CONCORD, CA, November 01, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The family and community of Timothy Charles Lee will hold a walk of remembrance on the 40th anniversary of his death. The event aims to demand that his case be reopened, recognized, and reclassified as a hate crime, particularly a lynching.

On November 2, 1985, 23-year-old Timothy Charles Lee, a Black and Luiseño Rincon Native American gay man and a fashion student at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, was found hanging from a tree near the Concord BART station. Despite witness testimony hearing screams and seeing a group of men surrounding a person with a uniformed officer present, and despite two other Black men being stabbed by individuals in KKK robes that same night, his death was ruled a suicide within days.

"We walk for accountability as much as for remembrance," said Frank Sterling, Timothy's cousin. "The evidence was ignored, and we believe those responsible have never been held accountable."

Crucial evidence was documented by witness Bill Callison, who compiled an archive of sworn affidavits and news clippings that challenge the official narrative. This collection is now preserved at the Stanford Library and serves as a public resource on the case. Review the archive of Bill Callison here.

"Timothy's death became a shadow for the entire Bay Area," said Maria Judice, a filmmaker documenting the case. "People stopped taking BART to Concord. The lynching was a spiritual death to a community, a warning to anyone who wishes to freely move through the Bay Area as residents." This case remains critically relevant today, as the fight for justice for Black and Indigenous victims of violence continues.

The coalition is gathering petition signatures to demand official action and is calling for anyone with information about the case to come forward.

For historical reference, this evidence was preserved at the library at Stanford University. Here are the links to that.

Event Details:
What: 40 Years Too Long — A Walk of Remembrance for Timothy Charles Lee
Date: Sunday, November 2, 2025 (rain or shine)
2:30 PM: Gather at Rainbow Community Center (2380 Salvio St, Concord)
3:00 PM: Short walk
4:00 PM: Speaker program at Concord BART Parking lot, with Memorial Altar

For more information or to provide tips, visit the Facebook Page, email [email protected], and sign the petition on Change.org.

Media Contact:
Frank Sterling
[email protected]
(925) 628-6206

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The Black Maria is a project of Indigofera—a creative meditation on place, space, and community.

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