Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-08
BY HARRY BACAS

u Slcp lOIWdlu VI oCCp UoCh III
meeting Washington's problems in
race relations.
The club was No. IL Police Boys
Club, the third to lose its club
house because of the refusal Of
the Police Boys Club directors to
change their policy of segregating
white and Negro boys. 1t was
ordered by the Board of Education
to vacate the Brookland School in
Northeast Washington. Before that,
Club No. IL was forced out of the
Anacostia Fieldhouse, which stands
on Federal property in Southeast
Washington. A year and half
ago Club No. 10 left its l5-year-old
quarters at All Souls Unitarian
Church in Northwest Washington
when the church asked it to begin
migrating.
The Metropolitan Police Boys
Club has served $4,000 boys-white
and colored-Since it was founded
in 1884. 1t still has nine units. But
only six of them still have home
-four clubs for Negroes and two
for whites. All three clubs which
have been disposSessed are white
clubs. In each case, the people
responsible said they were trying
to increase opportunities for the
city's youth.
What is happening to the boys
who used to work. play and study
in the clubhouseS and can no
longer?
A large number of then have
dropped out of sight altogether. A
much smaller number have man
aged to stay in the limited pro-
grams the three homeless clubs are
able to maintain The rest-the
smallest number have joined new,
integrated clubs.
Results Are Disputed
Opponents of indignation, or of
forced" indignation. say this
proves that most Washingtonians
don't want social mixing OF the
races and won't accept it in boys
clubs. Supporters of migration
say the new clubs are successful.
but a change in social habits takes
time. they are starting from scratch
and they need more money.
The principal integrated club
and the one being watched most
closely is at All Souls Church.
Sixteenth and Harvard streets NV.
This is the church from which the
No. 10 Police Boys Club departed
in December. 1854. rather than
open its doors to white and colored
alike.
Dlsputants have cited the club as
proof of the success and as proof
of the failure of indignation.
The new club, named the Co.
lumbia Heights Boys Club. was
formed, a church spokesman says.
Ito fill what otherwise would be a
DANGEROUS vacuum" 1t has had
some rough times. The church was
not prepared to spend anything like
the amount of money it would have
required to replace all the equip
ment the Police Boys Club took out
with it and put into storage. The
church itself does not run the club.
A separate committee does. They
have a $4,000 annual budget from
the national Unitarian Service
Committee. Now the club commit
tee is conducting a campaign to
raise $4,000 in local contributions.
CThe Police Boys Clubs this year
collected S320,000l
Attendance at the new club grew
slowly. Most of the boys who came
were Negroes The older boys didn't
get on we'll together AS one club
sponsor explained. the new mem
. berS, mostly Negroes. were unused
to any club and some of them were
unused to social behavior" The
club soon was forced to reduce the
age limit from II to IA. TO keep
out the rowdier element. Disci-
plinary problems have largely dis
appeared now. but other problems
continue. The principal one is lack
of equipment and staff.
=. Only on Rainy Days
During these summer months,
sign is hung on the basement door
leading to the clubrooms, 1t says,
Columbia Heights Boys Club-All
Members Please Go to Powell Play
ground for Summer Activities
Open Only on Rainy Days-Powell.
3 Blocks" An arrow points north.
The door is locked. At the play
ground, District Recreation De-
partment supervisors are on duty
from 10 am. to pm The Column
bia Heights Boys Club supervisor
comes on at 3 or pm. and stays
until dark. The club would need
more money to keep the clubhouse
open and supervise the summer
outdoor program, too, 1t feels the
outdoor program is more important
Club membership is about $50,
but the number of boys to be seen
any day at the Powell Playground
is rarely as high as dozen, except
NAlOAA a NiOb pay q Jan
game. Then there may be twice
as many. During the school year,
when their basement clubhouse is
open. up to so or 60 boys a day
visit the club So far, most of the
white boys to come have been
younger boys. They are outnum-
bered about to by the colored
boys.
For their use. there is a basket
ball court: woodworking shop
equipped with a small power lathe.
jig saw, circular saw and some hand
tools lounge containing an old
l0-inch television set, a battered
table radio-record player and an
upright piano; shower with dress
Ing space gallery with large
pool table, two smaller pool tables
and ping-pong table Last week,
brushes. tarpaulins and cans OF
paint we're stacked in a cool base
ment corridor. The young people
of the church had been painting
fho rltthpnottoc II, fI1o nua,,it,ng