Родственники и активисты требуют пересмотра дела об убийстве 23-летнего Тимоти Ли, чья смерть была признана самоубийством

On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with KPFA’s Frank Sterling Jr. and fashion designer Meeka Starr about the unresolved death of Timothy Charles Lee and a community effort to keep his name, dreams and demand for justice alive. Lee was a 23 year old Black, Native American and gay man who hoped to become a fashion designer. He had recently received a scholarship to study fashion in Milan when he was found hanging from a tree near the Concord BART station on November 2, 1985. Authorities ruled his death a suicide, but his family has challenged that conclusion for more than 40 years. Sterling, Lee’s first cousin, detailed evidence the family believes points toward foul play. He said witnesses heard screams and reported seeing several people surrounding someone near a car, with a uniformed officer standing nearby. Sterling also noted that two Black men were stabbed by men wearing Ku Klux Klan clothing at a bar near the station that same night. The ligature used in Lee’s hanging was reportedly destroyed within 24 hours. Davey D connected Lee’s case to other suspicious hangings ruled suicides and to the history of organized racism within Contra Costa County. The conversation also examined how racial hostility can remain hidden beneath the Bay Area’s multicultural image. Meeka Starr is helping organize a fashion show honoring Lee’s creative aspirations. She described the event as a way to celebrate who Lee was while bringing renewed attention to his case. The show will feature Bay Area models, LGBTQIA+ performers and designers, including Starr’s X Labels clothing line. The event takes place September 19 at Club 1220 in Walnut Creek. Organizers are encouraging people to attend, sign the petition to reopen Lee’s case and support the Rainbow Community Center. For Sterling, the goal is larger than remembrance: it is about correcting the official record, uncovering the truth and pursuing accountability while there is still time. Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.