The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-05

League of Struggle for Negro Right
the press and police, called on BOlar
partment headquarters, and, unlike Il
The delegation was the same which
Mayor O'Brien kept waiting in the
city Hall park for five hours on
Tuesday, from II in the morning
into the late afternoon.
The committee demanded an Off
cial denial through the press by
Commissioner Bolan on the supposed
-fgorilla man prowling through Cen
trail Park" and the official denial Of
the verbal statement Of Bolan that
he had not issued orders for police
to bring "the gorilla man in dead
or alive" If Bolan would not issue
this official denial the committee
demanded his immediate resignation.
& Commissioner Bolan promptly be-
gan to usher out the delegation.
But the committee was insiStent
and finally victorious. The delega-
z ton of 25 workers made Commits
sioner Bolan come through with the
statement they demanded.
Press reporters were called in after
the delegation left the office, and
'Bolan spoke to them as follows;
''The statements in the press in
connection with the Central Park
case, quoting me as saying that L
led 100 police into Central Park after
the gorilla" man and that issued
orders to take him dead or alive, and
that orders were issued to the effect
that colored men and white women
WHO walk together should be ar
rested. is not true. made no such
statements. and am not responsible
for them.
1.-THE committee asked me if 1
would take any action against the
press. sand No that would not,
but that I would issue denial to
the press and ask them to publish it,"
Commissioner Bolan pleaded ig-
norance Of the many instances of
segregation and discrimination in
New York City, and protested that
he believed in equality, and that the
law will be enforced impartially
against white and Negro, Jew and
Gentle alike, showing no discrin-
nation against anyone whether rep
resenting a political party or not"
When the committee pointed out
that Cyril Briggs had been arrested
for accompanying Negro woman,
because they thought that he was
white. he stated that was viola
ton OF the law, and they should
ay.-.11AoI ST W0IIlH
certainly not have arrested then"
When the committee stated that
thew would hold mass meetings and
demonstrations, protesting strongly
against the lynch wave that is
sweeping over New York, in spite of
the police and suave denials OF the
police department, Commissioner
Bolan stated that he would advise
them strongly against Just such "re-
sistance."
Bolan found himself facing Negro
workers. who, instead of allowing
themselves to be Intercepted and
intimidated, demanded immediate
withdrawal of the lynch order of the
department which was published in
the New York Journal of Sept. 5,
and picked up by the other papers.
The committee, headed by Her
man MacKaWain, chairman of the
League of Struggle for Negro Rights,
stated that while the words Of Com
missioner Bolan were grandiose and
fine, still they were just words.
We've already seen the action OF
the police department in Harlem.
Mass meetings and demonstrations,
which Commissioner Bolan so
strongly advises us against, will con-
tinue to take place in Harlem until
it is perfectly safe and possible for
Negro and white workers to walk
through the streets together. and
until Negro workers will not be in
suited and beaten and gorilla man
hurled at them through the lynch in
centiyeS Of the local press"
The committee, protesting the
lynch spirit whipped into being by
the police and press, reported to
workers assembled in Lafayette Hall.
Besides seeing Mayor O'Brien and
Police Commissioner Bolan the COM
mittee also called on Alderman j.
Baldwin, Republican representative,
on Tuesday. This scared O'Brien
into seeing the committee, since he
was afraid that the Democratic votes
of Harlem would go Republican in
the coming elections Baldwin re-
fused to issue statement to the
press, on the grounds that he had
evidence.
The committee of rs Negro work.
ers will today see candidate for
Mayor, Mckee.
Preparations of the League of
Struggle for Negro. Rights are 60
ing ahead for the mass public trial
on the Matthews murder in Welfare
Island prison. This campaign to
open the books on the Matthews
case is one of the key demands of
this committee, and the demands
against lynch Indictment are part of
the campaign to open the books on
the Welfare Island case, and prose-
cute the murderers.