Evening star., 1955-07-09
Urge,
Virginia 10 Quit
Park Business
Attorney General !
Says Court Ruling
Bars Segregation

RICHMOND, Va, July 8 LP.
"A recommendation Virginia
get out Of the public park busi-
ness and the beginning Of q
campaign for immediate inte-.
grafton in the States public
schools are the latest develop
|ments on segregation.
Attorney General J. Lindsay
Almond. ir.. said yesterday the
State should quit the public park
business as quickly and COM
lpletely as possible because no
legal defense is left for the
operation of segregated State
owned parks.
Local branches Of the National
Association for the Advance
Iment Of Colored People have
filed petitions requesting i'm
mediate action on the elimina-
|tion Of segregation in schools in
Newport News and Isle Of Wight
County.
The Newport News petition
was the first filed by the NAACP
in Virginia and the Isle of Wight
petition was the second. The
petitions asked the school boards
ito take immediate concrete
steps leading to early elimina-
tion of segregation in the public
schools"
Based ON Court Ruling
Mr.. Almonds remarks on park
segregation came after he had
studied the l3-page opinion
handed down Thursday by Fed
|eral Judge Walter E. Hoffman
i'm Norfolk prohibiting the State
from denying Negroes the use
|of Seashore State Park-whether
operated by the State or under
private lease.
Mr.. Almond said it has not
been determined whether Vir-
yinia will appeal Judge Hoffman's
ruling. He said he assumed he
would be asked to confer next
week with Gov. Stanley and Ray
mond v. Long, director of the
State Department Of Conserva-
ton and Development. both Of
whom have been out Of town.
Any appeal in the case. Mr..
Almond said, would be on the
matter of the States leasing the
park to private operator.
Ask School Reorganization
The NAACP petitions in New
port News and Isle of Wight
called on local school boards
there ito take immediate steps
Ito reorganize the public schools
under your jurisdiction so that
children may attend them with
out regard to their race or color"
The Newport News petition
was mailed to the board June 28
and was signed by more than
500 parents or guardians Of
Negro children. The Isle Of
Wight petition went to school
authorities Thursday and was
signed by about 130 persons
representing Negro pupils.
Newport News School--Supt.
Robert o. Nelson said the petit
Itioners had been given permis-
sion to appear at a School Board
meeting Tuesday night to dis
cuss the petition. He said he
thought the board would MAIN
tain its position. adopted at the
last meeting, approving segre-
gated schools for 1866.
The Isle of Wight School
Board. after a meeting Thursday
night, said it could not set a
meeting date to discuss the petit
tion until it had conferred with
the Board of Supervisors, had
seen a report yet to be made by
the State Commission on Public
Education. had learned results
of segregation hearings in Rich
mond July IS and had awaited
further developments on a pos
sible special session Of the Cen
eral Assembly.
w. Lester Banks, executive
secretary of the Virginia NAACP.
said petitions will be filed with
other school boards "in the near
future" He could not say how
many or what school boards will
receive them.