Greensboro Civil Rights Fund.

On 3 November 1979, members of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party attacked Communist Workers Party (CWP) demonstrators as they gathered for a public march in Greensboro, N.C. Five CWP members were killed and eleven others were injured. The Greensboro Civil Rights Fund (GCRF) was organized by the families and friends of the deceased CWP members and raised about $700,000 to prosecute the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party, the Greensboro Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF).

From the description of Greensboro Civil Rights Fund records, 1971-1987. WorldCat record id: 30485723

• Spring/Summer 1979: Workers Viewpoint Organization (WVO) members in North Carolina became concerned about the re-emergence of the Ku Klux Klan and began anti-Klan activities.
• Fall 1979: WVO members organized an anti-Klan march and conference for 3 November 1979 in Greensboro, N.C.
• October 1979: The WVO became the Communist Workers Party (CWP) for reasons unrelated to the march.
• 3 November 1979: Members of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party from around the state came to Greensboro and attacked CWP members as they gathered for the march. Five CWP members were killed and eleven others were injured. Police were not present despite an official parade permit for the march. Police arrested three CWP demonstrators on misdemeanor charges and, over the ensuing weeks, arrested 16 Klansmen and Nazis on murder and riot charges.
• Spring 1980: The Greensboro Justice Fund (GJF) was organized by the families and friends of the deceased CWP members. The GJF began fund raising for a civil suit on behalf of the victims.
• 5 May 1980: State prosecutors brought felony charges against six anti-Klan demonstrators, including CWP leader Nelson Johnson.
• Summer 1980: Newspaper accounts revealed that Klansman Ed Dawson, who had organized and led the Klan on 3 November 1979, was a paid Greensboro police informant and past FBI informant. In another investigation, a Greensboro newspaper discovered that Bernard Butkovich, an undercover agent of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), had infiltrated the Nazi unit involved in the attack. Butkovich participated in a pre-attack planning meeting and encouraged at least one Nazi to bring guns to Greensboro.
• 4 August - 17 November 1980 : Six Klansmen and Nazis were tried on state murder and rioting charges (State v. Fowler, et al., Superior Court, Guilford County). No police officials were tried and neither Dawson nor Butkovich testified. All six Klansmen and Nazis were acquitted. Following the acquittals, felony charges against the CWP demonstrators were dropped.
• 3 November 1980: The GJF filed a $37 million Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit (Waller v. Butkovich) against the KKK, the Nazi Party, the Greensboro Police Department, the FBI, and the BATF. The case was filed by the GJF on behalf of the families of the five deceased CWP members and the others who had been injured or wrongfully arrested on 3 November 1979.
• Spring 1981: The GJF mounted a campaign to convince the United States Department of Justice to prosecute the Klansmen and Nazis for federal civil rights violations.
• May 1981: Outgoing United States Attorney H. M. Michaux released to the press a letter to Assistant Attorney General W. B. Reynolds suggesting that the Klansmen and Nazis should be indicted on federal civil rights conspiracy charges.
• Fall 1981: The GJF and the Christic Institute organized and recruited board members for the Greensboro Civil Rights Fund (GCRF), which subsequently carried on fund raising to finance the Waller v. Butkovich case.
• January 1982: Plaintiffs attempted to begin discovery in the civil rights suit. Federal and city defendants in Waller obtained a stay of all discovery pending determination of the motions to dismiss. All discovery was stayed until April 1984.
• March 1982: The federal Justice Department convened a 21-person grand jury in Winston-Salem, N.C., to hear evidence about the November 3rd events. That grand jury sat for 14 months, until April 1983.
• September 1982: In an attempt to force the United States Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the possibility of federal involvement in the murders, the GCRF filed a suit against the United States Attorney General (Nathan v. Attorney General). More than 20 groups, including the National Council of Churches and the Congressional Black Caucus, signed onto amicus briefs in support of the request for a special prosecutor. Judge Gerhard Gessell ruled for the plaintiffs, but was later overturned by the United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia.
• 22 April 1983: The federal grand jury returned indictments against nine Klansmen and Nazis, including Ed Dawson, the Klan member who had been the informant for the Greensboro Police Department and FBI, on federal charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights and violation of civil rights. It was also revealed that Klansman Mark Sherer had already secretly pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in U.S. v. Mark Sherer. Sherer eventually served a few months in a minimum security facility--the only Klansman or Nazi to be convicted or serve time for the November 3rd murders.
• 6 December 1983: Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr., conducted the first hearing in Waller v. Butkovich, declaring that he would uphold the stay on discovery pending conclusion of the federal criminal trial.
• 9 January - 15 April 1984 : Federal criminal trial of the nine Klansmen and Nazis in U.S. v. Griffin, et al. The trial began with secret jury selection, which was unsuccessfully contested by four North Carolina newspapers, and ended with the acquittal of all nine Klansmen and Nazis.
• 22 April 1984: Judge Merhige finally lifted the stay on discovery material and allowed the opening of the investigation in the Waller v. Butkovich civil rights suit.
• Spring 1984 - March 1985 : Trial preparation, which included submission of discovery material, legal battles over the scope of discovery material, jury issues, etc.
• 11 March 1985: Opening day of the Waller v. Butkovich civil rights suit in Winston-Salem, N.C.
• 7 June 1985: Jury found two police officers and six Klansmen and Nazis (including Ed Dawson, the Klan informant for the police and FBI) liable for the wrongful death of one of the deceased, and for assault and battery on two survivors. The jury awarded damages totaling close to $400,000.
• 8 June 1985: The police, Klan, Nazis, and plaintiffs filed notices of appeal.
• 6 November 1985: By consent order, the police, Klan, Nazis, and plaintiffs agreed to drop their motions for a new trial and any potential appeals. The city of Greensboro paid the entire wrongful death verdict against the two police officers and six Klansmen and Nazis.

From the guide to the Greensboro Civil Rights Fund Records, 1971-1987, (Southern Historical Collection)