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MEMORANDUM
To : IAJR
From : AD
This is an effort to fill you in on what happen in the Peyton_harlan Road situation
since you left Wednesday evening.
1. Asa result of the "Ait Citizens "meeting the Atlanta Con stitution carried
a story Thursday m@9ning that there was a split in the Negro leadership and
that Leage and Empire would not send a reppesentative to your committee but
just let the "All Citizens'' represent them.
2. Apparently someone was floating a baloon, batause C, A. Scott was at the
meeting and carried the same story as the Consti.
3, Col. Walden called me Thursday morning and wanted to let us know the
story was "erroneous" and that he was issuing a statement to correct it. The
"corrected" story came out Thursday evening. . . stating that the League and
Empire would elect their own representatives, but would "support the main
objectives of the All Citizens Comimittee.'' . . . They were to have a joint meeting
of the three Negro groups Friday afternoon, after which Col. Walden would advise
me of the representatives' names.
4, Col. Walden, Dr. Borders both told me prior to the meeting that they thought
things were shaping up as you would want, and they felt sure the negotiations
could go ahead in spite of the barricade. . .the papers carried this same feeling.
After the meeting Friday afternoon, that feeling did not prevail, and the only
thing they have volunteered to me is that the joint group voted 26 - 6 to ask you
to their next meeting so they could "hear your side.'' They are planning to have
their next meeting on Wednesday, probably at 3:00 p.m.
Iam attaching the newspapers to which I refer in case you
haven't seen them, and I call your particular attention to
Saturday's Consti and Gene Pattersons editorial.
5. To continue on the Southwest Citizens side. . .as I told you previously, Virgil
Copeland stated to me that they wanted to help remove the pressure on you and
would do anything necessary to help the situation. .even to asking you to take down
the "wall'',
6. When he came in, this was still the case, but they do not intend (at this point)
to recommend the re9pening of the road itself. . .and had phrsued the course
suggested by our Law Department of getting the individial property owners who
acquired the abandoned road to erect a fence.
Let me stop here for a few additional points:
a. First of all, the barricade is stiting on city
property as we do not have the legal right to barricade
private prbperty. ..
b, There are signe at both efd of both streets stating
"Dead End!
c. It is the feeling of Newell Exitexnim Edenfield that
our case in Fulton Superior Court will be sistained, but
that the City has no right to block off private property
{the abandoned powotion) with a barricade.
d. The residents in that secition seem willing to remove
the wall, but want in some way to visually close the street,
since they say white people won't buy if it is close d and
neither with will the colored people.
e. I personally feel that the removal of the barricade would
satisfy the Negroes as it would rempen the street, at least
temporarily undil the property owners decided to either plow
it up and plant it in cotton, or put up their own fence. ..
7. The Southwest citizens and expressed by Virgil Copeland and Charles Edwards
(and by the way, Edwards seems to be extremely competent) are burried in their
own individual problem of the brotection of their houses and the necessity to close
or keep closed the road. . . they do not realize the terrific impact this has had
from the stand point of National publicity.
8. In talking to both Copeland and Edwards (and Bill Howland sat with us) I pointed
out this publicity and the fact that we had two problems. . .(l) the emotional one
which makes news because of the barricade, and (2) the problem of actually working
out a mutually satiffactory solution. . . and said thm to them that we should
remove the first problem in order to solve the second, . .they xmima realize this
and will paobbexs psebably recomment the 4 points which I have mentioned to you:
1, Removal of barricade
2. Support of rezoning for housing
3. Request ending to blockbusting tatics
4, Rerouting of street to form the original idea of the double
horseshoe.
9. I received the names of four groups, which is attached, but have not heard
from Dr, M, L, Kingsr. as to the "elected" representatives of the All Ctizens
Committee (which Col. Walden told me they would have.) I left a call for him
2
Saturday toxim but he hever returned it. Therefore I addressed the attached
letter to just the four groups.
10, The Southwest Citizens Association is having their meeting Saturday
night to decide what course of action they coaxxx would take and what they
will recommend. . .we will know Sxmxiapomoemieg: Monday morning. . .
ll, Copeland will still wait to hear from this affice as to when the meeting
should be called. . .. . .and Col. Waldenand /or M, L. King Sr. will
contact you probably Monday to state the willingness of the All Ctizens Comm.
to "hear your side.
After seeing what Copeland has to present to the
bi racial group, we should let him know whether to
call the meeting as origianlly discussed for Wednesday.
or wait until you have met with the All Citznes group,
One thing important to remember is that the suit comes up in Fulton Superior
Court on Thursday morning. . . and should the bi racial group meet wednesday
and the white folkd recommend the removal of the barricade, then the court case
would be easier. ...
Another thought. . .if somewhere the decision to reopen the road is mutually
agreed, it would probably take a month to six weeks to doit, . .as the Land
Department will have to buy back the land (if they will sell it back) or condemn it,
it will have to go before the PW#l Committee and the Board of Aldermen, . .
Of course, this would be admitting a mistake, and a rerouting of streets upon
mutual agreement seems better to my meager-thinking mind,
Oh well, aif of this is minor and will be satisfactorily resolved. . .what worries
me is the swimming pool situation which faces us shortly. . . every national
news meilia with whom I have seen is "just waiting" that should be the big story
of the year, they say. ...
MEMORANDUM
To : IAJR
From : AD
This is an effort to fill you in on what happen in the Peyton_harlan Road situation
since you left Wednesday evening.
1. Asa result of the "Ait Citizens "meeting the Atlanta Con stitution carried
a story Thursday m@9ning that there was a split in the Negro leadership and
that Leage and Empire would not send a reppesentative to your committee but
just let the "All Citizens'' represent them.
2. Apparently someone was floating a baloon, batause C, A. Scott was at the
meeting and carried the same story as the Consti.
3, Col. Walden called me Thursday morning and wanted to let us know the
story was "erroneous" and that he was issuing a statement to correct it. The
"corrected" story came out Thursday evening. . . stating that the League and
Empire would elect their own representatives, but would "support the main
objectives of the All Citizens Comimittee.'' . . . They were to have a joint meeting
of the three Negro groups Friday afternoon, after which Col. Walden would advise
me of the representatives' names.
4, Col. Walden, Dr. Borders both told me prior to the meeting that they thought
things were shaping up as you would want, and they felt sure the negotiations
could go ahead in spite of the barricade. . .the papers carried this same feeling.
After the meeting Friday afternoon, that feeling did not prevail, and the only
thing they have volunteered to me is that the joint group voted 26 - 6 to ask you
to their next meeting so they could "hear your side.'' They are planning to have
their next meeting on Wednesday, probably at 3:00 p.m.
Iam attaching the newspapers to which I refer in case you
haven't seen them, and I call your particular attention to
Saturday's Consti and Gene Pattersons editorial.
5. To continue on the Southwest Citizens side. . .as I told you previously, Virgil
Copeland stated to me that they wanted to help remove the pressure on you and
would do anything necessary to help the situation. .even to asking you to take down
the "wall'',
6. When he came in, this was still the case, but they do not intend (at this point)
to recommend the re9pening of the road itself. . .and had phrsued the course
suggested by our Law Department of getting the individial property owners who
acquired the abandoned road to erect a fence.
Let me stop here for a few additional points:
a. First of all, the barricade is stiting on city
property as we do not have the legal right to barricade
private prbperty. ..
b, There are signe at both efd of both streets stating
"Dead End!
c. It is the feeling of Newell Exitexnim Edenfield that
our case in Fulton Superior Court will be sistained, but
that the City has no right to block off private property
{the abandoned powotion) with a barricade.
d. The residents in that secition seem willing to remove
the wall, but want in some way to visually close the street,
since they say white people won't buy if it is close d and
neither with will the colored people.
e. I personally feel that the removal of the barricade would
satisfy the Negroes as it would rempen the street, at least
temporarily undil the property owners decided to either plow
it up and plant it in cotton, or put up their own fence. ..
7. The Southwest citizens and expressed by Virgil Copeland and Charles Edwards
(and by the way, Edwards seems to be extremely competent) are burried in their
own individual problem of the brotection of their houses and the necessity to close
or keep closed the road. . . they do not realize the terrific impact this has had
from the stand point of National publicity.
8. In talking to both Copeland and Edwards (and Bill Howland sat with us) I pointed
out this publicity and the fact that we had two problems. . .(l) the emotional one
which makes news because of the barricade, and (2) the problem of actually working
out a mutually satiffactory solution. . . and said thm to them that we should
remove the first problem in order to solve the second, . .they xmima realize this
and will paobbexs psebably recomment the 4 points which I have mentioned to you:
1, Removal of barricade
2. Support of rezoning for housing
3. Request ending to blockbusting tatics
4, Rerouting of street to form the original idea of the double
horseshoe.
9. I received the names of four groups, which is attached, but have not heard
from Dr, M, L, Kingsr. as to the "elected" representatives of the All Ctizens
Committee (which Col. Walden told me they would have.) I left a call for him
2
Saturday toxim but he hever returned it. Therefore I addressed the attached
letter to just the four groups.
10, The Southwest Citizens Association is having their meeting Saturday
night to decide what course of action they coaxxx would take and what they
will recommend. . .we will know Sxmxiapomoemieg: Monday morning. . .
ll, Copeland will still wait to hear from this affice as to when the meeting
should be called. . .. . .and Col. Waldenand /or M, L. King Sr. will
contact you probably Monday to state the willingness of the All Ctizens Comm.
to "hear your side.
After seeing what Copeland has to present to the
bi racial group, we should let him know whether to
call the meeting as origianlly discussed for Wednesday.
or wait until you have met with the All Citznes group,
One thing important to remember is that the suit comes up in Fulton Superior
Court on Thursday morning. . . and should the bi racial group meet wednesday
and the white folkd recommend the removal of the barricade, then the court case
would be easier. ...
Another thought. . .if somewhere the decision to reopen the road is mutually
agreed, it would probably take a month to six weeks to doit, . .as the Land
Department will have to buy back the land (if they will sell it back) or condemn it,
it will have to go before the PW#l Committee and the Board of Aldermen, . .
Of course, this would be admitting a mistake, and a rerouting of streets upon
mutual agreement seems better to my meager-thinking mind,
Oh well, aif of this is minor and will be satisfactorily resolved. . .what worries
me is the swimming pool situation which faces us shortly. . . every national
news meilia with whom I have seen is "just waiting" that should be the big story
of the year, they say. ...