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Push on to raise the age limit on criminals By Stephanie Carroll the law to allow teens of those “It’s smart on crime. If we can have their probation revoked at “These are kids whose brains dled in the juvenile justice sys- Carson ages who commit non-violent get these kids going in the right higher rates than other adult of- are not developed, they just do tem repeat offenses far less than NORTH CAROLINA NEWS SERVICE crimes to be prosecuted as ju- direction, they’ll be productive fenders. stupid things without thinking it youth dealt with in the adult sys- CARRBORO-NorthCarolinare- veniles. citizens,” she said. “They’ll be Kinnaird points out that juve- through. They don’t have devel- tem. The report pointed out that mains one of only two states in StateSen.EllieKinnaird(D-Dist. taxpayers. They’ll be a model for niles prosecuted for non-violent oped judgment, and they don’t means less crime and more pub- the country to continue to pros- 23) is championing the legisla- the next generation.” crimesbearthatmarkfortherest really have the ability to resist lic savings. ecute 16- and 17-year-olds as tion. She said while critics may According to the CDC, of their lives, when they may not peer pressure,” she said. NewYorkistheotherstatethat adults, regardless of the crime saytheproposalissoftoncrime, teenagers who go through the have had the maturity to under- An analysis by the N.C. prosecutes all 16- and 17-year they commit. Two bills in the nothing could be farther from adult system are re-arrested, re- stand the consequences of their Sentencing and Policy Advisory olds as adults. Senate and House would amend the truth. convicted, re-incarcerated and decision. Commissionfoundthatkidshan- SPORTS Millbrook JV wins thriller over Middle Creek VOLUME 14 NO. 49 WEEK OF DE DECEM CEMBER9,2012BER9,2012 $1.00 THE TRIANGLE’S CHOICE FOR THE BLACK VOICE Raleigh gages community progress through public forum By Taylor Shaw [email protected] RALEIGH – Raleigh residents were invited last week to a listening session on the Housing and Community Development Annual Action Plan. The joint effort was among the city’s CommunityDevelopmentDepartment,Planning Department and Raleigh Housing Authority. City staff discussed and gathered input on this year’s action plan that will guide Raleigh’s investments of federal funds for housing and communitydevelopmentforthenextfiscalyear beginning on July 1, 2013. “It helps gear us. They are on the ground. They live in these neighborhoods. They see things that we miss,” said Sean McNamara, pro- grammanagerforthecommunitydevelopment department of strategic planning. “It’s taking a reading on how we are doing. Are we hitting the needs? Sometimes folks ask us to get more intoeconomicdevelopmentoraparticularstreet that they see problems.” The City Council’s new approach to develop- ing neighborhood revitalization strategies and Employees in the UNC-Chapel Hill housekeeping department rejoice over the removal of a supervisor. how areas will be prioritized are based on the age of past plans, measures of neighborhood need and assessments of opportunity. Raleigh’s top priority housing goals are hous- ing development and neighborhood revitaliza- tion. Low-income renters, homeless individu- als and families, the elderly, those with disabil- UNC-CH housekeepers ities, and low and moderate income homebuy- ers and homeowners needing rehab assistance will have first choice to housing. Blighted rental houses, mostly in downtown Raleigh, will be demolished in neighborhood revitalization efforts. Those living in the area get manager removed will be relocated to a safe location. Other non- housing programs are community housing grants, job training, home ownership counsel- housekeepers’ complaints of mistreatment for to mistreat employees in the future. Instead, ing and fair housing. Continue to call months, nothing had been done to remediate she was transferred to another zone and main- EastCollegePark,andCookeandStatestreets the problems. Yet only days after the house- tained her supervisory role. are listed as ongoing redevelopment activities. keepers filed their group grievance and reached “A problem here is a problem over there,” Two additional public sessions will be held. out to the community for support, Williams one housekeeper said. For more information, call 996-4330. for changes was fired and Reaves was removed from the The university also failed to respond to the zone. final three demands of the housekeepers that STAFF REPORTS Members of Student Action with Workers met address the systematic problems of manage- with 17 housekeepers from zone 215 last week rial harassment, disrespect and discrimina- CHAPEL HILL – Fifteen rank and file house- to hear how they felt after these changes. It tion: Anew lease keepers from zone 215 filed a group grievance was clear that they have found some relief. • Housekeepers should have a meaningful on Nov. 14, alleging managerial harassment, “Before, everyone wanted to leave; now we voice in choosing the supervisors in their zone. verbal abuse and discrimination from Manager like it here, everybody is working together,” • A six-month supervisor review process for ex-felons Juanita Williams and crew leader Annette one housekeeper said. While another report- should be instated so supervisors are account- Reaves. ed, “Everybody is so happy, before their face able to those in their zone. By Bonitta Best With the help of UNC Chapel Hill student or- was very sad but now they want to come into • Reinstate “hostile work environment” as a [email protected] ganization’s Student Action with Workers, the work.” grievable offense on the grievance form. This housekeepers reached out to local media to While their efforts proved successful, they category does not require housekeepers to dif- RALEIGH – The start of a new life for many share their story. recognize it is not enough. ferentiate between race, national origin or gen- North Carolina ex-felons began last weekend. Although the housekeeping and human re- In their grievance, housekeepers called for der divisions, but instead relies on the funda- On Dec. 1, a new law went into effect that ex- sources departments had known about the Reaves to be demoted to her previous posi- mental principle of human respect and digni- pungedtherecordsoffirst-timenonviolentmis- tion of housekeeper so she would not be able ty. demeanor and felony convictions for individ- uals who have completed their sentence for at least 15 years. Those eligible are not automatically guaran- teed expungement however. They must show DPS new focus: good moral character throughout the 15-year waiting period and that their criminal record is hindering them from equal opportunities. “This new law is a measured but historic re- Moving forward in the middle sponse to the heavy burden of collateral con- sequencesweighingdownthe1.6millionNorth Carolinians with criminal records – conse- By Evelyn Howell After several “kitchen table conversations,” and develop critical thinking skills. quences that often follow individuals through- Correspondent teachers, faculty and parents came up with a Lucas Principal Thomas Seckler said his stu- out their personal and professional lives, and DURHAM – With the unveiling of their newest plan that will provide additional strong educa- dents are already engaged in one part of the pro- can have a more devastating effect than their initiative, “Moving to the Middle: taking the next tional programs, enhance instructional focus, gram, where they build an environmentally actual criminal punishments,” said Daniel step,” Durham Public Schools Superintendent and align curriculum and interdisciplinary in- friendly greenhouse. Bowes, a staff attorney with the N.C. Justice Eric Becoats and administrators say they hope struction. Middle school improvement has been at the Center’s Collateral Consequences Initiative. this effort continues the move forward in edu- Startingwiththe2013-14schoolyear,Brogden forefront of DPS since last year, when every mid- “Although this law is not perfect, it will make a cating middle school students. will focus on leadership development that uses dle school met its expected growth in reading, hugedifferenceinthelivesoftensofthousands Becoats, principals and school administrators Stephen Covey’s “Leader in Me” curriculum, math and science. of eligible individuals across the state.” announced the new program for middle school where students can foster their leadership skills Becoats said this initiative offers parents oth- North Carolina is now one of a few states that students at a Monday press conference at the aswellasfocusonproblem-solving,publicspeak- er options in making a school choice decision provide ex-felons an opportunity to start over, Fuller Central Services building. ing and community service. for their children. “We will continue to meet our although the others require only a waiting pe- “We have high expectations, a vision for these Carrington students will focus on global con- community needs,” he said. riod between five and 10 years. schoolsandwhattheycanachieve,”Becoatssaid. nections, where students can enhance their con- Terri H. Mozingo, assistant superintendent of “This new expunction opportunity demon- “We will continue to be innovative.” sciousness and collaboration, and become con- research and accountability, said “Moving to the strates that North Carolina’s lawmakers are be- Administrators at four non-magnet middle tributors to their global community. Middle” will provide great opportunities

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