connecting*the*dots

What’s History Worth?
The Lex Files

“Every time I publish a story related to the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation report and its aftermath, I hear from people either curious or angry about why the N&R, almost a year after the release of the report, continues to cover it.

[…]

But here’s the problem with ignoring the wrongs and the hurt that litter our past — and I am indebted to the old comic books I read as a kid for the imagery: You can cover up the past all you want, but often it won’t do any good. If you clean and bind the wounds of past harm, and acknowledge the loss and grief of those to whom it happened or their survivors, then you can bury it and perhaps it will rest easy.

But if you don’t, then don’t be surprised if, as you walk through the garden, smelling the magnolias and enjoying the evening air, a rotting hand reaches up from the ground and grabs you and won’t let go. Sometimes the dead don’t stay buried.”

I hear you and couldn’t agree more, Lex. And after living here for going on two years now, I think I’m getting the pulse of this city, but it’s a strange one to put a finger on.

For all of the accountability folks wants from city government and the GPD over issues like a fired police chief and potential misappropriations of $30,000 of taxpayers funds, one might think that the disgust over the Greensboro Police Department’s gross irresponsibility to protect and serve in ‘79 would draw a furor until they satisfactorily explained their inaction on that day.

Actually, that’s not true; the GPD was in action on 11/3:

• A police informant was riding with the Klan in the lead car
• The GPD filmed the Klan loading up their cars with numerous weapons prior to hitting the march route
• A call was sent out to clear the march route of all officers

So yes, the GPD was busy on that day, just not protecting the permit approved march route.

But can you blame them?

Nelson Johnson vociferously barked at the cops to stay away the day before, so they just followed his wishes. I mean, cops are notorious for throwing their responsibilities to the wind when a civilian yells loud enough, right?

From yesterday’s Yes! Weekly article, New inside perspectives on 1979 shootings point to police complicity:

[…] “Based on conversations with Dawson, who is no longer alive, Hennis told YES! Weekly in a recent interview that he believes members of the Greensboro Police Department decided to allow the Klan and Nazis to attack demonstrators after march organizer Nelson Johnson warned police to “stay out of our way.”

“The police, I believe, knew right much about it,” Hennis said. “After Nelson smart-mouthed them, they decided to just stay back and referee…. They didn’t have no plan, but they knew about it and couldn’t care less.” […]

Hell, the people that died in ‘79 were communists. It’s not like they were actually people who subscribed to a different take on labor issues and the systemic issues of socio-economic inequalities within America (which have actually grown since 1979). They were followers of a foreign “ism”… and words have consequences, right?

The thought makes me sick.

I’m not so naive to believe that privileged folk down here care to settle that case of obvious police wrongdoing.

Now, if there’s money involved or the potential for “reverse” racism to be framed, well, that’s a whole other case entirely.

Greensboro 101

Here’s the deal as I see it: Greensboro is a civil, southern town — civility will not allow for such retrospective inquiries of negative events that have occurred in the public sphere.

It’s not how things are done down here; dirty laundry is not to be aired — it’s meant to be buried.

Historically, that’s how things have worked.

It’s always been much easier to bury improprieties and crimes, along with the heads in this town, rather than talk about the issues, bring truth to the table, hold folks accountable to their actions and reconcile our grievances.

More so here than anywhere else I’ve lived.

The problem for past and present town planners and gatekeepers, is that we’re now living in the information age — their circle the wagon rhetorical tactics of old cannot quell the voices of residents who want answers, whether it be about 11/3/79 or the Dudley High School revolt or Willow Oaks or re-zoning a city district to force a successful rehabilitation and homeless program to close their doors.

And more and more folks are wanting answers in this day and age.

Burying an infested bone in a wire-frame view of a backyard these days can’t even fool a dog named Helenkeller.

Over the past 30 years, the Greensboro Police Department has developed a long history of mistrust within the local community:

• In 1979, the predominately black and poor Morningside community was left unprotected during a permit enabled, anti-KKK rally that came to be known as the Greensboro Massacre.

  Oh yeah, the GPD also had an informant riding shotgun with the Klan during the fatal firefight who reported just the day before that there would be bloodshed.

• In 2006, whispers of racism and charges of mismanagement and suspect behavior led to the dismissal/quitting of then police chief, David Wray.

  Ever since then lines have been drawn within the community here, with some folk pointing at reverse racism within the local media and city government hiring a shill third-party as the reason for Wray’s dismissal

Tim Bellamy does not have an easy road ahead of him.

Day one.

Remember tonight…

The Troublemaker has posted a memo from City Manager Mitch Johnson to City employees.

Johnson makes a clear case for what the situation was prior to hiring RMA, why he hired RMA and where the current follow-up (SBI) investigation stands. Johnson also makes it crystal clear that David Wray chose to resign instead of squaring the findings of the RMA report against his own word to Johnson, elected officials and the public.

As for the current SBI investigation, who knows if it’s focused on James Hinson or any other number of officers within the department. I have no skin in that game, except that if anything sticks, I hope it’s to less officers than many and that the infractions are minor in nature.

Historically, the GPD has a sullied reputation, but I’d much rather be able to trust my current police department than not.

Who wouldn’t?

Now that I’ve read the RMA report and have this update from the City Manager, I’m comfortable waiting for the outcome of the investigation.

Give it three months folks. The rumor mill in town is beyond annoying, approaching ridiculous. We’ll all have a chance to throw our arms up in disbelief once the details of this final investigation comes to light.

(originally uploaded by Jeremy Dennis)

I want to make it very clear where I stand on the issue of the RMA report hitting the internet this yesterday morning.

The RMA needed to be released into the public domain.

Because this document was originally leaked from within city management, the cat has been out of the bag for a long time now, hiding in the engine chassis of many parked cars around town… cars with media powered megaphones.

Once that happened, there was no way for the city to professionally manage whatever issues existed within the GPD behind closed doors.

With all the conflicting commentary and positions in local papers and blogs following the original leak (such as The N&R, The Rhino, Guarino, Hoggard, The Troublemaker and Ed Cone) over the past God knows how many months, there really was no way for any resident of Greensboro (including me) to follow the numerous threads, form an informed opinion on any discrete level and ultimately, trust both city managers and the police department.

So, was I was receptive to obtain a copy of the report the other day and read for myself the details behind what drove the city to lock David Wray out of his office?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

I was also amped for it’s public consumption in the near future, because I had heard through the grapevine just a few days ago that a local print publisher had planned to print it… on this Thursday (whether that was true or not, who knows for sure).

Now here’s where the big ol’ but! of my perspective contradicts my previous position.

Greensboro101 is not an individually run web site

For Roch to allow the file to be available in the interface for an extended period of time after it was uploaded anonymously to 101 without notifying his editorial board, I do feel it was an irresponsible move in regards to his unpaid advisers.

Again, let me be perfectly clear: I completely support this document being available to all Greensboro citizens, especially after it has been used by a select few in town (media and residents) to construct their message since the original leak… but, to allow it on 101 signifies that everyone associated with 101 backs that decision.

Obviously, Ben, Sue, Jay and Cara Michele did not support that decision.

So while it is Roch’s right to keep the provided file available to the public, he in turn must take full responsibility for his decision.

And as far as I can tell — by speaking with three quarters of the resigning party — they’re fine to leave the actions of this day as an editorial decision, pure and simple, and go their separate ways. From what I gather, Roch feels the same.

Case closed. (UPDATE: Or is it?)

The 101 Of My Relationship To 101

When I first moved to town last year, Roch and I rapped a bit about the potential of Greensboro101 at one of my first Blogsboro Meetups. After having a few beers downtown later that week, Roch asked me if I’d like to serve on an advisory board, touting Ed Cone and Jay Rosen as members.

Interested in the potential of 101 and having met neither Ed or Jay at the time (both of whom I respected very much), I agreed.

Later that week, I provided Roch with a bio to publish and assist him in his conversations with potential investors.

Since that conversation sometime last fall, Roch and I have not spoken once about the future of 101.

Zero.

Nada.

Being that I don’t agree with the way that he proceeded in this manner — even though I do support his decision to keep the file available — I’ve asked Roch to remove me from our imaginary relationship. I’m not quite sure he understands my position, but that’s fine.

I have much more important things to focus on.

UPDATE: In the comments, Ed denies ever being an advisor to 101. I apologize to both Ed and Jay for even mentioning them if that is truly the case.

UPDATE II: Roch sets Ben straight regarding the business advisory board we thought we were a part of by allowing our resumes to be presented to potential investors:

This “business� advisory board that Sean and Ben “resigned� from was never empanelled and never convened.

Forgive me if I don’t tow the party line completely, but this Chief Wray controversy doesn’t quite feel as open and shut and David suggests — but not as you might think I mean.

After reading the RMA report, I do believe the city had no choice but to fire Wray, as he undoubtedly lied to his superiors, but the sheer amount of managerial issues raised by officers and employees once the investigation began seems to cut across Wray’s deception and his alleged actions into the disturbing territory of GPD management across the board.

(cartoon by Anthony Piraino)

The following quote is from page five in the overview (Section I) of the RMA report:

[…] The City Manager was approached by a contingent of minority police officers who complained of disparate treatment citing the Hinson matter as one of several examples. Officers complained that there was a “secret police” unit that focused on investigating black GPD officers. They also referenced a “black book” that was rumored to contain the photographs of black police officers that was used by the “secret police unit” for alleged inappropriate purposes. Additionally, law enforcement officers representing all ranks, races and genders came forward with complaints regarding the management of the GPD and concerns of mistreatment. […]

If you read that previous line as I did — “the management of the GPD” — it insinuates that there were issues in the GPD deeper than David Wray; he might have given the directions for tactical assignments and the such, but he didn’t manage them to fruition or carry them out by himself.

So while I’d love to close the book on this controversy and feel like the cancer has been removed — once and for all — from my local police department, I can’t. And I also can’t help but to think that the City Managers and Chief Wray agreed to go separate ways, because if they didn’t, the proverbial shit was lining up in droves to hit the proverbial fan… and everyone involved in the face.

Yesterday, after reading the RMA for himself, Ed Cone pointed to John Hammer’s editorial statement on January 26th as an indication of Hammer’s prescience, but the last paragraph of that statement just isn’t sitting well with me:

[…] According to Occam’s Razon, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. In this case the simplest answer is that Wray was, for whatever reason, not honest in his dealings with his boss, City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Any other explanation involves huge coincidences and for people to do things that don’t make any sense.

This report really needs to be released to the public.

UPDATE: The report has been uploaded to Greensboro101.

Next: I’ll read Jerry Bledsoe’s narrative and compare factual assertions.

David has finished reading the “Risk Management Associates” report; I’m pausing to go listen to live music at The Flying Anvil (btw, I didn’t get the report from David).

Tomorrow morning, first and foremost, I plan on completely digesting the entire report. I then plan on reading Jerry Bledsoe’s narrative of events in detail and the numerous reports from The Troublemaker.

And then, as Chief Wray is so eloquently quoted on page 5:

Click to see larger version

I’ll “connect the dots” myself.

As I strolled home from having coffee downtown this afternoon, I paused before crossing Arlington at MLK, as two cars were already there — one a single woman in an SUV, the other a police car with a male officer driving and a female officer riding shotgun.

After eyeballing both drivers and getting the vibe back that neither were in much of a rush, I continued across the walkway.

Big mistake.

The female cop all of a sudden started screaming and pointing at me (I thought behind me at first, I couldn’t hear her), so I picked up my gate and — after landing safely on the other curb — turned around to see what the problem was. Greensboro’s finest then rolls down her window and yells, with attitude:

“You may not be in a hurry, but we have to be somewhere! Move!!”

Before I knew it they were gone, hanging a right and flying down MLK into the distance. I looked over to the SUV driver — thinking maybe she was thinking the same thing as me — but she just shrugged her shoulders and slowly turned in the opposite direction.

Cops. In a rush. No turn signal. No siren. No nothing, except for a frantic, bitchy scream of authority… in my neighborhood.

I didn’t even have enough time to give her the obligatory Jersey response of “fuck you.”

So much for trying.

Look, I’m not trying to force an opinion on anyone. It’s a well-known fact that in the very least, the Greensboro Police Department did not protect and serve its community on 11/3/79 — specifically, Morningside Homes and numerous other Greensboro residents who collected that morning to protest with the CWP (an organization armed with a location specific, city-sanctioned march permit).

Over the last month or so, conversations around town surrounding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report — with a subsequent recommendation for the city to apologize for its role in the escalation of violence — has numerous residents and/or neighbors of Greensboro heroically trying to sweep that historical fact under the rug.

Completely blind to the negative, residual effects of 11/3/79 on other people within their own community — voices who have been silenced over the years and up through this loud and conflicting debate of privileged people on computers — people valiantly press on:

• meblogin: “How about nobody apologizes and Greensboro continues to be a great place where a horrid event took place?”…
• Dr. Mary Johnson: …”Hey Bubba, let’s you and me take off the albatross, go pay that cover and get some nice Southern iced tea. Not San Francisco, not Boston, not Seattle, not New York City tea. But good old-fashioned Greensboro, North Carolina iced tea. And let’s talk about something else.”
• Jeffrey Sykes: …”I’d dare say you and Andy and Sean and the TRC process have done more to hurt the national image of your city by ripping open a healed wound just to see what would happen.”…

The details behind the 11/3/79 incident were already well documented in literature, long before the initiation of the TRC process or the release of the report and recommendations.

From the May 2001 anthology entitled, Police Brutality:

[…]

Perhaps the worst incident occurred on November 3, 1979, in Greensboro, North Carolina, where five members of the Communist Workers Party were murdered by Klansmen and Nazis during an anti-Klan demonstration.

Not only did the Greensboro police know of the Klan’s plan to attack the demonstration but, just minutes before the confrontation, nearly all on-duty officers were called to the other side of town for a “lunch” break. When the shooting stopped, there was not a cop in sight.

Although the entire episode was caught on videotape, the all-White jury concluded that there was insufficient evidence to convict anyone.

[…]

Sorry folks, but the facts are out there for the world to see and they have been for years. You’d be dumbstruck by the sheer amount of evidence of police wrong-doing you could find in the Chapel Hill library.

Non-privileged folk in our community, such as former residents of Morningside — people who were most affected by the uncontested crossfire of hate on 11/3/79 and similar attitudes of institutional indifference that exists today — have already ingrained the details surrounding the event into their psyche long ago.

And I’d bet that image ain’t too pretty, either.

Examples of outside-the-community crafted literature and mounds of evidence available to the public is simply icing on the cake.

To me, it’s clear that city leadership, as a majority, doesn’t care at all about these ingrained attitudes, so my blunt question for you — my fellow residents and neighbors of Greensboro (online) — is do you give two shits?

Because, while over time this conversational meme may putter out online and people will go back to focusing on their own lives, getting ready for back to school specials and the eventual holiday shopping season, this moment is our opportunity to approach these issues, out in the open, in an honest discussion to bridge even broader issues that currently affect all residents of Greensboro proper.

For if we continue with these attitudes, and life returns to “normal” for the majority of us, the streets of Greensboro — especially the ones less traveled by you or me — will continue to whisper, edify and drift apart.