The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-08
BY BILL GEBERr.

THE cold blooded murder BY Chicago police
gunner of Abe Cray-active member of
the Communist Party, John OrNen and Thomas
Pags-memberss of the Unemployed Council on
the South Side of Chicago, is Just an indication
what methods the capitalist government will use
in the coming third winter Of unemployment
against the 10 million jobless. But this also in
dleated that the masses of workers will fight
as they never fought before, and no terror will
stop them from fighting for social insurance for
unemployed, for immediate relief and for milk
for their starving babies
On Monday, August 3rd. late in the after
noon, a Y year old widowed Negro woman. Mrs
Diana Gross, was to be ev1cted from her flat
at 5016 S. Dearborn St The building Is owned
by the M j. Kolliner real estate company. The
news Of the eviction reached the workers in the
neighborhood and members of the branch Of
Unemployed Council and a few hundred Negro
and white workers gathered in front of the
building, protesting against the eviction. They
put the furniture back. The police attacked the
workers killing g. wounding many and arrest
ing 80. But the workers answered this bloody
attack and fought with the police, capturing the
guns from SONS Of the misunderstanding
them Three policemen we're severely beaten
up and sent to the hospital
Because of the stubborn resistance of the
workers and their militancy, it took more than
an hour to disperse the growing crowd De-
spite the killing Of the three workers the other
workers did not give ground. An hour later,
between $4,000 Negro and white workers as
senlbIed in Washington Park, protesting against
the massacre and declaring their readiness to
carry on the struggle against evictions, for
lower rents, for social insurance and for full
rights of the Negroes. The police did not dare
to attack this mass Of workers assembled in the
Park, although at that time already hundreds
Of uniformed gunner with riot and machine
guns were assembled in the BLACK Belt" of
Chicago. In all working class neighborhoods,
not only Negro the workers are aroused in anger
and indignation against the bloody massacre of
unemployed workers. Meetings took place in
different parts Of the city at which Negro work
ers we're invited to speak.
This attack on the unemployed workers was
well prepared and organized in advance. "The
Chicago Whip" Negro bourgeois paper, in its
edition of August First on the front page re-
ports a meeting Of Negro and white landlords,
at which the N. A A. c. P, was represented.
and at which a demand was made on the po-
lice for drastic action against the unemployed
workers who we're resisting evictions This no
tice clearly indicates that the leaders of the
NAACP, the landlords, Negro politicians, to-
gether with the state attorneys office laid down
the basis for the massacre We call special
attention to the fact that among the real estate
firms present at that meeting was Kolliner 8
Co, which eyiced Mrs. Diana Gross. In the
same issue Of the Chicago Whip, there Is a re-
port how the Unemployed Councils stop evictions.
These stories clearly indicate that the strug-
gle against evictions has become a powerful
means of modelling the masses. Police Com
missioner Alcock told the newspapers that in
one eviction case a crowd of 5000 gathered in
so minutes and prevented the bainff from
evicting the familiesI And then he declares,
@We are going to have serious trouble any day
nov perhaps, unless the organized charities can
arrange to pay the rent for the families threat
ened with eviction" Needless to say, the rents
we're not paid by the charities or the city and
the process of eviction was continued and the
police were working in conjunction with the
real estate sharks Negro bourgeoisie, politicians
and takers Of the NAACP to prepare the blood
shed of the unemployed Negro workers.
Unemployment among the Negro workers is
much greater than among the white Out Of
225.00O Negro population there is not less than
$4,000 unemployed. Out of 1000 eviction orders