The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-04-12
PEOPLE HAVE
NO PLACE TO RELOCATE
CRYING NEED FOR HOME SITES
Better Housing Conditions and More
Room immediately Necessary For
Richnond's Large Coiored Popnia-
ton.

(The following 10 furnished for
publication. by w. A. Jordan. a we'll
known coiored citixen, superintendent
OF the Southern Aid Society of Vir-
ginia--Editor.)
The granting of a permit to the
Britsh-Amertcan Tobacco Company to
build q factory at the corner of Lom-
hardy and Leigh Streets, convinces the
colored people that their best street
and residential section Is to be taken
from them for manufacturing and in
dustrfal purposes. In this section 10
located many homes OF the most
thrifty colored people In the city:
Hartshorn Memorial College, the
missionary school for the education
of colored girla. is located across the
street from the proposed factory. sew
eral churches and two public schools
and the Virginia Union University are
located in the immediate vicinity.
Some time ago a railroad track was
put In I.ombardy Street across Leigh
Street into Moore Street to accommo-
date the industrial plants now located
in this section. The driving OF the
railroad tracks from Broad and other
streets. is causing the railroads to In
crease their tracking facilities In this
colored section and the desire OF the
industrial plants to be located where
tracking facilities are easily secured,
is causing the section between the r.,
r. q p r. r. and the s. A. J.. r.. r.
to be rapidly built UP with Industries.
The building of these plants make
unfit the neighborhood for schools,
homes and churches, and the most un-
fortunate part is that there is no place
for the colored people to re-locate.
The city has heretofore failed 70 pro-
vide any territory for the expansion
of the coiored people, although this
matter has been brought to the at
again by the white friends Of the col
ored people. the newspapers and the
colored people themselves.
Several attempts have been made by
colored people. individually and in
groups, to purchase land on Brook
Road. In the neighborhood OF the Vir-
ginia Union University. but have been
unable to get the property owners to
sell them this land. White people do
not need this territory and have not
made any improvement In this section
in the past fifteen years. but. seeming
~, through the fear of public censure,
the owners of this land will not sell TO
eolored people. Therefore, they are
appealing to the liberai-minded white
people and commercial organizations
and newspapers to bring pressure to
bear on the owners of these tracts OF
land and to encourage them to sell TO
colored people at a reasonable price.
Numerous real estate transactions
show that land adjacent to this ter
ritory is being sold to white people at
from $5 to $40 per front foot. There
fore, the colored people should be per-
mitted to buy these tracks to re-
establish the Harthorn Memorial COL
lege and the homes of the better ele-
ment of coiored people under wise
restrictions especially since their best
street leigh Street) In being taken
from them for business purposes,
Brook Road from Henrico Street 10
Sherwood Avenue should be immed-
lately improved by the city and all
lowed them TO make II their best resi-
Dental section.
The coiored people are also very
much wrought up over the proposed
removal of the car service from Baker
Street Duysal Street and Brook Ave-
nue., this being the most congested
area In America, IT seems that in
stead OF lessening the car service In
this area tina company should be
planning 10 give better service The
present terminus of the cars In Brook
Avenue should be extended out Brook
Road to Sherwood Avenue and out
Sherwood Avenue to the Hermitage
Road and make the intersection of
Sherwood Avenue and Hermitage
Road In front OF the fair grounds gate
the terminus of the line, This would
insure an immediate building UP of
these present waste lands.