Arizona sun., 1949-11-11
Painters Of
Ethiopia Cadets
BY DON WILLUBY
(Installment No. 2
Continued From Last ISSue)


After many weeks of getting to-
gether, planning the kids really
brought up something. The Pan
tier Club took shape and the first
Spring Time Party went over with
bang at J. o. Greene. Matte
Dotson was the queen. The police
blocked off the street, Reynolds
orchestra gave out sweet music.
The whole street was decorated
with buntings and flags, one hun
dred and twenty-five kids were
really somebody that day. 1t cost
$1,000, even with Skinny, Blind
Jack and orchestra giving music
free. The 125 dollars came from
Josephine Baker in Paris, France.
Though it was sent as personal
gift to Dobbs who had to come to
the open air for his health. Jose
phine know the hard behind the
scene fight to reorganize the 18th
N. Y. Regiment. 1924 she was the
Regimental girl-then dancing with
Noble, Sissle-Dobbs at the same
time won the high score for pistol
for the Harlem Regiment.
After party, the kids who lived
on Washington, Jefferson, Adams,
Madison streets from Second to
18th Street made a shocking con-
trast to the prostitutes who infest-
ed this area, even close to the
churches and schools there in.
A child has a way of knowing
xxTIon a oh
know much about what goes on all
around them. There were Ia wide
open prostitute houses, and several
others on the quiet, in the area
spoken of. The police knew about
them. The preachers knew about
them. The parents knew about
them. The politicians knew about
them. The kids knew about them
but nothing was ever done about
them. The brazen women, rough
from the log camps, and mill sites
of the South would advertise their
trade right over actual heads of
kids on their way to church, and
school.
DobbS made written demand
that these houses in this area be
closed and that kids be allowed to
walk these streets without these
scenes staring them in the face.
After several weeks of passing the
buck, DobbS pressed for a show
down. The city manager said there
must be definite proof. The preach
ers said let the wheat and tare
grow together. The land lords paid
taxes and needed rent. Rev. VIM.
Solly and the priest of the Mexi-
can Church came over to Dobbs |
side. Nine Mexican families were
rounded up to take the houses. But |
the trade was well intrenched. So |
to discredit the move. Pimps would |
send white men to Dobbs house
looking for colored girls. The third |
two that came about 10 p. m. one |
evening ran into trouble. One |
landed in the gutter with a broken
porch and the other turned on the
fan while 30-40 Craig made him
behave in flight.
These men were arrested, for
feited their bonds. Dobbs gave |
notice to the city manager that 100 |
kids would mark the houses of |
prostitution by breaking the win
dow panes with rocks, if the po-
lice persisted in not knowing where
the houses were. And the invita-
ton was made to arrest the 100
kids for wanting to have this mess
moved out of their faces. The
leading women clubs were inform
ed of our fight. Within two weeks
Chambers and Lightning Delivery
vans were busy in this section. The
kids knew what was going on.
They went and came with their
heads a little higher and with
firmer feeling of the power of just
plain decency.