.NTQwMA.NTQwMA

A STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND A PLAN OF ACTION FOR ATLANTANS CONCERNED ABOUT RIOTS, THEIR CAUSES AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES We, the undersigned Atlantans, are deeply concerned about the riots which have \\ occurred in our nation with increasing frequency and with mounting violence! We are concerned about the consequences of continued rioting and b elieve that the deterioration of human relations could do greater damage than the los s of mater ial things if we fail to bring an end to the riots and the conditions which spawn them. We commend to every thoughtful citizen who believes in law and order and in human progress the recently release9 Report of the National Advisory Commis sion on Civil Disorders. Whether one would agree absolutely with its methodol ogy or the conclusions of the commission , we b elieve the report contains food for thought and suggestions for action which merit consideration. The report is a good point of r eference and basis for discussion and action. We are c onvinced that n either studie s nor resolutions nor good int entions alone will suffice . We believe that all of the religious leaders of metrop olitan Atl anta should act now t o bring an end to conditions in our m i<l s t wliieh c r eatP. <le spair, con tribute to hum an degradation and fuel viol ence . We, therefore, c ommit our selves to a ssist in the task of tran sformin g our urban area that, insofar as our abilities and resources permit, we shall endeavor Lo 1:e sp on<l to this urban crisis and help create a city where there is personal safety for all persons and property and where there is reason for hope and opportunity for individual growth and dignity for every citizen. To do this, there are many things which we believe must be done. There must be a pooling of all resources - a coordinated effort by rich and poor, by affluent and depressed citizens, by leaders in religion and education, in business and the profes sions, in indust r y and labor , in governm ent, and in all wal ks of life to meet our citi?:en s needs in the following a r eas: Police Protection._ Every c itizen is entitled to be secure in his person and property and to fair t reat- ment by law enforcement officials; and, in turn, each citizen has a duty to obey the law and support and cooperate with police officials. �Every citizen must Education have the oppor- tunity for equal educational opp ortunity --knowledge of one's rights and dutues, education for employment, and for living - the essentials to a society of law and order and human progress. Housing Every citizen must have access to decent housing. This goal adopted long ago has not been achieved, and there is yet to be obtained a climate in which every person will have equal opportunity for housing that he can afford. Employment There must be training for n ew jobs and retaining for other jobs in our changing t echnology, and the r e must be an end t o dfacriminati on against qualifie d per sons based on s ex , r ace , a ge or handicap. As we see it , we mu st creat e new attitude s even more than we need t o cre ate new pr ograms, but b oth are needed! To e :.t ablish new attituded we mu st b egin with ourselves, our famil ies , our churches and synagogues . Therefor e, we pl edge our s elves to: 1. Carry on mutual int erchanges in ou r churche s with mini ster s and 1ayman of both races di scuss ing th e se critic al areas of concern . 2. Preach and give c ourses within our own church e s dealing with the se areas . 3. Adopt and carry out special projects which contr ibute to the better m ent of condit ions m each of the foregoing areas , and encourage such things as positive support fo r day car e center s , low cost housing corpor ati ons, h ealth clinic s, and t r ainjng empl oyment programs . In order to develop wide ac cept ance of our stated 1,>urpose and our plan of action , we respectfully urge Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. to i ssu e invitations to Atlanta's political, economic and religious leaders, and to citizens representative of all areas of our ..... 1,..,,,_ __ ..__,.,,_.:+ .. .,__ n++- A - __......._,_+.: - -- - __ ___, l-.-- Lt.... - �Education Every citizen must have the oppor- tunity for equal educational opportunity ""knowledge of one's rights and dutues, education for employment, and for living - the essentials to a society of law and order and human progress. Housing Every citizen must have access to decent housing. This goal adopted long ago has not been achieved, and there is yet to be obtained a climate in which every person will have equal opportunity for housing that he can afford. Employment There must be training for n ew jobs and retaining for other jobs in our changing technology, and there must be an end to discr imination again st qualifie d per sons based on sex , race, age or handicap. As we se e it, we must create n ew attitudes even more than we need to create new programs , but both are needed! To e::.tablish new attituded we mu st begin with oursel ves, our families, our churche s and synagogues . Therefore, we pledge ou rselves to : 1. Carry on mutual interchanges in our churches with ministers and l ayman of both races discussing these critical areas of concern. 2. Preach and give courses within our own churches dealing with these areas. 3. Adopt and carry out special projects which contribute to the bette rment of conditions m each of the foregoing areas, and encourage such things as positive support for day care centers, low cost housing corporations, health clinics, and trainin g employment pr ograms. In order to develop wide acceptance of our stated purpose and ou r pl an of action , we re spectfully urge Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr . to issue invitations to Atlanta's political , economic and religious leaders, and to c itizens r epr esent ative of all areas of ou r urban community to attend a m e etin g spon sored by the undersigned with the Mayor serving as host. The purpose of the meeting will be to ac!1 ieve in the Atlanta u han �area an agreement on our stated purpose, and to arrange for a coordinated use of all possible resources. We seek a true and new commitment and to develop a simple connectional structure to carry out this commitment. We, by signing this resolution, do declare ourselves to be 1an inter-faith . committee, and authorize our designated representatives to visit the Mayor of the City of Atlanta and other local leaders of this area for the followin g purposes: 1. To offer the full support of ourselves as representatives of the religious community of the urban area for coordinated effort in meeting the needs of every individual. 2. To fund a luncheon for leaders and representatives of both races at which time we could hear from Mayor Allen his suggestions as to how all available resources might be coordinated to achieve our objectives. 3. To support a call for broader ministerial and lay leadership in subsequent meetings and projects. 4 . And to offer ourselves for service on any Council or Committee de aling with these critical area s. Finally , we invite all citizen s to join with us in a commitment to our statement of purpo s e and our plan of action, and we ask the help of Almight y God in this endeavor to t ran sform and redeem our enti r e urban area . Si gned on Thi s Day, Tuesday 2nd ,_ of April , 1968 �