The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-08-05


Boston has had race troubles for
more than a hundred years. The
street violence which broke into the
headlines last autumn - and has
broken into them periodically since
then-wss variously labeled race
riot" wartime hoodlumism," or
kid STUFF according to the interests
Of the commentator. A recent in
cident on May II in which twenty
hoodlums beat up three Jewish boys
in a subway train near Shawmut
station. was called riot by most
Of the Boston papers. though pre-
viously they had been unwilling to
admit that there was anything APP
preaching riot conditions. But such
outbreaks are neither new nor un-
usual. They are only one phase Of
the religious and racial animosity
that has been smoldering in the
Hub since the second quarter Of the
nineteenth century.
What Boston had, and still has. is
a social situation OF lower voltage
than a riot, but with dangerous i'm
plications. II has in addition. even
most Of the activities Of native fas-
est groups checked by the FBI. ar
inherited persecution complex that
can be worked up subtly by Nazi
ard pro-Nazi forces.
Jews Suffered
Most Violence
Bu. let us look az these --latest
symptoms before working backward
10 the earliest ones. Who got hurt?
The Jews got hurt. particularly the
Jews OF Ward IA. Dorchester. sec.
ton running along spinal Blue Hi
avenue in the southeastern part o.
the city. There was violence in other
wards, but Ward II suffered wors'
because il is perhaps the most solid
ly Jewish reighborhood in tht
United States. with only per CEN
OF Gentiles in It's population. Studio:
Of similar outbreaks in other cite:
indicate that they occur in dlrec'
proportion 10 the concentration o1
Jews. In New York. for example
trouble was most frequent in the
Bronx. the most heavily Jewish par
OF the city. and next most fTeQuen
in Brooklyn.
Sometimes, fairly clearly. th'
violence was the kid stuff" that TIT
Boston msvor and the police com
mission called II. and sometimes
was semi-organixed warfare be
tween neighborhood gangs. But yer
often il was q planned assault, pre-
ceded by the question, Are you
Jew" Gangs laid for Jewish boy
coming out OF Hecht Neighborhoot
House. rosmed Franklin Field ant
Franklin Park In search OF cross-lo
walkers. Sometimes they appeared
IN cars, which pulled up beside
Jewish youths 10 disgorge half
dozen attackers.
Occasionally the residents o. Dor
chester had revenge as when
Jewish amateur boxer. set upon oy
three toughs. wiped the sdewalE
/ with the three Of them. But gener
ally the victims were boys from
twelve 20 sixteen. and generally M
, ODDS were at least three 70 one, viii
/ the attackers both bigger and older
After Pearl Hsrbor, when the dim
on; made street proving safer. INT
number OF reported incidents in
creased A careful scrutiny OF ~
! sffidavits collected by various or
carnations shows that from ar
average o. two or three Tontf
prior 70 the summer OF l943 the,
Jumped IN July Of that year to eigsi
and in September 10 eleven. b,
/ October the residents Of Ward J.
were living in a perpetual state o
alarm A good many incidents IN
doub,edly were not reported. be
cause sorre Jews were afraid thu
airing the trouble would only MAKE
il worse.
Raiding Gangs
Chiefly Irish-Americans
Still. there is some evidence. TIL
IDENTITY Of individual assailants !
known 20 Dorchester Jews VIII
were attacked. II is known tina
the came from outside Ward IA
since ths; ward is almost solid!
jewish II is known also. from
the implication Of certain Roxbur.
ard South Boston street gar gS
abou. what sections the atiacker
come from the Jewish section IL
I SCI. sociological island OF approx
.mately sixty thousand, is surround
ed BY suburbs largely lriSh-Amer
can in population. The logical in