Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-09-07
. CONDITIONS IN HARLEM.

! The same conditions portrayed by
the Pittsburgh Courier in Pittsburgh,
Pa. arc virtually stated as the basis
, OF complaint by the Amsterdam
News, of New York. II says:
! "Thc menace to this community
in the growing tendency towards
lawlessness Of certain Of its elements
rs indicated by recent mob actions
on IcnoX Avenue, cannot fail to
elicit the serious consideration Of all
sane and serious minded Negroes.
! ''Therc is no question in the minds
Of residents, colorod and white. Of
the guilt 81 certain Greek and the
justice Of the protest against his
continues presence in this commun-
ity. Buf why this belatcd resort to
violence when boycott instituted
after his arSt ilagrant offences some
years ago would long ago have driven
him out OF Harlem? Why violence,
when stay ing away from his store
could have accomplished the same
ends in legal and certainly moro
satisfactory manner?
) "And WY tho indiscriminate at
tacks on al whites and the breaking
of tho windows of one of the most
friendly Inclined toward our race?
! II Negro Harlem does not want white
storekeepcrs the way to get rid Of
them is plain OF perception and easy
| of operation. All our fervid race
! patriots uoed to do is to DatroniZe
race enter. iseS exclusively wherever
POSSIBLE ana dig down and help TO
establish cooperative business in
lines whore the race is not yet or
! sufficiently represented
For these manifestations OF law
| lcSsnesS in what was formerly n
| model community several factors are
responsible. First and foremost
: among these factors is the war and
| lis effect upon the mind of the late
mdcrdog: secondly, the irresponsible
and minimizing street agitators:
j thirdly, the grossly unfair and i'm
, polite attitude Of most of the whites
doing business in this district, and,
! fourthly, the individual lawlessness,
bullying and often intolerablc fresh
, ness Of white policemen toward col
orcd citizens.
This minority has so effectively
nnllilicd the good work OF Cantain
! Ward and most of his men that tho
colored people Of lIurlcm-ycs, even
the most law-respccting- com
} plctely lost confidence in the white
, police. y white man in a police
| uniform appears TO most Of us us a
prejudiced bully, who would club
and maltrcat any OF us on the small
| est preteXt and without provocation.
Nov while there are three dis
F.! tinct factors responsible, to our mind
! for the present lawlcss and menac-
ING conditions in this community, tho
key of tho whole situation lies in the
. hands of the Police Department.
Were Negro policemen and Negro
homo guards used exclusively in the
policing of this district the presen:
| tendency to lawlessness would auto
| matically disappear. Negroes can.
not be too harshly condemned for
! interfering with white policemen
'in the performance Of their duty
when white policemen do not by
their acts inspire confidence and
respect"
| With precision that is remark
able and with a persistency that Is
| worthy OF n better cause, the hood
| lum "Jim Crow" Negroes are doing
moro against the black race than
could be accomplished by all Of tho
rantings OF the Tillmans, the Var
damans and a host of others who
| have gone on before.
What need can there be for tho
! presentation OF "The Birth of A
| Nation" to prejudice the white peo-
| pie OF the country against us, when
| tho Amsterdam News and the Pitts
| burgh Couriar are portraying cendi-
tions that tend to emphasize and
give a color Of truth to this PERM
! cious play?
The better class OF colored people
| may protest against this class OF their
| own people, but until they take rad
ical action and inaugurate move
| ments to send this element to the
| rear where it belongs and to keen 1t
| there all of our protests will DO
worthless.
We must inaugurate a crusade to
| reform the vicious colored people
amonst us. We must start at the
! cradle and continue to the grave and
a different state of affairs will DO In
! evidence and we will not be in tho
humiliating attitude Of calling upon
the police to keep in subsection some