GREENSBORO, N.C. — We're less than one month from marking a grim day in Greensboro's history. On November 3rd, 1979, members of the Ku Klux Klan and a neo nazi group clashed with members of the Communist Workers Party at a Death to the Klan march in Greensboro. Five people died, 10 others were injured in a fight and shooting just off McConnell road.
Today, pastors with the Pulpit Forum gathered to discuss that day - and ask the city for a formal apology. They say, at the time, police knew about the confrontation and didn't have enough officers on hand to stop the massacre.
One member of the clergy spoke up about how an apology today could make a difference. "The hurt from the confusion, or the lack of clarity from the city on the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, if you answer that, you can set a new trajectory and move the city forward."
The pastors say people can use the massacre as a way to teach the younger generation that hate-filled violence cannot improve race relations.