Box 3, Folder 7, Document 8

Box 3, Folder 7, Document 8

OFFICERS
James W, Dorsey
President

Ferdinand Buckley
Ist Vice President

Sarah Frances McDonald
2nd Vice President

Clifford Oxford
Secretary

William H. Alexander
Treasurer

STAFF

Michael D. Padnos
Director

Nancy S. Cheves
General Counsel

Richard Harris 4
Community Education

L. Rosser Shelton
Virginia A. Bips
Bettye H. Kehrer
Evelyn S. Fabian
Eugene S. Taylor
John W, Brent
Elmer L. Nash
Larry B. Hooks

D. Freeman Hutton
Cynthia T. Beattie
Melvin E. Thompson, Jr.

Michael H. Terry
Edward L. Baety
William J. Brennan, Jr.
George Howell

Sondra Goldenfarb
Reuben Bussey
Kendric Smith

ATLANTA LEGAL AID SOCIETY, INC. [A048] Saget

(404) 577-5260
153 PRYOR STREET, S.W.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303

March 6th, 1969

Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.,
Mayor, The City of Atlanta
City Hall, 68 Mitchell Street, S. W.,

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Dear Mayor Allen:

As you may know, our client TUFF and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference jointly sponsored a mass
meeting at the Carver Homes Community Center on March 4th
to protest the policies of the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Approximately 750 people attended the meeting, and IT think
I am safe in saying that every single one of these people
had a specific complaint against the Atlanta Housing
Authority.

Seven weeks ago, on January 16th,TUFF presented
to the Board of the Atlanta Housing Authority a "Tenants'
Bill of Rights" which, if adopted, would go far towards
alleviating many of the tenants' complaints. (The Bill
of Rights has been endorsed by such diverse groups as
Good Government Atlanta and Metropolitan Atlanta Summit
Leadership Conference.) From January 16th to today we
have had no response from the housing authority on the
subject of that Bill of Rights; and judging by Mr. Attridge's
irresponsible denigration of a lawsuit recently filed by
this office against the Atlanta Housing Authority as
"harrassment", and Mr. Satterfield's recent attempt to
block Legal Aid's funding, we would be foolish to expect
voluntary action from the Atlanta Housing Authority on
this or on any other matter designed to benefit tenants.

The refusal of the Atlanta Housing Authority to
respond to the legitimate demands of tenants can only
harm our city, for as you will see from the enclosed copy
of Dr, Abernathy's remarks last night, the tenants are
beginning to escalate their demands.

SPONSORED BY UNITED APPEAL AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ATLANTA, INC,
Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.,
March 6th, 1969
Page #2.

If we continue along the present road the Atlanta
Housing Authority and TUFF will find themselves on a
collision course.

When TUFF first demonstrated early in November
at the Marriott Hotel, you offered to use your good
offices to help the tenants with their problems. On
other occasions Messrs. Sweat and Robinson of your
office have re-affirmed their support of TUFF and its
rightful demands.

In my opinion it is now urgent that you intervene
in this matter on behalf of the tenants. Unless the
tenants are granted some relief from the arbitrary policies
of the housing authority, and unless they are given some
power to control their own lives, the present conflict
will deepen, and, I fear, broaden. May I implore you to
join with TUFF, the Southern Christian Leadership Confer-
ence and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society in seeking a fair
solution to the problems of tenants in Atlanta public
housing.

Me UA. uf Miia a

Michael D. Padnos
Director

MDP/cj
/enclosure.