An e-mail warning circulating this week about gang violence at the Dixie Classic Fair brought a public response from Winston-Salem's police chief yesterday: It's a hoax.
In the age of the electronic grapevine, Chief Scott Cunningham called a news conference to reassure fairgoers that police have security plans in place and that police have not heard of any credible threats targeting the fair.
The fair begins today, and organizers expect more than 300,000 people to attend during the fair's 10-day run. The e-mail contained a story about a police officer who is a member of the police department's gang task force warning a friend that two gangs are planning to stake out their turf at one of the fair's entrance gates. It advises fairgoers to carry a weapon for protection.
Yesterday, Cunningham said that no one needs to bring a weapon.
He said that investigators will try to determine who initially distributed the e-mail by working with Internet providers. That person could face charges, such as inciting a riot.
The police department will have many officers patrolling the fairgrounds, Cunningham added. Anyone wearing gang-related clothing or symbols will be not allowed in.
John Llewellyn, an associate professor of communication at Wake Forest University, said that the e-mail is an example of how an urban legend can spread like wildfire on the Internet.
"This is crap," Llewellyn said as he read the e-mail. "There are tons of Halloween hoaxes. This could be in that spirit."
Llewellyn said that Cunningham took the proper steps in debunking the rumor.
"Someone is trying to do mischief and rattle some cages," he said.
■ John Hinton can be reached at 727-7299 or at jhinton@wsjournal.com.
■ Journal reporter Jason Tyson contributed to this article.
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