70 60
40
20
58%
Winston-Salem
36%
Greensboro
6%
High Point
All She Wrote
10
Shot in the Triad
30
Games
50
Good Sport
80
Culture
90
Cover Story
New question: What is your primary goal for 2015?
by Eric Ginsburg By the end of the first few episodes of the new Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer,” most viewers will already be disheartened by the story of the wrongful imprisonment of Wisconsin man Steven Avery. But as the 10-episode show builds — tracking an unbelievable series of events including Avery’s exoneration, lawsuit and subsequent murder charge for an unrelated case — his story becomes increasingly infuriating. After Avery’s exoneration, he sued the city, police and district attorney who apparently knowingly put him behind bars for 18 years — it would’ve been longer had he not proved his innocence — for $36 million. As the suit picked up steam, with damning discoveries and a few depositions already filmed, Avery is charged with murder. But the “coincidental” timing is far from the most outrageous thing that happened in his second case, which is the focal point of the Netflix series. This isn’t a story of incompetent lawyers, save for one crooked counsel for Avery’s nephew. It’s a heartbreaking narrative with aspects so maddeningly unethical and wrong that it’s difficult not to be depressed for the Avery family. And for the people of Manitowoc County, who live under a sheriff’s department that appears to be lying through its teeth at every turn, and allegedly planting several pieces of evidence or at best silently complicit. Maybe some will watch “Making a Murderer” and come away doubting the claims made by Steven Avery’s counsel in court or in interviews. To do so would require a denial of the most basic common sense and rational thinking, unless the show’s producers excluded major aspects that contradict the Avery-innocence narrative. But more than just Avery’s case, or the question of one or two cops allegedly willing to break the law to cover their own asses, the poignancy and importance of “Making a Murderer” is its far-reaching implications of how our legal system operates. The filmmakers, and two of Avery’s lawyers in particular, eloquently demonstrate how the legal system inherently favors the state and prosecution, handicapping defendants to such an extreme degree that those with sharp, dedicated lawyers may still hit an insurmountable barrier. Even if, as it appears in Avery’s case, they are innocent. And white.
Opinion
Jordan Green: Winston-Salem, by a nose. The opening of the art park (sorry, I can’t go with Artivity on the Green) and Bailey Park instantly transformed downtown Winston-Salem in magnificent ways. Meanwhile, the inaugural run of the National Folk Festival demonstrated how the urban landscape of downtown Greensboro could be animated. It’s a temporary encampment that will finish out its run in 2017, but it whetted our appetites for LeBauer Park and the Tanger Performing Arts Center.
Readers: Our editors and readers agree on this one — Winston-Salem walked away with 58 percent of the vote. Most of the remainder went, unsurprisingly, for Greensboro (36 percent) while a few people took pity on High Point (6 percent). Ben Tietje explained why he disagrees with Clarey, Green and Ginsburg: “Greensboro,” he wrote. “A wave of national attention from Tiger Woods’ appearance at the Wyndham, to the highly publicized (and attended) National Folk Festival, to media coverage (Hops Burger Bar accolades, national TV coverage of the Sunset Hills Christmas Lights, etc.) pushes Greensboro ahead in 2015. Did I mention my family and I moved back, too?”
‘Making a Murderer’
News
Brian Clarey: Last year belonged to High Point, which at the time seemed to be making strides in a new direction. Next year will be Greensboro’s, as some of the downtown construction comes online and other seeds that have been put in place come to fruition. But 2015 was all Winston-Salem, which rode a wave of economic and artistic renaissance into the creation of new urban parks, businesses that emphasize local, a prevailing mood of (relative) optimism and stability. Even Ben Folds was enticed to come back for a visit, which is no small feat.
Eric Ginsburg: Winston-Salem. Like my colleagues said, 2016 is already squarely in Greensboro’s hands thanks to LeBauer Park, the Charlotte Hornets D-League team’s inaugural season in the Gate City, the return of the National Folk Festival and more. But for the reasons they said and more — including a barcade, statewide conferences dedicated to meat and beer, the formal opening of two distilleries —Winston-Salem was just the most enjoyable city in the Triad this year.
Up Front
The year is over. Well, pretty much. Probably by the time you read this it will be. So we wanted to poll our editors and readers about which Triad city experienced the greatest year. It turns out, the majority of our readers and all our editors agree.
triad-city-beat.com
Which city improved most in 2015?
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