Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 July 1968 — Page 1

Dr. King Sr. keynotes Baptist convention

Bishop Clair’s rites hold in St. Louis Ho. ST. LOUIS, Funeral rites for the Rt. Rev. Bishop MatthewW. Clair Jr., age 76, of the Methodist Church were held here last Friday in Union Memorial CME Church. He died In his home 4010 Maffitt Ave., Wednesday, July 10. A former chaplain in theU.S.

BISHOP M. W. CLAIR JR. Army the burial was in the National Cemetery, Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Bishop Edgar Love, Baltimore, Md., delivered the eulogy. Bishop Clair was born at Harper’s Ferry, W.Y'a. He had pastorates at Simpson Methodist Church,Indianapolis,Ind., Bedford, Va.; Martinsburg, W. Va.; Roanoke, Va.; Denver, Colorado and Chicago. He retired in June 1964 and had been lecturing and teaching theology. He had been a professor of Practical Theology at Gammon Theological Seminary, was a chaplain in the Army in World War 1, and was elected a bishop of the Methodist Church in 1952. He held degrees awarded by Philander Smith College, Howard University , Illionis Wesleyan University and Boston University, Among organiza - tions he had been a member of the board of the National Council of Churches, General Board of Education, Board of World Peace and the Board of Lay Activities of the Methodist Church. He was president of the board of trustees of Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark. He was elected by the Council of Bishops to review and appraise Methodist work on the continent of Africa in 1954 and TURN TO PAGE 2

Inquests proposed by coroner’s office

A sequel to the controversy attending the fatal shooting of Jesse J. Woods Dr. Robert C. Collins, Marion County Coroner, this week proposed the impaneling of a coroner’s jury to hear sworn testimony to establish a cause of death. Dr. Collins asked the County Legal Department to advise him on what steps must be taken to establish formal inquests open to the public in all deaths of violence or controversy. Woods, age 22, 801 Locke Street was wounded fatally on July 8 when allegedly fleeing from the scene of arrest, on suspicion of stripping a car. The policemen, Paul Harden, Albert Cotton Jr. and J.L.Johnson, fired at Woods after he ran away when he was ordered to halt. They said, they fired a warning shot first, one of nine shots fired proved fatal. Dr. Collins said the jury’s ruling would be used as a guide in arriving at the coroner’s formal verdict. He said by having the meetings open to the public the testimony would “check and protect policemen.” He observed that he was not certain that "private citizens could serve on this sort of jury.”

Recruits sought for Atterbury Job Corps

EDINBURG - Youth, 18-21, unemployed are being offered the opportunity to learn a trade through a special campaign being conducted by the Atterbury Job Corps Center. The center, in conjunction with the Indiana State Employment Service and the Neighborhood Youth Corps, is canvassing Indianapolis for new recruits. Interested individuals cruits. Interested indivuduals can obtain information on the Job Corps program and how to join by calling the Atterbury Community Center at 636-6574. The Center, located at 970 N. Meridian, will accept such calls through the weekend. During the week of July 22 a mobile recruiting unit manned by trainees at the Atterbury Center, among others, will make stops in parks throughout the city.

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA—SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1968

NO. 29

Four hospitalized after Eastside shooting spree

Center for youths opened on westside A former professional football player who concerns himself now with seeing youth receive ample motivation to spur them towards meaningful goals in life this week pondered the seeming lack of adult interest in their community. For John Lands, ex-member of the Indianapolis Warriors, Sunday was a day filled with deep pride. An overflow crowd was on hand for the official opening of “Our Place.” Located at 848 Indiana Ave., it will eventually function as a service center offering recreation, counseling and employment opportunities for the Lockfield area and surrounding community. Distinguished visitors on hand applauding the event were Harry Belafonte, in town for TURN TO PAGE 2

OPENS YOUTH CENTER: 'Our Place," a new youth center serving the Lockefieid area, held open house last Sunday. Harry Belafonte and Mayor Richard G Lugar headed a list of dignitaries who mingled with hundreds of residents as they toured the center Fianner House sponsors the program and provides financing. Indiana University provided the build-

ing, and the Metropolitan Department of Public Parks provides much of the recreation equipment. Here a group of happy youngsters gather around Belafonte (center black tie) in the paneled recreation room. John Lands, director of Our Place is shown next to Belafonte (left) and Dr. Cleo W- Blackburn, executive director of Fianner House is also shown (dark suit).

Surrenders in N.Y. slaying; story of self-defense told

Rockefeller acclaimed on Hoosierland visit

GRAHAM, N. C. - Bobby Rogers returned to New York from this North Carolina community in connection with the shooting deaths last week of three Puerto Ricans on a Bronx

street, told authorities that the shootings were in self-defense. Rogers, accompanied by his brother, Henry, surrendered to sheriff’s deputies here and claimed he shot and fatally-

wounded three men after they forcibly tried to enter his apartment where his sister, his girlfriend and another girl were staying. TURN TO PAGE 2

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Bidding for support of some of the Hoosier State’s 26 delegates to the Republican national convention in August, if Richard Nixon misses out on the Presidential nomination,Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller visited Indianapolis early this week. Precedine his visit here Gov Rockefeller speaking at Gary stated, “...At some point the pledge runs out...At that point I expect to get some of those delegates,.." His observation concerned in this instance the fact that Richard M. Nixon rolled up more than 470,000 votes in the Indiana Presidential primary. This would assure him (Nixon) at least on the first ballot, the support of the Hoosier delegation In Miami. Conferring with newsmen in Gary, Gov. Rockefeller ventured that Mr. Nixon would fall about 60 or 70 votes short of victory on the first ballot at the convention, even after the delegates pledged to favorite sons had been released. Gov. Rockefeller charged further, that he (Nixon) has been “losing votes for the last two weeks..." Richard Hatcher, Democratic mayor of Gary, introduced Gov. Rockefeller at a luncheon in a hotel there. Gov. Rockefeller stated that he had come to Indiana to “bring a winning choice tothe people.” Again he contended that the GOP cannot win with Nixon as its Presidential candidate because the former Vice President has a “southern strategy similar to that of Barry Goldwater in 1964." Commenting in Indianapolis on his “poll of voter sentiment” Gov. Rockefeller ventured that Nixon could not win this fall as the GOP Presidential nominee because he (Nixon) is weak in big cities and will lose most of the South to George C. Wallace. Members of Gov. Rockefeller’s staff estimated that about two-thirds of the state’s convention delegates attended the dinner held at Stouffer’s. Following a closed session with the delegates Gov. Rockefeller said he made no effort to obtain commitments from

them. He said that he told them he would support the party’s nominee. “But I also urged that we nominate a winner...” A crowd estimated at upward of 500 persons, many of them young people greeted Rockefeller outside Stouffer’s. Mayor Richard Lugar introduced Gov. Rockefeller as “a TURN TO PAGE 2

’Black

as

power

leaders call

chants sung out for new unity

EDITOR’S NOTE:This is the first of a two-part series aimed at presenting the purposes and goals of the “black power” movement through interviews

BY PAT STEWART with local black power advocates). ** * Chants of “black power” are being echoed throughout the na-

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ROCKY IN GARY: New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, a candidate for the Republican nomination for President, confers with Mayor

Richard G. Hcttcher of Gary at a luncheon given in the Governors honor. Rockefeller also visited Indianapolis.

the black man is affirming renewed faith in his race and capabilities aimed at ridding the power structure of injustice and creating a type of black unity heretofore thought impossible. A new awakening of racial pride and feeling of political and economic strength and strides toward more equality in education, employment, business, code enforcement, and in other important areas are predominating the black power movement or “Black Renaissance” (rebirth of the black people). These opinions were expressed in exclusive interviews*, with Indianapolis black power advocates who generally feel that the white press is guilty of distorting the black power movement and its purposes. Most incriminated the black “bourgeoisie” ( middle-class ) for totally being disinterested in and generally not supporting the black power movement. NORM LUMPKIN of 235 W. Washington, local radio news director, noted that black power means political power in the sense that black people can bargain with political candidates and not be manipulated by party bosses. Mr. Lumpkin added that selfownership of business, such as banks, loan companies and real estate companies, could come out of the movement. Of the local police department, he pointed out that there is not a fair ratio of black officers in proportion to the population of the community. Out of 973 police officers in the city only 97 are black. There are no black officers in communications, and there are no black dispatchers. “Black power means to me the awakening of the liberal white mind to phony whiteminded middle class Negroes who really don’t represent anybody butthem selves and their own pocketbooks and don’t realtion and in Indianapolis, and

ly care about the black masses,” Mr. Lumpkin asserted. He further concludes that black power will result in the arrival of a black man in the White House. However, he added: “Of course with the way things are going now with all TURN TO PAGE 15

Vidhm include prominent GOP vice-chairman A 31-year-old man remained in serious condition at Marion County General Hospital Thursday--his alleged assailant was listed in critical condition in the same hospital, both shot during a wild shooting spree Tuesday night on the nearNortheastside. Two other persons, including a prominent woman politician, suffered gunshot wounds in the same a 1 t e r c ation - said to have been the aftermath of a domestic quarrel. The victims, were Mrs.Nola Allen Griffin, 3318 N. Arsenal, Dr. Howard, Griffin, 41, H o w a r d L. Bowles Jr. 4134 Rookwood, and Rayfield Anderson, 50, of 3290 N. Arsenal. Police called to Anderson’s home shortly after 11 p.m., Tuesday found Mrs. Griffin suffering from a slight head wound and the effects of a severe physical beating said to have beer inflicted by her estranged husband. Also hospitalized with gunshot wounds were Griffin, shot in the stomach by Anderson, and Anderson who told investigating officers he fired at Griffin after he ( Griffin) invaded the Anderson home firing wildly with a .22 caliber rifle. Several minutes later officers were summoned to an allTURN TO PAGE 2

Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., father of the fallen civil rights leader, keynoted the first annual session of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist State Convention here Wednesday and exclaimed that he did not “hate anyoneV’ for the death of his son. A n overflowing crowd of 500 persons jammed 25th Street Baptist Church to hear the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebanezer Baptist Church as he addressed the newly - formed convention . on its thirc day of activity. During his 45-minute address Dr. King Sr., who was rushed to the convention site by a police escort, told his audience that there was no need to hate his son’s killer (or killers) ’’although he brought sorrow into my heart and the hearts of our family.” “Many people did not know my son- they did not understand them,” the elder King stated. “There were time I felt he was a better Christian than I am. There were times I’ve been discouraged; he would not have been. “Of those who killed my son. “Of those who killed my son, I can only say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Dr. King told the throng at the 25th Street Church, convention headquarters. The elder King noted that his Noble Peace Prize-winning son was primarily concerned with the poor, underpriviledged, and sick-white as well as black, and urged the convention to adopt a plan that would concentrate efforts on poverty areas. Dr. King Sr. flew to Indi anapolis from Detroit where he had attended the funeral of a nephew. After his address he returned to Atlanta. He did not comment specifically James Earl Ray, escaped convict held in connection with the slaying of Dr. King, but did say he and his family had been threatened numerous times since the death of his son. Mrs. Martin Luther King Jr. had received an invitation to address the convention, but previous committments prevented her from doing so. The senior Dr. King expressed great satisfaction to the delegates for naming the convention in honor of his son. Meanwhile, the convention was to close Friday with reports from various committees which were formed to establish programs for the newly-creat-ed organization. According to Rev. Andrew J. Brown, pastor of St. Johns MisTURN TO PAGE 2

Iowa teacher gives white 3rd graders ‘taste of bias’

RICEVILLE, Iowa - A rural third-grade teacher who gave her pupils their first lesson in discrimination said the results were “alsolutely frightening.” “I was sick. I was simply dumbfounded.” said Mrs. Darald Elliott, 34. “We had all the problems you hear about being connected with intolerance and prejudice.” But she said the children benefited from the experience, and she plans similar lessons. To make the white youngsters in this northeast Iowa community aware of color discrimination, Mrs. Elliott di - vided the class into two groups -those with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. She gave the brown-eyed children special privileges during a Friday “Discrimination Day." The following Monday the blue-eyed youngsters- were given the superior role. Through they knew it was just a lesson, whe said the “inferior” group reacted with real anger, frustration and despair while their “superior” classmates lored it over them. “The people with blue eyes could not do the things the people with brown eyes did,” . one youngster wrote of the first •day. “I felt left out because I have blue eyes. I felt like

slapping a brown-eyed person. I felt like quitting school. The brown-eyed people got five extra minutes of recess.” He added: “I would not like to be angry all my life.” Pupils’ grades suffered when they were in the less-favored position. “I didn’t want to work. I didn’t feel like I was very big,” said one boy. But he and the others perkup during their privileged day. “On Monday I was happy because we discriminated against the brown-eyed people and I felt smarter goodner and cleaner than the brown-eyed people,” a blue-eyed girl said. Mrs. Elliott said three greeneyed youngsters who were not specifically placed in either group leaned toward the underprivileged. As to the effect of the twoday experiment on the 28 chil- * dren, aged 8 and 9, one saidi Discrimination is not fun ax all. I am glad I am not a Negro and being judged by my skin. Mrs. Elliott said the children reacted than way “ without exception.” rt i ttviBk these children walked In a colored chllcrs moccasins for a day.” said the

teacher, herself a white native of Riceville, which has no Negroes in its 1,000 population. Dr. Joseph T. Taylor to aid in selection ofl.U. president Dr. Joseph T. Taylor, dean of the Indianapolis campus of Indiana University , last week was named as an advisor to the committee picked to recommend a successor to Indiana University president Elvis Stahr who has resigned.

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