| Show Report From Washington Plumber Gets No Aid Ad From Poor He Helps Heps by b y Laurence J Burton Utah R-Utah or Of an all the many words that have been written and spoken about the Poor Peoples People's Cam Cam- Campaign both pro and con can none is quite so telling as those that appeared in a news story in Wf E Star on Th Monday June l 10 The article Plumber Gets No Aid From Poor lie He Helps by Chris Wright tells of the ef ef- ef efforts forts of a well meaning well volun- volun volunteer teer to assist the residents of Resurrection City and their refusal to do any work to help him help them It has been variously suggested that the plight of many of the poor people now camping out in Washington could be remedied by a simple act that of oC going to work This article would woud in that this is one of the thelast last things some Resurrection City campaigners want to do The article follows Plumber Gets No Aid From Poor He Helps By Chris Wright James II Clark stood shoulder deep in the freshly dug trench sighting down the theline theline line of black sewer pipe he had just Paid laid two rows of Resurrection City's plywood shacks Clark is not nota a resident of the poor peoples people's en encampment lie He Heis lieis is a licensed plumber with his oWn business in Washing Washing- Washington Washington ton Yesterday he was at Resurrection Resurrection City laying a sewer line so the showers would have drains and aM not create a mire lie He was doing the work free and asked the encamp ment officials about the tle possibility possibility of help Periodically the public ad dress system would ask for vol for Cor an unspecified task Clark would look up once in a while shrug his shoulders and bend back down Into the trench No volunteers came ame These people dont don't want to work he When the motor of the earth earth- earthmover mover idled transistor radios could be heard Inside nearby shelters From time to lo time a group of men would g gather the around the ditch and watch Clark work Once Clark looked directly at ata ata a big man who seemed to be bea bea a leader and asked him to get some help and begin filling the trench behind him The man looked surprised Brother I came down here hereto hereto to get away from shovels was the reply Dy By late afternoon the line Une was about halfway to the showers Someone obtained a second moving earthmoving machine but only began to haphazardly fill cm the trench lie He soon went away As Clark worked he said he has very little use for the Poor Peoples People's Ca Campaign per per- personally But he fees feels sorry for forthe forthe the people in the camp and he likes to see a job especially one done by Negroes done right Helped By Cousin I sure would like to that last last sed section ion lie he said apol for his use of rocks in- in instead instead stead of brick to support the pipes The afternoon sun beat down Ile He walked off down the trench carrying his red level Clark of lOth St NE donated his time for Cor the pro pro- project lie He also got his cousin to help and guaranteed payment for Cor movIng earth machinery that was supposed to be rented out of campaign funds Ire He got on the pipe pipe- laying on Saturday after a friend called him and disclosed that the tent city was in trouble because of its non existent sew sew- sewer er s system stem No stranger stranger- to weekend work You You can drive down the street and see people sitting on their thir porches but I usually find something to he do-he got organized organ organ- organIzed and was digging before the city's residents seemed to real real- realize Ize he was there As the day went on his pipe pipe- pipeline line progressed steadily through the hot sun baked clay toward the ilie plywood ply shower stalls in the center of the camp Clark and his helper ignored camp residents who jumped the trench kicking dirt where they were working Rain Fills Trench As huge thunderclouds began to blot out the sun at about 6 pm Clark looked anxiously at athis athis his handiwork and the mostly unfilled trench A few big drops fell CeH making I dark spots on his green denim shirt Im a damn fool lie he threw down the shovel In his hand But Dut Ive I've been one brought up that way He picked pp p the shovel and finished bracing the pi pipe pe joint The raIn clouds got darker The least they could do is fill fillup uP this hole Ile He jumped out of the Take this shovel and put it in our truck he told lobs his cousin going to do some some- something thing about this Clark strode off between the plywood houses His cousin dis- dis disappeared disappeared appeared in the other direction Time passed The rain be be- be began gan to fall in sheets across the camp The hole began to fill with water The loosely piled earth earthon earthon on the sides turned to runny mud At the other end of the camp three men in yellow rain slick slick- slickers ers experimented with one of the moving earth machines They Tiley didn't know who Clark was |
