Evening star., 1953-04-28
''RoodbIock to SIum Clearance"

are SUBJECT to condensation.
"Roodblock to SIum Clearance"
My concentrations on your editorial
of April %. 'Roadblock to Slum Clear
ance." Economy is a wise measure but
curtailment of the present D. c. slum
clearance bill is false economy. The
Government has moral obligation to
the people to provide decent housing
conditions for human beings who are
now living in rat-infeSted and over
crowded dwellings. Doesn't Congress
realize that slum conditions breed dis
ease. criminals and deterioration of
human dignity and spirit? Through
the years man has strived to progress
but allowing slums to exist is certainly
contradictory to mans fundamental
aspirations.
Roma L. Silberg.
Your editorial of April %, entitled
"Roadblock to Slum Clearance" pre-
sents forceful and compelling picture
Of a very laudable purpose, ie., slum
clearance in Washington. However,
there is an outgrowth to this problem
upon which you comment only by ref
erence and perhaps this tail on the
kite" should be further explored.
Your editorial states. in commenting
on the f1rst-section Southwest Rede-
velopment Project, that "the District
Redevelopment Land Agency has the
responsibility of assuring all displaced
residents of adequate shelter" Contin-
uing, you point out that Ito make GER
tain that the evicted families are cared
for, the agency DRLA) is relying on
the cooperation of the National Capt.
lie housing units as necessary"
It Is the latter mentioned activity, of
the NCHA, upon which you fail to
comment in detail and which, upon
further examination, may tend to fully
justify the House vote to discontinue
the public housing program.
The questions posed by NCHA's part
in the "plan" are: Where are the "low-
cost" housing units NCHA proposes to
supply as necessary" to be located?
What effect will the proposed relocation
of Southwest citizens have on the COM
munity to which they will be trans
ferred? And, to borrow Congressman
Robert Richs favorite query, Where
you going to get the money!"
The National Capital Housing Au-
thority now has under construction
256-unit "low-cost" housing project in
Southeast Washington. This is an addi-
ton to NCHAs present Highland
Dwellings Project. The new construc-
ton of 256 units is bounded, generally,
by Wheeler road, Foxhan place and
Valley avenue Sc. The area surround
ing the "low-cost housing" (and indeed
the original portion of Highland
Dwellings, is an entirely white neigh
borhood. NCIA has publicly announced
that in filing its new units in Highland
Dwellings segregation will not be OBJ
served. This means, in Washington,
that the entire development will be
occupied by Negroes. A NCHA official,
in response to direct question at a
citizens association meeting, failed to
deny that it was the purpose of his
agency to relocate the displaced citi-
zens Of the Southwest section in NCHA's
"low-coSt" housing project in Southeast
Washington.
AS matter of fact, Highland Dwell
ings in Southeast is the only project
under NCHA's jurisdiction available to
handle the relocation" of the South
west residents and, in the absence of a
denial by NCHA that this is the pro-
posed "plan," it can be assumed that if
the Southwest Redevelopment project
is carried through. the present residents
will be relocated in the NCHA project
in Southeast.
Now we come to the effect Of such
relocation" Since the NCHA an
nounced some weeks ago that the addi-
tion to its Highland Dwellings project
would be nonsegregated, "for sale"
signs have begun to appear in number
among the owners Of properties ada
cent to the NCHA's "low-cost" housing
project. The first sales, or turnover.
will be to white residents who, because
of economic reasons, will have to forgo
the stigma of living in mixed" neigh
borhood Eventually, however (and !
speak from experience, having lived
through one relocation" in a Wash
ington community, the pressure of
racial modes and customs will become
too great and the second turnover"
(this time to Negroes) will take place.
This final "reshufling" of residents will
have brought the wheel full turn. The
redevelopment Of the Southwest area
to eliminate slum area will have gen.
Grated another one. This time in the
Southeast.
And then, too, where you going to
get the money" for all this? From
the taxpayers pocket of course.
The Senate could well follow the ex-
cellent example of the House and vote
to eliminate funds for public housing"
in the 1854 budget.
Reader.