St. Paul recorder., 1963-09-19
Let's All Face Our
Responsibilities

There has been a tendency for some of oul
friends to blame bad housing or economic condi-
tions", other such evils for the recent outrages
committed by Negro youths in and around Central
high school in st. Pau.
For the sake of the cause of good housing as
well for the best interests of the young offenders
themselves, hope this technique Of dispensing the
blame and dluting the responsibility is not carried
any farther than it already has been carried There
has been too much looking around for places to put
the blame and responsibility, and not enough self
analysis in this whole picture.
Let's start at the beginning. The beginning OF
the recent outrageous acts of violence committed
usually against defenseless and unoffending persons
was with the young hoodlums VINO performed the
acts. They have done immeasurable harm to their
schools and their community Worse, they have un-
done, to degree shah be able to calculate
the great work of brave and elf-sacrifcing sol
ders" in the fight for civil rights and equal oppor-
turdties. While these brave soldiers place their
safety their economic security and their very lives
on the hne, bunch of mindless young hoodlums go
around St. Paul creating II told you so" ammunition
for our enemies.
The offenders should be identified and appropri-
atey disciplined and restrained If this calls for
police action be it, 1t calls preferably for action
in the home action in the school by school author
tes, by Negro student leaders and student leaders
generally It calls for action by the Negro comnuni-
ty especially by the churches. 1t is up to the Negro
community to impress upon these offenders the
larger meaning of their offenses and to teach them
the lessons of patience, endurance self-restraint
and self-disciphne which great weapons in
the national fight for equal opportunities
One of the troublesome developments in the
present problem has been the tendency to pass the
buck" We know that bad housing and economic op-
preston contributing factors in such violent out
breaks, but can't stop present violence by cam
pagnng for better housing some time in the future
We stop it by stopping it. Prodmate violence is a
police problem but the city authorities tend to
blame the school authorities. The offending young
Negroes land other, better disciplined Negroes too)
have been subjected TO a fiendish and very well
organized campaign of provocaton-taunts insults
and worse-under the eyes and ears of the Central
high school authorities but the school people pass
the buck to the police
Let's start over again Let's each of us, individu-
ally and organized groups look for our own re-
sponsibthties in the matter. Let's hope-without
making big issue of it-that the other fellow will
do the The Negro community needs to work
with the families of the offenders, and help them to
understand the grave injuries they are doing not
only to their victims but to themselves and Negro
people throughout the country We need 10 create a
public opinion among our people that will enforce
greater discipline. We need to encourage student
leaders who are Negroes to wear two hats" and to
take special leadership responsibilities among Ne
gro students
St Paul police spokesmen recently have repeat
ed the complaint that they accused of prejudice
when they act against Negro A lot of this is non
sense. However 1t calls for reaffirmaton Of the
position of the responsible Negro community that
expect the police to enforce the law protect the
community and make necessary arrests without re-
gard to color. We will continue as we have in the
past to back up the police in the proper discharge
of 5ufia