30th Anniversary of Klan-Nazi Shooting

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Greensboro -- November 3, 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of a tragic event in Greensboro's history--the fatal shooting by Ku Klux Klan and Nazi of members of the Community Workers Party.

On the morning of November 3, 1979, protesters from the Communist Workers Party began to assemble in the Morningside Homes community. The group gathered for a march, but it never left the corner of Everitt and Carver streets. At the time, a commission report said police were at least five blocks away.

A WFMY News 2 camera was rolling as protesters chanted, "Death to the Klan!" A caravan, which included members of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party, traveled toward the protesters. Shortly after 11 a.m., it reached the march and a clash ensued.

Gunfire erupted after members of the Klan and Nazi Party grabbed guns from two vehicles. Several protesters were shot. Cesar Cauce was hit with a club before being shot and killed. James Waller, Michael Nathan, William Sampson and Sandi Smith also died that morning. At least 10 others were wounded.

In the aftermath, the shooters were acquitted of all criminal charges by all-white juries in 1980 and again in 1984. In 1985, a civil trial found members of the Greensboro Police Department were jointly liable with the Klan and Nazi members for the death of one victim.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=132553&catid=57

In other news: Racist Graffiti Found at UW-River Falls http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1229104.shtml?cat=1