Evening star., 1948-12-21
Segregation
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barricades satisfactory to the Real
Estate Board"
While conceding that the report
has not exaggerated the housing
shortage and slum conditions" he
said his commission has beer
proud to lead the fight" for rehous.
ing legislation.
He charged "a small group of mis-
led colored spokesmen" with 1.-The
height of folly and bad judgment
in preventing an appropriation tc
initiate action under the Redevelop-
ment Act of 1945.
Blame for the present desperate
housing situation must lie on the
conscience of those who, after un-
successfully fighting the legislation
in each case, have prevailed in pre-
venting the wishes OF Congress
from being carried out" he stated.
Gen. Grant, referring to the re.
ports statement that "the proper
ton of Negroes in the District oi
Columbia has declined from 1916
per cent in 1880 to 80 per cent in
1947," pointed out that 1880 was
the peak year for Negro population
here and declared:
Comparison of the highest re-
corded census with the present esti-
mated percentage is not the fair or
whole picture"
THE report seems to imply" he
said, that the lot of colored people
in Washington Is so terrible as to
be intolerable. and yet the facts
indicate it Is anything Lut unpopu-
lar with them" Ninety-two per
cent of the increase in the colored
population since 1900 has been due
to immigration, he said.
Preference In Housing Plan.
Gen. Grant denied that Negroes
are being driven back" into their
own parts Of the city, as charged
in the report, declaring that there
is just no additional housing for
them.
The author Of the report has
been misled by a false and vicious
rumor that under the Redevelop-
ment Act it was intended to move
them out of the largest slum area
in the northwest to other places.
On the contrary, it is the declared
policy of our commission and of
the Redevelopment Land Agency to
give preference in the new dwellings
to present occupants of the area.
The burden of inadequate housing
conditions has fallen on both white
and colored because efforts Of Gov
ernment agencies to provide more
housing have been frustrated"
Gen. Grant said. He termed the
housing situation Washington's
greatest social problem"
IF the report Of the self-ap-
pointed Committee on Segregation
in the Nations Capital arouses pub.
lie opinion to solve this disgrace
full condition the unjustif1ed
attacks upon those who have en-
deavored to remedy it will be for
given and the misstatements and
appeals to human prejudices may
be forgotten"
Seeks to Improve Conditions.
Gen. Grant emphasized that the
Park and Planning Commission
has taken the law as its guide and
purposely has "refrained from TAX
ing sides on most Of the issues with
which the report is concerned. He
said it had worked "persistently" to
improve living conditions "for the
poor of both races"
Hundreds Of units of private
housing and their proportion of
public housing" have been built for
Negroes in recent years, Gen. Grant
said.
The commission chairman denied
flatly the reports charge that he
takes the view that the commission
must observe the segregation prin-
ciple until the community Is ready
for mixed neighborhoods, and that
the commission "is driving new
highways between the races and
eyacuating Negroes from areas where