Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1943-04-16

Vulnerable causes
and lie seemed ex
cited. He hardly had GREETED inc
when he said. "Cartcr. what are
you doing about the crime condi-
tions n Harlem. He pointed 10
headlines in paper he carried.
Nothing. I said. "NVhy, he raid
II evident surprise. "'lont you re
alize this situation is doing your
people great HARM" 'sTrcmendou,
harm and it is uncalled fer" I re-
piled. 1.-THE situation in Harlem is
largely the creation Of respectable
daily newspapers like tie New
York Times that sunk to the leve'
of race batting press Of the pur
lieus of Mississippi. There IL
crime in Harlem--as there IN
crime in other crawdel sections Vt
he City Of New York. And il there
is a disrroportionate amount Of
crime in Harlem il is because in
addition to the war psycfosis, col
ored youths are filled with . snl.
len resentment over another sit
uation in which they are victims.
n situation which has the aspects
of crime against youth and am
hilton; situation Without parlllel
in any country i'll the world except
Nazi-r,ddan Europe"
"Oh | know he said "pejudicc.
discrimination. all these things
ut think YOU arr IN error about
the press. ! saw \ very compIlmxks
laFy sllaaEial N ! AZ 4 |! ~ N I'D y
Negro children. Newspapers YOU
know must print tic news"
II saw the editorial too" was
my reply. but all the editorials in
the world cannot undo The Jamagc
done by so-oalled news reports
carrying lurid End misleading head
lines dcsigred apparently to stig-
Matte Harlem rs essentially mere
criminal than other sections If the
city without ore line CT Comment
about the greater crime conspiracy
against Negro youth. | never cec
other residential sections hcadlired
as crime ccnters. What cxcne can
there be for conservative d;gni-
fled daily paper hen lining .hc
petty leprc'lations Of youth in liar
lem. the juvenile d.linquencics com
mon to youth not only in Harlem
but in the Bronx. In S';.tcn Island
in Chicago, as WI as in Fawtuckct
and Dubuque and a thousand other
towns and villages"
went on, If 3nc.fifth Of tho
reports which Negro boys in the
armed forces returning home On
Ifurlouph bring are true, them the
situation in Harlem is triva! cow
pared with the situat,on which de-
velop after TIE war when eight
hundred thousand Negro hogs re.
turn to their homes brooding md
bitter with the memory If mrro-
Ivoked insults by their white supe.
Irior officers, Of seg,ceati III and
discrimination. CT oytracism and
contempt relieiously maintained in
Europe, in Africa, in the South
Pacific and in their own country,
What has the great Amcric,n
newspapers said about these things
About the limitations imposed on
Negro boys in the air corps. III tho
various services " the Army and
Navy What have TIE great pa
pers said about tic impassc IA
which the War Department finds
;tsnlf by pursuing 8 prlicv Of ra-
cial segregation? What have they
said about William Has.ie's re-
port to the ration IN tho treat
ment Of Negro soldiers Wha. have
they said about TIE continued de.
fiance Of the Presidents Execu-
tive Order SsG2 by industrialist
engaged in production Of Tho in.
struments and weapons Of war?
"Crimc in Harlem is a social
phenomenon Its causes arc known
TIE remedies are sinplc and avail
able And at the most 10 Is en-
fined to n very small group. Eli
cient police administration day by
day rather thsn spectacular dis.
play # police power for two or
hree days for publicity purposes
I'll give partial answer to the eucs
ton Of crime in Harlem. Eut only
n partial answer.
"But what OF this other situa.
tion7 This Is what conscmes my
present vitality and inicrest. I am
concerned not with the $4,000 in
See PLAIN TALK---pagc two