The Miami times., 1951-09-29

In view of recent happenings in
the Carver Village dispute and
the dynamiting of two of the
apartments last Saturday morn
ing the following letter to the
Planning Board by owners of this
property makes interesting read
ing. and need little, If any, conn
ment frem this journal
The Miami Planning Board
Miami, Florida
Gentlemen:
We are advised that you have
called a hearing TO consider re-
zoning our property lying south
of NV TlSt street and east of NV
18th ave. Your original motion
was 10 consider q reZoning from
the present business and multiple
family classification 10 single
family. Our information is that
your present hearing is to conSid-
e. 3 more liberal Zoning, lie. in
duS.rial. We object to the propos-
ed change on the following
grounds
/. The motive for the proposal is
not to seek the highest and best
use of our land, but rather 20 at
tempt TO illegally zone on racial
basis. II has been openly stated
in public, in private and in print
that the purpose was TO give the
owners the 'hotfoot."
2. The public health, welfare
and safety will not be served by
such a rezoning; a small segment
of our citizens, asking this move,
feel that their financial welfare
will be served by barring the
colored race from this land.
3. Good coming practice will
recognize the Improperly of the
suggested change. The land is
bounded by single family on the
west Ccolored) and the south
(white) and part of the east
(white) on 69th street and jutting
into our property from the east
1t is residential gcolored multiple) i.
The industrial zone on the north
side of 7lSt street is vacant and
unused AS buffer between the
industrial ZONE Just mentioned
and the residential Zone within
cur property is Z business zone
classification. You recognized
these principles in establishing the
present zones several years ago
There have been no changes in
the ne5ghborhoo6 and adjacent
community which Justify the pro
posed change either TO industrial
or 10 e more restrictive claSSifi-
cation in residential use On the
contrary, the area has developed
as you planned il and zone6 IT.
This confirms the correctness Of
your previous decision and there
Is now no reason 10 change except
an Illegal and improper reason -
that of trying to exclude 1 b e
col0reG-
T. Your Board must recognize
in its planning category that leg
ally and morally you must zone
for the general public, and not for
special interest groups II you
are trying to single out 3 special
group you would do well to con-
slider the colored problem. We
know you conclude the Negroes
are entitled 10 expansion areas in
proportion to their growth In
population in comparison with
our White growth. Calm ansly-
sis of this truth makes you admit
that this can be done only by Gre
ating new colored areas or by ex-
panding existing ones. You seek
by this move to prevent the ex-
panSion of the existing coaore1
section known as Liberty City
You must, if YOU decide 10 so into
This subject which is an imprcDer
one for E0nlng, consider how you
are going to meet this problem of
an expanding Negro population
which is created by the same God
who created you
We have eliminated whole col
oTe6 areas such as the old Rail-
way Shops Addition which was
taken over by the School Board
and the City and have assigned
them nothing to take its place I'm
the city The city presently in