Newspaper Page Text
GEORGIA BULLETIN, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1968
ARCHDKH'K*-*: n> «FI«M4 SKBV»6« MiNH.lt- 71 WFHFK> I III >T1I-
1 Chris Eckl
The Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
<*■§»
Managing Editor
Consulting Editors.v* Ji
. ... _ Member of the Catholic Press Association ,, c a item
2699 Peachtree N.E. . e . .. . 0 . U.S.A. $5.00
and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. Newsservice
Telephone 261-1281
Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga.
P.O. Box 11667
Northside Station
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Published Every Week at the Decatur - DeKalb News
Canada $5.00
Foreign $6.50
the opinions contained in these editorial columns are __
■■ the free expressions of free editors in a free Catholic press. —
Open Housing
May Build
New Spirit
The open-housing law passed by Congress will benefit the nation if
the spirit of the law is carried out with the letter of the law.
The new measure will cover up to 80 per cent of all housing in the
United States after Dec. 31, 1969, and will be binding on private
individuals, real estate firms and banking institutions in the sale and
rental of property. Beginning Jan. 1, 1970, the law will also apply to
single-family units if brokers or agents are employed in their sale or
rental.
THIS IS the modem symbolic chapel at Lutheran General Hospital in San Antonio, which has a wall designed to
represent the spiritual uplift and strength man receives from attending services. (RNS Photo)
GEORGIA PINES
The law can be a fine step forward if property owners accept its
spirit. This spirit must be accepted if the nation is to remove the
blight of segregated neighborhoods, one of the major causes of racial
tension, because there are always “legal” ways to evade the letter of
the law.
The open-housing law will not solve all of the nation’s problems.
The Rev. Ralph Abernathy, president of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference, pointed out that New York has had this type
of bill for 10 years and there are still ghettos.
On the other hand the law is not the great threat to private
property as contended by some of its opponents. It will not bankrupt
property owners. It is not a revolutionary step that will destroy the
fiber of the country.
What is so revolutionary about using economics-not color or
religious belief-as the basis for where a man will live?
Back Economic
‘Bill Of Rights’
NEW YORK (NC)-Archbis
hop John F. Dearden of Detroit,
president of the National Confer
ence of Catholic Bishops, joined
with heads of other major faiths
(April 13) to ask Congress for
passage of an “economic bill of
rights for the disadvantaged” as a
memorial to Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.
The statement was signed by
Archbishop Dearden; Dr. Arthur
S. Flemming, president of the
National Council of Churches;
Archbishop Iakovos, chairman of
the Standing Conference of Or
thodox Bishops in the Americas;
and Rabbi Jacob P. Rudin, presi
dent of the Synogogue Council of
America.
As a first step in implementing
the recommendations of the Na
tional Advisory Commission on
Civil Disorders, the religious
leaders urged President Lyndon
B. Johnson and Congress to take
“extraordinary action to achieve
the following objective of the late
Dr. King”—passage of an
economic bill of rights for the
‘Atlanta’s Finest’
.By R. Donald Kiernan
disadvantaged requiring about
$10 to $12 billion.
Dr. King had stated that
passage of this bill of rights was
among his major objectives in
planning the Mobilization of the
Poor marches scheduled for this
spring.
The interfaith statement also
asked citizens to support passage
of such a bill, even if it means
heavier taxation. It also asked the
private sector “to accelerate its
program for improving conditions
under which the disadvantaged
live and work,” and urged
Congress “to approve
immediately the balance of the
$1,980,000,000 authorized by
the Economic Opportunity Act
for fiscal year 1968.”
The statement commended
Congress for passage of the 1968
Civil Rights Bill and expressed
the mutual grief of the leaders at
the “shameful murder of Dr.
Martin Luther king, Jr., a unique
apostle of the nonviolent drive
for justice.”
“THANK you, very much.” These were the
words used to close a short talk. A short talk,
indeed, but it covered a big subject. And while
the talk might have been real short, it was
indeed a sincere one and every word used was a
chosen one which adequately expressed the
feelings of the man giving this talk.
The speaker was Herbert T. Jenkins,
Atlanta’s Chief of Police and the talk was given
to every watch of the Atlanta Police
Department covering the
General Division, the
Traffic Division, the
Uniform Division and the
Detective Division over a
24-hour period of time.
Chief Jenkins was
referring to the “great
job” done by the
Department on the
occasion of the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., a day which brought more dignitaries
and more visitors to Atlanta on one single
occasion than any other event in the history of
the city.
“This event was recorded for posterity on
every television network in this country and
the City of Atlanta was viewed by millions upon
millions of people in this country and abroad.
Not too much publicity was given to
“Atlanta’s Finest,” but had they failed they
would have been the subjects of interviews,
commentaries, and discussions for the next
decade.
I think that one of the finest tributes that
could be given to the Department was the
disciplined manner in which every officer
performed his duty no matter how he
personally felt about the event.
RUMORS were about the city regarding
uprisings, riots and destruction but to the
Atlanta Police Department these things
remained just what they were, rumors. They
went about their job in a professional manner
and as a result earned the respect not only of
every segment of Atlanta’s population but of
people all over the country.
Today, the Atlanta Police Department is
the model of police departments from the
smallest one-man department to the largest
department in the United States. I venture to
say that there is not one single man in
Atlanta’s department who would not proudly
proclaim that he is an Atlanta policeman.
Chief Jenkin’s crowning glory might have
come when he was recognized by his own peers
and named president of the International
Association of Chiefs of Police but this was
eclipsed when he was chosen by the President
of the United States to serve on the
Commission on Civil Disorders, and I might
add he was not- only the only policeman
chosen but also the only Southerner. Now, the
professional manner in which his department
acted last week certainly qualifies him as
America’s Number One law enforcement
officer.
When the chief appeared before his men, he
was a proud man and a grateful man. While the
well-disciplined Atlanta Police Department
might have done a good job real well the chief
realized that his men had gone the “extra
mile” and given him not only disciplined
service but cooperation. The Atlanta
policeman realized that his city, his
department and his reputation was on the spot
and in the limelight so in spite of extra work,
extra hours, and no time off... moral ran high
and every man knew that when his chief said,
“thank you,” it came from the bottom of his
heart.
IT WOULD be nice now if everyone could
take a rest and relax but unfortunately
business continues as usual. Robberies,
accidents, disorders still continue to plague us
but walking through the headquarters the
other day I noticed a new spirit with every
policeman. Last week’s test has brought the
department closer and boosted moral
tremendously. On the inside every
policeman feels a new sense of belonging to the
community; while on the outside, the citizen is
proud of “Atlanta’s Finest.”
So while Chief Jenkins was saying “thank
you” to his men; the citizen is saying, “thank
you” for a Chief Jenkins and the Atlanta
Police Department.