November 3, 1979, shootings mislabeled
Regarding the letter (April 27) by Jack Hart of Conover: Hart refers accurately to the Klan-Communist incident (Nov. 3, 1979). Yet, the editorial page headline writer chose to use the term "Klan-Nazi."
The editors/reporters at the News & Record continue to call it the "Klan-Nazi" incident, which it was not. (Please put the correct term in your style manual if you have such a thing.)
It was a group of communists led by Nelson Johnson, whose inflammatory rhetoric incited a bunch of Klansmen and Nazis to Greensboro for a gunfight. It was not the Klan and the Nazis engaged in warfare, although perhaps that might not have been a bad idea, but in an area where innocent bystanders would have been out of harm's way.
Just curious, if anyone knows what the budget is for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who is providing their funding, how they are spending this money and how many paid employees/staff they have?
Drop a letter to the editor.
Fred H. Gregory
Greensboro
Editor's note: According to an April 21 Truth and Reconciliation Commission news release, "The Commission is funded by a combination of private donations and foundation grants, including $15,000 from private local and national donors who believe in this work." The release adds, "... answers about our finances are readily available from members of the Commission, its staff and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, which manages our funds."
Comments (6)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Good points, Mr. Gregory. I've heard it called the Klan/Nazi shootout for so long I'd almost forgotten that Nelson Johnson's Communist Worker's Party was the instigator here.
So it was really the Klan/Communists shootout.
I guess since it's a privately funded group, they don't have to account to anyone how they spend their money.
I wonder how much is just going to friends and relatives, like the Woolworth's financial fiasco?
If the City or County were to provide funding, would the group be required to make public their accounting of the money?
That would be an interesting report, indeed.
Posted on May 4, 2005 8:34 AM
I heard they got some Federal money ? I doubt if they woulld open their books to a private citizen.
Posted on May 4, 2005 10:26 PM
If they get Federal money, they would have to open their books to Federal review as to how they spend it, wouldn't they?
Posted on May 5, 2005 9:57 AM
Gee Braxton I don't know. Maybe they could lose their computer server if their financial records became the object of Federal scrutiny. That dodge has been used before in this community. Foundation grants are another question .
The press release added as a footnote, by the editors, to this letter is not at all informative . Kinda reminds you of calling the IRS for help and being referred to their friendly Publication # 654789765 ( Revised 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004 ). If the News and Record wanted to inform the public about the total funding of the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission, its benefactors and how the money is being spent then they would shove some reporter off his butt out the door and find out. As I said if they were REALLY interested .Don't hold your breath. After Allen Johnson's tantrum in his Sunday column regarding the City Council action it is doubtful. One could justifiably conclude that unless some independent authority with the power to audit starts digging around, then the inner workings of this group will remain a mystery.
Posted on May 5, 2005 11:51 AM
I think what's needed is a crack reporter to look into this situation. John Robinson should fill the bill nicely, at least he could tell us which of the players is articulate and which is white.
Posted on May 5, 2005 2:09 PM
Don't count on the N&R to do anything "controversial" like actually investigating something, not if there's a chance it will cause black backlash. The N&R is actually under the Gannett requirement to have a certain percentage of black stories on the front page, a certain percentage of black photographs in certain places, etc.
The earth would swallow up the N&R if it did anything to expose the truth about these frauds.
Posted on May 5, 2005 6:10 PM