News-Record.com

Name: Jack W. McIntire
Address1: 2523 Cherbonne Drive
City: Greensboro
State: NC
Zip: 27407

To: Mayor and Entire City Council
Subject: The GTCRP project

Message:
I have been a resident of Greensboro since 1973 when I was transferred here from Austin, TX. My wife and I raised our two sons here and they attended the public schools and both graduated from UNCG (for what that is worth). We watched, with disbelief, the events that occured in 1979. In addition to watching the coverage on TV, we read the newspaper articles and it appeared to us that there was plenty of blame to go around with all parties involved.

I have been thinking about expressing my views concerning the new project(GTCRP) but could not seem to express my sentiments. In Sunday's News and Record I read the article by Charles Davenport, Jr. and found that this pretty well expresses my feelings concerning this matter.

I would like to ask that the City Council not join in this venture and not pass a resolution to endores this project. From what I have read in the newspaper it does not appear that the project has drawn much local public support so I guess they want your endorsement to give them some kind of validation. Thanks for your consideration.

From: John Tasker
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 4:07:02 PM
To: Phillips, Thomas
Subject: Truth Commission

Personally, I am very much against anything that N. Johnson is for. Yet, he seems to be consistently winning the debate without having to take responsibility for his own actions in the matter. I have suggested to the newspaper that the community is not, in fact, divided by this issue, that probably well over half our citizens were not born, not here, never heard of it, or don't care and I suggested they (the newspaper) should prove otherwise by an independent poll or drop it.

Right now, all the publicity suggests that Nelson is creating the problem he asserts will be solved by this T&R group. If every group with a bone to pick did the same, the council would have 10,000 applications all claiming the city was divided over their cause.

I am so sorry the mayor and others picked such a weak argument as describing this committe as making the city look bad, or the possiblity of creating liability. Those arguments fall squarely into the hands of those good debaters because they are subjective arguments. Not only are they too subjective, if making the city look bad is one of the goals, in order to obtain national publicity, then those kind of arguments are like putting the rabbit in the briar patch.

I maintain that the city should not be involved for the following reasons, for example:

1) The committee has provided no independent information (e.g. an impartial poll) that shows the action 25 years ago has been a divisive issue at all. Even their suggestions that it is are dependent on only a claim that the shootings were divisive by tagging on to some kind of racism that was existing before and after the event itself.

2) The city council ought not to take a public position on what is essentially a private organization's assertion without substantial proof that they are the potential solution.

3) The committe that put this idea together included one or two people who were involved and their involvement must be seen to be weighting the concept down with tremendous conflict of interest.

4) Mr. Johnson, if he gets up to speak, should be relentlessly questioned about why he would not cooperate with the court system, the district attorney, who was trying to prosecute the case . . . and further as to why he should be believed that there is a division in the community for this reason on his say-so. In short, he does not have real credibility, but it has not been brought out. Since there has been a book and a play about the incident, what amounts of money are involved, etc.

5) (note: some time ago when I came before council to request money for Old Greensborough, I had to jump through hoops to prove my case and still did not get a coucncil endorsement. The money went to Downtown Greensboro, Inc., instead) They need to show financial records, and establish genuine need as well as community benefit. Who are they representing and what proof do they have that who they claim to be representing wants them to (not just how many can stand up during the meeting)? Are they are the organization who can provide the benefit better than some other organization? How are they organized? Who is sponsering them? How do they get the money to operate? Who handles the money? To whom are they accountable? How many of the people involved even lived in Greensboro at the time or were old enough to have heard of it when it happened? (my 34 year-old son had not heard of it until last year).

I'm sure that you can come up with arguments of your own. But they have to be objective to be worthwhile, else the council will make news from seeming intransigent. I am also happy to meet with you to discuss this if you wish, but I definitely think the council needs to not shoot from the hip on their discussion about it. The council needs to be prepared, which apparently has not been the case. Whatever you folks do, Nelson has got to be taken out of this mix, else he will run the show his way and to everyone else's disadvantage.

John Tasker

To: Mayor and Entire City Council
Subject: To urge endorsement of the Truth and Community Reconciliation process
Message:
Dear Mayor Holliday -

As one white Quaker to another, I am writing to urge your endorsement of the Truth and Community Reconciliation process when it comes up for a City Council vote. I will say first that I appreciate your leadership in general and recognize the many consensus-building efforts that you make. Your actions to listen to and incorporate the perspectives of multiple constituencies have led Greensboro in positive directions. (If I didn't live in the county outside the city limits, I would have voted for you; I did urge my Greensboro friends to.)

I believe the upcoming City Council vote is crucial in both moral and practical terms.

First the ethical aspects: Racism is not over in Greensboro (or anywhere else). Just because many white people do not recognize it does not mean it doesn't exist. In general, you know that women can spot sexism that men are oblivious to, people with handicaps notice the barriers that we temporarily able-bodied people don't, etc. Similarly, people of color are a more reliable guide on whether racism is a factor than white people are. Unfortunately, we white people don't know that we don't know, and think our perspective about racism is equally valid. More and more research and documentation shows that slavery, ended 150 years ago but not discussed and not resolved, still affects people today. It's clear to me that the Klan shootings, this major racial event in our lifetime, not discussed and not resolved, is affecting people today. Just one example: Over and over again, polls and studies reflect that while we have many civic advantages in Greensboro, there continues to be strong mistrust between races.

You have the great opportunity, as Greensboro's Mayor, to provide white leadership towards ending racism. People in our city, all over our country, and throughout the world want to end racism, but they're confused about how, and discouraged about whether it's even possible. Even the smallest step forward, especially one taken by a white leader, would provide hope and encouragement to many citizens that we are moving in the right direction. After Action Greensboro brought Richard Florida here, I wrote a letter to the editor suggesting that Greensboro could easily market itself as an international leader in ending racism and intolerance. We have so many resources already in place: colleges, the Civil Rights Museum, the Partnership and Mosaic projects, and much more. Some city will become known as knowledgeable and effective in this struggle, and will host national conferences and trainings. Why not us?

And here is only one, but a major practical consideration: What message will it send the rest of the country if Greensboro's City Council votes entirely along racial lines on this issue? Every black Council member votes to endorse the Truth and Community Reconciliation process, every white member votes against, and all the ghosts of desegregation battles rise up again! Newspapers around the country will use that vote as a pretext to slam the South again as more racist than anywhere else. (Not true, but it falsely reassures the rest of the country that they are "not the problem.") Business owners and economic developers read those papers, and it will badly damage Greensboro's national reputation. Your vote, and those of other white Council members, will be key in portraying Greensboro as progressive or regressive on race, and the details will not matter to those outside the city.

So for ethical and practical reasons, please vote to endorse Truth and Community Reconciliation and urge other Council members to do it also.

Thank you for taking the time to read this -
Terry L. Austin