WS Chronicle

Justice denied in case of  Kalvin M. Smith

To the Editor:

Just when you think there can be no more egregious errors in ROY COOPER’s closet, there are more. Cooper as attorney general has made it a mission to relegate, turn back the clock, and minimize Black justice in North Carolina.

He has “served” for 16 years in this state, yet has not forwarded the intent and outcome of justice for Black men or other minorities. In fact, he has established a mind set at the SBI of collusion, misrepresentation and outright falsehood that cost Black men their freedoms.

Take the case of KALVIN MICHAEL SMITH. His partisan loyalties have never been more apparent than the bumbling, fumbling, incompetence of this case. Justice is supposedly blind – obviously, ROY COOPER IS ALSO! I’m not an attorney; however, a law degree is not essential to see there are problems with this prosecution.

Since 2010 the attorney general has stubbornly opposed Smith’s request for a new trial. Why? If justice is your “expertise” it would seem that a new trial would justify your belief that justice was served, not questioned.  Mr. Cooper; what is there to fear/hide/ to be denied.  Let’s take a look at the case.

Kalvin Smith is “accused” of severely beating a store employee in 1995. The Silk Plant Forest Citizens Review Committee empanelled by the Winston- Salem City Council found that “the defendant should receive a new trial after sitting in prison for 15 years.”  No response or action from Cooper.

They also found no credible evidence that Kalvin Smith was at the Silk Plant store on Dec. 9, 1995, the day of the beating. A former FBI assistant director after completing his own review agreed with the Citizens Review Committee’s recommendation.  No response or action from Cooper.

The director (Chris Swecker), went further to say the investigation by the Winston-Salem police was “woefully flawed and incomplete” thus calling into question whether the original jury rendered their verdict based on all the relevant facts of the case.”  No response or action from Cooper.

One would think that justice is blind; however, the people of Winston-Salem, a historically Democrat bastion who has helped ROY COOPER win elections time after time, have his number! The reality of justice is that it’s also tempered by politics.

ROY COOPER does not want to review, revisit or respond to the plight of Kalvin Smith.

If this is the type of “justice” borne from 16 years of “service” to North Carolina, we are all in trouble, regardless of political leaning or beliefs.

Kalvin Smith deserves a new trial. North Carolina deserves a much better effort from our elected  constitutional officers such as Roy Cooper. We all must be more diligent in the pursuit of justice.  I remember the adage that applies here: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Clarence Henderson 

High Point

Vote no on Forsyth County school bonds

To the Editor:

This bond [put forth by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools] will not educate one child in Forsyth County, but will continue to expand the segregation of our children according to their ZIP code and economic status.

It advocates building new schools in areas where the student population has been intentionally inflated to show need, and no schools where student population has been intentionally decreased to show no interest.

Our School Board, with the support of our County Commissioners, is continuing the over 20 year’s mission of the previous School Board; to remove traditional schools out of predominant communities of color; to set up their concept of an educational system; in other words

“Charter Schools” with strong focus on Cook, Ashley, Winston Prep and Carver.

The message has been for neighborhood schools. However, schools have been removed or closed in East and Northeast Winston-Salem, the most recent being Hanes-Lowrance schools. Evidently, neighborhood schools do not pertain to residents of these two wards, considered to be in the urban center.

This bond will not build one new school in these two wards where schools have been removed or closed or close the technological gap of the existing schools.

We as residents and taxpayers are being asked to support and pay for bonds that do not support and will not build schools in our communities which are also in Forsyth County.

It has been over 20 years of this and we can no longer continue to vote for such bonds and Hope that Fairness and Justice will be done. We must vote to stop it here and now.

Chenita Johnson 

Winston-Salem