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Knoxville Found

(Click photo for larger image)

What is this? Every week in "Knoxville Found," we'll print the photo of a local curiosity. If you're the first person to correctly identify this oddity, you'll win a special prize plucked from the desk of the editor (keep in mind that the editor hasn't cleaned his desk in five years). E-mail your guesses, or send 'em to "Knoxville Found" c/o Metro Pulse, 505 Market St., Suite 300, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Last Week's Photo:
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-BATCAVE! If Knoxville ever gets its very own Caped Crusader, this wouldn't be a bad place for him to hang out. The small cave opening on the banks of the Tennessee is along one of Ijams Nature Center's many fine walking trails. Before you get all excited and dig out your flashlight and spelunking rope, the cave is indeed gated. The walkway is as close as you can get. Without a Batmobile, anyway. Not surprisingly, the first right answer came from someone who spends a lot of time on local waterways—Alan Cheatham of Knoxville, who says he kayaks past the cave regularly. To reward his diligence, we're happy to present Alan with the latest CD from Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Live at the Wetlands. Paddle on!

Meet Your City
A calendar of upcoming public meetings you should attend

KNOX COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Monday Jan. 7
5 p.m.
Andrew Johnson Bldg., 1st Floor
912 S. Gay St.
Work session.
Wednesday Jan. 9
5 p.m.
City County Bldg., Large Assembly Room
400 Main Ave.
Regular monthly meeting.

KNOXVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday Jan. 8
6:30 p.m.
City County Bldg., Large Assembly Room
400 Main Ave.
Regular meeting.

METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
Thursday Jan. 10
1:30 p.m.
City County Bldg., Large Assembly Room
400 Main Ave.
Regular monthly meeting.

Police Surveillance

A community-access TV show watches the investigators

Dressed in a white turtleneck and black beret, Perry Redd is taking phone calls live on the air on a Wednesday night in Community Television's studio when a man calls in and says, "I think you've caused a lot of problems for the police department. What could you say to me to show that you're not just causing problems?"

What Redd and two groups he's involved with, the Sincere Seven and Citizens for Police Review, are doing is producing a bi-weekly show called Cop Watch that which runs every other Wednesday, usually at 8 p.m. On it, they talk about what rights people have when confronted by the police and problems in the criminal justice system. They also invite people to call in and share any experiences—good, bad and neutral—they've had with the police or courts.

"That's a good question," Redd tells the caller who is offended by the show. Redd says that Cop Watch isn't attacking the police, but wants police accountability. After a few minutes, the caller sounds unconvinced, but they say goodbye amicably. However, one caller a few months ago was threatening enough to scare off two volunteer cameramen, Redd says.

"Some people take offense to the show," Redd explains after he's off the air. "They think we're attacking the police. We're not. But we definitely invite that [impression], because we're looking for a response from the police.

"There's not much you can say to [offended callers], except, 'That's not our goal.' If we really have a responsible police department, they'll respond."

Cop Watch's producers have invited both the Knox County Sheriff's Department and the Knoxville Police Department to participate—"not in a debate form, but to be on the show," Redd says—but both agencies declined. Dwight Van de Vate, chief deputy of the sheriff's office, didn't return a call from Metro Pulse.

KPD Chief Phil Keith says he doesn't know of any invitation to be on Cop Watch. Although he hasn't seen the show, he says he's heard about it from citizens and officers, who told him it was negative. Keith says he'd need to watch the show before considering being on it, "to see if there's any legitimacy to what they're doing or whether it's just bashing the police."

A few months after Cop Watch started in February 2000, KPD started its own CTV show—Knoxville Police Department TV—which airs on Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. and Thursdays at 11:15 a.m. Nationally, a number of shows like Cop Watch are broadcast around the country—most notably one in Los Angeles hosted by activist and writer Angela Davis.

Knoxville's Cop Watch on Dec. 12 focused on Miranda rights. Redd talked about a person's rights when they're confronted by a police officer. "Silence is golden. Be careful of what you say," he tells the audience. "If you are under arrest, you do have the right to know why. If you're not under arrest, ask if you can leave. If you can, walk away, don't run....Believe me, many people have been killed running away from the police."

Another caller on this day's show says he was stopped by a policewoman for no apparent reason while riding his bike. And a man who says he's been arrested a number of times complains that it's nearly impossible to prove in court if police haven't read your rights to you.

Theresa Reed, who directs and sometimes hosts the show, says she's certain it is having an impact. She notices the excitement in people's voices when they call and realize they have a place to air grievances. She also believes the police have taken notice.

"I am more than 100 percent positive that some of the callers have been police officers," Reed says. "They'll say things like, 'You don't need to be dogging the police.' Or they'll make comments about the arrest rate and the crime rate—I don't think too many people keep those statistics on the tip of their tongue."

But Reed says she doesn't think most cops are bad. "I don't think that 95 percent of police officers are evil. It might be 1.5 percent are evil or are out there doing things against policy," she says.

Redd says CPR and the Sincere Seven would like the police agencies to investigate complaintsmore thoroughly and openly, be more receptive to complaints and less hostile to criticism or differences of opinion.

Ultimately, the goal is to get more people actively involved in government and the police force. "The kind of change we're looking for is more community involvement," Reed says. "We're looking for hands-on involvement."

—Joe Tarr

The Flagging Faithful

Lots of Vol fans don't just give up, they give up easy

TIME: 8-12 p.m.
DATE: Dec. 8, 2001
PLACE: Smokey's Sports Pub & Grill, 2613 W. Adair Drive in Fountain City

It ain't all gloom and doom in here...yet. The Vols haven't even kicked off to LSU, but the buzz is at a post-victory pitch. A cloud of orange hue, reflected from patrons' dress, stretches like a light fog from wall to wall. Adults in matching clothing, as my friend the professor likes to call them, are humming Rocky Top, sipping beer and mangling spiced chicken wings. They are the faithful in the congregation of Voldom. And they are gathered here together this dank December evening to see their football team ice a Rose Bowl berth and a chance to play one more game for the national championship, as they did in 1998.

It is a sight not recommended for sore eyes. A sound not for sore ears, either. And it don't smell all that good. It is a scene to stimulate the intellect, not one to pander to the senses.

The pre-game TV patter includes the remark from CBS commentator Todd Blackledge that LSU goes into this rematch with Tennessee with "a psychological advantage." A barmate in a yanked-down-tight UT ballcap, Vols tee-shirt and gleaming earring stirs, then grouses aloud, "What psychological advantage? Damn." When it's gently explained to him that the Bayou Bengal Tigers came to Atlanta with nothing to lose, he retorts, louder now, "Aw, they're always against UT" (meaning big-city media types who ordinarily have both favorable and unfavorable things to say about any two big-game contestants).

This crowd consistently takes partisanship to new levels, and not just here in Smokey's, where proprietor Dale Scarborough, one excellent barkeep, gets to sit out with the customers and watch one of the seven television sets on this night of SEC nights. He ordinarily runs a tight ship, no pun intended, but on big-game evenings, it's loose and goosey all through the joint. Dale might be the last real good sport in his own sports bar tonight, though.

When the LSU quarterback is decked out of bounds, there is a sharp intake of breath, in unison, which is held until the Vol fans are certain there's no foul call. And when the big senior Tiger quarterback doesn't get up, there's a long, exhaled "Yeahhhhh."

The backup quarterback's touchdown run is met with a lengthy "Nooooo" of disbelief.

As UT scores, then scores again to take the lead, the place is a picture of leaping figures, crying, "Thaaat's more liiiiike it," and hooting the hoots of the born front-runner. The ceiling fans twirling overhead, slicing through the pall of smoke, are the only moving objects in the room that stay silent. Stock still, but also silent, is the photo beside the TV that's centered behind the bar. From behind its glass, the face of former Voice of the Vols John Ward grins idiotically. He'll look even sillier later on, toward morning.

The fateful fourth quarter gets underway with two great cries of "Sheeiiittt," one for the LSU touchdown and the second for the successful two-point conversion.

When UT fails to get a touchdown from a first-and-goal inside the five yard line, there is a somewhat softer refrain of "Uh-oh"s rumbling from bar to table to bar.

But the second critical Vol fumble, and the subsequent drive by the Tigers to a first-and-goal at the two, brought my second-half barmate off his stool, heading for the exit trailing the phrase, "Big orange headache" to no one in particular.

When it was over, really over, and the die-hards among us shook our heads and looked around, hardly a quarter of the roomful of Vol "faithful" were there to see the coup de grace just before the chimes struck midnight.

Born front-runners, it seems, haven't the stomach to witness such a comeback win by a foe they've already seen beaten by their team once in the season. They don't even like it when their own Vols have to come from behind. Too nerve-wracking. But they'll be back, flying the orange and shrieking their undying (but not unflagging) support, next game, just as though they'd stuck it out with their guys to the bitter end.

—Barry Henderson

Homewreckers No More

UT still plans to remove old homes, but more carefully

The University of Tennessee administration appears to be taking seriously its promises to work more closely with neighborhood groups and the city as it continues to redevelop its campus.

As part of its recently adopted Master Plan, UT plans to remove houses from its property to make way for a garage addition on Lake Avenue, a fraternity and sorority complex on Terrace Avenue and other construction on Volunteer Boulevard, Andy Holt Avenue and Francis Street. Construction on Terrace and Andy Holt will begin within the next five years.

Historic Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association president Randall DeFord says most of the houses to be removed are between 70 and 90 years old.

In a spirit of cooperation born out of 1998-99's Fort Sanders Forum, UT Vice President for Operations Phil Scheurer has been discussing the houses' removal for the last eight months with DeFord, Knox Heritage president Nic Arning and the city's director of administration, Ellen Adcock. They have created a bid process in which purchasers would move the homes, intact, to other locations. If no one buys a particular house, organizations can salvage items of historical and architectural interest before the building is destroyed.

"We think it's a happy way to proceed," Scheurer says.

The discussion stands in contrast to previous neighborhood dealings with the university. UT received criticism for tearing down old buildings such as Gail and Richard McGinnis' 1924 Terrace Avenue home, demolished in 1999 to make room for an 800-car garage.

"In the past there wasn't any discussion. They would do something, and we would react," DeFord says.

He says the salvaging agreement is an improvement over the past, when the remains of demolished homes were simply dragged off to the dump.

Several issues were not up for negotiation at these meetings. The parties involved have agreed the houses cannot remain where they are. "It's a priority [for us], but the university has made it clear that that's not a possibility," DeFord says.

Also writ in stone is the university's intention to acquire remaining residential areas south of Cumberland Avenue. DeFord says the Fort Sanders association has chosen not to challenge that. "Rather than spinning our wheels, we decided to focus on things we could change and also work on together," DeFord says.

The group met last month to finalize its plans for Terrace Avenue. The procedure set for Terrace will probably stand for other streets where the university plans to replace existing buildings, Scheurer says.

He says although he doesn't know when the group will reach a formal decision and announcement, he doesn't expect the parameters of discussion to change much between now and then.

"There's really not a whole lot of contention," Scheurer says.

At least one student group would disagree with Scheurer on that point. The university has made no provisions to house the Jewish Student Center after the organization loses its Terrace Avenue home, center director Moema Furtado says. Neither has UT provided the JSC with funds to rent, purchase or build a new center.

Furtado notes Scheurer helped JSC procure its current building 30 years ago. The university charges the center little for renting the house. Now, JSC faces a massive fundraising campaign to keep providing living space for Jewish students.

"The university should give us another place to live, because [the students] feel to be a minority on campus, the house is a home away from home," Furtado says. He says students will make that view known in a petition to circulate in early January.

—Tamar Wilner