Five Killed, Zero Convictions: Greensboro Massacre Acquittals Spark Decades of Controversy

Greensboro, NC – On November 3, 1979, a violent confrontation between Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and American Nazi Party (ANP) members and anti-Klan demonstrators from the Communist Workers Party (CWP) resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to several others in Greensboro, North Carolina. Despite the clear evidence of the killings, multiple state and federal trials that followed saw all charged KKK and ANP members acquitted, fueling a protracted debate over justice and accountability that continues to this day.

The acquittals have been a point of contention for decades, as highlighted by a recent social media post. > "@AlexNowrasteh Greensboro Massacre. They were all KKK and ANP members. 6 men were tried and acquitted for 1st degree murder against 5 victims. Your table shows 8. 9 men were then tried and acquitted (2x) for civil rights violations. You may not agree with 3 juries but they were acquitted," stated user Mitigated Disaster, underscoring the legal outcomes and a perceived discrepancy in victim counts.

The tragic event unfolded during a planned "Death to the Klan" march organized by the CWP in a predominantly Black neighborhood. As a caravan of KKK and ANP members arrived, a shootout erupted, captured on film by news crews present at the scene. Five CWP members and supporters—Cesar Cauce, Dr. James Waller, William Evan Sampson, Sandra Neely Smith, and Dr. Michael Nathan—were killed, and a dozen others were wounded.

In the initial 1980 state trial, six Klansmen and Nazis were charged with first-degree murder but were acquitted by an all-white jury, which accepted their claims of self-defense. A subsequent 1984 federal civil rights trial against nine defendants also resulted in acquittals, with the jury reportedly accepting arguments that the violence was politically motivated rather than racially driven. Only one Klansman, Mark Sherer, pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for firing the first shot, receiving a six-month sentence.

Further scrutiny of the event revealed significant police involvement. The Greensboro Police Department (GPD) had an informant within the KKK who reportedly informed them of the white supremacists' plans for armed violence. Despite this foreknowledge, the GPD allegedly failed to warn the marchers and maintained a low profile during the confrontation, a finding later emphasized by the private Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission established in 2004.

The legacy of the Greensboro Massacre has prompted ongoing efforts for acknowledgement and reconciliation. In 1985, a civil suit found several Klansmen, Nazis, and two Greensboro police officers liable for the wrongful death of Dr. Michael Nathan, resulting in a $351,000 judgment paid by the city. Decades later, in 2020, the Greensboro City Council formally apologized for the city's role, acknowledging the police department's failure to protect the marchers from the planned attack.