Five murdered on Nov. 3, 1979, 564 since
One group of teenagers opens fire on another. A 19-year-old is struck by a bullet and later dies.
The death of Katrell Frazier brings Greensboro's 2005 homicide count to 23, Eric J.S. Townsend reports today.
Greensboro is consumed by an emotionally draining re-examination of its darkest day -- Nov. 3, 1979. Five members of the Communist Workers Party were shot to death by Klansmen and Nazis.
The killings and aftermath left deep scars on the community and impacted the lives of many people, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been told in hours of public hearings.
The truth and reconciliation process has attracted extensive media coverage and national and even international attention. Fine.
But how much attention has been given to the fact that, from 1980 through the present day, 564 homicides have been committed in Greensboro?
How many scars have all those deaths left on the city? How many families have been torn apart? How many young lives have been wasted -- including the lives of those who have gone to prison as a result?
How much examination are we doing into why these 564 murders happened, how we can heal the wounds and, most importantly, how we can put an end to this culture of killing?
One horrible incident took five lives, and Greensboro still carries the shame.
Don't the 564 dead since then matter, too?
Comments (5)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Doug, you know that for people to process conflicts and for journalists to create interest and give a story "legs" there must be a "good guy" and a "bad guy" and usually an act of violence between them. (probably from our Hollywoodized movie mentality) There must be "sides" people can take as they choose who is the "good guy" and the "bad guy" for some type of identification to take place, as in "the Reds vrs the Clan." The violence (real or implied)criteria is obviously easily met, but the full process can not take place for most of the 567 homicides since nobody knows the circumstances or the "good guy' or "bad guy", therefore no "legs" can be created.
The trouble with the "Truth Commission" story is that most of these people chose their sides a long time ago, are very unlikely to change based on any new findings, and the "legs" of this story have been reduced to little nubbin stumps. Because the conflict lines are so easy to draw however, the story will continue to get ink even as it's actual relevence reduces to zero. The other factor that can give a story "legs" (or "artifical legs" if you will) is if there is someone who is gaining notoriety, political mileage or making a buck out of the creation of the "artificial legs". People will have to make their own judgement about this in this case.
Posted on October 7, 2005 10:37 AM
I get your larger point about the many murders in Greensboro since 1979.
But "Greensboro is consumed"?
That is too broad a statement. There are a few people in the city who may be consumed, and several others are interested, but most of the city has no idea the commission has been meeting.
Posted on October 7, 2005 4:57 PM
Maybe I'm spending too much time at Ed Cone's blog.
Posted on October 7, 2005 5:00 PM
Nov 3rd could be classed as "The Gunfight at the OK Corral" for modern history.
The rest of the 564 would have just been considered Saturday nite barroom brawls and few even bothered asking their names.
The Nov 3rd duel was a major page in history, the 564, would barely make a byline.
The names get the pages in history, the rest just a name on a tombstone.
The story from Nov 3rd goes on forever, written and rewritten , depending on who tells the story and never rest.
The 564 are lost lines in the story but can finally Rest in Peace.
Posted on October 7, 2005 7:39 PM
Doug, yes, you are spending too much time reading Ed Cone. The only ones "consumed" by a story that was over and done with more than 25 years ago are the ones still trying rewrite the history about it.
I've traveled extensively throughout this country and many others in the world, and have never, ever had anyone ask me about what happened in my home city.
Why some people imagine that the whole world is watching and waiting on the edge of their chairs for the results of the T&R is beyond me.
Posted on October 8, 2005 9:38 AM