I don't have the latest Rhino handy, and the current installment of Bledsoe's series isn't online yet, so maybe someone can remind me: does Jerry's account of the H.E.L.P. House mention that David Wray and then-District Attorney Stuart Albright attended a fundraiser for the project? That information was reported by Lorraine Ahearn when she wrote about H.E.L.P. in March of this year. UPDATE: Cara Michelle says the original report on a H.E.L.P. fundraiser was incorrect.

In any case, it's interesting to compare and contrast the reporting by the N&R and Bledsoe on a variety of Wray-related subjects, including the Hinson-Turnbull connection. Some readers seem to be hearing about this stuff for the first time in the Rhino, and to assume the N&R never mentioned it.

One characterization unique to used by Jerry, emailed to me by an alert reader, deals with the November 1979 killings in Greensboro, which Bledsoe calls "a clash between Nazis, Klansmen and Communist Workers Party (CWP) members, in which CWP members attacked a caravan of Klansmen and Nazis at the staging area of a 'Death to the Klan' march" (emphasis added). That one might win an award for Technical Accuracy in Defiance of the Larger Truth.

Comments

[hugh]

Ed, do you have a link to the Bledsoe article your source referenced? I've checked all prior installments of the Cops in Black and White series and can't find the questionable phrase you've quoted.

Thanks.
Hugh

[Cara Michele]

I Googled and didn't find the phrase in the Bledsoe series either, but I found a similar statement in a column by John Hammer: "Little Truth In Truth And Reconciliation," from 08/03/06. It reads:

"The cars of the Klan-Nazi group that came to the rally were attacked by the Communist Workers Party."

(I can't find it on their new site, but I did a site search of their old site and it's the Google cache.)

[Bubba]

"....the Larger Truth."

Which would be what?

[Ed Cone]

As the post says, "the current installment of Bledsoe's series isn't online yet."

The larger truth would include the fact that the Klan and Nazis showed up heavily armed and spoiling for a fight; The way Jerry phrases it, you'd think that the caravan was on its way to a church social. It is true that the CWP started banging on the cars, but one need not take a sympathetic view of the CWP's actions or beliefs to raise an eyebrow at such a blithely incomplete characterization of the events leading to the death of five people.

[meblogin]

Hi Ed,

Where can I read (other than here)?---"CWP members attacked a caravan of Klansmen and Nazis"

thanks

[John D. Young]

Meblogin, believe it or not you can find some similar language in the T&R Report. "We find the use of aggressively challenging and hyperbolic rhetoric, threats of physical harm, and the attack on the caravan's cars encouraged a violent environment of cyclic retaliation."

The Report at times wants the CWP to accept more of their responsibility for Nov. 3rd. But whenever the Report finds fault with the CWP they usually add some comments of praise or justification.

This full paragraph from page 190 of the Report shows this ongoing dance of praise then criticism:

"The GTRC believes that the cause of the WVO/CWP protesters that compelled them to speak out against racist violence, poverty and unfair labor practices, was just and commendable. However, we find that the WVO/CWP leadership was very naive about the level of danger posed by their rhetoric and the Klan's propensity for violence, and they even dismissed concerns raised by their own members. We find the use of aggressively challenging and hyperbolic rhetoric, threats of physical harm, and the attack on the caravan's cars encouraged a violent environment of cyclic retaliation."

[Brenda Bowers]

I believe you have been hoisted on your own petard Ed.

[Ed Cone]

Meb, as it says in the post, and in a comment answering the same question you asked, the latest in the series is NOT YET ONLINE. You can find it in the print edition of the latest Rhino, and online when they get around to posting it.

[Bubba]

"We find the use of aggressively challenging and hyperbolic rhetoric, threats of physical harm, and the attack on the caravan's cars encouraged a violent environment of cyclic retaliation."

Hmmm....does that sound like defining the statement attributed to Bledsoe as "Technical Accuracy in Defiance of the Larger Truth" to be accurate?

[benholder]

Ed,

After checking my sources I am pretty sure that Albright and Wray went to a Malachi House fund raiser not a HELP fund raiser.

[Ed Cone]

If they didn't go to a HELP fundraiser, that would be an embarassing mistake for the N&R to have made. But being "pretty sure" based on anonymous sources doesn't move the ball very far. See if you can get Stuart to say it on the record.

[Cara Michele]

From "Connect the Dots," Lorraine Ahearn, News & Record, 6/19/05:

"As recently as last month, at a fund-raiser he organized at the Malachi House residential program for men, Hinson appeared on the same stage as District Attorney Stuart Albright and Wray."

From "Report details extensive use of police resources in probes," Lorraine Ahearn, News & Record 05/19/06:

"As Hinson told the newspaper last summer, H.E.L.P. House gained private support and held a fundraiser attended by then-District Attorney Stuart Albright and Wray."

[emphasis mine]

So, are those two different fundraisers?

[Cara Michele]

Just talked to Lorraine. One fundraiser. Malachi House. She's going to check about getting the 05/19/06 story corrected online.

We had a good conversation and I told her that one thing that's come out of the Wray fray (and RMA/101 situation) for me is a greater appreciation for the MSM and professional journalists like her who make ethical decisions every day, with the assistance of editors and publishers.

[Hector Calvo]

This week's article finally brings a defense for some of the charges against Wray. First it presents a counterargument to the position that the investigations of Hinson should have been stopped once he was orginally cleared, since apparently new charges were made. The one about the prostitutes seems to be a bit paranoid, but questions about working a second job while on duty seems rather straight forward and easy to evaluate. Either the new charges were worthy of investigation or not. What is the informed opinion of them?

It also suggests that using the Intellegence Unit to investigate charges against other officers was acceptable and predated Brady. If so, then the charges about the method of investigation seem like more of a judgement call and should no doubt be walked back a bit.

Is the article accurate on these counts or not?

The general subtext of these articles, whether it was proper to fire Wray or not, and all of the recent stories in Greensboro is that the black community in GSO suffers leaders, Nelson Johnson, Skip Alston, Lt. Hinson with large flaws and a deep seeded anger when those flaws are addressed in public. Clearly the Rhino Times and N&R would be better served by focusing on other less confronational community leaders and denying those three oxygen.

[Ed Cone]

Thanks, Hector.

It seems to me there are two distinct questions in play here.

One is the possible need for an investigation of Hinson, or other cops.

The other is the conduct and explanation of any such investigations by Wray.

It is possible that an investigation could be both reasonable to pursue, and at the same time mismanaged and misrepresented.

In that case, punishment would be justified for more than one party.

It is also possible that a justified investigation was successfully spun by its subject into the undermining of his boss...or that an unjustified investigation was spun by its commanding officer, who got called on it.

We'll see what we see.

[benholder]

Did the ball move?

[Ed Cone]

Wha?

[The CA]

No, Ben. Wray still has a long way to go to overcome the presumption of guilt as expressed by the N&R and those with a vested interest for whatever reason in selling that idea.

[benholder]

If they didn't go to a HELP fundraiser, that would be an embarassing mistake for the N&R to have made. But being "pretty sure" based on anonymous sources doesn't move the ball very far. See if you can get Stuart to say it on the record.

Posted by: Ed Cone | Oct 22, 2006 at 05:15 PM

that is wha Ed.

[Ed Cone]

Good tip, Ben, and nice job by Michele to put it on the record.

[Juno888]

It also suggests that using the Intellegence Unit to investigate charges against other officers was acceptable and predated Brady. If so, then the charges about the method of investigation seem like more of a judgement call and should no doubt be walked back a bit.