Reverend BRAZIER. This is James Shead. This is a Ranger whose name I do not know who was employed at the University of Chicago as an animal care technician. He has a job and he is productive in society. The CHAIRMAN. Very well. Reverend BRAZIER. A lot of people say all we had was pot parties going on in the center. Here is the center. Here you can see education materials, all these youths are here. These are pictures taken_before we thought of an investigation. Here is a man from the Urban League talking to them about jobs, giving them interviews. So, this is the kind of activity. The CHAIRMAN. Which center is that? Reverend BRAZIER. This is in center 3. The CHAIRMAN. Is that where the shooting occurred? Reverend BRAZIER. No; the shooting occurred in center 4. (Photograph was marked "Exhibit No. 218F" for reference and may be found in the files of the subcommittee). The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. Are there any questions now before I recess? Senator HARRIS. I assume, Reverend Brazier, that you have already discovered weaknesses in this program about which you can testify here? Reverend BRAZIER. Yes, sir. Senator HARRIS. If this program was refunded, would you make certain changes in it to improve it? Reverend BRAZIER. Yes, sir. Senator HARRIS. Perhaps you could furnish us with a description of the improvements you would suggest, for our record. Reverend BRAZIER. Yes, sir. (The material submitted follows:) Corrections or Changes Which the Woodlawn Organization Would Make in the Program Are as Follows: * 1. It is clear that a number of assumptions were made in the original design of the Project. One major assumption was that trainees would function at a higher attainment level than was the actual case. Because of this assumption, the Project was organized on a sub-professional basis with four (4) professional staff members providing monitoring in-service training and technical program material development. The Project's professional staff also spent an inordinate amount of time in "enrollee eligibility verification", "date of collection", and the development of payment and attendance systems. These factors strained the functional capacity of the four (4) professional staff members. To correct this, we would recommend that: In addition to the original staff, four (4) additional professionals be hired to act as Center Supervisors. These professionals would remain in the centers throughout the day to give supervision and support to the Center Chief and the instructors. 2. During the original program year, it became clear that many trainees were both physically and mentally isolated within the Woodlawn area, and had little exposure to the wider Chicago community. Their buying habits and their sophistication were molded and maintained by the street styles that they obtained in adolescence. While on the one hand they knew that shopping at small ghetto stores cost more money, they had neither the mobility nor the orientation to the Loop or shopping center buying. Since the Project had no monies for cultural trips or trips to major businesses, it was unable to broaden the awareness, and in a sense, the rational option for the trainee. Therefore: *There will no doubt be other changes which we will recommend as we continue our internal evaluation of the original project. We would ask for an additional budgetary item for cultural and business excursions. 3. In as much as we did not have in the original budget any funds for remodeling purposes, the training facilities for the trainees were drab and uninspirational places in which to offer literacy and work-orientation instruction. We would therefore recommend: During the second year, the Project would re-locate centers one (1) and two (2) and possibly center three (3). The Project would find more suitable facilities and then enter into remodeling programs for all centers, including center four (4). 4. To supplement the already mentioned professional staff, we would employ six (6) additional Training Specialist professionals who would have expertise in: a) General Education Development b) Information Development c) Social and Economic Development 5. The Project would seek the budgetary item that would allow us to develop a family component. This would enable us to work with the parents of the trainee, as well as the trainee himself. We think that a closer tie-in with the family would be advantageous to the over-all success of the Project. Reverend BRAZIER. We found a weakness. We found that it is essential to have a full-time person supervising the center at all times. The first part of our demonstration project was a little ambitious. It did not work out as well as we had hoped it would. Senator HARRIS. This was a demonstration, or experimental program? Reverend BRAZIER. Yes; an experimental program. We had a terrific time monitoring timesheets and things of that nature. We felt that the instructors should have had a backup man, a professional backup man with him at all times, that in-service training was not enough. So we put in for a full-time supervisor, professional man at all times. We also feel, although I don't think this is in the refunding application, but certainly it is going to be a part of any effort we make with OEÓ, that we ought to have a family component with this program, not work with the youth only but in some way tie in the family, tie in the home. We feel this was a weakness in the progrem. We think there ought to be a much closer tie with all of the social agencies public and private, with the program, than there was in the beginning. We think the youth are ready for that. In the early stages they were very suspicious even of the Woodlawn Organization. They did not understand. They thought everybody was trying to do them in or break them up. I think after this year I think they have seen the value. I think we will see a much closer tie with all the social agencies in the community. We recognize all the features we had earlier need strengthening. We have not been 100 percent successful. There have been some minuses. I would like to get these pluses out as well because so much has been said about marihuana and guns that really does not relate to this project. I think in the minds of the public they see this project as nothing but a big whing-ding with marihuana and guns and things, and that is not the case. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Javits? Senator JAVITS. Mr. Chairman, I will not detain the committee. I have been engaged all day in an appropriations markup, very important to what the witness is testifying to. But I just wish to say that I shall do my utmost to be here tomorrow if I humanly can. I ask unanimous consent that a list of questions that I have may be made available to the witness and if he finds that any of them have not been answered in this examination, he may make replies and that they be made part of the record. The CHAIRMAN. You may submit the questions to the witness. As I understand, you want him to answer any of them that have not been covered? Senator JAVITS. Yes. I have tried to attend as much of these hearings as I could. I actually participated in the examination of the Chicago officials by the subcommittee, the Labor and Public Welfare Committee about a year ago. It happens to be just about a year ago because I now understand it was my birthday, which was the middle of May. This matter was referred to in those hearings, and the full record of those hearings has been made part of this hearing. I think this is a very fine line that your organization tries to tread between police action, dealing with criminals, men who are convicted or charged, et cetera, and the need for human redemption. In this fine line I think it is greatly to be admired that you are standing up to what you believe in. I welcome that. I think there is no finer expression in our country than what you are trying to do to set the record straight today. I would like to express my deep feeling for Senator Percy, who is standing up to this, too, notwithstanding all the talk about marihuana and guns, a good deal of which is undoubtedly factual. But it is standing up to the issue. I have been a slum child. It is not a nice place and people don't have nice manners and lots of very nasty things go on, but they are still people. We have to try to redeem them. I will try to be here tomorrow questioning you, myself. I just did want you to know how I felt. I would like to say in closing that you will not find a fairer man, notwithstanding what reports may have been about the fact that he said this or that he has emotions like the rest of us-than our chairman when it comes to giving everybody a fair break in bringing out the facts. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will stand in recess until 10 o'clock in the morning. (Whereupon, at 5:30 p.m. the committee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, 1968.) (Subcommittee members present at time of recess: Senators MeClellan, Harris, and Javits.) RIOTS, CIVIL AND CRIMINAL DISORDERS WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1968 U.S. SENATE, PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10:25 a.m. in room 3302, New Senate Office Building, pursuant to Senate Resolution 216, agreed to March 15, 1968, Senator John L. McClellan (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Members of the subcommittee present: Senator John L. McClellan, Democrat, Arkansas; Senator Henry M. Jackson, Democrat, Washington; Senator Edmund S. Muskie, Democrat, Maine; Senator Carl T. Curtis, Republican, Nebraska. Present also: Senator Charles H. Percy, Republican, Illinois, also present: Jerome S. Alderman, general counsel; LaVern J. Duffy, assistant counsel; John J. Walsh, investigator; Dr. Robert E. Dunne, assistant counsel; Philip W. Morgan, chief counsel to the minority; John Brick, investigator; and Ruth Y. Watt, chief clerk. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. (Members of the subcommittee present at time of reconvening: Senators McClellan and Curtis.) The CHAIRMAN. Will the Reverend Brazier come around please. TESTIMONY OF REV. ARTHUR M. BRAZIER—Resumed The CHAIRMAN. I think maybe we should get one thing straightened out before we move into other things. As I understand, Reverend Brazier, these centers where we have had a lot of testimony about their having guns, keeping marihuana and throwing parties, do I understand that they were supervised by your organization? Reverend BRAZIER. To some degree, Senator, yes. The CHAIRMAN. To what degree? Because that becomes a pretty vital issue here. We are saying they were supervised. Then we hear the testimony about what has happened. Tell us to what degree they were supervised by your organization to make certain to a reasonable extent that these things did not happen. I think beyond any doubt there was information coming to you from time to time about these things going on. Am I correct? Reverend BRAZIER. No, sir, you are not correct. The CHAIRMAN. You mean you did not hear any of it at that time? Reverend BRAZIER. No, sir. These centers were supervised by our professionals 90 to 95 percent of the time. The CHAIRMAN. Who are your professionals? People you employed? Reverend BRAZIER. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. Wouldn't that be by your organization? If you employed them, would they not be supervised by your organization, people you employed? Reverend BRAZIER. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. Your organization supervised? The CHAIRMAN. Then did you get information from them or from any other source about weapons being kept in these centers, about marihuana and this cough syrup they were taking, things like that were kept there and used there in these centers? Reverend BRAZIER. No, Senator, I did not get any kind of information like that. In fact, I have gotten the exact opposite of that. I have here affidavits, sworn affidavits, from Frank Hunter who was one of our supervisors, Solon Ice, Paul Black, and Anthony Gibbs, who was acting project director. I would like to read this and then offer this for the record, Senator, these are sworn affidavits. Mr. Anthony Gibbs being first sworn under oath deposes and The CHAIRMAN. It may be received in the record and printed in full. (The affidavits referred to follow :) STATE OF ILLINOIS, AFFIDAVIT Anthony C. Gibbs, Jr., being first duly sworn on oath deposes and states as follows: 1. That in June of 1962 he graduated from Chicago City College receiving the Associate of Arts Degree. 2. That he attended Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, from 1962 to 1964. 3. That from the twelfth month of 1967 to the sixth month of 1968, he served as the Acting Project Director of The Woodlawn Organization's Youth Project. 4. That in said capacity he visited each of the training sites each day between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. 5. That on several occasions, officers of the Police Department of the City of Chicago, without prior notice, invitation, or search warrants, invaded the project sites and disrupted the classroom activity and progress. 6. That except for these incidents where officers of the Chicago Police Department so invaded the project and interrupted the classroom activities, the students whom he observed conducted themselves in an orderly and responsible manner. 7. That at no time during his unannounced visits did he observe any guns nor did he observe any student or persons in The Woodlawn Organization Youth Project Centers in the possession or use of any narcotics of any kind. 8. That at no time during his unannounced visits to the centers did he observe any form of gambling. ANTHONY C. GIBBS, Jr. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 28th day of June 1968. VIRGINIA PARKER, Notary Public. STATE OF ILLINOIS, AFFIDAVIT County of Cook, 88: Frank Hunter, being first duly sworn on oath deposes and states as follows: 1. That he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Illinois in 1967. 2. That from September, 1967 to May, 1968, he was the Vocation Education Instructors' Supervisor of The Woodlawn Organization's Youth Project. |