Box 7, Folder 18, Document 21

Box 7, Folder 18, Document 21

JOMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION
ESTABLISHED BY THE MAYOR AND THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN, NOVSUBER, 1068
1208 CITY HALL, ATLANTA GEORGIA s0s03 TELEPHONE 522-4463 EXT. 488

Mr. Invinc K. Kater, Chairman

Tae Hononante Sast Masseui, JR» Ze-Ofielo = WT CHANICSVILLE~PITTSBURGH AREAS MEETING, WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 5, 1967 at ZION HILL BAPTIST CHURCH, 666 McDANIEL ST.

COMMISSION MEMBERS

Mr. T. M. ALEXANDER, Sr.

Mr. R. BYRON ATTRIDGE

eee en cakes Miss Helen Bullard, Chairman, called the meeting to order at

Mx. R. J. Bureae 7:45 P.M. Forty-seven attendance cards were returned. Members
Mr. Ronert Doras pr esent :

Mr. Hamitton Douctas, JR.
Mr. C. G. Ezzarp

Most Reverend et J. HALLINAN Mr. Rolland Maxwell
Archbishop of Atlanta ss Te :
Mr. Josern HaAAs Dr. sam Wil i ams .
Mr. AL KuETrNER Rabbi Jacob Rothschild
Dr. Ropert E. Lee i o 7
Se Rats as wea Mr. Clarence G. Ezzard ;
Mr. F. W. PaTTEnson Mrs. Eliza K. Paschall, Executive Director

Raset Jacos M, RoTHscHILp
Mr. M. O. “Buzz" Ryan

Mr. Jack SELLS Observers:

Mrs. Many STEPHENS

THE REVEREND SAMUEL WILLIAMS uve. Jacob Rothschild
ee a eee Mrs. Marilyn Baldwin

Executive Director

Mr. Joseph Amisano
Rep. John Hood

Miss Bullard remarked that the CRC was appointed by the Mayor and
the Board of Aldermen to try to help to deal with the problems of living
together. She asked the group what it considered No. 1 problem in all
Atlanta. Group answered: “Money..money..money. The next problem:
"Clean up...clean up. The yards, the streets.""' Individuals spoke out
mentioning crime; housing...not enough and what there is, inadequate.

At this point, Miss Bullard invited people to get up and speak out.

l. MR. MARVIN K. MACDOWELL, 781 Hubbard St. S.W.: Speaking for SCLC,
Operation Breadbasket. They are having meetings in the different
neighborhoods, Mechanicsville, Pittsburgh, Grant Park, to get
something done regarding housing and second, the streets...the
majority are dirt streets which need to be paved. Said the people
will have to get up and speak. Miss Bullard asked if the complaint
had been made to the city formally or informally. He said they
have been to EOA centers in the neighborhoods.

2. MR. RUDOLPH HINES, 65 Harlan Rd. S.W.: “One of the problems in
Atlanta is lack of concern that the people of Atlanta have about
somebody else...For 11 months I was assistant director for John Hope
Homes. I know how these people live...Hines continued. "I don't
represent any group but my concern is .. for ail the Negroes in
Atlanta....the evils can be pinpointed in this one...it is inhuman...
it is beyond the law....a lady called me tonight...she said last month
I paid $46 rent...in April I pay $86.." On questioning from Miss
Bullard, he said this is the way rents are adjusted and computed in
public housing...that Mr. Satterfield and Mr. Boggs are little gods
in this town. He told of an incident where a person was seen at the
car stop and since he was then presumably working, his rent was
adjusted so that he owed back rent of $490. Mr. Hines commented
Page 2 of Minutes of Mechanicsville-Pittsburgh Meeting, April 5, 1967

that the tenant organization was not effective since Paragraph S in the

lease says the manager of any individual housing project in Atlanta can
evict any family without written notice for the reason of the eviction.

Mrs. Paschall said she uncerstocd that readjusted rents were not
retroactive. Myr. Hines said that if a person calis the central office
the call is sent back to the area management office...a vicious circle...
the mere fact that the tenant calls downtown makes that tenant next in
line for eviction. :

Mrs. Paschall asked for location of specific streets that needed
repairing to pass on to Mr. Nixon.

Group: "McDaniel Street...it is a hazard. Bass Street...from Cooper to
McDaniel. Pryor...Minora Street to the stadium." In the
group's opinion, formal complaints on these streets have probably
gone into the wastebasket. A woman remarked that on the weekends,
teenagers tear them (the roads) up.

3. REV. Le. C. CLACK, 591 Pulliam St. SW.: He objects to Collier Street being
zoned for commercial use. Thinks it unnecessary...commercial district
already out to Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Advised he had been to one
Zoning meeting. Said he was making a statement right then requesting it
be kept residential. Told Dr. Williams he thought they should attend
the zoning meetings. Dr. Williams skeptical about the effectiveness of
zoning hearings.

Miss Bullard to next speaker: “Are you Speaking as an individual?"

4.MR. EDWIN MOODY, 241 Doane St. S.W. "For once in my life!" Said he agreed
with Dr. Williams about zoning committee. Has several recommendations
for Commission to present to “city fathers" as follows:

a. “Top issue is appointees...most of problems bloom from people
appointed that know or care very little for the problems...how can a well-
fed person know actually how a hungry person feels..how can a person in

a mansion know how a person in a ragged, substandard house lives?

b. "Tax dollars - start to spend fund to labor where it has been neglected..
in Mechanicsville, Summerhill, Pittsburgh.

c. "Hire us on a qualified man-to-man basis...in the Georgia State
Employment Service, it hasn't stopped...

d. "Laws voted by legislature..almost any tax increase is helping poverty..
Atlanta's sewage tax falls on the tenants...our representatives voted
themselves raises..this means more tax for the poor man to pay. I will not
vote for a single person offering for re-election next time and I hope you
Will follow the same example.

e. "I will conclude with planning, zoning and housing..to get a house
you have to get it zoned from a to z, to get conmercial you have to get
it zoned from a to z, same for schools...when you go before the zoning
committee, you don’t make A, you-done Lost out...these departments should

be one and an allowance should be made for elderly homeowners...members,

2° c 4. "i : = :
pore don't come out and listen and place it in file 13--come out here
and do something about this...there is a long hot summer coming...I got
Page 3 of Minutes of Mechanicsville-Pittsburgh Meeting, April 5, 1967

kids in the schools and those two-for-a-quarter rides come dear for me...
(he mentioned meeting at State Capitol re increase)...the Commission (Public
Service) will hold a hearing...the more of us get there the less chance

they will get to raise...Sommerville will get mad but I have got to pay

Mr, Sommerville.

Remarked that not voting for those presently in office might let the next
one know not to vote himself a raise. On questioning by a reporter,
remarked that the Georgia State Employment Service still goes by a color
line.

5. MRS. ETHEL SHAW, 592 Whitehall Terrace. Complained of surrounding apartment
buildings having no janitors. "Have called City Hall five times, written to
Ivan Allen, Jr. ...the inspector came out and went around and cleaned up
one time...been no one Since. Don't know who the landlords of buildings
are......apartment at 600 Whitehall Terrace is ridiculous." (Discussion
between Mrs. Shaw and person in group re contacting her area block
chairman for corrective action.)

6. REP. JOHN HOOD, 124 District, 802% Pryor St. S.W. In checking, he found
that motels are going in this area. Pryor St. area sewer problem is a
hazard...on a rainy day your car will almost drown out. Commission should
recommend to City Hall something be done. Need a school to go along with
650 apartment units planned for construction on McDaniel St. Construction
(of the school) has not started and if it is to be finished within the
allotted time, they will have to get on the ball (they being the Bd. of
Education) to get property in this area. Mr. Hood advised he had voted
for salary increase.

One person reported a river when it rains on Ira Street where he
lives and a horrible mess afterwards.

7. MRS. ROSA BROWN, Chairman of Area Block 42, EOA. Adressing Mr. Hood;
"The people on Garbaldi Street have been asking for a light." Cited
dangers of dark area. Sewer too small on Stevens and Sanders St...stays
stopped up all the time. (Light on Garibaldi between Bass & Stephens.)

Mrs. Paschall advised that the city is beginning a lighting modernization
plan - asked that she be advised of special places where lights are needed -
takes six to eight weeks because the Board of Aldermen has to pass a resolution
for each location.
Group: "We have asked for a light at Rockwell and McDaniel. 396 Baker is

broke up."

Mr. Moody speaking again asked why the planners and the zoning committee
don't get together on the Model City plan - work in places going to be wasted -
office building was to be built on Richardson and Central - neighborhood
protested - protested on I-20. If commercial comes into neighborhood, residents
might as well pick up and leave.

Mrs. Paschall reported what Mr. Gladin told her about the Model
City program - the application from City of Atlanta to Federal Government is
for $500,000 to pay for a year of planning and at the end of the year would
come a grant to put the plans into effect .. if grant is approved, they will
want to meet with the people in the community to talk about what kind of
neighborhood the people want - the more prepared the people are to talk about
what they want, the stronger the plan will be when it gets going.
Page 4 of Minutes of Mechanicsville-Pittsburgh Meeting, April 5, 1967.

Mr. Hood speaking again: “Mr. Hazzard and I are in a peculiar
situation because the last two meetings I have found myself with the
Commission in the neighborhood in which I live ... and I have been trying
to keep up with it as much as possible." Thinks a strong organization will
be needed in Atlanta if it gets the grant. Thinks one and a half million
dollars is a small sum. Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Thompson (congressmen from
4th and 5th Districts) have got a lot of correspondence against it - doubts
if 5 of present group have written two congressmen to support the project.
Need to get ball rolling for model city. if turned down, will apply to
private source. Thinks the stadium has helped south side a lot. Regarding
bare apartments, thinks Commission could recommend that there be some
liaison person to visit apartment developments to-make sure people keep
them up - they are unsanitary on Commerce Street...Primrose....

Journal reporter asked: "With the interstate system and the stadium, it

makes slum areas prime business sites in the future and is it the Commission's
objective to keep this residential area and keep out businesses andwhat is

the overall objective in this area?"

Dr. Williams referred him to the ordinance setting up the Commission.
Business of Commission is to see that there is peace and harmony in the
community and justice done where people Live. Moody and Ezzard and other
people have said that the people in the city will have something to say about
what happens re the model city and we have no position .. the people who
live there must be taken into account .. our concern is what happens to
people .. would that satisfy you?

Reporter: The economic factors mean that this would be a tremendous business
area.

Dr. Williams: "One of the things wrong with this town..we place economic
opportunity before the interest of people.. I don't know if he wants these notes
or not because these aren't what you want to put in the newspaper...I am offended
about America on this..America offends: me at this point...theee things matter

in America..that is profit, profits and property and then we say to hell with
people..we have got to correct that...people have been living here for a long
time and..our (early) pastor here had to carry on a fight to keep people from
being evicted here...now because of the stadium we have come to see what prime
property this...is..young man, I hope you get a little conversion here and see
that people are more important than property..and when we do we will see that
America is a great place and if we don't people are going to be doomed....

There waS a question regarding whether or not to go ahead and improve

property on Windsor St. Miss Bullard suggested calling City Planning Department,

Ir. Hood was critical of the application for the Model City. It shows on
the policy making level the mayor, two aldermen (Alderedge and Cook) and one
private member (business community representative) but no representatives from
the community. There was a consensus of the group that they have representa-
tives from the community. Discussion revealed that action is expected on the
model city program in May. And that Mr. Gladin of the City Planning Department
does anticipate involving the neighborhood people, Mrs. Paschall pointed out,

the more organized and ready the community is the better. She suggested a
Page 5 of Minutes of Mechanicsville-Pititsburgch Meeting, April 5, 1967.

G by all groups and have
Stions re housing. Maybe a
ization.

joint meeting of all model city areaS Sponsore

J gz t

Gladin, Buchanan and Wofford come to answer au
3

good idea to form a permanent joint group orga

A woman in the group stated that she had written President Johnson and
was referred to some people in Atlanta who say it will be one year before
the model city plan is effective and she was unhappy with just waiting which
is what they had been doing for a long time. Nr. Hood remarked that the
application was in and the city administration was getting ready and now the
people had to get involved.

Rev. L. Terrill: Made a plea to set up a joint meeting of all groups involved
in model city application to talk with City Planning Department staff. Mr.
Hood advised that a meeting was held in Summerhill Last week and they had
agreed at that meeting to try to arrange a joint meeting in 3 weeks and
everybody would be advised. On a motion made by Rev. Terrill and seconded,

a resolution that a meeting of all the people in Peoplestown, Summerhill,
Mechanicsville, etc., be heid in April was passed.

Mr. Moody: shouldn't say what he is trving to tell me.. the mayor came out
with two meetings before with more people and said what do you want?..when
that thing got to Washington what was in there was what the mayor wanted
and not us..if you don't argue about it now just save your breath child
because the mayor done got it that thick and you haven't said the word.

Before adjourning, Miss Bullard explained the Commission has no policy making
powers and its purpose is to take back to the city administration expressions
of what the groups consider their problems. When asked if they felt they

had had their say, the group replied Yes, Yes, thank you.

One last comment from an in group re buses coming down West Avenue:
"I think that if the transit could ask for more money I think we could ask
for more transportation...”

Miss Bullard thanked the people for coming and told them if they wanted to
ask a personal question, to come down front.

The Meeting was adjourned at 10:30 approximately.