Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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12 MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Embrace Local History at War of 1812 Exhibits at Transportation Museum and Veterans Park a STAFF REPORT Fayetteville has a long and distinguished military history and its citizens have made contributions in all of our Nation's conflicts. In conjunction with the 200th Anniversary (2012- 2014) of the War of 1812, the Fayetteville Transportation & Local History Museum, offers an exhibit that examines the role of our local community and the Nation during what is often referred to as America's "forgotten war." At the outbreak of the War of 1812, Fayetteville drafted a resolution in which they declared their support and this resolution read in part;… "we will aid and support our government against the enemy and against all other powers, for effective defense and protection from abroad and ensuring tranquility and union at home." After the declaration of war in 1812, the Robeson Republican Volunteers, a local militia unit, 70 men strong, marched out of Fayetteville. Brigadier General Thomas Davis (1764-1822) was Fayetteville's ranking military officer emerging from the War of 1812, and commanded North Carolina's First Brigade, which included local militia units. By June of 1813, a British fleet established a blockade of the Chesapeake Bay Region. Soldiers came ashore at various times and places to seize goods and harass residents. They grew bolder in their excursions, sacking various coastal towns. A British naval squadron was sent to the Ocracoke Inlet and briefly occupied Portsmouth, creating a panic throughout eastern North Carolina. Governor Hawkins called up local militia units in defense of North Carolina's coastal ports and cities. The Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry was deployed to Wilmington in defense of the state's principal port city. Preparatory to their departure, the men of the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry were assigned the duties of obtaining bread, bacon, spirits, wagons, pots, kettles and all other things necessary for the deployment. In addition, each member was levied five dollars to handle the expenses. The men of Fayetteville not only served in various militia units but also volunteered for service in the regular army and navy. Beyond the military experience, the exhibit at the Transportation & Local History Museum explores life on the home front. Various domestic artifacts featured in the exhibit give the museum visitor a feel for life during the Federal period. During this period the quintessential symbol was the American eagle and other popular motifs included Greek- and Roman-style portraits and busts of patriotic leaders like George Washington, urns and urn-shaped designs, stars and stripes. Federal style furniture was typically light, graceful and simple with clean edges and straight lines. The exhibit also explores other domestic topics to include period architecture, fashion and literature. At the North Carolina Veterans Park six large banners from the United States Navy History Museum profile the contributions of the Navy and Marine Corps during the War of 1812. These banners will supplement the educational panels on the War of 1812 already on display in the Veterans Park Visitor Center. The War of 1812 strengthened the young United States and firmly established its position in the world. It preserved American territorial and political integrity and helped to set the fledging new Republic on the road to greatness. To learn more about the War of 1812, visit the Transportation and Local History Museum located at 325 Franklin Street and the North Carolina Veterans Park located at 300 Bragg Blvd. Admission is free. For more information call 433-1457. After the declaration of war in 1812, the Robeson Republican Volunteers, a local militia unit, 70 men strong, marched out of Fayetteville. Operation Ceasefire Movie Night Offers Fun Under the Stars by MICHAEL SMITH In 2002, Project Safe Neighborhood came to Fayetteville under the Operation Ceasefire name. The program is part of a national initiative that was started under the Bush Administration in 2001. It is rooted in successes from programs that were implemented in Boston, Mass., and Richmond, Va., in the late 1990s. On June 6, at J.S. Spivey Rec Center, Operation Ceasefire presents Escape from Planet Earth. The movie is free and open to the public. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on and enjoy an evening with friends. According to the Operation Ceasefire website, the goal is "To improve the quality of life for all residents of Fayetteville/Cumberland County by reducing gun and gang violence in our community." Lisa Jayne is a part of the Fayetteville Police Department and serves as the Operation Ceasefire Coordinator; she describes Operation Ceasefire as having three core elements, "intervention, suppression and prevention." The intervention component comes from a series of meetings Jayne refers to as "Call-ins." "We work with Probation Parole; they send us about 100 parolees that are currently on probation or parole for gun crimes … That list gets narrowed down to around 30 individuals. We meet at Kingdom Impact Ministries as the faith based aspect is a part of Ceasefire, too. The parolees are given an appointment for a follow-up assessment with me. They are then put into a resource room … to provide education resources, jobs, healthcare, anything that people with felony convictions on their records have a hard time with. I also have speakers who have been there and done that… to give them some hope for how things can be turned around. After the speakers, there is a panel of all the law enforcement agencies of the area, from federal to state; they give them some tough love." Suppression is a joint effort between local and federal law enforcement. From Jayne, "We have a very strong relationship with Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms... Any cases, tips, or anything done at the state level, we funnel it through the ATF to see if they can take the case federally. Federal sentences are much longer than state sentences … you don't get out for good behavior… there is no parole or early release." Jayne says that prevention is accomplished by a number of initiatives including the Movie Night program, "In 2007, we purchased outdoor movie equipment … We go into neighborhoods that are disadvantaged with a free movie, popcorn and soda. The police are on hand, while the children are watching a movie … if the public wants to talk to the police about a certain area where they may see a problem or if there are people causing problems. It is over two hours of face-to-face time in a non-threatening, laid back and family atmosphere." The program also utilizes a gang detective that goes and does presentations about gangs that are just for adults. To promote gun safety, gun locks are distributed at no charge to anyone who owns a gun that also has children. For more information about Operation Ceasefire and any of its programs, including the Movie Night schedule, visit their website at www.ceasefire. ci.fayetteville.nc.us. Program Coordinator Lisa Jayne is available to provide information on the program, volunteering and donation opportunities at 910-433-1017 or LJayne@ci.fay. nc.us. MICHAEL SMITH, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.