Evening star., 1952-10-17
Roseda|e0pens
On monday for
|bi-Racia| Use
Inteeroted Stoff
Plans Program as
Segregation Ends
By Jones 6. Deone

By Jones 6. Deone
A bi-racial staff prepared today
TO open Rosedale Playground on
IN inter-racial basis on Monday.
Two white and two Negro staff
members will man the northeast
playground, ordered opened to Ne
yroes as we'll as white children
by 5-to-2 vote Of the Recrea-
ton Board yesterday.
The new staff met this morn
ing to discuss the Fairgrounds
operation.
Rosedale has been closed for
the last month because of violence
there in a dispute about its long
standing exclusion of Negroes.
Yesterdays decision climaxed a
year of bitter controversy, which
frequent picketing. The
vote followed a public hearing
Tuesday at which spokesmer for
81 civic groups urged the change
and spokesmen for 30 others OPP
posed it.
Collins Dissents.
Board Chairman Frank H. Col
Inns and Mrs. o. G.. Hankins cast
the dissenting votes.
Col. Collins urged the board to
put off the decision until after
the presidential election and after
the Supreme Court decides cur
rent school segregation cases.
He charged that force and
violence were used in the campaign
to end Rosedale's race bars. He
also contended white residents Of
the neighborhood were not being
given proper consideration.
Walter L. Fowler, District
budget officer and city representa-
tive on the board. said he did not
believe recreation officials had
been intimidated, however. He
announced he would vote for
inter-racial operation, because he
feels it is his duty to vote as he
believes the Commissioners would.
Mrs. Alice c. Hunter, colored
member; Edward j. Kelly, In
terror Department representative.
and Henry Gichner had been ex-
pected to vote for the change.
Miss Mary Harriet Parker, re-
presenting the Board Of Educa-
ton, Joined them.
White Boycott Predicted.
Col. Collins. after the decision.
predicted that white residents will
stay away from the playground.
He also predicted, during the de-
bate preceding the vote, that end
|of Rosedale's race bars would be
followed by an "attack" on white
facilities in Georgetown.
Supt. Milo F. Christensen, how
ever, said staff members already
have had numerous conferences
about operating Rosedale in its
new status. Mr.. Christensen and
his staff recommended the change.
He declared:
Were ready to take over on
Monday and do the best job pos
sible."
Staff members plan to organize
semimonthly meetings with lead
ers of both races in the community
in order to work for neighborhood
cooperation, he said.
Three of the four staff men,
bers are new to the playground.
The fourth, Mr.. Christensen said.
is an older employe there, who
volunteered to remain.
The Recreation Department al
ready had 81 inter-racial play
areas, out of a total of 127. The
board yesterday also voted to make
three others besides Rosedale in
ter-racial, bringing the non-segre-
gated units to Is.
No Dispute on Three.
The other three Fairgrounds.
about which there was no con-
troversy, are Cardozo. Tenth and
r. streets NV. and Mary Force
Stead, Sixteenth and P streets
INV, both under construction and
due to open next spring. and
Douglass Dwellings, Twentieth
street and Alabama avenue Sc.
The latter serves a housing de-
Ivelopment recently made inter-
racial.
Blow playground. for Negroes.
will be closed.
No decision was made on Rose
dale's swimming pool. Mr.. Gichner
urged that be settled Immediately,
too, but Mr.. christensen pointed
out the pool won't reopen until
June and he plans a study in the
meantime.
Col. Collins. on September %.
voted in favor of the Rosedale
playground change. This vote was
on a recommendation by the
boards transition committee.
which includes all board members.
The vote then was unanimous,
but Mrs. Hankins was not present.
The chairman, explaining he
had changed his mind, addressed
his colleagues at length before
yesterdays vote.
He said he favored giving the
colored people everything the
white people have got" But he
added:
II don't think this is the time
to open Rosedale. I don't think
it's consistent with the public
interest. I know 1t isn't consistent
with public order, and it will be
q little difficult to have effective
administration there and will in
crease the cost of running the
Recreation Department program"
Charges Violence Threat.
He also charged that most
organizations have used a threat
that. If we don't open Rosedale,
the tension is terrible and violence
might come out"