TCB April 27, 2023 — The Return of the King

BY JAMES DOUGLAS PG. 11

CITY LIFE

THURSDAY APRIL 27

Sour Beer Tasting @ The Brewer’s Kettle (HP) 5 p.m.

Join Dave Armstrong and the Brewer’s Kettle for a tasting of sour beers including Belgian lambics, gueuze and Berliner Weisse.

FRIDAY APRIL 28

Hear Our Voice: A Panel Discussion with Survivors and Their Loved Ones @ Guilford County Family Justice Center (GSO) 9 a.m.

The Guilford County Family Justice Center survivor advocacy committee, known as VOICES, is hosting a panel discussion for attendees to learn ways to support survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse. Find more information and register for free on Eventbrite

APRIL 27 - MAY 1

by MICHAELA RATLIFF

from Deep River Lodge, a hunting lodge once located in High Point. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

SATURDAY APRIL 29

Community Day @ Reynolda House Museum of American Art (W-S) 9:30 a.m.

Reynolda invites the community to enjoy free museum admission in addition to performances and programming inspired by spring exhibition Stephen Towns: Declaration & Resistance. Registration is encouraged and can be done at reynolda.org/community

FUSE Makers Market @ SECCA (W-S) 10 a.m.

The Metal Mavens, a trio that works to advance artists’ careers is hosting their second annual FUSE makers market featuring pieces from 42 artists, 4 food trucks to grab a bite to eat from and more. Contact Tavia Brown at 434.466.4042 for more information.

Bridal Expo @ Centennial Station Arts Center (HP) 11 a.m.

SUNDAY APRIL 30

Kirkwood Spring Fair @ Terminal Tap (GSO) 12 p.m.

Terminal Tap and the Greensboro SPCA want to help you find your new furry best friend. Purchase crafts from local vendors, enjoy music by DJ Toonez and enjoy more than 20 taps from local breweries. More info on the Facebook event page

Fields & Feathers: Hunting at Deep River Lodge, 1895-1935 @ High Point Museum (HP) 10 a.m.

This free exhibition features photos and artifacts

High Point Arts Council is hosting an expo for brides, grooms, wedding planners and others to shop from 20 Triad-based vendors and view a bridal and tuxedo fashion show. Purchase tickets at highpointarts.org

Greensboro Food Truck Festival @ Downtown (GSO) 3 p.m.

Seven zones, six hours and more than 50 food trucks to visit. Can you do it? Find out at Greensboro’s Food Truck festival, complete with craft beer, live music and kids’ activities. Follow Greensboro Food Truck Festivals on Facebook for updates.

MONDAY MAY 1

The Lab: An Experimental Space for Underground Art @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (W-S) 7:30 p.m. This monthly showcase curated by the DOSE Artist Collective, allows artists an experimental space to showcase work, develop projects, network professionally and more. Find more information at intothearts.org/the-lab

Got an event? Post is for FREE at our online calendar! triad-city-beat.com/local-events/.

TCBTix is the local ticketing platform created exclusively for Triad-area community events. It’s free, easy to use, and fully customizable with all-access ticketing features to meet your event’s unique needs.

For more information, scan the QR code or email chris@triad-city-beat.com.

THE TRIAD’S LOCAL EVENT TICKETING PLATFORM POWERED BY TRIAD CITY BEAT

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Did they watch the videos?

Did they even watch the videos?

BUSINESS

PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

EDITORIAL

MANAGING EDITOR

Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CITYBEAT REPORTER

Gale Melcher gale@triad-city-beat.com

SALES

KEY ACCOUNTS

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

AD MANAGER

Noah Kirby noah@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, James Douglas, Michelle Everette, Luis H. Garay, Destiniee Jaram, Kaitlynn

Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela

Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd

Turner

WEBMASTER

Sam LeBlanc

ART

ART DIRECTOR

Aiden Siobhan aiden@triad-city-beat.com

COVER:

Slappy’s Chicken owner Scott Brandenburg stands in front of his newly reopened store on April 24.

Photo by Jerry Cooper Design by Aiden Siobhan

by Sayaka Matsuoka

That’s the question I ask myself after watching dozens of videos released by the Greensboro Police Department on Tuesday morning. The hours of footage, dumped onto the GPD’s YouTube channel, depict the Aug. 21, 2022 incident in which Officer ML Sletten shot and killed 17-year-old Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw after a traffic stop.

Shortly after the videos were released, multiple local news outlets posted short stories online linking to the playlist of 104 videos. The News & Record, our daily print paper of record, posted a similar story online notifying readers about the availability of the videos. None reported what the videos depicted, which brings me back to my original question.

Did they even watch the videos?

Sure, it’s cumbersome and time consuming to sift through more than 100 videos which total more than 16 hours of footage. But to simply repeat the police department’s own account of what happened and intersperse pushback from the family’s

attorneys is not journalism. It’s lazy. Doing the work of watching and rewatching and rewatching the footage multiple times of the exact moments when Crenshaw was shot and killed is the work.

Is it traumatizing? Yes.

Is it horrifying? Yes.

Should it be done? Yes.

If not, what is news even for? To be a simple mouthpiece for the powers that be?

What happened to holding the powerful accountable? What happened to putting information into context?

In a competitive news environment, the motto is often ‘First is better than last.’ But when a child is killed and we are able to witness it, we need to take the time to do so.

Thorough is better than fast. Accurate is better than fast. Accountable is better than fast.

Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw deserves better. We all do.

So this is my plea to my colleagues in local news: Please watch the videos. Because the family and the attorneys of the 17-year-old who should not have been shot and killed (yes, even if the car was stolen), have had to watch the footage multiple times.

It’s the least we can do.

Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw deserves better.

Most of us are professionals, we are your doctors, your lawyers, your educators. There’s so much that we can do together as a society, rather than being divided all the time.

— Robyn Saleem-Abdusamad, pg. ?

GPD footage released, questions remain in the police killing of Nasanto Crenshaw

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Why did the officer shoot three times?

Why didn’t he immediately render aid?

Why was Nasanto Crenshaw pulled over in the first place?

The Greensboro Police Department released 104 videos on Tuesday morning that document an Aug. 21, 2022 incident in which 17-year-old Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw was shot and killed by GPD Officer ML Sletten during a traffic stop for a violation that normally carries a $10 fine. The hours of footage were compiled into a community briefing video in which GPD Public Information Officer Josie Cambareri adds “factual context” including commentary that aims to explain why Sletten shot at Crenshaw three times, ultimately killing him. For the purposes of this article, TCB will be referring to time stamps in the compilation video which shows both body-worn camera footage and dash cam footage from Sletten’s patrol car. TCB watched the video at quarter and half speed to ensure accuracy.

Upon viewing the footage, questions remain as to whether or not Sletten violated GPD’s use-of-force policy and why Sletten pulled Crenshaw over in the first place.

What the footage shows

Footage released by the GPD on Tuesday includes 104 videos (63 body-worn camera and 41 vehicle-mounted) that total several hours and is viewable on the police department’s YouTube channel. As reported by TCB in the past, Crenshaw was driving a stolen vehicle on Aug. 21, 2022 around 9 p.m. when Sletten attempted to pull him over, steering him into the Super G Mart parking lot off of West Market Street. Sletten told investigators that he pulled Crenshaw over because he was driving with his high beam lights on.

After initially driving away, Crenshaw stops at a dead end in the parking lot

around the 6:48 time mark in the compilation footage. Then, in what seems to be an effort to get out of the dead end, Crenshaw backs away from the shopping center (6:52), hitting the left front corner of Sletten’s patrol car with his front left corner. At the same time, Sletten exits his vehicle and moves from behind the side of his patrol car to intercept Crenshaw as he attempts to drive away (6:55). This is also the first time viewers see Sletten take out his gun and point it towards the car Crenshaw is driving. At this point, Sletten is standing behind the back of his patrol car near the left side bumper.

Here’s where the narratives between the police department and attorneys for Crenshaw’s family diverge.

At 6:55 in the video, Sletten orders Crenshaw to “Get on the ground! Do it now!” At this point, Crenshaw has backed up to the other side of the parking lot. Then, at 6:57, Sletten moves from behind his patrol car to approach the front of Crenshaw’s car. At 6:58, Crenshaw begins driving the car again, turning out of the parking spot that he is in. Shortly afterwards, Sletten gives another command: “Stop!” At this point, the car is at an angle to Sletten and is not pointing directly at the officer. That’s when Sletten discharges the first shot through the front windshield. Then, as the car continues to turn away from Sletten so that the officer is now pointing his gun perpendicular to the Nissan and is mostly aiming at the passenger side window, Sletten fires off his second shot. By the time Sletten shoots the third shot, the car has mostly passed where Sletten is standing. According to a report released by Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump, there were “two bullet holes in the front windshield and one bullet hole noted on the front passenger window.” Then the car crashes into a median, coming to a full stop.

According to the GPD, a 9mm pistol, ski masks, a backpack and cell phone were recovered by the NC State Bureau of Investigation from the car Crenshaw was driving. GPD did not post footage of the recovery of these items.

“The SBI recovered those items and provided that in the report they gave to the DA,” said GPD public information officer Cambareri in an email. “The videos we released are only GPD ‘owned’ BWC/VMC — no recordings of the SBI.”

According to a civil suit that was filed by the family in March, Crenshaw sustained gunshot wounds to his right forearm, right-side ribcage and to the right side of his neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the GPD’s interpretation of the footage, Sletten shoots at the car after walking around the rear of his patrol vehicle because “at that moment, the driver places the Nissan in drive and begins to accelerate forward, toward where Corporal Sletten is standing.”

However, attorneys for the Crenshaw family put out a statement on Tuesday reiterating their view of the events

“The wheels of the car were clearly turned away from Sletten and he simply wasn’t in the car’s path when he fired the first shot,” the statement reads. “The front of the car had passed when he fired his second and the car had passed entirely when he fired the third shot killing Nasanto and barely missing a 14-year-old sitting in the passenger seat.”

On March 30, DA Crump declined to seek charges against Officer Sletten,

A screenshot from one of the GPD-released videos shows the moment at which Officer ML Sletten fired his second shot at the car Nasanto Crenshaw was driving.

Trigger warning: This article includes descriptions of a police killing.

saying that he was justified in his use of deadly force. Prior to Crump’s decision, Nasanto Crenshaw’s family filed a wrongful death civil suit against the GPD and the city of Greensboro.

Did the officer violate GPD policy?

As reported by TCB in the past, the main difference in the two narratives hinges on whether or not Crenshaw turned away from or towards Sletten in his attempt to flee. With the incident taking place at night, it is difficult to see the angle of the tires when Sletten fires his first shot in the footage but the subsequent shots take place after the car has already turned away from Sletten.

During an investigation interview, Sletten said that he fired his weapon because “it appeared the driver was driving straight at him” and that “he felt he had no other choice because he had nowhere to go. Cpl. Sletten stated that this all occurred in a matter of seconds.”

According to the GPD’s Use of Force Policy 1.6.4, officers are prohibited from firing their weapons from or at moving cars “except to counter an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or another person and no other means are reasonably available at that time…”

While Sletten stated in his investigative interview that he “had no other choice,” GPD policy clearly states that officers can only shoot at moving vehicles in four specific situations.

If the driver is using or threatening to use lethal force by means other than the vehicle

If the vehicle is being operated in a manner deliberately intended to strike a person

If all other reasonable means of defense of escape, including taking cover or moving out of the path of the vehicle have been exhausted, are not practical, or are not present

Use of deadly force must cease after the vehicle no longer presents an immediate threat

Based on the criteria clearly outlined in the police department’s policy, it’s notable that Sletten appears to have violated at least three of the situations.

Crenshaw was not using “lethal force by means other than the vehicle,” Sletten did not attempt to take cover or move out of the way of the Nissan, and Sletten continued to fire the second and third shots after the car had turned away from him. The sticking point, once again, is bullet point No. 2, in which the police department, Sletten and DA Crump have alleged that Crenshaw was driving towards Sletten when he fired the first shot.

But even then, the question remains as to whether or not Crenshaw would have survived if only shot once, rather than a total of three times, given that the last two shots appear to have violated the policy.

Multiple minutes pass before Crenshaw receives aid

Additionally, Sletten did not attempt to render aid to Crenshaw for several minutes even after the car had come to a stop and he had ordered the last passenger to lay on the ground.

As viewed in the compilation footage, Sletten approaches the car around the 8:28 mark and commands the passenger to “get on the ground.” It isn’t until more than two minutes later at the 10:55 mark that Sletten finally handcuffs the passenger. Then, another 30 seconds pass before Sletten finally makes it to the driver’s side door (11:22) to reach Crenshaw. The door is locked; Sletten tries to break the window. Finally, at around the 12-minute mark, other officers arrive on the scene and help pull Crenshaw’s body out of the car. At 12:25, officers and emergency personnel start chest compression on Crenshaw. By that time, about 4 minutes have passed since Sletten first approached the car.

According to a 2017 NIH study, the leading cause of death in gunshot wounds is bleeding, and the first 10 minutes after injury are often referred to as the “plati-

num” 10 minutes. That’s because “typical complications such as airway obstruction, tension pneumothorax, and hemorrhage must be treated within the first 10 minutes,” according to the study. According to the American Red Cross, a “person can die from severe blood loss in less than 5 minutes.”

Why was Crenshaw pulled over in the first place?

According to the Greensboro Police Department, Sletten pulled Crenshaw over because he “observed a vehicle behind him driving with the high beams on.” Crenshaw then passed Sletten’s patrol car and pulled into the Dollar General parking lot. At this point, Sletten activates his blue lights and initiates a traffic stop of the white 2018 Nissan Altima with a Florida license plate. But why?

At this point, Sletten does not know that the car is stolen. Based on information released by the police department, Crenshaw was neither speeding nor driving recklessly when Sletten decided to pull him over. He was driving behind Sletten with his high beams on in the rain. After Sletten attempts to pull Crenshaw over, Crenshaw drives into the Super G Mart parking lot and then drives away when Sletten gets out of his car. It is then that Sletten learns that the car is stolen via radio dispatch (4:55).

According to NC Gen. Statute 20-181, “any person operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state, who shall fail to shift, depress, deflect, tilt or dim the beams of the headlamps thereon whenever another vehicle is met on such highways or when following another vehicle at a distance of less than 200 feet, except when engaged in the act of overtaking and passing may, upon a determination of responsibility for the offense, be required to pay a penalty of not more than ten dollars.”

Crenshaw, who did not turn off his high beam lights when driving behind Sletten, passed Sletten shortly afterwards.

Police killings during traffic stops have become a flashpoint in the US, with more than 400 drivers or passengers being killed in the last five years, according to the New York Times. The Guardian puts the death count at close to 600.

While officers usually claim that their lives are in danger after a shooting, the Times’ investigation found dozens of encounters that appeared noted “officer-created jeopardy,” in which police “regularly — and unnecessarily — placed themselves in danger by standing in front of fleeing vehicles or reaching inside car windows, then fired their weapons in what they later said was self-defense.”

According to the Guardian, about 10 percent of the roughly 1,100 people killed by police each year involve traffic violations. And Black drivers like Crenshaw make up a disproportionate percentage of the victims.

According to data by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group, Black drivers made up 28 percent of the victims, despite making up only 13 percent of the population. Additional research, including a 2015 New York Times investigation focused on Greensboro, has consistently found that Black and Brown drivers are more likely to be stopped, searched and subjected to force by police. In fact, the city of Greensboro published its own study in 2016 that found that Black drivers made up 55 percent of stops during the years 2008-13 while white drivers made up 45 percent. The research also found that Black drivers were 102 percent more likely to be searched despite the fact that white drivers were 9 percent more likely to have contraband in their car.

On Tuesday, the attorneys for the Crenshaw family criticized DA Crump’s decision not to pursue charges against Sletten.

“Prosecutors charge killers every day across America with less evidence than this video but apparently District Attorney Crump thinks a badge is a license to kill,” the statement reads.

According to the police department, Sletten remains on administrative duty until the department’s internal investigation is complete. Public information officer Josie Cambareri noted in the compilation video that the investigation will take place over the course of the next few months.

by Gale Melcher

If you live in Greensboro, you might be asked for your opinion on the city’s police department while scrolling through social media.

Blockwise, a new survey tool being employed by the Greensboro Police Department, was discussed at length during an April 20 Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission community forum meeting.

A citizen review board with a goal to increase transparency between the police department and the public, GCJAC was created in 2018 and is housed under the purview of the recently created Office of Community Safety. GCJAC is comprised of nine council-appointed residents and welcomes members of the public to attend their meetings — typically held at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

Their next meeting will be held on May 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Central Library in the Nussbaum Room, and the next community forum meeting will be held on June 15 at 6 p.m. This meeting’s focus will be on traffic incidents. The location of this event is still being determined according to the city’s website.

GCJAC also has a subcommittee called the Police Community Review Board. Neither PCRB nor GCJAC can investigate GPD complaints on their own, however PCRB is tasked with reviewing complaints filed against a member of GPD after those complaints have been investigated and ruled upon by the police department’s Professional Standards Division.

On April 18, the city announced it had hired two staff members for the Office of Community Safety; Mary Houser is the new case coordinator for the Law Enforcement Assistant Diversion team while Arthur Durham takes on the role of violence prevention coordinator.

What is Blockwise and how does it work?

During the April 20 meeting, Police Chief John Thompson explained how Blockwise, the new survey tool, aims to engage the community by asking them about their experiences with the city’s police department. Blockwise is a tool created by ZenCity, a tech company that aims to “promote data-driven decisions in local governance.” GPD was approached by the company, Thompson said.

At-large councilmember and frequent advocate, as well as a past informant for the GPD, Marikay Abuzuaiter lauded Blockwise during her prerecorded video shown during the city’s inaugural State of the City held in March. Greensboro is the first city in North Carolina to implement Blockwise, according to Thompson and Abuzuaiter. However, it’s not the kind of survey you can search for and find online, Thompson said, adding that people can’t just “go somewhere and sit down and take the survey.” Instead, participants will get the chance if the tool pops up as an advertisement while scrolling through apps like Instagram or Facebook.

According to the city’s website, Zencity uses existing digital advertising networks to target the survey ads, which are localized to reach each neighborhood, noting that respondents who choose to take the surveys voluntarily provide their ZIP code.

In an interview with TCB, Office of Community Safety Director Latisha McNeil provided more insight into how the ads are targeted.

“It depends on what they’re looking for,” she said. “Sometimes they may ask questions that relate to a specific area, and so they will target that area.”

In either English or Spanish, the survey asks residents questions such as how safe they feel walking in their neighborhood while another question asks how safe they feel doing business or visiting areas of Greensboro outside their neighborhood. It also asks respondents to add their own comments regarding their neighborhoods or the city as a whole.

What the first survey results revealed

The first survey results were released at the end of January with the report collecting results from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. It yielded more than 500 responses which were broken down by patrol districts 1 through 4. Results from January through March will be available soon, Thompson said.

According to the first quarterly report, the overall city-wide “sense of safety” and “level of trust” scores both fell at 69. Scores from the report range from 0-100. District 4 — which includes neighborhoods in North Greensboro — had the highest scores for both trust and safety while District 2 — which includes neighborhoods in East Greensboro — scored the lowest.

Thompson said that the data is drilled down to “patrol districts and communities and neighborhoods,” noting that looking at the data, districts on the west side and northwest side have a higher safety score than communities in the south and southeast side.

Thompson commented that the data helps the department address “this perception of safety.”

“I gotta realize that there’s a little bit of a disconnect between what I think is a priority for the police department and what the community wants from the police department,” he said.

This piece is part of our CityBeat that covers Greensboro and Winston-Salem city council business, made possible by a grant from the NC Local News Lab Fund, available to republish for free by any news outlet who cares to use it. To learn how, visit

Survey results reveal how people feel about the Greensboro Police Department and public safety

Thompson compared the city’s scores to other participating cities like Seattle and Chicago whose trust and safety scores fall between 57 and 59. San Diego received a trust score of 68 and a safety score of 70.

“Anybody care to guess what the No. 1 complaint in our survey tool has been to this point?” Thompson asked meeting attendees.

“Traffic,” responded GCJAC board member and former city councilmember Tom Phillips.

“Exactly.” Thompson replied.

The top concerns for Police Districts 1, 3 and 4 were streets and traffic. Twenty-nine percent of respondents from Police District 2 listed violence as their top concern, closely followed by streets and traffic at 26 percent.

Thompson said that overwhelmingly, the majority of complaints included traffic, speeding, red-light violations and careless and reckless driving as concerns.

These results confused Thompson at first.

“You don’t see articles written about stop sign violations or speeding,” Thompson said, “but you see the homicides.

“I guarantee you… as I head home, that there’s gonna be a car, careless and reckless, speeding,” he continued. “And that individual could impact 500 people through the course of a day. So now you amplify that across the community, and traffic issues impact more people than a violent crime that they might not be affiliated with…. That makes sense to me.”

Thompson noted that Blockwise will offer an opportunity for continual feedback from the community, and since it’s continual, “it can change based on what’s going on in Greensboro.”

GPD scores low in ‘transparency’

Thompson told meeting attendees that two versions of the survey are currently being conducted — the first is the same version that they started with, while the second encompasses those original questions but asks five additional questions. The second survey is meant to measure ‘sense of safety’ and ‘level of trust,’ and will include how citizens feel during their interactions with GPD, as well as determine the amount of voice citizens feel they possess during those interactions. This new survey will also include a transparency score — one of the scores that alarmed Thompson.

The chief said he’d checked the scores that evening before coming to the meeting and that the most recent scores show that the department scored an 18 in transparency. Thompson said that this score “screams that there’s something going on between the police department and the community where they don’t feel…that we are transparent.”

“As it relates to that specific category, I think the GCJAC is a phenomenal tool for us… going forward as it relates to transparency,” Thompson said.

Captain of GPD’s Professional Standards Division Stephanie Mardis commented during the meeting that the division would like to invite GCJAC to their headquarters in order to walk them through the process of how they receive and investigate complaints. Mardis also mentioned conducting a mock administrative hearing to show GCJAC the process in order to “bring some context as to what happens behind closed doors.”

At the start of the meeting, board member DJ O’Brien said that the commission has asked “some tough questions” in the past, and that they’ll continue to ask those types of questions.

“That’s our job,” O’Brien said, adding, “And if for some reason we’re not satisfied with the answers, then that’ll be made public.”

OPINION

Anyone but Mark Robinson for governor

In politics, like in show business, everything outward facing is deliberate. So when Lt. Gov Mark Robinson chose the Ace Speedway to announce his intention to run for governor of North Carolina on Saturday, he did so to send a message. And it is not a message of progress and unity.

For starters, Ace Speedway is in Alamance County, site of one of the last Confederate monuments still standing in NC. Sometimes the locals stand around it with guns, “protecting” it. Sheriff Terry Johnson of Alamance has troubling connections with white supremacists there — he seemed to know all of the members of Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, or ACTBAC, which has been named as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, at every protest in 2020 and 2021.

during the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic. A few months later, the speedway hosted Alamance County Trump Convoy and Ride 2020, a parade on the racetrack. Afterwards, one of our reporters saw a truck from the convoy shout, “White power!” as they cruised through town.

This also tracks for the man who said, while the nation was in the throes of a deadly pandemic, “The real virus is Democrats!”

Need we remind you that Mark Robinson is trash?

Need we remind you that Mark Robinson is trash?

This is fitting for Robinson, who, though he is Black, has said on the subject of reparations that it is Black folks who owe a debt to the United States, and not the other way around.

In June 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper ordered Ace Speedway to shut down after they tried to hold races

The man who rose to prominence by shouting at a Greensboro City Council meeting — his position was that Greensboro should allow gun sales at a cityowned facility — has called members of NC’s LGBTQ+ community ‘filth,” also believes the state should enact a total ban on abortion, has said that women should be subservient to men, as lieutenant governor created a bogus task force to tackle a nonexistent problem of “indoctrination in our schools” and has posted photos of himself holding a massive pistol and drinking from a mug that says “liberal tears.”

He is truly awful, and should be kept away from the levers of power at any cost.

Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

In The Weeds

The Return of the King: Slappy’s fellowship reunites after a two year hiatus

by James Douglas

Whispers in the dark. Rumors, cloaked in shadow. A nameless persistence, harking of fried chickens past remembrance.

One wing to rule them all, and in the sauce, bind them.

Slappy’s Chicken re-emerged from the long dark on Monday, after a journey that began during the rule of the COVID. The abrupt end of their reign was a loss to those who celebrated the spicy chicken among the realms of all creatures. Most thought the end of Slappy’s was prophesied in the long line of battles lost in the time of the COVID. The people of the lands mourned as they did for so many during that time. But they were all deceived, for another Slappy’s was made. After two years, Slappy’s Chicken is returned.

Born in 2016, Slappy’s rapidly gained fame and renown for their exploits in the poultried arts. Scott of Brandenburg executed his vision of “Carolina Dipped Chicken” or “Statesville Hot,” giving homage to his boyhood origins: fried chicken dipped in a spicy savor, served with simple sides — potato salad with bacon, baked beans, collards, even a proper mac and cheese that utilized Cheez-Its as a crust. Bacon in a potato salad instead of raisins? Heavenly.

The Slappy’s menu prepared for the cold seasons that inevitably visit, by preparing a chili in the colder months, a no-beans recipe closely related to a foreign place called “Texas.” This chili had hints of the same sauce that made the chicken popular in many a tavern. Workers from those that favor good tilled earth to the tavern servers all celebrated the hasty service that could be acquired for any of the days’ seven meals. In a vast array of gilded halls that served assorted foodstuffs that were anything but constant, Slappy’s quietly responded by offering a simple and filling repast to the naysayers and camps vying for the realms that were quickly setting up tentpoles in other parts of the city.

And then, nothing.

Slappy’s quietly shuttered, leaving questions. Questions that needed answering. When asked, many of the employees would just give hints to the

ifs and whens of a reopening. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became folklore, folklore became legend, legend became myth. And for two and a half years, Slappy’s passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, Slappy’s released a packaged morsel emblazoned with the Slappy’s sigil. Much like elves with their lembas, the packages began to appear in the hands of pint drinkers, and within the spicy contents was a faint hope.

Rumors grew of a shadow in the southside, constantly working, building, upgrading. Former employees would speak of Slappy’s not as if it were dead, but merely biding its time, waiting for the moment to announce to the world. The people had their suspicions, but none were

spoken aloud except in the late-night confines of empty bars. Whispers of a reopening spread when Slappy’s would return. Then, on late Sunday night, the beacons were lit. “Slappy’s calls for aid!”

Cryptic pictures began to appear on Facebook Monday morning. A cash register. A logo. An open door. A familiar plate with the signature chicken cradled with two sides. Employees who were thought to have moved on to other restaurants deep in the wild. And the owner, quietly smiling to himself as he served up Elevensies.

Slappy’s is located at 200 W Acadia Street in Winston-Salem and is open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Again.

Slappy’s is open again in Winston-Salem.

PHOTO BY JERRY COOPER

Born in 2016, Slappy’s rapidly gained fame for owner Scott Brandenburg’s Carolina Dipped Chicken.

PHOTO BY JERRY COOPER

CULTURE

by Luis H. Garay

Robyn Saleem-Abdusamad is known for bringing people together. The NC native is a published author of four children books. She’s also the events director of the inaugural North Carolina Muslim Festival which will take place on Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. in downtown Greensboro’s Center City Park.

The event has been more than a year in the making. The family-oriented festival will be open to the public and will feature halal food vendors, a kids zone, local vendors and entertainment. Learn more at ncmuslimfestival.com

How did the North Carolina Muslim Festival begin?

A Q A

My family and I had lived in Dallas, TX for about seven years. We are natives of North Carolina, but we had moved away and then decided to come back. While in Texas, we just got to see the diverse community that resides there and the various community events that they would have. I spoke with downtown [Greensboro] Parks and Recreation to see what would need to be done and then spoke with a couple of residents of Greensboro that are friends of mine. We formed a small team and started putting the word out and soliciting vendors, food trucks, sponsors, and of course, volunteers. We’re excited to see what happens on the 29th because it’s the first that it has been done in this area.

A Q CULTURE | APRIL 27 -MAY 3, 2023 Q

This is the first time this type of event is happening?

Yes. This is the first festival for North Carolina. Generally in other states you hear of it happening here and there. But yeah, for North Carolina, this is the first.

Q A

On your website, it says there are 273,000 Muslims in North Carolina. What is the history of Muslims in Guilford County or across the North Carolina?

We started on Instagram and Facebook sharing historical facts about Guilford County. Then, we started sharing information about the first masjid or mosque in North Carolina, which was actually in Durham. Now in Guilford County, the largest and oldest masjid in this area would be the one on Sixteenth Street, that’s the Islamic Center of Greensboro. There’s another one called the Islamic Center of the Triad. Those two kind of go neck and neck as far as being the largest in Guilford County. I recently posted during the month of Ramadan to educate the community that there’s actually five masjids or mosques in Greensboro and 87 mosques within North Carolina. The oldest mosque in the Piedmont Triad is Masjid Al-Muminun in Winston Salem.

Tell me about the importance of this event for Muslims in the Triad and across North Carolina.

Our religion speaks a lot about unity. Anytime you speak about humanity you want to have that platform where we can all come together, fellowship with one another and learn from one another. So the importance of this event is to promote diversity and humanity.

We also want to provide that visibility to Muslims, who are residents here in Guilford County to spread awareness and let people know, ‘Hey, we’re here.’ Most of us are professionals, we are your doctors, your lawyers, your educators.

There’s so much that we can do together as a society, rather than being divided all the time. My hope is to bring about unity so we can help build those bridges with those that are in our community.

One of your goals for the event is to educate. Tell me more about that.

There are those that don’t have any knowledge of Muslims or they may have heard of various stereotypes as it relates to Muslims or Islam. With promoting the event I made a point to make sure that we’re educating in some sense, we’re not trying to convert anybody. To kind of let people know what Islam is in comparison to what some of the stereotypes and misconceptions may be floating around that are not true.

Is there anything fun or exciting happening during the event you can share about ahead of the event?

We have a Kid Zone which will be comprised of various games like ring toss. We actually will have an interactive drumming session on the African drum for the children as well as adults. We have an artist coming from New Jersey. He’s an Islamic hip-hop artist called Haa Seen Noon. He’ll be performing live at the festival at 3:00 p.m.

What is your hope for the future of NC Muslim Festival?

I would hope that this could be something that’s done annually. Also that we could get more people involved in helping to plan the event and on a sponsorship level. I would hope that it could be something that would bring the communities in Guilford County together more to have a good time, meet up downtown and enjoy all the beautiful scenery that downtown Greensboro has to offer.

Anything else you want to share?

I hope we have the good weather, No. 1 (laughs). I really hope that everyone stops by and checks it out. It’s gonna be a wonderful time, a great opportunity to, again, fellowship with Muslims and non Muslims.

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Tate Street, Greensboro

Dancers perform at Una Noche En El Museo — A Night at the Museum at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNCG.

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

Across

1. Dutch flower

6. “Oh, ___ ...”

10. ALL ___ (THIS STYLE)

14. Adjective on taqueria menus

15. Without manners

16. One part of a whole

17. Video game designer Sid who created the “Civilization” series

18. Michael’s “Family Ties” role

19. Present time, for short?

20. Person who picks up after an annual NFL or NBA event?

23. Hide out

24. Old parent company of NBC

25. “Call of Duty: Black ___”

28. Ride for hire

31. 1990s puzzle game on an island

33. Totally lit

35. Tire swing support

37. Votes overseas

39. Hard drink

40. Classic musical comedy involving a lifeboat?

43. Officially part of a fictional universe

44. Nats or Nets, e.g.

45. Film rating gp.

46. Singers Baker and Pointer

48. Wild guess

50. Longtime network for “Arthur”

51. A Bobbsey twin

52. Sox, on scoreboards

54. “ER” actor La Salle

56. Botanical transplant, but completely on the level?

61. Numbers to be crunched

63. Roman Senate garb

64. Biff the performance

66. Physicist’s bit

67. “His Dark Material” comedian Jimmy

68. Apennines locale

69. Clothing department

70. Flower holder?

71. Peerage group

Down

1. Scottish cap

2. Pre-owned

3. Animal abode

4. Optimal

5. French fragrance

6. Exercise wear

7. Barnacles’ place

8. “Doe, ___ ...”

9. Company with a star logo

10. Die shape

11. Galaxy download, maybe

12. “Hairspray” actress Zadora

13. Pig’s enclosure

21. Check the fit of

22. “Twin Peaks” actor Jack

26. Assembly-ready

27. Some mattresses

28. Diagnostic image, for short

29. Grande not on the menu at Starbucks?

30. Late Linkin Park singer Chester

32. Utensil points

34. Not negotiable

36. Four-award feat, for short

38. Jake’s company

41. Carrie Ann of “Dancing With the Stars”

42. “Crying in ___” (2021 Michelle Zauner memoir)

47. Cells’ features?

49. One under, in golf

53. Brown ermine

55. Assigned amount

57. 2000 Super Bowl winners

58. Villain in some fairy tales

59. Alpine transport

60. Corridor

61. Beaver construction

62. Took a meal

65. Functional lead-in

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

‘On a Larger Scale’ — using up the full ruler

© 2023 Matt Jones

© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)