TCB July 30, 2020 — Exercising their rights?

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 triad-city-beat.com

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Exercising their rights?

Triad gymgoers find a loophole in the lockdown PAGE 12 Take-home plates PAGE 10

HP police PAGE 6

W-S protesters arrested PAGE 7

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Up all night, with the young people I don’t know mandeering the big TV, the backyard when it started. patio, the kitchen, where they will use half Perhaps it was of our pots and pans and a third of our in the early days plates and glassware, all of which will be of the pandemic, piled in the sink come morning. when school got Frankly, I don’t blame them. called off and There is nothing out there for these they took to their kids, who range in age from 15-20 — no

by Brian Clarey rooms. Maybe it summer jobs, no road trips, no backyard was when the realization set in that there parties, no waterpark, no dating, no swimwas nothing out there for them — noming, no fun. And the prospect of school where to go, no one to do it with, nothing in the fall, both for the college kids and to be done. More likely it was almost imthe high school student in my house, looks mediately after their semester of “distance increasingly grim. learning” wrapped up and So why the hell not? Stay There is nothing out up all night! Hang with your they looked at the endthere for these kids less, empty expanse of the friends after all the adults fall Summer That Wasn’t when asleep! Do some damn thing — no summer jobs, they took to their rooms and no road trips, no in the face of all this despair. started staying up all night.

One weekend night I tried backyard parties, no to join them — napped in It started surreptitiously, waterpark, no datI believe, with all-night the afternoon and had some Facetime chats and YouTube ing, no swimming, coffee in the evening so I marathons, all-night Overcould stay awake for their no fun. watch sessions played across nightly soirée. But when the multiple households, allnocturnes emerged from night group texts and Insta rampages and their rooms some time after 11 p.m., they vinyl-listening, and maybe even an actual just looked at me like they were wonderphone call or two, but probably not. They ing when I’d go to bed, and they could have about as much use for a telephone reclaim the house. as they do for an alarm clock.

So let them have the wee hours after Now we hear them emerge from their sunset and before dawn. They’ve already rooms shortly after we go to bed, comlost too much.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When your kids ask you what you were doing in the summer of 2020, make sure you tell them you were arresting peaceful protesters.

—Brittany Battle from news story pages 7-8

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

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

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

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

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1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336-256-9320 Cover: Design by Robert Paquette SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka niksnacksblog@gmail.com

ART ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

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

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones, Michaela Ratliff

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

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

Coronavirus in the Triad:

(as of Wednesday, July 29, compared to last week)

117,850 (+12,849)

Forsyth

4,703 (+360)

Guilford County

4,882 (+470)

News

NC

Up Front

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses

COVID-19 deaths 1,847 (+149)

Forsyth

44 (+3)

Guilford

139 (+5)

Opinion

NC

92,302 (+13,595)

Forsyth

3,093 (+400)

Guilford

2,604 (+449)

Hospitalizations

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NC

Culture

Documented recoveries

PaddleFit PADDLE-BOARDING in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point

1,291 (+154)

Forsyth

23 (-2)

Guilford

459 (+32)

All the gear youʼll need — boards, paddles, leashes, flotation device refinements and options, applicable NC vessel safety laws, and numerous stroke techniques.

Families welcome.

PHYSICAL-DISTANCING Reserve now at

EXERCISE

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DOUBLE-SANITIZATION or call:

336.722.7777

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July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

CITY LIFE July 30-Aug. 2

by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY July 30 Up Front

Greensboro Community Hose Down @ Lindley Recreation Center (GSO) 2 p.m.

FRIDAY July 31

Harry Potter Virtual Escape Room @ High Point Public Library Teen Garage (HP) 1 p.m.

Whether you claim Hufflepuff or Slytherin, all Harry Potter fans are invited to participate in this virtual escape room where you will help a first-year student navigate Hogwarts. The library will post a game link on their Facebook page the day of the event.

Que Viva Food Truck @ the Beer Growler (W-S) 4 p.m.

If you’re in the mood for Latin food, look no further than the Beer Growler. Visit Que Viva’s website to view their menu.

The Greensboro Fire Department is inviting you to beat the heat and enjoy cooling down from a fire truck every Tuesday and Thursday from July 28-Aug. 13. Check out the event page for location details.

Sleeping Lion Belgian Blonde release @ Wise Man Brewing (W-S) 4 p.m.

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Culture

Opinion

News

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Coach Carter @ The Drive at Winston-Salem Fairgrounds (W-S) 8:30 p.m.

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Sleeping Lion Belgian Blonde beer is making its return to Wise Man Brewing. This smooth yet bold beer is a combination of citrus and banana flavors, complemented by pepper, clove and cardamom spices.

Women’s Self Defense Seminar @ Macon’s Martial Arts (HP) 8 p.m.

The black-belt experts at Macon’s Martial Arts are hosting a free Kubaton women’s selfdefense seminar where you will learn basic self-defense tips and tactics. Visit the event page for more details.

Join the Drive for screenings of Willy Wonka and Coach Carter! To encourage social distancing, everything you need is delivered to your parking space, even concessions. Advance ticket purchases are highly encouraged and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

SATURDAY Aug. 1

Fit Hustlers Fit Camp @ Gibson Park (HP) 9 a.m.

SUNDAY Aug. 2

Up Front

Summer Mermaid Shellabration @ Reserving Royalty Character Company & Children’s Venue (HP) 4 p.m.

The Little Mermaid is making an appearance at this event perfect for children ages 3-8.

There will be a mermaid show, glitter tattoos, crafts and more. Children’s tickets are $25 and can be purchased here. Adults do not need one.

Sumthin 4 Tha Ppl Band @ Elm Street Lounge (GSO) 8 p.m.

News Opinion

Fit Hustlers is hosting a full-body workout designed to get you in shape while having fun.

Each class is $10.

PETCO Adoption Event @ Petco (GSO) 11 a.m.

The volunteers of Ruff Love Rescue have plenty of dogs available for adoption ready to be your furry friend. They are also accepting donations.

Culture

MASKquerade Drag Show @ Katharine Brasserie and Bar (W-S) 10 p.m.

Visit Elm Street Lounge and enjoy the soulful sounds of Sumthin 4 Tha Ppl. A mask is required for entry. Tickets can be purchased on the event page.

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Join Mrz. Ivy Carter and Miss Katharine as they host a performance by four local drag queens. Wear your most creative mask because a grand prize will be given to the audience member wearing the best one. Masks are required for all entries. Drink specials and a late night menu will be available! Tickets can be purchased here.

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July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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NEWS

Courts say HP cop isn’t shielded from accountability in civil suit

by Jordan Green Court of Appeals panel: High Point cop isn’t shielded from assault-and-battery claim by public official immunity doctrine.

A High Point police officer accused of assault and battery, malicious prosecution and false arrest has sought to get a lawsuit against him dismissed under an esoteric legal doctrine known as public official immunity.

The state courts have so far said no, with a split panel of the NC Court of Appeals ruling 2-1 that a lawsuit

by High Point resident Bruce Bartley against Detective Matt Blackman can go forward. The split ruling allows Blackman to appeal to the Supreme Court; if the high court agrees the officer isn’t protected by public official immunity, the case can go to trial.

“In North Carolina, if you’re a public official — that means someone who has discretion in their job, as opposed to a regular employee like the driver of a truck — any public official, whether it’s a police officer or any other department, can only be sued in their individual capacity if they’ve acted maliciously, if they were corrupt, or they were acting in a scope outside of their official authority,” said Seth Cohen, a lawyer in Greensboro who is representing Bartley. “In this case, we said the officer was acting maliciously.”

Blackman, a detective in the High Point Police Department’s violent crimes unit, followed the 60-year-old Bartley to his home on the north side of High Point as he was returning from a veterinarian visit in August 2017. Bartley parked his car in his driveway and got out. Blackman, who was wearing plainclothes and driving an unmarked car, ordered Bartley to get back in his car, but did not identify himself as a police officer or explain the reason for the traffic stop, according to a narrative included in the Court of Appeals July 7 ruling.

Bartley ignored Blackman’s orders, telling him he was on private property as he walked to the back of his car to retrieve his sick cat. (Blackman would later testify that he had observed Bartley passing a slow-moving truck over a double yellow line, and that he activated his blue strobe lights and siren. Bartley, in turn, testified that he hadn’t heard the siren or noticed the blue lights on Blackman’s car and did not realize he was a police officer.)

High Point police Detective Matt Blackman was unable to get a lawsuit against him dismissed.

When Bartley ignored Blackman’s order to get back in the car, the police officer used his radio to call in backup and then, according to Bartley’s testimony, “body slammed’ him against the trunk of the car, handcuffed him and told him he was being detained. Blackman charged Bartley with resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer and passing on a double yellow line, and held him in the backseat of his patrol car until he finished writing the citation. The charges were eventually dropped after Bartley completed driving school.

In appealing a decision by Superior Court Judge Eric C. Morgan to allow the lawsuit against him to go forward, Blackman argued that because he was

a public official conducting his duty, he was entitled to the protection of public official immunity.

In the majority opinion authored by Judge John Arrowood, the Court of Appeals recognized that Bartley “alleges Officer Blackman acted with malice by body slamming him into the truck of his car and charging and arresting him for resisting an officer without probable cause.” Citing a 1984 case that established precedent, the court said, “A defendant acts with malice when he wantonly does that which a man of reasonable intelligence would know to be contrary to his duty and which he intends to be prejudicial or injurious to another.”

JORDAN GREEN

Arrowood, who was joined by Judge Richard Dietz, concluded, “Blackman’s rough use of force in arresting an elderly, non-threatening man in an attempt to cite him for a traffic offense raises a genuine dispute as to whether Officer Blackman acted with malice.”

In his dissent, Judge John M. Tyson wrote that the burden is on Bartley to show that Blackman was not acting in good faith when he forcibly detained him. Citing a 1995 decision by the state Supreme Court in Leete v. city of Warren, Tyson wrote, “It is well settled that absent evidence to the contrary, it will always be presumed that public officials

Continued on pg. 8

Ten people were arrested in downtown Winston-Salem on Tuesday as protests calling for justice for John Neville continued into their 14th day.

Up Front News Opinion

Protesters calling for justice for John Neville are placed under arrest in downtown Winston-Salem on Tuesday afternoon.

Continued on pg. 8

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by their press conference yesterday or any of their previous press releases or protests.”

During the Tuesday press conference Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem leaders also said they were joining a call by the Ministers Conference of WinstonSalem & Vicinity for a federal investigation of Neville’s death.

The group highlighted four people who have died in the jail or as a result of medical crises at the jail since 2014, including Neville, Stephen Antwan Patterson, DeShawn Coley and Jennifer McCormack. Annalise Sattler, who attended the press conference, also reminded the group about Dino Vann Nixon, who died in the jail in 2013 as a result of withdrawal from benzodiazepine, a medication that was prescribed to him for anxiety.

“You have one job — well, I guess two: to protect and serve,” said Angel Fant, who attended the press conference outside the Government Center. “Protect means take care of the citizens that are inside of the jails. They’re not inmates; they’re citizens, they’re humans. You have one job — to take care of them.

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previous position.

On Wednesday morning, Neville’s five children posted a video on Facebook thanking the protesters who have lifted up their father’s name, while at the same time expressing dismay that Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem advocated for releasing the video without their blessing.

In the video, Brie Neville thanked “everyone who has been out protesting in our father’s honor — the ones that have asked us for our input, how the family feels and to make sure we were comfortable with the way we were handling things,” before requesting an apology from Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem to the family.

“We cannot in good conscience support the Black Lives Matter WinstonSalem chapter due to the fact that on more than one occasion they have not asked us or consulted with the family on what we want or need,” Neville said.

“They have deliberately disobeyed what we’ve asked for in this stance of not asking for the video of our father’s death to be released. That is a choice that needs to be made by us and was made by us to release the video footage, and we would like to clarify that in no way, shape, form or fashion was our stance swayed

JORDAN GREEN

Culture

Protest leader Calvin Peña read from a historical marker at the corner of Liberty and Fourth Streets commemorating the first sit-in victory in North Carolina, when the Woolworth’s lunch counter agreed to serve Black customers after 107 days of protest.

Later, as four people stood in a row blocking traffic on Fourth Street, Brittany Battle, another protest leader, asked, “Can we do 107 days, if we need to?”

The protesters cheered in affirmation.

“And we will,” Battle promised.

First four people, then three pairs of protesters — 10, all told — were handcuffed and led to two waiting vans in the latest civil disobedience since Battle and four others were arrested on July 8 for protesting the death of John Neville in the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center. Tuesday’s action marked the 14th day of a daytime occupation of Bailey Park by activists to reinforce their demands for justice for Neville.

The 10 who were arrested were predominantly white people in their early twenties, but also included a 22-year-old Black woman and a 22-year-old Latinx man. The police said six of the arrestees live in Winston-Salem, three in Greensboro and one in Yadkinville. Eight were given a written promise to appear, while two were given bonds of $1,000 and $250 due to prior arrests for the same offense.

During the march, which started at Bailey Park and included a stop in front of the Forsyth County Public Safety Center before concluding at Liberty and Fourth, the protesters repeated four demands: answering their questions about the circumstances of Neville’s death, banning the hogtie restraint method, notifying the public of all deaths and dropping charges against protesters.

(When Jennifer McCormack underwent a medical emergency in Forsyth County jail in 2014, and died a couple days later at Baptist Hospital, the sheriff’s office utilized the same rationale as with Neville to justify not publicly reporting her death.) Five detention officers and one nurse employed by WellPath face charges for involuntary manslaughter in Neville’s death.

The group of about 30 people, led

by Triad Abolition Project and Unity Coalition, marched in front of the Public Safety Center, chanting, “If they cannot tell us why, this is why we occupy,” and, “Answer our demands!”

Neville died at Baptist Hospital in December 2019 as a result of “complications of positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint,” according to his autopsy. Two days earlier, Neville had said, “I can’t breathe” and called for his mother as detention officers placed him in a prone restraint after he fell out of his bunk at the county jail and appeared to suffer a seizure.

“Why are we putting human beings in 2020 in a prone restraint laying on their stomach, who have a history of asthma, who call out that they cannot breathe, who call out to their mother, and we have correctional officers responding that, ‘If you can talk, you can breathe, buddy,” Battle said in front of the Public Safety Center. “That seems like a reasonable request for us to not be putting human beings in a prone restraint.”

The civil disobedience led by Triad Abolition Project and the Unity Coalition was the second action highlighting the death of John Neville and other deaths at the Forsyth County jail. One hour before the march from Bailey Park, Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem staged a press conference three blocks away at the Forsyth County Government Center. Tony Ndege and Kim Porter of Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem, who were also arrested during the July 8 protest, articulated four demands related to Neville’s and other deaths to connected to the jail that were distinct from those issued by Triad Abolition Project and the Unity Coalition.

They called on the Forsyth County Commission to sever the contract with WellPath (formerly Correct Care Solutions), the company contracted to provide medical services in the jail. They called for the repeal of a 2016 law that prevents the release of police video without an order from a superior court judge.

The group also called for the release of all body-camera and surveillance video related to Neville’s death, standing in solidarity with petitions by the News & Observer, Winston-Salem Journal and New York Times. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday morning in Forsyth County superior court in the case.

Late Tuesday, the Journal reported that Neville’s family issued a statement supporting release of the video, reversing a

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

10 arrested as W-S protesters continue call for justice for John Neville

by Jordan Green

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Culture

Opinion

News

Up Front

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

‘HP cop’ cont. from pg. 6

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tive Blackman won’t change any legal standards, Cohen said the outcome will still help define the outer limits of acwill discharge their duties in good faith ceptable police conduct. and exercise their powers in accord with “I would say it’s an important case the spirit and purpose of the law. This given what’s going on with Black Lives presumption places a heavy burden on Matter and police use of excessive the party challenging the validity of force,” Cohen said. “This doesn’t change public officials’ actions to overcome this the standard. It’s how we apply the rule. presumption by competent and substanHow bad does it have to be before we tial evidence.” hold them accountable?”

Tyson wrote that Bartley “has failed to Even with the groundswell of moveallege any facts to forecast Officer Blackment towards overhauling policing, man’s conduct was wanton or done with there’s still fierce resistance to reforming reckless indifference to plaintiff’s rights, the patchwork of federal and state legal when compared to what any reasondoctrines shielding police officers from able police officer would have done in legal liability.

Officer’s Blackman’s position, given At the federal level, the US Senate [Bartley’s] admitted conduct.” has yet to take up the Justice in Policing Cohen said if the case makes it to Act, and White House Press Secretary trial, his client will have to clear a double Kayleigh McEnany has reportedly called hurdle. repeal of qualified immunity a “total “We allege that by throwing him and complete nonstarter.”The Colorado against the trunk of the car, that force General Assembly was not needed at all,” eliminated the use of he said. “He wasn’t qualified immunity in running away. He ‘We allege that by that state’s courts eardidn’t have weapons. lier this month, and throwing him against On top of that, we Connecticut state have to show that not the trunk of the car, that the House passed reform only was there more bill on July 24 that force than needed, but force was not needed prompted Connectiit was malicious.” at all. He wasn’t running cut Fraternal Order Bartley’s case of Police President won’t set precedent away. He didn’t have John Krupinski to in the case law that weapons.’ declare: “Policing as determines when law everyone knows it is – Seth Cohen, lawyer repreenforcement officers over.” are shielded from senting Bartley Cohen said he’s legal liability in North aware of no bill filed Carolina, Cohen in the North Carolina General Assembly said, noting that all three appellate are to eliminate public official immunity in agreement on the three elements of — the state equivalent. malice.

In North Carolina, the police are “Generally, the courts, in my view, shielded from accountability in anhave been more likely than not to rule other way: Although the lawsuit against on the side of the police unless it’s really, Detective Blackman has been allowed really bad,” Cohen said. “If it’s a close to go forward, the superior court judge call, they side with the police.” dismissed the claims against the city of A similar legal doctrine at the federal High Point because under state law the level known as “qualified immunity” city has sovereign immunity. The state has recently come under scrutiny as the courts have recognized, however, that eruption of nationwide protest in the cities and counties may waive immunity wake of the murder of George Floyd by purchasing liability insurance. Mayor has focused new attention on police acJay Wagner told Triad City Beat that there countability. The George Floyd Justice has been no discussion among city counin Policing Act of 2020, passed by the cil members about purchasing liability Democratic-controlled US House on insurance.

June 25, “expressly bars the defense of Cohen said if Bartley wins in court, qualified immunity” in federal lawsuits the outcome could hold the city accountunder Section 1983 of the US code able, if only indirectly. “against state and local law enforcement “The city of High Point is representby prohibiting defense based on the ing [Blackman],” Cohen said. “If we ‘good faith’ of the official,” according to win, I believe the city of High Point a congressional analysis. would pay the damages.”

While Bartley’s lawsuit against Detec-

‘Arrested’ cont. from pg. 7 When we’re talking about serving, when you stop someone in their car, your job is to give them a ticket. A ticket! Not to pull them out of their cars. Not to harass them. Not to stereotype them.

“Your job is to protect and serve,” she continued. “No one should leave with bruises; there’s no blood involved. No blood. Your job is to protect and serve. If you didn’t sign up to be a hero, then you signed up for the wrong job. You don’t belong in our government. You don’t belong serving our streets. You don’t belong serving our people if you can’t protect our people.”

After the press conference, Porter led a group into the Government Center. Initially, a private security officer attempted to block their entrance, telling Porter she would disturb county staff. Porter prevailed by saying they intended to hold a peaceful protest, and the security officer relented, although he was visibly frustrated and called his supervisor. Protesters held signs reading, “Drop WellPath Now,” and “Justice for John Neville,” for several minutes in the atrium of the Government Center and left voluntarily before a Winston-Salem police officer arrived on the scene.

Later, as the second group prepared to mobilize, Calvin Peña gave a pep talk at the Occupy encampment at Bailey Park.

“We’ve all been referred to as a soldier,” he told the young people who were preparing to get arrested. “We’re putting our bodies on the line. We’re putting ourselves in a place where people are abused and killed.”

As the group marched from the intersection where the activists submitted themselves to arrest, Peña and Battle addressed the police, emphasizing that they bore no ill will against them personally while raising objections to the institution of policing.

“You may be an all right individual on your own time,” Peña told an officer on a bike. “You’re putting on a racist uniform, man.”

Later, he said, “You wear that uniform because they got you to believe that you are fighting to uphold a system that is just, but that system does not represent all of us. That’s okay. We are fighting for you, too.”

As officers brought out zip ties to restrain the protesters, Battle admonished: “There’s going to be a right side and a wrong side. When your kids ask you what you were doing in the summer of 2020, make sure you tell them you were arresting peaceful protesters.”

EDITORIAL

Triad activists remain inOurtheir silos reporters have spent a lot of time in

The X-Men still matter

by Jermaine Exum

COURTESY IMAGE

COURTEST IMAGE

Jermain Exum, proprietor of Acme Comics in Greensboro, has been reading the X-Men since 1986.

Puzzles

The story evolves weekly in a comic shop near you, in various new monthly series and quarterly graphic novels for such as X-Men, New Mutants, X-Force and others, propelled forward by the best artists and writers of the day.

Marvel Comics reflects the world outside your window and Marvel’s mighty mutants have caught up if not gotten ahead of today’s changing world. The X-Men still swear to protect a world that feared and hates them, but now it will be on their own terms and now is the time to read X-men comics.

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House of X

Culture

From movies and cartoons, to action figures and comic books, we love the X-Men — those exciting and eclectic individuals born with unique attributes and abilities. Those mutants.The first issue of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s X-Men featuring Charles Xavier’s initial class of gifted youngsters debuted in 1963, but the series was far from popular. New stories ceased publication in 1970. In 1975, Marvel Comics reinvested in the concept with Giant-Size X-Men #1 which saw Professor X assemble a new group of mutants to rescue his original students from a mutant ecosystem called Krakoa! This highly volatile group including Storm, Nightcrawler and Wolverine would in time lead to a multimedia explosion that would make them household names and pop-culture icons.But what is X-Men’s concept really about? What makes X-Men different from the Avengers or Fantastic Four? Beyond the costumes and powers to control weather, or heal from catastrophic injuries, the core story of X-Men is about being different and the hope for acceptance. The ongoing and relatable struggle for equal standing and consideration in society. The years preceding X-Men #1’s release saw the Greensboro Woolworths Sit-In, the integration of New Orleans’ Frantz Elementary School, the Freedom Rides and other turning points in the Civil Rights Movement.

Did Stan Lee intend for the story of the mutants to be an allegory for the Civil Rights Movement? Were Xavier and Magneto stand-ins for Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X’s opposing ideals? That debate goes on, but 1968’s Stan’s Soapbox Editorial feature where Lee declared racial prejudice and bigotry to be the deadliest of social ills suggests he may have had awareness at some point. Writer Chris

Opinion

The original X-Men.

Claremont’s X-Men “God Loves, Man Kills” and other stories more firmly connected the plight of the mutants to that of those persecuted and oppressed in our world. Despite victories and strides forward, as the real world experienced the same, mutants were still persecuted and killed in the streets globally in the Marvel Universe. Decades later, in 2019, prolific writer Jonathan Hickman was presented with the opportunity to totally revitalize and redefine the X-Men brand and what it could mean today and moving forward.

This bold initiative known as House of X/ Powers of X (Ten) was a sales blockbuster for comic-book stores the likes of which had not been seen in years.

While not a reboot of any kind, this story looked into the X-Men’s established past for the core concept that sees incredible new information abruptly change Xavier’s outlook on Human-Mutant relations. From the island nation of Krakoa, Xavier has made humanity a jaw-dropping ultimatum containing an offer to those who wish profitable co-existence and a stern warning to those who do not.

This is not a what-if or alternate world. The tables have turned for the first time with the mutants in a never-before held position of power. Under the motto, “Krakoa is for all Mutants,” Xavier has his created an environment that offers for the very first time a common language, culture, laws and even religion for mutantkind. This stunning initiative saw Magneto and Apocalypse agree to but is not without consequences, such as resistance from other nations, violent response from unrelated organizations galvanized by fear, scrutiny from the superhero community and pushback across the Marvel Universe with House of X/ Powers of X as the illuminating catalytic moment.

News

The two groups could use each other’s support.

Sponsored content

Up Front

Winston-Salem this week as an Occupy movement has taken hold in Bailey Park.

It’s no small thing — the protesters are in their second week of occupation, keeping vigil from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. each day, with programming into the night that includes speakers from other organizations, testimony and entertainment; direct actions almost every day; and an open invitation to other activist groups for fellowship and microphone time.

So far, there haven’t been as many takers as they would like. While Occupy Winston-Salem has been able to gather upwards of a hundred people at times, their actions, while enthusiastic, can sometimes lack the critical mass of bodies needed to make the statement.

And right now, it’s the only action in the Triad.

Meanwhile Greensboro’s streets have been quiet for weeks. But this is the city where activist Free Dope Major and his crew known as the 3 had pulled off successful marches on Wendover Avenue and Friendly Center.

The two groups could use each other’s support, but the connection has yet to be made. This is peculiar, in that John Neville — the man killed in Forsyth County jail at the hands of corrections officers — actually lived Greensboro; he was only in the Forsyth jail because he got arrested in Kernersville. And it’s no less of an outrage than the death of Marcus Smith, who was also hogtied before he died, who also uttered the words, “I can’t breathe,” before he succumbed.

Earlier this month, Free Dope Major and his crew joined forces with Rev. Greg Drumwright to make a historic march on Graham, where neo-Confederate counter-protesters met them at the courthouse, beneath one of the last Confederate monuments in the state. Winston-Salem teams have been to Raleigh for demonstrations there.

Yet these two cities, less that 25 miles apart, have yet to coordinate.

It’s likely, though.

The presence of federal troops in Portland, and the promise of more to come in cities across the country, begs a national response. The next page in the activist playbook calls for consolidation, organization and as many bodies in the streets as can possibly be mustered.

That’s what comes next in this long, hot summer.

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

OPINION

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July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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Nik Snacks Selling plates lets food entrepreneurs share talent amidst pandemic

I

became a food entrepreneur in 7th grade.

Between third and fourth period, we had a 10-minute break. Some kids would scribble last-minute homework assignments or carouse in the hallway. I sold bags

by Nikki Miller-Ka of sunflower seeds and cups of Pepsi for $1 each. I eventually expanded sales to include pens, pencils and single sheets of looseleaf paper to kids who came to school without them. The cash I made went to pocket money for field trips and entrance fees to the neighborhood pool.

That entrepreneurial spirit carried me through my twenties when I would cater luncheons for staff at area companies and the Forsyth Public Library. That was my seed money for what my Nik Snacks brand is today.

Food can become a window into business ownership, financial independence and creativity. Selling plates of food is a time-honored tradition where many entrepreneurs get their start.

Former Food Network star Paula Deen sold plates of fried chicken, pies and cakes out of her home while her sons made deliveries across Savannah, Ga. Eugenia Duke, founder of Dukes Mayonnaise, sold sandwiches and prepared salads to soldiers in Greenville, SC during WWII. Most people who sell their wares are either trying to make ends meet with extra cash, have an intense need to share their love and craft of food, or are trying out new ideas on family and friends. And while both Deen and Duke are prominent white women who made their claim to fame by starting in their homes, Black and Brown entrepreneurs have found that selling plates is an option for them too.

Opportunities to make a flexible income at home are rare and relying on friends, family and extended neighborhood networks is a major factor to make the business of selling plates successful. It’s a “private-club” situation for home cooks and out-of-work culinary professionals to solicit donations and sell hot meals to their friends and neighbors without paying the rent of high-overhead commercial kitchens.

Winston-Salem native Anthony Kellum says, “I’m just somebody who grew up in the streets, trying to make a dollar. That’s it.” Kellum, who works at Fratelli’s Steakhouse, worked his way up from dishwasher to grill cook and sells plates on his day off.

“I would watch my mom and my grandma cooking in the kitchen and then one day I started cooking on my own,” he says. “After my son was born, I had to provide for him, someway, somehow. So I started selling plates.”

Inspired by television shows and meals he had as a kid, Kellum sells a variety of plates: salmon stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp with lobster-alfredo cream sauce, smoked-brisket sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, shrimp po-boys, smoked turkey wings. Armed with a 27-inch griddle and a smoker in his backyard, Kellum sells between 20 to 25 plates a week. After promoting

on Facebook to his network, potential and future patrons can pay via Cash App, a mobile banking service. Recently, he applied to create his own business operating as Irene’s Catering, LLC. “I want to be legal because there are people out there who will try to knock you down,” he says, “and I made it so people can’t knock me down.”

Cottage food laws are laws that allow small-time producers to use appliances in their homes to bake, cook, can, dehydrate or candy certain foods for sale. According to the NC Department of Agriculture, any food individually packaged for self-service sale must be labeled. Foods “custom made” or “on demand” for sale as a single unit can be exempt from individual labels.

Monique Miller of Winston-Salem says, “I used to always love being in the kitchen to watch my grandma bake and watch my mama cook.”

Her grandmother owned a restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem in what is now the Arts District, so she has been exposed to entrepreneurship early on in life. After her grandmother shuttered the eatery, the matriarch sold plates on weekends. Miller took after her and started selling plates in 2007. Miller says she’s known for her desserts: pound cakes, cobblers, cheesecakes, layered cheesecakes, cakes and pies. For less TERRELL ANISTAD Cajun salmon, shrimp and grits by Terrell Anistad. than $10, she also makes homestyle dishes like curried chicken with cabbage and rice, meatloaf or chicken pot and friends that make it happen. You can’t do this by pie with macaroni and cheese and potato salad, fried yourself.” chicken and fish with green beans. Strictly advertising Recently Anistead sold plates of Cajun salmon and on Facebook, customers pay with cash during pick up or shrimp with grits, peppers and onions garnished with via Cash App. She averages over 100 plates sold every fine slivers of radish and scallions after advertising on weekend.

Facebook.

It’s not so much about “I’ve come across some economics, it’s about feedpeople who can really cook,” • Anthony Kellum on Instagram ing the community and he says, “and if they had that sharing talents and giving of mentorship like I had, they @90s_chef_bambino yourself, she says. don’t know how great they • Monique Miller is on Facebook at “If I have food left over,” can really be.” facebook.com/monique.miller.9847 says, “my daughter, son and He says he wants to do uncle will go around and more to support the com• Terrell Anistead on Instagram @ give plates to the homeless munity and selling plates is chef_boy_r_rell252 people.” giving a chance to get reconTerrell Anistead worked nected with those around his way around prestigious him. kitchens in Winston-Salem, “I love the history sellformerly of Willow’s Bistro and Providence Kitchen. He ing plates,” he says. “I’ve watched a bunch of families too sells plates during his time off. survive doing this. It’s not so much about the price of “I’ve seen a lot of people make ends meet by sellthe final product, it’s also about being accessible so ing plates, says the Providence Community Training everybody can eat.”

Program graduate.” It’s a whole operation of family

by Michaela Ratliff

I

News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Greensboro in 1968. He attended Dudley High School, but graduated from Page High School. He has always loved to cook, learning how from his family’s Southern matriarchs.

“I watched them a couple times growing up,” he says as he prepares an order for a customer, “and I just never forgot.”

His lifelong dream has been to start a restaurant, and after receiving a push from family and friends, he turned his passion for cooking into Big Belly’s Kitchen last week.

Davis says he named the place for his most prominent feature.

“Big Belly’s trying to make his belly even bigger,” he says with a hearty laugh while rubbing his stomach, dressed in a Big Belly’s T-shirt covered by a black apron.

He currently operates his business from home, implementing safety methods he learned while managing restaurants into his practices, such as frying different items in their own oil. He spent years working as assistant manager at Boston Market.

Now, he uses Facebook to advertise, but word of mouth has proven to be just as successful. It only took a few days of business before customers showed up at his house ready to order a Big Belly’s Burger. He also hopes to purchase a Big Belly’s COURTESY PHOTO Tony Davis has been making music since he was five years old. food truck soon.

The Big Belly’s menu Davis obviously loves his children, but he admitted to clingincludes burgers, chicken, ing to his grandchildren. He even created a game with them fish and a variety of other entreés and sides. Davis emphasizes called Anteater. the fact that all his sides, such as macaroni and cheese, baked “I used to wrestle with them, and I would literally just fall beans and potato salad, are made from scratch. Most people on the floor and just let them jump on me,” he says. “That’s arrive at Davis’ home to pick up their order, but delivery is them eating up the ant.” available for orders over $20.

In his spare time, he loves watching football and basketball, Underneath the musician and chef is a man who is all about but baseball has his heart. His loyalty remains to the Boston family. Described by his cousin Brad as “the patriarchal glue Red Sox. that holds the family together,” Davis raised nine children “You give me a baseball glove, you got trouble on your alone. hands,” he says. “Cooking and baseball are my dreams.”

“He was a single father before single fathers were around,” Brad says. “He taught me how to raise mine.”

Up Front

make that liquor-house music,” he says. “That Southern soul.”

Tony Davis has been making music since the age of 5, making this year his 50th in the music game. He plays guitar, keyboard, drums and other instruments he kept a secret as he didn’t want to boast. He wrote his first song, “In My Shadow,” in eighth grade. He recently released “Back of the Woods,” a feelgood summer anthem about having a ball at a get-together in the woods.

The song was produced by RichTalk, a record label of which Davis is a member.

The inspiration for the song came from childhood memories he had of spending time at his grandmother’s house sitting around a table and chairs they’d set up deep in the backyard. Davis says when it comes to writing lyrics, there is no process for him.

“It just comes when it comes.”

The music video, which shows a group of people playing cards, dancing, drinking and conversing in the woods, was filmed in Davis’ backyard, and everyone appearing in the video were family and friends who regularly stop by to visit.

“My backyard reminded me of my grandmother’s house in Burlington,” he says. “So I just decided to write that song, make the video back here and make it look as country as possible.”

Davis chuckles at the fact that during one scene in the video, his next-door neighbor tried to buy a drink at the bar with an EBT card. No one noticed until the video was being edited. They found it so hilarious they decided to let it remain in the video. Davis commented on the fact some people were unhappy with what they deemed as inappropriate dancing with Ming, a family friend, in the video.

“A lot of people were saying, ‘How does your wife let you dance with a woman like that?’ I’m not in this for the sex,” he stresses. “This is entertainment.

“My wife knows what I do. She met me doing music. She says I’m nasty like R. Kelly, but I’m not that nasty!”

Not only can he cook up a good song, he can cook up a good meal. The whole kitchen rings with the sizzle from the deep-fryer as the fish inside turned golden brown.

“I can cook anything Grandma cooked,” says Tony Davis. “They say that’s hard for a city boy to do, but no it ain’t.”

Davis is from Boston but moved to

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

CULTURE ‘That Southern soul’: Tony Davis is a GSO Renaissance man

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July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture

CULTURE Exercising their rights? Triad gymgoers find loophole

by Sayaka Matsuoka

I

t’s 6:30 p.m. and the parking lot in front of Gold’s Gym in Greensboro is packed. Muscly men and leggings-clad women walk in and out of the glass doors in the Brassfield Shopping Center, some wearing masks, others without. In recent weeks, several gyms in the state have opened their doors to customers, citing a June 5 letter from the NC Attorney General’s Office.

“The governor interprets Executive Order No. 141 to allow the use of indoor gyms or fitness facilities when that use is prescribed by or directed by a medical professional,” the letter states.

The letter was initially addressed to Chuck Kitchen, an attorney representing a group of state gym owners in a pending suit against Gov. Roy Cooper. A follow-up statement by the NC Health and Human Services Department, or DHHS, clarified that those wanting to use gyms must “present a note or other written communication from the medical professional or healthcare professional to the facility operators to confirm that each individual’s use of the facilities is indeed ‘prescribed or directed’ for that individual.”

However, many gym owners are citing the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, which protect the medical privacy of individuals, to say they cannot ask patrons for the letters, creating a catch-22 in which gyms are opening back up, but are not asking individuals to show proof that they need to be there.

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

‘I’m taking a calculated risk’

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At the Gold’s Gym on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro, signs with updated gym hours and encouraging visitors to use hand sanitizer are stationed at the entrance. Inside, a staff member preemptively points a no-touch thermometer at patrons’ foreheads and asks them to sign a waiver. In the background, people run on treadmills and use the squat rack at the back of the facility. The staff member does not ask gymgoers for a medical note.

A manager of the Gold’s Gym could not be reached for comment.

Jose Gonzalez leaves the gym wearing a mask and walks to his car. He says he has been self-quarantining for the last six months and started coming back to Gold’s a few days ago.

“They’re doing pretty good,” he says

about the protocols in place.

Usually, Gonzalez says he comes to the gym right around 2 p.m. when staff have just finished deep cleaning the facility from 1 to 2 p.m.

“There’s usually only about 10 or 15 people at most,” he says. “I left early today. I didn’t finish my workout because there were too many people coming in.”

Gonzalez, a former bodybuilder, says he has weights at home but needs a more extensive setup to maintain his muscle mass.

“I’m taking a calculated risk,” he says.

Across the street, Strive Performance Fitness Center also welcomes patrons back into their facility. Like Gold’s, Strive does a temperature check on visitors and has signs asking people to wipe down equipment after they use it. At the front desk, the attorney general’s letter is taped to the counter explaining why they can be open.

Next to the letter, another document cites the ADA as justification for not asking patrons to not disclose medical information to gym staff.

Amy Ellis, a spokesperson for DHHS, said in an email to Triad City Beat that the agency “is not aware of any law, rule or regulation, including Gold’s Gym on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro is open SAYAKA MATSUOKA the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), but closes for one hour every day for deep cleaning. which would prevent indoor gyms, indoor fitness facilities, and indoor exercise facilities from It’s because there’s too much risk in opening otherwise. You obtaining a doctor’s note from those individuals seeking to cannot ask members for medical history; it’s too much risk for use their facilities under the medical exception.” me.”

The manager of Strive declined to comment.

Instead, he says he has been offering Zoom workouts for Valeria Oha says she started going back to Strive about a members and recently started doing in-person outdoor workmonth ago to get back in shape because she’s in the Army Reouts. Still, he says he understands why some gyms would open serves. She says she uses the treadmill in the gym and prefers using the letter. it to running outside because she can keep track of her pace “I think a lot of owners are pressured to open for financial better. reasons, but we’re not in that situation,” he says. “We are do“Whenever they see people using one machine a lot, they’ll ing fine financially.” shut it down and clean it,” she says. “They also have a sign He also says he understands why some gyms that are open that says you have to wear a mask, but some people don’t wouldn’t want to talk to media. wear one.”

“They’re kind of flying under the radar,” he says. “It’s a gray Oha says that she was never asked for a doctor’s note. area.”

In addition to traditional gyms like Gold’s and Strive, group Libby Ramsay of Dancing Dogs Greensboro agrees. fitness boutiques, yoga studios and other fitness-related busi“If there is an executive order that says specifically that nesses have also been weighing their options for reopening. fitness cannot be open, and there have been three attempted A representative of the Cycle Loft in Greensboro, a cycling bills to open fitness that have not passed or have been vetoed, studio, said in a Facebook message to TCB that the business is it feels like it’s in direct violation of the executive order,” she open for “those who are prescribed or directed by a medical says. “I don’t think it feels authentic to how I want to be in the professional to workout” and that all regular memberships world.” are on hold, but that staff doesn’t ask for doctor’s notes. “No But like Petruzzi, she says she understands why some gyms one is allowed to ask another person for disclosure of medical are open right now. information or disabilities,” they said. When asked how they “I fully acknowledge that it’s a terrible time for small busiknow that people need to work out for medical reasons, the nesses, specifically for fitness businesses,” she says. spokesperson said that they go on the honor system.

Ramsay says her studio has been closed since March 17.

She said she’s not getting rent relief and she used up her PPP ‘It’s a grey area’ money in the first two months. For the past few weeks, she’s Nick Petruzzi, the owner of 9Round Fitness, a 30-minute been offering classes via Zoom and started teaching in area kickboxing studio in Greensboro, told TCB that he chose not to parking lots of businesses that offered their space. She, like open using the medical condition loophole because he doesn’t many other gym operators, is hoping that on Aug. 7 Gov. want to take the risk.

Cooper will authorize the state to move into Phase 3, which “I’m aware of that clause,” Petruzzi says. “I have taken the could allow gyms to open with restrictions. Ramsay says when position that we will open when we are able to and allowed to. the governor gives the green light, her business will reopen at

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 Up Front News Opinion

A sign outside of the door shows new hours for Gold’s Gym.

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Signs inside Strive Fitness urge safety measures.

Is it safe to work out in a gym?

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Puzzles

With no wind or forward momentum to shift and disperse the droplets, they could linger for hours Blocken said in the article. He also stated that gymgoers should expect, at minimum, wide-open windows on opposite walls to help move air from inside out.

Experts also warn patrons to consider their location and whether they are in a coronavirus hot spot. According to a new, online risk-assessment map of the United States created by a group of experts including Harvard’s Global Health Institute, Guilford and Forsyth counties are both rated as orange, the second-highest risk level after red. The four levels, which are based on the number of new daily cases per 100,000 people, considers orange to be an “accelerated spread” where there are between 10 to 24 cases per 100,000 people and stay-at-home orders and rigorous testing and trace programs are advised.

Mette Kalager is a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Oslo and one of the lead scientists on a study that found that people who went to a gym in Oslo were no more likely to get sick than people who didn’t. She said that although only one gymgoer got sick, the results can’t determine whether it’s safe to go to the gym in places like North Carolina where “the incidence of COVID-19 is much higher.” But in places with low numbers of new cases, “it’s safe,” she said according to an article by Science magazine.

During the time of the study, Oslo was reporting only a handful of new COVID-19 cases per day, with a maximum of 24 in one day. In Guilford and Forsyth counties, the average number of new cases has been about double that this past week.

In the end, it seems one thing is clear, says Petruzzi of 9Round.

“It’s not just for physical reasons but for mental health too,” he says. “There are lots of reasons why people are working out. It’s important now more than ever to stay fit to boost our immune systems.”

Shot in the Triad

In the follow-up explanation to the letter, the DHHS explained that because the number of workout individuals taking advantage of the exception would be low, the risk to the public is reduced compared to opening gyms back to the public. But are there still risks involved with going to a gym whether it’s using the loophole or during Phase 3?

According to a small study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Korean researchers traced 112 confirmed coronavirus cases back to a nationwide fitness class across 12 different facilities. According to the researchers, the moist, warm air combined with turbulent airflow from exercising may create an environment in which droplets can be spread more readily. Researchers also found that the size and intensity of the class can impact transmission. The study detected transmission in fitness classes that were about 50 minutes long, were held in a studio measuring around 645 square feet and included between 5 and 22 people. Classes that involved less physical exertion like yoga and pilates classes saw no spread.

“Based on recent research, aerosolized droplets can remain airborne for up to three hours, making the potential for spread in crowded and confined spaces such as fitness studios problematic,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in a recent Healthline article. “When people breathe more rapidly and more deeply, they expel greater numbers of droplets.”

Because of this, Bert Blocken, a professor of civil engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, and KU Leuven in Belgium recently stated in a New York Times article that proper airflow is important to keep people safe.

A sign inside Strive Fitness.

Culture

about 30 percent capacity and with temperature checks.

“The hardest part is that nobody knows what we’re dealing with, so I think it’s important to give people the grace to do what they think is right,” she says.

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

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E. Lindsay Street, Greensboro

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020 Shot in the Triad

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SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Puzzles

Sunny Gravely Foushee and Marsharee Neely put the finishing touches on the new “Say It Loud” street mural.

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CAROLYN DE BERRY

‘Censor-y Overload’—just can’t say what’s happening.

by Matt Jones

Across

EVENTS Open for Takeout

Thank you for your business

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©2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords

(editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

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602 S Elam Ave • Greensboro

Answers from previous publication.

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Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

1 “Groovy” relative 4 Bitter-tasting 9 With celerity 13 Citrus beverage suffix 14 “Awesomesauce” 15 Set of principles 17 Censored hearty meat entree?

19 Clue options 20 Heavy metal’s Motley ___ 21 Censored mugful for Harry Potter?

23 Prepare for a sale, maybe 25 Domain of a bunch of Ottos, for short 26 Tango requirement?

27 Hundreds of wks.

28 Brief calm ©2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 32 Biblical peak 34 Outdoor eating areas 36 They precede Xennials 37 Poker player’s censored post-hand challenge?

41 Protagonist of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” (or a Hindu goddess) 42 Detestable 43 Medicine show bottleful 46 Went 9-Across 47 Start of many California city names Answers from last issue 50 “The Family Circus” cartoonist Keane 51 Classical opening 24 Garbage bag brand 53 Potable, so to speak 29 Pac-12 athlete 55 Clearly inflamed, but censored?

30 Long ride to the dance 60 Toe the line 31 Laundry piles 61 Soap that’s evidently 0.56% impure 33 Kindling-making tools 62 Unable to escape censorship?

34 Paris’s Rue de la ___ 64 Receive at the door 35 Barber’s cut 65 Boxer Fury 37 No longer worried 66 Pastrami sandwich bread 38 Villainous sort 67 Filmdom’s suave bloodsucker, for short 39 Name of anonymity 68 Introduce yourself 40 Melville sailor Billy 69 Brit. reference work 41 Litter 44 Lined up Down 45 British singer-songwriter Chris 1 Pale imitation 47 Defensive specialist in volleyball 2 Passionate fan 48 Cyclops feature 3 Fine specimens 49 Did some videoconferencing, maybe 4 Teensy invader 52 Passing remarks?

5 Salad with bacon and egg 54 Hold up 6 Waltz violinist Andre with PBS specials 56 Operatic solo 7 “Colors” rapper 57 “Shepherd Moons” Grammy winner 8 Profoundness 58 Online crafts marketplace 9 Oscar winner for playing Cyrano de 59 Christopher Robin’s “silly old bear” Bergerac in 1950 63 Ending for pepper 10 Basic travel path 11 Closet-organizing device 12 Dance in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 16 $100 bills, slangily 18 It has a bed and a floor 22 Period of importance

SUDOKU

July 30-Aug. 6, 2020

CROSSWORD

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