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I could care less, this is water over the dam. Gone, history, can not be changed. Must be someone out there that wants to make some $$$$$. Spend the money on todays problems.

Amen,
Besides who cares other than those being paid to keep this alive.

I wonder why there were 50 boxes with info about this, seems like a lot for one case that happened 30 years ago. How long does the city keep records like this seems like they would take up warehouses full to keep all records for that long. Is the policeman that reported sure all 50 boxes were about the Communist Klan fight. Maybe old files were being thrown away to make room for new files. I do not think Chief Wray would just tell someone to get all of the records about this and throw them away. If I remember correctly Mayor Holiday and some other council members were against reopening this case. Did the then mayor tell Mitch to tell Chief Wray to get rid of the 50 boxes or did they do it on there own. Reverse raceisim is taking over the city of Greensboro and will last until the majority stands up to it.

Consider the source of this story. Nelson Johnson and Cardes Brown, Woopie.

Isn't it just HORRIBLE how white people are being SO oppressed by these awful, awful...uh, what's the right word now...African-Americans? Blacks? They won't even tell us what we can call them, that's how oppressed we are by them!!! Boo hoo. I'm going to go cry now.

Seriously, I love how you morons determine truth by WHO IS SPEAKING rather than by a DETERMINATION OF THE FACTS.

And as for someone making money...it seems to me that that the REAL material interest here lies in the hands of those who want to prevent the truth from ever becoming known. Massacres and cover-ups are bad for business...especially BIG business. Jim Melvin and all the other downtown big-shots would rather kill the truth than let THEIR town (which the rest of us just live in) be known for being involved in such dastardly deeds.

And the last time I checked, John Hammer's getting paid better than any minister for sucking up to the rulers and spreading their propaganda.

I agree with the above comments. When is the City of Greensboro going to take a stand on our real problems here. What happened nearly 29 years ago will not help with our City's problems of today. The $$ it would take to open and investigate this is just absurd! Let's get on with our City's biggest problems which is robberies and shootings!!!!!
Until we can get some back bone in our City Council it will still be business as usual, accomplishing nothing to help with the City' true problems.
GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who thinks these 3 thugs are preachers, don't read the same Bible as I do.
This GANG doesn't want "Truth" and they certanly don't want "reconciliation". They just want to terrorize the City of Greensboro, in order to control city leaders (like Mitch Johnson, Y. Johnson, Keith Holiday and the other yellow bellied spinless leaders Greensboro has). The so called Truth & Reconciliation Comission has already investigated the 1979 Klan-Nazi shootings and they came to the conclusion that the CWP, the Klan and the police dept. were all responsible for the 1979 shootings. I guess they will not be satisfied until they re-write history enough to totally clear the CWP.

The city should definitely investigate. This is a real problem.
It's disturbing to witness so many Greensboro residents display such complete lack of curiousity, and utter lack of concern about these shocking allegations. No wonder the nation is creeping toward fascism. It's quite clear that Greensboro's white community does not care about abuse of power or miscarriage of justice -- unless it's one of their white athletes who falls victim to the system. Then they are quick to rally for justice. The bigotry around these parts is so pervasive and goes so deep, it make one despair, at times.

The news yesterday was not about missing files. This was a smoke screen just to discredit
Mary Rakeshaw and lift up Mitch Johnson who is their puppet. Read between the lines. Mary's was the focus of this meeting because of her voting against Mitch. Why did this not come out in September when the former mayor and Mitch had the meeting because it is wild and unsubstantiated charges. If this was a meeting about files missing why was Mary's name even mentioned. This was the Mitch
we support him and you cannot have a opinion
show. If the SOURCE witnessed and helped
destroy files he is just another tainted police officer. I am not going to break the law just
because my boss ordered me to. Mary be careful.

Why did the GPD issue riot gear to the officers in that district days before the shootings? Why did some GPD officers meet a officer's house days before the shooting with KKK member(s)
involved in the killings? The officers 'in the grace' know. But don't fear residents of Greensboro, most of them are no longer on the force.

Laura said.....white community does not care about abuse of power or miscarriage of justice -- unless it's one of their white athletes who falls victim to the system. Then they are quick to rally for justice.
GIVE ME A BREAK. Does the name O.J. Simpson ring a bell. Has the black community denounced the NC Central black student who falsely accused the Duke Lacross players? How about the black U.S. Rep. William Jefferson who was caught with $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer, the black community re-elected him. What about the "Rev" Jesse Jackson who makes no apology for making Anti-semetic statements, has the black community condemned him for that.
Shall I go on or have you heard enough? These are just a FEW of the examples of the Black community coming to the defense of other African American's who are as guilty as sin. But you let one unruly black male get tassered by a white police officer and the black community wants to have a public hanging.

Mayor Keith Holliday, City Manager Mitch Johnson, and Police Chief Tim Bellamy were all informed in October that that these 50 boxes were thrown away and were told then that Sgt. Craig McMinn gave the order. The ministers said yesterday that their source, an active duty police officer, suggested that Sgt. McMinn would not lie if asked whether he gave the order but would tell the truth.

My question is: why has no one asked McMinn?!?

He can respond and say ?its true, I gave the order,? or ?its false, there were no 50 boxes destroyed,? or plead the fifth. The GPD can invoke the Garrity Rule and he can testify with immunity.

This, for me, is the one central, over-riding question: why not ask Craig McMinn?

Regarding the comments from "keeping it real,"
Lots of black leaders and writers have spoken out against the events he describes. And Jackson has apologized. Maybe keeping it real hasn't been listening? (Or maybe he is having trouble "just getting over it?")

Meanwhile, don't expect "keeping it real" to ever denounce the fact that a certain white Christian terrorist organization continues to thrive in the United States, even after coming into our city and murdering five people -- not to mention terrorizing and murdering countless American citizens on our own soil for the past 100 years.

This saddens me when people would think that the KKK is a christian orginazation. Why would people of any color make that statement. I am also of the school that these ministers are not trying to help heal issues in Greensboro if they were they would come clean about what they really know. They have accomplished what they set out to do, that is get their name in paper and people all upset. If you will recall Nelson Johnson was an orginizer of the Klan Nazie stuff he is still organizing trouble and getting his name in paper. The reall issue is not to give them a stage and all people no matter what color will be better off.

To Laura
I will always denounce, hate and speak out against the KKK. But I will not re-write history like you and the Gang of 3 seem to want to do. As much as I hate and despise the KKK, if someone shoots at me, I will defend myself and I will give them the same right. The CWP dared the KKK to show up, the CWP told the police to back off and stay away,The CWP are the ones who fired the first shots. The KKK fired back and people were killed. Anything else is re-writing history.

And show me any web link proving your statement "Lots of black leaders and writers have spoken out against the events he describes. And Jackson has apologized."
If there are any web sites, you would think they would be easy to find, since you believe every white person, every newspaper and every new source is against the black community.

The new cry - KEEP RACISM ALIVE.

When can we expect Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to arrive in town?

I am mildly puzzled by one aspect though - IF these "pastors" really did previously discuss this with our Grand Poobah, Mitchell Johnson, why is the city "unaware" of the fact that files are missing? http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NRSTAFF/44972827

Perhaps the wording of the said document names was unclear; just like the recent "memo" request?

The more I ponder this - I'm finding the statement released by the city to be a little disturbing.

I wonder who drafted that statement; any way of finding out?

Was it really necessary to include this?

"Actions taken by the Special Intelligence Division of the Greensboro Police Department have, in the past, been secretive. The City continues to bear the burden of problems that occurred during former Chief David Wray’s administration, including improper and/or inconsistent record keeping."

What bearing does that statement really have on the matter? Is the author trying to deflect something?

I believe the rule of thumb is that you can blame the last guy for up to 1 year - hasn't that time come and gone?

I remember the events of 1979 well. The Communitsts (CWP) failed in their bid to gain backing in Burlington, so moved on to Greensboro, "invaded" Morningside Homes to stir up the black community and gain backing from the black community to rail against, who else, the KKK. (Now, why would "Communists" have a problem with the KKK? Purely because that's the quickest way to stir up the black community.) The CWP invited...no, DARED the KKK to come to town (Death to the Klan Rally), which the KKK willingly obliged. The CWP gave false information to the GPD about the location of the start of the "parade" and rally, which caused the delay in the police being there. As a previous post said, the KKK opened fire defending themselves. The black community should be outraged that they were used by the CWP. The Communists had no interest in serving the black community, which became clear in the years that followed. They were used, pure and simple. There had been no prior publicitiy that the KKK was causing any problems in Greensboro at that time, and would not have been here that day if the CWP had not "invited" them. I, for one, am sick and tired of Nelson Johnson and company, and try as they might, they cannot re-write history to suit their cause. And for the African-Americans in Greensboro: why do you have to have a (so called) LEADER to tell you what to believe?

As a State employee, I am aware of boxes of records being destroyed after 20 years - without anyone reviewing what is in them. 50 boxes was probably a year of saved documents that aged out. Why should we keep this issue "alive" and be angry? It is history and will be judged as the mistakes of our society at a time of immaturity. Hopefully, we have grown a little in twenty-plus years. Will the present "over-fifty" generation have to die out to give our young people a chance to live together without the left-over hate? Does the new generation believe it should be continued?

MyTwoCents
I'll bet Mitch Johnson had something to do with drafting the city response. It has his hand writing all over it. How the city council can continue to cover for "Nifong Mitch" is beyond me. He should have been fired a long time ago.

i definitely think that they should look into this matter. i have no doubt that there was evidence that was destroyed to keep it out of the view of the public. the gpd has a history of doing this. most of the public don't know that this happened back in the 70's right before FOIA (freedom of information act) came into existence. there were files on the surveillance on a number of greensboro citizens. yes, rev. nelson johnson was one of many. these files were destroyed to keep them from being viewed once FOIA came into existence. evidence of this is sitting in the archives at UNC-CH if anyone would like to check.

You may well have been there - but the state laws permit the destruction of felony related files after 20 years - the city held them for 26 years.

I'm beginning to wonder if these "pastors" are truly meritorious of the distinction that is "Reverend".

you have to wonder, if the law only requires you to keep these files for 20 years, why would you keep them any longer than that? however, after 26 years, they decided to get rid of them when someone comes asking to view them. i just remember something. the civil trial ended in 1985. the files in question would have been in use for that trial. therefore, 20 years after that trial would have been at least june 2005. i think that the request for the files was made in 2004. that's only 19 years. the files should have been there. what now?

"someone" came inquiring in 2007, not 2004.

All this hoo-hah about events 30 some years ago caused by OUTSIDERS. CWP were outsiders, KKK came to town from the Charlotte area. The City of Greensboro was just a venue chosen by the Communists to get publicity. They moved into the Black Community, and used those folks, too. CWP got a little more than they bargained for.....or did they? After all, they were packing guns....

to 'my two cents', i guessed you missed that quote in the paper following the press conference that they gave the other day. :0

Pat Boswell, a city spokeswoman

Boswell said the city had received a request for documents related to the shootings in either January or February of 2004.

the greensboro truth & reconciliation commission published a report on the matter that came out in may of '06. where do you think they got the files that they used for that report from? maybe they published the report then asked for the files a year later.

i like the comments about 'the outsiders'. it's funny when you can call someone an outsider when they've lived in greensboro for some 15 years at that point, like in the case of nelson johnson. a number of the protesters lived in greensboro also at that time. some of them even worked in the mills in the city where they were organizing. maybe living in a town and working there still doesn't make you a local.

i hate it when people talk and don't do their homework.

your turn!

to keeping it real:

the cwp didn't fire the first two shots. after fbi analysis, those two shots were attributed to the klan/nazi. they characterized those shots as 'calming shots'. whatever a 'calming shot' might be. i've never heard of any gunshot being 'calming'.

do your homework. the files are sitting in the wilson library on the campus of unc-ch just waiting for you to read them.

So what?

These Ministers are absorbed in a old womans sewing circle . . . keeping alive racism.

. . . let go of the past man . . . you are caught up in some really unconstructive busy body work and Jesus see you wolves in sheeps clothing and isn't to happy with your actions . . .

To: I was there.

Yes, I did read that and understood it implicitly. The TRC received 49 binders of info per their request.

As indicated just yesterday by the DA - the GPD did nothing wrong or improper by destroying documents - if in fact that is what happened.

The 3 racists who brought this up were and are just sucking wind; Nelson wanted his smug mug on TV - nothing more, nothing less.

You're up, Skippy.

the trc never received 49 binders of info. 49 was the number they say they gave the trc but the actual number was 34. there was a major discrepancy between the gpd and the trc over the actual number of binders that were turned over. you should also wonder why the gpd brought back the former city atty maurice cawn out of retirement to redact the binders before the city turned them over to the trc. was there something in those binders that they didn't want them to see?

and why do people have to be racists to bring up past wrongs? you act like the city of greensboro doesn't have a racist past. they used to sell slaves on n. elm st. have you forgotten that the city paid the judgment of nearly $400,000 for the cops & the klan. i know i'm not paying for another person's crime if i had nothing to do with it.

and to j peterman:

they are keeping racism alive? are you seriously telling me that racism in the city of greensboro ever died? and isn't it kind of arrogant to think that your religion is the only true religion and everyone should be judged by it?

Oh My,
I don't think racism died at I was there's house.

nah, i don't do racism. however, i'm not afraid to talk honestly about the past, present and future. just because you don't talk about something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. i find it amazing that no one wants to look at the fact that gpd could have been directly involved in the murder of five u.s. citizens and no seems to want to find out the truth about that. but then again, this is the south. these are the people that are supposed to be there to protect & serve.

News media in this town is drawn to Nelson Johnson like moth's to the flame.
The story must generate more sales for the N&R. Why else would they chase Johnson.

Cardes Brown is of the same mold. He talks about a new day with the vote (Bellamy Small) and in the same breath defends Michael Vick as a mistreated person.

Nelson Johnson damaged race relations in this town for many years to come and he blames it on everyone but himself.

You'll get no sympathy from me.

wouldn't dare attempt to ask you for sympathy. african-americans asking for sympathy in this country has never netted them anything. so why start now?

My opinion is that Nelson Johnson, Cardes Brown and others like them (Sharpton, Jackson) do more to HURT race relations than to help - they continually keep race on the front burner with an "in your face" attitude.

Another thing that kind of gets to me - the whole African American label. Why can't everyone just be American? I don't ask to be called an Italian American, I don't hear people asking to be called White American or anything else like that.

I'm in favor of starting a State Of The British American Nation. Whoops thats racist. Travis Smileys State of the Black American Nation is OK.

i'm going to agree with my two cents with the wish that we could all be just 'americans'. however, that's not the country that we live in. our society pushes stereotypes in just about every form and fashion. i have no love for the african-american label either. most 'african-americans' i know don't feel kinship either way. they don't feel african and they don't feel american. most would just say that they're black. it's like a lost people which is kind of what they were once they slaves were freed. in a foreign land that didn't want them once they were no longer property.

so ironhead, are you saying that you don't believe in the fact that there are 'two americas' as john edwards puts it? in the land where 5 grams of crack = 500 grams of powdered coke. where white girls can get caught driving without a license, drunk & with cocaine and do 22min in jail. it would be funny if it wasn't true.

i'm going to agree with my two cents with the wish that we could all be just 'americans'. however, that's not the country that we live in. our society pushes stereotypes in just about every form and fashion. i have no love for the african-american label either. most 'african-americans' i know don't feel kinship either way. they don't feel african and they don't feel american. most would just say that they're black. it's like a lost people which is kind of what they were once they slaves were freed. in a foreign land that didn't want them once they were no longer property.

so ironhead, are you saying that you don't believe in the fact that there are 'two americas' as john edwards puts it? in the land where 5 grams of crack = 500 grams of powdered coke. where white girls can get caught driving without a license, drunk & with cocaine and do 22min in jail. it would be funny if it wasn't true.