Box 3, Folder 17, Document 4

Box 3, Folder 17, Document 4

NEW YORK URBAN COALITION ING., 60 EAST 42nd STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017 212-697-9202



LINCOLN O. LYNCH / Executive Vice President

May 20, 1969

The Honorable Ivan Allen, dr,
The Mayor of the City of Atlanta
City Hall

Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Mr. Mayor:

Recent events on the campuses, in the high schools, and in the ghetto
communities across the nation lead us to conclude the Summer 1969 may
be fraught with danger for the major cities of our nation.

The recent Federal and state cutbacks in funds available to the cities,
the severe budgetary problems now faced by the cities themselves, to-
gether with the inability of the private sector to employ out-of-school
young people during the summer make it imperative that the Federal gov-
ernment be persuaded to commit additional funds to the Neighborhood
Youth Corps in order to provide many of these youngsters with a meaning-
ful summer job rather than allow them to roam the streets with all the
dangers inherent in their idleness.

As you know, the United States Department of Labor has made a decision to
fund the Neighborhood Youth Corps in Summer 1969 at the same level as in
1968. This, in effect, means that fewer youngsters will be employed in
1969 as were in 1968, if one takes into consideration the fact that there
will be more young people out of school in 1969 than there were in 1968.
For example, here in New York, it is estimated that there are 150,000
high school and college students whose family income fall within the poy-
erty guidelines. We also estimate that there are an additional 100,000
students whose families are living on the borderline of poverty and will
be seeking jobs this coming summer. In Summer 1968 it is estimated that
New York was able to provide jobs for some 77,000 young people. At the
1969 funding level, which has already been announced by Secretary of Labor
Schultz, New York City will be able to provide some 55,000 summer jobs,
22,000 fewer than in 1968.

The Manpower Task Force and the Board of Directors of the New York Urban
Coalition have placed top priority on efforts to persuade the Administra-
tion to request sufficient supplemental appropriations from Congress, and
Congress to grant such supplemental requests for the Neighborhood Youth
Corps to enable the cities to provide employment for a significant number
of young people out of school.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Christian A. Herter, Jr.. Vice President, Mobil Oil Corporation; Chairman @ Evelina Antonetty, Executive Director, United Bronx Parents ® Humberto Aponte, Member, Council Against
Poverly @ Morris D. Crawford, Chairman, Bowery Savings Bank ® Leon J. Davis, President, Local 1199, Drug and Hospital Employees Union & William Donaldson, President, Donaldson,
Lufkin & Jenrette inc. @ Edwin Greenidge, Ghairman, South Bronx Gommunity Corporation @ Matthew Guinan, President, Transport Workers Union of America & William Haddad, Prasi-
dent, United States R and D Corp. ® Andrew Heiskell, Chairman, Time Inc, @ Roger Hull, Chairman, Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York @& Charles F. Luce, Chairman,
Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. @ David B. McCall, President, LaRoche, McCaffrey & McCall & Herbie Miller, Urban League Street Academy @ Roswell B, Perkins,
Partner, Debevoise, Plimpton, Lyons & Gates © Alan Pifer, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York B Jacob S. Potofsky, President, Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America @
T. George Silcatt, Asst. Professor, New York University School of Social Work ®@ David Spencer, Executive Secretary, 1.8. 201 Planning Board Complex @ Louis Stulberg, President,
International Ladies Garment Workers Union @ Franklin A. Thomas, Executive Director, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp. @ Harry Van Arsdale, Jr., President, Central Labor Council
® \sidro Velez, Director, East Harlem Tenants Council ® Saul Wallen, President, New York Urban Coalition ™ Thomas R. Wilcox, Vice Chairman, First National City Bank
NEW YORK URBAN COALITION INCG,, 60 EAST 42nd STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y, 10017 212-697-9202

The Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr. May 20, 1969

Obviously, it is unlikely that individual cities will receive increased
grants for this purpose unless the national total is itself increased.
This would suggest that a national campaign be undertaken to secure a
very significant increase in the amount of Federal funds made available
to provide summer jobs for youths.

As the Mayor of a very important city, and as one who recognizes the
problems of the cities and the dangers of thousands of idle young people
roaming the streets, you are urged to join with us in asking the Adminis-
tration and Congress to increase these funds quite substantially.

While we believe that the provision of jobs for young people during the
summer will not in and of itself insure a peaceful summer, we strongly
believe that risk will be significantly minimized. I am sure you will
agree with us that it is far more desirable to use our resources to in-
sure that young people are gainfully employed than to spend hundreds of
millions of dollars to repair damages caused by idleness and frustration.

For your information we are enclosing a list of Senators and Congressmen
on the Appropriations Committee and urge that you take such steps as you
see fit in helping to resolve what could be a grave national crisis.

I am,
Loar ly youry,
Le 0. LYNCH
Executive Vice President
LOL: gw

CC: Hon. John V. Lindsay
Andrew Heiskell
Saul Wallen
Gary Lefkowitz