The Omaha guide., 1942-04-25
U. S. ACCUSES SEVEN,
INDICTS THREE,
IN SoJoURNER TRUTH
RIOT
Continued from page u

Pa6C -
had been executed. The second |
count charged a "seditious Con-
spiracy to prevent, hinder and de-
lay execution Of any law Of the
United States"
Maximum penalty on the first
count is $4,000 fine and ten years
Imprisonment, and on the second
count $4,000 fine and six years i'm
prisonment. The men We're in
dicted for violations of civil rights
under Section 81, Title 18, U. S.
Code, and under Section 6, Title IS
u. S. Code.
The Indictment charges that the
defendants for Some time prior 20
February %, and up to and includ
ing the date of presenting and re-
turn of the Indictment, have caus-
ed picket lines to be maintained
around the housing project for the
purpose of preventing occupancy
by the tenants; that they have
publicly threatened rioting and
bloodshed if Negro tenants at
tempted to occupy the project;
that they have induced other mem
bers Of the National Workers Lea
que and the Seven Mile Fenelon
improvement Association to engage
IN picketing the project; and that
they have prevented by force, "thc
authorized agents of the Federal
Works Administrator, to wit, Guy
c. Larcom an dthe members Of
the Detroit Housing Commission,
from installing said citizens as
tenants in said Sojourner Truth
Housing Project, in lawful execu
ton" Of Federal Statute.
The indictments by the federal
grand jury climaxed twenty-four
hours of rapid developments here
on the Sojourner Truth situation.
On April Is the federal govern
ment instructed the Detroit Hous-
ing Commission to proceed with
filling the Sojourner Truth Hous-
ing Project with Negro occupants.
John B. Blandford, Jr., Natioral
Housing Administrator wired the
Commission placing the respors-
ibility for effecting tenancy with
the Detroit City Government.
please proceed as soon as feas-
ibl with the established program
for the occupancy of the Sojourn-
er Truth Project" the telegram
said. Commenting on the teie-
gram Mr.. Blandford said:
1--WE are at war. Men of all
races and creeds are marching in
our armed forces and are at work
in our vast war industries. That
is the spirit Of American democ-
racy.
by the same token, war work
ers and their families must have
adequate homes, regardless Of
race or creed, if the country's oft
put of planes, tanks, ships and
machines is to grow in sufficient
volume to win the war"
The second development was the
resignation Of Frank D. Eaman,
Police Commissioner. Eaman hal
been in office about two years. On
all sides it was denied that he had
resigned because of the Sojourner
Truth controversy, but it is sign
ificant that the Police Under Com
missioner Eaman did as much, if
not more, to prevent Negroes
from occupying Sojourner Truth
as the so-called white rioters did.
1t is the opinion Of Detroiters that
the police department joined with
white residents to keep Negroes
out of the project.
Within a few hours after The
federal government announced
that Negroes must be moved in,
and that Detroit city officials
would have the responsibility If
carrying out the order, Commits
sioner Eaman resigned. 1t is be
said among the Negro population
that he is resigning rather than
carry out the orders Of the federal
government.
The indictments came as a result
Of an FBI investigation by the De-
partment of Justice based upon
Possible violations of section 81,
Title 18, U. S. Code, the so-called
civil rights laws. The legal de-
partment of the NAACP has been
urging action by the Department
of Justice under Title 18 for a
number of years and in 1910 Thur
good Marshall, NAACP special
counsel, submitted a comprehens-
i've memorandum to the Depart
ment of Justice citing cases involv