The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-02-26
1.-THE FACTS
~ OUR NEWS
BY HORACE A. WHITE

THE PROBLEMS IN THE PO-
LICE DEPARTMENT CAN BE
SOLVED The time has come
for Negro leadership to begin TO
think about the Police Department
as IL affects Negro life In the city
OF Detroit. Heretofore. Negro lead
ership has been doing . great deal
Of emoting about the Police Depart
ment. This Is understandable 10
some extent. but there Is no excuse
now for Negroes TO 70 into emo
tional convulsions whenever the
matter Of the Police Department Is
brought up In relationship 10 Ne
groes. The thing needed nov, Is
some honest. fortnight thinking
and planning 70 get some Of the
problems confronting Negroes
solved In relationship TO the Police
Department.
We lost a great opportunity to
start on this solution during the
riot last June. There was an abund-
ance OF evidence that discrimina-
ton by individual policemen was
practiced by Negro citizens. and
there was an abundance OF evidence
that individual policemen refused
TO carry out the law against people
who were breaking it, Such police
men should have been brought TO
trial on the basis OF the lack OF
fidelity TO duty. The N.A.A.C.P.,
under its New York leadership.
came out to Detroit. took emotional
statements from hysterical- people,
compiled them into q report, and
then summed up the report with
the emotional c0nvolutions OF the
National officials. and submitted II
to state and city officials as evil
dence Of the Police Departments
brutality. In other words. the very
procedure used permitted the Ne
gro people to get angry about a
real problem. and SO angry that
they expected q solution. The pro-
cedure used. however. bv the Ma.
A.C.P. was one that they have
known through the years rets no
where; that Is, indicating 1000 men
on the Police Department. without
calling any names, citing no badge
numbers. giving the numbers Of no
scout cars. and in general identify
Ing nobody as responsible for the
brutality that was alleged. The
N.A.A.C.P. knew better. and II Is
still q mystery to many Of us why
thew have not brought to trial. or
at least named some people. who
ought to he brought 10 trial for
their flounting Of the law during
the June race riot.
This is recited 10 show how the
citizens and members OF the MA.
A.C.P. need to now watch its lead
ership on the local level. as they
are now falling for the same old
kind OF stuff" They are begin
ming to bungle the police matter
again. They are emoting in reverse
now. Commissioner John Ballenger
knows as well as any man in the
city OF Detroit that there is dis
elimination in the Police Depart
mcnt. and he knows where il is |
I know. and ! have told him so, he !
has tough administrative job to
clear it up; it cannot be done over
night. He is going to need a great |
deal OF help from the citizens Of the |
City Of Detroit. Instead OF reach
ing out for that help in the most |
effective way, the commissioner has |
set up special Negro committee to |
handle Negro applications. On the
face Of II, and without thorough |
examination. you are apt to say,
"Hurrah for John Ballenger, our
Police Commissioner" But upon |
REORGANIZATION Of the procedure, |
you will say. "John BaIlenger has
pulled . Fast one" Rather than
handle forthrightly the problems Of
administration in the Police Depart
ment as they affect Negro life, he
sets up Negro committee Kan
CARGO Court" IL you please. for
Negro applicants. Certain members
of the committee and Mr.. Ballenger
will argue How will the Commits
sioner know about discrimination
otherwise?" The answer Is almost
too simple to give. but you still
have to give II for people who are
now on the Police Commissioners
Committee, and the Police Commits
sioner himself:
!. Negroes are endowed with no
less, and with no more intelli-
gence than the average Amer
lean citizen. II has been proved
over and over again. in indus
try and in the professions. that
where Negroes do not make
their proportionate representa-
ton in a given field as other
racial groups, discrimination
because OF color prevents that
representation.
2. A Negro committee handling
only Negro applications has no
basis Of comparison. 1t cannot
tell just by looking at Negro
applications whether a Negro |
ought to be failed or not. The
ability to fail or pass in given
class Of students or applicants
IL measured in relationship to |
the group and never by some |
mystical process. In other
words. the Negro committee ]