Next Monday, Nov. 2, marks 41 years since Timothy Charles Lee died in Concord. His family says the official finding, suicide, still doesn't add up.

What happened in 1985

Lee was 23, a Black, gay member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians and a fashion design student at San Francisco's Academy of Art, according to American Community Media. KTVU reported that he was riding BART from San Francisco to his home in Berkeley when he fell asleep, missed his stop, and woke up at Concord after the system had closed. A friend said he called her from a pay phone just after 1 a.m. asking for a ride, but she couldn't come. Around noon on Nov. 2, a Concord resident found him hanging from a fig tree in a vacant lot off Mount Diablo Street, near the station.

Why the family doubts the ruling

KTVU reports that the family and advocates point to several things: Lee's sister's name was misspelled on the alleged suicide note; Concord police destroyed evidence within 24 hours; and two other Black men in the Concord area were stabbed that same night by two people in Ku Klux Klan robes. A handwriting expert told the Oakland Tribune in 1986 that the note didn't match Lee's usual style. Neighbors Marilyn Hannum and William Callison came forward saying they heard screams that night. The NAACP pushed to get the FBI involved after the ruling, and many of the period's news clippings are compiled in the FBI's files on the case, KTVU reported.

The push now

Frank Sterling, Lee's first cousin, who was 12 when Lee died, began organizing an annual "Justice for Timothy" walk at the Concord station five years ago. He told American Community Media he wants the case reopened, including as a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People case. KTVU reported in 2024 that he was gathering petition signatures to bring to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. This year, supporters added a "Living Timmy's Dream" fashion show in Walnut Creek that raised money for Concord's Rainbow Community Center, which serves LGBTQ+ youth. Filmmaker Maria Judice is making a documentary about Lee.

Tribute walk Nov. 15

American Community Media reports that the annual tribute and walk for Lee is set for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. in downtown Concord.