We feel the necessity to express our outrage and sorrow over the
barbaric murders of Cesar Cauce, Mike Nathan, Sandy Smith, Jim
Waller, and Bill Samson, and the woundings of Jim Wrenn and Paul
Bermanzohn. These people were attacked by members of the Ku Klux
Klan and Nazi Party at an anti-Klan rally in Greensboro.
The media have misleadingly attempted to portray the incident as
a "shoot-out" between political extremists of the right and left.
The reality is that the victims— health care workers, physicians,
and other working people — were murdered as they were legally
expressing their opposition to the increasing activity of the KKK
and similar groups throughout.the country.
We deplore the failure of* the Greensboro police to prevent violence
despite their knowledge that Klansmen were driving towards the site
of the demonstration. Police traditionally patrol all parades and
demonstrations -- their absence at the scene of the murders arouses
our concern about their possible acquiescence to the attack.
We oppose the increasing violence of the political right including
the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party. We understand that in times of
economic or political crisis groups such as these rise to offer
false solutions based on racism, bigotry and political repression
of the left. These false solutions can only foster antagonistic
divisions among the American people.
Only if we actively cooperate today in our ongoing quest for social
and legal justice will the Klan and its like cease to exist.
a group of concerned triangle area citizens
