Responding to indications that the District of Columbia government has succumbed to “black power” demands that white merchants – Jewish and non-Jewish-cease trading in Negro neighborhoods, the local unit of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League has appealed to Mayor Walter E. Washington to avoid “a segregationist pattern” in D.C. business life. Alvin J. Steinberg, chairman of the executive committee, D.C.-Maryland Regional ADL Board, also appealed to the Mayor to form an advisory group that would include synagogue and human rights groups as well as Negro economic development organizations, Government officials, church organizations, citizens associations, and others.
Commenting on remarks that reconstruction of Washington should include removal of white merchants, Mr. Steinberg said “a number of statements have been issued and organizations created this past week stating that people who live in the areas devastated by civil disorders should play a role in restructuring those areas and human lives as well. We wholly agree with the soundness of this approach – except that we must not permit it to become unilateral – it must include those who live economically in the area as well.” He told the Mayor that “we fully understand the imperative of the Negro community to build a stable and progressive economic base – but to build that base in a segregationist pattern can only serve to undermine its foundation.”
He said that such a course was contrary to “the community and Government commitment and violates our basic civil rights philosophy and goals.” It would contradict the Administration’s position “that we not build cities black and suburbs white, and also is contrary to the report of the President’s Commission on Civil Disorders which urges against polarizing the races.”
The letter followed post-riot developments in which Negroes have sought to coerce Jewish and other white merchants into relinquishing various enterprises. Public threats have been made by extremists that those who do not leave the “ghetto” will be burned out. Arson has occurred almost daily since the major disorder subsided. A number of Jewish-owned enterprises were victimized in recent days by new incidents of looting as well as arson.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
