The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1936-07-11


known local labor defense lawyer,
has written letters to Police Com
missioner Heinrich Pickert and
Prosecutor Duncan c. McCrea, en-
closing copies of an affidavit from
Rev. Charles Harrison, colored, of
1866 Richmond avenue, Detroit.
The affidavit containing sensa-
tional disclosures of threats made
against Harrison by alleged men,
bers of the Black Legion, in an at
tempt at intimidation in which at
least one police officer is said to
be involved.
In his letter to Prosecutor Nc
Crea, Attorney Sugar writes:
"A reading of this affidavit will
furnish you with information in
relation to the practices of the De-
troit police. l submit to you that
little Roadway can be made in the
fight against the Black Legion, as
long as the members of the Police
Department are engaged in spy
work in the factories and in poll
tical parties. Most pernicious of
all is the apparent hook-up bet
ween the person so engaged and
the automobile factories, and the
apparent ability of the police to
cause men to be fired from their
jobs, in the event they refuse to
become stool-pigeons and spy on
their fellow workers"
The affidavit, signed and sworn
to by Rev. Harrison, who was
fired from his job at the Dodge
Plant last Friday morning, is as
follows:
1, CHARLES HARRIS, being du-
ly sworn, deposes say:
/ live at 1866 Richmond Avenue
Detroit, Michigan, with my wife
and two children. On Saturday
June 20, 1886, about 1870 p. m. two
men came to my door. Both were
dressed in civilian clothes. l was
not home at the time. My wife
answered the door. They asked for
me. She told them that / would be
back in ten minutes. Returned in
about 10 minutes. A little later the
two men came again and this time
l answered the door. They said
they wanted to talk to me and
stepped out on the porch. One OF
the men said that his name was
Wilson. The other man gave his
name but l have forgotten it.
While standing on the porch one
of the men said that he know that
l belonged to the Communist Par
ty. He also said that he knew that
l held a good job. He said that If
/ would give them information
about the Communist Party they
would let me hold my job. asked
them what information they want
ed and they said they wanted in
formation on meetings of the Com
munist Party and on leaflets is
sued by the Communist Party, etc,
They said they wanted informa-
ton in relation to the Farmer-Ia-
Dor Parry. They said they wanted
me to give them information on
members of the Communist Party
who were in the unit to which |
belong. They wanted to know at
what place these men worked.
They said that they wanted me to
make written reports to them.
Both of the men talked about
the Black Legion. One of them said
the Communist Party fights the
Black Legion, saying that the
Black Legion is against Negroes
and Jews. He said that the Com
munist Party was lying about this,
that the Black Legion was all
right, and that it was only against
the Communist Party which was
trying to overthrow the govern
ment.
l told them that l did not know
about II and they then
said that I should come down and
see the Boss" l walked to the
corner of Custer and Richmond,
where a Ford car was parked at
the curb. There was a man seat
ed at the wheel. He was also
dressed in civilian clothes. This
man, the boss, asked the other
two If they had told me what they
wanted me for They said that
they had. The boss then asked me
to take seat in the car, which
/ did. I sat in the front seat with