TCB Dec. 13, 2018 — Dumplings in GSO

Local Gift Guide 2018 in this issue.

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point December 13-19, 2018 triad-city-beat.com

GREENSBORO EDITION

BITE SIZED Greensboro finds May Way She shreds PAGE 12

Election fraud PAGE 10

love in the snow PAGE 6

FREE

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK December 13-19, 2018

There really was an Igor

25 anniversary th

Sunday

December

16th, 2018 Food, Music & Fellowship Tate St. Coffee invites all former staffers and regulars to reminisce.

Party at 2pm Music starts at 3pm 334 Tate St. Greensboro, NC 27403

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336.275.2754 tatestreetcoffeehouse.com

Igor Margan, New Orleans nightlife impresario, passed away on Dec. 4.

He was known for a string of 24hour bars, each

by Brian Clarey with a laundromat in the back, a grill behind the bar and apartments upstairs that became the favored residences of musicians, bartenders and other nocturnal creatures from the French Quarter to the Lower Garden District.

And for a time, he was my boss.

I left a perfectly reasonable Uptown bar shift at Madigan’s — a decision made in haste, but which would become one of the most important of my life — to work the weekend graveyard: 2 a.m. until 10 a.m., hours in which, I soon learned, absolutely anything is possible.

The events that transpired on my first overnight at Igor’s became the stuff of New Orleans barroom legend. I won’t describe them here, because nobody outside that city would believe me, and also because they are largely unprintable. I was changed from that moment on, a bona fide member of the midnight underbelly in a city that never shuts down.

Sooner or later, everybody came

through Igor’s: musicians, celebrities, tourists, line cooks and waiters, strippers, cab drivers, politicians, hustlers, criminals, cops…you name it. I met an admiral in the US Navy there, the musician Beck, and also my wife.

Igor opened the flagship bar on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Jackson Street in the 1970s, after returning from the Vietnam War where he served as an Army Ranger. He told me that when he bought the place, he removed the locks form the doors and crushed the key on the streetcar tracks. The only thing ever to shut the place down was Katrina; there was just no way to close the place so they just boarded it up.

I’ll remember Igor sitting at the bar with his wife, Halina, smoking cigars with his name on them and drinking cheap beer and schnapps, hopping off his barstool at least once in my presence to break up a fight. I remember him slipping into the bar early every Monday morning to lock himself in his upstairs office to count the week’s take. He was terse, gruff, kind of a grump, and once in a while he smiled.

We never really talked that much, but he changed my life forever.

RIP Igor. It’s finally last call.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

At this point, someone’s going to have to explain to the voters of our state why we should have any confidence in any of our elections, in any of our counties.

-Brian Clarey

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

STAFF WRITERS Lauren Barber lauren@triad-city-beat.com

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336-256-9320 Greensboro Cover: EDITORIAL INTERN Savi Ettinger Photo by Sayaka Matsuoka calendar@triad-city-beat.com ART ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

KEY ACCOUNTS Gayla Price gayla@triad-city-beat.com

SALES Johnathan Enoch

johnathan@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2018 Beat Media Inc.

Winston-Salem Cover: Photo by Todd Turner

December 13-19, 2018

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December 13-19, 2018 Up Front

CITY LIFE Dec. 13-20, 2018

by Savi Ettinger

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Community Christmas Celebration @ High Point University, 5 p.m.

The Gene and Jane Kester International Promenade offers a chance for festive fun.

Santa will visit for a photo opportunity, and music and hot chocolate will be served all evening. Find out more on the event on Facebook.

Joshua Moyer: Solo acoustic @ Campus Gas (W-S), 6 p.m.

News

Drunken Construction @ Gibb’s Hundred Brewing (GSO), 6:30 p.m.

Come out for a mix of rock, blues and other genres, or for the Dave Matthews Band covers that Joshua Moyer specializes in. A smooth sound with tenor tones and acoustic guitar fill the evening. Find out more on Facebook.

Opinion

Chasing the Sword @ Greensboro Cultural Center, 8 p.m.

This show introduces the Drama Center’s inclusive theater troupe, the All Abilities Actors Legion. The production will stage its original play in performances through the weekend. For more information, visit greensboro-nc.gov.

Culture

Tellico & Possum Jenkins @ Muddy Creek Cafe (W-S), 8 p.m.

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Grab a pint and get hyped to let your creativity out with this gingerbread house building party. Gibb’s Hundred Brewing provides the supplies but you get to be the architect. Learn more on Facebook.

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A Christmas Carol @ High Point Community Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Watch the beloved holiday classic as performed by the High Point Theater. A live orchestra sets the soundtrack to A Christmas Carol, with a cast of more than 60 members. Buy tickets and learn more on Facebook.

Precious Child @ Monstercade (W-S), 9 p.m.

Fans of horror and abstraction will enjoy the enchanting noise pop of Precious Child. The show features the experimental sounds of Solemn Shapes and the electric set of Hot Pink Satan. Check out the details on Facebook.

These North Carolina-based bands meet for a showcase of Appalachian sound.

Tellico combines storytelling with bluegrass, while Possum Jenkins strings together Southern rock, blues and alternative country. Find out more on Facebook.

December 13-19, 2018

SATURDAY

SUNDAY Toys for Tots Jam @ Irving Park Plaza (GSO), 1 p.m.

Up Front

Christmas Craft Fair @ Hickory Creek Farm (GSO), 10 a.m.

Four-year Anniversary @ Fourth and Trade (W-S), 7 p.m.

News

Krankies Craft Fair @ Wake Forest Biotech Place (W-S), 12 p.m.

Fourth and Trade invites visitors to celebrate four years with this anniversary party. Farewell Friend makes some music as guests try their hand at door prizes or taste wine selections.

Learn more on Facebook.

Casey & the Comrades @ Little Brother Brewing (GSO), 7 p.m.

Culture

Drag Murder Mystery @ Crooked Tail Cat Café (GSO), 7 p.m.

Dress up and head over to Crooked Tail Cat Café for a drag show to die for. Drag queen Martini McBride takes guests through solving a murder mystery while surrounded by felines.

Learn more on Facebook.

Bring a toy for this Toys for Tots parking lot party hosted by the Gate City Growlers and Speakeasy Tavern. With a cornhole tournament, axe-throwing and face-painting among other activities, this event guarantees plenty of fun. Find out more on Facebook.

Get immersed in a surreal set from beyond the stars as Casey & the Comrades bring psychadelic funk to the stage. Doctor Ocular and Michael Feeney add to this volatile show at Little Brother Brewing. Learn more on Facebook.

Puzzles

Join visual artist and musician Lonnie Holley for a peek into his recent album. Tim Duffy of the Music Maker Relief Foundation and Matt Arnett join the Southern Constellation Fellow’s performance. Find out more on Facebook.

Shot in the Triad

Night of Music and Stories with Lonnie Holley @ Elsewhere (GSO), 7:30 p.m.

Get a caffeine boost from Krankies Coffee or Chad’s Chai during this craft fair. Find pottery, fine arts and other goods from more than 50 vendors, or check out the coloring room and food trucks. Find out more on Facebook.

Opinion

Santa makes a stop at the 3rd annual Craft Fair at Hickory Creek Farm.

Hop on a hayride or browse around for gifts or a snack from a food truck.

Explore the greenhouse and view the blooming poinsettias. Learn more on Facebook.

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Love on Tate Street

by Brian Clarey

December 13-19, 2018 Opinion

News

Up Front

Recycle this paper.

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Caption

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ARCHIVE

First off, not everybody loved the snow sculpture.

It came into being, as far as I can tell, on Sunday afternoon, fashioned from a snowbank that the plow had made right in the middle of Tate Street: two people, engaged in that most ancient of human acts, in the manner the Kama Sutra describes as “the congress of the cow,” with careful attention paid to key pieces of genitalia and also the butt.

In its stark white color and loose forms, it resembled a Picasso ink, a weird, Warholian experiment, its kineticism suggesting some of Don Martin’s work for Mad magazine.

In the overnight, it acquired a glaze of ice and by sunrise it was the most beautiful piece of art in all of Greensboro, absolutely spontaneous, executed with style and flair, posted prominently in one of Greensboro’s enduring cultural epicenters. In its way it was worth a hundred commissioned murals and committee-approved sculptures and performing arts centers, made all the more piquant because of its impermanence.

“The Tate Street Couple” was too beautiful to last, anyway.

But by the time I drove by Tate Street on Tuesday morning, the defining features had been smashed apart; light and time had done the rest, reducing the coital couple to a pair of sagging hindquarters easing slowly to the ground. You couldn’t even make out the testicles anymore.

In my opinion, this is the most significant art event to happen in Greensboro for a long time. Congratulations are in order for Coty, Christian and Shane, the NY Pizza denizens responsible for this genuine triumph of the human spirit, no matter how fleeting the moment.

December 13-19, 2018

Trampercise

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Up Front

You probably used to have one in your backyard as a kid. They’d leave faint black marks on your feet when you jumped and, in the summers, you’d have to be careful not to burn yourself on the metal rim when you climbed up. Trampolines are synonymous with childhood, but these days, they’ve have taken on new life as more of them pop up: whole parks covered with the bouncy material, allowing both kids and adults to jump for hours, literally off the walls.

Now, a whole new brand of fitness has also been born. That’s right, trampoline fitness classes. Sky Zone trampoline park off of New Garden Road in Greensboro offers “Skyfit” classes, a half-hour or hour of cardio and strength training that you can do while bouncing. It’s like Insanity meets Chuck-E-Cheese. A 3-year-old will be waddling by as the upbeat, Shaun T-like instructor yells at you enthusiastically to give him five more push-ups or go deeper on your squats. And the thing is, it’s pretty fun.

Wearing a bright muscle tank top that shows off his slim but built frame, trainer Troy splits up the group of more than a dozen eager participants looking to subject themselves to exercise masked as fun, into stations. A Bosu balance ball sits in the corner waiting for someone to try to master it while a lady pumps out sets of bicep curls with the resistance band. The stations move quickly and by the end of it, you’re physically exhausted but kind of can’t wait to try it again.

Not only do you get to act a fool and remember what it feels like to be a kid, you burn a few hundred calories while doing it. Don’t get me wrong, the workout is pretty brutal. If you haven’t done it before, I definitely recommend starting with the 30-minute option. And at less than $10 a class, that’s cheaper than any other fitness class in town and you get to jump into a foam pit.

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December 13-19, 2018

Shortly after taking the oath of office in High Point on Dec. 3, Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers administered an ethics code of conduct to Catherine Netter, his new executive administrative officer.

“I promise to report either in writing or by word of mouth to the proper authorities those things which should be reported,” Netter affirmed, “and to keep silent about matters which are to remain confidential, according to the laws and rules of the agency and government.”

Like Rogers, Netter is a former employee of the sheriff’s office under the previous administration.

Netter served as a detention sergeant at the High Point jail up to Sept. 1, 2016, when then-Sheriff BJ Barnes approved her termination. Lt. BW Hall, the professional standards officer responsible for the administrative investigation, wrote that Netter violated the sheriff’s offices policy on “the confidentiality of departmental business records” and state law governing “the privacy of employee personnel records.” Over a two-year period, Hall found, Netter “not only inspected the files of officers whom she had no supervisory authority over, but took physical possession of these files and shared them with a human resources investigator, the EEOC, and her personal attorney.”

Last month, three federal appellate judges reviewed Netter’s civil rights case against Barnes, and found that Netter “violated a valid, generally applicable state law,” adding, “Netter does not meaningfully dispute that these actions, standing alone, violated NC Gen. Stat. § 153A-98(f), which establishes a Class 3 misdemeanor for ‘knowingly and willfully examin[ing]…, remov[ing], or copy[ing] any portion of a confidential personnel file’ without authorized access.” According to the ruling, Netter obtained the personnel files of three other employees at the High Point jail “through a personal request to a coworker.”

The court acknowledged that Netter — as a black, Muslim woman pursuing a claim that she was effectively denied an

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Opinion

News

Transition in sheriff’s office highlights discrimination claims

by Jordan Green

Up Front

NEWS

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A member of Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers’ leadership team was fired by Rogers’ predecessor, BJ Barnes, after she complained about facing discrimination as an African American and a Muslim.

opportunity for promotion on the basis of race and religion — was in a difficult position.

“Absent unusual evidence of overt animus, a plaintiff seeking to prove unlawful discrimination in employment will generally need to produce evidence of comparators, or similarly-situated employees of a different race, color, religion, sex or national origin who have been treated differently,” Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote. “Because salaries, disciplinary infractions, and the like often remain confidential, it may be difficult for an employee to realize — let alone prove — that such evidence exists.”

Netter wrote in her complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that she asked to be tested for promotion in November 2014, and that she was told by her captain that she could not do so “due to being on disciplinary action.”

“However, my disciplinary action was due to a traffic citation which was dismissed,” Netter wrote. “However, other white male officers who are non-Muslim, have been charged with serious criminal offenses including domestic violation, DWI and other serious offenses, yet they have not been disciplined and are allowed to test and be promoted. On or about February 20, 2015, I learned that a white/Hispanic detention services officer was recently charged with a domestic violence charge yet was not disciplined and instead allowed to test and promoted to master corporal.”

US District Court Judge Catherine Eagles, whose opinion was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled against Netter, finding that she had “not identified any evidence in support of her assertion that officers not of her race or religion were allowed to take the promotional test while on disciplinary status.”

Judge Eagles wrote, “She identifies only one potential comparator, Officer EU, a white detention officer who was promoted despite having a pending domestic violence charge, which Ms. Netter contends was a much more serious issue than Ms. Netter’s misconduct.” Eagles went on to say that while Netter provided evidence that the white detention officer had a pending criminal charge, she couldn’t show that he was on disciplinary status, or that the white officer was promoted while the criminal charge was pending. The judge cited testimony from

Danny Rogers sits near Catherine Netter (third from the left).

a captain that a disciplinary charge was not sustained against the white detention officer.

Judge Eagles concluded that “no reasonable jury could find that the sheriff discriminated against Ms. Netter in not considering her for promotion based on her disciplinary status.”

Eagles also dismissed Netter’s claim that Barnes retaliated by firing her for disclosing personnel files to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and to her lawyer.

On appeal, the Fourth Circuit upheld Judge Eagle’s ruling that Netter failed to prove retaliation. The Fourth Circuit dismissed Netter’s claim that her violation of state law was protected by an overriding authority under federal civil rights law. The Fourth Circuit ruled there was no conflict between state and federal law in Netter’s case, finding that she “had access to — and utilized — civil discovery procedures without any demonstrated need to unlawfully review or copy confidential personnel information.”

Netter declined to comment for this story, and Sheriff Rogers could not be reached prior to publication.

* * * A former employee of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office and High Point

JORDAN GREEN

Police Department, Danny Rogers put change and inclusion at the forefront of his campaign, promising “a positive change for all Guilford County citizens.”

Without leveling direct accusations of discrimination against his opponent, Rogers’ presented himself in positive contrast by pledging to uphold a “fair and equitable work environment for all employees.”

When Rogers took the oath of office on Dec. 3, he did so as part of a historic wave of seven men and women who are the first African Americans to hold the position of highest sworn law enforcement officer in their respective counties. Michael Grace, a private lawyer in Winston-Salem, attributed the outcome to a sentiment shared by voters in urban counties who “didn’t like what the prior sheriffs had been doing.” He added, “What these sheriffs failed to do was hire and promote from within their ranks people who looked other than they.”

Netter’s lawsuit and a separate lawsuit against Barnes in both his official and personal capacities by Terry Hairston II, who was also employed at the High Point jail, allege extensive discrimination by former sheriff.

A brief filed by Netter’s lawyer in January 2017 alleged that Barnes “con-

Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

passed the test. It didn’t have to do with color or sex. I had captains, majors, lieutenants all who were African-American; they got promoted because they deserved it.”

In May 2014, during Barnes’ reelection campaign for his sixth and final term, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a formal determination that the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office’s policy and practice of using credit information to screen job applicants disproportionately hurt black applicants. Jose Rosenberg, director of the EEOC’s Greensboro office, wrote that there was “sufficient evidence and reasonable cause to believe” that the sheriff’s office discriminated against “a class of black applicants in violation of Title VII by closing their applications due to credit information, thereby denying them further consideration in the hiring process.”

Barnes said the sheriff’s office voluntarily changed the policy to comply with federal civil rights law.

The week before Rogers took the oath of office, Barnes complained that the incoming administration had issued dismissals to numerous employees. The outgoing sheriff said the office is losing seasoned employees with decades of experience, and he cited the hardship placed on the fired employees, including one who had only been on the job as a detention officer for nine months after completing his training, and another who was out on family medical leave as a new father.

Rogers responded in a press release prior to taking office that 14 full-time employees were terminated, not counting part-time personnel. City Beat has a pending public records request for the names and positions of the eliminated employees. Sheriff’s Attorney Jim Secor said the documents have been compiled, but he’s waiting for Sheriff Rogers to authorize their release.

“Some of those part-time workers would come and go at their leisure and were not really needed,” Rogers said in the press release. “This was a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Barnes declined to name any of the terminated employees. But he darkly alluded to Catherine Netter’s appointment as executive administrative officer, and one of the terminated employees.

“You’ll see there’s a connection,” he promised.

December 13-19, 2018

sistently segregates the ‘patrol’ and ‘detention’ units along racial lines, refuses to promote black officers in the patrol unit past a certain low rank, excludes black officers from specialized teams, tests for promotion in an unverifiable manner, often passing over highly qualified black candidates…, and, since bringing in an outside agency to perform promotion testing (which every officer failed), has ignored the results of the test and promoted an underqualified white officer over a highly qualified black officer.”

The brief went on to say that Netter was prepared to present evidence of up to 30 instances of discrimination.

Many of the examples are also cited in a federal lawsuit filed in December 2015 by Hairston, who worked as a shift lieutenant at the High Point jail.

In 2012, Hairston applied for an open position for transportation sergeant, which he sought because the 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. scheduled was preferable to the 12hour rotating shift he was then working.

Barnes acknowledged in a court filing that a white male was appointed to the transportation sergeant position instead of Hairston, who is black.

Hairston’s pending lawsuit against the sheriff cites the racial divide between detention and patrol as evidence of a pattern of discrimination within the sheriff’s office under Barnes. Hairston contends, “Employees in the patrol unit receive superior pay and benefits, and patrol is generally considered to be a more desirable unit than detention.”

Barnes’ June 2017 response states in rebuttal “that patrol officers and detention officers receive the same pay and Guilford County-regulated benefits.”

Hairston contends: “In the 22 years that Barnes has been sheriff, no black patrol officer has ever exceeded the rank of master corporal and only two have attained the rank of master corporal. This is out of approximately 100 individuals who have reached the rank of master corporal.”

Barnes’ response denies the claim.

In an answer to the claims of discrimination during an interview with Triad City Beat, Barnes cited endorsements from Clarence Henderson, a black conservative who participated in the 1960 Woolworth’s sit-ins in Greensboro, and Chuck Williamson, an African-American major who oversaw the court services bureau under Barnes before his retirement.

“You got promoted at the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office based on merit,” Barnes said. “You got promoted because you knew what you were doing, you

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December 13-19, 2018 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

10

OPINION

EDITORIAL

North Carolina’s election mulligan Early in the week, election officials in Florida surmised that upwards of 6,000 mail-in ballots from 65 of the state’s 67 counties had not been counted on Election Day due to a clerical error.

Had not three of the states most prominent races ended in runoff, we might have never known, and it might not have mattered.

But slim margins define the times as much as anything else, especially when it comes to elections.

And it’s more true than ever that every vote counts — unless, of course, it doesn’t get counted.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, conservatives have been so concerned about voter fraud as to post a voter referendum amending the state constitution — one of six on this year’s ballot — requiring photo ID to vote.

But when faced with an actual instance of fraud — the 9th Congressional District, where hinky dealings with absentee ballots seem to have affected results in at least one Like a mediocre county — they’re not quite as gung ho. golfer who spent As of press time, too many hours with mounting evidence of wholesale in the clubhouse fraud in the election, before tee time, NC GOP Chair Dallas Woodhouse is just we’re going to beginning to come around to the idea of a have to take a mulnew election. ligan.

Yes, there is a difference between voter fraud — which is perpetrated by individuals, one at a time — and election fraud, which insinuated that the entire process is jacked.

We should all be outraged at any instances of either, though realistically speaking, only one of the techniques has the scope to affect an outcome.

But let’s get back to the fix: a new election. A new election.

Like a mediocre golfer who spent too many hours in the clubhouse before tee time, we’re going to have to take a mulligan.

At this point, someone’s going to have to explain to the voters of our state why we should have any confidence in any of our elections, in any of our counties. We’ve already demonstrated an inability to draw fair districts — the Congressional districts we just voted on were deemed illegal by federal judges — and a willingness to disenfranchise whole swaths of voters, sometimes, ironically, by accusing them of fraud.

CITIZEN GREEN

We are all bigots now

Ed. Note: Jordan Green is on vacation. The following edition of Citizen Green first ran on June 12, 2015. It won a Second Place Altweekly Award for Best Political Columns in 2015.

The ratification of Senate Bill 2, allowing magistrates to opt out of marrying same-sex couples for reasons of conscience, throttles North Carolina back into the dark ages of social inequality.

Prior to June 11, the day the state House joined the Senate in overriding Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto, only Utah had passed such a law.

The opt-out law has ugly echoes of an incident in 1976 when two magistrates in Forsyth County refused to officiate the marriage of Thomas Person and Carol Ann Figueroa, an interracial couple, because they said it violated their religious beliefs against a black man marrying a white woman.

There is a straight ideological throughline from segregationist positions against equal opportunity and interracial marriage that lingered into the 1970s in North Carolina, and efforts today to stymie equal rights for gays. Adherents in both cases have turned to arguments about moral values, tradition and social custom to support their positions, but allowing civil servants to deny services to citizens, whether they are in a same-sex union or an interracial marriage, is bigotry plain and simple. The only difference is that racial bigotry has been forced into the shadows, while anti-gay bigotry is still socially acceptable in the state, albeit increasingly less so.

The gradual dismantling of Jim Crow opened North Carolina and other parts of the South to significant economic development as corporations determined that, with the stain of legally sanctioned segregation lifted, they could invest. It’s telling that Gov. McCrory came to Jamestown from Columbus, Ohio with his parents in the mid-1960s, as part of the north-south migration that answered North Carolina’s reintegration into the national fold.

And now, just as North Carolina cities are beginning to receive recognition as centers of cultural vibrancy, social inclusion and economic innovation — racing to catch up with national leaders like Austin, Tex., San Francisco and Seattle — the conservative Republican leadership in Raleigh is confirming our state’s national stereotype for backwardness.

It’s to North Carolina’s shame that the General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto on this law. The governor, unlike members of the General Assembly, must face all the voters of North Carolina when he comes up for reelection next year. His position on the issue represents the best

by Jordan Green

interest all of the state’s citizens.

“I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath.”

Unlike the governor, the lawmakers who enacted SB 2 into law are not accountable. The extreme gerrymandering in the way their districts were drawn ensures that no sitting lawmaker has to worry about being unseated by a member of the opposing party in the general election. Thus while support for same-sex equality runs strong in Greensboro, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Sen. Trudy Wade, who are part of the Guilford County delegation, could sponsor the bill without fear of political repercussions.

Whether any of us personally voted for Berger or Wade, we all carry the shame of this decision. How can any of us tell our friends in Washington DC or Philadelphia with a straight face and in good conscience that they should overlook our retrograde policies and move here to enjoy our brewpubs, accessible arts scenes and copacetic weather?

While the Senate vote contained few surprises, the House vote on June 11 was a profile in betrayal and cowardice.

From the Guilford and Forsyth delegations, Reps. Cecil Brockman, Ed Hanes, Pricey Harrison and Ralph Johnson — all Democrats — deserve our thanks for voting against the opt-out provision for magistrates who refuse to perform gay marriages. Reps. John Blust, Debra Conrad, John Faircloth and Donny Lambeth — all Republicans — stood with bigotry. Duly noted.

Ten House members — six Republicans and four Democrats — took a walk, in the parlance of state lawmaking, claiming excused absences to avoid voting on the bill.

Votes to oppose the bill by any six of them would have denied the Republican leadership the 3/5 majority needed to override the governor’s veto. Three lawmakers from our local delegations failed to take a stand: Jon Hardister, Republican of Guilford; Julia Howard, Republican of Forsyth; and Evelyn Terry, Democrat of Forsyth. Where were you?

The ratification of SB 2 into law marks a historic development with national significance for North Carolina. Sadly, it’s a part of history about which none of us will boast to our children and grandchildren.

It’s to North Carolina’s shame that the General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto on this law.

December 13-19, 2018

CULTURE May Way brings dumplings to Tate Street

by Sayaka Matsuoka

D

Up Front News Opinion Culture

It’s basically the same menu as the May Way near Wake Forest University — dumplings, steamed buns and noodles — with a few additions and surprises at the Tate Street location.

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Puzzles

Sun notes about dumplings. “I make it at home.” a spicy kick.

The only difference?

Both of the new skewer selections from the appetizer “These dumplings are meat heavy because Americans like it section also help to round out a meal. The chicken skewers more,” Sun says. remain juicy, with a mild soy sauce baste, while the beef offers It’s true. Dumplings remain one of the most ubiquitous a bit more flavor with hints of fish sauce, black pepper and foods in many Asian cuisines. On most weekend mornings, honey. hungry patrons fill dim sum houses complete with rolling For dessert, the restaurant offers its popular and beauticarts for brunch. (The closest ones are in Durham and Morfully crafted peach buns, which almost look too pretty to eat. risville). I grew up making Japanese Plump and heart shaped, these sweet gyoza with my mom and you’ll find treats are filled with red bean paste pop-culture references to dumplings and are warm when served. The egg May Way is located at 948 Walker in movies like Crazy Rich Asians and custard buns also act as a finishing Ave., Suite B in Greensboro. the Pixar short “Bao.” They’re comtouch; neither are too sweet. fort food, neatly wrapped.

At less than $5 an order for most But dumplings aren’t the only of the dumplings, May Way’s second draw for May Way loyalists. For those who know, the sesame location fits right into the area’s college lifestyle. And with and mala cold noodles maintain their original flavors. Lightly Greensboro still missing a proper dim sum house, this addition seasoned with slices of cucumber and a hint of peanut, the proves to be a good alternative for those wanting a different sesame noodles prove to be the lighter option for those lookkind of small-plate sharing experience. ing for something fresh and easy, while the mala noodles You could even bring your grandma and see what she thinks. come packed with lots of nutty and sesame flavor with a bit of

Shot in the Triad

umplings are to Asians what mac and cheese is to Americans. Every family’s got their own take on it, but your grandma’s is probably the best. For those who don’t have an Asian grandmother to make the comfort food for them, May Way Dumplings out of Winston-Salem is providing Greensboro with a new location to help scratch the itch.

Nestled next to China Wok off of Tate Street, May Way Dumpling’s second location joins the list of established Asian eats near UNCG. The space, which used to be a tanning salon and a laundromat before that, now features dark wood accents and a rainbow of colorful lights — a far cry from the bare and stripped down aesthetic of its original location in Reynolda Village which has been open since 2015. It’s also over twice the size.

“We decided to open a second location because the first location is a bit small,” says owner Katherine Sun. “We didn’t plan on it being this big. We just wanted half the space but the landlord told us we had to use it all.”

On a recent Tuesday, just a day after the new location opened, a lone chalkboard sign marks the existence of the shop. A weathered yellow banner that reads “Got Sun?” still hangs in front of the windows; a proper sign has yet to be installed.

It’s just past noon and a few customers come and go, but the large dining room, fit to seat a couple dozen, remains mostly empty. The hype hasn’t hit yet.

Still, the menu resembles its sister restaurant and even boasts some new items including a whole new appetizer section complete with spring rolls, chicken wings and skewers, as well as a few new noodle and soup options and some rice dishes. A variety of lattés also make the cut for the college kids looking to pull all-nighters for their exams.

And the staple dumplings prove to be just as good as before. The popular fried pork and chicken dumplings still come served in the unassuming paper trays and are accompanied by that delicious, sweet and tangy, Hoisin-type sauce. True to form, they’re just crunchy enough on the outside while still being juicy on the inside. The steamed pork bun, another carryover from the original location, also satisfies with its fluffy, bready exterior and sweet, almost smoky, pork interior.

“Every Chinese people can make it,”

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December 13-19, 2018 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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CULTURE FemFest turns down the gaslight

by Lauren Barber

F

or some, those mandatory neon wristbands — the ones doormen tend to wrap-and-stick a little too tightly and that haphazardly pull at wispy wrist hairs — can trigger unease or panic, can trigger the body’s memory of restraints or a controlling grasp.

At Monstercade’s sign-in table, though, Bryn Fox takes care to leave some breathing room.

Fox is the founder of FemFest, an annual benefit show designed to raise awareness of the ubiquity of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as funds for Winston-Salem’s women’s shelter. The festival of female musicians and woman-fronted bands celebrates its fifth year on two intimate stages at Monstercade and Southside Beer Garden, which share a parking lot but diverge in ambience; Southside features an afternoon slate of local singersongwriters while Monstercade hosts a medley of atmospheric, dark groove and dream-pop acts culminating in a performance from space psych group Pleasure, led by dynamic frontwoman Katherine Kelly.

“We’re here because we’re in pursuit of a better reality and we know what that could look like,” Amy Fitzgerald of a one-woman act Damiyana says. “This is about ignoring all the voices that are trying to tell you that you don’t know what you’re doing… and instead trusting the voice that is you, that’s telling you who you are and making you feel strong.”

Fitzgerald alludes to the lasting effects of chronic gaslighting, a form of psychological manipulation in which a person causes another to doubt their own perceptions, memories and sanity, and the ways people often internalize and self-inflict the same cruelty.

“My music has been helping me…use my creativity as a way to reclaim my sexuality, my identity and my mental health.”

During her set, Fitzgerald frames writing music as a healing experience for her and says that getting closer to nature has been grounding, and so she likes to play with sounds of the outdoors in her seismic experimental soundscapes.

From the belly of this grungy joint, she pairs the crickets’ song with simple piano melodies and abstract sounds recorded in curious midafternoon hours; she switches the soundbites on/off with bare toes on stage.

Sarah Wilson of CHEW commads the beat at a FemFest performance at Monstercade.

Sarah Wilson, drummer of CHEW, drives the conversation with her drumkit, commanding the stage in front of a screen projecting trippy, dripping infrared filters over slowed-down live footage. She runs her left drumstick along a cascade of chimes while pounding the bass and tap-tap-tapping the snare. She’s in control; a song slows and quiets and it’s her above-the-head, “One, two, three, four!” that cues a rapid crescendo from her bandmates.

Local singer-songwriter Molly Grace, who spends a lot of time writing about love, spoke from the stage about how it’s typical to feel upset during a heartbreak but that it’s troubling how many don’t realize they shouldn’t feel endlessly distraught in any relationship.

“It is pretty remarkable how worthless a lot of women are made to feel by ‘good’ men, and it’s also, obviously, worth noting how worthless women are made to feel by garbage men,” Grace says. “Even though we’re here for a cause that

TODD TURNER

really specifically has to do with the latter of those two types of men, there are many other ways people can be made to feel very, very small in relationships.”

Few among us feel small tonight as femme garage-pop trio Stevie performs lo-fi originals and spurs dancing to Devo’s “Gates of Steel.” Guitarist Chesley Kalnen steps off the raised stage and plays alongside the audience, just one among an impressive slate of women and femmes taking up and reclaiming space with their sounds, their lyrics, their voices, their energy, amplified front-and-center tonight.

“This is a beautiful occasion,” Fitzgerald says. “Even though [the trauma] does affect us sometimes now, we can rise up from it and recognize it as part of who we are, but not necessarily defining who we are. We all have our stories.”

December 13-19, 2018

CULTURE A thousand words at Gibb’s Hundred

by Savi Ettinger

A

Up Front News Opinion Culture

Nikita Hatmaker presides over Drink & Draw at Gibb’s Hundred Brewing, a crafting free-for-all.

SAVI ETTINGER

Puzzles

arts entertaining. effective and local.

“I’ve done trades with kids at shows and that’s really excitThe illustrator also highlights digital work, pulling out ing,” Hatmaker smiles. a tablet and swiping through a gallery of black-and-white Hatmaker delights in being able to connect with others portrait pieces with one finger, pausing on a drawing of a girl during events, and notes that usually children stop by their with fangs. The more realistically rendered figure sat atop of a table at festivals and shows. They pillow-covered bed wearing rabbit recalled a moment where a few slippers, making the portrait more children had wanted to trade a playful than menacing. Hatmaker $3 drawing of an eyeball for one mentions that their current projGo to the Gibb’s Hundred Facebook of Hatmaker’s stickers. Hatmaker ects include a zine about small, page for more info on Drink & Draw believes making memories such as shared moments that takes inspithese leave lasting impressions on ration from fictional characters events. Follow the artist on Instagram young artists. and a set of holiday cards. at @sleepscribbles.

All this comes with a touch of In Hatmaker’s eyes, the fine arts environmentalism from Hatmaker. should remain welcoming of new “You think about art and you minds, as the community lacks a think about how it’s wasteful,” cap on how many people or what they mused. “I think about that a lot.” styles can be included. Drink & Draw allows for a glimpse into Hatmaker keeps a box of paper pieces and magazine cutthe breadth of creative work. outs labeled “oh scrap,” and collages as a relaxation method.

“There’s a market for everyone,” Hatmaker said.

Equipped with this and a trove of printing supplies, Hatmaker prioritizes making items by hand, while keeping supplies cost-

Shot in the Triad

black, three-tiered cart on wheels sits between two wooden tables, brimming with coloring books, markers and paper. A sign hangs on the front, beaconing those curious to fill their cups with their choice of brew and fill a page or two with doodles.

This scene has become routine at Gibb’s Hundred Brewing in Greensboro, where artist Nikita Hatmaker has made a weekly tradition of hosting Drink & Draw every Thursday since August. The non-binary artist, who uses “they/them” pronouns, utilizes these events as a way to gather artists together with no regard to skill level.

Hatmaker balances a position as a data analyst with illustration. As they sat by a large window in the taproom, they dipped a watercolor brush pen into a light blue paint. The aquatic hue bled into most of the square page, leaving out a round shark with a golden outline. The shark’s face held soft features in baby blue and pink, juxtaposing the ferociousness one would expect. The blue-haired craftsperson finds themselves particularly fascinated with glow-in-the-dark and metallic colors.

Elements of charm and whimsy fill their art, but Hatmaker grounds their work in practicality.

“I’m really obsessed with efficiency” Hatmaker commented.

When Gibb’s Hundred Brewing invited Hatmaker to host, they took the opportunity to combine a desire to connect other artists and to stay motivated.

Hatmaker explained that Drink & Draw provides a platform for hobbyists, freelancers and those who have never drawn to sharpen skills, and to keep one another inspired. The bespectacled artist finds the taproom turns into a workshop, with people holding up in-progress drawings and asking for feedback.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” they said, “and you’ve got to be motivating other people too.”

The lack of judgement makes for a crafting free-for-all, as Hatmaker emptied a small pencil bag onto a table near the window. These were Hatmaker’s own supplies, brought to share. Paint pens, ink and pencils get passed around like dishes at a family dinner. The cart itself was stocked by Hatmaker, along with Shelf Life and Reconsidered Goods.

On a regular basis, people from both around and outside of Greensboro will visit, some coming from as far as Raleigh. Hatmaker, head tilted in a mathematical fashion, calculated the average age of visitors to be in their late twenties, but finds interactions between varying ages and skill levels to make the

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December 13-19, 2018

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Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Across 1 Little drinks 5 TV monitoring gp.

8 Waits 13 Muscle problem 14 Jazz legend Fitzgerald 15 Fail to be 16 Lubricant used at the front and rear of an automobile drivetrain 18 Cuba ___ (rum drink) 19 Artistic interpretation of one’s feelings, maybe 21 Alfonso Ribeiro-hosted show featuring viewer submissions, for short 22 Ward of “Gone Girl” 23 “Claws” network 24 “Matilda the Musical” songwriter Minchin 27 Lover 29 “___ Believer” (Monkees song) 31 It may be half-baked ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 33 Cedar alternative 36 Bisected 40 It contains numerators and denominators within numerators and denominators 43 Skier’s spot 44 Clean up some topiary 45 ___ gin fizz 46 Lamentable 48 Family member, briefly 50 PGA VIP Ernie 51 Place to chill out 54 Lemon zest source 57 “Death ___ Funeral” (2007 or 2010 film) 59 Snarky social media response to an undeserved boast (and this puzzle’s theme) Answers from last issue 64 Heart chambers 25 “Rebel Yell” singer Billy 65 Eddie Murphy’s role in “Beverly Hills Cop” 26 Inbox item 67 Adrien of “The Pianist” 28 “thank u, ___” (Ariana Grande song) 68 Adjust, as banjo strings 30 Farm residents?

69 Dory helped find him 32 Venmo and Hinge, e.g.

70 Heavy items dropped in cartoons 34 Egypt’s cont.

71 ___-Pekka Salonen (conductor soon to lead 35 Kardashian matriarch the San Francisco Symphony) 37 Scrabble piece 72 Cable channel since 1979 38 Sheared stuff

39 They’re “on” in binary Down 41 They’re always in February 1 Rocksteady precursor 42 Good-natured 2 “Never Tear Us Apart” band 47 “___ Poetry Jam” 3 Global extremity 49 Double ___ (Oreo variety) 4 Ancient stone slab (anagram of TESLA) 51 Q-Tip ends 5 State of change 52 Ancient city in Jordan 6 Snippets, like those shown on 21-Across 53 With an ___ distinction 7 Core group 55 Bring delight to 8 Vinegar variety 56 High-end Toyota 9 Spring bloom 58 Make good (for) 10 Credit counterpart 60 Six Flags attraction 11 “The Smartest Guys in the Room” company 61 TV “Warrior Princess” played by Lucy Lawless 12 Cardiologist’s dilator 62 Acapulco accolades 14 Heighten 63 1996 veep candidate 17 Excruciatingly loud, in sheet music 66 Hither and ___ 20 Roth of “Inglourious Basterds” 24 Nervous spasms

December 13-19, 2018

CROSSWORD ‘It’s Not Unusual’—the phrase makes it.

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