TCB March 17, 2022 — Vote ??? for Greensboro Mayor by Triad City Beat

UP FRONT | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

Coronavirus in the Triad

(as of Wednesday, March 16 ) Documented COVID-19 diagnoses

NC 2,613,901 (+8,930) Forsyth 91,776 (+202) Guilford 115,742 (+2,940) COVID-19 deaths NC 23,005 (+159) Forsyth 783 (+10) Guilford 1,132 (+108) Documented recoveries NC 2,578,344 (+17,520) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 111,266 (+990) Current cases NC 12,552 (-8,731) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 1,068 (-433) Hospitalizations (right now) NC 799 (-294) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 18 (-13) Vaccinations NC Partially vaccinated 6,369,214 (+12,379) Fully vaccinated 6,445,037 (61%, +13,889) Boosted: 3,210,319 (+26,464, 49.8% of vaccinated) Forsyth Partially vaccinated 250,871 (+1,230) Fully vaccinated 235,382 (62%, +1,207) Boosted: 114,328 (+905, 48.5% of vaccinated) Guilford Partially vaccinated 345,854 (+518) Fully vaccinated 327,678 (61%, +706) Boosted: 160,520 (+1,094, 48.9% of vaccinated)

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

ART ART DIRECTOR

Charlie Marion charlie@triad-city-beat.com

SALES KEY ACCOUNTS

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 EDITORIAL WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc MANAGING EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK Getting my Irish… off?

t’s St. Patrick’s Day everywhere in the United States this week, and as a by Brian Clarey third-generation Irish American… I don’t give a shit. Don’t get me wrong. For decades I was all in on St. Pat’s Day: I wore the Irish flag, I ate the corned beef, I went to the parades, I drank the green beer, I wore the kilt. But I was a drunk, and that’s just what drunks do, Irish or no. In truth, St. Patrick’s Day is more about getting hammered than anything else: There is no such thing as St. Patrick — Patrick of Ireland was never formally canonized in the Catholic Church because, among other reasons, he might never have existed. He didn’t so much drive the snakes out of Ireland as he did drive the pagan religions from the land known as Hibernia, making way for Catholicism, which if course became a powerful and oppressive influence on Irish culture for the rest of forever. One more thing the Irish don’t like to admit about St. Patrick: He might have been Italian. Compared to the fare in the rest of Europe, Irish cuisine is a sad joke. Bereft of signature spicing or technique, most Irish food is in-

tended to be cooked in a cauldron while everyone fights over the last of the whiskey. It’s based almost entirely on the potato, as evidenced by the fact that when they couldn’t grow potatoes anymore, everyone starved. Then they — we — came to America, including my great-grandmother Alice around 1900 and a bunch of other Clareys, many of whom, according to the surviving records, were avoiding debtor’s prison, another time-honored Irish tradition. Did you know that every Saturday night outside Cork Ireland, teenagers piss out their beer on the fabled Blarney Stone, the same one that tourists spend all day kissing? Admittedly, I have never checked this story out, but it’s very Irish nonetheless. We Irish are scoundrels, known chiefly for drunkenness, belligerence, fisticuffery, a deeply ingrained disrespect for authority and crying at the bar while stoically ignoring emotional complexities at home. We’re quite proud of all of this, which is also very Irish. Still, there must far better ways to express Irish pride than donning the green shirt you wear once a year, getting smashed in public and boiling something until it’s gray. But if there is, I just don’t care anymore. Which is very, very Irish.

Stan Sussina

CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS

Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com

COVER:

James Douglas james@triad-city-beat.com

The primary Greensboro mayoral race will take place on May 17. This year, there are four candidates running for mayor.

CONTRIBUTORS

Design by Charlie Marion.

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, Suzy Fielders, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

WE BELIEVE REPORTING CAN SAVE THE WORLD. triad-city-beat.com

THURSDAY March 17 A Night at the Living Museum: A Tour of Black History @ Paul Robeson Theatre (GSO) 7:30 p.m. The Theatre Program at NC A&T State University invites you to witness Black history legends in entertainment, politics and more come to life during this production in which historical figures such as Josephine Baker and Langston Hughes will share their stories. For tickets call 336.334.7749 or visit ncataggies.com.

Smooth jazz with Light Ice Band @ Historic Magnolia House (GSO) 7 p.m. Enjoy the soulful sounds of Light Ice Band during the Juke Joint jazz concert hosted by the Historic Magnolia House. Tickets can be reserved at thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org or purchased at the door. Elvis: The Musical @ Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance (W-S) 8 p.m.

St. Patty’s Day Celebration @ Rixster Grill (HP) 7:30 p.m.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Rixster Grill with Guinness, Harp and Jameson specials, an Irish menu and live music by Vinyl Tap.

FRIDAY March 18 Modern Automotive Spring Arts Extravaganza Artists’ Reception @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (W-S) 4 p.m. Students from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will display paintings, drawings and sculptures during the Modern Automotive Spring Arts Extravaganza. Elementary, middle and high school divisions will battle it out for prizes, with three winners receiving a $250 Sawtooth scholarship sponsored by Modern Automotive. Contact Katie Hall at khall@ intothearts.org for more information.

Shake, rattle and roll down to the Theatre Alliance for this production of Elvis: The Musical, a bio-musical featuring peak moments in the rock star’s life. Don’t be cruel, purchase tickets at theatrealliance. ws/box_office.

St. Patrick’s Party @ Wise Man Brewing (GSO) 12 p.m. Wise Man Brewing is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party where Love & Valor will provide live music and the Old Brigade Irish Car Bomb Stout will be on tap. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

UP FRONT | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

CITY LIFE MARCH 17-20

by Michaela Ratliff

SUNDAY March 20 Camel City Craft Fair @ Foothills Brewing (W-S) 12 p.m. Learn axe-throwing safety tips and techniques before challenging World Axe Throwing League pro Josh Taylor to an axe throwing contest. Find more information on the Facebook event page. Tie Dye Patio Party @ Boxcar (GSO) 2 p.m.

SATURDAY March 19 Spring Equinox Fest @ Oden Brewing Company (GSO) 12 p.m.

Welcome spring at Oden Brewing Company with food trucks, local vendors and live music by Viva la Muerte and Royal Jelly Music. Send your events to calendar@triad-city-beat.com for consideration in City Life and the Weekender.

Sweetwater Brewing Company invites you to kick off the start of spring with a tie-dye T-shirt party. Sweetwater drafts will be available for $1 off. Grab a free white T-shirt while supplies last or bring your own items and create the most intricate designs! Visit the event page on Facebook for more information. Community Women’s Celebration @ High Point Rockers Stadium (HP) 3 p.m. Celebrate Women’s History Month with YWCA High Point, Visit High Point and Latino Family Center of Greater High Point during this free event featuring women-owned businesses, music, line dancing and more. Find more information on the event page on Facebook.

NEWS | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

NEWS

Who is running for Greensboro mayor? Two established politicians, a former judge and a creative outsider face off in May primary by Sayaka Matsuoka

FILE PHOTO

Incumbent Mayor Nancy Vaughan and Justin Outling have worked together since Outling joined city council as a representative for District 3 in 2015. Now the two politicians are facing off against each other and two other candidates for the highest elected office in the city.

wo attorneys, the mayor and a local designer will be facing off in the primary for Greensboro mayor come May. And while the intro may sound like the beginning of a bad joke, the hotly contested race is one of the most important for Greensboro residents this year. The candidates include incumbent Mayor Nancy Vaughan, who has held the seat since 2013, when she won against incumbent Robbie Perkins with 53 percent of the vote. Vaughan was re-elected in 2015 and 2017 and has served on Greensboro City Council off-and-on since 1997, when she was first elected to represent District 4. During her time as mayor, there has been a considerable amount of economic development in the city including the construction of the Tanger Center, LeBauer Park and partnerships with new businesses such as Honda Jet, Boom Supersonic and Toyota. Another familiar face in the running is current councilmember Justin Outling of District 3. Outling has represented the district — which starts in the center of the city along Friendly Avenue and stretches north towards Lake Jeanette, Country Park and to Lake Brandt — since he was elected to the seat in 2015. Outling currently works as an attorney and partner at Brooks Pierce, a business law firm with offices in Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington. Another attorney running for Greensboro mayor is Mark Cummings, who runs his own practice out of downtown Greensboro. Cummings formerly served

as a Guilford County District Court Judge until December 2019 when he resigned after a yearlong state investigation into misconduct. According to reporting by the News & Observer, Cummings was investigated for having a clerk falsify a court document; accusing a state trooper of being racist, which forced prosecutors to dismiss a charge in the case; and changing the bond amount set by a Superior Court judge. The article noted that Cummings resigned under an agreement that he would never run for North Carolina judicial office again. When asked about the investigation, Cummings appeared to place blame for the falsified document on his court clerk. “I never told the courtroom clerk what she should write in the note, nor did I see what she wrote,” Cummings stated in his response. “The court doesn’t know the language that the clerk uses, nor does the clerk inform the court of the language. In fact, the court never knew that the clerk certified anything.” With regards to his resignation, Cummings responded that “when the thenchief justice improperly and without legal authority, suspended me from presiding over cases, and it was evident that the legal process that followed could take years to litigate and therefore prevent me from serving in any capacity to the great people of the city, I chose to resign and return to private practice where I could engage in the same righteous struggle….” The last candidate running for mayor is Eric Robert, a local real-estate devel-

NEWS |MAR 17 - 23, 2022

NEWS

O FILE PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

Eric Robert, left, a political newcomer, has used the fact that he has never held political office as the base for his platform. Mark Cummings previously served as a Guilford County district court judge until he resigned in 2019 after allegations of misconduct.

The ACLU of North Carolina took issue with Vaughan’s curfew, stating that it oper and designer at QUB Studios. Robert is seen by many as the outside candiviolated the First Amendment and “invites arbitrary and discriminatory enforcedate in this race as he has never held public office. He has also been vocal in calling ment against communities of color.” Other North Carolina cities as diverse as out local leaders on social media, including Outling and Vaughan, who he says High Point and Raleigh also instituted curfews in the midst of the 2020 protests. “have promoted self-serving extreme cronyism and an elitist environment.” Robert Vaughan also pointed to the increase in investments that also notably sued the city of Greensboro in 2015, according the city has seen in the last year including the contracts with to reporting by the News & Record, over federal redevelopI have built Boom Supersonic and the Toyota megasite as some of her ment money to which he felt he had a claim. As a developer successes. of the South Elm area including the former Daily Bread relationships based on “As part of the Boom and Toyota recruiting team, we Flour building at 816 S. Elm St., Robert claimed that the city trust and cooperation. were committed to making sure that our residents would be owed him part of the $6.6 million in federal funding the city I know how to build a gainfully employed,” she said. received because they used the mill to apply for the funding. Being able to handle large projects like that and make the Robert eventually dropped the lawsuit. case for issues that are hard decisions takes an experienced leaders, Vaughan argued. important to our city “In order to get anything accomplished you must be Why are you running for mayor and what and our residents. I able to work with city council members, staff and stakeholdmakes you the strongest candidate? ers,” she said. “I have built relationships based on trust and know how to get things n her response, Nancy Vaughan noted her cooperation. I know how to build a case for issues that are done. important to our city and our residents. I know how to get accomplishments as mayor for the last decade. Nancy Vaughan things done.” She noted her leadership during the tornado A significant portion of Justin Outling’s responses tarin 2018, navigating the pandemic as well as geted Vaughan’s “kind of mayoral leadership.” reacting to the protests of 2020. And although she said that Outling, who has far outraised any other candidate with $144,992 cash on her decision to institute a curfew after protests broke out in downtown Greensboro hand at the end of the 2021, argued that he has the “broadest coalition” of supin 2020 was difficult, she said she stands by her decision. port within his campaign. And while it’s likely that Outling could have run easily “That annoyed people on both sides of the aisle,” she said. “But we never had a won re-election to seat in District 3 this election cycle, he said that he was running repeat of violence unlike other cities. I am proud of the way our city reacted after for mayor because he can offer “leadership that [he hasn’t] seen during [his] time that curfew.”

NEWS | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

NEWS made repeated remarks during the public comment period at city council meetings on council.” He specifically noted how the mayor is able to set the agenda for city about the Marcus Smith case, Vaughan instituted new speaking rules that some council meetings and thus able to direct the focus of what council members will said violated their constitutional right to free speech. deliberate on. And he wants to be that guy. The new rules prohibited “comments primarily focused upon the performance “It’s a lack of mayoral leadership and a lack of priorities,” Outling said. of particular city employees that [the mayor] deems to be an attack as well as comCandidate Mark Cummings pointed to both Outling and Vaughan’s tenures mentary on matters that are in litigation.” on city council and lamented that they had “failed to solve any of the problems At the time, Outling questioned Vaughan’s new rule. that confronted Greensboro when they first got the opportunity to serve.” “I know you can limit speech that incites violence or insult,” he said. “My conHe mentioned the economic disparity between the northern and northwestern cern is that these rules go beyond that.” parts of the city compared to the south and southeast and the increase in violent In the aftermath of 2020 with renewed calls for police reform, Vaughan said crimes. He also noted an exodus of “intellectual capital because recent graduates she would continue to support the co-response model of don’t see a place for themselves in the city.” policing that was implemented in the city in 2019 and Eric Robert pushed for transparency and even look into an alternative response model that doesn’t creative thinking if he were to be elected mayor. He I believe city hall culture use armed officers if re-elected. argued that the current city council members, includ“I believe that we should always do continuous iming the mayor, make decisions outside of the public must change and most provements,” she said. realm and the only people who know what is going city departments must be on within city politics are the well-connected few. Her answer to the Cure Violence initiative was more “Unlike the other candidates, I believe city hall measured, stating that she supported the endeavor but retrained to be reminded that “the difficult thing with Cure Violence is that it’s culture must change and most city departments must that their sole purpose is hard to say something didn’t happen. If they’ve stopped be retrained to be reminded that their sole purpose something there’s no way to quantify.” is to serve and facilitate our common evolution,” he to serve and facilitate our “When you look at other cities across that have a wrote. “I am not a lawyer, or a current politician. I common evolution. violence interrupter program, it really takes a few years to am a designer, a creative with an economics degree Eric Robert hit its stride because it changes the mindset of a commuand an MBA. We all know our city could use a little nity,” she continued. more creativity in all aspects. Not corporate creativity Outling made repeated claims that city council has but pure creativity paired with the willingness to look not properly addressed the issue of public safety during his time on council. at paramount problems with a fresh perspective and new players.” “In 2020, we had a record number of homicides,” Outling said. “We had a grand total of two work sessions on violent crime…. If you’re not going to work to On public safety and policing solve these issues, you’re not going to make progress.” ne of the biggest issues that the candidates noted as part of their platVaughan pushed back against this assertion by stating, “There were at least forms was the issue of public safety and policing. According to data seven where we worked on public safety in some shape or form.” collected by the city and the State Bureau of Investigation, GreensHowever, Outling said that if he were elected mayor, he would push to have boro’s violent crime rate has been increasing for the past couple of monthly work sessions focused on public safety. years. In 2019, Greensboro logged 2,453 violent crimes according to SBI data Over the course of his campaign, Outling has repeated called Greensboro “the compared to 2,714 in 2020 — a 10.6 percent increase. As of last week, Greensboro eighth most dangerous city in the country,” citing data from a US News & World police logged 1,313 crimes against persons — including homicide, rape, assaults Report article. The piece ranks Greensboro as the eighth “most dangerous place and kidnapping — which signified a 7 percent increase compared to the same peto live” based on metropolitan areas, which includes Greensboro and High Point. riod in 2021. Compared to the last five years, there has been a 17 percent increase However, FBI statistics that rank cities across the country based on violent crime for the same category. found that in 2020, Greensboro ranked 44 among a list of 65 major US cities. To To combat these increasing numbers, Vaughan noted that she wants to make that, Vaughan said that Outling’s data point is “damaging to the community.” sure that the police and fire departments are well-funded and employees are happy. “We have problems, but I think it’s a shame when a candidate goes out of their That’s why she pushed for take-home cars for officers because “that’s considered a way to alarm the population with false information,” she said. big benefit.” Outling did not comment on the clarification between Greensboro as a city Additionally, Vaughan said that she worked with the police department to versus the Greensboro metropolitan area. Instead, he said, “when confronted with change some of the policy directives after the murder of Marcus Deon Smith in the daily reality of Greensboro’s surge of violent crime, the mayor consistently tries 2018. Those included the discontinuation of the use of hogtying as well as the to change the subject by arguing about data sources and points in time.” use of verbal informed-consent searches. However, during conversations about Outling did mention he would schedule work sessions to talk about the co-rewhether to change the policy to include written consent, Vaughan voted against sponse model, Cure Violence and diverting armed officers from certain situations the measure, noting that it was a step backward in the era of body-worn cameras. like those that involve traffic crimes. At the time, Outling supported the written-consent measure, but in the end, the “Those should be addressed by other public safety professionals,” Outling said. proposal failed. More broadly, he mentioned focusing on how to help lower-income neighborNeither Vaughan nor Outling have made the issue of Marcus Smith a signifhoods who are impacted most by violence. icant part of their campaign for mayor. When former council member Michelle “We have to focus on the root causes of crime,” he said. “When you have a Kennedy pushed for an independent investigation into the death of Marcus Smith, portion of the city in poverty, particularly the Black community, you’re not going Outling said he didn’t support the investigation because the facts surrounding the to see violent crime surge the next day, but you will see it a while from them. The incident were already “out there.” He also stated that at the time of Smith’s death, council needs to recognize that much of the violent crime occurs during the sumhe didn’t think the officers violated any policies. In October 2019, after activists

Instead, he responded by stating that it “is not at all unusual for attorneys to mer months… and it disproportionately involves young persons in certain parts of serve as mayors of major North Carolina cities.” He pointed to mayors in Raleigh the city.” and Charlotte who worked in law firms during their tenure. To combat this, Outling suggested a youth jobs program where teens are guar“It is worth noting I have served seven years on council without notable issues anteed a job during the summer months to “get them off the streets.” in this regard,” Outling stated. “And members of council other than myself also This is similar to a city program that started in 2021 called the “500 Jobs for routinely excuse themselves from votes.” Outling also noted that Vaughan has Teens” which pairs 14- to 21-year-olds with summer jobs. Vaughan also pointed to not recused herself from any votes related to her ex-husband, Don Vaughan’s law the program as a way to reduce violence in the city. practice. Outling mentioned how some of the violent crime that took place in 2020 Eric Robert, who is a real-estate developer himself, pointed out that many could be attributed to a rise in domestic violence. That has made him rethink other developers, lawyers and prominent Greensboro citizens “represent the largest whether or not some people should be released on bond. campaign contributors” to the mayoral campaigns. In fact, according to Out“Is it that persons who are on parole or out on bonds shouldn’t be out on ling’s campaign finance records for 2021, Greensboro developer Marty Kotis has bonds?” Outling asked. “And what can we do to help to ensure people who are out contributed $2,000 to his campaign. Frank Auman of Signature Property Group on bonds should not be out on bonds and should appropriately stay in jail until and Timothy Burnett of the Bessemer Improvement Company have also donated they get their hearing date? But that work and analysis by the city council is not a total of $2,500 to Outling’s campaign. Several Brooks Pierce athappening now.” torneys have donated as well. When asked how closely city council Cummings, too, mentioned the rise in crime as and the mayor should work with real estate developers, Outling one of his biggest concerns, stating he supports police redirected his response to Vaughan’s recent action to hold a work reform, not a defunding of the police. session to address developer Andy Zimmerman’s concerns about “The largest issues facing Greensboro are the rise parking space given the new Lidl contract. in crime and the increases in economic inequality,” “The problem is not developers, it is the mayor’s priorities,” Cummings said. “In many ways, these two issues Outling said. overlap each other, for where you find lack of economic Vaughan said that the city depends on “private investments to opportunity, you will undoubtedly find crime.” grow the tax base which in turn provides funding for city services As mayor, Cummings said he would enact a threeand programs.” part plan that would strengthen the bond between law Justin Outling As of Feb. 8, Vaughan reported $29,290.48 ending cash on enforcement and the community, increase the pay of hand. Dawn Chaney, the owner and CEO of DS Chaney Properofficers and increase the level of oversight and accountties has contributed $1,000 to Vaughan’s campaign as has Gordon ability to ensure that “the goal of our police is truly to Craig, the chief financial officer for the Koury Corporation. Craig donated $2,500. protect and serve everybody.” Marc Isaacson, an attorney with Isaacson Sheridan — which represented the Robert also supported the notion of police reform and not a defunding of recent sale of the Hiatt Street Properties in Greensboro — also donated $500 to police because the latter “is simply not a viable and realistic option.” Vaughan’s campaign. She said that the difference in her and Outling’s funding was He argued that the current compensation programs for city police are “laughbecause she has been “doing the job of mayor.” “It’s hard to run for mayor when able,” stating, “we get what we pay for.” you are mayor,” she said. Of the comparisons to Outling, she responded, “I have a In terms of reform, Robert pivoted to the bigger picture, reiterating his cause good record to run on. I’m not running against him; I am running on my record. to reform the “entire current municipal government which is currently enabling, Especially these last four years, and the way we have turned the corner, that is a ignoring and doubling-down on inhuman treatment.” record that many in this country cannot hold up.” He said that he supports body-camera footage being made available to the Detailed campaign finance information for Robert and Cummings was not on public immediately as well as a civilian oversight board. file with the State Board of Elections or the Guilford County Board of Elections. Currently, all law enforcement body-camera footage can only be released for Robert argued that the issue with many developers in the city is that they “too viewing via a court order initiated by family members of victims or members often have no taste, just money and political influence.” of the public. There is also a civilian oversight board in Greensboro called the “Such access and influence are alarming as some elected leaders forget that Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission, also known as GCJAC, but the their constituency actually includes more than just the three or four rich guys,” commission cannot investigate claims against police officers on their own. GCJAC Robert said. can only review complaints filed against GPD officers after they have been investigated by the police department’s professional standards division.

NEWS |MAR 17 - 23, 2022

NEWS

If you’re not going to work to solve these issues, you’re not going to make progress.

What about conflicts of interest?

ne of the arguments that Vaughan brought up against Outling was the fact that her opponent has had to recuse himself on a number of votes as part of city council during his tenure. As an attorney for Brooks Pierce, Outling has recused himself on votes that involve Brooks Pierce’s clients such as Toyota during the megaplant deal and local developers like Andy Zimmerman. “There’s a big difference,” Vaughan said. “I have been on the recruiting team for these projects; he has been working for the law firm.” Outling did not confirm whether or not he plans to continue working for Brooks Pierce in any capacity if he is elected mayor.

On the role of area colleges and universities

s the home to seven institutions of higher education, Greensboro plays a significant role in educating future employees. Vaughan pointed to Campus Greensboro, which is a “high-touch jobs, mentorship and soft skills summer program” implemented by Action Greensboro that works to prepare college and university students for a professional environment as an example of an initiative that can help students thrive in Greensboro. She also noted the recent announcement $500 “Access Amazing Scholarship” by GTCC which would help cover costs for eligible students so that they didn’t pay more than $500 to attend school. Outling, who attended Duke University Law School and UNCG, said that he wants to see an innovation corridor that stretches from NC A&T State University

NEWS | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

NEWS to the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship. (Editor’s Note: Triad City Beat rents an office in the Nussbaum Center.) “I want to ensure we are prioritizing that area in East Greensboro with the necessary infrastructure in improvement so it can attract talent and employers,” Outling said. Cummings said that he is concerned about the mass exodus of “intellectual capital after every graduation season in this city.” To combat that, he envisions a “Learn Here, Earn Here” initiative that would work to create incentives for companies that hire recent graduates from local colleges and universities. He also mentioned developing a grant program for start-ups whose founders obtained their education from a local institution. Robert echoed Cummings’ sentiments about the lack of engagement with local students. “In a city with such a large number of students, we exclude them from the conversations destined to shape policies that will directly affect them, should they decide to stay in the area,” he said.

Greensboro does not currently have an identity. Mark Cummings

What is Greensboro’s identity?

oth Outling and Vaughan pointed to the city’s diversity as its key characteristic. While Vaughan pointed to the city’s immigrant and refugee population as well as its civil rights history, Outling called Greensboro “the most progressive-minded city in North Carolina.” “We don’t need to forge a new identity,” Outling said. “We need to return to our historical strengths.” However, both Cummings and Robert argued against this point. Both mentioned that they don’t feel that Greensboro has a strong enough identity. “That is one of the problems with Greensboro and evidence of the lack of leadership shown for years by the current and past city councils,” Cummings said. “Greensboro does not currently have an identity. Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and now even Winston-Salem have a very marketable and accepting identity. My administration would work tirelessly to create one for the city.” Robert suggested that a clear mission has to be implemented for Greensboro to find its true identity. “Our identity as a municipality needs to address evolution, social equity and awareness as part of our economic growth while promoting innovation, compassion and creativity in all initiatives,” he said. “It is imperative to evolve and refresh Greensboro’s soul. The current elected leaders simply do not have the capacity to understand the true power of a genuine, well thought out branding exercise.”

The primary election takes place on May 17. The Greensboro city council general election will take place on July 26. To read Triad City Beat’s other election coverage, visit triad-city-beat.com/category/elections. Send news tips to sayaka@triad-city-beat.com.

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EDITORIAL Some rules for the election

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

ampaign season primary on May 10, the Greensis upon us, which boro municipal election on July 26 means it’s an exnor the general election on Nov. citing time at Triad 8. We can’t even write about the City Beat. Election coverage is in Greensboro mayor’s race, which our DNA, so our news department is a hot one; the Guilford and will be covering as many candiForsyth school board races, which date forums, stump speeches, have more candidates each than barnstorms and press gaggles as a proper dog race; the US Senate they can get to. We’ll have an elecrace, which has huge implications tion story just about every week for the entire nation. No endorseuntil our Primary Guide drops on ments. No analysis. Nothing. April 28, with information about We will do our best to comply. every candidate in every primary in In this way, our election coverGuilford and Forsyth counties, just age will be entirely without spin, in time for early voting. inclusive of every active candidate Here in the opinand race, designed Our department is not to influence our ion department, just one guy. And readers but to give which operates independently of the it’s the same guy them enough infornews department, who sells the ads, mation to vote for our plan is not so the people who will which creates a clear. best represent their huge conflict. Though we often views. lapse into what is We can still write known as the “editorial we” in our about politics, but the road has weekly missives, our department been considerably narrowed for these days is really just one guy. the duration of campaign season. And it’s the same guy who sells We could, for example, write about the political ads, which creates a how unaffiliated voters in the huge potential for conflict. We’d North Carolina electorate will soon complain to our boss about it, but overtake registered Democrats to he’s also the same guy. be the state’s largest voting bloc. And he’s a real stickler for jourWe can write about redistrictnalistic ethics. ing and how it might shape our So we in the opinion department legislature. Everything else goes have been instructed — by ourself, through the news department — you understand — not to write anythey’ve got a better temperament thing about any race in the 2022 for this sort of work, anyway.

OPINION | MAR 17-23, 2022

OPINION

John Cole Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

QUOTE OF THE WEEK It’s our job to preserve the art, but also to see why we care about them in the first place. Jordan Robinson | pg. 13

by Autumn Karen

he whir of sewing machines cushions melodic laughter and mumbled, feminine tones in a series of interconnected rooms at the back of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem every Wednesday morning. White, wood cubbies reaching towards the ceiling above a long counter face the two dozen busy fingers. Each cube stores the brightly colored bits of an in-progress textile project. A neatly printed black-and-white label across the bottom of every square bears a name originating from somewhere far away: Burma, Honduras, Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela, France, China, Colombia, Afghanistan. The women in these light-filled rooms are all non-native English speakers, here to grow their entrepreneurial capabilities through the YMCA’s Refugee & Immigrant Society of Entrepreneurs (RISE) program. The program grew largely out of the needs of Burmese immigrants who wanted to learn new textile skills. Prior to the pandemic, the group sold many of its wares at craft fairs in the area. Participants worked with staff and volunteers to practice their English with customers, besides learning ELLEN GALLIMORE inventory and sales skills. As the world knits itself back together with in-person events, the program hopes to have these Nan Judy Winlin, Kumo Yuri and Jessica Htoo modeling bags they made in RISE class. entrepreneurs behind the booth again, rather than selling only online or through custom orders. the past, participants created intricate Christmas ornaments, embroidered Arts organizations were also forced to pivot during the pandemic, openbooks, patterned market bags and more. Though the items stitched togething opportunities to think about community in a different way. During er are often whimsical, the entrepreneurial education gives these women a those discussions, staff at Piedmont Opera brought the idea of community substantive way to develop transferable skills. partnerships to the opera board. That led to a themed collaboration alongBeside an ironing board in the workroom are two tables spread with a side Cinderella last year — working with the Salvation Army to collect shoes variety of brand-new sewing supplies that have just arrived from Amazon: for individuals in need. With its new production of Ragtime opening this rulers, rotary cutters, packages of clips, notions, and two large empty weekend, Piedmont Opera sought out an organization which highlighted boxes. In the room next door, the immigrant entrepreneurs of RISE whizz immigrant and refugee populations. across fabric on a pair of newly donated sewing machines. Piedmont Opera board member Jill Stricklin worked closely with Litera“After I came to the RISE program, I can now sew and crochet,” Kudu cy Program Director Ellen Gallimore to find a way to meaningfully support Julietaw says. “Now I have a part-time job, but if I still have time, I’ll come to RISE. “Most of our fabric and supplies are donated,” Gallimore says. class.” To facilitate appropriate donations, Gallimore and her team created an Participants attend RISE according to their schedules, but free on-site Amazon wishlist to promote through Ragtime. childcare allows parents to join when they have small children in tow. The show centers on the intertwining lives of three diverse communities, Seated in a sunny spot among the piles of material, Julietaw’s fingers represented by three New York City stories — a wealthy white couple from expertly stitch wide button eyes onto the face of a carrot sewn out of bold New Rochelle, a Black woman and the Harlem musician she loves, and an calico fabric. immigrant Jewish father and his young daughter in the Lower East Side. RISE is designed to teach skills, but also to give earnings directly back to The Tony award-winning musical, based on the acclaimed novel by EL members. For most projects, materials are donated, putting sales proceeds Doctorow, presents a powerful narrative of immigration and intersection, of into the hands of women like Julietaw. In the five years since its inception, extreme social and economic disparity. many participants have gone on to gain full-time employment; some have The Triad itself is home to a rich and diverse immigrant community. bought their own homes. According to the 2020 Census, more than 8 percent of the population of The program currently has 15 members, but its space at Wesley Memorial Forsyth County was born outside of the United States. It’s more than 10 can accommodate more people, and that’s a definite goal for Gallimore as percent in Guilford County. she continues to promote the program. “I cannot thank the opera enough,” Women like Kudu Julietaw, who came from Burma years ago and has Gallimore says. “It makes such a difference for us.” been attending Wednesday meetings since early in the program, generally make their way into RISE through its parent literacy program at the YMCA. Learn more about RISE at ymcanwnc.org/community/literacy/rise. Right now, the group enthusiastically works to fill a custom order of EasRagtime opens at Piedmont Opera on March 18 at the Stevens Center in ter crafts: fluffy, sewn baskets and stuffed carrots with smirking faces. In Winston Salem.

CULTURE | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

CULTURE

YMCA’s RISE partners with Piedmont Opera to empower immigrant entrepreneurs

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Greensboro artist Jordan T. Robinson has been producing the current Greensboro Residency for Original Works in the downtown GROW space in the Cultural Arts Center since Feb. 28. As part of his residency, Robinson is creating a work titled Memoria, which focuses on themes of preservation, letting go and identity through art. The residency continues through April 10 with a reception on April 1 from 7-9 p.m. for First Friday. Community members can also engage with Robinson’s project every Monday from 4-8 p.m. in the GROW space. Follow Robinson’s work at jtrpresents.art or on Facebook at JTR Presents.

Q A

Tell me about your background in the arts.

I’ve always made art since I was 3 years old. I got serious about it in high school, and when I came to A&T in August 2010, I wanted to be an architect, but then got rerouted to becoming a curator. I was feeling insecure about my art skills compared to my colleagues and realized that a lot of our education was focused on the art making but not on the planning. After college, I ended up going to SCAD, and I learned about business principles in the arts.

STAN SUSSINA

Artist Jordan T. Robinson poses with one of the temples he has created using artifacts collected throughout his life.

encouraging people to bring relics of their own to be documented. For me those are the questions I’m exploring: What deems a person worth remembering? It is my hope that people engage with their own sacred objects and for anybody who comes, that they think about what story they want preserved and what relic they want to let go.

Q A

Tell me about some of your past projects.

I started my company, JTR Presents, in June 2016. That’s how I’ve been building these experiences. A lot of my work both as an artist and as a curator has been focusing on the intersection of identity and culture. Transparency is a project that is focused on transgender, non-gender-conforming artists just because of the cultural and political atmosphere. What triggered it was a conversation with an artist who told me that in their social circles in North Carolina, that transgender topics weren’t talked about. And then I was seeing red flags like Ben Shapiro saying that being transgender is a mental-health disorder. The final straw was when the 45th president passed the executive order banning transgender citizens from military service. For me, that was unacceptable. That’s why I prioritized Transparency, and I’m pushing to finish that project in 2023.

How does your identity intersect with your work?

Right now, I’m working on three statues, or temples, for Memoria and one of them is the “Temple of Reconciliation.” For that, I’m doing research on Saponi and Igbo and Celtic tribes. Those are the three ethnicities that I can find through my family tree. I’m mostly Nigerian and that’s the Ibo tribe. I was told that my great-great-grandmother was Saponi and I also found that I have an Irish/Scottish side of my family. For most of my life, I’ve mostly identified as Black, but I’ve felt connections with my indigenous sides. For the Scots-Irish, not so much, but eventually I want to learn more about that too. So for the “Temple of Reconciliation,” I want to make patterns from those three identities.

Q A

Tell me more about Memoria.

It’s a form of self-care for me. It is about revisiting these objects I collected over the years watching my grandma fight dementia, and exploring what does it mean for an object or a person to be remembered? What is it that determines that? And I don’t want this to be all about me, so I opened up space for the community. On First Friday, April 1, I’m

CULTURE | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

CULTURE

Q&A with Jordan T. Robinson on memory, identity and artmaking

What are some of the objects that are part of Memoria and their significance for you?

For the statues, I’m using some past certificates from school, letters and such. I’m also taking old clothes and attaching birthday cards, and we’re making them extensions of the clothes. They’re things I would look at when I was down or questioning myself. I also have an ocarina that my dad gave me on a trip. He would give me different Native American objects, and because I’m part Saponi, I’m still researching those objects.I’m looking at all of these objects and where the narrative is and building something out of that. I also use those terms, “shrine” and “temples,” because I’m building three that are human-shaped that are based on scripture. It’s about when Christ talks about tearing down a temple, and says how in three days he’ll build it back. He was referring to his own body. So the three I’m building are healing, reconciliation and memory.

How can people do this kind of intentional, self-reflective artmaking?

I would say start with the objects that you wear all the time or feel very strongly about and ask yourself: Why do you feel so strongly about it? Why have you held on to it for so long? And that can help you figure out what kind of art to make. Look at all of the things that are sentimental to you and see if there are patterns that are clues as to why. I think we hold on to them because there are so much of ourselves that we don’t want to lose that we embed in these objects and it’s important to see that and how to express that. And record your whole process and at the very least, record your whole story. From the curatorial side, that’s one of the things that excites me. It’s our job to preserve the art, but also to see why we care about them in the first place. That informs and grounds me in my practice as a curator and in the work that I’m doing, whatever I’m doing.

C I T Y O F W I N S TO N - S A L E M If you read

About the independent children’s bookstore in Greensboro About Bonds for the Win and how they are infiltrating schools Who the Republican Guilford School board candidates are About UNCSA’s secret film archive About Greensboro’s Blackowned soap company How families celebrate Lunar New Year Triad City Beat — If you know, you know

FRIDAY

MARCH 25

chris@triad-city-beat.com

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SHOT IN THE TRIAD | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

SHOT IN THE TRIAD New Garden Road, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

The headstones of William and Priscilla Coffin at the New Garden Friends Cemetery. In 1781, Coffin turned his house in the New Garden community, a Quaker settlement, into a hospital for Americans wounded during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and in skirmishes earlier along New Garden Road. In 2002, the Nathanael Greene Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution placed a bronze marker on his grave which declared Coffin, a Quaker and pacifist, an American patriot for his help in America’s fight for independence from England.

PUZZLES | MAR 17 - 23, 2022

CROSSWORD

“It’s In a Name”--for all across theme answers. by Matt Jones

Across 1. Venus’s sister 7. Have a copy of 10. Adult ed. course, often 13. 1950 Isaac Asimov novel 14. Hanoi bowlful 15. Pad kee mao cuisine 17. Melon liqueur 18. Heavily promote the top of the house? 20. Inhabitants of a necklace fastener? 22. Had food 23. Soothing plants 24. “___ Beso” 25. 1055, to ... someone who knows Roman numerals 27. Campus in Troy, NY 28. Top-left square 29. Smoke detector chirp, after getting fixed? 35. Verizon’s onetime in-flight calling system 36. Trademarked Intel chip 40. Transportation for when you have to jump to avoid burning your burger? 42. ___ Moines, Iowa 44. 1991 Naughty by Nature hit 45. 2.0 GPA 46. It’s often served with rice 47. ___ New Guinea 50. Pose questions 52. Users who post about a group of Boy Scouts, then upvote it? 56. Delicacy in the cookbook “Fried Food for Felines”? 57. Pablo Picasso’s designer daughter 59. Musical Myra 60. “Fight of the Century” contender 61. “Baba ___” (The Who classic) 62. Prefix with -phyte or -lithic 63. “___-haw!” 64. Edges (along)

Down

1. Kind of card in a smartphone 2. Actor Bana 3. Tennis’s Australian “Rocket” 4. German torpedo craft of WWII 5. Ancient Scandinavians 6. “Let me give you ___” 7. Daughter of Polonius in “Hamlet” 8. “___ serious?” (“The Dark Knight” quote) 9. Three Little Kittens’ punishment (I mean, that sounds pretty dire if you really wanted it!) 10. Raison d’___ 11. “___ Jump” (manga magazine since 1968) 12. “Tao Te Ching” philosopher 16. “Based on that ...” 19. Rolling Stone staffers, for short 21. Wu Tang member, e.g.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

25. CEO’s degree, possibly 26. Fragrant garland 27. “General Hospital” Emmy winner Sofer 28. It forms part of the Poland-Germany border 30. Cpl.’s inferiors 31. “Ruh-___!” 32. Gel pack kin 33. Take a sickle to 34. ‘70s prog rock supergroup, for short 37. Prank that’s never gonna give you up? 38. Honorary poem 39. “Born,” in some notices 41. It stands out against a standard dress shirt 42. English illusionist/mentalist Brown 43. Plaza Hotel girl of fiction 46. Do art on glass 47. Barely audible, in music notation 48. Assortment 49. “Positive thinking” advocate Norman Vincent ___ 50. Pong maker 51. Tried-and-true 53. ___ buco (Italian dish) 54. NASDAQ debuts 55. “Hook” sidekick 58. Cries heard in Tejano music

SUDOKU