Look good. Feel good. Play good. Johnson C. Smith unveils new football uniforms. TThhee CChhaarrllootttteeTHE VOICE P POF THE BLACKo oCOMMUNITYss SINCEtt 1906 WEEK OF AUGUST 12, 2021 VOLUME 47, NUMBER 49 WWW.THECHARLOTTEPOST.COM $1.50 Hurdle cleared on former mall site Mecklenburg OKs reimbursement for site development By Ashley Mahoney [email protected] Another step in the former East- land Mall’s development is sealed. Mecklenburg County commis- sioners voted 7-1 Aug. 4 to adopt an agreement with the city of Char- lotte for reimbursement of im- provements by a private developer at Charlotte FC’s academy. Com- missioner Pat Cotham voted no, because of language. The site is set for a 78.3-arcre mixed-use redevelopment. Twenty-two acres will be dedicated DAVID FLOWER. to Charlotte FC’s Major League Soc- cer Academy, which kicked off Belton Platt, site supervisor for the Alternatives to Violence program, was once a notorious drug dealer. His life experience, which includes losing their second season on Aug. 2. The three sons to violent deaths, makes him uniquely qualified to save lives through intervention and mentorship. “I have blood in this,” he said. academy site will be completed by By Ashley Mahoney world experience to the job. He is a Tepper Sports & Entertainment, [email protected] motivational speaker, mentor, chap- which owns Charlotte FC. It will in- Belton Platt has seen every side of lain, author, restaurateur and com- clude two large fields for academy violence. munity activist. He was also use, one large field for public use, He was traumatized by it as a child, incarcerated for more than two dec- four medium and six small fields ‘I have inflicted it upon others and now ades for drug distribution, watched for public use. seeks to end it along the Beatties Ford his father nearly stab his mother to Charlotte FC’s academy will use Road corridor as site supervisor for death as a child and lost three sons the fields for a proposed 100 days the Alternatives to Violence program. to gun violence. annually. Community access Platt, one of five hires announced last “I have blood in this,” Platt said. would be on non-programed days. week by the city of Charlotte and At his introduction as coordinator, Tepper Sports & Entertainment will Mecklenburg County, will oversee Platt’s voice quivered as he held a contribute $4.25 million to the blood two violence interrupters and two copy of a 1986 Charlotte Observer ar- $26.6 million infrastructure fund- outreach workers, with the goal of ticle detailing his life as one of the ing. The total tax increment grant preventing violence before it city’s most notoriously violent crim- request from the city and county is happens by building relationships in inals. At that time, he was in court, $11 million, $7 million of which is communities. charged with seven counts of assault Mecklenburg’s share. They completed violence interrup- with a deadly weapon with intent to Charlotte’s Economic Devel- in this’ tion training through Cure Violence, kill and felony riot. opment Committee voted on June an evidence-based violence interrup- Two years later, Platt was charged 15 to recommend the project to tion strategy that uses data and with distributing cocaine and steal- county commissioners with the methodology to interrupt violence on ing and converting to use govern- following included in the contract: In the 1980s, Belton Platt the ground. ment property. “A sustainable agreement for the “They are trained up and ready to “Everybody wanted me off the public use of and access to the pro- preyed on communities as a go,” city council member Malcolm streets of Charlotte because of the posed soccer fields to be con- violent drug dealer. Now he’s Graham said. “They know this com- things I did in my past life,” he said. structed by Tepper Sports. A munity.” Platt shared his experience of being sustainable agreement to maintain campaigning to save lives A Charlotte native, Platt brings real- Please see EX-FELON | 2A the proposed soccer fields as greenspace or park space in perpe- Please see FORMER | 2A JCSU, Gaston Vaccine College OK 4-year required for degree transfer plan health By Herbert L. White workers [email protected] By Aaliyah Bowden Johnson C. Smith University is expanding its pool [email protected] of potential students through a growing network of community college partners. All health workers in Mecklen- The historically Black university added Gaston Col- burg County are now required to lege to its JCSU Connect affiliates with the Thursday be vaccinated. announcement of an agreement between the cam- Starting Aug. 2, all county public puses. For JCSU, which signed an agreement earlier health employees must receive a this year with Central Piedmont Community College, COVID vaccination, according to the relationships expand the possibility of tran- the Mecklenburg health depart- sitioning non-traditional students to four-year de- CHARLOTTE HORNETS ment. “As public health staff, we have gree earners. “This is very intentional,” JCSU Charlotte Hornets President Fred Whitfield turned his basketball and legal acumen into a led the COVID-19 response efforts President Clarence Armbrister said. “When you look successful career in sports representation and leadership. out at the landscape of demographics, the overall for the county and know too well trend of 18- to 24-year-olds is dropping, so one of the very high level of sickness, the things institutions of higher education, espe- death, and impact the pandemic cially four-year institutions, should be looking to- Hornets’ president Whitfield has had in our community,” said ward in terms of maintaining enrollment or Public Health Director Gibbie Har- increasing enrollment is transfer students.” ris. “Despite significant prevention The JCSU 2+2 Connect program allows Gaston Col- on leadership and success efforts, COVID-19 continues to lege students a direct-entry pathway to JCSU upon chael Jordan propelled him to a ca- spread in our community, includ- graduation. To qualify, students must be in good By Herbert L. White reer as a player agent with a client ing new highly contagious vari- standing, complete a program inquiry form, main- [email protected] list that grew apparel giant Nike into ants.” tain at least a 2.0 grade point average and earn their Basketball and business have al- a global brand. Then, he made The health department is con- associate degree in the academic year immediately ways intertwined for Fred Whitfield. another pivot – shifting to team ex- fident that the vaccine require- before enrolling at JCSU. The Charlotte Hornets president ecutive roles with the Washington ment will protect patients and staff The agreement is Gaston College’s first with an and Greensboro native parlayed his Wizards and now the Hornets. in the hospital with the recent rise HBCU. on-court skills into a college schol- Whitfield talked with The Post as in COVID cases. “Teams don’t develop without partnerships,” said arship at Campbell College (now part of its C-Suite series of conver- As of Aug. 4, there were 3,413 Gaston College President John Hauser, who was university) in Buies Creek, N.C., to a sations on leadership and success. newly reported cases in North Car- hired last year to lead the school. “If you look at it in law degree at North Carolina Central Responses are edited for brevity and olina, with the daily percent posi- terms of our economy, not only in this region, but School of Law. Whitfield’s legal clarity. tive rate at 12%. background and longtime friend- On his background growing up in During the past week in Mecklen- Please see JCSU| 2A ship with Chicago Bulls great Mi- Please see WHITFIELD|2A Please see COVID-19 | 2A INSIDE Please STAY IN TOUCH Digital edition: Sports 5A Snapchat: thecharpost www.thecharlottepostnewspaper.com Recycle Life 1B Twitter: @thecharpost A&E 5B To subscribe: (704) 376-0496 or online Facebook: The Charlotte Post Classified 4B http://tcppc.com/Subscribe Instagram: @thecharlottepost #PaperThursday 2A NEWS | The Charlotte Post Thursday, August 12, 2021 Whitfield on leadership Ex-felon now advocates Continued from page 1A hold, the last question at every year. We transitioned Greensboro: each interview was ‘Hey, if, from the Bobcats brand in FW: My mom is a Bennett if we hire you, do you think 2015 back to the Hornets Belle – graduate of Bennett we can potentially steal Mi- brand that had so much for violence intervention [College] and my dad is a chael Jordan away from equity built up in this com- Continued from page 1A free community showcase intended to graduate of North Carolina David Falk and have him munity because of the A&T, and they never left become our client, we great work the prior a 5-year-old standing in the doorway help residents learn more about the Greensboro. The two of think you’re the right per- owner’s organization had wanting to help his mother as his program and meet the team. Grammy them were very involved in son, because of your long- done, both on the court as father stabbed her. He said no one un- Award-nominated artists J. Holiday the black community in term relationship with him a great 50-win team on the derstood the teenager who was angry and American Music Award-nomi- Greensboro, very involved to help us do that.’ He and floor, but also the great and hardened from the trauma he ex- nated group Day 26 will also perform. in Providence Baptist I discussed it. It was cer- work that they’re proud of perienced as a child.