I look at the possiblity of an apology from Nelson Johnson and the CWP survivors in pragmatic terms.
If the survivors don't take the lead, who will?
Nobody.
We'll get some councilmembers sitting around a table in July. Not much will happen.
The TRC offices are closed, the staff dispersed. Without some kind of bold and conciliatory move, the discussion of this report will devolve into an echo chamber of already-interested parties.
The report recommends apologies from all responsible in any way for the events of 11/3/79. The CWP is among those held responsible in the report. An apology to the people of Morningside and Greensboro for the rhetoric and the location of the march would be a powerful statement.
The survivors have driven this process so far. They may feel that it's not their responsibility to keep making the first move, that asking them to go before the Council is asking too much...
But what are the alternatives?
This project is in danger of slipping down the memory hole.
A lot of people would be happy to see it go.
if the surviving victims stood up as a collective -- 27 years later, 27 years more wise -- and addressed the people of greensboro with an apology for their rhetoric and decisions leading up to 11/3, the pressure would be squarely on the shoulders of the city council, the GPD and mayor holliday to do the same for the greensboro power-that-were circa 1979.
quite honestly, it blows me away that they don't hear the whispers around the nation regarding their decision to not offer an apology. apologizing for the complete lack of police manpower at the scene of 11/3 would instantly build an credibility nationwide -- and quite possibly an iota of trust locally -- yet instead they continue their poor political leadership.
even wayne wood, the former leader of the nazi party, offered an apology.
as for the klan, well, we all know the klan will never apologize for being the klan.
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 20, 2006 at 04:14 PM
I want the GTRC to say they are sorry for page 382.
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 20, 2006 at 07:42 PM
".......that they don't hear the whispers around the nation regarding their decision to not offer an apology."
There's probably a good reason for that. Most people don't treat words and ideas that are "whispered" very seriously.
Posted by: Bubba | Jun 20, 2006 at 08:24 PM
tell john mccain that, bubba. it's a documented political tool.
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 20, 2006 at 08:38 PM
"quite honestly, it blows me away that they don't hear the whispers around the nation..."
that's the first i've heard about national whispers. but i admit, i mostly just hang out in greensboro, so national-type whispers would likely escape me anyhow, unless they make fox news.
"apologizing for the complete lack of police manpower at the scene of 11/3 would instantly build an credibility nationwide -- and quite possibly an iota of trust locally"
gpd already has my trust. that house has been built. i'm proud of and thankful for greensboro's finest. and i'm not alone.
before we move on, i'd also like an explanation for page 382.
Posted by: Cara Michele | Jun 21, 2006 at 01:40 AM
"GDP already has my trust."
Well, there ya go. That was the point of the whole exercise, to check on your personal point of view. As long as middle class white people trust the cops, Greensboro has no need to look at past or present issues between the police and other groups, which we can logically infer are peachy, too!
I guess we can move on now.
Hugs!
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 07:10 AM
The GTRC is a joke. Their truth is a lie and their recconcilliation was ignored..I got the Klan to accept their report. They are a step below project homestead...at least homestead accomplished something...GTRC will be forgotten all together by the third monday night football game...why praise them for lying....page 382 folks...it aint truthful...or researched...just bull crap....
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 21, 2006 at 08:03 AM
why would tom phillips need to say he was sorry for the total lack of police amnpower...they spent close to $200,000 on the Nov 2004 march..then they made sure that the gtrc staff had all the police stuff they needed..the gtrc has gotten enuff...it is time for them to give soemthing...like the truth..cuz thye still aint done that
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 21, 2006 at 08:06 AM
"....tell john mccain that, bubba. it's a documented political tool."
....that gets used by all different types of politicians and bloggers alike.
Why don't you document for us the "whispers around the naton" about the lack of an "apology"?
Posted by: Bubba | Jun 21, 2006 at 08:25 AM
My God, this is tiresome. From all directions. I will say, and it seems related somehow, that it was interesting to watch the African American members of City Council argue for more law enforcement resources in the budget and be rebuffed by almost all the white members of Council.
And, as an unrelated aside, do any of the members of that Council ever get tired of Florence Gatten treating the rest of them like they're the slow class in the 6th grade and she's their long-suffering, but now slightly exasperated, school marm? Just wondering.
Posted by: Patrick | Jun 21, 2006 at 10:05 AM
Ed, my comment that I trust GPD was in response to Sean's comment about creating "an iota of trust locally." I trust GPD and I know plenty of others who do, too, so we at least have an "iota" already. I don't claim to speak for an broad group, and I know white, black and brown people who don't trust the cops. But I was just reacting to the idea that no one trusts GPD, because that's not true.
Why do you assume you know what socioeconomic class I'm in?
Because you call out others when they make ad hominem attacks, I was a little suprised by your "hugs!" slam. That wasn't very nice. So I like to hug people. There are certainly worse habits among bloggers.
Peace. CM
Posted by: Cara Michele | Jun 21, 2006 at 10:39 AM
If you're going to put on a uniform and go block and tackle, you have to be able to take the hits.
Posted by: anon | Jun 21, 2006 at 10:57 AM
Anon, as you posted that comment anonymously, I wonder if the irony of the anonymity you were hiding behind escaped you, or just comforted you. ;)
Posted by: Cara Michele | Jun 21, 2006 at 11:04 AM
Guess what? I can take it. I'm tired of hearing you whine like a baby. You want to be a bad-ass like Ben, see it through.
Posted by: anon | Jun 21, 2006 at 11:09 AM
I'm not trying to be that word you just said, that I don't say or write. Ben is my friend. Go ask him. The comment you responded to was for Ed. My conversation with you is finished, but you have a lovely day, OK? Peace out.
Posted by: Cara Michele | Jun 21, 2006 at 11:13 AM
I trust the police and the justice system, in some part because I know they are set up to work pretty well for people like me. Beyond that, I know cops do hard and sometimes heroic work beyond the call of duty.
But you don't need a TRC report to understand that there are significant problems between police forces and some sectors of communities across the country, from Rodney King's LA to Amadou Diallo's New York to Greensboro.
It would help cops, and everyone else, if these problems were addressed and ameliorated.
Pretty much everyone I've spoken to, from working police officers of today to senior city officials from 1979, will admit sotto voce what is obvious from the event: the cops failed to keep the peace that day, and made at the least operational errors.
In a climate where those operational errors are interpreted by some as intentional actions, and by others as typcial of the inattention some neighborhoods receive, it seems that there is room for rapprochement.
Sorry if you took the "hugs" thing as too hard a slam. I'm just teasing you and getting ahead of the curve, because when things get heavy you tend to play the hugs card. Hugs are much appreciated.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 11:37 AM
I'm getting into this one late. "Whispers around the nation"? Huh? So Greensboro is supposed to do this apology-thing now in order to bask in the glow some kind of national spotlight? That REEKS of an agenda.
Maybe I wasn't so far off the mark with the "book" crack.
Ed, the fact that this TRC "process" needs "jump-starting" says something about how the community as a whole feels about the project. Maybe it's time to put this thing in some present-day perspective (i.e. today's City and today's PD is not responsible for what happened in 1979), put the hate in the drawyer of history, assign the report a spot at the library, and let people take from it whatever they may.
For instance (Sean), and while we're in the "heavy" realm, if I understand genuine Christian conversion and God's grace, Wayne Woods is not a Nazi anymore. He wasn't apologizing as a Nazi, but as a changed and unworthy man wholly redeemed by the grace and mercy of God - whose son took on his sins when he died on the cross (now THAT'S powerful). It's wonderful that Mr. Woods has apologized, but Dr. Nathan's wife does not have to forgive him. God already has. Any "reconcilliation" must be viewed in those terms. And again, these things are individual, spiritual deeply personal decisions . . . affecting those directly involved . . . and it is something that cannot/should not be forced.
Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's (man's "justice" . . .as sorry as it was/is). Give to God the things that are God's. And understand that the two don't always mesh - and there are no time limits. Kinda what Cara Michelle has been saying.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 21, 2006 at 12:29 PM
You were off the mark with the book crack, as you are off the mark by reducing the process to perps apologizing to victims, and presuming to speak for the community as a whole, and framing matters of city government through the lens of your own faith.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 12:39 PM
i only brought up the national perspective because that's usually what local leaders care most about; attracting tourism, attracting young professionals, attracting businesses... if you want to call my comment an agenda, i say take it up with city council and the mayor. personally speaking, i could care less. i'm much more concerned with the perspective of the local community.
as for whispers:
from a within-the-community standpoint, an apology would affect me by proving that our city leaders recognize that there are people in this community that don't trust the gpd, and owing up to a proven screwup that affected the poorer constituents of this community (even 27 years ago), is not a bad road to take.
unfortunately, i think this discourse is pretty much useless at this point. half the council, the mayor and the leads at the gpd don't feel an apology is necessary. anything that comes out at this point would be worth close to nothing.
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 21, 2006 at 01:07 PM
Ed, HOW is it "off the mark" to frame ANYTHING in terms of my own faith? Or for anyone else to do so? I made an observation about a process that, by your own admission, needs "jumpstarting". Why would it need "jumpstarting" if the community as a whole were solidly behind it?
YOU are the one who is desparately trying to merge the personal/spiritual process of "reconcilliation" with the cold & hard practicalities of running/policing a City . . . by force-feeding the notion that the Greensboro City Council should offer a global "apology" (on behalf of all of the rest of us) for a freak collision of ideologies and circumstances that happened thirty years ago.
"The Nazi" said it very well, "It all just went wrong for everybody."
New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco etc. wouldn't be "whispering" at all if the ashes of old grudges and hatreds and agendas had not been stirred up. We're NOT talking about "recent events". We're not talking about the Greensboro I have experienced, and know and love (and would take over any of those other places any day).
"Perps apologizing to victims"??? You're the one who is reducing what I said to something crass. It is totally LOST upon you that it was Wayne Wood's FAITH that compelled him to publicly apologize?
I don't speak for the community as a whole. I recognize that. One of the points people are trying to make here is that NEITHER DO YOU.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 21, 2006 at 01:23 PM
I am not desperate, and I'm not force-feeding anything or anyone. I'm covering and commenting on what I see to be an important local story, in my newspaper column and at my blog.
I don't claim to speak for the whole community, or for the TRC, or the City; I'm a private citizen, speaking for myself.
I've been interested in the story since 1979, and my interest was rekindled around the 20th anniversary, when a friend in California said (not whispered)to me that the name Greensboro made him think of the Klan killings.
I don't think the whole community is behind the process, or against it. Many or most people are paying little or no attention, just as many or most people don't vote, or follow other public issues.
The irony being told by the Ahab of Asheboro that a story is old and tired and of limited public interest is duly noted.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 01:53 PM
i have a revenue idea for greensboro: open an outdoor bar, charge a $5 cover and offer a free drink special (beer, coffee, wine, iced tea, etc.) on the hour for the 5 people who can bury their heads in the sand the longest.
the turnout will be amazing. so much experience...
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 21, 2006 at 02:20 PM
"Ahab of Asheboro"? Maybe I should adopt a cute little sign-off like "Hugs" so you can use that.
I wondered how long it would be before the "coning" started.
"Many or most people are paying little or no attention". Okay. So tell me again why the City of Greensboro should apologize on behalf of those people. You keep citing mysterious friends and e-mails (I think Bledsoe called you on that one) who are so enthralled by the TRC project.
Sean. The head is not buried. I read the TRC report - the entire report - just like Ed wanted me to. I agree with Ed that the report is deeply flawed. I blogged on my impressions of the report. I have considered all of Ed's columns and posts as I've come to the conclusion that this project is one for the history books. I am just as entitled to come to that conclusion as you are to yours. The difference is I don't have the soapbox of a N&R newspaper column to force my opinion down other people's throats.
Actually Ed, the hits on my blog are picking up - despite your best efforts - and JR's - and David Renfro's - to ignore the story and see it buried. You see, a lot of people think it is a big deal when public servants lie to get what they want - and mislead the public - and destroy good doctors for doing their job.
A post went up today about my experience in Asheboro as an expert witness in a a child abuse case. It's fairly "relevant" to the Duke case as it demonstrates the same kind of prosecutorial misconduct (and just might speak to why my case against Randolph is not getting properly investigated).
Or you might want to try this one: An Early Christmas Card
From the cheap seats, your "town square"/"blogsboro" concept leaves a lot to be desired.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 21, 2006 at 03:24 PM
"New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco etc. wouldn't be 'whispering' at all if the ashes of old grudges and hatreds and agendas had not been stirred up. We're NOT talking about "recent events". We're not talking about the Greensboro I have experienced, and know and love (and would take over any of those other places any day)."
Exactly. Well said, Mary.
Why are some people so keen on making us all wear the albatross around our collective necks?
Posted by: Bubba | Jun 21, 2006 at 03:44 PM
Neither the News & Record's Public Square project nor Blogsboro are my concepts. The former is a broad initiative run by a newspaper to which I contribute a column, and the latter is a name I loathe for a Meetup I've never attended.
Many or most people don't vote. Even fewer follow things like zoning issues. Those things still matter.
Here's a reference to the "mysterious" friend from California, dated 1999. Jerry asked for more details from the emailer's argument (which was about the impact of 1979, not the TRC).
I have no interest in seeing your story buried, and I've made no efforts to bury it. It is just not a story of particular interest to me.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 04:01 PM
You've made that crystal clear Ed. And at this point in this game, I think that says more about you and your "open mind" than it does about mine.
In a way, I am returning the "favor" on your favorite cause. I just have done the homework.
I note the "reference" is another N&R column by Ed Cone.
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.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 21, 2006 at 04:32 PM
Yeah, my open mind, and that of every other journalist, blogger, and public official who has decided that your story is not of particular interest to them.
It couldn't be that your story itself is not that interesting, could it?
You say you got hosed in a financial settlement. Perhaps you did. Maybe you should hire a damn lawyer and go get your money, and some justice, and quit blaming other people for not taking up your cause.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 04:52 PM
"But good old-fashioned Greensboro, North Carolina iced tea. And let's talk about something else."
Maybe Ed would like to join us. Have you noticed how grouchy he gets over things like this? I bet he could use the break.
Posted by: Bubba | Jun 21, 2006 at 05:27 PM
Dr. Johnson, actually Ed devoted quite a bit of time and space on this blog to help you explain your story in greater detail. It's not quite fair to say that you're getting blog hits "despite [his] best efforts... to ignore the story and see it buried." I didn't locate the link, but it was a month or two ago. I believe he linked to one of your blog posts as well, which I know from experience on my own blog drives traffic way up on that day.
You're also very fixated on Ed as the center of discussion around the TRC report. Your words:
"I read the TRC report - the entire report - just like Ed wanted me to... I have considered all of Ed's columns and posts as I've come to the conclusion that this project is one for the history books."
I just wanted to say, there are discussions going on all around the community, and beyond, which don't center on Ed and what he thinks about the GTRC report. These will be underway in an organized fashion for at least a year. The library and other institutions will be involved. This thing isn't going away. In fact, it will become more enmeshed in the fabric of Greensboro as time goes on, and the discussions will continue.
This is much larger than Ed or his views, so there's not much point in getting bent out of shape if you agree or disagree with him on it, or you don't like the way he responds to your opinions. There will be plenty of other outlets to get your views heard, if you still want to discuss it. He doesn't have any authority over you or ability to stifle your speech, so it seems pointless to blame him for your frustrations.
Posted by: Chewie | Jun 21, 2006 at 05:33 PM
I do like tea.
And I like to talk about a lot of other things.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 05:39 PM
well, there's a, uhm, "casual meeting" at panera's on lawndale in an hour...
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 21, 2006 at 05:44 PM
How about nobody apologizes and Greensboro continues to be a great place where a horrid event took place?
Do I think the CWP is innocent?....no.
Do I think the Klan is innocent?....no.
Did a jury find the Klan not guilty?...yes. Was the jury part of some conspiracy? I don't know..but I hope not. I respect the findings of the court...just as I did in the OJ case. (which I also found hard to believe....sigh)
Should the jury begin the healing by apologizing?
...on and on and on....
Bad things have happened in many many fine cities...leave it in the past and move on.
Ed, I feel sorry for your friend that thinks of this event when thinking of Greensboro. Why not think about his friend Ed and family when he thinks of Greensboro?
When I think of NYC...yes...I think about 911 and then I think about many other great things.
Why don't we go back in time to other assumed injustices...or...why not go back in time and pick some really fantastic events that happened in Greensboro?
I read the report...expressed views...what new was discovered...not much.
Greensboro is a great place then and now. (just my opinion)
me
Posted by: meblogin | Jun 21, 2006 at 08:03 PM
meb, you left out the police. They have a big part in this story. You also left out the people of the neighborhood that the police failed to protect. Also important.
What does it mean to "respect" the court's decision in the OJ case? I guess I respect it, in that I honor the system and don't think he should be tried again, but I sure as hell think it was wrong, and I don't respect that.
"Why not think about his friend Ed and family when he thinks of Greensboro?"
Um, because he's not Mr. Rogers, and capable only of happy thoughts?
Because people can handle complex ideas and even sad and scary ones, and deal with things on multiple levels, good and bad, and reality is not just hearts and flowers?
Because the freaking national reputation of Greensboro is clouded by this history that you want to ignore, and it's what came to mind when the name "Greensboro" was mentioned?
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 21, 2006 at 09:29 PM
Ed;
You missed your calling. Just when I thought this whole thing was over you come up with a truly innovative idea and rekindle the debate.
I never thought truth was a realistic goal in this process, but that reconciliation may be possible.
Congratulations, you've put the ball back in play and I believe it's in the right court.
Bill
Posted by: bill | Jun 21, 2006 at 09:57 PM
There is a truth in the work of the Commission that I believe could make a real impact on a much wider audience, if only more attention were paid to telling the story with a more empathetic and less pedantic touch. Here is a quick, yet bad example of what I mean:
Imagine you wake up one sunny November morning and cook breakfast for your young daughter. She's coloring at the kitchen table. You share a few stories and laughs. She gets up to help you with the dishes, and the sun comes through the kitchen window in front of you. As you hand her a plate to dry, there is a loud crackling sound. You look out the window and in front of you a chaotic scene of attack, retreat, gunfire, and death plays out in your neighborhood. You scream for your daughter to get down and take cover. Later, you comfort her but the color of the day, week, and who knows how much more has darkened. She's seen things you never wanted her to see. You feel a sense of failure and guilt over not being able to protect her. Something valuable was lost.
Fast forward to today and we know from the Commission's report that the GPD knew in advance of the very real risk of precisely these violent events in your neighborhood on that sunny November morning.
Put aside for a moment all of the labels: Communists, Nazis, Klan, and the rest -- a debt is owed and unpaid to that mother and child. Call it what you will -- apology, reconciliation ... I don't care. It's due.
It matters how you tell a story, and this one needs a rewrite.
Posted by: Mr. Sun | Jun 21, 2006 at 11:34 PM
Mary: You are getting much better at this.
Ed: Where do morals come from and if it is not from the lens of faith, what purpose do they serve? If they don't serve a purpose, who gives a shit if the police did something wrong that day? It was 27 years ago.
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.
I watched the thing happen on tv that day, I grew up in the Triad and it hasn't affected my view of Greensboro. Ben Holder running the massage parlors out of town has done more to shape my view of Greensboro than looking for someone to blame the Nazi-Klan Massacre on. But I'm just a middle class white Christian male, so I guess in your world view that don't count for much.
At least my momma taught me to be respectful to women. The way you treat Mary is a disgrace.
You did, at least, reaffirm her theme of bias in the judicial system by saying you understand the system works well for people in your position.
Too bad we can’t all be a scion.
Hugs.
Posted by: Jeffrey Sykes | Jun 22, 2006 at 01:06 AM
I agree with 'Patrick' way above that most of this is tiresome, but at least people are talking - even those who think there is no reason to do so.
Throw out your pre-conceived, or post-conceived notions of what the Communists, Klansmen and Nazis did or didn't do in '79, and read, again, what Mr. Sun posted above.
If you will do that and place yourself in that mother's bathrobe that morning - I will appreciate hearing anyone's thinking on why she doesn't deserve some type of an apology from the city of Greensboro.
Posted by: David Hoggard | Jun 22, 2006 at 07:31 AM
it blows me away that y'all think what the gtrc did was good and honest....geesh....pretend activism...all it is....fake...bull crap...page 382...they couldnt even get that right...it may folks like sean think the world is gonna change...but in reality...it wont do shit...funny...u loving liberals...did not even care about things like southgate...and certainly not the asbestos that was dumped lord knows where...the gtrc is silly overated junk...it will change nothing...makes white folks feel like they too fought the man...when in reality...u helped the man...
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 22, 2006 at 09:01 AM
Mr. Sun, well said. There is a core of truth that everyone might agree upon that goes beyond politics, and around that truth is the possibility of reconciliation. Thanks for spelling it out so clearly.
Bill, thanks. I hope some good will come of my suggestion, although I have not heard a peep from the survivors.
JSykes, I have no problem with middle class white Christian males, but I have little patience with people who assume the language of victimization with no basis or relevance to the conversation, as you do with your statement about my "worldview."
The system that works for me works for me as a white middle class male, not as part of your fantasy of my scionhood. The tension between cops and black communities is what I alluded to, as my examples made clear.
To argue that Dr Johnson, a trained physician on a public mission, must be treated with some moonlight-and-magnolias deference to her delicate femininity is bullshit of the highest order. If you think her story has merit, go write it.
As for Greensboro's national reputation, it is not unimportant but to me at least Mr. Sun's scenario is more important. That said, people across the country have been talking about this for some time. The comments from my colleague in California referenced above, and the play by Emily Mann, for example, date from 1999, long before the TRC began.
You don't agree that all of this is important? That's your right, and your decision. But as Chewie pointed out, some people are interested in this topic, and will continue to talk about it. Why do you feel such a need to tell them to stop talking?
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 22, 2006 at 09:06 AM
Ben -- Being right isn't all it's cracked up to be. I opposed the TRC process. It's happened. You have problems with a particular page, and others have problems with a wide range of issues. Understood. Yet, here it is: an opportunity. If you are not willing to be part of the group of people who make a good faith effort to make the most of this opportunity -- warts and all, I understand why. Here's the thing: I want a city, state, nation, world full of people who think less like you and more like those who are willing to hold there noses and give it a go.
Posted by: Mr. Sun | Jun 22, 2006 at 10:08 AM
Well, I guess I won’t be having any tea with Ed.
Chewie, as I recall the postings you reference, I mentioned my situation in passing – one throwaway statement in a post on something else. Ed (and Roch) came back with a sarcastic round of queries – to which I (foolishly) responded (thinking he/they might actually LISTEN and then be compelled to help – as Ed’s influence and connections in local journalism are considerable). As I recall, at one point dear Ed even offered to be my “friend”. I ultimately did not find that exchange helpful or encouraging – either as a citizen or a blogger. Ed linked my website (at that time I had not done much with my own blog) during the exchange. So what? He then went on to diss both me and the story. Whatta guy.
Ed, once again, your statements here demonstrate your profound ignorance of the nuts and bolts of my case (which, for the record, I really did not want to deviate to here - but you don't get to slam and run). It’s crystal clear you have not done the homework that I at least did before I started commenting on your pet project (the TRC). For if you had, you would know that I played the game your way. I hired the “damned lawyer” and I went to Court looking for “justice”. And because the so-called “public servants” I was fighting lied and cheated UNDER OATH (stuffing their own pockets in the process) . . . and because the “damned lawyer” sold me out to keep his seat warm at the local country clubs . . . I was hosed at settlement . . . something that you do not comprehend as being perjury, contempt and fraud on the part of the Moses-Cone cooperative hospital officials doing the lying. These things are CRIMES and I have taken them to the officials and “damned lawyers” (i.e. District Attorneys) who are suppose to be there to help me. You’d be screaming at the top of your lungs for “justice” if this had happened to you. The difference is, because of you “scionhood” (I wonder what your Dad would have done in my shoes), you would have the instant forum and column space. What happened to me speaks to many of the problems we all face today in medicine, government and law. It deserves the attention of law enforcement AND the press (at least as much as “dog waste” or “toilet-fixing” scandals). But a good portion of the column space over at the N&R’s “town square” is going to beat a thirty-year-old dead horse . . . an event, I would remind you, that did its own dance through the Court system . . . with boatloads and boatloads of “damned lawyers” along for the ride. I have no problem with the TRC project being the subject of discussion and study in the community for those who are interested and want to "give it a go". But the report has been reported. Many people have considered it and moved on. They aren't interested. They think it is enough for today's leaders of the City of Greensboro to have expressed regret. And they are part of that "town square". Perhaps it’s time both you and the N&R respected that.
Mr. Sun, the picture you give us of a life disrupted and scarred in the Morningside neighborhood is poignant. But what about the story I linked earlier (“An Early Christmas Card”), one of a child’s life saved and a doctor’s life destroyed? A debt, as you say, is owed and unpaid. And it’s a debt that THE LAW can still address. To my reading of his comments, Ed previously dissed the role of faith in the way we look at life and government. I based my decision to ignore the threats of hospital officials and come in and help that child based on the tenants of my faith. I’ve pursued “justice” based on the tenants of that faith – as well as what high school civics class taught me that “justice” is supposed to be. It’s not just about money (although I would like the means to get my life back on track), and if Ed thinks it is, then he damned well doesn’t get it. Ed Cone, as “High Priest” of Greensboro blogdom and a journalist, can hammer and hammer and post and post and write column after column about “injustice” and “apologies” from the city in the Klan/Nazi/CWP aberration, yet completely blow off a doctor in her quest for reasonable/fair treatment by the justice system . . . and he can call her names (like “the Ahab of Asheboro”). I see more than just a little hypocrisy in that.
Bubba, it’s clear that sometimes my comments/observations/opinions hit a nerve with Ed. He doesn’t just get grouchy, he gets mean and he comes back with stuff that cuts the heart. But as Ed pointed out, I am a big/smart/articulate girl and I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for eight years.
Ben, you crack me up and I very much enjoy reading your take on things - and your comebacks.
Jeffrey, your chivalry is most appreciated.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 22, 2006 at 12:28 PM
Dr. Johnson - I honestly believe without angle or guile that winning your particular battle would be a pyrrhic victory and that you are robbing yourself and us of the life it stalled by hanging on so tightly to it. That's why.
Posted by: Mr. Sun | Jun 22, 2006 at 12:58 PM
No, Dr J, the problem is that you don't hit a nerve. I don't know you, and your ill-aimed personal barbs cause me no pain. That leaves your story, and the reaction of the world to it, and your response to that reaction.
You keep telling your story, and nobody in the media or law enforcement responds.
You blame everyone else for not taking up your cause. Everyone else is corrupt, or blind, or dense, or hostile.
No way the problem could be the substance of your story, or the way you present it.
I reread the original thread, there were a few sharp elbows but mostly you seemed ready to start fighting with people who were asking sincere questions.
I suggested that you might tell your story in a different way. You did not want to hear that.
Others have suggested that you hire a lawyer. Roch Smith Jr said, "Since you negotiated a settlement, it appears as if the only remaining issue is the alleged perjury...you may have further recourse through civil action against the hospital. Have you considered such an action?"
You replied, "Roch, why would I return to civil court when civil court was corrupt in the first place?...Restore the integrity of the system before you ask me to re-submit myself to it...I should not need a lawyer to report a crime and see it investigated...Returning to civil court and spending lots of money to do just that (because everyone can just lie in court with no consequences whatever) is not an 'option' I wish to pursue."
OK, then.
You have not been able to convince reporters, bloggers, or law enforcement that they should take up your cause. You fight people who don't instantly agree that your version and the way you tell it are sacrosanct, even if they are trying to involve themselves in a positive way.
And you choose not to pursue a legal course of action, which would probably attract media attention to your case, and which is the one method at your disposal to move ahead under your own steam.
I wish you well. If you were wronged in the settlement, I hope you find justice. But at this point, I'm not sure that's what you are really looking for.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jun 22, 2006 at 02:07 PM
Here's the thing: I want a city, state, nation, world full of people who think less like you and more like those who are willing to hold there noses and give it a go.
Mr. Sun,
I have more than gsve it a go...One page is HARDLY my beef. it was me that got the KKK to be offered some kind of ending to this...It was also me that has changed stuff...u can say u want more people less like me...u wont get shit done...and u dont have to hold your nose...I already took care of the asbestos....give it a go? please son....I invented the dance...
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 22, 2006 at 03:01 PM
Note to Mr. Sun......
I gave it way more than a go...damn u just pissed me off...secret meetings..leaks...all that shit..i was there w the GTRC sunny boy..cops...KKK...that was me...I sat w the Klan while Virgil gave his statement...if anyone wanted to start something...i woulda been in the middle.....on page 382 they lied...promoted rumor...said shit cuz it sounded good....man...that is bad...give it a go...I got invovled..please dont think others are giving it a go..hardly..here is the thing....u r lost...give it a go?...i would like to give u a go....
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 22, 2006 at 03:10 PM
Ben - I take back nothing - not a word, not one degree of inflection -- nothing. People of goodwill are trying to do something, and you disagree. Fine. Happens every day. Here's the thing: don't jump around in crazy endless circles between us waving phrases like "joke, bullcrap, lying ..." and act surprised when someone asks you to move to the side a little so we can finish the conversation. I'm not talking to you.
Posted by: Mr. Sun | Jun 22, 2006 at 03:31 PM
I need to pull back, and I regret diving in again to tell the truth because it's so hopelessly depressing to have these kinds of conversations. Is it really so complicated? There is no such thing as a reachable consensus on all the issues surrounding the report. That's a fact to be faced: there is a zero percent chance of total agreement on all issues. We have something like a line with two far poles and people scattered along it. Surrounding the line are forces moving people around: passions, prejudices, beliefs, associations. These are powerful forces. The best we can do is acknowledge that we're on this line together, being moved around by powerful forces, and try to scrunch together a little. In the context of the TRC report, it seems like an opportunity to close some spacious gaps. Why not do that? Every single nasty and harsh thing everyone has said about everyone else could be 100% true and still ... why not do it anyway? We can always resume hostilites immediately afterwards, but by then we'll have moved a little bit closer together and that makes it more difficult. Which, of course, is the point.
Posted by: Mr. Sun | Jun 22, 2006 at 03:56 PM
Ed, the problem IS (and this answers one of Chewie's questions about why I'm "fixated" on your behavior - which has been deplorable towards me) is that I HAVE FOLLOWED YOUR DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER IN TERMS OF TELLING MY STORY. I shortened it (please see the "profile" on my blog"). I stopped blogging about it on sites other than my own (and I have sworn off the N&R Editor's blog completely). Then I started blogging in earnest. "Welcome to our town square, we want to hear YOUR stories . . . that's what you and the N&R say." But the truth is some of us are relegated to enter through the back door. You didn't tell me to develop a blog to help me. You told me to develop a blog so I would "just go away". And neither you nor the N&R have linked it in your blogroll. All I can do now is note the hypocrisy and move on.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE LINE OF COLUMN SPACE given to my story since I reported the perjury, contempt and fraud to Randolph County District Attorney, Garland Yates THREE YEARS AGO this week. It should be just as newsworthy (one would think) as the officical who was prosecuted for a public employee fixing his private toilet. I requested an SBI investigation (as I was instructed to do by of those several "damned lawyers). What did Mr. Yates do? He killed the investigation before it could start by telling the SBI that he wasn't interested in prosecuting. The SBI isn't going to investigate anything if the DA is just going to throw it in the trash because he can. ONE MAN has jurisdiction here and he is doing me dirty. The latest post on my blog alludes to part of the reason I may be getting the prosecutorial cold shoulder.
If my story had a tenth of the column space that the N&R had dedicated to the TRC project . . . if this story could find a way to get out from under the big "good-ole-boy" cover-up (the publisher of the Asheboro paper literally stars in Randolph Hospital ads - a HUGE conflict of interest), I daresay my story would take off and fly. JR admitted that in our little e-mail exchange (linked earlier). But I haven't gotten ONE line.
If I reported somebody who spat on the sidewalk, they would get more law enforcement attention than this case of "non-profit" officials lying for revenge and profit. It's not "justice". And in your world, I'm not supposed to be upset about that. If the baby had been your baby (or JR's) this case would be front page news. If the doctor had been your Dad (and not me), it never would've happened because his name was Cone.
I get it that you don't give a rat's tail. But don't tell other people they shouldn't, and then dare to lecture me on not being enthralled by your cause.
Here's the substance of my story (as related in an e-mail to a doctor friend this morning) - who by the way encouraged me to "hang in there and "hang them by their nuts" (it's edited for language and "not-for-public consumption" doctor-talk content):
During discovery, the hospital AND practice CEO (a hospital VP) lied when they said that their financial records and salaries were "confidential". These things are reported on IRS 990 returns - which are public record and were, in fact, posted on the Internet at the time these bozos were claiming confidentiality (something they did not see fit to share). The records were very relevant to their claims of "near-bankruptcy" and to my damages claim. Moreover, a judge ordered them to provide "all relevant financial information" and they still did not cough up the returns.
Lying under Oath about matters relevant to a damages claim is perjury. It's a felony. Failing to comply with a court order is contempt. That's a misdemeanor. I have them on eleven counts of each. Negotiating a settlement in bad faith is fraud. And the records they lied about were IRS returns. That's why the IRS has taken an interest (after hiding in the shadows for three years).
Perjury has no statute of limitations. I am resolved that anything "civil" I do now will be after I see justice done in the criminal arena. So I am going to keep raising hell.
Yes, all of this stems from that (bad-baby) incident. You see, I was threatened by the practice Director & CEO before the incident. They were unhappy with me because I would not just shut up and look the other way when bad stuff happened (like XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX). Two days before this "bad baby" thing happened, they gave me a written warning that told me that if I opened my mouth even one more time without clearing it through the Director, I would be fired. Now you KNOW full well that is BS (as several colleagues told me at the time). I'm a doctor, and if I have a peer review complaint, that's none of the Director's business. I ignored the warning to go in when then nurses called me - and later when I reported the badness to peer review. Two weeks later, I'm canned "without cause". It's been loads and loads of &^%* since - these guys made it up as they went along - and I've gotten little or no help from the regulatory bodies (like the Medical Board and State Bar and AG/OIG) that are supposed to help ME.
Ed, I sincerely hope you are never in a postion where your physician (or your child's physician) is faced with the choice I was. But then again, your name is Cone. It's not gonna happen.
And for God's sake, don't tell me you wish me "well". Because that one doesn't even get off the runway.
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | Jun 22, 2006 at 06:30 PM
so why do you keep coming back for more?
Posted by: sean coon | Jun 22, 2006 at 07:25 PM
Mr. Sun,
What have you done to help the cause? Did you spend countless hours talking cops into talking? did you talk w the Klan and tell them that they would be ok if they came and spoke? Did you inform the gtrc of the meeting at mt zion? did u bust the cops balls when the secret meeting at mt zion came to light? did u pin point the leak about Virgil coming? did u explain the surveillance? did u make sure the Klan had an avenue to get the report and respond? just curious...cuz u see....i got involved..helped further the process...made it beter..and formed an opinion based on facts from those experiences...my guess is u did nothing...but run to defend whatever it is u think is holy and good about the report....the gtrc reminds me of the bush administration...creating lies to promote an agenda..and u remind me of those happy folks waving the I love Bush signs....the fact is they lied on page 382...a pretty important part by the way...and that is really sad..the truth report has false inflammatory contents..in the truth seeking and resistance part..that is a fact...the truth..sorry u cant handle it...kinda like southgate and asbestos..it aint for everyone...dont get mad at me cuz santa aint real...
Posted by: ben holder | Jun 22, 2006 at 07:43 PM