TCB Nov. 29, 2018 — Wrestlecade

Local Gift Guide 2018 in this issue.

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2018 triad-city-beat.com

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Hogtied II PAGE 10

Racist rant PAGE 12

INSIDE THIS WEEK: TRIAD CIT Y BITES, THE TRIAD’S FINEST DINING GUIDE

Wolf cries boy PAGE 16

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

On the truth squad

Sunday

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

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

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336.275.2754 tatestreetcoffeehouse.com

I got my first one in before 11 a.m. today.

A woman I sometimes squabble with on Facebook posted a story from the

by Brian Clarey Daily Mail about a US border patrol agent killed by rockthrowing immigrants trying to cross into Texas.

I clicked on it to find a thinly sourced story about an agent who had died from undisclosed wounds suffered while on patrol in Texas — published almost exactly a year ago, on Nov. 17, 2017.

So I mentioned this in the comment thread, because that’s what I do now: Factcheck Facebook, one lie at a time.

Last week I pointed out to a rabid conservative Facebook friend that the meme he posted had been researched and disproven by Politifact — the same person who a couple months ago needed to be reminded that the county, and not the city, funds public schools.

I’ve tried to explain the nature of antifa — antifascist, or course, which makes everyone who falsely vilifies them sort of pro-fa — pointed out bogus news sources and tried, really tried, to help people understand how the Republican Party

changed after the Southern Strategy.

I identify fallacies and propaganda, point out intellectual inconsistencies and, sometimes, even correct people’s grammar.

I use Snopes, Politifact, blue-chip news outlets, source documents and databases like the Census — though a couple years ago, when arguing with a Facebook troll who insisted that Randolph County had become majority Hispanic, recent Census data was not convincing enough.

I weed out catfish — fake Facebook accounts used for trolling — by digging for a minute or two to see if they are real. I’ve found that a surprising number of active commenters on local pages don’t actually exist.

I don’t do it all day, of course, or even every day — though there’s more than enough fact-checking to be done on my own Facebook feed. And I can’t say it’s doing much good, because the flow of misinformation and disinformation coming across my feed is as steady and shameless as ever.

You can’t make people understand something they don’t want to.

I do it, I suppose, because I still believe the truth matters when we’re trying to understand the world around us. And sooner or later, it must rear its smug face.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

It was a fast-evolving situation when they were placing that Ripp Hobble, You can’t apply that device without someone being placed down briefly. That’s what happened in this situation. The goal is once it’s applied to immediately turn them over on their side.

— SBI Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Williams, in the News, page 10

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

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

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

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

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336-256-9320 Greensboro Cover: Shane Helms EDITORIAL INTERN Savi Ettinger climbs the ropes at Wrestlecade. calendar@triad-city-beat.com Photo by Todd Turner ART ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

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SALES Johnathan Enoch

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CONTRIBUTORS

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

Winston-Salem Cover: “Wolves in the Woods No. 9” by Paul Friedrich.

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

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Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018 Up Front News Opinion

CITY LIFE Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

by Savi Ettinger

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Deck the Hall preview party @ Sawtooth School for Visual Arts (W-S), 6 p.m.

This sneak peek features fine art from Sawtooth students, faculty and local artists.

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a beer and wine bar as the gallery and gift shop become displays for works of art. Proceeds support artists and scholarships for Sawtooth students. Learn more on Facebook.

Festival of Lights @ Downtown Greensboro, 6 p.m.

Holiday concert @ KR Williams Auditorium (W-S), 7 p.m.

Winston-Salem State University’s Wind & Brass Ensemble performs a seasonal symphony. Music education and music business majors will play pieces focusing on 19th and 20th century band literature. More information on the free show can be found at wssu.edu.

Fall Concert @ Salem College (W-S), 7:30 p.m.

The Distractors, the GBs & 60 Watt Combo @ the Ramkat (W-S), 7 p.m.

The Distractors headline this show celebrating a CD release. The band, though from the South, harkens back to British bands like the Beatles and the Who. The GBs and 60 Watt Combo amp up the British invasion and classic rock aesthetic of the night. Find out more on Facebook.

The Hall Sisters @ Muddy Creek Café and Music Hall (W-S), 8 p.m.

Watch the community tree-lighting as the holiday season begins. Listen to musical performances or join a sing-a-long in Center City Park. Shop around for gifts at the market in LeBauer Park. Find the event on Facebook.

The Cycle @ Triad Stage (GSO), 6:30 p.m.

This band, made up of four sisters, performs a set of folk and Americana. Both gospel hymns and older classics influence the zeal behind their sound, making for a lively show. Find the event on Facebook.

SATURDAY

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Puttin’ on the Grits @ St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (HP), 8 a.m.

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Salem College’s Department of Dance highlights choreography from faculty and guest artists, as done by students. The Elberson Fine Arts Center hosts the performances, which run through the weekend.

Find out more on Facebook.

The red carpet rolls out for the premier of The Cycle, a film from Terrence Graham and 5FT Productions. The movie is subtitled “Generational Curses” and stars Jennifer Michelle, Travis Newkirk and Stephanie Renee. Learn more on Facebook.

Bite into some Southern breakfast food at the annual fundraising event for the Community Clinic of High Point. All of the proceeds of the morning go towards daily operation costs for the clinic. Find more details on Facebook.

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

The Polar Express @ the Carolina Theater (GSO), 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY Hand to Hand Market @ Revolution Mill (GSO), 11 a.m.

Mozart Club @ RJ Reynolds Auditorium (W-S), 3 p.m.

Up Front News

Grab a seat for the feature film of the morning — The Polar Express. Snack on popcorn and soda, or be a part of a singalong to the tune of the theater’s pipe organ. Top off the experience by snapping a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the Renaissance Room. Learn more on Facebook.

The 7th annual Hand to Hand market encourages visitors to shop small businesses in Greensboro’s largest indie craft fair.

Dozens of creatives from the South come together to sell handmade goods and offer workshops throughout the day. Find the event on Facebook.

PawPalooza II @ Boxcar Bar + Arcade (GSO), 1 p.m.

Opinion

Holiday Stroll @ Uptowne High Point, 10 a.m.

Shot in the Triad

Head over to Uptowne High Point to enjoy the 9th annual Holiday Stroll. Browse arts and crafts, or hop on a carriage ride. Listen to music or performances, or step into one of the open houses for historical sites. Find out more about the event on Facebook.

Candlefest @ Greensboro Arboretum, 6 p.m.

This pet party offers activities for both pets and their owners as well as a fundraising and adoption event. Look through the pet market, or enter your four-legged friend in an ugly sweater contest. Stop by the bar for drink specials and deals on food. Find the event on Facebook.

Puzzles

Thousands of lights set up by Girl Scouts Carolinas illuminate the arboretum for this evening stroll. Hot chocolate and s’mores promise to warm visitors up, and Santa visits to add some holiday cheer. Learn more about the event on Facebook.

Culture

This free concert presents Handel’s Messiah as performed by a chorus and full orchestra of more than 100 members.

Piedmont Opera’s James Allbritten conducts the 86th annual show. Find the event on Facebook.

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Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018 Up Front

Why do we only eat cranberries once a year? I mean, besides the fact that they’re really tart and need a ton of sugar to taste good?

The formula for good cranberry sauce is ingeniously simple: A cup of water and a cup of sugar brought to a rolling boil, with the berries deposited into the frothing maw then cooked down sufficiently to break the skins and create a jellied consistency when chilled.

Fun facts: Cranberries are native to North America and rich in vitamins and antioxidants. They’re the tonic to the otherwise starch-heavy Thanksgiving slate of mashed potatoes, stuffing and mac and cheese. They’re the side that tastes like dessert. The brilliant crimson of cranberry sauce redeems a plate otherwise mired in drab hues of white, brown and yellow.

Beyond the essentials of berries, sugar and water, cranberry sauce can be dressed up in innumerable ways. I throw in some chopped walnuts to give the sauce heft and crunch.

Orange zest is never a bad idea. This year I also had a lemon to work with. The lemon would have been grated along with the orange had I not made a mistake and halved it first. After abrading the distal interphalangeal joint of my thumb, I gave up and just sliced off the peel with a paring knife. I think having different consistencies of citrus turned out to be a good innovation: There’s a subtle infusion of orange next to the boldly announced zing of lemon.

For those who forgot cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving or want to refine their method, luckily Christmas is right around the corner.

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Opinion

News

Cranberries

by Jordan Green

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High Point Clinical Trials is looking for healthy adults eighteen to sixty-five of age who have not used any form of tobacco in the past six months.

Participants compensation up to 600 dollars. call 855.687.4257 or visit highpointctc.com to learn more.

Follow us at: facebook.com/HPCTC highpointctc

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Are there plans to offer Santas of other races in the future?

Yes! That’s definitely in the plans. We have talked about other races, but we didn’t want to branch out too far this season. We just wanted to feel the waters but it is our plan in the future to have the option of Latino or Asian Santas too. It’s just needed.

Culture

Why is it important for companies like Santa Like Me to exist?

Our mission is for every child of various ethnicities to visit a Santa that looks like them. We want to create lifelong memories and reflect our evolving society. We’re not just one race or ethnicity. Even if Santa is a fictional character, we think it’s important to create that memory.

Opinion

What’s been one of the most memorable experiences during your time as a company?

During our launch party on Black Friday weekend, our first customer of the day was a little boy named Aayden and he came in wearing a shirt that said, “Santa is My Homie.” He was so excited and when Santa came out, his eyes lit up so big. He let Santa know what he wanted for Christmas and also asked him to send him a letter back. His mom also pulled us aside and thanked us for doing this. That experience let us know that what we were doing was making an impact in our community and in our city.

News

What made your family want to start Santa Like Me? Growing up, we had a Santa decoration for outside that lit up and was like three feet tall. It was a white Santa but my dad spray painted it black. I used to also ask my parents why the Santa at the mall was white and my parents would tell me that Santa is a busy man and that he has many different helpers. We just felt the need in Greensboro to have a Santa that represents the African American experience in our community and to give children someone that resembles them so we decided to branch out and offer that this Christmas season.

Up Front

Santa Like Me is a Greensboro-based family-owned business that opened during Black Friday this year. They allow families to visit with a black Santa and take photos with him. Raven Goins, 26, helps run the business and talks about her experience growing up and why they started the company. You can find Santa Like Me at the Village on Eugene Street in Suite 207 from now until December 23. Visit their Facebook page for more info or call 336-543-0027.

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

Four Questions for Santa Like Me

by Sayaka Matsuoka

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Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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NEWS

A new East Ward rep, rogue scooters and tennis justice

by Jordan Green It had been seven days since the public safety committee of Winston-Salem City Council voted to temporarily ban Bird Scooters — at least until the city can develop some regulations to control their use.

After spotting a couple Birds on University Parkway on her way to the city council meeting on Monday, Councilwoman DD Adams wanted some answers.

“To staff, chairman of public safety and public works: I think it’s imperative that the council knows whether the 1,200-plus scooters have been removed,” Adams said. “And if not, where are we in the process?”

Assistant City Manager Damon Dequenne did his best to reassure Adams.

“It was staff’s understanding that all the scooters were removed,” he said.

“City forces, the day following the public safety committee meeting, removed approximately 360 scooters. Following the public works meeting the following evening, Bird representatives sent us information that their contract staff was instructed to pick up the remaining scooters. I apologize. That was my fault for not informing council. It was my understanding that all the scooters had been picked up. And I am frankly shocked to hear that you saw scooters on the way in here.”

Adams insisted that she saw scooters on her drive to the meeting. Dequenne in turn reasoned that if the scooters had been outlawed, those particular scooters must be outlaws.

“Yes, ma’am, we’ll get somebody out there to get those up,” he said. “The app has been disabled, so if those scooters are out there it’s quite possible that they’ve been hacked. Those are rogue scooters that Bird or anyone else hasn’t been able to find.” *** The major public policy item on the agenda for Monday was approval of a 5-year lease to Flex Tennis LLC to operate the Joe White Tennis Center in Hanes Park and manage the city’s tennis programs at six additional courts across the city. Councilwoman DD Adams and Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke let it be known that they hold grave reservations about the firm’s ability to serve black, Latinx and inner-city residents.

Adams, who represents the North Ward, emphasized the historical sig-

Annette Scippio takes the oath of office to serve as the new East Ward representative on Winston-Salem City Council.

nificance of tennis in Winston-Salem to Kevin Fleck, who owns Flex Tennis, noting that she started playing with the Kimberley Park Tennis Club in 1976, officiated USTA matches, played and hosted tournaments, and became a certified tennis instructor.

“We lived and breathed tennis in our communities,” Adams said, reeling of the names of a handful of legendary local coaches.

“At one time Winston-Salem was ranked 25th in the United States for tennis programs and tennis infrastructure,” Adams said.

“I want to know what your plan is,” she concluded. “I hope you got one.”

Fleck responded that he plans to offer a “First Friday Tennis Party” — a community event providing free instruction, balls, rackets and pizza “for kids to enjoy and also to experience tennis.” He

mentioned his ties to various city parks with tennis facilities and Winston-Salem State University, without going into much detail.

Adams indicated she was less than impressed.

“There’s some missing and important pieces here,” she said. “I’m not going to vote against you getting this contract, but I have some concerns about the involvement and engagement of AfricanAmerican and Latino kids in the urban core…. I think you need a little help, and I’m willing to help. We’re paying as taxpayers for tennis courts that are not used as well as the courts that you have.

Whenever I’ve gone down to play league tennis in the past few years I haven’t seen many people or kids that look like me….

I think that we’ve got an issue that we can go work on collaboratively together.

And I would love to work with you on it

JORDAN GREEN

to make it a program that all of us can be proud of.”

Council approved the contract by an 8-1 vote, with Burke casting the lone no vote.

Councilman Robert Clark, who represents the West Ward, came to Fleck’s defense.

“I think part of the confusion may be that just running the Joe White Tennis Court is just one ward [the Northwest Ward], but that’s a much different issue than running tennis programs everywhere,” Clark said. “I think part of the issue may be what we ask the company to do. I will say as a general rule tennis has been on the decline for a number of years nationally. So that’s not a political problem; it’s a national problem.”

According to the resolution approved by city council, the request for proposals for the contract sought a vendor to do

Up Front

NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE PROPOSED GRADE SEPARATION AT THE HILLTOP ROAD (S.R. 1424) RAIL CROSSING (722361Y) IN GUILFORD COUNTY

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

TIP PROJECT NO. P-5713 The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting regarding the proposed grade separation at the Hilltop Road (S.R. 1424) rail crossing (722361Y) of the Norfolk Southern “Main” Line in Guilford County. The purpose of this project is to improve train and vehicular safety in the project area.

Opinion

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at the Korean United Methodist Church located at 2504 E. Woodlyn Way in Greensboro from 5-7 p.m. The public may attend at any time during the meeting hours. Please note there will be no formal presentation.

News

both.

“The objective of the RFP was to identify and select a provider to provide full organization, administration, management and supervision of a tennis pro shop, schedule tennis programs at [the Joe White Tennis Center], Bolton, Central, Miller Park, Parkland, Oak Summit, Shaffner tennis courts, and provide annual court resurfacing,” the resolution reads. *** Annette Scippio took the oath of office to fill the vacant seat representing the East Ward, following former councilman Derwin Montgomery’s resignation to serve in the state House.

Scippio, who has previously served as executive director of Leadership Winston-Salem and Delta Fine Arts, was appointed by city council on the recommendation of East Ward members of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

Scippio’s grandchildren held a Bible as the new city councilwoman took the oath of office. Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke noted that Scippio is the grandchild of Winston-Salem’s first black alderman, Kenneth R. Williams.

“I certainly love having grown up in Winston, and I certainly want the decisions that I make to ensure that my grandchildren will have a wonderful city that they will live in,” Scippio said after taking her seat on the dais. “And I always will keep in mind that the decisions I make will really reflect the heartbeat of our community — its residents. So I am very, very pleased to serve with passion, compassion and integrity.”

At the meeting there will be maps of the proposed plans as well as project team members who will be available to answer your questions and receive feedback. All comments will be taken into consideration as the project progresses. The opportunity to submit written comments will be provided at the meeting or can be done via phone, email, or mail no later than December 11, 2018.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Lauren Putnam via email at lnputnam1@ncdot.gov or by phone at (919) 707- 6072 as early as possible, so that arrangements can be made.

Las personas que no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes e la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

Puzzles

Persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.

Shot in the Triad

For additional information please contact Gregory Blakeney, NCDOT Senior Rail Project Development Engineer, by phone at (919) 707-4717 or by email at gmblakeney@ncdot.gov.

Culture

As information becomes available, it may be viewed at the NCDOT Public Meeting Webpage: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings/.

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Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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Police chief explains why officers didn’t violate directives

by Jordan Green The Greensboro police acknowledge that a man who died after being hog-tied was lying face down, but Chief Wayne Scott says the directive prohibiting that position only applies to the transport of persons in custody.

Greensboro police Chief Wayne Scott has acknowledged that Marcus Smith was lying face-down when officers applied a controversial restraint known as “hog-tying” shortly before he became unresponsive and died, corroborating a critical point in an account by the family’s lawyer, who has reviewed police body-camera footage.

The only guidance in the department’s directives that reference the technique, which is also known as Ripp Hobble, stipulate that a person in the restraints should be “seated in an upright position or on their side.” The department announced through a city press release in mid-November that an administrative investigation found no violations of directives, and the officers were being returned to regular duty.

The chief noted that the directive falls under a section referencing “handling and transporting persons in custody.”

“Those specific things you’re indicating are designed for when we’re transporting persons in custody,” Scott said.

“Unfortunately, we never got to the point where we’re transporting Mr. Smith.”

Scott said the department doesn’t have a specific directive on applying the Ripp Hobble, or hog-tying, restraint prior to transporting detainees, adding that officers follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of the device and learn the proper techniques in training.

A training video by Black Dog Tactical, a Phoenix company that sells hobble devices to police agencies, shows a subject lying face down while the restraint is applied. The video shows the subject being rolled on his side after the successful application of the restraint. Scott Williams, the special-agent-in-charge for the State Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Piedmont District — who oversaw the investigation of the officers’ handling of the incident — stressed a point also made by the chief. Agent Williams and Chief Scott said there’s no way to apply the restraint unless the person is lying face down, adding that as soon as possible the officers should turn the person on to their side.

“It was a fast-evolving situation when they were placing that Ripp Hobble,” said Williams, who has reviewed the po-

lice body-camera video. He added, “You can’t apply that device without someone being placed down briefly. That’s what happened in this situation. The goal is once it’s applied to immediately turn them over on their side.”

The city’s initial disclosure of the incident, in a Sept. 8 press release, did not mention that officers applied any kind of restraints on Smith, noting only that “the subject became combative and collapsed.”

Graham Holt, a lawyer for Marcus Smith’s family, described the incident in a Nov. 5 letter to Mayor Nancy Vaughan and members of city council, while asking council members to review the video.

“While multiple officers held him down, one officer cuffed Marcus’ hands behind his back,” Holt wrote. “Another officer then grabbed Marcus’ ankles and pushed up on his feet forcing Marcus to bend his knees. The officer pushed his feet all the way to the point that Marcus’ feet were touching his handcuffed hand at the small of his back. Then they hogtied him. Using a strap of some kind they bound his hands to his feet behind his back. He was still face down. The officers tightened the strap so tight that Marcus’ shoulders and his knees were suspended above the ground.

“Marcus’ breathing quickly became strained and under a minute later he stopped breathing altogether,” the letter continues. “The officers were talking to each other over his body while he stopped breathing. A few moments after Marcus stopped breathing, one of the officers looked down and saw that Marcus’ eyes were closed and ascertained that Marcus was unresponsive. Knowing that the hog-tie was the problem, one of the officers exclaimed, ‘Untie him now!’ But it was too late. EMS tried to resuscitate him in the ambulance, and it looked to me like he had already passed or else he passed a short time later.”

The directive on “handling and transporting persons in custody,” references a health risk widely associated with the use of the Ripp Hobble device, or hog-tying.

The directive states that if the Ripp Hobble device is applied, “the knees of the arrestee will not be bent more than 90 degrees (unless extenuating circumstances exist) to prevent stress being placed on the arrestee’s chest muscles or diaphragm, which might contribute to a positional asphyxiation situation.”

Holt said that during the roughly one-minute period from the time officers

Marcus Smith, seen here with Tiffany Dumas, was a frequent guest at the Interactive Resource Center.

began applying the restraint to when Smith became unresponsive, the officers continuously adjusted the straps while one officer pushed Smith’s legs “to the point where his toes were back pointing at the back of Marcus’ head.

“I think the officers used reasonable force, knowing an encounter with an individual is a fluid process,” Chief Scott said.

The departmental directive requires officers who use the Ripp Hobble, or hog-tying, to keep the person under direct observation at all times. The directive, which also falls under the heading of “handling and transporting persons in custody,” states, “It is the responsibility of the arresting officer to ensure the arrestee is under direct observation from the time he is restrained in this manner until the restraints are removed or the custody of the arrestee is turned over to another agency.” (Smith was not arrested or charged with any crime; he was restrained after trying to kick through a police-car window while awaiting EMS transport to a mental health evaluation.)

“They were not paying attention to his face,” Holt said. “They were not monitoring how he was doing. I don’t think this is a matter of interpretation.

It is crystal clear what happened. The video isn’t obscured. You can see what happened.”

Chief Scott that “there were just seconds between the change in [Smith’s

COURTESY PHOTO

behavior] and the response of the officers.”

“I do believe they were attentive,” he added.

‘No evidence of any criminal liability’ As detailed in a letter from the Guilford County District Attorney’s office to Greensboro Police Department, Assistant District Attorney Stephen W. Cole informed Chief Scott that he had met with Eric Frey, the SBI assistant special agent who served as the lead investigator into the circumstances surrounding Smith’s death. Cole wrote in the letter, which was obtained by City Beat, that Frey had “shared the extent of his findings to date, including video footage from body-worn cameras” capturing the incident. While acknowledging that the SBI investigation was not complete — an autopsy and toxicology report have not been released to date — Cole reported to Chief Scott that “there is no evidence of any criminal liability on the part of the named officers.”

Special Agent-in-Charge Williams told City Beat that the district attorney’s determination that the Greensboro police officers bear no criminal liability in the death of Marcus Smith is consistent with what his agency’s forthcoming report will show.

“I don’t know that they will ever determine a cause of death,” Williams

by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA. The standard states: “It is necessary for officers to know when and how detainees are to be restrained and when, where and how particular restraining devices are to be employed, including special and prohibited methods. Agencies should be aware that some techniques have been found to contribute to serious physical injury or death, e.g. ‘positional asphyxia’ and should be prohibited.”

CALEA Executive Director Craig Hartley, formerly an assistant chief with the Greensboro Police Department, said the standard is only an advisory and is not binding. The Greensboro Police Department earned the highest level of accredi-

tation offered by CALEA in 2017. The city said in a January 2018 press release that “to qualify for the award of excellence, the department had to have at least 90 percent compliance with standards that are not mandatory.”

Graham Holt and Marcus Smith’s family have contended since they held a press conference in mid-November that the officers’ use of the hog-tying technique caused Smith’s death.

“I’m hoping they discovered enough in the autopsy to incorporate that into the report because that is what killed him,” Holt said. “I watched him stop breathing after they hog-tied him. No matter what the toxicology report says, he was breathing just fine until they hog-tied him.”

Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

‘Proven to contribute to serious injury or death’ The risk of positional asphyxiation is widely referenced in directives governing the use of hogtying or hobbling — also known as prone maximum restraint position and maximum restraint — by Triad law enforcement agencies.

Police Attorney Brian Beasley told City Beat that the High Point Police Department, like its counterpart in Greensboro, issues hobbles and trains officers on their use. The High Point Police Department’s General Order on Use of Force spells out the requirements for adjusting the person’s position as soon as the restraint is applied in a way that the Greensboro Police Department directive doesn’t.

“Once a resistant subject is under control and handcuffed, place the subject on their side or in a seated position while awaiting transportation to a detention facility to avoid the possibility of positional asphyxiation,” the High Point general order states.

The Winston-Salem Police Depart-

ment, along with the sheriff’s offices in Forsyth and Guilford counties, does not allow its officers to hog-tie detainees, at least during transport.

In response to an inquiry from City Beat on department policy on the use of hog-tying, Ripp Hobble, or prone maximal restraint position, Police Attorney Lori Sykes responded that the WinstonSalem Police Department’s Use of Force policy “strictly prohibits this technique.”

The prohibited maximum restraint position is defined in the Winston-Salem Police Department’s General Orders on Use of Force as “placing a subject with hands secured behind their back, legs secured together, and their legs and hands connected together behind the subject’s back with the subject’s legs flexed at the knees. Subject is laying on their side or face-down.”

In response to an inquiry about what tools are available to Winston-Salem police officers as an alternative to hog-tying, Lt. Brian Dobey referred to a use-of-force continuum chart included in the General Orders document. The chart allows several different “incapacitating” applications for “assaultive behavior,” including personal weapon strikes to the head and neck; baton strikes to major muscle mass; conducted electrical weapons, also known as Tasing; pepper spray; and a “less lethal” projectile firing weapon.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office policy allows for the use of a hobble device to restrain a person’s feet and legs during transport, but cautions that “this device is not be used to bind a person’s arms behind them or to ‘hog-tie’ a person. Sheriff’s Attorney James Secor explained that rather than looping the loose end of the hobble strap through a detainee’s handcuffs, officers will typically trap the loose end in a closed rear vehicle door to secure it. Secor said he and another attorney created a training video on positional asphyxiation that they presented to deputies and detention officers during an annual in-service training.

Secor added that nothing he said “should be interpreted as a comment on how Marcus Smith was restrained by GPD.” The entry for “restraining devices” in the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office’s Standard Operating Policy on Transport of Detainees and Arrestees states that “restraining devices or techniques that have been proven to contribute to serious injury or death, e.g. ‘positional asphyxiation’ during transport, shall be prohibited.”

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office policy references a standard developed

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

said in reference to a pending autopsy anticipated from the Office of the State Medical Examiner. He added that a pending toxicology report “will explain why the person was acting the way they were.”

Williams acknowledged that a finding that Smith’s death was caused by positional asphyxiation would be relevant to the district attorney’s finding on potential criminal liability by the officers.

Asked whether the district attorney’s determination was premature in advance of the autopsy report, Williams said an agent observed the autopsy, and “the [medical examiner] told us they couldn’t determine anything that caused the death.”

Williams said the medical examiner reviewed the police body-camera video.

“They wanted to make sure no officer had their knee on Mr. Smith’s back, (which no officer did) which could put pressure on the chest, which could cause positional asphyxiation,” Williams said in an email.

In response to an attempt to speak with the medical examiner responsible for Smith’s autopsy, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health and Human Services indicated in an email on Wednesday that “individual reports and information are not released from the Office of the Medical Examiner (OCME) prior to the completion of the case, and individual cases are not discussed outside the publicly available documents.”

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OPINION

EDITORIAL

The problem at Northwest High It’s repulsive and shocking, and also, somehow,

completely unsurprising.

The video showed two Northwest Guilford High School students spewing the worst kind of hateful and racist comments towards all black people, and it went viral by the end of the day Tuesday, culminating with a post on Raw Story, which means it should be on the “Today” show by Thursday morning.

You don’t need to watch it to know what they’re saying: two white boys — for they are indeed boys — shirtless for some reason, dropping the N-word and threats of lynching with aplomb in Southern accents so thick it sounds like they’re putting us on, hate dripping from their voices as they re-enact the tropes of racial ignorance and unearned privilege. With each despicable exchange they cast themselves as superior by strict virtue of their race.

It is disgusting. And it’s the very definition of hate speech: not directed at any black person in particular, but all of them. It’s the sort of talk that got Emmett Till murdered, that fomented But here on the the Wilmington Riots, that ground, we need preceded every lynching and to acknowledge cross-burning in the South’s terrible history of relations that these boys between black and white. are ours.

There were threats of violence, no matter how squealing and inept, a clear espousal of white supremacy, and one of them kept putting his hand in his sweatpants to grab his crotch.

Now, through widespread dispersion on the internet, the footage has become just another episode of “White People Behaving Badly,” another Picnic Patty or Pool Card Adam. They will have nicknames by the end of the week that will soon be forgotten, along with everything else that’s been coming through this toilet of a news cycle.

But here on the ground in North Carolina, we need to acknowledge that these boys are ours.

Northwest Guilford sits right between Summerfield and Kernersville, and as far as public schools go it’s a fairly wealthy one — just 13 percent of its students are economically disadvantaged. Not incidentally, white students make up 79 percent of the population, while just 7 percent are black.

In response, the entire student body will undergo something called “tolerance training,” while the boys face 10 days of suspension. Surely it is not enough.

Because these two morons didn’t happen in a vacuum.

Students, teachers and school administrators have the primary responsibility for maintaining an inclusive, antiracist culture. Northwest parents hold a secondary responsibility.

A meaningful step forward would include them all.

CITIZEN GREEN

Election irregularities erode faith in democracy

Like virtually everything else facts at the granular level of local elections rarely conform in American politics, the mutual to either narrative. exclusion between the narratives Marcus Brandon, a former Democratic state lawmaker, through which Democrat and said he was dropping off a volunteer at the Muirs Chapel Republican partisans view elecUnited Methodist Church polling place in west Greensboro tions is nearly complete. But unlike, on Election Day when a woman flagged him down and told say, guns, abortion or same-sex him: “They’re only asking black people for ID.” marriage, elections are the most The white Republican chief judge acknowledged in an

by Jordan Green important institution of democracy. interview with Triad City Beat that one of the poll workers Without confidence in the fair and impartial administration improperly asked two people for ID before she told him he of elections, governance defaults to brute force. shouldn’t do it.

In Guilford, the third most populous in North Carolina, But another voter who appeared at the polling place at least one black voter if not two were improperly asked to hours later — a black woman — said poll workers asked show ID by white poll workers at a racially mixed precinct in her for her ID. The chief judge disputes the claim. (North west Greensboro. And at the Bethel AME Church polling Carolina voters approved voter ID in a referendum in the place, which serves a neighborhood wedged between NC 2018 election, although the details haven’t been hammered A&T University and downtown Greensboro, in what Guilout, and the law wasn’t in effect for this election.) ford County Elections Director Charlie Collicutt described In G67, a predominantly Democrat and African-Ameras “a major irregularity,” poll workers allowed 11 people who ican precinct adjacent to A&T, Collicutt informed the were not registered to vote on machines, castGuilford County Board of Elections that ing irretrievable ballots.

11 voters who were not registered walked There aren’t a lot of people talking about into the polling place and voted. The poll Without these incidents because the affected races workers did not offer the voters provisional weren’t close enough to tip the balance in one ballots, as directed by policy, or call in to the confidence in fair direction or another. But in two years we’ll have office for guidance. elections, a hotly contested election between moderate “And they let those voters vote on the governance Democrat Roy Cooper and ultra-conservative voting machine,” Collicutt said. “It is not Republican Dan Forest for governor, a US a retrievable ballot. Those votes are cast defaults to brute Senate race and Trump’s re-election bid on the anonymously. One of them we found could force. ballot in North Carolina. If the contests are have been a provisional ballot if they’d been close and any of the votes are in dispute, it’s a done that way, but we’re missing other esgood bet that either of these currently obscure sential information that’s not on here. This is facts are likely to be selectively cited by partisans on either a major negative that I hate to have to report. It happened. side to build a case for the other side’s bad faith.

There’s no recourse. I mean, there’s recourse with the preLet’s rewind to recall how we got here. In 2013, following cinct official, but as far as the results there’s nothing.” the US Supreme Court’s Shelby v. Holder decision, ReThe four-member bipartisan Guilford County Board of publican lawmakers in North Carolina approved the most Elections voted unanimously to refer the 11 voters to the repressive election law in the nation by stacking a series of State Board of Elections for investigation and potential measures governing early voting, provisional ballots and prosecution. Collicutt said all poll workers, who receive voter ID in a way that consistently disadvantaged black nominal compensation, are up for re-appointment, and he’ll voters, and the federal courts rightfully ruled in 2016 that address the issue with the party chairs who nominate them the law “target[ed] African-American voters with almost before the next round of appointments. surgical precision.”

The board also voted unanimously to disapprove proThat year, Republican-Gov. Pat McCrory baselessly visional ballots by two voters who had previously voted at accused Democrats of stealing the election before eventuprecincts G04 and G68 — the polling place for the latter ally conceding to Cooper. Also, after the 2016 election, is on the A&T campus — and then went to G67 and atTrump claimed without evidence that he would have won tempted to vote a second time. Collicutt said in those cases the popular vote “if you deduct the millions of people who the poll workers at G67 took appropriate action and called voted illegally.” And earlier this month, Trump demanded officials at the other polling places to confirm that they that the election be called for Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, had already voted, and then offered the voters retrievable respectively the Republican candidates for US Senate and provisional ballots. governor, based on election-night totals, claiming preposThe board also disapproved 111 provisional ballots cast terously that “large numbers of new ballots showed up out by voters who were once registered in Guilford County of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged,” while but had subsequently registered in other counties, and ignoring the fact that state law allows for overseas absentee referred them to the state for investigation. In all, the local ballots from military service members to be received days board referred 178 voters to the state for investigation and after the election. potential prosecution.

Republicans often claim that fraud is rampant, while File this under: May or may not become relevant at a Democrats often argue that it’s rare to nonexistent. The later date.

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by Sayaka Matsuoka

T

he man in the tiny purple shorts scurried around the ring while gesturing at the guy walking towards him. Compared to Brandon Scott who seemed small and slightly frightened, wrestler Billy Gunn was built like a Greek statue and looked like he could eat Scott as a snack as he approached the ring. Gunn’s appearance marked the opening match on Saturday or Day 2 of Wrestlecade in WinstonSalem. The well-known WWE wrestler — who found fame in the late nineties and early 2000s with partner Road Dogg as part of a tag team known as the New Age Outlaws — looked older, his face significantly more lined than in his heyday, but the bulging muscles that clustered around his shoulders suggested he still had what it takes to own the ring. Gunn, who stood over six feet tall, stepped into the box and began pacing around, hunting Scott, who seemed like a foot shorter than him.

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Wrestler Billy Gunn takes down Brandon Scott.

TODD TURNER

“You must be this tall to ride this ride,” yelled a man sitting in the front row. Another yelled, “Get him a step stool!”

Nimbler than Gunn, Scott took the upper hand quickly, taking a running start, then sliding and kicking Gunn out of the ring. Gunn got up slowly and crawled back in, moving quickly and clotheslining him when he tried to get back up. But before the referee could make the full count, Scott had recovered and clambered onto the top rope and jumped onto Gunn, pinning him to the ground. As the referee called the match in favor of Scott, the crowd began to boo while Scott grinned and gestured obscenely at the audience as he walked back down the aisle. Gunn on the other hand, smiled at the crowd and held up his hand to cheers from the fans who were happy to see him back in the ring.

The three-day event brought fans from all over the country for informa-

Crowd favorite Taya goes in for the finish against Penelope Ford during Wrestlecade Weekend.

tion sessions and VIP meet-and-greets in addition to the matches. Some had even dressed up like their favorite wrestlers.

Misty Rose, a 20-year-old from Wilmington, stood out in gold face paint, bold black eyeliner, a gold bodysuit, long black gloves and a white wig as she waited in line for the Saturday matches. She was Goldust of course, the sexually charged, flamboyant WWE wrestler who is the longest active WWE performer. She said the get-up took two hours to put together.

Rose had gone to other wrestling conventions in New York but said that this was her first time at Wrestlecade. She became a fan through her grandpa.

“I love wrestling,” Rose said. “The atmosphere is close knit.”

At the front of the line were two men standing next a pair of boys holding lucha libre masks. The two men, brothers, said they grew up watching wrestling in the seventies.

“Our parents would watch it a lot, said Scott Rathburn.

“And there was only one TV back then so you watched what they watched.”

Now, Scott and his brother Robert are passing down their generational love for pro-wrestling to the two boys who were Robert’s grandkids.

“I like seeing them fly and stuff,” said Brian Mendoza, one of

TODD TURNER

the grandsons who clutched a shiny blue mask.

Inside, a few VIP guests and wrestlers sat around waiting for the rest of the audience to be let in. Chuck Lennox sat in one of the front rows, gazing at the ring where a blonde Harley Quinn-like woman was stretching. Hailing from Maryland, Lennox had wrestled the day before and has been a wrestler for almost a decade.

“It’s something I loved as a kid,” Lennox said. “Everything looked larger than life.”

And sure, when there’s vacuum cleaners being thrown in the ring and men clubbing other men with trash cans while yelling obscenities, it’s hard to take the thing seriously. And the fact that the matches are pre-determined? What’s up with that?

But Lennox argues that there’s still an art and mastery to wrestling.

“It puts extra years on your body,” Lennox said. “You have to prepare for it.”

And he’s right. Despite the fights being “fake,” the stunts are still 100 percent real. Wrestlers train to avoid injury and many still end up getting hurt. A 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University found that mortality rates for professional wrestlers were almost three times greater than the average male. So why do people do it? And why do more and more

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018 Up Front News

people become fans each year?

“It’s like a getaway from the real world,” said Lennox whose grandfather introduced him to wrestling. “You can be someone else or be more yourself.”

And as the matches kept coming on, their overthe-top, theatrical nature seemed to be exactly what captured audiences both old and new. They told a story — one as old as time — of good versus evil, hero versus villain, face versus heel.

In the corner of the room, two women stood off to the side watching the matches unfold.

The pair, who call themselves the Kodokushi Death Squad, were a wrestling team from Florida. Su Yung, who was participating in the convention, has been in the industry for 11 years while her partner, Zeda Zhang has two years under her belt. Both of them grew up watching wrestling because of family members too.

“My dad watched it and was a huge fan of wrestling,” said Yung, whose long, jet-black hair was tied up in two buns, Sailor Moon style. “It’s always been my dream.”

Zhang, who had trained as an MMA fighter before becoming a professional wrestler said that she made the switch because it combined her favorite things: theatricality and fighting.

“I loved doing everything that was pro-wrestling,” Zhang said. “I just didn’t know it was pro-wrestling.”

And as the men in the ring continued to flip each other while fans hooted and hollered, a sense of camaraderie could be felt in the stuffy convention room.

This was their fantasy football; this was their fandom. And like most fandoms, you don’t really get it until you do.

TODD TURNER

Opinion

Wrestlers jump from ladders during Day 2 of Wrestlecade.

Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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CULTURE Friedrich’s paintings show the gory and goofy side of wolves

by Lauren Barber

T

he shepherd boy who cried, “Wolf!” met a brutal fate, but what of the wolf?

Revolution Mill’s Central Gallery is displaying Paul Friedrich’s latest exhibition In the Wild — the cartoonist’s continued meditation on this question — through Dec. 16. The born-and-raised Raleighite based the principal Wolves in the Woods series of paintings on his 2017 book The Wolf Who Cried Boy, a twist on the classical fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” from Aesop’s Fables.

“It’s the story everyone was told… [but] I realized nobody ever tells the wolf’s point of view, so I decided to tell that story,” Friedrich says. “It actually turns out kind of bloody so a lot of people that pick it up for their kids put it down immediately when they get to the last few pages.”

In Friedrich’s amoral rethinking of the cautionary tale, both the shepherd boy and the wolf repeatedly fail to convince their respective communities that they sighted the other. Village folk grow frustrated with the shepherd boy’s COURTESY IMAGE Some of Paul Friedrich’s renderings draw on dogged cowboy archetypes of the American West. “unfounded” claims but the wolves, too, believe their comrade is “crying boy.” Eventually the lupine protagonist cartoon. the nicest compliments I get a lot is ‘I don’t know why I’m leads his pack to the village; they devour He says tides are changing in regard to the art world’s aclaughing, but I’m laughing.’ It doesn’t always make sense, everyone. ceptance of cartoon illustration as a legitimate art form. like The Far Side, but like SpongeBob or Bugs Bunny, my stuff Friedrich’s accompanying illustrations “Time has proven that just because [cartoons] are accesentertains on a lot of different levels for a lot of different age are simultaneously goofy and gory, repsible doesn’t mean that they’re less than something prestigroups and demographics.” resentative of the artistic tightrope he’s gious,” he says. “A gallery show is wonderful but only a certain The exhibition’s In the Wild theme isn’t constrained to made a career traversing. For decades, percentage of people go there. I’ve had the luck that I’ll show genre or place; the fable’s woodland wolves share the gallery he’s distilled universal truths through stuff at coffeeshops and bookshops then when I have a gallery with dogged cowboy archetypes of the “wild, wild West,” a odd and all too familiar characters alike, show [the gallery] will get a whole new audience that’s folsubject Friedrich revisits every few years. He selected a group almost always leaving readers a tad lowing my work.” of abstract-leaning paintings of forbidding silhouettes from unsettled, whether through rickety lines, He says he’s noticed that he’s served as a bridge between 2014 to juxtapose 2017 Rawhide series works that surge with uncanny representations or quasi-surseparate social scenes. movement. realist compositions. It’s a compelling “A lot of people still feel that if they don’t have an art hisbalancing act. tory degree they’re not going to be welcomed in a gallery, or The easy-on-the-eyes blue, black and they’re going to be lost or intimidated. Then they realize it’s a white palette chosen for the illustrated great place, and see the upcoming schedule and start going on book and subsequent acrylic-on-canvas a regular basis.” series marks a slight divergence, though Despite a formal arts education, Friedrich considered his thick-coated frolicsome devils galleries too highbrow for him until he visited his first a few manifest an unsettling look in their eyes years after graduating when he got back into painting. The just past their alligator-esque jawlines. venue was showcasing some of his former high school art He’s the author and illustrator of several teacher’s work that Friedrich wanted other graphic LAUREN BARBER Artist Paul Friedrich speaks to a group of to see. He’s a mentee of Bob Rankin, a novels includpeople. distinguished local artist, who taught ing SleepwalkLearn more at Friedrich at Sanderson High School. ing Batman in “I started meeting other artists [af“I’m a big fan of Clint Eastwood cowboy movies so a lot Plaid Pajamas revolutionmillgreensboro.com ter college] and it turned out they had of those paintings are based on scenes from those,” he says. and Onion Head and mkt.com/paulfriedrich. all been students of his in high school,” “They were movies made for cheap in the mid-to-late ’60s, Monster Attacks, Friedrich says. “Everyone had the same mostly in Italy, so people started calling them ‘spaghetti westwhich earned story: how much he’d meant to them, erns.’ At the time, all the American movies were John Wayne an Eisner Award how much he inspired them and had style — big and patriotic — and these were dirtier and meaner.” nomination in always been there to answer any questions, to guide. When Deviation from norms, candid tone and grit are certainly 2007 and stars his most recognizable I went to East Carolina, they looked down on cartoons and among his hallmarks. The Wolf Who Cried Boy’s bloodbath character. He and co-creator Neil Hinson considered it a waste of talent for me. But he was like, ‘This is conclusion is viscerally startling albeit cartoony, yet obvious are waiting to hear a decision from Pop what you do, go for it.’” in that wolves will behave as wolves and life is fragile. But this TV, best known for the series Schitt’s Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, SpongeBob SquarePants and pop artist is not here to moralize; he’s here to remind us to Creek, regarding their pitch for a televiBugs Bunny are among the cartoons Friedrich loves best. relish the strangeness of our condition and to chuckle at the sion show based on their Man v. Liver “Similarities are in the offbeat humor,” he says. “One of absurdity of it all along the way.

By Savi Ettinger

T

Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

he trivia competition came down to who could name the most Walmart video-game deals on Black Friday.

Five men under the team name “Cemetery Lemonade” hastily scrawled down the latest first-person shooters and sports simulators. Messy script filled the page as the team rushed to remember the names of the most recent Call of Duty and Fallout releases and claim first place.

Geeksboro Battle Pub held the trivia showdown hours after a Friendsgiving gathering to kick off a series of wintertime events. Dubbed “A Season IRL,” the series hopes to prompt people to hit pause on the digital world.

“It just feels like whether its nerd culture or even normal culture now,” said owner Joe Scott, “people spend a lot of time staring at screens.”

As many Thanksgivings do, Geeksboro’s ended with leftovers. The Greensboro nerd-themed spot invited people to bring in their unfinished desserts to put a holiday twist to their weekly trivia nights.

Instead of watching football, a small crowd flocked to Geeksboro’s event space to attempt to recall the stars of SAVI Leftover pies and sweets filled a table at Geeksboro’s football films. Cherry pies, candies and ETTINGER Friendsgiving. sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows found a home on a small bar table other subjects. against the left wall, as players bantered Kate Quick, one of the participants in the local Friendsgiving, deamongst each other, and tried to place scribed her cats and passed her phone over to show photos. For her which Stan Lee cameo was in which and many others, Geeksboro serves as a meeting grounds for nerds, Marvel movie. geeks and pop-culture enthusiasts of all forms.

Scott explained one of the goals of A “Where else do you get to meet people other than a convention?”

Season IRL was to use shared pastimes she asked. to start conversations between former Geeksboro functions like a constant convention. Programming strangers. Like in Lord of the Rings, a regularly caters to fans of media from “Doctor Who” to football to franchise Scott cites as a staple to the Super Smash Brothers, but for the winter, Geeksboro changed up subculture, people of a variety of backsome of their existing schedule and came up with new ideas. These grounds forge bonds through common include collaborations with other local businesses and a gingerbreadinterests. house party.

“A lot of people Aside from bringing people together, Scott need reasons to talk hopes A Season IRL will somewhat combat to each other,” said Find out more on Facebook the seasonal depression many face. Geeksboro Scott. provides a setting for “in real life” interactions for or at geeksboro.com.

Earlier in the day, both casual fans and those who can name every the space seemed to member of the Justice League. transform into the “You don’t have to be surrounded by blood average family living relatives to have a family,” Scott said. room for Geeksboro’s Friendsgiving. As As Thanksgiving wrapped up, the trivia points were tallied and the visitors arrived with aluminum-covered winners announced. The members of Cemetery Lemonade divided casserole dishes and deviled egg plates, up their earnings in an almost routine manner. They finished off their John O’Hurley announced the Doberman pie and reminisced about when trivia was only at sports bars and pop Pinscher as winner of the working group culture remained more underground. The five make up a found famfor the American Kennel Club’s National ily of self-proclaimed nerds.

Dog Show.

“Nerds rule the world now,” said member Chris Hornaday.

Though the show played on a large projector screen, it seemed to encourage more face-to-face interaction than isolation, as the talk of the table shifted from the dogs on television to pets and

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2018

CULTURE Geeksboro’s post-holiday geek-out

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‘Talk Like the Critters’—”pet names” popularized by memes

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Across 1 Prosciutto, for example 4 Arizona plants 9 Beginning 14 Suffix after pay or Motor 15 Verbally 16 “Today” weatherman Al 17 Oscar Wilde’s forte 18 1990 Mel Gibson movie, according to the Internet?

20 “Metamorphosis” poet 22 Bottled water brand owned by Coca-Cola 23 Mount McKinley’s national park 26 Pay no attention to 30 Easy swimming style, according to the Internet?

34 “Night Gallery” host Serling 35 Architect and Bauhaus School founder Walter ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 36 University official 37 Competed at Daytona 40 Istanbul title 41 “Better in Time” singer ___ Lewis 42 Olfactory stimulus 43 William and Harry, e.g.

45 Fleetwood ___ 46 Pet-related YouTube clip, according to the Internet?

50 Receipt figure 52 Half a quarter 53 Falco’s request to Amadeus, in a 1980s hit 57 Salt, chemically 58 Person who musically hypnotizes animals, according to the Internet?

63 Letter after pi Answers from last issue 64 Actor Rami of “Bohemian Rhapsody” 65 Job reward 29 Mode in “The Incredibles” 66 ___ voto (“at my own wish,” in Latin) 31 No longer linked 67 “___ Kitchen” (Gordon Ramsay show) 32 1 or 0, but not 10 68 Tenochtitlan inhabitant 33 ___ Reade (NYC drugstore chain) 69 Request permission 36 Pattern 37 Tomato variety Down 38 Driver who plays Kylo Ren 1 “Strange ...”

39 2017 Pixar film 2 Hyphenated word in “Cockles and Mussels” 41 Pants maker Strauss 3 Kind of call or season 43 Sales talk 4 One way to get around town 44 Guevara on T-shirts 5 “Green Book” star Mahershala 46 What opportunity does, hopefully 6 Electrical cable 47 “___ & Greg” (1990s-2000s sitcom) 7 Brass band instrument 48 Scratches the surface?

8 Altar vows 49 “Check this out!”

9 Color of Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty 51 “Family Matters” neighbor Steve 10 Like hopeless situations 54 Former “American Idol” judge DioGuardi 11 Take to the slopes 55 “Waiting For My Rocket to Come” singer Jason 12 Ending for mountain or auction 56 Give forth 13 Three, in Torino 58 “I can’t believe this,” in online slang 19 They should be nowhere near a chalkboard 59 Scottish “no” 21 Macbeth’s imagined weapon 60 12th letter of the alphabet, when spelled out 24 “Little ___ Fauntleroy” 61 Language suffix 25 Google’s was in Aug. 2004 62 DVR remote button 27 Cookie introduced to India in 2011 28 Horse with mottled coloring

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