Arizona sun., 1961-08-17
NAACP Officials
Denounce Housing
Incident

lIlIluClII
San Francisco - The West Coast
Region NAACP through its Of
ficialS, Regional Chairman, c. L.
Dellums, Regional Treasurer, w.
Byron Rumford and Acting Re-
gional Secretary, Tarea Hall Pitt
man, sent statements to the DR..
Price M. Cobb family and to Mrs.
Elsie Clarke, the owner of tn e
house where he lives in the West
lake addition of San Francisco
Immediately upon learning of the
action of a neighbOr who made
derogatory statements about not
wanting to live next door to a Ne
gro family. Statements were also
sent to Governor Edmund Brown
and Mayor George Christopher as
a result of this incident To DR..
Cobb and family, the text of the
NAACP telegram dispatched on
August z, follows:
The West Coast Region of
the National Association for
the advancement of colored
people deeply regrets the fact
that you and your family have
been subjected to racial insults
and harrassment from the resi-
dents of the Westlake District
of San Francisco. This is an0th-
er in the growing list of Incl
dents throughout the S tate
where Negro families have suf-
fered harrassment as result
of their desire to obtain decent
housing for themselves. The
NAACP fully supports your
right to secure and live in the
home of your choice. We have
registered a complaint with
city and state officials. Please
feel free to call upon this Of
flee for any assistance we may
give under these trying circum-
stances.
To Mrs. Elsie Clarke, the text
of NAACP telegram dispatched
August z, follows:
The West Coast Region Ma
tional Association for the adj
vancement of colored people
deeply deplores the action Of
residents of Westlake District
which caused residents of your
property to move. This office
wishes to commend the position
you took in this matter as re-
ported in the Press. The Naa-
CP supports your right 20
maintain your property a nd
the right of Negroes to occupy
it.
In kilograms to California Gov
ernor Edmund Brown and San
Francisco Mayor George Christie
pher, Mr.. Dellums, Mr.. Rumford,
and Mrs. Pittman said: ~
The West Coast Regional OF
flee through it's officials take
this means of bringing to your
attention its deep concern a.
bout the publicized incident in
volving a fine Negro family
residing in the Westlake Dis
trict of San Francisco. The
NAACP feels that the rejection
of DR.. Price Cobb and his fami-
ly as neighbors on racial
grounds is a reflection on the
fair name of San Francisco
and California as place where
Americans of all races a n d
creeds are free to live tOgeth-
er peaceable side by side. Ma
ACP Branches throughout Cali
fornia have reported similar
harrassment of Negro families
which leads us to the inevitable
conclusion that racial tension
and bigotry are rife in this
state. AS a result the National
Association will call upon its
leadership to formulate a pro-
gram of action to be presented
to every city in California to
help alleviate this situation to
the end that fine. Americans
like the Cobbs will not suffer
such indignities in the future.
Mrs. Pittman indicated that Ne
gro families who have moved into
formerly all white districts in Long
Beach, San Fernando Valley, Bak-
ersfield, and San Diego are typical
examples of other cases in the
files of NAACP Branches.