The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-06-24
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS


the last ten days your correspondent
has been receiving from one 10 two
telephone calls per day from peo-
pie located I'm various parts Of the
city saying that they have heard
that another race riot Is I'm the max
ing. These people talked over the
phone with anxious voices One has
the right 10 wonder how such
rumors get started. >Ich rumors
can easily fan An unsettled and un-
disciplined population into hostile
outbreaks. Therefore, every effort
must be made to see TO II that these
rumors have no foundations. and
positive steps taken to reassure the
whole population that there should
be no cause for alarm over race
riots this summer.
Every rumor OF a race riot nature
should be traced down by the city
authorities and the Bureau Of Fed
eral Investigation. Whenever such
a rumor is traced 10 its origin, IL
should be made known TO the pub
lie. One OF the major reasons W y
people get nervous over race riot
talk in the city OF Detroit is that
great many people have lost con-
fidence in the law enforcement
agencies Both Negro and white
people do not feel at this time that
the law enforcement agencies In
the city Of Detroit are all that they
could be. In view Of this fact, II
there could be q strong, positive APP
proach 10 the matter of controlling
IawIess activity or the part Of all
groups regardless Of race. the peo-
pie would cease to feel fearful about
rumors. The law enforcement
agencies in the city Of Detroit must
stop tempOrizing and evading the
personal conduct problem Of the
agents Of our law enforcement de-
partment. The police department
itself In too many instances is pro-
vOcative of trouble. They act as II
they are policemen to get revenge
OH Negroes. This thinking on the
part Of certain members of the pO-
lice department could he corrected
overnight with q firm hand At the
top. -----
II should be made clear by the
administration of our city that Ne
groes are not planning any riots and
never have planned any riots The
Negro people as a whole are aware
that riots destroy progress for them
selves and for the city. II may be
asking too much Of our city admin
istratiOn to reassure the people In
our city that the administration is
leading the city toward unity and
mutual respect among its citizens.
this. nor does II take lot OF plan
ming. People are treasured by lead
ership that tackles the problems
confronting q community head-on.
When the leadership shows itself
frightened and confused because of
the rumors Of race riots. there is
nothing left for the average citizen
to do but to stew" In his confusion
and Illustration. He does this be-
cause he Is left without a rallying
point for his failing spirit.
Negro leadership must become
much more positive in its approach
in these trying days. To always at
tack the problems that confront the
Negro people with negativism is
superficial. One can certainly get
a crowd when he is in the business
of denouncing. 1t does not take
much brains to denounce, and it
does not take much courage to de-
nounce. II does take great deal
Of courage and insight TO fight prob
lens of discrimination. segregation
and the denial of civil Liberties in
positive manner.
There Is much work being done
on the Negroes plight In this coun-
try from a positive point Of view.
The difficulty Is that the positive
elements at work do not trickle
down to the great masses OF Negro
people. For some reason, and i
think the reason is the lack Of COM
munity organization among Negro
people. only the negative about the
Negroes plight Is known among the
masses. These negative attitudes
have piled up and up until the Ne
gro I'm the street has become bun
die of nervous Illustration and hope
| Iessness. lashing out in all direc-
lions to free himself. As one watches
this lashing out on the part of the
masses. one sees how completely
lost In the Illustration and hopeless
ness Of the masses any processes and
programs for improvement are.
The matter Of community organi-
cation for doing something by Ne
groes for their condition in con-
junction with all progressive forces
is fundamentally the responsibility
Of Negro leadership. Let us take as
an illustration the recent Allied Ne
gro College Fund Drive as il OPP
Grated in Detroit. Here we were
dealing with the education OF the
people-a very important factor. We
had a goal Of $4,000. An attempt
] ,,.nc N, ndo 90 naisn this rnnnPy with