| Show 0 country warned to guard against race disturbances insecurity in period may be cause for shouldering ing resentment minor incident may start trouble by baukhage BAUKHAGE news analyst and commentator service union trust building washington D C there is a small group in washington very much concerned over a matter which is a part of and about which they can do very little that is the question of race riots likely to accompany demobilization I 1 was surprised to learn how predictable dic table these clashes are from the following stater statement rient by alfred mcclung lee in a pamphlet produced by a nonprofit non profit agency the american council of american race relations it was this the federal office of facts and figures later called the office of war information had a confidential report 15 months before the 1943 detroit race riot that included this sentence unless some socially constructive tive steps are taken shortly the tension that is developing is very likely to burst into active conflict the day after the rioting began the detroit free press stated two months ago everybody in de J X president harry S truman troit familiar with the situation knew that race riots were inevitable it is worth noting that the professional observers were much farther ahead than the newspaper and newspaper reporters ire are pretty highly trained investigators themselves and they did know what was coming well in advance but the fact remained that nobody did anything about it and that is where you and I 1 step into the picture now nobody but a very small class of professional incisors inci tors of riot want race riots anymore than anyone but a very small class of professional criminals are in favor of crime but most people do not realize that these clashes can be avoided and very few indeed realize that they are symptoms and not the disease itself the basic cause of the group tensions which burst into savage flame destroy property interfere with business and nearly always cost lives is insecurity just as insecurity is one of the basic causes of wars A man with a lob job and firm prospects of keeping it who lives in healthy and decent surroundings does not want a riot with anybody it is the man who is unhappy and because he Is not able to do anything about it who looks around tor for a scapegoat upon whom he can blame all his troubles he naturally turns against a group whose members have a different appearance and different customs from his own the long range cure tor for this disease is better living conditions housing and employment but it is not of the long range treatment I 1 want to speak but of the immediate simple things that you and I 1 can do to stop these tensions before they break seven steps for breaking tension first there are seven things you must know about one of the first signs ot of trouble is the rumor crop you begin to hear a lot of stories most of which later will prove to have been untrue they may be started by subversive groups some will have a grain of truth in them they will include tales of planned imminent violence of some group arming itself for attack or outbreak then come stories of violent assault crime and murder this creates the beginning of tension the group accused becomes frightened and shows it this lends color to the tales then come the incidents incidents usually begin to occur in crowded places they might be passed off and forgotten if a background of hate fear and suspicion had not been built up As one observer said to me riots always start when folks get out and bump into each other the third point to look for when it is clear that rumors have been thick and incidents have begun to happen is some subversive group which may be promoting the trouble for its own ends some of these groups will have very high and mighty ideals and very frequently they will be wrapped up in the flag ku klux black legion etc the fourth point to watch is crime reports because it is really the hooligan element which finally steps in to do the actual rioting the fifth is the police attitude II if there is evidence of increased friendliness with the hooligan element and of a distrust of the police by the minority group it usually means that the tension has reached a high point the forces of order and the f thees arces of disorder are making common cause against the alleged threat of the minority the two other danger points are congestion of which I 1 spoke e before bumping into each other which may grow out of crowded housing and labor conditions where the minority protests or appears to threaten to protest discrimination in hiring and firing with these points as a guide any citizen can learn to recognize the symptoms of danger there are plenty of people in any community who know what is happening the people whose work takes them into the danger zones like social workers and police reporters A school teacher can learn a lot from what the children say and do but long before the situation reaches even the rumor stage there must be emergency planning in the community A program must be set up in which certain groups have certain definite things to do the moment the observers see the danger signals here they are N be sure the mayor knows exactly what steps to take to get the help of the state militia have the clergymen lined up to use their influence and il if necessary appear in person mobs respect the church work out school programs radio programs newspaper campaigns the veterans organizations and the boy scouts will help the civic and public utilities labor and business will operate cooperate co while president truman was still on the high seas en route for home he and his staff began the careful briefing of the correspondents telling them many betais which were not for publication but which will gradually find their way into the public prints they also gave out specific news items for publication one of which stated that it was largely the suggestions gest ions of the american delegation which made up the agenda this may or may not nave deen aimed at comments in washington by spokesmen who charged that the of the big three seemed to reflect chiefly russian demands I 1 believe that history will show that the presidents claim will be literally true this may not mean that america got the majority of the things she wanted but rather that what could be agreed upon was largely the result of the presidents policy of insisting on a solution by compromise rather than a stalemate it is easier for a man to get into the army than it is for a dog to join the famous K 9 corps G ls sometimes get into the hoosegow but you seldom see a war pup in th the e doghouse dog house |
