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January 15, 2020

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January 15, 2020

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Raleigh

A S t r o n g Al e for Dark Times

VOL. 37 NO. 3

CONTENTS NEWS 8 A billionaire hangs out in public housing

BY THOMASI MCDONALD

9 Would a bigger Raleigh City Council be better?

BY LEIGH TAUSS

FEATURES 11 Are apps responsible if they let abusers cover up crimes?

15 The FBI’s main Klan man in North Carolina

BY JEFFREY C. BILLMAN

BY JON ELLISTON

FOOD + DRINK 20 Franklin Street gets a good coffee shop

BY SARA PEQUEÑO

MUSIC 21 The music of Charles Ives contains American multitudes

BY DAN RUCCIA

28 An N.C. State exhibit probes art and biotechnology 29 Photographing the imbalance of crime and conviction

BY BRIAN HOWE

BY SARAH EDWARDS

4 Voices

18 1,000 Words

5 15 Minutes

20 Where to Eat and Drink This Week

6 Quickbait

23 Music Calendar

7 A Week in the Life

30 Culture Calendar

COVER Design by Rudi Petry

WE M A DE THIS PUBLIS H ER Susan Harper

Staff Writer Thomasi McDonald

EDITOR I AL

Digital Content Manager Sara Pequeño

Raleigh News Editor Leigh Tauss Deputy A+C Editor Sarah Edwards

Contributing Food Editor Nick Williams

Voices Columnists T. Greg Doucette, Chika Gujarathi, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Courtney Napier,

That was how I found myself at Bond Brothers last Wednesday morning, drinking beer and watching beer get made. Rowley had provided the recipe, brewmaster Whit Baker told me, or at least the skeleton of it. They had some lines to color in, and they were working with some malts they didn’t normally work with. The way the recipe was shaping up, Baker told me, the strong ale would probably come out malty and powerful, like a European-style barley wine.

Barry Saunders, Jonathan Weiler Contributors Jim Allen, Jameela F. Dallis, Michaela Dwyer, Lena Geller, Spencer Griffith, Howard Hardee, Laura Jaramillo, Kyesha Jennings, Glenn McDonald, Josephine McRobbie, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, Neil Morris, James Michael Nichols, Marta Nuñez Pouzols, Bryan C. Reed, Dan Ruccia, David Ford Smith, Eric Tullis, Michael VenutoloMantovani, Chris Vitiello, Ryan Vu, Patrick Wall

I’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out. Baker says it should be fermented and ready to go by mid-to-late February. No bottles—it’ll only be available at the brewery, and a portion of every purchase sold here will go to the INDY Press Club.

(The versions sold in Santa Fe and PDX will help contribute to those papers’ respective fundraising efforts.)

So if you’re a beer-drinking sort, make plans to head out to Cary and give The 4th Estate a try—or any of Bond Brothers’ brews, for that matter. They’re good people supporting (IMHO) a good cause, and they always make good stuff.

10 Soapboxer

Theater+Dance Critic Byron Woods

Obviously, we were in. The only question was what kind of beer to make. In an email thread, Rowley suggested a “mixed fermented heirloom grisette”—if I’m being honest, I have no idea what that is. And so I countered: “When I think of journalism, I think of something big, hard, and boozy—like a high-ABV barley wine that tastes like it’s been soaked in cheap whiskey, cheaper tobacco, and panic attacks. Maybe I’m jaded?”

The next day, Baker texted me a photo of, well, something sudsy that had poured out all over the brewery floor: “It’s super intense even for us,” he wrote. “Figured it was worth sharing. It’s going to be super yum.”

DEPARTMENTS

Arts + Culture Editor Brian Howe

Leading all of this, I was told, would be Rowley Farmhouse Ales in Santa Fe, one of the country’s most acclaimed breweries. John Rowley had already picked out the name: The 4th Estate. On our end, Bond Brothers Beer Company in Cary would take care of things. Out in Portland, land of a billion breweries, would be Oakshire Brewing.

Since we were planning to do this in winter, everyone settled on a strong dark ale—and the tagline, “A strong ale for dark times.”

ARTS + CULTURE

Editor in Chief Jeffrey C. Billman

I

n September, I was approached with an idea: What would I think about the INDY joining a collaboration between brewers in Santa Fe, Portland, and the Triangle, to benefit the half-sibling alt-weeklies in Santa Fe, Portland, and the Triangle? (Half-siblings: We are owned outright by Richard Meeker, who co-owns the Santa Fe Reporter and Willamette Week.)

Interns Sindhoor Ambati, Elena Durvas

C RE ATI V E Creative Director

Annie Maynard Graphic Designer

Rudi Petry Staff Photographer

—Jeffrey C. Billman (jbillman@indyweek.com)

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BACKTALK

Our January 1 issue imagined what the Triangle would look like in 2040, including a series of essays that assessed Durham’s future.

MACK CYR says the writers don’t understand how transportation works. “Development follows transportation,” Cyr writes. “I continue to read otherwise intelligent people talk about density as a precursor to fixed-guideway transit. In no other conversation about transportation and development do we argue that we need ‘density’ to support a road, airport, port, etc. The reality is that transportation determines our pattern of development. You build a freeway and an interchange, automobile-dependent development pops up at the interchange.

You build fixed-guideway transit, and density follows. Preferably you build it through areas where there is existing development that is already walkable or can become walkable, but you build the infrastructure, and development follows. If you are sitting around waiting for density, good luck waiting. It’s the wrong way to think about mass transit.”

Last week, Leigh Tauss raised the question of whether Raleigh’s buses should become fare-free.

“As someone who rode the Raleigh and Chapel Hill buses for four years,” KRISTEN HILL responds, “I didn’t mind paying my monthly pass of $40 or so in Raleigh. It saved me a lot of money rather than paying insurance, gas, and car repairs every year. What the Triangle needs to do is add more bus stops and make public transportation more accessible, especially in lower-income areas as we tend to take public transportation more.”

“You have to build a bus culture,” adds SANDY ROCHELLE. “People need to get over the stigma/ fear or stepping outside their comfort zone of riding a bus. We live in a car culture. Most people grew up only riding in a car unless it was a school bus. People want fast and convenient.

Fewer stops, more routes, safe, clean, more lights.

Give city and state employees incentives to ride.

Work with local big businesses to buy passes for their employees. You just need to get butts in seats, and free bus fare will not do that. It’s a change in mindset and lifestyle.”

voices

Resolve to Be Happy Spare a few minutes a day to do something you enjoy

BY CHIKA GUJARATHI @theAntibland

I

tried—truly—to write about something other than New Year’s resolutions because it’s so overdone. But I’m the type who gets excited for a plain old Monday because it’s the start of a new week. The beginning of a new year—a new decade—is just too good to resist. Apologies in advance to all those who don’t share my passion for resolutions. I’m married to one of you, after all, so no offense taken.

But I hope you’ll read along and let me indulge in some of my grand plans for 2020.

“My only requirement for a resolution: Will I enjoy it while it lasts?”

In my teens and 20s, I paid a lot of attention to goal-setting rituals. I wanted them to be realistic, measurable, and all the good stuff that experts say is necessary for success. Weeks would go by in perfect harmony until that first inevitable day when I couldn’t keep up with the promise I’d made. That, followed by a few more skipped days, and then the eventual giving up, because what’s the point now?

In a way, it was the sheer attainability of those goals that led to the demise of my good intentions.

Not only did I stop going for that daily morning run, but because of it, I also somehow started skipping my weekly yoga class, my monthly book club, and everything else that I had resolved to do that year. To me, failing at just one thing was enough of a blow to throw off the entire equilibrium.

Now in my 30s and quickly approaching my 40s, I have a new perspective on goal-setting. I have embraced the fact that I am an adult with shortfalls, one of which is not always being able to keep a promise. That life is so freaking busy with mundane yet necessary tasks that when given the choice, I don’t want to add to it.

My only requirement now for setting new resolutions is: Will I enjoy it while it lasts?

That being said, here is a sampling of some of my resolutions for the year 2020: • Illustrate one short-story book each week. (Last year, I had resolved to do something similar, which was to draw one new picture a day. I made it to 46 consecutive days and unintentionally created a portfolio that I used throughout the rest of the year for work purposes.)

• Practice French for 15 minutes a day. (Last year’s streak lasted 100 days.)

• Pick one new fancy recipe to try each week.

• Take one picture a day of a task or scenario that’s not considered social-media-worthy.

• Once a week, visit a place I have never been before.

With this list, I’m reaching for stars that no one doubts are reachable. My life depends on none of these.

And this is precisely what I’m hoping will make me stick with them for as long as possible.

Removing the burden and guilt from the equation, as it turns out, can make the process of setting new resolutions more enjoyable. Give it a try. Even if you can spare just 10, 15, or 30 minutes for yourself each day, resolving to fill that time with something that you enjoy will most definitely lead to other good decisions for the rest of the day, week, month, and year.

Here’s to hoping that silliness, creativity, and fun guide you into a happier and healthier life in 2020.

Happy New Year, and may the force be with you. 2 Voices is made possible by contributions to the INDY Press Club. Join today at KeepItINDY.com.

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January 15, 2020

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CHIKA GUJARATHI is a Raleigh-based writer and author of the Hello Namaste! children’s books. Her work can be found on her blog The Antibland Chronicles.

15 MINUTES Whit Baker, 36 Brewmaster and co-founder, Bond Brothers Beer Company; co-founder and head brewer, Ancillary* Fermentation; co-founder, Standard Beer and Food

BY JEFFREY C. BILLMAN jbillman@indyweek.com

You taught high school chemistry at Durham School of the Arts before moving into the beer world.

How did you make that transition?

I wasn’t really into beer in college until I was 26, 27. I basically geeked out on the nerd factor, the process of making beer.

And then the first year of homebrewing, I got my beer-judge certification. Now I drink more beer than I did before—when I didn’t like beer—but I’m still pretty much into drinking beer for the sake of flavor.

How did you go from being certified as a judge to homebrewing to founding Bond Brothers to Ancillary* to all of these other things you’re doing?

I just think about beer. I’m pretty much obsessed with beer.

If you go to a new city and you drink a beer you haven’t had before, where does your brain go— to the chemical processes behind what you’re drinking?

At this point, yes. But it’s one of those things where, if you think about it so much, you make different pathways. Now I think about it more like a chef.

You told me that light beers sell a lot better than dark beers.

Yeah, generally. People are kind of conditioned at this point. IPA is craft beer, right, until you get to be a little bit more of a nerd or you start going to a taproom and asking what everyone else wants to drink or what is their favorite. Everybody wants a hazy IPA, clear IPA, or lager. I don’t know specifically why. I wish it was different. I think that dark beers, you know, the malts give them more complexity. I personally know that my least-favorite thing to do is dry-hop a beer. W

PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

The Good, The Bad & The Awful The Daily Tar Heel d The Daily Tar Heel did not do the work of a goo student newspaper last week. The Daily Tar Heel did the work of a first-rate major metro newspaper, out-hustling every media outlet in the region on one of the Triangle’s biggest stories.

First, its parent company sued the UNC System and the Board of Governors for allegedly violating the state’s Open Meetings Law by secretly negotiating with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A few days later, the DTH released a blockbuster report showing that the SCV may be violating state and federal tax laws.

Sylvia Hatchell bad

It’s been a rough year for Sylvia Hatchell, the long-tenured and hugely successful former coach of the UNC women’s basketball team. In April, she resigned after an independent investigation found that she’d made racially insensitive remarks and forced some players to play injured. Then, on Friday, Hatchell was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and a moving violation after Durham police say she struck an 89-year-old woman with her car while making a slow left turn outside of a fitness center.

ful aw

Sons of Confederate Veterans

As good a week as the DTH had, the SCV had an awful one. The DTH’s lawsuit is bad enough—if the paper wins, a non-zero possibility, the settlement could be tossed. The paper’s reporting is worse: Fees paid to an SCV “cavalry” were routed via cash or personal check to the state SCV’s legislative officer, Bill Starnes, who then funneled that money into the SCV’s PAC. That seems to be illegal in two ways: First, the funds paid to Starnes—tens of thousands of dollars—apparently weren’t being tracked, as nonprofits are required to do. Second, as a 501(c)3, the SCV simply isn’t allowed to control a political action committee, as appears to be the case here.

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January 15, 2020

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Q UIC KBA I T

Durham & Tobacco: A Love Affair

BY REBECCA WEST

J

ust before the New Year, signs popped up all over downtown Durham informing us that we could no longer smoke on public sidewalks or public property or, like, anywhere.

Not even e-cigs. Not even when we’re drunk and waiting for our Lyft. Smokers, those ne’er-do-wells of polite society, would henceforth be banished to alleys, no longer permitted to pollute the fresh air the rest of us breathe.

1849 Dr. Bartlett Durham donates land for a railway station, a vital development to the future tobacco trade.

1854 Robert Morris builds Durham’s first tobacco factory, producing Best-Flavored Smoking Tobacco.

1890 Duke promises Trinity College $85,000 if it moves to Durham instead of Raleigh. Julian Carr throws in 50 acres of land.

1899 W. Duke and Sons acquires Union Tobacco Company, whose assets include W.T. Blackwell and Company.

ATC also purchases Liggett & Myers.

1889 W. Duke and Sons merges with four other tobacco manufacturers to create the American Tobacco Company, which at its inception produces 92 percent of U.S. cigarettes.

1911 The ATC runs afoul of the Sherman Antitrust Act and breaks into four companies: ATC, Liggett & Myers, R.J. Reynolds, and P. Lorillard.

1987 ATC’s Durham plant, which made Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes, ceases production.

All of its cigarette production is concentrated in Reidsville.

2004 The American Tobacco Campus reopens with businesses and restaurants.

1862 John Ruffin Green buys Morris’s company and renames it Genuine Durham Smoking Tobacco. His packages carry the image of a bull, a logo found on tins of Coleman’s Durham mustard.

1884 The Dukes buy a Bonsack machine, which revolutionizes cigarette manufacturing.

1874 Washington Duke moves his family’s tobacco operation to Durham.

1958 R.J. Reynolds surpasses American Tobacco as the leading cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. As tobacco use declines, American Tobacco invests in liquor, life insurance, office supplies, and hardware, among other things.

2009 The General Assembly passes a law requiring enclosed areas of most restaurants and bars to be smoke-free and giving counties the option to ban smoking in public spaces.

January 15, 2020

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1869 Durham is incorporated. Green takes on William Thomas Blackwell as a partner, then dies. Blackwell adds James R. Day and Julian Carr as partners and changes the company’s name to W.T. Blackwell and Company, which manufactures Bull Durham smoking tobacco—and becomes known as Old Bull.

The brand’s bull logo is advertised in baseball fields, often behind where pitchers warmed up, an area that becomes known as the bullpen.

1918 ATC produces more than 2 million pounds of tobacco for the War Department each month to supply to soldiers during World War I.

2016 The smoking rule is expanded to include e-cigs.

PHOTOS FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN, EXCEPT THE LUCKY STRIKE TOWER (LIZ CONDO PHOTOGRAPHY) AND THE NO SMOKING SIGN (JEFFREY C. BILLMAN)

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1865 The South surrenders the Civil War. Green receives orders from soldiers who had sampled his brightleaf tobacco products while in Durham.

1916 Charles Penn becomes American Tobacco’s vice president of manufacturing and creates Lucky Strike.

1968 Components of ATC are reorganized into American Brands.

1999 Liggett & Myers quits making cigarettes in Durham and moves production to Mebane, ending Durham’s run as a tobacco hub.

This development isn’t altogether surprising, but it is somewhat ironic. Durham, after all, is a city literally built on tobacco—a city that wouldn’t exist without it.

So as Durham severs the last of its ties with Nicotiana tabacum, we wanted to remember a love affair older than the city itself—one that put Durham on the map (even if it killed many hundreds of thousands of people in the process).

1924 James Duke, now retired, creates a $40 million endowment for Trinity College, which renames itself Duke University.

1947 Durham begins a decade-plus-long economic slide that hits manufacturing hard.

1957 The Old Bull plant ceases production.

2017 The Durham County Board of Commissioners approves a Board of Health policy that forbids all tobacco usage on city or county property, parks and trails, hospital grounds, and sidewalks, effective July 1, 2018. Violators are subject to $50 fines. As best we can tell, no one notices.

Dec. 2019 Signs go up on downtown sidewalks.

A WE E K IN THE L IFE

1/7

The Raleigh City Council amended its rules of decorum to allow residents to address council members and city staffers by name.

The Chinese company EHang conducted the first public demonstration of a pilotless air taxi at the State Highway Patrol’s test track south of Raleigh, because the rich obviously need more toys.

State Superintendent Mark Johnson told school districts that the Department of Public Instruction had made a $928,000 “emergency purchase” of Istation, a controversial computer program that tests children’s reading ability, after a judge blocked Istation from getting a new contract.

1/8

The parent company of The Daily Tar Heel sued UNC’s Board of Governors for violating the state’s Open Meetings Law in reaching its $2.6 million Silent Sam settlement with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

2019 was North Carolina’s hottest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

1/9

The State Office of the Medical Examiner said that three recent infant deaths at McDougald Terrace did not stem from carbon monoxide poisoning. The office did not say what the causes of death were.

According to the Durham Police Department, the city saw 37 criminal homicides in 2019—up from 32 in 2018, but down from 42 in 2016. Throughout 2019, Durham had 652 criminal shooting incidents that led to 190 gunshot wounds.

1/10

The Daily Tar Heel reported that the North Carolina division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has violated tax laws and illegally routed money to its political action committee.

Republicans in the General Assembly sought an emergency stay of a federal judge’s injunction of the state’s voter ID law, arguing that it would cause “irreparable harm” to let people vote without showing identification in the March primary.

The state’s chief procurement officer said the state might reject Superintendent Johnson’s “emergency purchase” of Istation because the DPI “has not provided adequate justification.”

1/11

Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, a hedge fund manager worth an estimated $1.6 billion, visited McDougald Terrace and said conditions there reveal “cruelty” to the poor. Steyer has so far spent at least $119 million to garner about 2 percent in national polling.

Nine days after Beer Study announced that Al’s Burger Shack would be part of its Durham expansion, the bottle shop said on Facebook that it was no longer in business with Al Bowers. The news came a week after Al’s filed for bankruptcy and a day after the Orange County Rape Crisis Center severed ties with Bowers, citing allegations of sexual harassment.

1/12

(Here’s what’s happened since the INDY went to press last week)

Durham Democrats nominated former state representative Mickey Michaux Jr. to replace Senator Floyd McKissick, who resigned to take a position on the Utilities Commission. Michaux will resign after the March primary, with the winner filling out the rest of the term.

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January 15, 2020

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N E WS

Durham

When Worlds Collide D

emocratic presidential candidate and billionaire hedge-fund manager Tom Steyer spent Saturday afternoon at McDougald Terrace.

Brittany Buss is one of the more than 300 McDougald Terrace residents who have been relocated to an area hotel because of the public health issues identified in the neighborhood, including carbon monoxide, mold, lead paint, and potentially contaminated water due to pervasive sewage problems.

Steyer and Buss come from very different worlds. But they were talking the same language about the issues that have beset the city’s largest and oldest public housing complex.

“The federal government has given up its responsibility to deal with affordable housing across the country,” Steyer said after visiting an apartment at Building 51B and pulling a black T-shirt over his blue button-down dress shirt and tartan necktie.

The tee read “51B MAC UNITED.” “They’ve done it for decades, and it has to end. And you can see, we have deteriorating and inadequate public housing and affordable housing across this country. We’ve got to rebuild it. … Counting on the market to solve this problem and have the government absolve itself of its actual responsibility hasn’t worked. This is the proof.”

Minutes before, Buss stood in front of a microphone inside the auditorium at Burton Elementary School and spoke powerfully about living in the Mac to several hundred fellow residents, activists, supporters, and elected officials who had come for updates.

In the last two months, three infants have

died in the complex under mysterious circumstances; the state medical examiner has ruled out carbon monoxide as a cause of death but has not said what killed them.

Buss said she’s worried about the mold, maintenance workers who paint over the lead-based paint on the walls, and sewage that she fears has leaked into residents’ drinking water.

Carbon monoxide is in the air they breathe, she said, affecting residents’ behavior and perhaps responsible for much of the anger and violence in the community.

“It’s deeper than this shit,” Buss said of the updates provided earlier by Anthony Scott, the Durham Housing Authority’s chief executive officer, and other officials. “This is bigger than McDougald Terrace. This is happening on a global level. Why are y’all doing this to us? This is so, so deep. Why do you think people in McDougald Terrace are killing each other? It’s the gas. It’s the gas!”

While carbon monoxide is not typically linked to violent behavior, exposure to lead in childhood has been. Even so, Buss’s observation struck a deep chord with the capacity crowd, and as the residents stood cheering, an elderly resident in the front of the auditorium was so overcome that she fainted.

Before Buss spoke, Mayor Steve Schewel said Saturday morning’s meeting at Burton was “not an assembly any of us wanted to have.”

“What is happening with the McDougald Terrace relocation is a terrible thing,” Schewel said, “and I apologize. I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

Schewel praised the residents for their

“This is bigger than McDougald Terrace. This is happening on a global level. Why are y’all doing this to us? This is so, so deep.

Why do you think people in McDougald Terrace are killing each other? It’s the gas. It’s the gas!”

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January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

spirit, dignity, and support for one another after having their lives upended.

Saturday marked the end of a week in which DHA officials relocated 270 households in McDougald to 12 area hotels while the agency inspected 243 apartments. On Saturday, Scott said inspectors discovered 35 furnaces or heaters, 34 water heaters, and 133 cooking stoves that were emitting carbon monoxide. In some instances, they found all three in one apartment.

And there are other issues inspectors found as well, including leaking gas valves and terra cotta pipes in the flues.

Scott said the DHA is “putting together a strategy and reviewing options” that include replacing gas-fueled appliances with electric ones. He added that the agency will spend this week obtaining estimates for repairs and begin mold inspections. Scott also promised to increase security after several residents reported break-ins at their apartments while they have been at hotels.

“We’re not patching up the problem,” Scott said. “We’re trying to solve the problem. It’s about fixing the problem, not patching up the holes.”

Like Steyer and Buss, Scott expressed frustration over federal officials’ decadeslong inaction.

“This is a national issue,” he said. “The federal government has to do a better job.”

Minutes after the meeting ended, Steyer arrived at the Mac after attending a luncheon at nearby N.C. Central. The candidate, who is worth an estimated $1.6 billion, was accompanied by county commissioner candidate John Rooks, who persuaded him to visit the complex.

“I wanted him to have this experience,” Rooks told the INDY. Steyer’s nearly two-hour visit included a walk down Ridgeway Street, where every few yards stood a location with an unspoken story. He walked past Building 41, where the INDY first reported about a corrupted manhole cover that had been

Tom Steyer

BY THOMASI MCDONALD tmcdonald@indyweek.com

PHOTO BY THOMASI MCDONALD

A billionaire and a public housing tenant find common ground but no easy answers at McDougald Terrace

leaking raw sewage for months, and where a stormwater pipe had been pouring raw sewage into a nearby creek.

He strolled past the apartment that houses Bull City United, an initiative to reduce gang activity. He stopped briefly in front of Building 27, where a child died of sudden infant death syndrome in the 1990s; the building was boarded and has sat unoccupied since. “Housing and race have always been at the epicenter of inequality in this country,” Steyer said.

He arrived at the intersection of Ridgeway and Wabash Streets, where Building 7 has been boarded up for years. He walked a few feet down the sidewalk and visited the home of Ashley Canady, the president of the McDougald Terrace residents council, who lives across the street from where a young man was shot to death in November.

“This is not an unknown story,” Steyer said. “This is a story about failure across the board. So that means housing, for sure. But it’s also about safety, [it’s about] poisoning, and there’s no way to look at this and not take race into account.”

The housing bond Durham voters approved in November allocates almost $60 million to renovate several DHA properties, including the Mac, over the next five years. So far, Steyer has spent nearly $120 million on advertising in his presidential campaign. Nationally, he is polling at about 2 percent. W

N E WS

Raleigh

Is Bigger Better?

A study group is looking at ways to restructure the Raleigh City Council—including making it larger

BY LEIGH TAUSS ltauss@indyweek.com

T

he Raleigh City Council has had eight members since 1973, which also happens to be the first and last time Raleigh had a black mayor, Clarence Lightner. Since then, the city’s population has almost quadrupled, yet the structure of its government has remained virtually the same.

That could soon change.

Last week, the council instructed city attorney Robin Tatum Currin to begin creating a study group to explore if and how the council’s structure should change. That could include increasing terms from two to four years, upping council members’ pay (currently $17,412 for what’s considered a part-time gig), and expanding the council’s size. The move came at the urging of a coalition of residents that includes former News & Observer publisher Orage Quarles III, former planning commission chairman Eric Braun, and former council candidate Ashton Mae Smith.

Smith, who asked the city to form the study group during the city council’s public comment period last week, told the INDY that “these conversations have been going on for a long time.”

“Raleigh has outgrown its current governance structure,” Smith says. “I think, for this particular council, there’s more appetite to at least start the conversations than we’ve historically seen.”

While the council asked its staff for information on the matter in 2017, that memo is “protected under attorney-client privilege,” according to Currin’s office. It’s unclear what was in the memo, but it is clear that nothing came of it.

The new study group will examine what cities of similar size do in terms of council pay, size, and term length. Its purpose is primarily to collect data so that the council can make a decision.

Council member David Cox thinks the city should look into expanding the council’s size. His district alone has over 90,000 residents. More council seats, be they at-large or by divvying up the five existing districts, could encourage folks to run who otherwise couldn’t.

“Demographically, the city’s changed a lot, and I think everyone is in agreement that the council doesn’t really represent, at least demographically, the city’s population,” Cox says. “Not that increasing the number of council members will necessarily fix that, but I think it gives a greater opportunity to allow that to happen.”

By design, most of the people who have been able to run for office have been independently wealthy and retired; they’ve also tended to be white. Increasing council members’ pay might allow lower-income residents to run for office.

Additionally, increasing term lengths to four years with staggered elections could create more consistency in city leadership while cutting down the time council members spend campaigning.

“Raleigh has outgrown its current governance structure.”

“The criticism is that, serving under two-year terms, you’re governing one year and running for reelection the next,” says Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. “That’s a governance issue.”

The conversation on expanding the number of council seats will likely have to wait until the census is completed later this year, Baldwin says. After that, the city will update its district lines to ensure the population is distributed evenly anyway.

“We’ll be looking at the districts again this year, because let’s face it, a lot has changed in Raleigh in the last 10 years,” Baldwin says.

She hopes the study group can be appointed within the next 60 days and complete its work by the end of summer. W

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or a couple of hours last Tuesday night, I had the sinking feeling that the U.S. was about to embark on yet another generational conflict. Iran had responded to President Trump’s killing of its Quds commander, General Qassem Soleimani, by launching missiles and rockets at two American bases in Iraq. Days earlier, Trump had vowed on Twitter to “quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner” if Iran did so. He said that the U.S. would target 52 sites—one for each of the 52 hostages Iran took four decades ago—including some that are “a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.” (Targeting cultural sites is a war crime, but never mind that.)

Given the rhetoric—and Trump’s pathological need to prove how much tougher he is than Barack Obama—it was difficult to see how the U.S. could back down.

Missiles would be in the air soon, headed toward Tehran. Perhaps Iran would make good on its threat to level Dubai in response, or perhaps it would attack Israel. Lots of people would die. The worstcase scenario was about to play out on live television.

But it didn’t.

Iran hit the brakes. Its retaliation was more for show than to cause harm. No one was killed. After the attack, Iran said it didn’t intend any further action. It offered Trump an off-ramp.

The next morning, a slurring and snorting Trump took it. He said the Iranians backed down. He insisted (without evidence) that he had killed Soleimani to prevent an imminent attack. He patted himself on the back for being tougher than Barack Obama. He repeatedly lied about Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. He promised to slap more sanctions on Iran. He urged NATO—the allies he’s alienated— to get more involved. He urged Iran—the

country he’s antagonized—to negotiate a new nuclear deal, even though he withdrew from the last one.

It was an odd speech. The optics were unsettling, too. Trump sounded off, flat, heavy, exhausted. Maybe he hadn’t slept well—he’d just bumbled his way to the precipice of a world crisis, after all. (To be fair, Senator Lindsey Graham thought it was Trump’s “Tear Down This Wall,” so your mileage may vary.)

Now that things have calmed down—for the time being, anyway—I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly the Iran standoff accomplished. What, in other words, was the point of stoking this fire?

I don’t see how the affair benefited the U.S., unless you ascribe to Soleimani god-like superpowers. The Quds force has about 20,000 members; its leader’s death won’t affect operations. The idea that killing Suleimani disrupted an imminent attack is far-fetched at best. Instead, Trump felt pressured by the Republican hawks who will judge his impeachment trial and wanted to avenge a recent Iranian-backed militia action against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

In the process, the U.S. made itself even more of a pariah. The Iraqi parliament voted to expel American troops, and then the U.S. threatened to cut off Iraq’s access to a New York Fed account holding oil revenue (after Trump had threatened to impose sanctions on a supposed ally). Protests against the Iraqi and Iranian governments became protests against the American government. The Iranians bailed on their commitments to the Obama nuclear agreement. European allies grew increasingly frustrated. The region is no closer to peace today than it was before Soleimani was killed, nor is the U.S. any closer to a resolution with Iran. America gained nothing but a dead bad guy.

Trump, perhaps, gained a campaign talking point. But a USA Today poll found that, by a two-to-one margin, Americans thought Trump’s decision had made the country less safe, and a majority thought his behavior toward Iran was “reckless.”

Maybe that’s why his polling numbers remain low.

In any event, Nancy Pelosi will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate soon, and this episode will fade into the background as Trump’s trial begins.

That leaves Iran, which initially looked not too worse for wear. To much of the world, Trump was the belligerent; Iran—its atrocious human-rights record aside—had played the grown-up. It had stopped things from spiraling out of control. And if Iraq did boot coalition forces, that would likely strengthen Iran’s regional position. And while Trump could levy more sanctions, there was only so much juice left in that squeeze.

But then the world learned—and Iran admitted after three days of denials—that a Ukranian 737 that crashed outside of Tehran shortly after Iran’s missile strike wasn’t downed by mechanical failure but by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. On heightened alert, the Iranians—who, ineptly, hadn’t shut down commercial flights— mistook the plane for an American counterattack and got trigger-happy.

Iran tried to blame American aggression for the 176 lost lives, many of them Iranian, but by Saturday, Iranians weren’t having it. In Tehran, protesters were shouting, “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to liars!” according to videos posted to social media. Days before, the country’s anger was pointed at the U.S. No longer.

With every day that goes by, this seems more and more like a fight everyone lost.

Then again, isn’t that how these things always go? W

Without a Trace

If an app lets users erase evidence of a crime, should it be held responsible? Last week, Aaliyah Palmer sued Tinder and Snapchat to find out.

BY JEFFREY C. BILLMAN jbillman@indyweek.com

Note: This story contains a description of an alleged sexual assault.

T

hree years after it happened, after her life was upended, Aaliyah Palmer is still looking for something that feels like justice.

She’s spoken out about that night, January 21, 2017, and the party in an apartment near Fort Bragg, about the young men who handed her shots, about how she flirted and then made out with an army combat medic, about how he pulled her into a bathroom to have sex.

She’s been open, too, about what she says happened next, about how the man— whom she identifies in court documents as Nicholas Savoy—became aggressive, how he wedged her against the sink so that she couldn’t move, how he pulled her hair so hard that clumps came out of her scalp, how he tried but failed to have anal sex with her, how she pleaded with him to stop but he wouldn’t stop.

Pieces of the night are a blur, but some things she says she remembers clearly: Savoy’s friends guarding the bathroom door, sneaking their phones underneath the door to take pictures; seeing their cameras flashing in the darkness; finally escaping almost three hours later when Savoy stopped to get water.

The next day, Palmer went to the Fayetteville police and told them she’d been raped. Months later, four of Savoy’s friends faced charges related to the images they’d taken and shared. But Savoy was never arrested.

Palmer learned from a reporter about a 40-year-old state Supreme Court decision that said consent could not be withdrawn once it was given. North Carolina was the last state with such an anachronistic law on its books. (In 1993, it had been the last state to outlaw marital rape.)

Palmer was angry. She told her story to anyone who would listen—The Guardian,

Vice, The Fayetteville Observer, NBC News. Her advocacy paid off. Her story, and similar stories from other women, forced state lawmakers to act. Last Halloween, the General Assembly closed the so-called right-to-finish loophole.

But for Palmer, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t justice. Savoy would never face a jury.

Palmer was a freshman at N.C. State in 2017, an 18-year-old on a full ride, the first member of her immediate family to go to college. She’d graduated first in her class at Olympic High School in Charlotte.

She was studying animal sciences. She had her whole life in front of her. But all of that changed. She became withdrawn and depressed. She began using drugs and drinking more. She couldn’t focus. Within months, she dropped out. Her scholarship gone, she had no hope of going back.

Instead of graduating last month as she’d planned, she saw her former classmates post their graduation pictures on Facebook. She has a good job, working full-time in a vet clinic, she says. But this isn’t where she imagined herself five years ago.

Last week, Palmer set out to get the only justice available to her. She filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court, suing Savoy and his four army buddies for assault and battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy (or, in legal terms, “intrusion upon seclusion”), and conspiracy.

But she didn’t stop there. In something of a novel legal twist, Palmer also sued the parent companies of the hugely popular apps Tinder and Snapchat.

The complaint alleges that Snapchat invaded her privacy and exploited pornographic images of her without her consent, and says that both Tinder and Snapchat have fundamental defects in their design and “acted in a willful, wanton, malicious, oppressive, and grossly negligent manner, in conscious disregard of the rights and safety of [Palmer] and others.”

The crux of the argument is that Snapchat provides a platform in which users can share illicit and degrading images with impunity, while Tinder allegedly allows bad actors to erase messages and other potentially incriminating information.

As they’ve become bigger and more powerful, internet giants have faced calls for government regulation. Facebook, for instance, has come under fire for violating users’ privacy and for its hands-off approach to political advertising. Google mines almost every facet of your online KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

11

presence with little or no regulation, and then sells that information to advertisers.

Tinder and Snapchat are ephemeral by design—and that’s helped them gain millions of users and earn billions of dollars.

With that success, Palmer argues, should come responsibility. At the very least, she says, these companies should maintain and make available records that allow law enforcement to help victims of harassment, sexual assault, and revenge porn.

Right now, the complaint alleges, they don’t.

“When people use those platforms, they’re not thinking about, well, what happens if I get assaulted or this happens to me, will there be evidence?” Palmer says.

“We’re not thinking about that. There’s a bunch of college-age, even high-schoolage people using that stuff, and that’s just not what our first thought is. People who are young have the mentality that everyone is good. Maybe it’s naive. But I feel like young people should be allowed to feel like that because it doesn’t feel good having to feel like everyone is bad.”

P

almer wasn’t into the pulsing, sweaty, hundred-person-and-a-keg-stand frat-house parties she found around N.C.

State. She liked more low-key hangs, which is what sometimes drew her and her friends to Fayetteville on weekends.

Get-togethers around Fort Bragg tended to be more laid-back. And the drive wasn’t that far, just an hour or so.

She’d downloaded Tinder in 2016, toward the end of her senior year in high school. That April, Tinder launched Tinder Social, which, instead of matching individuals, matched groups of people for meet-ups. (Tinder discontinued Social in August 2017.) Palmer and her friends used it. That was how they paired with Savoy and his friends. The army guys invited them to the party. Palmer’s friend Kennedy had a prior commitment— another party, on the base itself, a few minutes away—but Palmer agreed to go.

Savoy met her outside. They hit it off.

Palmer didn’t know much about them: just their pictures, the names they’d given on their Tinder account, that they said they were soldiers. But other than their insistence that she drink—she had two shots and no more—nothing seemed off.

Savoy didn’t give off weird vibes. If he had, Palmer says, she wouldn’t have kissed him, let alone consented to sex.

Nothing was wrong until the sex turned violent, she says.

(Palmer’s lawsuit says Savoy was a medic with the 82nd Airborne. It’s not clear whether Savoy is still in the army. When the INDY called a Wisconsin number listed for Savoy, a woman who identified herself as his mother answered and said: “I’m not giving you any information. My son was not charged with anything. And if his name shows anywhere being published, we will go after you. This girl has been trying to go after him, but he couldn’t be charged. I spoke with a police officer who was investigating, and he told me there was nothing—her story was not corroborated.” She then hung up.)

When she left the bathroom nearly three hours later, Palmer says her first thought was to get Savoy’s friends to delete the photos she knew they’d taken.

“I didn’t want that stuff out there,” she says. “You know, anyone can guess that a college-age dude with pictures and videos like that is not going to keep it to themself.

So I knew they were going to spread them.

And obviously, I’m in college. It could easily get back to campus. I knew other people that were on base. So it just wasn’t something that I wanted to happen.”

They denied that the photos existed.

By this point, nearly 2:00 a.m., there were no women left at the apartment.

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She called Kennedy, who was at a party a few minutes away, and told her what happened. While she was on the phone, she says, the men in the apartment yelled and swore at her and told her she was lying. They refused to let her get her shoes.

They told her to get out of the apartment.

She left; Kennedy came to pick her up.

(A few days later, Kennedy went back for her shoes. She was told they’d been thrown over the balcony. She found them—and found that someone had defecated in them.)

The next morning, Kennedy sent her a text message asking if she’d seen what the guys had posted in the Tinder Social group chat. Palmer says she opened it and saw messages boasting about the photos and videos they’d taken. She says she was about to take a screenshot of the messages, but they vanished. The men unmatched from the group, and when they did, their messages went with them.

When she went to the police, they seemed sympathetic, Palmer says. By March, she says, they told her they were planning to arrest Savoy for rape. But months passed, and nothing happened. In May, she called to see what was going on and was told the district attorney wasn’t going to pursue rape charges.

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“When people use those platforms, they’re not thinking about, well, what happens if I get assaulted or this happens to me, will there be evidence?”

But the detectives said they had interviewed Savoy’s friends, and one of them confessed to sharing the images they’d taken with the others on Snapchat and through text messages.

According to the lawsuit, the police also told Palmer that they searched the men’s phones and found evidence that several of them had taken photos or video or had shared them on Snapchat.

Like Tinder, Palmer’s lawsuit says, Snapchat does not keep a record or copy of photos and videos sent between users. Snaps are erased after 10 seconds. Unopened snaps disappear after 30 days. And once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

“This operational feature makes it exceedingly difficult for law enforcement to verify when and by whom illicit Snapchat content is sent,” the lawsuit says, “because establishing probable cause and obtaining a lawful warrant almost always require more time.”

It’s not clear what the police’s evidence entailed, though it’s possible the men saved screenshots of the snaps.

In June 2017, according to Palmer’s lawsuit, the police arrested Savoy’s four friends—Jeffrey Creech, John Christopher Nagy II, Samuel Mazariegos, and Anthony Johnson—for possession of a photographic image from peeping. Nagy and Mazariegos were also charged with felony secret peeping, while Creech was charged with obstruction of justice for deleting images that Nagy sent him.

The charges against Johnson were dismissed “in the interests of justice” in November 2018, Cumberland County records show. The charges against Nagy and Maraziegos were dismissed after they completed the terms of a plea deal: for Nagy, 12 months of

unsupervised probation and 48 hours of community service; for Maraziegos, 12 months of unsupervised probation and $60 in restitution. No records of the charges against Creech exist.

Tinder and Snapchat did not respond to the INDY’s requests for comment.

A

s far as Robby Jessup knows, this might be the first case of its kind against the social media giants, almost certainly in North Carolina. Palmer’s lawyer—who’s also brought lawsuits related to alleged sexual abuse against the Montessori School of Raleigh and Duke University over its now-shuttered Camp Kaleidoscope—admits that he’s treading new ground, but he thinks it’s important ground to tread.

Disappearing evidence is a symptom of a larger problem, he says. Snapchat and Tinder became profitable by embracing a Wild West mentality that puts people at risk.

Media reports are often hyperbolic when discussing Snapchat, especially when it comes to concerns about teenage sexting and child predators and revenge porn. The reality is, most people don’t use Snapchat to sext, and certainly not for more odious purposes.

But many researchers believe Snapchat has fueled a rise in sexting, thanks to the perceived inconsequentiality of sending the images and videos; after all, if they disappear—even from Snapchat’s servers—in 10 seconds, wouldn’t that assure users that they won’t end up all over the internet?

Of course, technology being what it is, there are workarounds—screenshots, obviously, but more sophisticated tools for saving videos, too. And the record of what was sent vanishes.

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“I think that Snapchat element—how it’s designed—is something that needs to be addressed,” Jessup says. “They’re doing something different than other social media platforms, something more nefarious to get eyeballs.”

Tinder, meanwhile, is owned by Match, the company behind Match. com, one of the early internet dating sites. Match.com screens its paying users to ensure that they are not registered sex offenders. But it does not screen users on Tinder, Plenty of Fish, or OkCupid, which Match also owns.

An investigation by Columbia Journalism Investigations and ProPublica published in December analyzed 157 sexual assaults in which the victim met the assailant through a dating app, usually one owned by Match. Match.com had no cases in which a person was assaulted by a sex offender; Match’s other sites did.

Match told Columbia Journalism Investigations that running background checks would be costprohibitive and counterproductive.

Sex offenders could simply give a false name. For that reason, announcing background checks might give users a false sense of security. Match urged CJI to look at the numbers in context: “A relatively small amount of the tens of millions of people using one of our dating services have fallen victim to criminal activity by predators.”

But Match.com takes a step that can assist police if something goes wrong: It saves messages between users. It’s unclear whether Match does the same for Tinder. In the CJI/ProPublica report, when a sexual assault victim sought Tinder messages to help prove her case, the company never responded, authorities declined to press charges, and she soon saw her assailant back on the app.

“Match has never modified Tinder’s design to save copies of a user’s messages in a way that makes them more easily accessible to victims of sexual assault and/or to law enforcement,” the complaint alleges.

Jessup says Match views Tinder as a “secretive hookup platform where they don’t want to have evidence of what people are saying to each other.”

This is especially problematic, he continues, because so many of Tinder’s users are young: Almost 40 percent are between the ages of 16 and 24.

To prevail in court, Jessup needs to

get around what’s known as CDA 230.

In 1996, Congress passed the Communications Decency Act, which contains a provision—Section 230— that grants immunity to online hosts for user-generated content. It was crafted to protect the nascent internet from overregulation, and companies including Match and Snapchat have used it as a defense against state and federal lawsuits, including from victims of sexual assault.

So Jessup says he’s employing a different legal strategy: He’s not going after the content; he’s arguing that the products themselves are defective. In addition, the lawsuit says Tinder and Snapchat inflicted emotional distress not when the content was posted, but when they allowed it to be deleted.

Whether it will work remains to be seen.

A

aliyah Palmer doesn’t expect to turn the corner and suddenly find a happy ending.

“I’ve always been the person in life that tries to stay strong through a lot of things,” she says, her voice breaking.

“But today, the reality is that I lost school. School’s out of the question.

I had a full ride, and I can’t go back without it. I can’t afford to. I’ve had to support myself since I was 17 years old.”

She has a good job now, but this wasn’t where she thought she’d end up. She’s hard on herself—she feels like she failed, though she acknowledges that the world failed her. She’s contemplated suicide. She’s lost friends and become distant from her family. She feels alone.

And yes, her lawsuit will seek damages, but she makes a point of saying that it’s not about money. It’s just the only avenue she has left.

“I never went into this about money,” Palmer says. “I didn’t make any of these things up for money. Did I have money?

No. Do I still have money? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, my life got destroyed. It got destroyed. And if the only way that they can actually be held responsible for this is financially, then so be it. Because I think it’s extremely unfair for my life to go into complete turmoil and for them to keep living their lives.” W Additional reporting by Leigh Tauss.

The FBI’s Main Klan Man Newly declassified documents show how an infamous North Carolina KKK leader made a fortune from the feds before being exposed as a snitch

BY JON ELLISTON

@jonelliston

George Dorsett, seen here in a portrait he shared with North Carolina media outlets

S

ome state secrets come out in dribs and drabs, becoming more damning along the way.

Case in point: It’s long been known that the Federal Bureau of Investigation funded and gathered intelligence from George Dorsett, the late Greensboro resident who held key positions in the state and national branches of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s.

What’s new are details about how Dorsett first reaped a financial windfall and then found himself exposed as a government snitch—and how backroom firestorms erupted at the FBI when congressional investigators revealed the broad brushes of the arrangement.

The revelations come courtesy of the JFK Records Act, which mandated that remaining secret documents potentially related to President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination should be made public unless their release could still compromise national security or the privacy of living

individuals. Large remaining batches were unveiled in 2017 and 2018, and while none of those papers provided a smoking gun on the assassination, some offered new information about right-wing extremists who would have been happy to see Kennedy dead.

In North Carolina, Dorsett—described in FBI documents as a “top-tier informant”— was certainly one of those. A fervent white supremacist with a flair for public relations and subterfuge, Dorsett served as a kind of spiritual official, fundraiser, and rouser for the Klan during its most violent years.

Amid the trove of secrets in the JFK files, Dorsett’s case stands out for its revelations about how closely the FBI skirted the line when both undermining and supporting Klan factions at a time when the KKK’s biggest statewide membership was in North Carolina. What’s more, they document the panic that set in at the bureau’s highest level when the FBI’s decade-long relationship with Dorsett started to go public.

“That all came out in the newspaper,” noted Dargan Frierson, the late FBI agent who handled and befriended Dorsett, in a 1990 oral history for UNC-Greensboro’s archival project Civil Rights Greensboro.

“The FBI was horrified when it happened.”

At the time, though, it didn’t all come out, and the declassified files offer significant reminders about why the bureau was intent on keeping details about its unholy alliance with Dorsett under wraps.

I

n 1959, the Klan presence in North Carolina was fractured and reeling from internal disputes and law enforcement crackdowns, with its membership estimated to have dwindled to as little as 150, according to the State Bureau of Investigation’s records at the time. But the rise of the civil rights movement was on the horizon, and with it, an explosion of Klan mobilization was coming.

That year, the FBI recruited a man who would prove to be one of its most valuable assets within the Klan. A house painter by trade, Dorsett had already served in ministerial and leadership roles in prominent Klan organizations during the 1950s, and his star was ascending. In the 1960s, he would serve as the “Imperial Kludd,” or national chaplain, of the Alabama-based United Klans of America, the ranks of which grew to more than 10,000 in North Carolina. He also held other top state and national posts and later formed his own Klan offshoot.

Throughout this period, the FBI made regular payments to Dorsett as a confidential informant, placing considerable value on his info and looking the other way when he rallied the Klan faithful.

Dorsett “was one heck of a speaker and could really fire up a crowd,” his FBI handler, Frierson, recalled in the UNCG oral history.

“He could portray himself as one of them.

And he would tell me everything that was going on. So sure, he’d made some fiery speeches, there’s no question about it. But if he hadn’t, he would have been worthless.”

There’s nothing to indicate, however, that Dorsett wasn’t “one of them”—a true believer in the Klan’s mission—and he didn’t shy away from fostering racial terrorism. At an August 1966 rally that packed Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium and drew public protests, he said: “We’re sitting on a powder keg. … You don’t know what I’ll do before I leave, and you don’t know what you’ll do.

We don’t believe in violence, and we’re not going to have violence, if we have to kill every [n-word] in America.”

It was for remarks like these, along with his fundraising and organizing for the Klan, that a congressional subpoena compelled Dorsett to Washington, D.C., the previous year to testify before the House Un-American Affairs Committee. In that appearance, Dorsett was uncharacteristically tightlipped, refusing to answer questions or provide documents. The committee’s staffers nonetheless laid out a detailed case that Dorsett was an influential minister of hate—but they had no idea that behind his stony silence was an even bigger secret that led all the way to the FBI.

T

hroughout the South, the FBI staged a clandestine campaign to infiltrate, disrupt, and at times effectively control various Klan groups. That was strikingly the case in North Carolina, as sociologist David Cunningham documented in his book Klansville, USA: The Rise and Fall of the Civil Rights-Era Ku Klux Klan.

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Dorsett refused to answer questions from congressional investigators who were probing the Klan’s operations.

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January 15, 2020

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The FBI’s objective, Cunningham wrote, was to covertly “attack the Klan’s most obvious vulnerabilities: the simmering suspicions that leaders exploited the membership financially, certain members’ limited employment prospects, and the fact that more than a few wives of Klansmen felt that weekly klavern [local chapter] meetings and dark of night … missions provided ruses for adulterous activities.”

The weapons of choice were rumor campaigns, anonymous mailings, and other steps to breed dissension in the ranks, he noted, and “as with all Bureau programs, secrecy would be a priority.”

The FBI’s biggest secret in North Carolina was its long-running relationship with Dorsett. One of the recently declassified memos, written in February 1976, reveals just how much the bureau rewarded the Klan organizer. Dorsett was on the bureau’s payroll from January 1959 to October 1970, according to one of the FBI memos. The payments totaled $26,266.01, the equivalent of more than $200,000 today when adjusted for inflation. Roughly two-thirds of the payment was for “services” provided, with the remainder covering unspecified “expenses.”

“An analysis of these payments at FBI Headquarters reveals Dorsett was paid on a ‘cash-on-delivery’ basis,” the memo added, “and that these payments were commensurate with the information he furnished.”

Even as he rallied the state’s most hardcore racists, Dorsett helped the FBI destabilize North

Carolina’s large UKA contingent by exacerbating tensions among the group’s leaders. Banished from the UKA in 1967, Dorsett quickly founded a rival faction, the Confederate Knights of the KKK—with a big assist from his FBI handler, Frierson, who helped draft the group’s first manifesto and passed Dorsett still more cash.

Internally, the FBI viewed its work helping to found a Klan group as a major accomplishment.

“We utilized this opposing Klan organization through Dorsett as a means of causing confusion and dissension within the Klan,” an FBI report later noted. “A total of 41 chapters of the CKKKK were chartered; however, all of them did not become effective operating chapters.”

By 1970, both the UKA and Dorsett’s CKKKK were in tatters, and the Klan’s heyday in North Carolina drew to a close, even as the fires it stoked would spark again just a few years later.

Dorsett “was discontinued as an informant when his activity in the Klan ceased, at which time his relationship with the Bureau continued to be excellent,” the FBI concluded. His handler would recall Dorsett as “the number one Klan informer in the country.”

E

ven with no substantial Klan contingent to back or lead, Dorsett remained a committed white-supremacist orator, albeit an ever more marginal one, until he died in Greensboro in

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Senator Robert Morgan, a North Carolina Democrat who sat on the Church Committee.

In an April 1976 speech at Wake Forest University’s Law Day observance, Morgan publicly confirmed Dorsett’s FBI relationship, adding additional details and calling the arrangement part of a pattern of “immoral and illegal activity” by the FBI.

FREE TO BE FEARLESS. TO HOLD THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE. TO BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS.

FREE TO TELL THE TRUTH.

2008, at age 90. He might have faded into the history books relatively quickly had inquisitive members of Congress not sniffed out his FBI ties.

The exposure came courtesy of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, also known as the Church Committee, which set off political fireworks with its revelations of decades of crimes and coverups by the CIA, FBI, and other secretive agencies. Among the operations it probed were the FBI’s counterintelligence programs—COINTELPRO, as they’re often known—against dissidents ranging from the New Left to the Black Panthers to “white hate” groups like the Klan.

Committee staffers pieced together enough information from selectively provided FBI files to identify Dorsett as a major informant, and word leaked to national newspapers in December 1975.

The accounts provided little detail about Dorsett’s working relationship with the FBI, but the cat was clawing its way out of the bag. The late Senator Robert Morgan, a North Carolina Democrat, was among the committee members shocked by the FBI-KKK connection. In an April 1976 speech at Wake Forest University’s Law Day observance, Morgan publicly confirmed Dorsett’s FBI relationship, adding additional details and calling the arrangement part of a pattern of “immoral and illegal activity” by the FBI. Already stung by the December leak, the FBI was now apoplectic. The Senate committee and Morgan had committed “a most serious breach of the confidentiality” the bureau had

expected when sharing its secret files with lawmakers. Dorsett had not previously been exposed as an informant, and he continued to deny his role during brief public remarks that were increasingly met with skepticism.

Promptly interviewed by the FBI, Dorsett told agents that he now feared for his life and that the revelations had caused “great consternation among his close friends and members of his family,” the bureau noted.

“He has received harassing phone calls.

During one of these calls, the caller stated, ‘Tell that pimp to get his casket ready.’”

The FBI’s leadership fired off a series of memos to the Church Committee demanding that informers not be further identified and warning of the gravity of outing Dorsett, though the relationship was now effectively public information. In the end, the committee’s public report summarized the matter without naming the once-influential Klansman, but by then, George Dorsett’s— and the FBI’s—secret was out.

David Cunningham interviewed Dorsett late in life. The infamous informer didn’t seem particularly regretful.

“What struck me was his retrospective view that the FBI was working for him,” Cunningham recalled in remarks to his book’s publisher in 2013, “which isn’t entirely inaccurate, if you consider how he was able to protect his role as the KKK’s most successful fundraiser while on the bureau’s payroll.” W

TO CELEBRATE AND CRITICIZE. TO ADVOCATE FOR THE MARGINALIZED.

FREE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. FROM CORPORATE INFLUENCE. NO PAYWALLS, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS.

FREE BECAUSE OF YOU. KEEP IT FREE. KEEP IT INDY.

Join the INDY Press Club at KeepItINDY.com.

Jon Elliston, the senior editor at WNC magazine in Asheville, is a former Independent Weekly staff writer.

KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

17

1,000 Words HERstory: Gemynii WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JADE WILSON

All the black femmes to the front, please! Gemynii, a sound curator and self-taught visual artist, is a force in the Durham nightlife scene, centering black and queer femmes. For nearly three years, she’s been carefully curating an all-inclusive safe space for black femmes to be celebrated and paid. If you hear anyone shout, “Pay Black Femmes,” thank Gemynii. The year’s first Conjure dance party is this Friday, January 17, at The Pinhook.W

18

January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

Previous Conjure dance parties with Gemynii (pictured above and left)

KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

19

FOOD & DR I NK

Cafe

EPILOGUE BOOKS CHOCOLATE BREWS

109 E Franklin St #100, Chapel Hill | 919-913-5055 | epiloguebookcafe.com

E VE NTS

A Damn Good Coffee Shop

FRI., JAN. 17, 6–8:30 P.M, $25

Yoga Supper Club at Global Breath Studio

Epilogue’s bookstore-cafe combo reminds us of the Franklin Street we fell in love with

If practicing yoga to a soundtrack of live piano is your thing—with a threecourse dinner waiting on the other side of Nirvasana—then Global Breath’s next supper club might be for you. The dinner is gluten-free and “plant-based” (e.g., vegan) and will include Tempeh Satay skewers with peanut-lime dipping sauce, Navratan Korma, and banana muffins.

BY SARA PEQUEÑO

spequeno@indyweek.com

A

good coffee shop is hard to find. At least in Chapel Hill.

Sure, Open Eye Café is a stone’s throw away in Carrboro, and there’s a Joe Van Gogh down Weaver Dairy Road, and, despite its focus on food, Carolina Coffee Shop still lives up to its name.

But a good coffee shop isn’t defined by its product alone. A good coffee shop feels like an extension of your living room—a place to chat with friends or focus intently on work, where sunlight hits the windowpane as you lean into a book.

Franklin Street didn’t have a good coffee shop in 2015 when I moved to Chapel Hill for school. It was the cusp of a new era, where Targets were being talked of and Moe’s Southwest Grill bounded into the space beside He’s Not Here and the Yogurt Pump. I could have gone to Carrboro or some of the spots on the edge of town.

But first-year students aren’t allowed cars on campus, and it took 45 minutes to walk to Carrboro. Franklin Street was all I had.

And it had nothing. Now it does.

Epilogue, Franklin Street’s newest business, is a good coffee shop.

The café, chocolatería, and bookstore settled into East Franklin in November. It’s located where FRANK Gallery used to be, memorialized by the fading stickers on the floor that say “Welcome” in different languages.

Epilogue is what would happen if you blended Cocoa Cinnamon’s Lakewood location and Chapel Hill’s now-closed The Bookshop.

You’re welcomed by the content face of a Frida Kahlo mural enveloped by fake flowers carefully glued to her hairline. Faux vines hang from the ceiling. A long communal table directs your eye to a deep green study area in the back, where students have lined the wood tables with laptops and study guides.

And there are books. So many books.

New books and used books and rare books and children’s books and books wrapped in brown paper that are waiting for the right person to take a chance and go on a blind date with a new story.

There are books about children learning to love their afros and books about American impressionists and books with reviews from employees tucked into their jacket sleeves. There are books in Spanish. There are books you can actually afford.

While I was wishing for a community coffee shop, Epilogue owners Jaime and Miranda Sanchez were trying to figure out what the community would do without a downtown bookshop. Flyleaf Books is incredible, but it doesn’t fit the “within walking distance of campus” bill. The Bookshop closed because of spiking Franklin Street rents and virtually no parking.

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January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

119 W. Main St. #300, Durham 919-645-7070 | globalbreath.org SAT., JAN. 18, NOON–10 P.M.

Mayan spice sipping chocolate

PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Jaime Sanchez says that when it shuttered in 2017, he and his wife knew it was something the community couldn’t be without.

“We had a pretty good grasp of how to develop a retail concept,” says Sanchez, who previously worked in store design and event production. “We just wanted to make sure it was something we loved, and we were passionate about. We wanted to make sure we could give something to the community that it needed.”

You notice that focus on community the longer you linger. The wrapped books are shelved on a “positivi-tree,” a fake tree covered in words of encouragement. The baristas list their pronouns on their nametags; many are bilingual. The book selection highlights LGBTQ authors, women authors, and authors of color, both in the main selection and in the children’s area.

In some settings, this could feel gimmicky. At Epilogue, it’s a testament to the diversity of the baristas, the customers, and the products.

You’ll find your typical coffee shop fare—lattes, mochas, etc.— but you can also get variations like lavender sea salt and orange peppercorn. There are European-style sipping chocolates. There are Mexican pastries: Conchas and churros and buñuelos you should add honey to.

In a town that’s seen big business overtake local haunts, Epilogue circles back to the community it’s based in. The coffee and tea come from Carrboro Coffee Roasters. The small alcohol selection comes from Ponysaurus. The crafts and potted plants for sale are made by local artists. There are student group showcases you can track through the store’s social media.

New businesses have growing pains, and Epilogue is no different.

The baristas are still getting the hang of everything, the place is going to be hectic during exams, and the specialty drinks can get pricey.

But in a town that is still struggling to find its community, Epilogue is giving folks a space. Not just a space—a damn good coffee shop. W

Girl Scout Cookies & Beer Pairing at The Glass Jug Brewery In other ingenious pairings, Glass Jug is back with its specialty flights of Girl Scout cookies and beer. Four cookies and four 4-ounce beers (two Jug brews and two guest taps) are paired for a $15 flight. Sure, it might cause some brief palate confusion—especially if you have childhood nostalgia about Girl Scout cookies—but Thin Mints surely pair well with anything.

5410 N.C. Hwy. 55, Suite V, Durham 919-813-0135 | glass-jug.com

TUE., JAN. 21

OPENING: V Pizza Cary’s Pizza La Stella is no more, but it victoriously reopens this week as V Pizza. The pizzeria—which has origins in Jacksonville, Florida—will fire up its Neapolitan pies in a wood-fired oven and specialize in craft beer, with more than 45 beers on tap.

1389 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary vpizza.com

BY SARAH EDWARDS

JEREMY DENK, STEFAN JACKIW, AND NEW YORK POLYPHONY: IVES VIOLIN SONATAS

Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m. | $36–$42 | Baldwin Auditorium, Durham | dukeperformances.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE PERFORMANCES

M U SIC

Pianist Jeremy Denk performs with violinst Stefan Jackiw for Duke Performances on Friday.

American Tumult To paraphrase another New Englander, Charles Ives’s music contains multitudes

BY DAN RUCCIA music@indyweek.com

I

t often goes without saying that a composer was influenced by a musical childhood.

But it has to be said of Charles Ives, for whom the unruly musical welter of late-nineteenth-century New England—a mess of Protestant hymns, marches and other band music, camp songs, rags, patriotic tunes, and classical music played in parlors—was both foundation and firmament. Its echoes can be heard in nearly everything the Danbury, Connecticut native wrote, from his hundreds of rather conventional art songs to his still-radical piano sonatas and symphonies.

On January 17, in a Duke Performances concert at Baldwin Auditorium, violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Jeremy Denk will show how that history animates Ives’s rarely performed violin sonatas.

Written in fits and starts over the first 15 years of the twentieth century, these four sonatas are a solid introduction to Ives’s musical language. His music has earned a reputation for density and complexity. His pieces are full of blocky, dissonant harmonies; lines moving in different tempos or meters; multiple keys occurring simultaneously; and a sometimes-impenetrable amount of activity. The adjectives “craggy,” “flinty,” and “granite-like” get thrown around.

Jackiw, who had played only one piece by Ives before starting this project in 2015, learned all four sonatas simultaneously.

“It was a really immersive experience,” Jackiw says. “It was like learning another

language, because I had spent my entire cated, cyclical form in which the hymn life playing kind of refined art music, and assumes numerous guises. Ives’s harmonIves’s music is totally reminiscent of the ic language is slightly less dissonant than unschooled earnestness of community usual, but his structures are no less labmusic, specifically in New England.” yrinthine. Nonetheless, when the hymn Part of that complexity comes from appears, unadulterated, at the end, Jackthe way Ives constructs these pieces. In iw feels overwhelmed by the “breathtakmore traditional classical forms such as ing shock of beauty that wipes out the the sonata, a piece begins by presenting preceding chaos.” a few themes before exploring how those For both Denk and Jackiw, these themes can evolve and interact. moments reveal a different side of Ives Ives takes a decidedly different approach than his reputation for difficulty would in these sonatas. While each does have suggest: a deeply nostalgic composer, fora few main themes that draw on those ever trying to rearticulate some deep-seatchildhood songs, each movement begins ed emotional memory of his musical childwith all the variations, digressions, explo- hood. Jackiw’s experience of these pieces is rations, dissections, and manipulations of like reading Proust or listening to Brahms, those themes. Sometimes bits of the theme or related tunes flash by, only to be subsumed into his con- “It was like learning tinued ruminations. another language, because Only at the very end, I had spent my entire life after he’s done everything he can think of and then playing kind of refined art some to his material, does music, and Ives’s music is Ives present the theme in its original, unadulterated totally reminiscent of the form. And only then does unschooled earnestness of the preceding music snap into place as a unified, if community music.” somewhat fuzzy, whole.

At Baldwin, to help modern audiences recognize some of the but in the context of a certain kind of now-forgotten source material, the vocal Americanness. group New York Polyphony will sing the To Jackiw, it’s as if Ives were walking most important hymns for each sonata as down a busy city street, bombarded from Ives would have known them. all directions by sound, when he passes The effect can be ecstatic. Denk singles by someone wearing a particular scent. It out the finale of the first sonata, which trans- triggers the vivid memory of a campsite forms the hymn “Work, for the Night Is Com- from his childhood. Sometimes his meming” into what he calls “a rambling and end- ories are humorous and playful, somelessly regenerating march.” After seven relent- times wistful and longing, sometimes all lessly tumbling minutes, the pianist concludes of these at the same time. with a short gospel cadence whose meaning With each performance, Jackiw and has been entirely transfigured.

Denk find another new articulation of a “The chaos of Ives’s world laid the stage theme hiding somewhere unexpected. In for this one quiet cadence to speak, and that light, the complexity of these pieces to feel new,” Denk writes. For Jackiw, the is a profoundly human expression of that third sonata—the longest of the set—con- moment of sensory recall, which is always tains such a moment. The entire sonata just beyond our reach. To paraphrase is based on the hymn “I Need Thee Every another maximalist New Englander, these Hour,” and each movement has a compli- pieces contain multitudes. W KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

21

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FR 2/14 THRICE, MEWITHOUTYOU, DRUG CHURCH ( $26/$30) SA 2/15 COLONY HOUSE THE LEAVE WHAT’S LOST BEHIND TOUR W/TYSON MOTSENBOCKER ($15/$18) MO 2/17 KYLE KINANE THE SPRING BREAK TOUR($25/$28) TU 2/18 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS ($26/$30)

SOLD UT YBN CORDAE ($20/$22.50) O2/19

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SA 2/29 OF MONTREAL W/ LILY'S BAND ($17)

CARBON LEAF

Red Wanting Blue / The Alternate Routes

WE 3/11 DESTROYER W/NAP EYES ($20/$23) SA 3/14 RADICAL FACE ($25/$28) SA 3/21 BEST COAST THE ALWAYS TOMORROW TOUR W/MANNEQUIN PUSSY ($25/$27)

TUE

1/21

BLACKALICIOUS Nia 20th Anniversary Tour with special guest Rowdy

TU 3/24 STEVE GUNN, MARY LATTIMORE, & WILLIAM TYLER ($20/$22) FR 3/27 SOCCER MOMMY W/ TOMBERLIN ($18/$20) SA 3/28 ANTIBALAS ($18/$22) FR 4/3 SHOVELS & ROPE W/INDIANOLA ($25/$28)

FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA

THU-SAT

1/23-25

SUN

1/26 TUE

1/28

UNC-TV Presents

DISHOOM—A GLOBAL DANCE PARTY Featuring DJ Rang, KidEthnic and Dholi G2 Crank it Loud Presents

GRAYSCALE

THU

OVER THE RHINE

SAT

LOST DOG STREET BAND

TUE

2020 GREAT DURHAM PUN CHAMPIONSHIP

2/4

special guest CASPER ALLEN

presented by The Regulator Bookshop

January 15, 2020

SA 5/2 GUIDED BY VOICES ($30/$35) SU 5/3 THE RESIDENTS ($30/$35) TU 5/5 ANDY SHAUF W/ FAYE WEBSTER ($18/$20) MO 5/11 BARNS COURTNEY ($22/$25) TH 5/14 YOLA – WALK

SA 11/14 HOODOO GURUS

COMING SOON: AJJ, Jason Ringenberg, Blockhead, We Were Promised Jetpacks, great dane and Stayloose, While She Sleeps, David Wilcox, Paul Cauthen, Remember Jones, Gnawa LanGus, OM, Little People, Frameworks, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Post Animal, Against Me!, Asgeir, Mdou Moctar, Tiny Moving Parts, Dance With The Dead, Magic Sword, Black Atlantic, Caspian, Deafheaven, Vundabar, Shannon & the Clams, Kevin Morby, Neil Hamburger

22

MO 4/20 REAL ESTATE ($25/$28)

THROUGH FIRE WORLD TOUR W/AMYTHYST KIAH ($20/23)

Hot Mulligan / WSTR / LURK

1/30 Willy Tea Taylor 2/1

TU 4/7 ATERCIOPELADOS AND LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES ($32/$35)

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TH 1/16 QUETICO W/PHIL MOORE ($10) FR 1/17 MO LOWDA & THE HUMBLE W/ ARSON DAILY ($12/$15) SA 1/18 DJANGO FEST DAY 1 ONYX CLUB BOYS, DAVID DIGIUSEPPE & ROBBIE LINK (& WORKSHOPS) ($15/$20)

SU 1/19 DJANGO FEST DAY 2 ULTRAFAUX (& WORKSHOPS) TU 1/21 TALL HEIGHTS ($5/$7) TH 1/30 WHO RUNS THE HILL ARTIST SHOWCASE W/CAMP HOWARD ($12/$14)

WE 4/8 VETIVER ($15/ $18; FR 4/17 JILL ANDREWS ($14/$17) TU 4/21 KATIE PUITT ($10) SU 4/26 SAMMY RAE & THE FRIENDS ($12/$15)

FR 1/24 ILLITERATE LIGHT W/CAMP HOWARD ($12/$14)

LOCAL 506 (CHAPEL HILL)

FR 1/31 DAMN TALL BUILDINGS ($14/$17)

ARTSCENTER (CARRBORO)

TU 2/4 CHRIS FARREN, RETIREMENT PARTY, MACSEAL ($10/$12) SA 2/8 SEERATONES ($13/$15) SU 2/9 MC LARS W/ SCHAFFER THE DARKLORD ($15)

SA 1/18 BAILEN ($12/$15)

TU 3/24 JAMES MCMURTRY W/BONNIE WHITMORE ($22/$25) MOTORCO (DUR)

TU 2/11 WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS ($15/$17)

WE 2/11 BAY FACTION W/SUPERBODY ($12/$15)

FR 3/6 ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES W/DOWNTOWN ABBY AND THE ECHOS ($10/$12)

MO 2/17 MICHIGAN RATTLERS ($14/$17)

TU 3/17 POST ANIMAL ($15/$17)

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WE 2/19 BLACK LIPS W/WARISH ($15) TH 2/20 THE BROOK & THE BLUFF ($12/$14) SA 2/22 TIM BARRY W/ ROGER HARVEY & FRIENDS ($15)

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Your Week.

Every Wednesday. indyweek.com

D OW N TH E ROA D *

*Be on the lookout for these big names coming through the Triangle

Tove Lo

Jan. 31 The Marshall Tucker Band The Ritz, 8 p.m., $28 Feb. 6 Tove Lo The Ritz, 8 p.m., $30 Feb. 8 Whitney Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m., $25 Feb. 9 Tony Bennett DPAC, 7:30 p.m., $65+ Feb. 11 Celine Dion PNC Arena, 7:30 p.m., $125+ Feb. 28 Wye Oak Baldwin Auditorium, 8 p.m., $25 Mar. 4 Zack Brown Band PNC Arena, 7 p.m., $36+ Mar. 12 Billie Eilish PNC Arena, 7:30 p.m., $350+

PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST

Mar. 20 Michael Bublé PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $65+

Jun. 2 Local Natives Red Hat, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Mar. 21 Best Coast Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $25–$27

Jun. 2 The Lumineers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $69+

Mar. 27 Soccer Mommy Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $18–$20 Mar. 30 Mandy Moore, DPAC, 8 p.m., $30+ Apr. 15 Angel Olsen Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m., $33–$35 Apr. 20 Sharon Van Etten Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m., $28–$31 Apr. 22 Lake Street Dive DPAC, 7:30 p.m., $35+

Jun. 4 Kenny Chesney Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $100+

Jul. 10 Thomas Rhett Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, time TBD, $91+ Jul. 11 Tedeschi Trucks Band Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $84 Aug. 1 Harry Styles PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $76

Jun. 20 The Doobie Brothers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, $51+

Aug. 10 Journey, The Pretenders Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $59+

Jun. 23 Alanis Morisette Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $68+

Sep. 9 Kiss Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $81+

Jul. 4 The Black Crowes Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 8 p.m., $50

Sep. 12 Maroon 5, Meghan Trainor Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $87+

Your week.

Every Wednesday.

ARTS•NEWS•FOOD•MUSIC INDYWEEK.COM KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

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M U SIC CA L E N DA R

M

JANUARY 15–22

THURSD

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

pick

Invisible(s) The composers and performers Mazz Swift and Cristina Pato met during a residency with cellist’s Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble. Since 1998, Silkroad has promoted cultural exchange and collaboration, and Pato and Swift found synergy between the ideas they were exploring in their work. Invisible(s) is a culmination of this dialogue, a night of established and new compositions that look at the process and impact of marginalization.

Pato, a pianist and master player of the Galician bagpipes, explores the hidden struggles of women in her home country of Spain. Swift shares “16 Hits or Misses,” a Bartók-inspired work for cello and violin that is a commentary on racism and police brutality. —Josephine McRobbie

Djang Studi

Between Old Cerem is wrappin later this set. Expec sistently s folk proje Studies p viscous m matches i ing voice with soul

The Pinho

UNC’s Moeser Auditorium 8 p.m., $37

Wed. 1

The Disco B Ritz, 8 p.m. $

Girls Rock R Up The Pinh

Goalkeeper, Local 506, 8

Olivia Jean, House Music $10-$12.

Lang Owen

Mazz Swift and Cristina Pato

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

24

Planet Merc Bronze Age, Slim’s Downt

PHOTO BY XAN PADRON

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16

Olivia Jean

Grace Potter

Olivia Jean is known for fronting the all-female garage rock band, The Black Belles, as well as her time as a session player for Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. Last year, with the release of her debut album Night Owl, Jean has also emerged as a scuzzy, versatile, and formidable solo act. She’s punk, she’s surf, she’s rock, she’s Nashville, she’s bluesy and a little spooky—and it seems certain that she’ll be filling venues bigger than The Pour House very soon.

—Sarah Edwards

On last year’s intensely personal Daylight, Grace Potter returned to roots and blues rather than the slickness of her previous solo album, the spotlight back on her soulful, commanding pipes. Though Potter split from The Nocturnals four years ago, she’ll still pull liberally from their catalog. Accompanying Potter is Devon Gilfillian who, in his enthralling debut LP, infused funky, forward-thinking R&B with heady psychedelics. In his words, “I want to put this soul music on a spaceship and send it to Mars.” Mission accomplished. —Spencer Griffith

The Pour House Music Hall 9 p.m., $10–$12

The Ritz 8 p.m., $36

January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

Thu. 1/

20th Centu Local 506, 8

Barishi, WV Coven, Bloo Leachate Th 8:30 p.m. $1

Bark And H Blue Note G

Eyeball, Tom Cage, Solm Pour House 8 p.m. $5.

Gutted Chr Alive, Moro Slim’s Down $7 suggested

M U SIC CA L E N DA R THURSDAY, JANUARY 16

Django Haskins, Sun Studies, Anne-Claire Between recording new albums with The Old Ceremony and Au Pair, Django Haskins is wrapping up work on a solo record due later this year, which he’ll draw from for this set. Expect an eclectic approach with consistently stellar lyricism and hooks. The cozy folk project of Schooner’s Reid Johnson, Sun Studies pairs his distinctive baritone with viscous melodies. Anne-Claire, meanwhile, matches intimate songwriting with a striking voice that balances her operatic talent with soulful delivery. —Spencer Griffith The Pinhook 7:30 p.m., $10

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17– SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival Django Reinhardt, the great Romani guitarist who famously played with only two fingers, still looms large over the world of gypsy jazz.

His legacy will be on full display over three days of performances, workshops, and jam sessions in and around the Cat’s Cradle Back Room. During the day, members of the Onyx Club Boys will lead workshops on hot jazz techniques; during the evenings, there will be feature a performance by the acoustic ensemble Ultrafaux. —Dan Ruccia Cat’s Cradle Various times, $15–$25

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22

Infinity Crush, Fust, and Magic Tuber Stringband Over the last seven years, Caroline White has taken Infinity Crush from a prolific lo-fi project and refined it with matured songwriting and higher quality production, while still maintaining its bedroom-pop allure.

Love and lust are central topics in White’s lyrics; her celestial voice dissects those topics on 2019’s Virtual Heaven. Simple guitar picking and luscious soundscapes weave into a melancholy yet mesmerizing backdrop for White’s confessions. Brooklyn-based noirfolk act Fust and unconventional old-timers Magic Tuber Stringband open. —Sam Haw

Present this coupon for

Member Admission Price (Not Valid for Special Events, expires 01-20)

919-6-TEASER for directions and information

www.teasersmensclub.com 156 Ramseur St. Durham, NC

Duke Coffeehouse 8:30 p.m., $5

An Adult Nightclub Open 7 Days/week • Hours 7pm - 2am

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Love ? y d n i e h t

Wed. 1/15 The Disco Biscuits The Ritz, 8 p.m. $41.

Girls Rock Roulette Meet Up The Pinhook, 6 p.m.

Goalkeeper, Come Clean Local 506, 8 p.m. $10-$13.

Olivia Jean, Them! Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $10-$12.

Lang Owen Arcana, 8 p.m.

Planet Mercury, The Bronze Age, With Clarity Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5.

Olivia Jean performs at The Pour House on Wednesday, January 15.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG HASSLE MEDIA

Thu. 1/16 20th Century Boy Local 506, 8 p.m. $5.

Barishi, WVRM, Ether Coven, Blood Ritual, Leachate The Maywood, 8:30 p.m. $10.

Bark And Hart Blue Note Grill, 7 p.m.

Eyeball, Tomb of Nick Cage, Solmen Shapes Pour House Music Hall, 8 p.m. $5.

Gutted Christ, Gutted Alive, Morose Vitality Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $7 suggested.

@TeasersDurham

Django Haskins, Sun Studies, Anne-Claire The Pinhook, 7:30 p.m. $10.

Michal Menert, Late Night Radio Motorco Music Hall, 9 p.m. $17-$20.

Pinegrove Schoolkids Records Raleigh, 7 p.m.

Grace Potter, Devon Gilfillian The Ritz, 8 p.m. $36.

Quetico, Phil Moore, Chessa Rich Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8:30 p.m. $10.

Emily Stewart, Laura VIncent Arcana, 8 p.m.

The Dead South, The Hooten Hollers, Danny Olliver The Ritz, 8 p.m. $22.

Lair, Forest of Legend, Kult Ikon Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $7 suggested.

Carbon Leaf, Red Wanting Blue, The Alternate Routes Motorco Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. $23-$31.

Jeremy Denk & Stefan Jackiw with New York Polyphony Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 8 p.m. $36-$42.

Tyler Meacham, Victoria Victoria, Sonny Miles The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

Carrboro Django Fest Opening Night The Station, 7:30 p.m.

Drekka, Timber Rattle, Governance Duke Coffeehouse, 9 p.m. $5.

Mo Lowda & the Humble, Arson Daily, The End of America Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8:30 p.m. $10-$15.

Cosmic Charlie: Grateful Dead Tribute Cat’s Cradle, 8:30 p.m. $12-$15.

Gravy Boys Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. $12.

Mojo Collins Blue Note Grill, 9 p.m. $10.

Icarus Airlines, Young Cardinals, The Geb The Wicked Witch, 8 p.m. $12.

Mountain Man Durham Fruit Company, 8 p.m.

Sold out.

Fri. 1/17 Capitalist, Night Quill, Sunday Girl The Maywood, 9 p.m. $8.

North Carolina Symphony: The Music of Elton John Meymandi Concert Hall, Showtimes: Fri.: 8 p.m. Sat.: 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. $69-80.

Cristina Pato & Mazz Swift UNC Campus: Hill Hall, 8 p.m. $37.

Project 919 Band Rhythms Live Music Hall, 9 p.m. $15.

Shaquim Muldrow Quintet Sharp Nine Gallery, 8 p.m. $20.

State of Uncertainity, Flesh Tuxedo, Self-Help Local 506, 9 p.m. $7.

e Support th businesses that ... support us

S hop local!

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January 15, 2020

25

M U SIC CA L E N DA R Karim, Stadler, Ansley Nightlight, 8:30 p.m. $9.

Sun. 1/19

Mon. 1/20

Motown Throwdown Tribute Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m. $30-40.

David Arcus St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 3 p.m. $10.

TURKUAZ, Neal Francis Lincoln Theatre, 9 p.m. $17.

Mountain Man Durham Fruit Company, 8 p.m.

Sold out.

But You Can Call Me John Pour House Music Hall, 3 p.m.

40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Musical Celebration Meymandi Concert Hall, 5:30 p.m.

Sat. 1/18

Mystery Ranch, Lester Coalbanks & the Seven Sorrows The Station, 9 p.m.

Eugene Chadbourne, Molly Chadbourne, Daniel Hall Arcana, 8 p.m.

Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $22-$25.

Nightly, The Wldlfe, Sawyer Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $9-$15.

Cookie Tongue, Evil English, Curtis Eller The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

Urin, Public Acid, Cammo, Cochonne, Huffer Nightlight, 9 p.m.

Django Fest Day 2 Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 4:30 p.m. Ultrafaux. $20- $25.

Tue. 1/21

Treehouse, Signal Fire, Ashley Larue Band Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $7-$12.

Travis Tritt Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m. $55-65.

Algiers Schoolkids Records Raleigh, 7 p.m.

American Authors, Magic Giant, Public Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $25-$28.

Bailen Local 506, 8 p.m. $12-$15.

Logan Butler, Gabe Dansereau Quartet Sharp Nine Gallery, 8 p.m. $20.

Citizen Cope Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. $33.

Jesse Cook Fletcher Opera Theater, 8 p.m. $33-45.

Dance Party The Fruit, 10:30 p.m.

Django Fest Day 1 Onyx Club Boys, David DiGiuseppe, Robbie Link.

Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $15-$20.

Goth Night The Wicked Witch, 9 p.m. $10.

Paisley Fields, Charles Latham, Severed Fingers The Pinhook, 8:30 p.m. $5.

Queen Bee and the Honeylovers Arcana, 9 p.m.

Doc Branch Band Blue Note Grill, 5 p.m.

Silent Disco The Ritz, 9 p.m. $8-$15.

Loamlands, The Muslims The Pinhook, 8 p.m. $10.

Hank Smith, Shawn Chase Pour House Music Hall, 5 p.m.

Mountain Man Durham Fruit Company, 7 p.m. $25.

Chris Smither Blue Note Grill, 8 p.m. $30.

Swedish Wood Patrol, Certain Seas Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. $10 suggested.

Weatherworn, 90 Proof Therapist, Indiobravo, Lazarus Pit The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

IAMDYNAMITE, Swim Down, Harrison Ford Mustang Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5.

The Night Rider Turns 2 The Night Rider, 7 p.m.

State Of The Secretary, Sun Not Yellow Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5.

Sunsp.T. Pour House Music Hall, 5 p.m.

The Yardarm Pour House Music Hall, 7 p.m.

Atomic Rhythm All-Stars Neptunes Parlour, 8 p.m. $5.

Blackalicious, Rowdy Motorco Music Hall, 8 p.m. $18-$20.

Few Good Things, LunchBox Hero, ZEALOTROUS, Sweet Homé Slim’s Downtown, 8 p.m. $5.

Homepatients, Moose, Noah Cross The Night Rider, 7:30 p.m. $5.

Keith Koons UNC Campus: Hill Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Jesse Malin, Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts, Kelly Swindall Kings, 8 p.m. $15-$18.

Three Dog Night, Charlie Farren Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m. $55-80.

Wed. 1/22 Baby Copperhead, Juan Huevos, Mark Gabriel Little The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

Choo Choo Anoo, Geoff Clapp The Station, 7 p.m.

Fust, Infinity Crush, Magic Tuber Stringband Duke Coffeehouse, 9 p.m. $5.

Andrew Nye Slim’s Downtown, 10 p.m.

The World, Inferno Friendship Society, Ancestor Piratas Local 506, 8:30 p.m. $15.

Ben Youngblood, State of the Secretary, Old Cartoons Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $7-$10.

Grace Potter plays at the Ritz on Thursday, January 16.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RITZ

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January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

review

HHH 1/2

One-Stop Break Shop

BY BRIAN HOWE bhowe@indyweek.com

“Can we get a UK garage revival already?” Mixmag asked last spring. And lo and behold, a new Durham record label comes through.

Kir (Sarah Damsky) has been putting in work in Durham for a minute; you might have caught one of her regular Monday-night sets at Quarter Horse with her DJ partner, Swung (Simon Briggs), or at Raund Haus’s recent New Year’s Eve party at Motorco.

Now the pair is venturing into releasing local electronic music, a needed endeavor, and its first release is an enticing hint of things to come.

On New Year’s Day, Kir & Swung quietly launched their new label, Maison Fauna, with a one-take live-hardware mixtape by Kir (find it at soundcloud. com/itiskir). While focusing on Durham artists and encouraging them to release prolifically, they intend to plant their label’s flag in UK garage before branching into adjacent genres. This release tidily accomplishes step one.

You don’t need a PhD in electronic music to recognize the shuffled, syncopated strains of UK garage, which have been ramifying through dance and pop music since the ravey nineties, sowing choppy claps, scudding bass, and time-shifted samples all over the place.

Kir’s one-channel Korg Electribe recording may be more of a mission statement than a canonical release, but don’t let “one-take” fool you—this thing is surprisingly polished, and it slaps. Her sound has an elegant gleam, clasping space clearly yet tightly, and she plays samples lyrically against the beat, rather than letting them be engulfed by it.

The dubby opening reaches melt into an alien pop march; sweeping drum-and-bass architecture rises under chords that hover like UFOs before a playful, almost jazzy finish. This isn’t just a breakbeat workout; these are detailed, engaging compositions. On their evidence if a label is just someone’s taste with a title, then Maison Fauna promises to be tasty indeed.

Kir’s Live Hardware Mixtape Maison Fauna, Jan. 1

INDYWEEK.COM

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Every Wednesday.

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January 15, 2020

27

A RT

ART’S WORK IN THE AGE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: SHAPING OUR GENETIC FUTURES

Through Sunday, March 15 | The Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh | gregg.arts.ncsu.edu “Myostatin, Double Muscle”

by Maria McKinney in Art’s Work PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREGG

Make Your Own Luck At the crossroads of art and biotechnology, a warning: Be careful what you wish for.

BY BRIAN HOWE

bhowe@indyweek.com

W

here do we draw the lines dividing art from science, natural from unnatural, and boldness from hubris?

An exhibit at N.C. State’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design doesn’t answer these questions. Instead, it offers head-spinning new ways to ask them at the nexus of art and biotechnology, sharpening our insight into the field’s future and expanding our understanding of it into the past.

These hard-to-classify collaborations between artists and scientists seethe with hot-button issues related to ethics, privacy, human nature, and more. But if they have one message in common, it’s to be careful what you wish for.

Art’s Work in the Age of Biotechnology: Shaping Our Genetic Futures is the result of more than two years of planning led by Molly Renda, the exhibit program librarian at N.C. State University Libraries, and the university’s Genetic Engineering and Society Center. Guest-curated by Hannah Star Rogers, who studies the intersection of art and science, the main exhibit at the Gregg has annexes in Hill and Hunt libraries.

On a recent tour of the exhibit, Renda and Fred Gould, the codirector of the GESC, said that they wanted to bring artists into the welter of science-and-design innovation taking place at the university because their differing perspectives on fundamental human issues create balance, tension, and discovery.

“In the course of this, I’ve found that artists tend to be more dystopian and designers are more utopian,” Renda says.

“There are different ways of knowing things,” Gould adds. “That’s why Molly came up with the name: not artwork, but art’s work. What is an artist supposed to do?”

Some pieces take on the dangers of day-after-tomorrow DNA testing and engineering technology. Heather Dewey-Hagborg is best known for “Probably Chelsea,” a piece in which she collected DNA samples from Chelsea 28

January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

Manning and generated thirty-two possible portraits of the soldier and activist.

The Gregg is showing a similar piece in which Dewey-Hagborg harvested DNA from cigarette butts and gum she found on the street and created probable—but not definite—replicas of the litterers’ faces, which hang on the walls above the specimens. Dewey-Hagborg demonstrates not only the unnerving extent of what’s currently possible with DNA testing, but also the limits, which create misidentification risks.

Other pieces probe how biotechnology might reshape life as we know it. In a film and a sculpture representing an ancient Greek rite for women, Charlotte Jarvis raises the possibility of creating female sperm, based on the idea that, because stem cells are undifferentiated, you could theoretically teach women’s stem cells to develop into sperm.

Still other pieces pointedly poke holes in the boundary between science and art. Adam Zaretsky’s “Errorarium” looks like a cross between an arcade cabinet and a terrarium. It houses a few genetically modified Arabidopsis specimens, which Gould calls the “white mice” of research plants. When you turn the knobs, it changes the sonic parameters of a synthesizer, notionally testing the effects of the sound on the mutant plants.

It doesn’t really do anything—or does it? Zaretsky’s experiment with no hypothesis is a playful tweak on science with something a little dangerous in the background.

Joe Davis, a bio-art pioneer, touches on something similar in his piece, which consists of documentation of an experiment where mice roll dice to determine if luck can be bred. Renda says that Davis couldn’t get permission to run the test (universities are wary of drawing atten-

tion for ridiculous-seeming experiments), so he did it as conceptual art at N.C. State, instead.

It’s notable that two artists home in on luck, one of many human concepts that genetic engineering, which will allow us to take control of our bodies and environment in untested ways, will transform. In “We Make Our Own Luck Here,” Ciara Redmond has bred four-leaf clovers (without genetic modification), which ruins them—they’re luck’s evidence, not its cause. This whimsical iteration of unconsidered consequences raises a serious question: What else are we not thinking of?

“When we worry about biotechnology, we usually worry that our food is going to be dangerous,” Gould says. “But sometimes you wish for something that’s rare: What happens when biotechnology makes it available to you?”

The exhibit takes an expansive view of biotechnology.

Maria McKinney uses semen-extraction straws to sculpt proteins from double-muscled breeding bulls, underscoring that we’ve been tampering with life since long before CRISPR. Biotech feels radically new, but it’s revealed as part of a centuries-long process.

Another part of the exhibit, which closed at the end of October but can still be experienced through virtual reality at the Gregg, was From Teosinte to Tomorrow, Renda’s land-art project at the North Carolina Museum of Art. In what was essentially a walk back through agricultural history, a bed of teosinte, which is thought to be the ancestor of modern maize, waited at the center of a corn maze.

“That teosinte was in some sense genetically enhanced by subsistence farmers in Mexico since the time of the Aztecs,” Gould says. “Now we’re doing it in the laboratory with the same genes—so what’s the difference? Art’s work is to make us think and question.” W

A RT

EMILY BAXTER

Reception: Friday, January 17, 5–8 p.m. | Through Sunday, Feb. 16 | Arcana, Durham | arcanadurham.com

“It’s Cool, I’m White” PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY BAXTER

Sins of Omission In “We Are All Criminals,” the activist Emily Baxter focuses not on who has been convicted, but who hasn’t

BY SARAH EDWARDS sedwards@indyweek.com

E

mily Baxter never set out to be a photographer.

Baxter, who now lives in Durham and runs the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, was a Minnesota public defender for years before she grew frustrated with the narratives around incarceration and “fell out of love with the law.” She began taking photographs of topics related to incarceration, in hopes that they might drive home statistics that can be hard to process abstractly.

In Focus: Injustice in America, an exhibit of six of Baxter’s photo series at Arcana, humanizes those statistics and paints a distressing portrait of mass incarceration in the United States. The exhibit, the first in which all of Baxter’s work has appeared together, runs through February 16.

Several of the photo series are narrative.

The most unusual and longest-running project draws on Baxter’s experience as a legal professional. “We Are All Criminals” (WAAC) is a documentary policy project

in which people—most of them white, and many of them doctors, lawyers, or professors; positions they never would have been able to achieve with a criminal conviction— hold up a written response to the prompt, “What have you had the luxury to forget?” (“Weed and Ivy League Privilege,” says one sign; “Drugs in Purse now” reads another. ) When she initially put out the call for interviews on listservs in 2012, Baxter was flooded with responses. Soon, with the help of a two-year Bush Foundation Fellowship, she began driving across the state; the project turned into a non-profit and later, a book.

Many people can agree that we have an overwhelmingly punitive and racist criminal-justice system. The war on drugs, stopand-frisk policies, three-strike laws, and prosecutorial overreach have all driven up incarceration rates since the 1970s, resulting in the highest incarceration rate in the world. According to a 2018 U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report, African-American

adults are five times as likely to be convicted of a crime as white adults.

Rather than focusing on the impact of incarceration, though, Baxter’s series flips the script and focuses on those who have been able to get away with crimes—which, according to her, is all of us. “One in four people have been convicted of a crime,” she estimates, “But four out of four people have committed a crime.”

Although “We Are All Criminals” is provocatively named, the point is less that we’re all terrible people than that a criminal record tells us very little about a person’s static characteristics. Some people Baxter spoke with had a particular misdemeanor weighing on them—a wild night out, a dormroom drug deal—while others had to carefully interrogate their history before events rose to the surface: possession of a false ID, buying alcohol for a minor, drinking out of an open container, trespassing, jaywalking, shoplifting. Any of these offenses can fade into the background if you are white and making choices in a system designed to give you second chances.

Or, these events can result in an outsized conviction and ruin your life.

Two of Baxter’s other series look at the ripple effects of incarceration and conviction. “At All Costs” explores the North Carolina ACLU’s efforts to address escalating court fines and fees. “On the Row in Prison and at Home” examines the effects of capital punishment, focusing on the story of Henry McCollum, an intellectually disabled North Carolina man who was sentenced to death row in 1984 at the age of nineteen for a crime he did not commit.

When McCollum was exonerated in 2014, he was the state’s longest-serving death row prisoner; his story made national news when scammers preyed on his $1 million compensation, pushing him into debt. Baxter has a striking eye, and her photos of McCollum tell a wrenching story about life after incarceration. Although North Carolina has not executed anyone since 2006—causing many people in the state, as Baxter points out, to forget about the death penalty—capital punishment has a devastating effect on anyone who has come close to it.

“As long as death is on the table,” Baxter says, “anything becomes palatable.”

The three other projects on display at Arcana offer a more historical lens on injustice. “Roots of Braggtown” documents Durham’s Braggtown neighborhood—just minutes away from Arcana—and the descendants of people enslaved at Stagville Plantation, while “Grace Goes Home: The Lost Ones” is a personal look at a generation of Indigenous children forced into boarding schools in Alaska. “SEEN” features work from the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

These are all worthy if expansive subjects to absorb in the murky glow of the basement setting. The number of projects included favors breadth at the expense of depth; hopefully, these stories can get more room to breathe in subsequent exhibits. Make sure to pick up one of the detailed information packets and the cards that feature action items for each series—a fundraiser, a link to more reading material—to follow through on these photographs’ galvanizing energy. W

“‘What have you had the luxury to forget?’ (‘Weed and Ivy League Privilege,’ says one sign, ‘Drugs in Purse now’ reads another. )” KeepItINDY.com

January 15, 2020

29

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R arts

JANUARY 15-22

Opening

Ongoing

A Creative Protest: MLK Comes to Durham

5 Points Gallery Six Month Celebration Group show.

Jan. 16-Feb. 17. 5 Points Gallery, Durham.

Lety Alvarez, Pepe Caudillo, Allison Coleman Paintings. Through Jan. 25.

Artspace, Raleigh.

5 Points Six Month Celebration Reception Group show. Fri., Jan 17.

6 p.m. 5 Points Gallery, Durham.

Scott Avett: INVISIBLE Screenprints and paintings. Through Feb. 2. NC Museum of Art, Raleigh.

On the tragic day of April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, he was originally scheduled to visit Durham, where, eight years earlier, he delivered his “Creative Protest” speech to a congregation inside of White Rock Baptist Church. “The choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence; it is between violence and nonexistence,” Dr. King had said. “All the darkness in the world cannot obscure the light of a single candle.” So, for the next four months, until April 5, the Museum of Durham History’s newest exhibit will highlight Dr. King’s various visits to Durham and his connection to the city’s civil rights history.

Friday evening’s reception will feature opening remarks from former Durham state senator Floyd McCissick Jr., alongside music and light refreshments.

—Eric Tullis

Artist Talk: Amending American Art, Making Space for Black History Conversation with Titus Kaphar. Thu, Jan 16. 5 p.m.

Nasher Museum of Art, Durham.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

Museum of Durham History, Durham FREE, 6–8 p.m.

A Creative Protest: MLK Comes to Durham Opening Reception Exhibit of stories from Durham residents. Fri, Jan 17. 6 p.m. Museum of Durham History, Durham.

Ryan Fox: It’s Easier To Be A Painter. Jan 16-Feb 17.

5 Points Gallery, Durham.

H&B and Friends Satellite Gallery Reception Fri., Jan 17. 5 p.m. Horse & Buggy Press Pop-Up Shop, Durham.

Happy Hour No. 28 at Vert & Vogue: Dr. Valerie Hillings Artist talk with the Director and CEO of NC Museum of Art. Fri, Jan 17.

5:30 p.m. Vert & Vogue, Durham.

Radical Repair Workshop Interactive art project. Fri., Jan 17. 6 p.m. CCB Plaza, Durham.

Saba Taj: Artist Talk and Opening Reception Wed., Jan 15. 6 p.m. Perkins and Will, Durham.

Telvin Wallace: CARE FOR ME Prints and paintings.

Jan 17-Feb 16. Durham Arts Council, Durham.

Winter Wonderland Group show. Fri., Jan 17. Bull City Art & Frame Co, Durham.

Art of Mental Health Mixed media. Through Jan. 24.

Rubenstein Art Center Gallery 235, Durham.

Art’s Work in the Age of Biotechnology Other exhibits at NC State Libraries and GES Center. Through Mar. 15. Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh.

John James Audubon: The Birds of America Ornithological engravings.

Through Dec. 31. NC Museum of Art, Raleigh.

John Beerman: The Shape of Light Paintings. Through Jan. 25. Craven Allen Gallery, Durham.

Christopher Bickford: Legends of the Sandbar Photos. Through Feb. 15.

Through This Lens, Durham.

Lois Blasberg, Suzanne Love, Dr. Jane Steelman Mixed media. Through Jan. 28. Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary.

Megan Bostic, Andy Mauery, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas: Hairstory Art made of human hair.

Through Feb. 29.

Artspace, Raleigh.

Michelle Brinegar Through Apr. 11. Saladelia Cafe, Durham.

Cornelio Campos: My Roots Paintings. Through Mar. 12. Durham Arts Council, Durham.

Kennedi Carter: Godchild Photography. Through Jan. 31. 21c Museum Hotel, Durham.

Compose and Materialize Group show. Through Mar. 7. Durham Arts Council, Durham.

Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations Mixed media. Through Mar. 1. Nasher Museum of Art, Durham.

Rev. Douglas Moore, Rev. Dr. King, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Lacy Streeter walking on Main St. in 1960.

SUBMIT! Submit your event details at indyweek.com/submit#cals by 5 p.m.

Wednesday for the following week’s issue. QUESTIONS? spequeno@indyweek.com

Stephen Costello: Places Sculpture. Reception: November 16, 5-7 p.m.

Through Jan. 25. Craven Allen Gallery, Durham.

Fantastic Fauna-Chimeric Creatures Folk art. Through Jan. 26. Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh.

Fine Contemporary Craft Through Feb. 1. Artspace, Raleigh.

Joe Frank: At the Dark End of the Bar Radio shows. Through Feb. 25.

Lump, Raleigh.

The Full Light of Day Group show of artists with disabilities. Through Mar. 6. VAE Raleigh, Raleigh.

Abie Harris: Painting Music Through Mar. 1.

The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist, Chapel Hill.

Shelly Hehenberger, Luna Lee Ray, R.J.Dobbs Mixed media and sculpture.

Through Mar. 7. FRANK Gallery, Chapel Hill.

Here to Hear // Hear to Here Interactive audio installation. Through Feb. 16. Rubenstein Arts Center at Duke University, Durham.

Horse & Buggy and Friends: Satellite Parrish Street Gallery Group show.

Through Apr. 1. Horse & Buggy Press Pop-Up Shop, Durham.

Instruments of Divination in Africa: Works from the Collection of Rhonda Morgan Wilkerson, Ph.D. Sculpture and objects used in divination. Through Jun. 7. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.

Danielle James: Secondhand Salon Neon art. Through Feb. 7. VAE Raleigh, Raleigh.

Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism Paintings. Through Jan. 26. NC Museum of Art, Raleigh.

Jeana Eve Klein & Anne Hill: Meditative Obsessive Mixed media.

Through Feb 29. Horse & Buggy Press and Friends, Durham.

Law and Justice: The Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1819- 2019 Artifacts, images, texts.

Through May 31. NC Museum of History, Raleigh.

Let It Sale, Let It Sale, Let It Sale! Mixed media.

Through Jan. 31. Local Color Gallery, Raleigh.

George McKim Paintings.

Through Feb. 2. Horace Williams House, Chapel Hill.

Eleanor Mills: Wildflowers of Crested Butte, Colorado Photography. Through Apr. 18. Duke Campus: Lilly Library, Durham.

My Kid Could Paint That Child art and mixed media.

Through Jan. 31. The ArtsCenter, Carrboro.

Organized Chaos #1: Geometric Shapes & Patterns Paintings. Through Mar. 10. Triangle Cultural Art Gallery, Raleigh.

Paintings From The Estate of Robert Broderson Through Feb. 9. Gallery C, Raleigh.

Anthony Patterson: Gifts from my Grandfather Paintings and mixed media. Through Jan. 25.

Artspace, Raleigh.

Portraying Power and Identity: A Global Perspective Mixed media.

Through Jan. 31. 21c Museum Hotel, Durham.

Property of the People: The Foundations of the NCMA, 1924–1945 Photography.

Through Feb. 9. NC Museum of Art, Raleigh.

QuiltSpeak: Uncovering Women’s Voices Through Quilts Through Mar. 8.

NC Museum of History, Raleigh.

Cheryl Thurber: Documenting Gravel Springs, Mississippi, in the 1970s Photography.

Through Mar. 31. UNC Campus: Wilson Special Collections Library, Chapel Hill.

Matt Tomko Paintings.

Through Apr. 12. Mad Hatter Bakeshop & Cafe, Durham. ¡Viva Viclas!: The Art of the Lowrider Motorcycle Designed motorcycles.

Through Feb. 9. CAM Raleigh, Raleigh.

Wintertide Oil paintings.

Through Feb. 1. V L Rees Gallery, Raleigh.

Residents Showcase Paintings. Through Jan. 23.

Litmus Gallery, Raleigh.

Resolutions 2020 2D & 3D media. Through Jan. 26. Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, Hillsborough.

Leanne Shapton: La Donna Del Lago Painting and photography. Through Feb. 25. Lump, Raleigh.

Sydney Steen: Fault Lines Vignettes. Through Oct. 25. 21c Museum Hotel, Durham.

etc.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16 & FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

Black Images, Black Histories In his essay for The New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project” issue, writer Wesley Morris examines how the period of blackface minstrelsy gave the country “an entertainment of skill, ribaldry and polemics,” and how “it also lent racism a stage upon which existential fear could become jubilation, contempt could become fantasy.” This and all other manners of black aesthetics that have powered through a 400-year canon of rage, resilience, and brilliance will be discussed during a series of lectures, panels, and presentations by visiting and resident African diasporic scholars for this two-day conference sponsored by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute as part of its World Arts speaker series. This conference is free and open to the public. —Eric Tullis Duke’s Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall, Durham FREE, Various times

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF DURHAM HISTORY

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January 15, 2020

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C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good. Thu., Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Regulator Bookshop, Durham.

Erica Witsell Give.

Thu., Jan. 16, 7 p.m.

Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

page

Durham preacher, writer, and activist Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s new book aims to transform the idea that Christianity belongs to the religious right, Christian nationalists, or the powerful who biblically justify iniquitous doings. Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good instead highlights divine love found in marginalized communities, exploring faith as it relates to immigration, women’s rights, the environment, and other relevant issues. —Rachel Rockwell The Regulator Bookshop, Durham FREE, 7 p.m.

Readings JP Gritton Wyoming. Wed, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

Jeffrey Beam An Elizabethan Bestiary: Retold. Thu., Jan. 16, 6 p.m.

Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh.

Vanessa Bradley-Newton Just Like Me. Tue., Jan. 21, 6 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

E. Patrick Johnson Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women.

Wed., Jan. 22, 7 p.m.

Regulator Bookshop, Durham.

Lectures Chris Cameron: Black Freethought from Slavery to Civil Rights $5. Mon., Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, Raleigh.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson MLK Lecture and Awards Ceremony.

Wed., Jan. 22, 7 p.m. UNC Campus: Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill.

Rachael Brooks Beads.

Sat., Jan. 18, 2 p.m.

McIntyre’s Books, Pittsboro.

Caroline McAlister Finding Narnia. Sat., Jan. 18, 11 a.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

Fred & Susan Chappell As If It Were. Sat., Jan. 18, 11 a.m. McIntyre’s Books, Pittsboro.

Kelly Starling Lyons Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon.

Sat., Jan. 18, 3:30 p.m.

NorthStar Church of the Arts, City of Durham.

JP Gritton Wyoming. Wed., Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

David Zucchino Wilmington’s Lie: T he Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy. Tue., Jan. 21, 7 p.m. Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh.

Andrew Gillum: MLK Keynote Sun., Jan. 19, 3 p.m. Duke Campus: Duke Chapel, Durham.

Jaki Shelton Green Wed., Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Carolina Friends School, Durham.

The Monti StorySLAM: Resolutions Wed., Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, Durham.

Mike Wiley: Breach of Peace Sat., Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. Cary Arts Center, Cary.

FOR OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITY CALENDAR: INDYWEEK.COM

David Zucchino Wilmington’s Lie 7pm HOW TO WRITE FOR COMICS WORKSHOP 1.24-25 with Jeremy Whitley (registration required) Stephen Hough 1.26 Rough Ideas: Reflections on Music and More 2pm Andrew Rea Binging with Babish 4pm (SIGNING ONLY) 1.21

1.28

Scott Reintgen Ashlords 7pm

www.quailridgebooks.com • 919.828.1588 • North Hills 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST: BOOKIN’ w/Jason Jefferies

1/24-26

“HELLO, I’M JOHNNY CASH”

PRESENTED BY DAVID BURNEY RUMORS PRESENTED BY ONE SONG STAGED READING: DESERT SONG 1/18

BY MARK CORNELL (FREE EVENT) 1/23 POPUP CHORUS (WHAM!, TOTO, MILEY CYRUS) 2/9 JOAN OSBORNE 3/13 LEAHY

1/17-19

Get tickets at artscenterlive.org

Follow us: @artscenterlive • 300-G East Main St., Carrboro, NC

BILL BURTON ATTORNEY AT LAW Un c o n t e s t e d Di vo rc e

SEPARATION AGREEMENTS Mu s i c Bu s i n eDIVORCE ss Law UNCONTESTED In c o r p oBUSINESS r a t i o n / LLAW LC / MUSIC Pa r t n e r s h i p INCORPORATION/LLC Wi lls WILLS

C o l l967-6159 ections (919)

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S CC

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

Only Lovers L $8. Mon., Jan Alamo Draft

stage

Possessed $7 Jan. 22, 7 p.m Theatre, Dur

Opening

Prosecuting Extraordinar Ben Ferencz 7 p.m. Ahma Lecture Hall

Amazing Grace Staged reading. Sat., Jan. 18, 2 p.m. The Cary Theater, Cary.

Sarah Colonna Comedy. Showtimes: Fri. & Sat.: 7 p.m. & 10 p.m. Sun.: 7 p.m. $21-25. Jan. 17-19.

Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh.

Sense And S out. Sun., Jan Alamo Draft

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime Raleigh Little Theatre. $14-$27. Thu-Sat: 8 p.m. Sun: 3 p.m. Jan. 17-Feb. 2. Raleigh Little Theatre, Raleigh.

Sixty Six Sat 7 p.m. Ruben Center - Film Durham.

Daddazz and Melissa MC Comedy. $25. Thu., Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh.

Synonyms Th 7 p.m. Ruben Center - Film Durham.

Desert Song Staged reading. Sat., Jan. 18, 2 p.m.

The ArtsCenter, Carrboro.

Everybody Play. Showtimes: Tue.-Sat.: 7 p.m. Sun.: 2 p.m. Feb. 1 only: 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. $15+. Jan. 22.Feb. 10. Center for Dramatic Art, Chapel Hill.

Host Showdown Comedy. $10. Wed., Jan. 22, 8 p.m. Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh.

Huggy Lowdown, Chris Paul Comedy. Showtimes: Fri.: 7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m. Sat.: 6 p.m. & 9 p.m. Sun.: 7 p.m. $20. Jan. 17-19. Raleigh Improv, Cary.

Chelsea Keyes, Stefanie Stewart Comedy. $10.

Sat., Jan. 18, 9:30 p.m. The People’s Improv Theater (PIT), Chapel Hill.

One Song Productions: Rumors Play. Showtimes: Fri. & Sat: 7 p.m. Sun.: 3 p.m. $10. Fri, Jan. 17, Jan. 17-19. The ArtsCenter, Carrboro.

Mike Palascak, Mark Brady Comedy. $15. Fri., Jan. 17, 8 p.m. The Cary Theater, Cary.

Ridin Wit’ Joe Crack Musical. Sat., Jan. 18, 1 p.m.

Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Ongoing Come From Away Musical. Showtimes: Jan. 14-16, 7:30 p.m. Jan 17, 8 p.m. Jan 18, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Jan 19, 1 p.m. & 7 p.m. $32+. Through Jan. 19, Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham.

Tremors Sold Jan. 21, 7 p.m Drafthouse,

Varda by Agnès

film

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DUKE SCREEN SOCIETY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

Varda by Agnès “Three words are important to me,” the late French director Agnès Varda explains in her final film. “Inspiration, creation, sharing.” This is Varda’s pedagogy, inseparable from her filmography: a sixty-year, multi-genre oeuvre of radical vision and collaged homage. The retrospective Varda by Agnès arrives a decade after docu-memoir The Beaches of Agnes, which cheekily roll-calls the all-male French New Wave before asking, “Et toi, la Varda?”

Her genius needs no defending. But each of Varda’s films is an answer, a gesture, a gift: Voilà. —Michaela Dwyer The Rubenstein, Durham FREE, 7 p.m.

Special Showings

Color Out of Space Showtimes: 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. $10. Wed., Jan. 22, Carolina Theatre, Durham.

All the President’s Men $15. Wed, Jan. 15, 2 p.m. Chelsea Theater, Chapel Hill.

Commando $7. Wed, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Carolina Theatre, Durham.

The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou? $10. Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m.

Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Breakin’ $10. Sun., Jan. 19, 6 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

The Crying Game $6. Wed, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. The Cary Theater, Cary.

DAR HE: The Lynching of Emmett Till Sun., Jan. 19, 3 p.m. The Cary Theater, Cary.

From Beyond $7. Wed, Jan. 15, 9 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Hackers $9 wheelchair spaces available.

Everything else sold out.

Mon., Jan. 20, 9 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Legend $8. Sat., Jan. 18, 2 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

The Linguini Incident Donation suggested.

Thu., Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Shadowbox Studio, Durham.

Lost Highway Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m. Lump, Raleigh.

The Maltese Falcon $5.

Mon., Jan. 20, 7 p.m. Rialto Theatre, Raleigh.

January 15, 2020

INDYweek.com

The Wild On Jan. 15, 7 p.m Drafthouse,

Openin

Bad Boys fo cop comedy life crisis. Pro Smith. Rated

A Hidden Lif Malick takes emotograph furtive interi story of a ma to fight for N Rated PG-13

Now P

The INDY us Mandy $8. Fri., Jan. 17, rating scale.

10 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, have not bee Raleigh. our writers.

1917—Yet an film; this one Sam Mendes

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VHYES Show Fri.-Sun.: 8:3 Mon.-Thurs.: Jan. 17-23, A Drafthouse,

Dolittle—Ro Jr. plays the vetenarian in action repris

The Sinful Six Comedy. $12. Wed, Jan. 15, 8 p.m.

Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh.

RECYCLE THIS PAPER

Varda by Agn 17, 7 p.m. Ru Center - Film Durham.

S ER NE CCalendar CC UR LTEU A L E NDA R Only Lovers Left Alive $8. Mon., Jan. 20, 7 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Possessed $7. Wed., Jan. 22, 7 p.m. Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz Wed., Jan. 22, 7 p.m. Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall, Durham.

Sense And Sensibility Sold out. Sun., Jan. 19, 2 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Sixty Six Sat., Jan. 18, 7 p.m. Rubenstein Arts Center - Film Theater, Durham.

Synonyms Thu., Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Rubenstein Arts Center - Film Theater, Durham.

Tremors Sold out. Tue., Jan. 21, 7 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Varda by Agnes Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m. Rubenstein Arts Center - Film Theater, Durham.

VHYES Showtimes: Fri.-Sun.: 8:30 p.m.

Mon.-Thurs.: 5 p.m. $9.

Jan. 17-23, Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

The Wild One $8. Wed, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, Raleigh.

Opening Bad Boys for Life—Buddy cop comedy about a midlife crisis. Produced by Will Smith. Rated R. Dolittle—Robert Downey Jr. plays the eccentric vetenarian in this fantasy action reprisal. Rated PG. A Hidden Life—Terrence Malick takes his roving cinemotography, and love of furtive interior lives, to the story of a man who refused to fight for Nazi Germany.

Rated PG-13.

Now Playing The INDY uses a five-star rating scale. Unstarred films have not been reviewed by our writers.

1917—Yet another war film; this one directed by Sam Mendes. Rated R.

63 Up—This moving documentary/social experiment, now playing at the Carolina Theatre, follows seven British children from different socioeconomic backgrounds over the years. Unrated.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood— Audiences can’t get enough of the Mr. Rogers content, and for good reason. In this rendition, Matthew Rhys plays a journalist assigned a profile of Fred Rogers,played by a perfectly-cast Tom Hanks. Rated PG. Countdown—Apps may kill us all, and in this horror film, they do (the app in question is a countdown clock that predicts your time of death; not surprisingly, it may also be a killing machine). Rated PG-13.

Doctor Sleep—Stephen King sequel to The Shining.

Rated R..

Frankie—Isabelle Hupert stars as an ailing matriarch in this sprawling family drama. Rated PG-13.

Ford v. Ferrari—Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in a biographical sports drama about a legendary race. Rated PG-13.

Frozen 2— In search of the origins of her powers, Elsa and her sister Anna strike out beyond their frosty homeland.

Rated PG. The Grudge—Real estate difficulties (among other things) are exacerbated when a cursed suburban house goes on the market.

Rated R. Harriet—Kasi Lemmons stars in this biographical film about the heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

Rated PG-13.

Jojo Rabbit—Black comedy about a German boy who discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. Rated PG-13.

Jumanji: The Next Level— This adventure comedy picks up where the 1995 flick left off. Rated PG-13.

Just Mercy—Based on the book of the same name, this film tells the story of Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer defending a client who is unjustly on death row. Rated PG-13.

Like a Boss—Things go awry for raunchy and ambitious duo Mia (Tiffany Hadish) and Mel (Rose Bryne) when things sour with a beauty tycoon.

Rated R. Midway—This WWII flick about Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Battle of Midway stars a fleet of hunks. Rated PG-13.

HH½ Pain and Glory— In this auto-fictional exercise, the director Pedro Almodóvar is honest about his life but guarded about his psyche. Rated R. —Marta Núñez Pouzols HHHH Parasite—This highly-anticipated social satire from filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho is crammed with dark twists and intricate metaphors. Rated R. —Sarah Edwards HHH Queen & Slim— A bad date turns into a manhunt after Queen and Slim kill a police officer in self-defense. Had it avoided the more moralistic clichés of the crime melodrama, it could have been more compelling. Rated R. —Ryan Vu Richard Jewell—Clint Eastwood reconsiders the story of Richard Jewell, a security guard falsely accused of bombing the 1996 Olympics. Rated R. HHH Uncut Gems— Loud and brash, with extreme close-ups and a discordant score ratcheting up the unease, this Safdie brothers flick stars Adam Sandler as a jeweler who places a high-stakes bet.

Rated R. —Neil Morris Underwater—Kristen Stewart stars in a science-fiction flick—which is perhaps not for those who are claustrophobic or scared of water—about a crew of underwater researchers terrorized by mysterious creatures. Rated PG-13.

Waves—An emotional movie about a suburban African-American family navigating loss. Rated R.

Just Mercy HHHH 1/2 Now playing

film review

Just Mercy

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

And Mercy for All KYESHA JENNINGS arts@indyweek.com

Based on a true story, Just Mercy is an honest examination of America’s broken criminal-justice system. Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillian, a business owner from Monroeville, Alabama who was falsely convicted of murdering an 18-year-old white girl and sentenced to death. After six years on death row, McMillian was released from prison with the help of Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard Law graduate portrayed by Michael B. Jordan.

In a meticulous, clever manner, the film dissects interracial power dynamics. Jordan and Foxx give remarkable, heartrending performances and complement each other well on screen. Viewers are able to see the emotional toll of racism on Black men in particular, whether one is a Harvard graduate or a death-row inmate.

Working from Stevenson’s memoir, director Destin Daniel Cretton doesn’t play it safe. The film constantly asks us to consider important questions: Who has the right to decide who dies? How do we protect, defend, and offer fair counsel to those with limited resources?

Just Mercy is committed to humanizing death-row inmates by showing us the sense of community in the prison and the close friendships McMillan makes there. With each new inmate we meet, new layers complicate the issue of capital punishment. The film’s humaneness even subtly extends to the prison guards when one of them is visibly affected by his duties. But these moments are brilliantly juxtaposed with a detailed, gut-wrenching execution that is bound to bring up myriad emotions.

An inspirational but challenging film, Just Mercy celebrates McMillan’s release from prison but also mourns the damaging effect that the false conviction and imprisonment had on his life.

Likewise, we celebrate the achievements of Stephenson, who has protected about 125 innocent men from being sentenced to death, but also mourn for the innocent death-row inmates who still need someone like him.

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January 15, 2020

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C L AS S I F I E D S FOR SALE

NOTICES

SERVICES

Election Day Polling Place Location Change Effective with the 2020 Primary and School Board Election, the Durham County Board of Elections unanimously approved the following polling place changes.

FINANCIAL

AUCTIONS

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Online w/Bid Center Auction Scotland County, NC Surplus Real Estate, Begins Closing 1/23/20 at 3pm, Bid Center at Scotland Co., Economic Development Corporation in Laurinburg, NC, ironhorseauction.com, 800.997.2248, NCAL 3936

• Precinct 16, previously temporarily located at Jordan High School has moved back to Holy Infant Catholic Church, located at 5000 Southpark Dr., Durham, NC 27713.

• Precinct 19, previously located at MerrickMoore Elementary School has moved back to American Legion Post # 7, located at 406 E Trinity Ave., Durham, NC 27701.

• Precinct 53-2, previously located at Barbee Chapel Baptist Church has moved to Waypoint Church, located at 6804 Farrington Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

Questions regarding polling place changes can be directed to the Durham County Board of Elections by phone at 919-560-0700 or via email at elections@dconc.gov. For information on the upcoming elections, please visit the Board of Elections website at www.dcovotes.com.

HOUSING Need a Roommate?

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Tai Chi Traditional art of meditative movement for health, energy, relaxation, self-defense.

Classes/workshops throughout the Triangle. Magic Tortoise School - Since 1979.

Call Jay or Kathleen, 919-360-6419 or www.magictortoise.com

Advanced DevOps Consultant, Levvel LLC, Raleigh, NC Multi openings. Work collaboratively with internal & external SW engineers to deploy & operate client sys. Supervise 1-5 employees (DevOps Consultant, Jr Consultant). Reqs MS in Comp Sci/Electrical/ Electronics Engg, rel/equiv & 1yr DevOps exp. incl 1 yr: continuous integration tools (incl Jenkins & Bamboo); create & config SSL certificates to be used

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MISC. Donate Your Car to Charity Receive maximum value of write-off for your taxes.

Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details: 866-412-0719

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P U Z Z L ES

If you just can’t wait, check out the current week’s answer key at www.indyweek.com, and click “puzzle pages” at the bottom of our webpage.

su | do | ku

this week’s puzzle level:

© Puzzles by Pappocom

There is really only one rule to Sudoku: Fill in the game board so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box.

The numbers can appear in any order and diagonals are not considered.

Your initial game board will consist of several numbers that are already placed. Those numbers cannot be changed. Your goal is to fill in the empty squares following the simple rule above.

If you just can’t wait, check out the current week’s answer key at www.indyweek.com, and click “puzzle pages.”

Best of luck, and have fun! www.sudoku.com solution to last week’s puzzle

INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

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LEARN TAI CHI IN 2020!

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DANCE CLASSES IN LINDY HOP, SWING, BLUES At Carrboro ArtsCenter. Private lessons available.

RICHARD BADU, 919-724-1421, rbadudance@gmail.com

WOMEN'S HEALTH STUDY (PRO00102284)

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T H E U LT I M A T E

Improve balance, flexibility, strength. New classes start in January and February throughout the Triangle.

Visit www.TaoistTaiChi.org for details. 919-787-9600

• Josephus Daniels, editor, publisher, and former Secretary of the Navy, died in Raleigh on January 15, 1948. Daniels purchased the News and Observer in 1894. The paper remained in the Daniels family until 1995.

• George Watts Hill, John Sprunt Hill’s son, died in Chapel Hill at age 91 on January 20, 1993. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, he was appointed to its Board of Trustees in 1955.

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A class at the Chapel Hill Zen Center with David Guy. Monday evenings, 7:30-9. 6 weeks, January 27th to March 2nd. $60. Scholarships available. 919-641-9277 davidguy@mindspring.com www.davidguy.org

WE'RE HIRING POSITION:

JUNIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE FULL-TIME HOURLY + COMMISSION SEEKING AN OUTGOING, SALES-ORIENTED INDIVIDUAL TO JOIN THE INDY WEEK TEAM. The position is focused on Durham and Orange counties and will be based out of our downtown Durham office.

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