The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-07-07
ACTION NEEDED

Last week we leaned of another outrageous
abuse of the civil rights of Negroes IN Detroit. A
group of students decided To celebrate their gradu-
alton hv trip on the Boblo Boat In the group was
one coored student who separated from her
white corpanons and forced off the boat by the
Boblo management Her only offense was that she
was born colorcd instead of white.
This hrazen act of racial discrimination follows
the pattern of provocation TO which many Negroes
have had to submit and when they protest, they are
condemned as agitators. Fortunately our citizens
have in the majority Of these maintained their
composure and brought their grievances to.the au
thortes This is the only way these abuses will be
corrected. To fight back on the spot which is the
first impulse of most Americans who personally
assaulted only creates more trouble and does moth
ing to stop such abuses.
Nevertheless, the authorities must act This
business of trying up and smooth over basic
abuses of the civil rights of any citizens is fool
hardy effort. Justice must be done and when the
constituted authorities refuse to face the issue they
weaken their authority and undermine the conf
dence of the general public.
The public places which deny Negroes service
and treat them with contempt can be brought into
line In the first place many of the larger establish
ments notably the Cunningham Drug chain and the
Sanders Stores, operate successfully without dis
eliminating against patrons on the basis OF race
We believe the civic rights laws of the state ought to
apply to all public places. If owners of public en-
terprises refuse to obey the law, they should have
their licenses revoked and put out of business.
The Inter-racia Committee and our public Of
ficials are forever expressing their concern over
racial tensions in Detroit and mapping programs to
combat them. Here is opportunity for these gas
bags to get up off their lazy brains and do some
thing constructive toward correcting the conditions
which cause tension They can put the heat on the
public places which are violating the laws of Mich-
gan by refusing to serve Negro citizens. T Re
NAACP and the Prosecutors Office can furnish
them with enough complaints to start this program
now.
This practice of refusing to serve Negroes is
not very old in Michigan. It started some 20 years
ago when the city began to expand and the refu-
gees from Europe and the South poured into De-
troit to man its new factories. Many of these refu
gees tried to Americanize themselves overnight by
initiating the worst elements in the population.
Ineffective civic and governmental leadership
in Detroit permitted the anti-democratic forces to
run wild. Now an atmosphere has developed in the
community which bears on some occasions more re-
semblance to Germany than America Today our
community and governmental leadership IN w S
that it must challenge these antidemocratic forces
or submit to a condition Of unrest and chaos.
There can be peace in Detroit and ma orty
groups can live together in harmony. To achieve
this our city fathers must make stand against the
growth of racism against the extension of'the doc
trine Of the ku Klux Khan, against the sadstic
DULLES who kick other people around