Box 17, Folder 1, Document 44

Mr. Ralph Moore

Chairman of the

Committee on Appeal for Human Rights
Atlanta University

Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Mr. Moore:

May I acknowledge receipt of your wire of December 22, 1962 which reads
as follows:

The Students of Atlanta University feel as if you have made a great mistake
in supporting the establishment of an Atlanta wall acrossPefyton and Harlan Roads,

In reply to a request of the All Citizens Committee on Better Citizens Planning,

we will supply 175 picketers per day for the Westend business area. We will

also stage several mass demonstrations at the Atlanta City Hall with no less than
1500 students. This action will focus the eyes of the world on the Atlanta City Wall.
We do not want Atlanta to have this type of publicity. Therefore we encourage you to
remove the wall and save the good image of Atlanta while there is still time."

First, this is to advise you that at the request of Mr, Virkgil Copeland,
President of the Southwest Civic Association, I have asked regresentatives of the
following four groups to form a citizens committee to discuss the problems
confoonting the Peyton-Forest, Harlan Road area situation. Mr. Q. V. Williamson
has advised me that the citizens Committee of Better Plannning will represent
him in his capacity as Co-chairman of the Atlanta Negro Voters League. I would
thank that any action prior to the deliberations of this committee and its recommendations
would be precipitious and harmful to our best efforts,

Second, I would like for the students of Atlanta University to have full knowledge
and acquaint themselves with the overall problem and with the complete record to
date which is as follows: The Peyton-Harlan Road problem is the 52nd area or
street to undergo neighborhood expansion, penetration or encorachment since the

first of the year. The record is almost flawless insofar as the protection of the

rights of the Negro citizen is concerned. Iam enclosing a list of the 51 streets on




which this problem has bean handled to the complete satisfaction of the Negro
Community to date this year. I hope that the students with their ability to
analyze factual conditions will study carefully this record, and I would hope that
they would express their complete satisfaction and accord with the record of this
administration.

Iam certain that the matter having been handled so as to protect the rights
of all persons in the first fifty-one instances would raise the question of why it is
not being handled the same way in the Peyton-Harlan Road instance. The answer,
again, can be factual and sam definite. The Peyton Road incident, consisting mainly

of Fielding Lane agitation, is an artificial, unnatural condition created by unscrupulous

parties, both white and Negro who have attempted through unethical, disloyal and

false misrepresentations to panic the residents of an established community.

To prevent this condition, I have previously worked with the Empire Real
Estate Board anda citizens committee composed of the West end Businessmen's
association and the Empire Real Estate Board. In spite of a previous record of
excellent cooperation, from these two bodies, it was impossible to prevent this
artifical bargining of land to be stopped,

May I invite your attention to the fact that the closing of Peyton and Harland
Roads is an inconvenience to mostly white citizens and practically no Negro citizens.
It does not prevent access or egress into any area of town, nor does it limit any
rights of the mmwidk individual citizen from purchase or sale or other fundamental
liberties, It has merely served as a warning to unscrupulous real estate dealers that
Atlanta will not tolerate under the guise of ''race descrimination" the destruction of
fundamental values amongst any of its citizens.

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I would hope that you would study this problem carefully and I want to
assure you that if there is any additional information you desire that I will be glad
to supply it.

The record as outlined above shows that the rights of all citizens have been
protected without question in 51 out of 52 instances and now there is a question mark
as to the 52nd instance. Atlanta's reputation has been built by those who have
carried out the aforegone record. It is my sincere hope that the students of
Atlanta University will not destroy this record by any unusual demontrations at
this time.

Should you ignore the aboe request and feel that you must picket for the sake
of picketing, then be assured that the rights of the individual in picketing will be
zelously guarded by the law enforcement body of this city. Should you wish to
picket the city hall for the purpose of National publicity, then, if you will let me
know, I will be glad to receive you on the city hall steps at an appropriate time.

I W hope you will tell the students of Atlanta University that our record
is outstanding and that I hope they will not destroy it with any unnecessary or overt

action,