Killing of James Cates, 1970

In the chronology

Dated events connected with this event, earliest first. See these 18 dated events in the chronology →

1. November 21, 1970 Durham motorcycle gang member charged with murder in the Cates stabbing Durham County officers arrested Ronnie Broadwell, 28, a member of the Durham Storm Troopers motorcycle gang, at Watts Hospital early on the morning of the stabbing, and he was charged with murder and held without bond in the Orange County Jail. By November 24 four white men were in jail and a second man, Bryan King of Durham, faced an assault charge.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, November 22, 1970, page 1
2. November 21, 1970 James Cates is killed outside the UNC Student Union James Lewis Cates Jr., 22, a Black Chapel Hill resident, was stabbed outside the UNC Student Union shortly before 2 a.m. during an all-night dance, in a clash with members of Durham's Storm Troopers motorcycle gang, and died at North Carolina Memorial Hospital. Three white men charged in his death were acquitted by an all-white jury in 1971.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, November 22, 1970, page 1
3. November 25, 1970 Mayor Howard Lee leads a memorial march for James Cates About 65 people joined a memorial march for James Cates led by Mayor Howard Lee and Alderman R. D. Smith, four days after the killing. People: Howard N. LeeDigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, December 1, 1970, page 1
4. Late November 1970 Black residents question the police handling of the Cates killing Black residents met at the Roberson Street Center to discuss how police handled the stabbing, young Black residents of Chapel Hill and Carrboro asked the Justice Department to investigate the campus police, and a fund was started to hire extra counsel for the prosecution. Vice Chancellor Joseph Eagles and Assistant Chancellor Claiborne Jones began reviewing the campus police response.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, December 1, 1970, page 1
5. December 1, 1970 Three Durham men bound over to the grand jury in the Cates killing At a preliminary hearing in Hillsborough, Ronnie Broadwell, Rufus Nelson and William Johnson were bound over to the Orange County Grand Jury on murder charges and held without bond. Medical testimony indicated that immediate care could have prevented Cates's death.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, December 2, 1970, page 1 (text)
6. March 22, 1971 Trial of three Storm Troopers for the death of James Cates opens Ronnie Broadwell, Rufus Paul Nelson and William Johnson went on trial in Orange County Superior Court in Hillsborough before Judge Thomas Cooper on second-degree murder charges, reduced from first degree. District Solicitor Herbert Pierce prosecuted, and prosecution witnesses placed the three defendants around Cates with weapons.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, March 25, 1971, page 1 (text)
7. March 25, 1971 All-white jury acquits three men in the killing of James Cates A jury of 11 men and one woman, all white, found Ronnie Broadwell, Rufus Paul Nelson and William Johnson not guilty after about an hour and a half of deliberation. The defense called no witnesses.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, March 26, 1971, page 1
8. November 19, 1971 Black Student Movement holds a first-anniversary memorial for James Cates The Black Student Movement and the Afro-American Society of Chapel Hill High School gathered at noon at the Confederate Monument and marched across campus to the Pit in memory of Cates. The service also protested the killing of William Murphy by a highway patrolman in Ayden.DigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, November 19, 1971, page 1
9. 1973 Black Student Movement march remembers James Cates A Black Student Movement march in memory of James Cates was photographed by Les Todd, whose print is now held in the North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives at Wilson Library.UNC Libraries finding aid: Les Todd Photograph Collection, Black March (BSM; James Cates Memorial), 1973
10. November 21, 2020 Family and community march to remember James Cates on the 50th anniversary A candlelit march went from Hargraves Community Center to St. Joseph CME Church and down Franklin Street to Peace and Justice Plaza, where the Town of Chapel Hill invited residents to leave flowers and messages for the Cates family. Mayor Pam Hemminger pledged to work with the family and UNC to investigate the killing. People: Danita Mason-HogansChapelboro: Family, Community Members March to Remember James Cates 50 Years Later
11. 2021 James Cates Remembrance Coalition proposes naming Student Stores for Cates A coalition of Cates's family, historian Danita Mason-Hogans and community members proposed renaming UNC's Student Stores building in his honor. The building had not been renamed as of 2024. People: Nate Davis, Valerie Foushee, Danita Mason-HogansDaily Tar Heel: 'This was a life': UNC community gathers for memorial to honor James Cates
12. November 2021 Chapel Hill Public Library webinar marks the 51st anniversary of the Cates killing The Chapel Hill Public Library hosted a webinar in which family and friends, including state Senator Valerie Foushee, a first cousin of Cates, reflected on his life and on the failures that followed his death. People: Valerie FousheeChapelboro: 'We Expected Justice': 51 Years After James Cates' Murder, Trauma Remains
13. March 2022 Justice Department opens a cold-case investigation into the Cates killing The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the killing under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act and its cold-case initiative for racially motivated killings before 1980. Cates's cousins Nate Davis and Valerie Foushee welcomed the review. People: Nate Davis, Valerie FousheeINDY Week: The Department of Justice Has Finally Opened an Investigation into the 1970 Murder of James Lewis Cates Jr.
14. August 12, 2022 UNC announces a permanent memorial to James Cates in the Pit Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz announced that a permanent memorial to Cates would be installed in the Pit later in 2022, developed with students, faculty, staff and the Cates family, approved by the Board of Trustees and supported by the Town of Chapel Hill. People: Kevin M. GuskiewiczUNC-Chapel Hill: A message from the chancellor: James Cates Memorial
15. September 2022 Chapel Hill names the Hargraves Center gym for Nate Davis The Town Council unanimously approved naming the Northside Gym at the Hargraves Community Center for Davis, the center's director for more than three decades, and its indoor court for Fred Battle, director from 1970 to 1987. People: Fred BattleSearch the index · Chapelboro: Renaming of Gym, Basketball Court Honors Chapel Hill Community Leaders
16. November 21, 2022 UNC dedicates the James L. Cates Jr. Memorial in the Pit On the 52nd anniversary of his death, UNC dedicated a black lectern-style marker near the spot where Cates was stabbed, with an inscription from the University and the Town of Chapel Hill. Speakers included Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Congresswoman-elect Valerie Foushee for the family, student body president Taliajah Vann and BSM president Julia Clark. People: Valerie Foushee, Kevin M. GuskiewiczUNC-Chapel Hill: Carolina dedicates James L. Cates Jr. Memorial
17. November 20, 2024 Student groups hold a memorial for James Cates in the Pit The Southern Student Action Coalition, the Black Student Movement, the Community Justice, Abolition and Anti-Racism Collective and the UNC NAACP held a memorial at the Pit, where speakers criticized the wording and placement of the 2022 plaque. People: Danita Mason-HogansDaily Tar Heel: 'This was a life': UNC community gathers for memorial to honor James Cates
18. November 20, 2025 Students and residents mark 55 years since the killing of James Cates The Carolina NAACP chapter and the Black Student Movement held a remembrance for Cates on campus, and student leaders again called the 2022 plaque's passive wording inadequate.Daily Tar Heel: 'A 22-year-old like us': Students gather to remember James L. Cates Jr. 55 years after his murder