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STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES, GOALS, AND COMMITMENTS EMERGENCY CONVOCATION: THE URBAN COALITION We are experiencing our third summer of widespread civil disorder. In 1965, it was Harlem, and the disaster of Watts. In 1966, it was the Hough area of Cleve land, Omaha, Atlanta, Dayton, San Francisco and 24 other cities. This summer, Newark and Detroit were only the most tragic of 8 0 explosions of violence in the streets . Confronted by these cata strophic eve nts, w e , as r e pres e ntative s of business, labor, religion, civil rights, and local government, have joined in this Convocation to create a sens e of national urgenc y on the need for positive action for all the pe ople of our c ities. We are united in the following convictions: W e b e lieve the tangible e ffe cts o f the urban riots in t e rms of d eath, i njury , a nd prope rty dama ge , horri f ying though the y are , are l es s to be feared than the intangible damage to men's minds. W e belie v e it is the gove rn ment' s d ut y to ma inta in l a w and ord er . W e bel ieve t hat o ur thoug hts a nd actions should b e direct e d I to the d eep-roote d and historic proble ms of the citie s. W e believe that w e; as a nation. , must c l earl y and positivel y demons t rate our belief t hat justice , social progress , and equality of opportunit y a re ri ght s of ever y c itize n . We believe the American peopl e and t he Congress mu st reorde r nationa l priorities , with a commitment of resources e qua l to the magnitude of the problems we face. The crisis requires a new dimension of effort in both the public and private sectors, working together to provide jobs, housing, �STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES I GOALS• AND COMMITMENTS Page 2 education , and the other needs of our cities. We believe the Congress must move without delay on urban programs. The country can wait no longer for measures that have too long been denied the people of the cities and the nation as a whole--additional civil rights l egislation, adequately funded model cities, anti-poverty, housing, e duc a tion, and job- training programs, and a host of othe rs. W e believe the private sector of America must directly and v i gorously involve itse lf in the cris i s of the cities by a c ommitment to inve stme nt, job-training, and hiring, and all that is nece ssary to the full enjoyme nt of the free e nterprise system--and also to its survival. W e b e lie ve the sickne ss of the citie s , including civic dis order within the m, is the res ponsibility of the whole of Ame rica . There fore , it is t he re sponsibility of e v e r y Ame rican to join in the creation of a new p olitical, s oc i a l, e con o mic , a nd mora l c limat e tha t will ma ke p o s sible the breaking of the vi c·ious c yc l e of the g he tto. Effort s must( be mad e to i nsure the broa de st pos sibl e opportunity for P.ll c itizens a nd group s, i ncluding those in t he ghetto, to part ic i pat e fully in shaping and direct ing t he society of which the y are a part. This Conv oc ation calls upo n t he nation t o end once and for all the shame of poverty amid gene ral affl u e nce. Government and business mus t accept respons ibility to provide all Americans with opportunity to earn an adequate income. Private industry must greatly accelerate its efforts to �