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REPORT TO NAYOR IVAN ALLEN JR. CONCERNI1,G NEEDS AND ES'l'HiATED COSTS OF IHPLEHENTING THE RECO}frIBNDATIONS OF THE ADVISORY C0rff'1ITTEE · ON CIVIL DISORDER s umnTTED BY \ Robet:t N, Wood, Chairman Atlanta Child ren an<l · Youth Services Counci l �I. In order to assess the feasibility of impl ementing the recommendations of the ~ational Advisory Commi ttee on Civil Disorder, the Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council will fir s t indic a te the extent and intensity of youth problems as related to civil disorder. Observing the report of the National Advisory Commi ttee, the Youth Council immediately noticed the extent of youth participation in Civil Disorder . For examp le, the Committee reports that the typical rioter in the summer of 196 7 was a Negro, unmarried male between the .:?.ges 15 and 24. In De troit, 61. 3% of the self reported rioters were between the ag~s 15 and 24 and 86,3% were between 15 and 35~ The arrest data indicated that 52.5% of the arrestees were between 15 and 24, and 80.8 perc ent were between 15 and 35. In short, the · typical rioter was a teenager or young adult, a life long resident of the city in which he rioted, a high school drop-out • . In Atlanta preliminary data re~e~ led tha t riot participants were between the ages 9 and 35. The overwhe lming majority of those arrested in Atlanta's riot 0£ 1967 were les s that 30 years old. These data reveal that riots are by and large initiated , prolonged , and participated in bf youth and young adults. These dat a also bear witness to the l ack of interest, energy, and resources needed to deal with youth problems and needs realistically and honestly. In Atlanta, the need for more concentrated and realistic allocation of personnel and resources to deal with youth problems increases ever year . For example 57% of Fulton County's Juve nile Delinquents were residents of Atlanta 's poverty areas in 1964. In 1965 43% of al l people arrested for ma jor crimes in Atl anta ,1ere below 17 years of age. The de linque ncy r a te h as increased llf•% fas tcr than the general population. The rccidivis t rate for F•.!:!.ton County Youth of fend ers is 40%. The general restlessness of inner city Atlc1nta Youth has increased to a dangerous level. ·in addition there are ~,000 school dropouts in Atlnnta . In 1965, lfOo/.. of the youth tested by the Fulton County Juvenile Court were 5 years or more below their prope r grade l eve l. Another lf0% were three or more y ears behind. These statis tics mere ly reflect some of the problems facing Atlnnta'i youth. Other problems are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. high illigitimacy r a t es . incrriasing de l i nquency in afflue nt areas . increasing b e ll igerent postures by minority you th , par ticulary in civil rights activities. rebe llion on coll ege c afilpuses. youth ant i-dra ft and a nti-uar act j_viti cs. Concomitant and correl a ted to youth participation in civil d:i.sorders and riots is the ir participa tion in nonnal de linqu ent activities , individua lly and col l ective ly. Considering the broad range of needs and prob l ems facin g Atlanta'o you th the ~ 1- �Atlanta Children and Youth Services Councp specifically recommend the follo,-15.ng courses of actions aimed at reducing tensions and the possibility of civil disorders in clums and blighted areas for the summer 1968. 1. That the city of Atlarita emphasize and provide more recreationa l. prog rams and facilities in Slum areas for teenagers and young adults. If this is not geographically fo.2sible, then the city should subsidize and/or provide transportation to areas where_such programs and facilities are available. This recreational provision should be totally devoted to l a te afternoon, eveninr; an<l night activities as we ll as evening activities. 2, That the city ~ponsor an outreach Street Workers Program ~-7here outreach uorkers may go into potentially trouble are.2s and uork for periods· of time Hith detached and unreached individual youth helping them become involved :i.n meaningful employment, recreation and education. This program ui.11 be coordinated by the Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council end will be operated on a contra ctual basis with other operat iong agencies to supcrvis~ street Horkers. 3, That several youth from the Youth Congress be appointed to the Mayor's Civil Disorder Adviso!Y Committee. 4. That a uorks hop be conducted by the Atlcmta Children and Youth Service Council, the Police Department, Socia l Agencies, Civil Rights Groups , and Youth Org2.nizations around a t I-Em~ · of "Polic eYouth Relationships" in l1hich all divisions of the ~olice ~epartment will participate. ihe Community Re lations Services, U.S. Department _pf Jtistice will assist in sponsoring such a program. 5. That a ll city departments channel all youth requests, grievances, comp l a ints, etc. to the Atlanta Children and Youth Services Counci.l which is the agency established to dea l with these ma tters. 6, Tha t the work of the Crim~ Prevention Bureau and Juvenile units of the Police Depa rtment be more close ly related to the Youth Counci l in the planning and implementing of their program;. 7. That the s-wi tchboa r d in City Uall be open da ily from 5:00 p .m. until 12:00 a . m. with peroons available to receive comp l ai~ts and grievances and furnish nD.rnes and telephone numbGrs of persons to call dur ing emergency or crisis p eriods. 80 That the Atlanta Child:ren and Youth Services Council and the Corrn:evnity Re lations Coff'_-uis s ion be pr ov{ded -2- ,. �funds to hir·c commun i ty organi z ers, fo1: you th and adults in racia lly transitiona l areas such as West End, Bellwood, Grant P.:.rk, Cc!pitol Homes and Kirkwood. 9. That the police clcpartrr.ent make available, upon request and vithout cost to the requesting agency, manpower to sup ervise certain potentially volatile activities such as <lances, especially in areas where agencies are operating interracial dances. 10. That the police department increa se the numb er of integrated patrols tha t oper a te in certain areas. 11. That the Mayor, or his designee, call a weekly staff meeting of all department and agency heads. All other appropriete public agenci es should b~ invited to p~rticipa te in such meetings. 12. That the re be established in the office of the Director of Governmental Laison the ne cessary machinery for getting ue ekly teJ.ephanic reporting of complaints, rumors, and inc:i.cl cnts from all public and quasi-public agencies in the Atlanta nrea. 13. That the Board of Education examine the pupil.pupil nnd teacher-pupil relations hips in school~ where the degree of desegregation is significant. The Board should asc cr t ~in ancl de al with rumored increnses in racia l conflicts a.t such schools. 14. Tha t the Uayor establis h6s a sma ll inte rra cia l committee compos ed of key bt.rnine ssmen, one solid type Negr o youth, one grass roots type Negro youth, uho he cc1.n call on to actually advise citizens , polic e , and others in timGs of civil·· di s order and t ens ions . This corr,mittee ,-10uld b e representa tive of the Mayor'i off ice and have rights and r espons ib i lities to nmk e i nquiri es of any city offici n l in dealing with problems of this na ture . 15. Tha t the Atl.c1.nta Chilcl :rcn a nd You th Services Council be given more funds to f ac ilitate maximum effec tivene ss by t he Counci l and t o e nable the Council to be of more us e to private and publ i c a gencies in currying out the ir pr ograms . The above recommcnda tions arc minima l when comp2rcd ,d. t h At l anta ' s needs . 11ou cver, the Counc:i.1 emph.:1size s t h e necessity for t he ir imp l ementation if Atl.<:nta is to r e duc e t ensions nncl possible Civil f or the sun-.,,1er of 1968. II . Referring to t he recommGnd a tions c ontained in ch aptcd 10 of t he Report of the Na tiona l Advisor y Coramis s i on on Civi l Disord e ~, the At l anta Children and Youth Ser vic es Counci l fe e ls t ha t the advantf.lge s of t he ir i mplemen t a t i on fo r out we i gh poss ibl e dis advantages . Opinions concerning -3- �both advantages and dis advantages are as follows : A. Establishment o~ Nei,-~hborhood .T-"'-sk force s offers the advantages of: 1. providing more ef fee tive citizen- governmental com.11mnication. 2. providing a means through which community problems may be acted upon and resolved quickly and effectively. 3. projecting the ideal that government is genuinely interested in ghetto problems. 4. restructuring governmental functions to meet city needs. The mayor of the City of Atlanta has taken the necessary action to implement the above recommendation. It is desired that such actions pay particular attention to youth problems. To overlook youth would constitute a serious disadvantage. B. Establishment of Effective Grievance Response Mechanisms offers the advantages of: 1. pro1iding citi zens with meaningful avenues for resolving grievances. 2. reducing frustrations associated with unresolved grievences. 3. providing ghetto youth with some means of being recognized as citizens. 4. providing possible employm2nt for ghetto youth. The disadvantages associated w5. th this recorrunendation depend entirely upon 1.rnproper implementation which wi.11 cause: C. 1. Imprope r responses to griavances. 2. Improper dispos ition of grievances . 3. Overlooking or ignoring youth grievances, Extended~ Se rvices to-143.215.248.55 Poor offers the advantages of: 1. pro~iding ghe tto citi zens wici1 l ega l means for resolving difficulties . 2. reducing the probability of the (application of) partial justice . 3. reducing hos tilities and mutua l di srespect between police and ghetto re s ident s . 4. facilit a ting the grievance res ponse mechanism . 5. discouraging the uns urption of the r ight s of ghe tto residents especially by priva t e bu siness and individua ls. �Some of th~ idis advantages of i mplemen ting this suggestion are: J. inadequate legal pers onnel available for the required task. 2. distrust of residents of lega l advisors. 3. legal services do not, in themselves, solve basic problems. 4. · legal services usua lly are not available or considered import0nt for youth. D. Assistance for mayors a.nd .s:_ity councils offers the advantages of: 1. 2. providing mayors and city councils with needed assistance from state and federal government as uell as other source. creating of new governmen tal bodies to deal with urban problems particularly youth problems . Some disadvantage s which may grow out of this reconnnendat:i.on ~re: E. 1. an increased centralization of services. 2. um1illingness of state government to provide services for city problems . Hearin~~ Ghetto Problems and Enactmen t of Appropriate· Loc a l · Le gis l~- tions offers the advantages of: 1. removing legal barriers to solving ghetto proble11tS. 2. providing government with valid and reliable knouleqge concerning ghetto problc~s. 3. indicating to ghetto residents the degree of concern tha t city government has for ghetto problems. The dis advantage associated with this recom.--nenclation are few in proportion to Atlnnta's need s . They are : F. 1. non-enforc e~en t of legisl a tion pertaining to ghetto probl ems. 2. unconcern of legi s l a tors with ghetto problems. _Expand ed Emo J. oyment of: EY City Governm~n t of Gh et to Re s idents of fe r the adv.2.ntages 1. employraent of unemployed ghetto youth. 2. city government t aking the i nitiative and setting an example to other agencies regarding employment of ghetto youth. 3. adding substances to the d!de11l that city government serves all Atlantans. -5- �The disc2dv,mtages of imptemen ting this rccorrnnenda U.on arc: G. 1. unwillingness to alter present city personnel and merit system policies. 2, likelihood of hiring ghetto residents in the same traditional least desirable jobs only. Establishme nt of Neighborhood City_ H.iJ.l offers the advantages of: 1. decentralization of government to meet to meet particular community needs. 2. assisting in the encouragement of favorable attitudes by residents towards government. The disadvantages of this suggestion are: H. l. deteJ:l!lining the jurisdiction and degree of responsibility which vould · enable Neighbm:hood City Hall to adequately function. 2. the probability of limited personnel and funds to can:y out this function not being provided. Devclop;nent of Hulti-Services Centers off:er the advantages of: l. providing co:.11plete and comprehensive service::, to ghetto residents. 2. . providing more resources to · existing agencies. I. Improved Politi.cal Representation offers the advantages of: 1. 2. assuring tha t the interests and needs of ghetto residents · are represented. facilitating a reallocation of community resources on a more equitable basis. The disadvantages of this suggestion are: J. 1. ghetto resid ent s are usually politically apathetic. 2. the resistance to restructuring of political bodies by powerful special int eres t groups and pers ons. Hore Effective Corrnm.mity Partid.pation offers the adwmtagcs of: l. 2. 3, reducing comn1i.mi ty apa thy. providing gh e tto residents with opportunities to help solve . community problems . reducing the seemingly arbitniriness of so:nc governmental decisions. -6- �The probable disadvanta ges of implementing this recommendation arc: 1. the lack of mean:i.ngful commun.i ty organization. - 2, corrm1Unication betuecn ghetto residents and city eovernment is not encoura ging at present. III. The Atlanta Children ind Youth Services Council is charged TTith the responsibility for coordinating all services aimed at helping youth j_n m0.tropolitan Atlanta. The recommendations of the Advisory Commissio·n, if implemented, will affect directly the Councils operation. This is due to the very obvious fact that the recorr::;1endations of the Advisory Cormnission address themselves to urban problerns v7hich in effect are youth problems. If implemented, the recommendations TTill provide the Council with staff and .other resources to broaden the scop e of its services as related. Therefore, the recommendations of the Advisory committee are revelant to the Council's responsibility only if they empha size youth. IV. i Brief outlines of the steps involved in implement5.ng each recommendation aff/cting the Council as follows: Es r ~'.s h::::n::.::::h::r::::h::::6::r:::tl1 Groups. A. B. II. Incorporating youth groupa into ~he Atlnnta Youth Congress. A. B. III. Deleg,Hions Affliates Providing youth groups with opportunities to corr:municate directly with government. A. B. IV. Social Groupn Civic Groups Serving on boards Having gover nment-youth problem solving s essions. Providing meeting or assembly pla ces A. B. Cl a s srooms Churches Es t nbl is hm2nt of: Grievance - Response 1·1echnn i sm I. Organ ize gri evance committees thr ough You th Congress. A. B. II . \ III. Acc ept gri eva nce s Prevent grievances Organ ize Youth De l ega t e Grievance Board to r efer or dis pos it i on griev enc es to proper channe ls. Establish a grievance fo ll o,,- up group - 7- �1. Investiga te grievances 2. Investiga te action t aken in response to grievances. Extended Leeal Services .!.2. the Poor1. froviding Legal advice to Youth. A. EstabHshment of Youth Revieu Boar d 1. 2. 3. 4. B. Lawyer Juvenile Judge Psychiatrist Social Wor ker Action a nd revj.ew on every youth involved with the l aw. 1. 2. 3. Legal a dvic~ to youth Ps ychia tric eva lua tion immediate case- wo1·k with youth and his family. Assistance for Mayor and City CouncHs A. B. Establishment of Youth RevieH Board Financia l As sis t anc e to City Government 1. 2. Governor I s Off:l.ce State Crime Committee Expanded Employment by City Government of Ghr:!tto Youth I. Revi s ion of Meri t System standa rds . A. Remova l of ~ua lifica tion barrier s 1~ 2. 3. B. II ; educa tional barri ers arres t recor ds i rre l evant t es t s Active_ and agrcs sive recruitment of ghe tto youth. Uti U ?.ati on of Job Deve lopment Techn iques . -8 - �BUDGET ESTHlATE FOR ONE YEAR PERSO:mmL 3 positions 35 p9s i tions Administration Neighborhood Organziation Program Consultation 50 positions $ 36,000 200,000 290,000 5,000 $~31_, 000 Total Personnel TRAVEL 10,000 8,000 Bus Travel for. Par tLcipants Staff Travel $18,ooo · Total Travel SPl,CE COSTS AND RENTM,S 4,000 2,000 Office Rental Utlities $6,000 Total Space SUPPLIES Postage 1,000 Consummable Supplies (paper, pencils, ink, etc.) 3,000 Total Supplies $4,000 ~QUJ.PNBNT Office ma chine P ffi c e Furnishing 5,000 3,000 Tota l Equipment $8,000 OTHER COST Telephone Misce llaneous 1,300 800 iota l Other Cos ts $2,100 ,., Total Bmlge-t ~5 38,000 -9- �(\ The estimated budget as outlined above is the minimum amount requested to meet Atlanta's growing . anc1 crucic!l needs. Atlanta, like this Nation, does have a real chance to thwart civil disorder by taking away the platform, i.e. poor education, poor recreation, poor health, poor h?using, poor social services, poor and no jobs. It's choices with youth, who have led and participated in the riots of this Nat~.on are limited. Sound social plannj_ng an<l program impl0i1entat:i.on might be the «nswer • ... - 10 - �