St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1942-05-01

This committee was organized
by the Baltimore Branch NAACP
of which Mrs. Lille M. Jackson is
president, when Governor OConor
did not answer the letters Of the
branch requesting conference of
representative citizens with him
concerning the increase of police
killings and brutalities since the
administration of Police Commits
sioner Robert F. Stanton, guber-
material appointee.
Carl Murphy, Chairman of the
Citizens Committee for Justice,
presented the requests of the citi-
zens to the governor, namely:
l. To investigate the police ad-
ministration in colored areas.
2. Appoint colored policemen in
uniform, a colored police magis-
trate, and an additional colored
police woman.
8. Name colored representatives
on the boards at Brownsville State
Hospital for the Insane, and Henry
ton T. B. Sanatorium, which serve
colored patients only.
4. Give colored women a men,
Der on the State Beauticians'
Board.
5. Support President Roose-
velt's order forbidding rdiscrimina-
ton in war work on the ground of
race or color.
Among the outstanding citizens
who explained to the governor each
of the various requests were: Atty.
w. A. C. Hughes, Jr., NAACF
lawyer, Rev. E. W. White, secre-
tary of the Committee, Atty. Lin
wood Roger, Edward S. Lewis, ex-
ecutive secretary of the Urban
League, Mrs. Lille M. Jackson
NAACP president, DR.. Ralp h
Young, Mrs. Lillian Lottier, Mrs
Bertha Proctor, Harry Coles and
Mrs. Juanita Jackson Mitchell, di-
rector of the March on Annapolis,
They explained that they feared
riot if something were not done,
for ten colored citizens have been
killed by police guns on the streets
of Baltimore since 1889. One of
them was a soldier, Private Thomas
Broadus of Pittsburgh, on leave
February 2, 1912. He was the Sec
ond person killed by this officer in
two year period. Officer Bender
was exonerated in both cases.
Another was a sick man in the
University Hospital. Another was
sixteen year old school boy. No
policeman was dismissed from the
force. None was ever brought to
trial in the criminal court.
These representatives pointed
out to the governor that Baltimore
with 10000 colored people, has
only three colored police officers,
They are in plain clothes. None has
ever been in uniform.
Rev. E. W. White declared that
Washington has 63 colored uni
formed policemen; Philadelphia,
$50; New York, 220; Chicago, $50;
Pittsburgh, %; St. Louis, %. Rev.
White further stated colored citi-
zens feel that the law is the white
mans law, made and administered
by him, and that he, the black man,
has no part in its protection. He
said, "Our people are being taught
that policemen do not move among
them to protect them and to uphold
the law; and to say the least, it is
producing a damning psychology
which in the end must lead to dis
aster."
Governor O'Conor promised an
immediate investigation and ap-
propriate action.
The March on Annapolis was
preceded by a city-wide Mass
Meeting on Thursday night, April
23rd, at Sharp Street Methodist
Church, Dolphin and Etting
Streets. A crowd of 1000 persons
jammed the auditorium. Hundreds
of persons were turned away, while
an additional thousand lined the
streets and listened to the program
through loud speaker system.
Rev. A. Clayton Powell, Jr., pas
tor of the Abyssinian Baptist
Church, New York City, and newly
elected city councilman, declared
to the wildly cheering listeners that
the actions Of the Baltimore police