Over the years, we have given our dimes and dollars to support the Museum. We preached in our churches the value of laying stones so "when your children ask what do these stones mean? Then you shall let your children know" that 301 North Elm Street, in Greensboro, North Carolina is the place where God caused courage, hope, integrity and faith to converge in order to bend the moral arc of the nation. The four freshmen experienced the bitter whip of raw racism and oppression. They were reared within loving communities, while being nurtured and supported by great institutions, including North Carolina A&T State University and their respective churches. The embrace and encouragement of a people, even an oppressed people, empowered them to endure with dignity the abuses and violence of the dominant culture of this city and nation. Fifty years ago, breaking the law and customs by sitting at the lunch counter was not popular and was not warmly received by the leaders of this city. Although under different circumstances, we seek to stand in the best tradition of the Sit-Ins of the 1960’s as we stand for the dignity, worth, and fair and humane treatment of all of God’s children, especially the least among us.

On Tuesday December 15, at approximately 6:45 PM, I received a call from Jorge Cornell, Inca (leader) of the ALKQN.  Speaking in an anguished, high-energy tone he said, “this has gone too far. Something has got to be done.  They have gotten Bam thrown off his job.”   He repeated himself several times.  I asked him what was going on.  Jorge related that the “gang” unit had gone to Bam’s job and questioned his supervisor about him.  The officer grilled Bam’s supervisor about the quality of his work.  When Bam returned to the office of the temporary job agency that employed him on Tuesday, he was told that two non-uniformed police officers had told the temporary employment agent, Patriot Services, that Bam was a member of a “gang” and that he was “banned” from all city property.    I assured Jorge that I heard him clearly and that I felt his pain because it was also my pain.  I told him that I was on the way to a Pulpit Forum function and that I would raise this with members of the Forum who had been working with the ALKQN for over a year.

After the Annual Pulpit Forum Christmas Dinner, five clergy members stayed afterwards, while I related the above information to them.  After a discussion of the seriousness of the situation, we agreed that Rev. Headen and I would go by the home of Bam, a 17 year-old young man, and have a more detailed discussion with him to get a better feel of what had happened.

We, Rev. Headen and I, arrived at Bam’s home around 10:00 PM.  We asked him if he would share with us in some detail what happened.  Bam said he was assigned to transfer wrestling mats from the storage house across the street from the Coliseum to the main Coliseum building.  He said that at about 3:00 PM, Tuesday, he was sitting on a loading ramp taking a break when a female police officer whom he recognized, pulled up.  She went into a police sub-station located across the street from the Coliseum and directly besides the building where he was assigned by the temp service to work.  Shortly after the policewoman entered the building, an unmarked car with tinted windows, which Bam assumed was an undercover police car, drove up.  He also assumed it was the gang unit.  He had no conversation with the occupants of the car. 

After finishing his break, Bam said that he went back to work and completed his day.  When he came to the office to pick up his check, an employee of Patriot Services told him that two non-uniformed officers had been in to talk with her about him (Wesley, or Bam).  They asked whether she knew what he was assigned to do and whether or not he was doing his job well.  The police also told her (and I believe also told a man named Bill at the Coliseum) that Bam was banned from all city property for all purposes.  She told Bam that he could continue to come to the temp agency but that she could no longer assign him to any job on or connected to city property.  It is our understanding that a major part of the work to which Patriot Services assigns its temporary workers is related to the City of Greensboro.

Bam, who was planning to return to work the next day, left the Patriot Services office and went to the Coliseum, arriving around 6:00 PM. There, he told Bill that he was sorry for the police visit and that he had no knowledge of ever being banned from city property.  The Police officer had left his card with Bill, which Bill showed to Bam. The officer who left his card was Officer Watkins, a member of the gang unit.

On Wednesday morning this incident was reported to the Human Relations Commission. My information is that a HRC staff member investigated the charges and determined that there is no record of any city official, nor any court banning Bam from city property.  Secondly, it was learned the Patriot Services personnel confirmed the story that Bam reported to Rev. Headen and me in all its essentials.   Thirdly, the HRC staff member informed both Patriot Services and the Coliseum that Bam actually is not and has never been “legally” banned from city property.   Although the HRC representative explained that there is no ban, Mr. Robert (Bob) Johnson of the Coliseum has kept the Coliseum ban in place.  His reason  is that the information from the police has led him to believe that there is a danger of a rival “gang” coming to the Coliseum to  start trouble. We know for a fact of a large facility where members of four “gangs” work together every night for a period of time and there has not been a problem. 

Upon arriving home from a hospital visit last night (Thursday), I learned that several members of the gang unit came by a Taco Bell that day (December 17^th) where a member of the ALKQN works.  This young man, known as Brother Speechless, has been working at Taco Bell for a while and, in light of the long history of intimidation and provocation by the gang unit, he is understandably concerned for his job.  It is not known whether there was any discussion with management about Brother Speechless by members of the gang unit. 

Almost a year ago the Pulpit Forum and Beloved Community Center put forward to Police Chief Timothy Bellamy, City Manager Mitchell Johnson, Human Relations Director Anthony Wade, and Mayor Yvonne Johnson a creative proposal, called a “Paradigm Shift”.  The proposal set forth the view and a related process that would facilitate the police, the Pulpit Forum, street groups (gangs), and the broader community all working together.  Specifically it proposed that street groups of young people, some of whom self-identify as gangs, could be seen and worked with as a resource for community safety, community justice, and greater community unity.  Although former City Manager Mitchell Johnson signaled that he was open to further exploration of the proposal, we received no response from the Chief of Police, the key person necessary to activate the plan.

We have attempted on several occasions to have meaningful discussions with Police Chief Bellamy concerning the behavior of the gang unit.   The discussions when they did occur were essentially unproductive.   It is painful and regrettable but very understandable that, in light of this latest incident of what appears to be an intentional act of provocation, intimidation and unethical (if not criminal) behavior by police officers that impoverished young people in general – and the ALKQN in particular – are increasingly hostile not just towards the gang unit, but also the police in general.

For the last 18 months we of the Pulpit Forum, the NAACP, and the Beloved Community Center have working with young people, including those associated with various street groups or gangs helping them to grow into the ethical and powerful persons they are capable of becoming. This includes working for community safety and community justice.  We feel we have been rebuffed in our efforts.   More importantly, our young people are being rebuffed and increasingly criminalized.   Once again, we appeal to all to stand for the greatness of Greensboro by doing all we can, including using creative methods to help our young people, rather than criminalizing them by forcing them off their jobs and into nearly impossible situations.   Such behavior by the police cannot lead Greensboro out of the wilderness of structural and institutional racism. It is not the direction that will make our city great.  Again, let us stand together for the dignity, worth and enormous unrealized potential of all of God’s children, especially those young people who have inherited the bitter cup of economic and psychological poverty and racism.  As we all - Black, White, Latino, Asians and others work together in that direction, it is only then that we will truly be standing for the greatness of all of Greensboro.