St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-11-09

left much to be desired. 1t Is Sug-
gested that the st. Paul branch
of the NAACP or even the Urban
League should investigate very
closely whether a racially discrim-
inatory policy is in vogue. The
State NAACP knew about this last
summer but we have not heard
whether an investigation was made
or not.
Same Old Stuff: For the past
IS years periodically when a hue
and cry goes up in Minneapolis to
clean up prostitution, narcotics
peddling etc, city officials react
by cracking down on places like
bars, and mite spots where persons
engaged in such law infractions
may find bases of operation.
Usually after the news stories
hearings and much crashing OF
teeth and pas sing the buck
some place owned or catering to
a portion Of the Negro population
has its license revoked and all is
well until the next newspaper ex-
pose Of Federal court testimony
arouses another "viceSclean-up."
1t has always been easy to
make one Of the places catering
to Negroes and whites looking
for a good time, music and en-
tertainment the target and
scapegoat in such "cleanups."
Anybody who walks down Hen
nepin Av., or in any other area
where there are bars, hotels and
motels know that prostitution is
not confined to one or two bars
There is hardly a drinking place
in any city where hard liquor is
dispensed that there are not some
prostitutes plying their trade.
Owners of bars are almost
helpless in trying to keep women
''hustlers," from coming into
their places. No bar owner or
bartender Is on good legal
grounds II he presumes to refuse
to serve patrons, even II he
knows they have been accused
or convicted Of some offense.
The only thing he can do is see
that they do not operate In his
place.
There are no laws which say a
bar owner may refuse to serve a
person because he thinks they may
be engaged in illegal pursuits,
There are tenuous ways of dis
couraging such patronage, but any
one who knows the bar business
especially the hard liquor dispen-
saries in any city knows thai
there are a few bars where there
are not men looking for a pickup
and women looking for customers
No matter how much a bal
owner tries to cooperate with the
police to keep certain types Of
traffic at a reduced rate, he has
his limitations and it's not really
his business to act as a policeman
AS long as he discourages wrong
doing on his premises, this SHOULD
be enough.
The Minneapolis city council lie
enses committee is presently hold
ing a hearing on whether to re-
woke the licenses Of the Key Clut
and South Of the Border Bar.
Incidently the Key Club was thu
first, first rate night club in Min
neapolis booking first class attrac
tons where Negroes have Away
been welcome. The fact that many
of the towns topnight white fam
lilies seeking entertainment havC
also frequented the place from
time to time is purely incidental
Somebody needs a scapegoat Il
answer the present howl which ha!
arisen and as usual, as per Gus
tom the first target happens to b
the one place where all classe!
of Negroes have always been vel
coined as long as they have con
Quoted themselves properly.
More than this the Key Club ha!
always been the place where thu
grossly Disseminated against Ne
gro musicians, could earn a living
and Negro mattresses and walters
and floormen and bartenders coulC
ply their trades. Look around a.
most Of the bars and aside from
the Cassius Bar, the number o.
Negroes employees in any Of thos'
other spots frequented by Negroes
Is practically nil. Negro porterl
o, yes, but bartenders, mattresses
checkers, floor men, head walters
No!
This Is the reason why Baltic
Is fed up with the continued pol
Icy Of automatically making q
spot like the Key Club the ma
tural patsy" or "ScapegOat" In
these cleanups. BaiIie hopes the
council license committee win
look before It leaps and reflect
over any action It takes.
II the plan is to conduct a thor
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