Durham Tenants Protest Slum Conditions
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WWW.TRIANGLE TRIBUNE.COM Biden names The Triangle all-female senior communications staff By Stacy M. Brown RIBUNE NNPA NEWSWIRE TTHE TRIANGLE’S CHOICE FOR THE BLACK VOICE It isn’t often a politician running for office keeps his campaign promise. Since defeating Donald Trump, Joe Biden has so far VOLUME 22 NO. 48 WEEK OF DECEMBER 6, 2020 $1.00 lived up to his promise of a diverse senior staff and cabinet. The Democrat, who openly has recognized the critical role Af- rican Americans and women played in helping him to garner a record of more than 80 million votes, named an all-women sen- CIAA sports media ior communications staff, including three Black women. On Monday, Darrell Blocker appeared on his way to being relations will lose a nominated by Biden as the nation’s first African American CIA beloved member in director. “I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. May 2021 These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse per- spectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better,” Biden said in a statement. Symone Sanders, an African American and a senior Biden cam- paign adviser, will serve as a senior adviser and chief spokes- person for the vice president. Please see STAFF/2A The New DNA of laws in a Black effect for Woman NC By Chuck Richardson- TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM residents There is something mag- ical about a fearless, intel- By Gary D. Robertson ligent, incorruptible Black THE ASSOCIATED PRESS woman. A woman willing RALEIGH — New laws to sacrifice and face any began Tuesday in North Car- obstacle she must for a olina that are designed to greater cause than herself. help more people convicted Black women have been, of lower-level crimes and and continue to be, the nonviolent drug trafficking crucible of fortitude. Har- get records cleared or pun- riet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, ishments eased. Mary McLeod Bethune, COURTESY The “Second Chance Act” Fannie Lou Hamer, and and “First Step Act” are thousands beside them Durham tenants at Garden Terrace Apartments held a rally and protest at the Raleigh office among nearly a dozen state have been the bedrock of of the complex’s property management team. laws approved since 2019 by African American pro- the General Assembly and gress. taking effect fully or partially I realized in my late 20s on Dec. 1. These criminal that if you want to get it Durham tenants justice reforms received re- done, you better have newed interest this year fol- black women involved. lowing demonstrations That was when I, in 1977, against racial inequality after ran for and won a seat on the death of George Floyd in the first majority Black city protest slum conditions Minneapolis police custody. council in Richmond, Vir- The First Step Act allows a ginia. It was the determina- By Bonitta Best collectively-negotiated lease their vacant units during the judge to deviate from man- tion of Black women, some [email protected] agreement.” Neither has re- repairs.” dated long prison sentences more than twice my age, sponded to the petition. Jacobs has plenty of support and hefty fines for drug-traf- that made the history pos- Tenants at the Garden Ter- Residents are also request- from her neighbors. Resident ficking convictions if several sible. When those Black race Apartments in Durham ing a payment plan for one Martha Mejia has lived at Gar- conditions are met. A defen- women spoke – weathered staged a protest rally Monday tenant who has fallen on hard den Terrace for four years and dant in part has to have by storms of racism, dep- at the Raleigh office of the times. empathizes with Jacobs’ avoided violent activity, isn’t rivation and personal property manager of the com- “Like many people during plight. a repeat offender and must abuses – it changed the at- plex. Residents say the apart- the pandemic, I had fallen be- “If we let them do this to one admit to a drug addiction mosphere. ments are unsafe, a health hind on rent, but I had worked neighbor, they’ll just keep problem. Supporters say the From the late ‘70s to the hazard and in badly need of out a payment plan,” said Jus- doing it, she said. “We are change will help people with early ‘90s, I won nine con- repairs. tine Jacobs, a mother of two. forming an organization to substance-abuse issues secutive reelections. Any Bull City Tenants United has “Out of nowhere they told me fight together as a union, and avoid long sentences when success reached by fight- partnered with the group to I had 60 days to leave, and to demand a legally binding treatment is what they need. ing the good fight, includ- help resolve the complaints they want to illegally charge contract so we can resolve all Drug trafficking offenders ing my relentless efforts and seek a resolution. The me $400 for the repairs I’ve of these issues, not just the sentenced before Tuesday over two decades to re- group sent a petition and been requesting for months. ones the landlords feel like now can also ask a judge to move the Confederate letter two weeks ago to the …They’re using this need for dealing with.” ease punishment retro- monuments on Monument property manager and land- repairs as an excuse to push Fany Sarmiento, a Honduran actively. Avenue, were only pos- lord demanding “repairs with- me out when they could be immigrant who lives in Dur- The Second Chance Act ex- sible because of the vic- out displacement and a putting my family in one of Please see SLUM/2A pands the ability of people to tories won for me by these get criminal records cleared women. Black men in my of lower-level criminal con- campaigns were strong victions, dismissed charges and forceful, the physical and “not guilty” verdicts. image the organization These and other expunction needed, I don’t deny that. laws are designed to remove But diligence was more what are deemed as youthful often worn by the women. North Carolina’s HBCUs indiscretions that show up in I remember one election background checks for em- when I needed 20 new ployment and housing. people registered as voters keep COVID cases at bay Parts of the law taking ef- in each precinct. The fect Tuesday allow people young volunteers would By Aaliyah Bowden with multiple nonviolent bring back three or four misdemeanors to petition a and a handful of excuses. N.C. HEALTH NEWS court to have them removed But there were elder Across North Carolina’s big after seven years. It also does women, some who did not state-funded campuses, thou- give law enforcement walk easily, who would re- sands of college students have agencies the ability to access turn with the full number. been diagnosed with COVID at the records of expunged con- One of them said to a Appalachian State, East Caro- victions when making em- young person, “You don’t lina, UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. ployment decisions about win elections with good ex- State. potential officers. cuses – you need voters!” Close to 5,200 students, staff Another law taking effect Women like Bessie Jones, and contractors have been dia- regulates the use of delivery Elaine Dunn or Luetta B. gnosed with the virus, causing robots that businesses are al- Wooldridge, who were the schools to go all virtual for ready trying out around the managers and coordi- instruction. world. At least 10 other nators for my campaigns. What’s been less noticed is states already have passed And they stood with me in how well North Carolina’s 10 similar authorizing legisla- difficult times when very historically Black colleges and tion, according to General few had the will. The Rev. universities have done at AALIYAH BOWDEN Assembly staff. The rules Sarah Goshen, an older tamping down outbreaks of Two North Carolina Central students walk on campus in August would apply to delivery de- Black woman with a calm COVID, compared to larger wearing their masks at the start of the fall semester. Many stu- vices that travel on sidewalks but convincing demeanor, schools. and along roadsides. The de- stood up in a storm of at- The largest HBCU outbreak dents living on campus described the campus as “dead” with vices must obey traffic rules, tacks on my character dur- has been at North Carolina not being able to attend football games, events on campus or yield to pedestrians and can- ing a controversial and A&T State University in chill with their friends in the student union. not exceed speeds of 10 mph profound personal battle. Greensboro, with 474 dia- on sidewalks and 20 mph on She admonished the men gnosed students among the that’s attributable to the cam- versity, with 8,078 students, roadsides. who chose to disregard my campus population of more puses’ small sizes, honor gave students the option to Someone whose driver’s li- history of service to my than 13,000, lower than any of codes and, for some, the pres- come back on campus in mid- cense was revoked only be- country, and more di- the larger flagship state uni- sure on first-generation college August. cause the person failed to rectly, to the African Amer- versities. students carrying their fam- The semester has been dif- pay court-ordered fines or icans in Richmond. Most of the smaller HBCUs ilies’ dreams and expectations ferent for those who returned: costs can now apply for a have done a good job at keep- with them to campus.