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May 22, 1967
Does the law offer John Q. Citizen any protection
whatsoever from unscrupulous real estate operators? Will
Atlanta become another Washington and, if so, who will pay
the taxes?
A case in point is the Cascade Heights area.
Someone, for reasons known only to himself, is approached
by or gets in touch with an operator who sells real estate
primarily to Negroes. A sale is made and the rumors start,
some of them probably planted. People panic and then other
operators zero in on the area and start a flood of letters
(see attached), phone calls and knocks on the door. [It is
a frightening thing to see the reaction of the people. Car-
loads of Negroes cruise the area. One more neighborhood
has received the “kiss of death." When the word gets out,
it is impossible to sell except to Negroes. Check the Red
Bud Lane section and see for yourself.
My neighborhood, a different one from that above,
has just received the kiss that can bring disaster. We
are trying desperately to hold it together. In our case,.
an all-white neighborhood, the sale was made at midnight,
literally, two weeks ago last Saturday.
Most of us move into a particular area because
we like the neighborhood, we know the people, or as a matter
of economics. Some are retired people with limited incomes;
some are middle-aged who, after rearing their children, were
looking forward to a more leisurely life; many are young
couples who have just purchased their first home. In the
latter case, particularly, it has taken all they can rake
and scrape to make the down payment. Now, with their homes
deflated, what are they going to do for money in order to
make a fresh start somewhere else? We, too, should have a
choice in selecting our neighbors.
Why do we not have speculative housing for Negroes
instead of destroying established areas -- or is there more
profit in blockbusting?
I am a real person, but I fear harassment if my
mame gets out. [I can be reached through Mr. Tom Oxnard at
The Weekly Star if anyone desires verification of the above.
Enclosure
Copy to: Mayor Ivan Allen, Ir.“
Eugene Patterson, Editor, The Atlanta Constitution
Frank Smisson, Ga. Real Estate Commission
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