Current Problems Linked To 1979 Shootings

Greensboro, NC -- Racism, economic injustice and substandard housing each have a direct connection to the 1979 shootings that killed five communists during an anti-Klan rally, say those who gathered over the weekend to discuss the event. About 100 community members and 35 volunteers participated in a daylong community dialogue Saturday. Facilitators urged participants to use the shootings as a starting point for discussions about larger problems in Greensboro. "If all people were paid a living wage, then the Klan would be a much less attractive option," said Steve Sumerford, a local librarian. The discussion was sponsored by the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a grass roots effort modeled on similar commissions in South Africa and Peru. The commission has held three public hearings and plans to release a report next spring on ways the community can continue to heal from the shootings. The city's government-sanctioned Human Relations Commission will study the report when it is released and comment on it publicly, said Wayne Abraham, a member of the Human Relations Commission. But, Abraham said most people in Greensboro do not want to talk about or read newspaper coverage of the shootings. "That is Greensboro's response," Abraham said. "It is mostly that way." One participant in Saturday's discussion wondered why there were no exhibits about the shootings in the Greensboro Historical Museum. "Is this part of the city's history or isn't it?" asked Signe Waller, whose husband, Dr. Jim Waller was killed that day. The shootings occurred Nov. 3, 1979. Gunfire interrupted an anti-Klan demonstration in Greensboro's Morningside Homes neighborhood. Five people died and another 10 were wounded.