Citizens Mass Meeting.
Type of event: Afterwards
Location: Minnesota; United States
Citation:
The Appeal, December 11, 1920, page 3, 2.
“Citizens Mass Meeting”
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CITIZENS MASS MEETING.
Under Auspices
of Local Branch of
N. A. A. C. P.
Last Sunday afternoon St. James A. M. E. Church was crowded with an
audience that responded to a call made by the local branch of the N. A. A. C. P.
for a citizens’ mass meeting to refute the impression that seemed to have
been made by an article in the daily papers to the effect that the colored
people were about to establish a public playground and skating rink, expressly
for colored people, on the block bounded by St. Anthony and Virginia Aves. Rondo
street and Western Ave. The meeting was called to order by Dr. Valdo Turner, who
stated the cause for calling the meeting.
He was followed by Mr. O. C. Hall.
Mr. J. M. Clancy, Commissioner of Public Parks and Playgrounds, was the next
speaker who declared that “there would be no public playground or skating
rink in St. Paul, Exclusively for colored people.”
Rev. B. F. Hodge
was the next speaker, Mrs. George A. Gooden followed. Mr. Johnson, supervisor of
public playgrounds, was the next speaker and he too said there would be no such
playground. Rev. T. J. Carr was the next speaker. All the speakers in
unequivocal terms expressed themselves as utterly opposed to any such
thing.
A committee was appointed by the chairman to draft resolutions
expressing the sentiments of the meeting.
During the absence of the
committee, Atty. F. L. Barnett, of Chicago, who was present, was introduced and
told of the recent trials of the seven colored men imprisoned in Duluth, who are
charged with raping a white woman on June 14th. Lawyer Barnett was
employed by the N. A. A. C. P. to defend the accused men. He was associated with
Atty. C. W. Scrutchin of Bemedji and R. C. McCullough of Duluth.
Two of the
men, Max Mason and William Miller were tried by jury, and the former was
convicted, while Miller was acquitted. Miller was present at the meeting and
received the congratulation of the audience. Before Atty. Barnett began to
speak, he asked that a prayer be made, and Mr. Geo. W. Stewart addressed the
throne of grace.
Atty. Barnett told the story of the alleged crime with
which the public is familiar; though he told things that were not generally
known before.
A collection was asked for and $75 was quickly raised to be
added to the defense fund of the N. A. A. C. P. Rev. Carr reported $12 as having
been raised at Memorial Baptist Church, and Rev. Hodge reported $16.80 raised at
Pilgrim Baptist Church.
The committee on resolutions then reported the
following:
Resolutions.
WHEREAS, there is a certain colored individual in St. Paul whom we believe
has for a long time misrepresented the members of his race here;
AND WHEREAS
this man is a minister of the Gospel and has had the ear of certain white people
whom we believe he has deceived with respect to the members of his race in St.
Paul and his position as a member of his race in St. Paul;
AND WHEREAS this
man has so intrenched himself in the minds of certain good-intentioned white
folk that attempts upon the part of colored people to make plain the true facts
with regard to this individual were misunderstood;
AND WHEREAS the colored
people of St. Paul have suffered in silence for several years in the vain hope
that the true caliber of the man would become apparent to those who were
misguided in giving and providing him with money in the belief that they were
helping colored people in St. Paul in general.
AND WHEREAS since this
individual now seeks to create Jim Crow conditions in St. Paul by establishing a
colored playground;
AND WHEREAS we believe that there is no occasion for a
colored playground in St. Paul; that it would be rank injustice to all citizens
of St. Paul to establish a colored play-
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CITIZENS MASS
MEETING
Continued from Third
page
ground in our city and against the general Americanization scheme which
the people of this country are striving to perfect;
AND WHEREAS in the minds
of the colored people of St. Paul patience with George Washington Camp has
ceased to be a virtue;
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the colored people now
assembled, after public call through the newspapers for that purpose, hereby
denounce the said George Washington Camp and declare that we are not in sympathy
with his methods and that we believe that he does not have the interest of his
race at heart, but seeks his own personal welfare and advancement at the expense
of his race and in methods calculated to create false and improper
impressions.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we, the colored people of St. Paul,
in mass meeting assembled, are unalterably opposed to the establishment of any
separate playgrounds for colored people in St. Paul under the guidance of this
man Camp or any one else.
W. T. Francis.
S. E. Hall.
C. W. Wigington.
R. C. Minor.
Cora Grissom.
–COMMITTEE.
The resolutions were unanimously adopted.