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Some of Florence Gatton's questions can be easily found at http://www.gtcrp.org/faqs.asp

As stated on the GTCRP's website the main fund provider has been the Andrus Family Fund - www.affund.org .
They provide grants for Conflict Resolution. I do not know all the funding details but I know that many of us on the Local Task Force and others in the community have also provided
significant contributions to the T&R process. No requests have ever been made for money from tax payers and the city. So the Council is still free to spend "city money" on the projects Ms Gatton suggested. At the end of the process we will know "who profited" from this process. The hope of many of us is that our Community will be a better place for having tackled the complex issues around Nov. 3rd. It does appear from our educational structure and university system that "history" and its understanding has some merit. The rawness of the community discussion around Nov. 3rd clearly shows that we may all benefit from letting the Commission do its work. The independence and legitimacy of the Commission's finished work will of course be judged by all of Greensboro. I do image that none of the parties directly involved on Nov. 3rd will like the Commission's findings.

A central advisor for the GTCRP and the Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission has been the International Center for Transitional Justice - www.ictj.org .
It should be noted that survivors are often the primary initiators of a T&R process and the ICTJ is the primary international advisor to T&R work all over the world.

The Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission is independent and is responsible for raising its own money. I assume it has access to the Andrus Family Funds as well as all funding resources know to the GTCRP. The Executive Director of the Commission Jill Williams would be good to contact about funding specifics for the Commission.

I will add that my primary interest is to help the T&R Commission any way possible. I have no preset idea of what will be their findings but I know that to get the full story of Nov. 3rd the Commission needs to hear many different voices. Individuals like Jim Melvin and Mike Schlosser can help by bring insight and balance to the process. I hope they have the courage to appear before the Commission and I hope they are aware of the distinction between the GTCRP (that at times is very political and more narrowly focused on the concerns of the survivors) and the independent Commission that is not interested in supporting any one side of the horror of Nov. 3rd.

Some of us as individuals apart from the GTCRP put together the Faith & Community event on April 10th at the First Baptist Church. This was done to bring more unity around the work of healing and reconciliation in Greensboro. The actions that took place at the Council meeting show how easily it is for us to continue to make bad decisions about how we as a community deal with Nov. 3rd 1979 as well as how we deal with our current divisions.

I am a member of the GTCRP Local Task Force and I am just giving the above information from my best recollection. I am not speaking officially for the GTCRP.

John D. Young

Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small said. “I believe sometimes leadership must let the people lead.”

I take exception to the Councilwomans statements as noted above. It is a direct reflection on just why the TRC's findings will only be one sided and thus invalidating any so call conclusions. It is obvious that the leadership is not doing the leading but is being maniplated by those who have an agenda from which to personally gain. Please not the definitions below given for leadership: Then ask yourself the question, Do these statements make any sense at all?

leadership

A noun
1 leadership, leading

the activity of leading;

3 leadership, leaders

the body of people who lead a group

2 leadership

the ability to lead;

No where do I see leadership described by the action of the people leading, a body of people perhaps but that in itself is a stretch to claim that "sometime leaders have to let the people lead". It totally defies the definition.

I left the #2 definition until last because of your statements defining what you see as leadership . You have failed as a leader based on definition given in # 2 and in # 1. You need to step aside and let one who understands the role of a leader take over or else educate yourself on the role of a leader.

I have been a leader of people for most of my life and I can never imagine a situation where if I had left the leadership to the individuals or a group that any good would have been forthcoming. I can only see the chaos that would have evolved.

Please educate yourself and others who hold this opinion on the role of leadership before attempting to lead an entire community into chaos and anger over things long dead and buried.

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choosing sides. It must bring sides together.
Author: Jesse Jackson

John, I have to commend you on being a member of the GTCRP Local Task Force. Thank You... I have a question for you.

Why hasn't there been more of Greensboros' citizens standing up and speaking out for the truth? Not only about Nov 3, 1979, but also about what's going on today? I can see what's going on not only in Greensboro, but throughout the world.

It's not good...

The council members, and many others, have seemed to forgotten what type of government we have in place..

Government type:
Definition Field Listing
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Federal Republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html

We all have to figure out a way to turn our past into positive energy. We have to build strong communities together . To me it's not about a neither black thing nor a white thing. I feel that it is a humanitarian thing. We can get past this together. We can not have anymore bloodshed. I do not see a black man or a white man. I see a man.

It is not about the past, or you or I; it is about the future: your kids and my kids working together, playing together, living in the same community together, and making every effort to build better communities.

Could you imagine all the people living life in peace? You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday everyone else will join us, and the world will live as one.

The time is now for us to make that change....ThatsWhatzUp..