does Slappy’s, which is more in line with Washingleg and thigh may have beat out J&J on taste and even had come with me to Slappy’s and egged me on. ton Perk & Provision and Swaim’s dive bar up the block. price, I don’t plan to drive back to the southern fringe And then after J&J Food Mart, he somehow conAnd if the extra couple of dollars isn’t a deal-breaker, of the city for a repeat. vinced me to drive to Ted’s Kickin’ Chicken, so I could the trade-up is undoubtedly worth it.

Slappy’s on the other hand — I can now say with accurately rate Slappy’s against the competition. EatBut we weren’t done yet. Ted’s Kickin’ Chicken, also some authority, speaking from a place of wisdom rathing at two places in a row is called known as Ted’s Famous Chicken, oper than fear — is a treat. a “bang-bang,” my publisher Brian erates at least three locations in the tells me, which would make this a region including one in Winston-SaVisit Slappy’s Chicken at Pick of the Week bang-bang-bang.

200 W. Acadia Ave. (W-S) lem. Given the size of the franchised Tapping Kegs Do not ever do such a thing to business and its longevity, I expectinside the former Acadia Stone Woot Stout 2015/2016 @ the Brewers Kettle yourself. I think I could actually ed it to be a more formidable rival (HP), Saturday, 11 a.m.

Grill, find it on Facebook feel my arteries clogging later that to Slappy’s.

The Brewers Kettle will finally be tapping the afternoon despite leaving food on The smell of cooking chicken hits or call 336.761.0268. keg of their 2015 Stone Brewing Stone Woot Stout the tray at our second and third you as soon as you step out of your along with a keg of this year’s brew from the same stops. There is absolutely no reason car in Ted’s parking lot, about eight label. Both brands were brewed using pecans and for you to put yourself through such gluttony, because minutes south of Slappy’s and J&J. It’s the biggest of aged using bourbon barrels. Doesn’t that sound Pablo and I already sacrificed our bodies so that you the three chicken shops, filled with a bunch of white delish? They will be selling samples of the brew at a could actually trust our endorsement. And we easily men and biker paraphernalia in particular, with signed special price to celebrate this moment in our lives. crowned a victor from the three — more on that in a dollar bills taped everywhere and a red bottle on the More info can be found on their Facebook page. moment. table that I hoped held hot sauce but instead dis-

Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

Drinking at brunch is a level of decadence I generally cannot afford. As someone who only recently learned to appreciate a good bloody Mary — and this only after sampling at least a dozen that my girlfriend has

by Eric Ginsburg ordered — buying a mimosa has usually felt like a waste of money, an unnecessary flourish meant more to fit in or show off than anything else.

I don’t know about you, but one mimosa doesn’t do much to me, and for their relative affordability and limited preparation, I’m apt to pass when the opportunity arises. Unless it’s at home, maybe with some strawberries thrown in that I picked at a patch nearby, or somewhere like Fisher’s Grill where they’re cheap enough to knock back a trio and actually feel it.

At most Triad restaurants, the brunch selection ends with these two — I’m not one to be lured by a bellini, either. There’s a bloody Mary bar on Sundays at Pintxos Pour House in Winston-Salem, but for the most part there’s little excitement on the local brunch booze scene.

1618 Downtown is an exception.

The Greensboro restaurant is not the only place in the Gate City with interesting and enjoyable brunch cocktails beyond the basics, though you wouldn’t know from searching a dozen restaurant websites as I did looking for a listing. Dame’s Chicken & Waffles serves up an assortment of mimosa varieties that are quite good, for example. But nowhere that I’ve found in Greensboro does it like 1618’s center city shop.

The brunch cocktail list at 1618 Downtown — visible online (yay!) — is reasonably priced, diverse, inventive and delicious. There Will Be Bloody comes with arbol chili bloody Mary mix and a piece of okra, watermelERIC GINSBURG A little brunch goes a long way at 1618 Downtown, especially with the help from a mimosa-style on rind and a chunk of beet; it’s my favorite that I’ve drink (foreground) with cava and ginger shrub, a decadent Bloody Mary (background) or an adult slushie. tried, though remember this isn’t my drink of choice. al “adult” slushie — the sample a bartender offered me the mildly alcoholic Bittersweet Breakfast with Cynar I ordered the restaurant’s spin on a mimosa; it feawas quite good.

Italian liqueur and Cappelletti — an aperitif similar to tures cava, Spanish sparkling There are three more cocktails Campari — along with cinnamon syrup and egg. Maybe wine also found at Marshall Free on the brunch menu, including the Saxapahaw Spritz with scuppernong wine seasonal House among others, and freshVisit 1618 Downtown at 312 another mimosa variation with infusion, fresh fruit and soda water is more your speed squeezed OJ, but more imporS. Elm St. (GSO) for brunch rosé, one with earl grey-infused on a Saturday morning, or you can keep it simpler with tantly 1618 adds ginger shrub. It’s on Saturdays only, or see Beefeater gin along with lemon a Bells Oarsman beer combined with grapefruit juice. a fantastic pairing, and will make 1618downtown.com for more and honey and an Irish coffee.

The mock drinks are just $4 while the half proofs you wonder why you ever bothThings get more interesting run $2 more and the regulars only $8 — less than most ered with a boring, traditional info. You won’t have to wait though with the ‘zero proof’ around here, though there are certainly cheaper Bloodmimosa before. for a table. and ‘half proof’ sections of the ys and mimosas to be found.

Believe it or not, this classy drink menu, where you can find But I’d argue if you’re going to indulge, you might as joint has a slushie machine, a non-alcoholic Timothy Collins or a seasonal shrub. well do it right, and the food here is first rate, too. which I’m choosing to read as a retort to plans for a Planning to drive home, or drink here all day? Go for Wet Willie’s frozen daiquiri bar nearby. Try the season-

triad-city-beat.com

Brunch at 1618 Downtown

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Jul. 27 — AUg. 2, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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CULTURE Reanimator passes out of brick-and-mortar realm into spirit world

by Jordan Green

S

hawn Peters and Anthony Petrovic hatched the idea to start Reanimator at a friend’s baby shower.

Petrovic and the friend had talked about opening a table-top game shop in downtown, and Peters immediately signed on for the venture, but suggested a record store might be more viable. With the imminent arrival of his child, their friend decided that investing in a new business might not be the wisest financial move, and Peters and Petrovic wound up launching the store together. They rented a tiny storefront on Patterson Avenue in September 2012.

Reanimator, which closes at the end of this week, has always been hard to pin down as a business proposition, which was both part of its magic and its undoing. Starting as a record store and junk shop, Reanimator has also served as an art gallery, stocked video games, sold books and released music compilations, and also Brian Clarey’s Winston-Salem office.

They added beer taps and held hot dog roasts.

Considering its modest size, the store has improbably hosted dozens of concerts; as Peters noted, if 10 people showed up it felt packed. Whatever it was at any given time, it almost always felt like a weirdo club for people who were into arts and music.

As Peters would readily admit, the venture was always driven more by his and Petrovic’s enthusiasms than anything that could be considered a practical business plan.

JORDAN GREEN Shawn Peters (seated) founded Reanimator with Anthony Petrovic (not pictured) in 2012.

Reanimator’s history is closely intertwined with Phuzz Phest, the mighty little indie-rock festival that Petrovic cofounded with Philip Pledger in 2011. ReaniPetrovic that the music scene was stable enough to While shedding its brick-and-mortar presence, Reanmator was the scene of more than its share of startling hand over the reins, Peters said. imator will continue to host parties at different venues moments, whether it was T0w3rs (aka Derek Torres) Through Reanimator’s lifespan, Peters has worked in town and produce music compilations, persevering performing his mesmerizing glam karaoke act on the an 8-5 gig as a product developer for Hatch Early as “a force for weirdness in Winston-Salem,” as Peters sidewalk outside the store during Reanimator’s block Learning, while Petrovic put in hours at the store and put it. party in 2014, or the folk duo Lowland Hum creating an booked the shows. The business also relied on a corps The block of Patterson Avenue where Reanimator is intimate circle inside the store replete with incense the of volunteers, who were compensated in tips — an located has burgeoned since the store opened in 2012. following year. arrangement that sometimes At the time, Peters said, their only neighbors were the “This place has been a bothered Peters because he Yadkin Riverkeeper office and the Camel City Tattoo money hole; we’ve always felt it bordered on exploitaShoppe. But BioTech Place, a centerpiece of the Wake Lineups for Reanimator’s final known that,” Peters said on tion. And cash-flow problems Forest Innovation Quarter, opened the same year a three nights include Ships in the a recent Saturday as he invenmade it difficult to restock block north on Patterson. Since that time, the innovatoried the store’s vinyl colNight & Jaguardini on Wednesday; records — a constraint that tion quarter has continued to creep southward with lection. “We can’t keep doing Dark Prophet Tongueless Monk, prevented the business from the completion of Bailey Park, renovation of former this without any sign of imreaching its potential.

Judy Barnes & Joe Blevins on Satprovement. We talked every “I think it’s been confusing Pick of the Week urday; and Tetragrmmaton, True six months about whether we to random people what we’re Tapping into the Mozart effect would continue, and this is Believer & Crystal Meh? on July 31. trying to do,” said Peters, Using Music to Engage Children in Math @ Smart the time it felt right.” a perfectionist who has a Start of Forsyth County (W-S), Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

(Petrovic, his partner, was tendency to be his own worst It is believed that music opens the door for the recovering from a dental critic. “People who’ve been with us from the beginning mind to grasp concepts as complex as math and procedure and sidelined with a dose of Novocain to understand we’re interested in creating a space for science. The folks at Smart Start are putting this manage the pain, Peters said.) music and art, and a place to put on smaller bands. notion to the test by using musical patterns to The advent of Black Lodge, a bar around the corner, Someone who walks in off the street is probably thinkenhance mathematical understanding. More info as a venue and increased bookings at the recently ing to themselves: ‘Okay, there’s a hundred records and at smartstart-fc.org and on their FB page. opened Test Pattern on Trade Street reassured him and some beer. After 15 minutes, I’ve seen it.’”

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devoting more time to. He’s a member of Electric Pyramid, a local artist cooperative, and is collaborating with Dane Walters and Holland Berson on Boogies, a venture to produce latex horror masks, while Petrovic is working at the new Slappy’s Chicken.

“It’s bittersweet,” Peters said. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of really cool people. I’ve gotten to see a lot of great bands. This place has been so many different things. I’m gonna miss that. On the other hand, it will be a relief.”

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tobacco factories to the east of the park and plans to create an entertainment and retail complex at Bailey Power Plant on the park’s west flank. Peters said he doesn’t see Reanimator’s weirdo-punk ethos as exactly aligned with the tech-driven growth in the Innovation Quarter.

“The way this block is going and the money that’s coming in we’re not going to be able to get away with what we’re doing,” Peters said. “Not that we ever did anything illegal. The people complain at the lofts when we have concerts. The police have always been cool with us. They would say, ‘You’d think they would know what they’re getting into.’”

A significant barrier to Reanimator’s ability to grow and become viable is something familiar to anyone who’s undertaken a creative venture in the Triad — the limited number of people with the interest and discretionary income to support it. The colleges and universities in Winston-Salem can seem like islands, Peters said; while the store has attracted some notice from Wake Forest University students, oddly enough their peers at UNC School of the Arts seem to have never discovered it.

“The music-going community is the same as it was six years ago,” Peters said. “There’s not a lot of new blood.

There’s a lot of great bands. The people involved are vibrant and supportive of each other. But you can only see the same band so many times before you tell yourself: ‘Maybe I don’t have to go.’ If there’s a beach trip, the venue is half empty. People will say, ‘There’s a beach trip planned for that weekend.

We might want to postpone the show.’

Really?”

Beyond continuing his day job with Hatch Early Learning, Peters has two other projects he’s looking forward to

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CULTURE ‘Libris Mortis’ wins top film project award

by Jesse Morales

F

or a stylish film awards ceremony complete with red carpet and flashbulb photography, the Best of Greensboro 48 Hour Film Project awards on July 22 felt remarkably down to earth. But event organizer Iris Carter’s statement that this year’s winner was only “two steps from Cannes” belied the evening’s unassuming air.

The recipient of the “Best of Greensboro” accolade will compete against nearly 140 other films from 48Hour Film Project city winners worldwide. From there, about a dozen overall winners will screen at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Given this chance for international recognition, a palpable charge of significance shot through the audience as the 11 judge and audience chosen films — narrowed down from 34 original entries — began to roll at the Carolina Theatre last week.

Despite audience seating in the classic faux-gilded proscenium space, the 11 films’ themes and dialogue skewed toward intimacy — from the ironies of daily life in the musical “There Goes Eric” to father-daughter interpersonal strife in drama “Found.” Heavy summer mise en scene and local neighborhood settings enhanced the films’ quotidian charms.

Each year, teams from Greensboro compete by creating short films — four to seven minutes — in the span of just 48 hours. From script to special effects, all aspects of a team’s movie remain undecided until the competition’s start, save for some initial location scouting and three universal elements that the Film Project rules require every film to display. This year’s required elements included the character of “Lyle or Leslie Sherman, interpreter,” the line “Mom hates her” and the appearance of a dog toy as prop. Teams also draw a film genre at random during the kickoff.

Throughout the hour-long screening, the 11 teams demonstrated their ingenuity by weaving the above requirements into their own unique compositions.

“Downward Dog,” an audience favorite produced by Layla Films, brought a delightfully quirky angle with its uproarious yet macabre take on the psychological maladies of a chihuahua, Rosie, who suffers from “extreme existential issues.”

True to its assigned dark comedy genre, “Downward Dog” concludes with Rosie’s all-too-expected suicide.

Its unceremonious exploration of familiar yet meaningful issues such as bullying, depression, domestic strife and uncertain identity resonated with striking tenderness, relevance and clarity.

Other films balance humor with hyperbole and reflection equally well. “Last Call” imagines the earth’s supposed last days through the eyes of a young man entrenched in the cult of Reprobate Lord Vilquerag, and offered commentary on the myopia of apocalyptic fears. Qlab Creative’s “Whiskey Sour” presented a No Exit-esque bar-as-purgatory scene, where patrons become trapped after death. The articulate characteri-

zation and meditations on attachment rendered the film as private and revealing as conversing with a favorite bartender.

“Libris Mortis,” a horror short byfilmmaking team 5 Million Galaxies, took home the evening’s top honors.

In accordance with their horror genre assignment, “Libris Mortis” concocted a chilling — if sometimes overstated — scenario surrounding their version of Leslie Sherman, a translator of ancient languages.

The film employs an epistolary plot device, whereby Sherman’s character voices her own letter to a prominent anthropologist concerning the 3,500-yearold “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”

While reading aloud from the book’s fragments, Sherman reminisces about her mother and the nature of death from a library in JESSE MORALES Eric Trundy (left) of “There Goes Eric” with Brian Dowton and his daughter Savannah, both actors in “The Golden Man-Child.” her rural farmhouse. As her perusal waxes tofilm’s ethereal ghost. Strable’s daughter, Jade Maturiward obsession, a female ghost appears three times. no, also provided the end-of-film scream. [Disclosure: Sherman discovers too late that incantations from the Maturino is the daughter of TCB Art Director Jorge Book of the Dead can call up the chimera of a loved Maturino.] one — as well as deliver her to an untimely passing.

Each of 5 Million Galaxies’ members expressed their The film supplies a terrifying fiery fissure as a represenshock and delight at “Libris Mortis” taking home first tation of her crossing over. After Sherman confronts prize. And rightly so, considering they’re on a path that that screaming void, the film leaves the audience with might end at Cannes. an image of her motionless corpse cast in silence — a warning against edging too close to infinity.

In the eyes of Carter, producer of the Greensboro 48 Hour Film Project, it’s that very propensity to brush with glory that fills her with pride in local filmmakers’ talent. Since the 48-Hour Film Project came to town in 2004, she said, two local films have made it to Cannes, including last year’s Greensboro winner “Gotta Go” by production crew the Magic Shop, a film about a bathroom in which the middle urinal contains a wormhole.

This year’s winning group, 5 Million Galaxies, consists of a husband-and-wife team, a mother-daughter duo, and a friend. Stephen Van Vuuren wrote and directed “Libris Mortis,” while his wife Marie Stone Van Vuuren lent her talents as art director and producer.

Actor Sheila Duell played “Leslie Sherman, interpreter” with subtle flair, while actor Sarah Strable played the

Pick of the Week The art of glass Hot Salon: Cane Glass from Around the World @ the Olio (W-S), Friday, 6 p.m.

The Olio, the only glass-blowing studio open to the public in the Triad, holds a pot-luck style history lesson on the art of cane glass blowing. While this is an all ages event, for those who are 21 years of age and older, BYOB is encouraged. However, there is no mention of simultaneously blowing glass while indulging in spirits so don’t even think about it. Detailed info can be found on the studio’s home and event page.

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FUN & GAMES

W

e knew this would come.

The NBA announced officially last week that it would relocate the 2017 All-Star Game, leaving Charlotte and North Carolina behind. A statement given by

by Anthony Harrison the association cited that the “climate” in Charlotte created

by HB 2 left the league unable to hold a week-long event in the city.

New Orleans, the game venue in 2008 and 2014, will likely host the event, but nothing is certain.

Well, one thing remains certain: This wound on Charlotte, on our economy, was self-inflicted.

Triad City Beat has reported on HB 2 on numerous occasions. In editorials, we have denounced every aspect of this dastardly bill. In a past installment of this column, I suggested that Triad colleges and universities and their parent conferences stand against the law.

Yet, as long as it stays in the books, HB 2 continues to make monsters of us all, with countless newspaper editorial boards and pundits across the nation declaring us a state of hate.

And what are the elected officials who installed this insidious legislation doing to remedy the damage?

Doubling down on their convictions, losing all their chips in the process and whipping off Rolexes and wedding rings in order to keep betting on a dwindling pot.

In direct response to the NBA’s decision, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest released a counter-statement that North Carolina is “being blackmailed by a private business who is being threatened by a national LGBT lobbying effort, all to force North Carolina to open female restrooms, showers and locker rooms up to men.”

He also predicted that “sex offenders and pedophiles would have had full access to our women and children in bathrooms around the state.”

Forest also posted his statement on Facebook, to which TCB Publisher Brian Clarey simply commented, “You’re insane.”

Indeed, an insanity plea is the government’s strategy. And if the definition of “insanity” is repeating the same behavior while expecting different results, the politicians standing firm behind HB 2 run a deli where they only serve soup sandwiches. In other words, they’re bonkers.

Let’s take Forest’s response as an example; after all, it contains many hallmarks of HB 2 defense.

For one, the “national LGBT lobbying effort” must be composed of businesses like PayPal, Facebook, American Airlines, Apple, Merck — whom we all know are collectively under the spell of the homosexual cabal.

That is, you believe this if you’re paranoid and delusional. That doesn’t explain the all-American outliers like Fox, Bank of America and Lowe’s — even NASCAR, a boys’ club born and raised in North Carolina — opposing HB 2, but you figure those perverts shilled out

NBA 1, North Carolina 0 the most pieces of silver to them.

Secondly, guaranteeing trans rights to use the bathroom fitting their gender identity does not allow men to assault women or diddle kids in restrooms.

This fearmongering tactic ignores two facts: There are already laws against peeping Toms and assault, and trans people are not sexual predators or perverts.

They’re often sports fans and athletes, though.

Finally, Forest closes his criminally ignorant response with this noble statement: “We will never value a dollar over a woman’s or child’s safety and security.”

Except the almighty dollar is the focus of the lieutenant governor, Pat McCrory and all those miserable General Assembly bastards sticking to their guns in their steadfast support of this crime against humanity. After all, it’s an election year. HB 2 serves as the conservatives’ banner legislation used to drum up the base and remind the so-called family-values voters that they’re fighting the good fight against the liberal plot against the nation. And if you vote for them, by God, they’ll keep oppressing those LGBTQs, carpetbaggers and other weirdos, all while magically bringing business and prosperity to North Carolina.

But, if the continuing corporate backlash against HB 2 indicates anything, it’s that this bill is actually poisonous for business.

Forest wrote in his statement: “What is happening here is so much bigger than a basketball game.” Just the same, HB 2 is about more than bathrooms, perpetuating the discriminatory “climate” in other ways.

Section 3 excludes trans individuals from discrimination protection by defining gender as “biological sex.” But Section 2.1(c) — a real snake in the grass — bars cities from setting their own minimum wage, leaving them unable to raise pay independently of the state, stomping the urban working class further into poverty.

All this adds up to a bill that’s terrible for everyone aside from the straight and elite. And while professional men’s athletics tends to be a bastion of the heteronormative, I’m proud the NBA had the brass to refuse to play along with the General Assembly.

As Forest states in his address, “All of this was done under the guise of ‘in-

clusiveness’ and other politically correct buzzwords.”

The NBA did mention some “buzzwords” in their official statement when listing some of their core values: “diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.”

Aren’t these also values of compassionate human beings? Aren’t these core American ideals?

HB 2 apologists debase themselves in treating trans individuals as unworthy of equal rights.

A shining moment of positivity: The NBA intends to return the All-Star Game to Charlotte in 2019.

By then, HB 2 will be gone.

We all know this will come.

Pick of the Week Masters of the Triad USA Masters Games @ Greensboro Coliseum (GSO), Wednesday-Sunday The inaugural USA Masters Games — think an amateur Olympics — began last Thursday, and the festivities continue through the week. Catch 16 sports, from badminton to weightlifting, from basketball to synchronized swimming, all over Greensboro, with the coliseum acting as a hub. For more information, visit usamastersgames.com.

EVENTS

Thursday, July 28 @ 8pm

‘Freeky’ no theme, no problem.

by Matt Jones Across

51 Cold dish made with diced tomatoes, mint, and lemon juice 53 Crooked course segment 54 Part of a squirrel’s 45-Down 55 Enclosure for a major wrestling match 59 Frank Zappa’s “___ Yerbouti” 60 TV relative from Bel-Air 61 Garden plant that thrives in shade 62 Game where players catch ... ah, whatever, I’m not interested

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Mystery Movie Monday

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1 Cheech and Chong’s first movie 2 Put on a ticket 3 Captain ___ (Groucho Marx’s “Animal Crackers” role) 4 Puddle gunk 5 Prefix with “nym” 6 “Breaking Bad” network 7 Draws from again, like a maple tree 8 ___ Gay (WWII B-29) 9 CopperTop maker 10 Classic “Dracula” star Bela 11 Crocus or freesia, botanically 12 City known for its mustard 13 “___ All Ye Faithful” 14 Bed-in-a-bag item 21 Weather Channel displays 23 English novelist Kingsley 24 Primus leader Claypool 27 Bar assoc. members

Saturday, July 30 @ 8pm

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29 Song often sung outdoors 31 Go for a target 33 CNN anchor of the 2000s 34 Is an active jazz musician, perhaps 35 Seat of Tom Green County 37 Sums 38 50-50 situations?

40 Duo with the 2003 hit “All the Things She Said” 41 Office building abbr.

43 Dolphins Hall of Famer Larry 44 Place for “Holidays,” according to a 2011 P.J. O’Rourke title 45 Tuck away 46 ___ cheese 47 Reeded instruments 49 “(I Can’t ___) Satisfaction” 52 “Blimey!” blurter 56 Palindromic 1998 Busta Rhymes album 57 “Solaris” author Stanislaw ___ 58 “___ Sharkey” (Don Rickles sitcom of the ‘70s)

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1 Like a perfect makeup job 10 Beach resorts, Italian-style 15 Right-click result, often 16 “Vega$” actor Robert 17 Words that follow “Damn it, Jim” 18 Cobra Commander’s nemesis 19 Prairie State sch.

20 Texas facility that opened on May 15, 1993 22 Show with Digital Shorts, for short 23 Llama relatives 25 Word after cargo or fish 26 Bovary and Tussaud, for two 28 Like some fails 30 Ear inflammation 31 Ice Bucket Challenge cause 32 Mobile ___ 36 “Smallville” family 37 “Don’t Stop ___ You Get Enough” 38 Madrigal refrain 39 Boundary-pushing 40 Seaver or Selleck 41 Dakota’s language family 42 Torme’s forte 44 Filler phrase from Rodney Dangerfield, perhaps 45 Caps or cone preceder 48 Her feast day is Jan. 21 50 Internet routing digits (hidden in WASN’T)

Open Mic Night

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(Brad Neely’s HILARIOUS riff on “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) 7 p.m. & 10 p.m. FRIDAY, July 29. $7.50 ticket includes FREE CUPCAKE! We’re selling Butter Beer!

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Answers from previous publication.

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TV Club Presents “Preacher” Based on the hit comic book series! 10 p.m. Sunday, July 31. Free Admission With Drink Purchase!

Star Trek Countdown Featuring the TOP 50

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Brew n’ View Film Series presents “Heathers” The 1988 Classic Dark Comedy. Starring Winona Ryder & Christian Slater!

8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30. $6 ticket includes FREE BEVERAGE!

EPISODES of Star Trek. 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 3. FREE ADMISSION

Totally Rad Trivia 8:30 p.m. Thursday, August 4. $3 Buy In! Up to Six Player Teams! Winners get CASH PRIZE!

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No game today.

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ALL SHE WROTE

D

olley Madison: OMG, I didn’t save the treasures of the White House during the war of 1812 for Melania to turn it into a gilded trampy ode to her egomaniacal husband.

Jackie Kennedy: I’m LOL’ing

by Nicole Crews to keep myself from COL’ing.

Right there with you sister. I didn’t overhaul that joint in the ’60s and showcase it to the world to have Siegfried & Roy move in half a century later.

Eleanor Roosevelt: Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. Melania is very attractive and looks nothing like a besequined lion tamer.

Melania Trump: Et is okay Eleanor. I no listen to zees bitches. Zees house in White like my dresses es very tiny.

Et can barely hold my lingerie clothing. But thank you Eleanor for having my bach. Woman like tea bag. Put in hot water to see how strong. You very strong Eleanor.

And handsome like my Donald.

Eleanor Roosevelt: Hey, didn’t I say that? Well, sort of…. Not the Donald thing.

Betty Ford: I think you’re all nuts and I know a thing

Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Avenue

or two about psychiatric treatment.

Rosalynn Carter: Oh, be kind Betty. I know more about nuts than you do. My husband farms them.

Betty Ford: Why doesn’t Hillary ever come to these things?

Dolley Madison: She’s too busy becoming the President to hang out with us anymore.

Melania Trump: I vunder ef she needs first lady in case my Donald lose.

Eleanor Roosevelt: I’d certainly audition you for the job.

Jackie Kennedy: Jesus Eleanor, you’re embarrassing yourself.

Eleanor Roosevelt: I’m embarrassing myself?! I didn’t run off with a Greek shipping tycoon after my husband got shot to run around topless on yachts and private islands.

Jackie Kennedy: What are you talking about? I brought class and dignity to The White House during a time of international mourning and went on to a successful career in publishing on my own. These are the equal rights that you fought for!

Melania Trump: Vhy can’t ve all just get along?

Michelle Obama: Hey, sorry I’m late. Been a little busy lately. I haven’t even had time to hula hoop. And really Melania? You need to vet your wordsmiths more wisely

dear. I’m happy to recommend someone.

Jackie Kennedy: You’re a class act Michelle. And you do it in ready-to-wear and American designers.

Michelle Obama: Thanks Jackie. That means a lot coming from you.

Eleanor Roosevelt: OMG are you guys still talking about clothes and interior decorating?

Rosalynn Carter: Seriously. Eleanor and I were close advisors to our husbands.

Michelle Obama: What?! As if Hillary and I were idle?!

Jackie Kennedy: Oh shit. Here she comes.

Hillary Clinton: Hey ladies. I’m looking for Bill. I thought he was with you.

Dolley Madison: Perhaps he is in the Ovarian Office.

Tee hee.

Hillary Clinton: Well Hello Dolley! Look who’s the comedian. How many times have YOU been on ‘Saturday Night Live’?

Dolley Madison: Hmmph. I had to put up with two presidents — both Jefferson and my husband James. How many of you can say that?

Hillary Clinton: I guess I can if you count a husband and wife being president.

Melania Trump: Et es not November yet Hillary.

Hillary Clinton: No, but Winter is Coming.

back to school

BACK PACK GIVEAWAY! Saturday, August 13th from 12 pm – 2 pm

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We will have supplies for 100 students as well as games, bouncy house, facepainting and more to celebrate the start of a new school year!

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Illustration by Jorge Maturino