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Vol 3-No 7 | June 1971 . Hi
a new day th tt ibhpwe
for the Mach community ff only
tLe wtll work tog ther Lo end lhe darkness
of COMLUStONR, mistrust, and angumentatien oll
a log clh- Cx tLe CAPM educate OCUx shctitven | , : }
tutldl eux hem ed, werk eur fold,
and tive a peaceful “fe = j
-tlLé Caw and muse have
whal’ th eunb- Be Bee oe Joka
and i ere tds GOCng lo gree LAéS fe 488
unless tLe Meshes ea a bee ie ee:
Dr.Harry Hamilton an
story P.6 Chr. of the Albany Black adedaes bee Re |
Office of The Liberator is 35 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York 12208
Telephone 449-1321
Subscription Rate --- $5.00 in the Capital District
$6.00 outside the area
Leon Van Dyke, Publisher and Editor
Managing Editor,L.M. Champagne
Editorial Staff: Nancy Bunche, Robert Gene Dobbs,
Vera Michelson
Research Associate: Michael Sugarman
PSeSeCSeSeeSeeeseeSeSeSeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeseoene
In This Issue
P.2 Food C0-OPs--More Food for Less Money
By Sally Pollack
P.2 The White Death--Requiem
By Margi Richards
P.4 Editorial
P.5 Confrontation Politics
By Tim Reilly
P.6 Albany Black Coalition
By Robert White
PF Elected School Board Powers
By Victor Lord
Food Cooperatives
more food for less money
(Editor's note: Food co-ops have a
long history in certain nations
and have been organized in America;
but until the past year, no sustain-
ed effort to run a food co-op has
been made in Albany. Besides the one
described in this article,there are
co-ops at Madison and Trinity Place,
and at the Urban Center on Central
Avenue. A Black church in the South
End is planning one as is a Black
church in Arbor Hill.)
BY SALLY POLLACK
In an effort to combat the rising
cost of food in the Capital District
a group of Albany residents have or-
ganized a food cooperative. Working
out of a storefront at 111 Dove St.
the neighborhood people are buying
large quantities of food wholesale
and distributing it themselves, thus
insuring minimum cost for the fresh—-
est food available.
After investigating the retail
prices in area supermarkets and in
corner grocery stores, the organizers
of the co-op were amazed to find mark
Several markets automatically rais—
ed their prices the days’ the welfare
checks came in.
In order to fight arbitrary mark
ups and stale food, the members of the
community conducted a survey through-
out the neighborhood to determine
which foods were most desired and then
contacted various wholesalers for ther
prices. The co-operative has begun to
distribute produce items first because
these were the items (fruits, vegetables
etc.) of greatest mark-up elsewhere.
Now available along with fruits and
vegetables are large eggs for 40¢ per
dozen, brown rice for 20¢ a pound and
fresh bakery bread for 28¢ a loaf.As
soon as refrideration is possible, the
co-op will stock meat and other dairy
products. Food is sold at wholesale
cost plus 20 percent to cover expenses.
In operation since early February,
the cooperative is handling over 150
orders a week, with more coming in
every day. Order forms can be obtained
at the Dove Street store. Orders re-
turned with payment by 6 p.m. Sunday
are ready to be picked up by noon on
the following Tuesday.
P.8 (Wright on Education:
Interview with Black Educator
By Editorial Staff
Medicine in the Ghetto
By Fran Casler
P. 10
Book Review Section
Crime in America by Michael Fite
Huey Long y by Abby Place
Let Them Eat Promises by Bill Katz
ar 4
~P.13 Community Services
P.14 Jury Trial of Norman McConney
By L.M. Champagne
P. 16
Yours
By Joe Hart
@eeecseeeeecee sees sees eeeeeeeeoeeeeoeeeeeeesd
Support A Free Voice
For The People
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Adirondack Park: Two Million Acres Are
ups on many produce items of as high
‘as 100 to 300 percent. For example,
potatoes with a wholesale price of 4¢
per pound were sold at a mark-up of
125 percent. The mark=up on onions
|averaged 175 percent.
Mark-ups were often arbitrary. Cen-
{tral Markets on Deleware Avenue had
|no specific standards for pricing
.their produce items. Researchers found
the price varying on the same quality
green peppers in identical packages.
Not only was the price of food un-
necessarily high; another problem was
its freshness. Some markets-such as
Busy Corner at Dove and Hamilton-were
selling milk and eggs long after the
date stamped on the container guaran—
teed freshness.
E.O.P. Student O.D.’s
New customers welcome! !
JOHN WOLCOTT PHOTO
author of 2 books
REQUIEM
By Margi Richards
I went to the funeral with Jane
Russell. Jane runs the scholarship
program at Harlem Teams for Self-Help,
an agency in New York City. We had
worked some long,hard hours together
getting kids into school. Now the
white garbed, white gloved attendants
were handing us mimeographed sheets
of paper entitled ‘Obsequies of Elmore
Joseph Bowes,Jr.'
We were ushered to seats in front
of an ancient crone who spoke in great
sibilant whispers to her companion.
"IT didn't know this boy...never saw
him before today but the family goin'
to this church reg'lar so I figgered
I'd sit in.”
The church was gradually filling,
kids who had been at Bishop College
in Texas, kids from the E.0.P.Program
in Albany, kids from the PEP Program
at Harlem Teams, teachers, friends,all
of us somehow having been part of the
life of Elmore Joseph Bowes,Jreee
The coffin was closed, the flowers
banked around it. The choir filed ine.
all three of them. One woman wore a
cap and gown, one wore an Afro and
basic black, the other a frilly white
hat. The ministers had a processional
down the center aisle and then the
family came in. There was an awesome,
expectant hush,then one of the minis—-
ters began to pray in a high thin
voice. Every time he pronounced an
‘s' his teeth whistled. The old lady
ADDRESS ccc ccccccccseccccccccecccccs:
MAIL TO: THE LIBERATOR
35 NEW SCOTLAND AVENUE
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12208
She was too close to death and too
‘gleeful at having escaped its clutches
to respect anyone or anything. She had
come for the show and she made it one
of audience participation with her
running commentary. "He was 23 years
old and, hmph,look here, it says he
wrote a book and got another one com!
out October." She chuckled. “Lotta
good it'll do ‘im now.”
behind us gave a raucous cackle.
My mind wandered to the scholar—
ship office two years ago. Bo and his
ace buddy Papo Lopez were anxious to
get on with their education. They wee
slated for the E.0.P. but we were hav-
‘ing trouble with the admissions office
at Albany State. Bo,Papo,Bert Evemiey
and Albert Dixon became our special
groupe
cont. =
All summer long Bo was in an
out of the office, with his art work
his projects, his plans, his dreams,
—bursting with energy and life and
humor.
We had to finally fight to get
the boys in the E.0.P. program.Then
we had to drive up to Albany with
them while people in the local commun-
ity raised money and found housing
for them for their first semester.
So many people had helped, so many
had an interest and...now...ehere we
were gathered together one week before
graduation for an unexpected ceremon—
ial.
I began to have the feeling that
Bo was alive and was watching the en—-
tire service. The choir started to
Sing and the white garbed attendants
kept doing a changing of the guard
ritual every five or ten minutes.
The choir was unrehearsed, the at
tendants distracting. As the minister
began to invoke further the gods and
the spirits, I thought about our after-
noon visit to the wake at the funeral
home.
It was a bright hot day and the
doors to the funeral parlor were open.
There was a yellow dog playing on the
steep stairs ahead of us. He ran be=
fore us as we climbed. Jane and I were
both apprehensive and nervous, hoping
we wouldn't break down or otherwise
distress the family in any way.
As we stepped into the doorway the
air became suddenly cool, the hall was
dim after the bright sun and the scent
of flowers hung in the air. We entered
the viewing room. No one was there. A
shaft of sunlight cut through the shad-
ows in the empty room but it didn't
quite reach the corner where Bo lay.
Two flies buzzed a courtship dance
in the light while in the gloomy com
ner the yellow dog busily sniffed at
the flowers by the coffin. A sign in-
structed us to sign the guest book.
And then we looked at Bo for a few
seconds and then we left.
Even after having seen him we coud
not believe it was he, but we both
still need a couple of drinks to get
rid of the images from that roomeecee
Bo always did hate to be alone.
God will provide—
The old lady erupted with a long
loud belch. The Afro'd sister in the
choir rose to sing. She was great to
look at but hard to listen to. I im
agined Bo getting up, going over to
her and taking her hand,winning her
with a smile, kissing her on her fore-
head, and sweeping out the center
aisle with her on his-arm. He had an
eye for beauty and was a charming
rogue.
Now the fat minister with the robes
began to preach the eulogy. It was ob—
vious he didn't know Bo at all. The
second time he called him "Joseph"
Jane and I eyed each other and shook
our heads. The old lady began kicking
the back of the pew rhythmically. The
minister boomed and vibrattoed an im=
itation of Martin Luther King for a-
while and then he struck a chord that
blew my mind! He kept repeating the
recurring theme "God will provide.”
He will provide...not what you want
but what you need."
Groovy. Who the hell needed Bo's
death? Who needed to be at a funeral
for a beautiful, breezy, talented ir-—
reverent kind who had the world by
the tail? Did Bo really need to die
in a public toilet in a movie theater?
Did he really need to 0.D. on skag?
si
will God really provide any kind of
retribution for the pusher...the crooked
cops on the take...the apathetic public...
the Syndicate...the politicians... and all of
the other slimy subhumans who traffic in
human misery“
But of course,El Reverendo wasn't
even raising those kinds of questions.
He was just mouthing platitudes.
I looked around the church at the
faces of people, faces lined with
grief and unfocused frustration.
That minister could have given some
meaning to Bo's death. He could have
turned grief to some constructive pur—
pose. He could have comforted the
mourners by giving them something to
focus on, by channeling their sorrow
into some awareness and activity a=
gainst drugs. Instead, he told us,
“God will provide."
Bo would have laughed at him and
then would have drawn a caricature of
him. “Here you go Margi baby,somethin'
to remember ol' fatso by..."
They opened the coffin and every-
one began to file by and, in the words
of the minister, "say goodbye to Elmo’
The sobbing was becoming more audi-
ble and the last viewing was being
drawn out for an excruciatingly long
time.
Skillfully, the organist began to
play “We Shall Gather At The River,"
evoking a few half-screams and con—
vulsive shuddering. The old lady
sucked at her post nasal drip and her
teeth, and chuckled back in her throat.
“We Shall Gather At the River" con—
jured visions of sleepy Midwest..white
clapboard.. neighborly neighborSeecee
homemade ice-cream..»People cried for
a world they never knew and that Bo
never knew either.
"Dig it Margi baby...you too Janie
baby.ee.ethis cat is layin' down some
heavy sounds,” then he'd have given
us a poke in the ribs and a broad wink.
Everyone was once again seated and
then the coffin was rolled directly
in front of the family's pew. Bo'«
mother groaned aloud. The old lady
informed her seat mate,"He was her
only child."
Graduated this week
Elmore Joseph Bowes,Jr. was 21
years old when he entered school at
the State University of New York at
Albany. He had already completed two
years of college. He would have grad—
uated this week.
In those 21 years Bo had raised
a lot of hell. He had had a good time.
He was multi-talented and it looked
like he was going to get a few good
breaks. He had a great Capacity for
joy and for living life to its fullest.
He was avid, eager and curious.
While he was learning how to live
life he taught a few of us about joy
and love and caring. He would even h
have liked and been amused by the
old lady at the funeral. For 21 or 22
years Bo was busy, bursting with his
creative energies.
He was not a drug user.
Then he spent two years in Albany
eeand he learned how to die.
For richer, for poorer,
_ for better, for worse
in sickness and health.
We've taken this vow with over 65 million people.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The health care Shield will be there. It means the experience and
plans that take care of a third of the people in the _ facilities to give you the best health care coverage
United States. The plans that started the whole you can buy. It means that when you decide on
idea of health insurance, back in the depression Blue Cross and Blue Shield for you and your
when nobody could afford medical care. The idea family, or for you and your employees, you're
the United States today.
how much you move around, Blue Cross and Blue
that grew to be the largest health care service in dealing with the leaders in health care. Millions of
Americans will testify to that.
What does it all mean? It means that no matter BLUE CROSS. rag BLUE SHIELD.
@ American Hespite! Association
ons,
RR NnS aa
ie i
the cost of justice
After the acquital of the 13 Black Panthers
in N.Y. City, people around the country wrote
articles, made speeches, went to their pubits
and gathered on the street corners proclaiming
to the world —and especially to any Blacks in
hearing distance—that their faith has been
restored in the courts of our (?) land.
Add to the N.Y. case the hung jury of Pan-
ther Chairman Bobby Seal in New Haven (and his
eventual release) and locally the compromise
verdict that the jury brought in for the case
of Norman McConney (see page 10) here in Albany.
eeeLOu can see why most defenders of the justice
system in this country, the simple-minded as well
as the learned, walk with their heads held high
and their chests out.
But they could set free Angela, The Berrigans,
the Milwalkee Three, Fred Ahmed,...and drop the
charges on H. Rap Brown and Eldridge Cleaver to-
morrow. The criminal justice system in this coun-
try would still be unjust.
As long as Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Chicanos,
etc. are denied equal opportunity to serve on
juries, to become judges, to enter law schools
and become attorneys or district attorneys or
law clerks in proportion to their numbers in
the society, then there will not be a fair trial
in the country for all citizens.e...
As long as it costs $300 to $500 for a lawyer
to defend a person in a misdemeanor such as an
assault charge, or over $1,000 for . “elony if a
defendant pleads not guilty and requests a right
£0 @ 4ury<trial..is.”
As long as it takes somewhere around $3,000
(lawyers fees and money for the transcript )to
appeal a convictioneeecs..
ment figures around 50 million of us are in this
class throughout the country) justice in this
country is a luxury ‘for the rich only.'
For the poor, the political disenters, there
are not enough lawyers in this country like
Charles Gary, Bill Kunstler, Howard Moore, on a
national level, or locally, attorneys such as
Francis Anderson, George Harder, Greta Powers,
and Vic Lord...to offset a system that says that
the amount of justice you receive depends upon
how much cash you have in your pocket.
For every Moore, Anderson, Harder ready to
do battle for the ‘wretched of the earth, 'there
_ are 1,000 officers of the bar who will not touch
a money—less case (unless ordered to do so by
the courts—and then in most cases the defense
is done is a sloppy manner).
In the public defender's office...supposedly
the legal defenders of the poor..e.there are
found an abundance of either inexperienced, over—
worked,incompetent practitioners or political
Z' hacks acting as attorneys.
ade So in spite of the Panther 13,etc. and the
Andersons,etc.—the Criminal Justice System
needs reforming. And that reform must be towards
e fairness, compassion and concern without regard
: to money and race. LVD
Langley
The Liberator has not always agreed with
Senator Walter Langley on all issues——
but his valiant effort to stand up against
= his party leaders and Mayor Corning in
Ro their brazen attempt to subvert the clear
mandate of the people to have a school
board election in November, is to be highly
& commended. It is truly an example of a
oe Profile in Courage—one not often seen on
the Republican side of the New York State
Legislature. LVD
the big three
Though population wise we in Albany have
adropped out of 'the big six' category,
we can feel proud that in the state we
have just become third in drug abuse.
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FEEDING THE LIONS
They come into our neighborhood with the sun
an army of social workers carrying briefcases
filled with lies and stupid €rins Passing out relief
checks and food stamps
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to another so they can fill their quota and get back
before dark.
letter to the editor
To members of the human race:
NORMAN JORDAN
May we address this Plea to you from the others
of the planet.<...We are watching you and if you
do not come around Soon to see the folly of your
ways, not only you, but we innocent ones-———we
depend on your awakening.
plants, the rocks, the fishes, the fur animals,
the smooth creatures, the winged things, all of
us too numberous to mention——at this time we
Your dream world of g00ds and grandeur is posing
a death threat to our real world of need...need
for space, need for time, need for renewal of
ourselves without danger of pollution of our
every cell, alteration of our delicate crystal
structures, elimination of our intricate atomic
configurations.
Your wisom is long overdue,
Our members die daily from your folly.
You owe us all consideration, for denying us,you
ultimately deny yourselves,
In hope and love,
“The Earth's Others"
.. The Liberator
Confrontation Politics
First Trust Target for protest
by Tim Reilly
The liberation movement must be constantly inventive.Be-
cause the oppression of poverty, racial injustive, and out—
rageous war is part of the ordinary working of the politi-
cal and economic system, people who protest oppression mus
expose it everywhere. What's more, they must protest in
ways that make it difficult for politicians and the news
media to accomodate themselves and explain away the prdes.
Change is the goal of the liberation movement, not tolera—
tion. That's why black people have used sit-ins, then mrche,
then Black Power organizations, then community action in
their struggle. And that's why the anti-war movement has
used marches, strikes and civil disobedience. Both the Blak
Liberation and anti-war movements have confronted national
political power and now are moving against economic power in
the United States.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National
Welfare Rights Organization, and the National Farm Workers
began the attack on a national scale with a rally in Wall
Street early in April. Before that time, programs such as
Operation Breadbasket and the campaigns for an end to dis—
crimination in employment (such as those of the Brothers in
Albany) had laid the groundwork.
The anti-war movement in Albany focused this attack lo-
cally with a confrontation of the First Trust Company on
April 30th. First Trust Company of Albany was the target
for several reasons. First of all, in America money is powe,
and major banks control the use of money. First Trust is tl
local branch of the multi-billion dollar Bankers Trust New
York Corporation, which is the third largest corporation in
America. Directors of the Bankers Trust are also on boards
of such companies as Mobil Oil, Union Carbide, Prudential
Insurance, Grumman Aircraft, International Paper,etc.More—
over, Bankers Trust of which First Trust Company of Albany
is a part, is a m@jor investor in such war contractors as
Lockheed, General Dynamics, McDonnell Douglas, General Mo—
tors, Grumman, Bendix, IBM, and Newport News Ship Building.
The peopk’s tax money is paid to those corporations to pro-
duce goods for warfare. The profits go to stockholders such
as Bankers Trust and First Trust. |
It isn't only war that is profitable for such banks. To
finance the South Mall, New York State took out loans from
First Trust and Bankers Trust totaling $140 million. These
loans are tax free, but interest payments haveto be met from
State tax money. Of course, to build the South Mall as a
home for government buildings, thousands of homesfor people
were destroyed.
So far neither First Trust, nor the State have found ways
to use tax money or loans to replace all that housing.
Another reason First Trust Company of Albany was a target
of the anti-war demonstration on April 30th is something
everybody should know. Many people in Albany have to live on
inadequate income from welfare. Many people cannot get loans.
Most people feel the pinch as prices go up. Meanwhile the
banks continue to make profits.
Well, those are the reasons First Trust Company of Al-
bany was a target of protest on April 30th. What happened?
Protestors marched down Washington Avenue and State St.,
rallied briefly in the plaza, and marched over to find the
bank closed “due to circumstances beyond our control." No-
body could talk to bank officials, if they wanted to, and
no spokesman came out to meet the marchers.
The protest continued in front of the bank with chants
and slogans while the group waited for lunch hour crowds in
hopes of conveying the meaning of their protest to other
citizens. sut shortly after 12 noon, traffic began to move
onto the street, previously closed off for the legal dem-
onstration. Then the police began to clear the streets, work—
ing groups of two and three, using night sticks. A televi-
sion film carries on its soundtrack an order to clear the
streets given by a police officer, but many who were presert
claim not to have heard the announcement. Most seemed sur—
prised by the appearance of traffic in the street. Everyone
was startled by the police decision to use force to clear
the street. Four people were arrested and apparently a num
ber of others were struck by police sticks.
People were surprsed by the police action, because Albany
has had many demonstrations with no such results. During
sessions of the legislature there are demonstrations nearly
every day. In the past year a half dozen marches, at least,
have traveled the streets of Albany, and last spring thou-
sands of anti-war demonstrators blocked the Federal building
in downtown Albany, for hours. None of these actions either
at the Capitol or the Bederal building resulted in forced
clearance or arrests. |
Why can Federal power and State power be challenged with-
out incident but not local power? That's a crucial question
for all of us in Albany. Can we agree on the answer?
ee
Albany, New York
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to do a job. And it takes skill to do
a real job. Find out what the Urban Center
can offer you in skill training — get the | \
bread and butter and the candy in your life.
URBAN CENTER |
SCHENECTADY URBAN CENTER
302 Germania Avenue
Schenectady, New York 372-6488 4
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Washington and Front Streets | ee
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oh eg Ne Oh : wes
Tt POOR REP ee tape }
. Albany Higck Coalition
and the role it can play
BY ROBERT WHITE
The Albany High incident on Novem
ber 12,1969 was the main reason for
_ Several organizations coming together
under an umbrella organization now
known as the Albany Black Coalition.
. After the incident mentioned above it
became apparent to many groups that
the collective impact of all groups
was needed to begin to solve commun—
ity problems of major consequence.
Dr. Harry Hamilton states that
"A new day is in store for the Black
community if only we will work to-
gether to end the darkness of confu-
sion, mistrust and argumentation, to—
gether we can educate our children,
build our homes, work our jobs and
live a peaceful life; we can and
must have what is ours: no more, no
less and no one is going to give this
ES to us unless we demand it and work
for it."
According to many member organize
tions of the Coalition, the group was
not founded on the premise that exist—
ing groups would lose their individual
identity or that the groups be forced
into one super structure.
The thinking behind the ABC is con-
sistent with the theory of-merational
harmony advanced by Maulana Ron Karen-
ga; which in essence is developing a
Coalition of leaders and key people
to work in a mutually supportive fash-.
ion toward goals that are in the best
interest of the Black community.
At the present time approximately
forty groups are members of the Coa-
lition. Membership in the Coalition
requires full acceptance on the part
of the interested organizations of
the rules and operations set down by
the constitution and by-laws of the
Albany Black Coalition.
Dr. Harry Hamilton is Director of
the Albany Black Coalition, Mr. McKin-
ley Jones is the Associate Director
and Mr. Ronald Stratton is the Execu-
tive Secretary.
The Coalition meets on a monthly
basis with frequent executive com
mittee meetings. An annual meeting
is held during the spring to inform
the larger community ofCoalition ac=
tivities.
Most of the Coalitions' efforts ha
have been spent organizing internally
and acquainting the community with
what they are all about. In an attempt
to increase the overall effectiveness
of the organization, no groups are ex=
cluded from this organization which
has attempted to take diverse points
of view and arrive at some common ob®
jectives for the benefit of the
larger community. According to Rev.
Rhodes, “the Albany Black Coalition
can and should be the uniting force
in the Black community; it is hopeful
that this can be accomplished and that
we can override our fragmentations.
This is extremely important if the
Black inner city is to find suitable
candidates to run for the proposed
“elected school board."
It should not go unnoticed that
the ABC encourages participation from
the Black Clergy. This is most essen-
tial to the success of Black Coalitions
and many of the clergy are presently
involved, including Rev. Herman A.Rhods
of Israel A.M.E. Zion Church and Rey,
Clemore McKnight of Elijah Baptist
Church.
Mr. Jones stated that "the Coalition
presents an opportunity for Blacks to
do the kinds of things that only they
can do for themselves. We must begin
to lead ourselves, make our own de-
cisions and be accountable to the Bl
Black community for the consequences
of our action or inaction."
At the present time the ABC is ate
tempting to promote a slate of Black
condidates for the Albany Elected
School Board. Albany Black Coalition
Will be spearheading an all out drive
along with other organizations to came
up with a slate of Black candidates
for the elected school board.
These candidates will be selected .
at a convention to be held in early
July. The support of all organization
and groups will be needed to assist
parents in overcoming difficulties ex-
isting in our schools.
Mr. Stratton in assessing the Al-
bany Black Coalition sates that "peo-
ple tend to complain to the wrang
persons and never help the right peo-
ple and causes;they never care about
everyday injustices until those in-
justices are identified with them—
selves; they criticise efforts made
by concerned groups and persons.They
‘join groups and do more harm than
good by using undermining tactics and
distrusting all groups and individuals
It is our intention as concerned in-
dividuals of the Albany Black Coali-
tion to concentrate and try to recti-
fy personal issues concerning Black
people regardless of the many ob—
stacles that have to be overcome."
UNION
COLLEGE
~ SUMMER
PROGRAMS
: : ae EVENING GRADUATE PROGRAMS June 14th and 21st to July 23rd, 30th and August 6th
«Gee : Courses will be offered in Amercian Studies, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Administration, Opera-
2 : tions Research, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering and Statistics.
EVENING UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS June 14th to July 23rd
Courses will be offered in Anthropology, Classics, Computer Science, Economics, English, History, Mathe-
matics, Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics.
Baldridge Reading Skills Institute - June 21st to July 22nd
ENGINEERING INSTITUTES
Modern Methods for Industrial and Product Noise Control, June 21st to 25th.
Fracture Mechanics Applications to Engineering Design, June 28th to July 2nd.
Modern Systems for Environmental, Monitoring and Control, July 12th to July 16th.
3 : Introductory Computer Workshop in Finite Element Methods in Structural Analysis, August 23rd to 27th.
Advanced Computer Workshop in Finite Element Methods of Analysis for Stress and Other Field Problems
August 30th to September 3rd.
Sigurd Rascher Saxophone Workshop June 21st to July 2nd
S : Registration Evening, Thursday, 6:30-8:30, June 10th, daily, 9-4 PM,
Registration Closes, Wednesday, June 16th.
For information and descriptive brochures please write or phone
Union College Summer Session, Union College, Schenectady, New York 12308 3
Phone: 346-8751, Ext. 261
ER Aer eM ae
The Liberator‘ | |
BOARD POWERS
elected school board’s role
By Victor Lord, Attorney at Law
Albany's elected school board,
which will take office next January,
cannot end the Indo China War, nor
will it be able to teach "Johnny"
how to read over night. It will not
have the power to establish dress
regulations for school pupils. It
should, however, return to us par -
ents some measure to control over
our children's education. At the
very least elected board members
will have to level with the public
and board members' interest will no
longer be limited to what the Mayor,
who appointed them, says. At the
best, board members truly represent-—
ing the average parent and the cit-—
izenry at large, will be able to
come up with totally new and innova-
‘tive educational approaches, togeth-
er with unaccustomed financial flex—
ibility which could save public mon-
ies over the long haul and actually
make “Johnny" a better reader and
give him skills to find better jobs
than his parents had.
ANTIQUE SCHOOL 10 IS EXAMPLE OF WHAT
THE MAYOR"S APPOINTED BOARD HAS PRO—
VIDED FOR STUDENTS OF ALBANY. OUTDATED
BUILDINGS AND METHODS COULD BE REPLACED
BY AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD FREE FROM
MACHINE POLITICS. (CHAMPAGNE PHOTO)
cide the schools to which pupils
will be assigned.
The board can run a public li-
brary or work with the existing
‘public library or any free library
associations, and it will have the
power to establish public lecture
courses.
In the schools, the board will
decide upon the general courses of
study, approve the things that go
‘into making up a particular course,
‘and choose our children's textbooks.
It will be responsible for purchas-
ing and furnishing maps, globes,
books, furniture, equipment, and
supplies.
The Board of Education has the
right to appoint the superintend—
ent and all the administrative
officials. It sets up the jobs,the
positions, and the various educa-
tional divisions or departments. It
can create jobs to carry out its
programs and determine the duties
of its employees.
The board approves teachers and
authorizes or rejects tenure. It
can fire employees for cause. It
has the obligation of establishing
a grievance procedure for all em—
ployees.
Our Board of Education will be
able to set goals for public ed—
ucation in Albany, determine the
ways, and supervise the means for
accomplishing the goals. It will
superintend, manage, and control
educational affairs for the public
ing schools, vocational schools,
night schools, part—time schools,
schools for adults and for the phy—
physically and mentallly handicapped
or delinquent children.
The board will decide the type of
discipline for the schools and con—
The board can purchase or it can
condemn any property it needs andis
supposed to build schools.
The board may establish cafeterias
in the schools.
The board prepares and enacts the
in the Albany School District. It
will have the powers needed to
carry out its decisions and the
authority to raise the money. It
will operate and maintain free ele-
mentary schools, high schools, train—
trol all related social and recrea~
tional activities. These include ex-
tra-curricular activities ranging
from sports to canteens and debating.
It will provide transportation for
pupils as it sees fit. It will de-
school budget. It must have a public
‘hearing on the budget at least 45
days before the school year begins
on July 1. It must file a financial
report of its activities within
three months after the end of each
school year.
UMMER71
continuing education
NON-CREDIT COURSES
COLLEGE OF GENERAL STUDIES
STATE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
WORK SHOPS SEMINARS
HKEEKEKEE HEKKE
STUDIO COURSES
HEHE HHEKKEKE
BALLET. ..CERAMICS...DRAWING..eENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF
OTHER LANGUAGES...»HIGHWAY SAFETY...JEWELRY DESIGN...
MODERN INVESTING...PAINTING WITH ACRYLICS...PHOTOGRAPHY
eeeeREADING IMPROVEMENT cc cccccces SCULPTURE cc cccccce
For brochure and registration forms call 457-4937
. or write
State University of New York at Albany
College of General Studies, AD241
1400 Washington Avenue,Albany,N.Y.12203
Earn HighIncome
as qa
Heavy Equipment
Operator
LEARN a trade with a secure future.
TRAIN your way to a job with high pay in the booming
construction industry.
ACTUAL FIELD TRAINING ON NEW JOHN DEERE EQUIPMENT
Train on Wozers, backhoes, graders, front end loaders,
scrapers.
YOU ALSO LEARN:
Starting and shut-down procedures
Maintenance and Lubrication
Grade-Grade stakes
Excavations-—Trenching
Licensed by the State of New York Education Department ***
We are not a correspondence school
At Interstate you learn by operating
Train for Good Pay opportunities
Train weekends or full time
***Training center at Plattekill, New York
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For personal interview call:869-7777
Or write: 92 Central Avenue
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INTERSTATE HEAVY OPERATION
EQUIPMENT
cE OR ERE a i ln
a Ng sede, de tas
WRIGHT ON
(Editor's note: Dr. Nathan Wright, Jr.
of 1969. He holds five college degrees,
ty in the fields of education and urbanization,
tragic state of ghetto education.
gram which might lead to improvements in inner-city teachin
schools)
QUESTION: Locally, Dr. Wright, the election of a school
board for the city of Albany has become one of great polit—
ical Significance, with the old Democratic machine (Mayor
Corning) and the Republican governor, Rockeller, combining
forces to deny the people the vote on this crucial issue.
What are your feelings about this situation?
DR. WRIGHT: Albany is typical of many cities. In far too
many municipalities schools are used as sources of patron=-
age, as political power bases. Though our schools. are in-
tended to educate the young, they are more successful in
providing gainful employment and a stage for political ma-
euvering among people whose immediate interests are clear—
ly unrealated to those of the children whom the schools are
Supposed to educate. We must somehow stop the sideshow and
get on———in the most reasonable and effective ways possible
——with the tragically neglected business of providing the
fullest and best education possible for our nation's most
_Wantonly wasted human resource, our inner—city black youth.
QUESTION: Can you offer concrete suggestions, from your
experience, that would help save this “wantonly wasted hu-
man resource" in the Albany inner-city?
DR. WRIGHT: The white community must recognize that our
schools are a particularly dangerous arena for the same
racism that the President's Commission on Civil Disorders
has described as prevading the nation's life. To remedy or
alleviate the condition in most of our cities—if our pri-
Mary goal is maximum human development—several practical
steps must be taken. First, school boards——state,regional,
and local——should be made predominantly black; this step
could benefit the entire educational enterprise and would
cost not one extra cent! Whenever we look at the problems
of black communities we see the problems of the United
States as a whole in dimensions clear and bold enough for
all to understand. The problems of black America are those
of white America in extreme form. To come to terms with
them will benefit all of us. Black people, whose pressing
immediate needs are also the basic long-range needs of the
whole nation , are the best available resource for improv—
ing our urban semisuburban schools.
became the first chairman of the Afro-American Department at SUNYA in the fall
one a doctorate in education from Harvard University. Recognized as an authori-
his thoughts on the problems of educating Blacks and the role Black
must play in the solution to the problems of the: society are e
ahead. Albany citizens are still struggling to elect their own
In Schenectady there will be the start of a teacher corps program in the fall
& while training new teachers to serve in other inne
_ Seemingly well-intentioned white people are hesitant to
Who cannot be taught. To the teacher caught in this bind
EDUCATION
specially important in the Capital district in the months
school board, a first step to heal the desperate and
» & prow
QUESTION: What should be the role of blacks in administr—
tion of the schools?
DR. WRIGHT: Black leadership at the superintendent and as-
sistant-superintendent levels is essential. White teachers——
and white society in general——desperately need estimable :
black models of authority. Furthermore, as black communities
have tended to send some of their most gifted people into
education (white communities have tended to send their ;
brightest people into business), black leadership realistic-
ally ought to preponderate in our national educational en-
terprise. Clear examples of black success at high levels
would also furnish the hope needed eliminate "nonlearn—
ing" among hopeless black urban youth. Arbitrary adminis-
trative criteria for teacher certification and promotion
must be abolished as an effective, even though usually un=-
intended, racist mechanism for keeping blacks from achiev-
ing high posts in our schools.
A third step should be to concede to the most capable |
and candid black consultants the primary planning responsi- —
bilities for those urban schools that have mainly black stu-
dent bodies and increasingly unmet needs. Spending for good
consultation is the most economical measure our school sys—
tems may adopt. In my own experience as an urban—affairs
and educational consultant, I have found that even many
learn survival techniques from men and women whose creden=
tials are precisely those required in our cities and our
schools, if these men and women happen to be black. Yet,
if we are to overcome the massive"nonlearning" that is
eroding the foundations of our nation, white men must learn
quickly to seek out and listen to competent black advisors.
The story of our cities in general and of our city
schools in particular is like the oft-repeated tale of the
man who is told that he must either face surgery or die:
His obiturary omits the cause of death as "The failure to
face reality."
Programs for Overcoming racism—on the state and local
levels——can best be developed by trained and candid black
men and women. The physician chosen because he tells his
patients what they want to hear is a physician chosen by
a fool,
QUESTION: What about the classroom teacher, Dr. Wright?
What feelings have you on this important person in the
child's education?
DR. WRIGHT: In a racist society, everybody tends to be
racist. Those who are not sufficiently self-aware to re-
cognize this cultural conditioning and the continuing
need to control its manifestations are in serious trouble.
State and local governments must be encouraged by their
citizens to promote continual in-service training for
teachers to help them understand themselves better. Per-
haps the most difficult task in overcoming racism in
schools is also the most vital. Staff realignments of a
radical nature are called for in many of our schools.
Repressive principals, guidance counselors, teachers, sec-
retaries, and higher—echelon administrative personnel
Should be replaced. The Ford Motor Company would replace
any executive or clerk or craftsman whose work tended to
produce faulty cars; any responsibly run enterprise in
the nation would take Similar action. Are motor cars more
important than people?
QUESTION: The figure of blacks who graduate from high
school, compared to those who begin in the Albany system,
is tragically small. Most of the teachers here are white.
Can white teachers effectively teach black children?
DR. WRIGHT: Two basic attributes are necessary for good
teaching: understanding of oneself and knowledge and love
of one's subject. In urban Schools white teachers who come “Be
from blue-collar backgrounds tend especially to be threaten-
ed by the presence of those who remind them of the social
or economic backgrounds from which they have sought to es-
cape. The lower-—chss white children in our urban schools,
along with the black children who symbolize low socioeco-
nomic status, become for some teachers invisible students
the presence of an identity threat—in the children—is
simply wished away. Teachers cannot teach pupils whom they
have “wished away."
A teacher cannot"turn pupils on" if he sees in them
threatening reminders of a personal past that he wishes to
forget. Nor can he trun pupils on——quicken their sense of
worth, importance, hope, and determination—if he fears
that to do so will create undesirable social or economic
consequences. We must face the fact that, in order to mo-
tivate pupils to learn, teachers must have a sense of
social purpose. Clearly a teacher's kindness, dedication, -
good will, and good sense are inseparable from the cultur-—
al values that he is sworn to impart 1 his pupils. This in-
terrelationship creates absolute impossibilities for our
teachers. For, the harder they try in an unconsciously
racist society, the more devastating will be their results,
especially in our black=populated urban schools. A kind—
hearted teacher who is not mindful of her unconscious cul—
turally=rooted, anti—black values will simply be anti-black
in a sweet and unconscious way.
I meet deeply dedicated people who may be described as
unconsciously “doing the devil's work." They see our social
order as largely unchanging and, with the deepest personal
regrets and travail of conscience, feel that much of human
life must be wasted. This passivity is perhaps one of the
greatest tragedies of our society.
QUESTION: But what of the white teacher who, this very day
is in the mainly black inner city schools. How can he
change to become effective with his students?
DR. WRIGHT: All teachers need to relate, either actually
or symbolically, to those whom they would teach. All our
teachers should have a sense that our national survival
and thet of the human race depend largely upon what they
accomplish in terms of encouraging human self-fulfillment.
Our teachers need new relationships with the parents of
their students. They should be far more closely involved
in the immediate circumstances of their student's lives,
Teachers must also both have and recognize positive per—
sonal stakes in the success with every student.
We cannot teach our children at the same time that we
Shame them, albeit unconsiously. A study of teacher atti-
tudes in the Chicago schools found that most teachers be-—
lieved that slum children were "difficult to teach" and
“morally unacceptable on all scores." Shaming students for
use of black dialect is destructive. That dialect reflects
the effort of people to communicate the otherwise hidden
and neglected but nonetheless precious truths of their
inner worlds. It represents a people's struggle for identi-
ty and integrity, and it must not be laughed off...It is
not the responsibility of the schools, however, to teach
this dialect. Their classroom task is to prepare their
children to deal most competently with the norms or stand—
ards of our middle-class controlled and orientated life.
For teachers or school administrators to scorn the prepar—
ation of black children for competence in a middle-class
world is to will their failure to survive. The sudden and
ostensibly helpful desire of white administrators and ed-
ucational planners to “experiment” with black children's
needs must be viewed against the background of unconscious
racism in the nation's life. Lack of perception of the
true needs of the black community may lead even these of
the greatest good will to a disaster.
9
QUESTION: Do you feel that there always is racial preju-
dice behind the attitudes of teachers in the inner-city?
DR. WRIGHT: Charges of racial prejudice have continually
complicated the conflict with the schools. Doubtless there
has been much conscious and unconscious prejudice—our rac-—
ist-riden culture makes hatred of or disdain for Negroes,
even by Negroes themselves, an almost universal condition.
Yet much of whatlooked like negative racism on the part of
teachers in the urban schools was just the opposite. It
was a kind of seemingly thoughtful care, concern and solic-
itation which prompted teachers of Negro pupils to encour—
age their pupils' studies only in the areas where Negroes
clearly would have opportunities to work or to succeed.
Why encourage a pupil to follow a course of study, or even
to stay in school, when his studies would seem to lead to
nowhere? It is easy enough to understand the sense of
solicitation behind the teachers’ indirect vocational gui-
dance. Yet our understanding of the teachers! position
does not lessen the social consequences. This type of kind—
heartedness has effectively limited the opportunities
before our Negro youth for several generations, and has
considerably contributed to the plight of the entire Neg=-
ro community. Even where guidance counsellors plan programs
for young people (and the role of the guidance counsellors
in social planning is staggeringly large!) it is the class=
room teachers who exert the most significant influence upon
the short and long—term social shape of our communities.
The classroom teacher's role is crucial, yet well—nigh
impossible. :
Pupils learn not so much according to the arbitrary .
limits suggested by aptitude tests as by how much their
sense of inquirey into and excitement about life is turned
on and then sustained. When a teacher in the central city
schools is distracted from this task, or where prevailing
but unspoken social attitudes decree, pupils are simply
pushed through the little boxes which the classrooms come
to represent in such circumstances. They learn little.
QUESTION: Where does the final responsibility lie for the
massive failures of our schools?
DR. WRIGHT: Our urban school boards throughout the land
serve far too often either as the roost for politicians
who might otherwise be cast aside or as the nesting ground
from which the fledgling aspirant for public place launches
-his political career. Our schools are not the places for
the game of politics. They are the potentially creative
centers of the nation's life. Education in our cities needs
to be reshaped for vastly new andincreasingly changing cir—
cumstances. The best minds of the widest possible range of
disciplines must be employed for this purpose. The super=
intendencies of the schools will in the future call more
for the leadership of men with vision and with eclectic
minds than for a self-defeating kind of bookkeeping which
‘80 Clearly compromises the role of those who would give
bold and imaginative direction to the educational process.
Our whole society must be infused with learning which will
equip our citizens for the continual maintenance and
development of a Society of, by, and for free men. Only
thus, in the final analysis, may we hope for our urban un=
rest to be fully overcome.
PHOTOS OF DR. WRIGHT BY L.M.CHAMPAGNE
Rn PN ay Meat ts
ad
ee aa
“i
4
Miia i * Fag
a:
A family approach—comprehensive,
personalized, quality medical care—
and “continuity"of care.
These terms describe whatthe North—
side health center hopes to encompass.
Exactly what they will mean to the
3,000 or so people who will be served
by it has been explained by Dr. Bob
Carroll, professor and chairman of
Preventive and Community Medicine at
Albany Medical College.
"The center will function just like
a doctor's office in many respects,"
said Dr. Carroll. Patients will have
the same doctor, who knows them and
their individual needs, each time they
come in. They will not have to rotate
between doctors, as they do now in a
clinic. And the same doctor will treat
each member of an entire family. This
is what is meant by “continuity” of
care. “Visits to the center will be
run on an appointment basis rather
than a block system,"said Dr. Carroll.
“There will be no waiting for hours
and hours to see a doctor."
The temporary facilities, which
are expected to be in operation this
summer, Will house about four obstetri-
Clan-—gynecologists, a general pediatri~
cian for children, a general practi-
- tioner or adult medicine, a general
surgeon at least part of the time, and
a dentist. A nutritionist, nurses and
health care assistants will also be
present, and baby-sitting services
will be provided.
It is expected that the temporary
facilities will be serving about 3000
patients by the end of thefirst year.
The center will be open weekdays,“and
maybe Saturday mornings,” said Dr.
Carroll.
"Evening hours are an absolute es=
sential...two or three or four (at the
most) nights a week," he said. The per-
manent facilities should be able to
handle about 6,000 patients.
"There will be a 24 hours—a-day,
seven days—a-week telephone service.
Someone will be there all night. This
way a patient will be able to get a
doctor who can simply check the record
and will know something about the case.
If a mother has obtained a perscrip-—
tion for her child at 2p.m. and the
baby starts vomiting that night,“ he
explained,” she can call to find out
if the medicine should be discontinued
or not.”
The center will not take the place
of a hospital emergency room. An am—
bulance will be available should any—
thing of that nature occure, however
What if someone arrived with a sprain-
ed wrist?
"We'd probably just tape it up,un-
less an X-ray was needed. Eventually
we do plan to have X-ray services tooy
Dr. Carroll said.
How will the clinic“meet the health
needs of the community?" For one thing
the problems inherent in poverty and
overcrowding will be a prime consider-—
ation. If a child from a house where
ten kids share two bedrooms came in
with a sore throat, explained Dr.
Carroll, his problem is more severe
and likely to be more complicated than
if he lived in the suburbs. Whether
the problem is nutrition, sleep, or
whatever, it's bound to be more com
plex, he said.
Special Health Care Assistants will
provide outreach into the community.
“They will not be inspectors," he em—
phasized,"and they are not going to
go house to house looking for sick
people.” But if an ill child missed
ve pyrene
ee a —_—
MEDICAL, COLLEGH GOALS
guctily pp I fe Care tn lhe gill
a follow-up appointment, they willtry
to discover what the trouble is. Per-
haps the mother couldn't get a baby—
sitter for her other children. Maybe
she didn't have any transportation.
Or maybe she is sick herself. The
Assisant would then try to arrange
some sort of help, depending upon
the problem. This could also apply
to a patient having follow—up care
after surgery.
“A mother will be able to talk to
the nutritionist while her children
are being treated. “There are subtle
levels of malnutrition...patient ed—
ucation is needed,"said Dr.Carroll.
“Evening classes in cooking and nu-
trition could probably be set up.
This depends on what the community
wants."
One possible failing of the clinic
program may be in the dental care de=
partment. There will be one dentist.
“There just isn't enough space for one
thing," Dr. Carroll said. He pointed
out that most dentists use at least
two chairs at a time and go back and
forth between patients, to save time.
Dentists also require a great deal
more equipment, which involves not
only expense, but adequate space again.
Also, it is easier to use a dentist in
another location than it would be to
use other medical services separately.
Other types of care are more interre-
lated and can't be broken up, he said.
“The budget cutbacks in Medicaid
are going to hurt. We would like to
continue to treat people who have been
cut, if OEO will let us and will pick
up the tab," said Carroll. He pointed
out that the general public has not
yet said that dental care is a basic
right, so it has not yet been includ—
ed as a priority in medical care in
this country.
Join The Northside Health Association.
WHY?
Here Are Ten Reasons:
IF YOUR'RE IN THE LOWER INCOME GROUP (UNDER $10,000) YOU HAVE
1. Four times as many heart conditions as the rest of the population
2- Six times as many cases of high blood pressure
3. Six times as much arthritis and rheumatism
4. Over three tifnes as many orthopedic impairments
5e Eight times as many visual impairments
6. Two to three times as many chronic serious illnesses
7s More bad colds
8. More need of dental care
9. Families with and infant mortality rate two to three times higher
10. A life expectancy four to seven years lower than the national average
The Northside Health Association is made up of people
interestedin the delivery of healthcare services to the poor
For further information contact
Robert G. Dobbs
465-3281
Community Coordinator
apap age aessmeheanennabacumcncentih nk AAT,
He does foresee the possibility of
having more dentists on the staff in
the permanent facilities,"but NAC will
have to decide what the priorities are,"
he said.
In discussing other medical problems
Dr. Carroll said that there are very
few cases of rat bites reported in hos—
pitals, “but nobody really knows for
sure the extent of rat bites.
*Lead poisioning is not reported
too often either," he said, “but it's
something I'm especially interested in’
There are lead screening tests avail-
able, but again money and priorities
are at stake. NAC,he said, will have
to decide whether it would do more
' good there or in some other place—
family planning, housing programs,
| CHILD SUPERVISION CENTER
IF:
DR. ROBERT E. CARROLL,
CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT
OF PREVENTIVE AND COM-
MUNITY MEDICINE, CHECKS
EQUIPMENT FOR HIS STUDY
ON AIR AND ENVIRONMENT-
AL HEALTH. IN INTERVIEW
DR. CARROLL EXPLAINS
WHAT THE NEW NORTHSIDE
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
COULD BE LIKE AND HOW
IT COULD SERVE PEOPLE.
rat control or day care centers.
NAC could also encourage broader=
based community programs, or legal
programs to get landlords to repaint,
for example. Program for family plann—-
ing, career opportunities and counsel-
ing could also be a consideration,Dr.
Carroll said.
“The community will have to decide
and tell us what the needs are," he
continued. “Will twelve to one o'clock
be a good time for most of the staff
to have lunch, or will that conflict
with the time most people can get to
the clinic?” Will transportation ser—
vices, a bus or van, be a needed
service?
“We will provide more information
ARBOR HILL
YOU ARE WORKING OR LOOKING FOR WORK
YOUR CHILDEN ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 MONTHS AND FIVE YEARS
to NAC than has been provided in the _
past, and sooner. This way there will —
be less last-minute questions on the
technical aspects of a program because
not enough information was given in
advance. In the past the College has
brought issues before NAC—the budget
was one example—and said,"Please rat—
ify what we bring you,' and NAC has
to make a last minute decision.I want
NAC to be involved in policy—making
much earlier.“
One of the final aspects to be
discussed by Dr. Carroll was the
presence of medical students at the
clinic.
"Community feeling seems to be
against having them present, because
people are afraid of being treated
like guinea pigs. I think this is a.
misunderstanding," he said, “and it
would be a mistake not to have them
there. acy
"The student would not be treating
patients, or in any way damage the
quality of care. The purpose is not
to teach him the skills of the trade
- there. He would be merely an observer,
to get the feel of a health center en-
vironment and operation. He could see
how the doctor works with the nutri-
tionist, nurses and health aideseee.
and see how to work with a team."
Medical students should be exposed
to this, said Dr. Carroll. They need
to see the needs and rewards of pri-
mary care demonstrated, or they will
lose touch with this type of service.
“Most students are highly idealis-—
tic their first year, desire general
practice, simply want to help people.
But by the time they get out of med—
ical school, they're leaning towards
the ivory towers of specialization.
“The community also has a respon—_
sibility for enlisting staff for
_ health center." This is one way of
keeping students in touch, said
Dr. Carroll.
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Crime in America
Clark, Ramsey.Crime in America ;
Observations on its. Nature,Causes,
Prevention and Control;with an
introduction by Tom Wicker. 346p.
Simon and Schuster, 1970.$6.95
Reviewed by Michael A. Feit
In Crime in America, Ramsey Clark
has presented a chronicle of this na-
tion's greatest social problem. This
highly descriptive volume very much
resembles a basic text in criminolgy
in its comprehensive treatment of the
subject and offers little to the so~
phisticated reader who seeks more than
just another traditional account of
crime in America. What makes this book
worth the somewhat trying experience
of reading is the fact that its author
-as attorney general, once stood or sat
in the position of leadership of the
federal government's war against crime.
The obvious metamorphosis he had
undergone during and since he held
that office adds special significance .
to what he says.
The tone of the book might be des
cribed in the jargon of today's media
_as guarded optimism about this nation's
ability to turn the tide of crime. As
its cause he points to poverty and tle
lack of reverence for life. Its solu-
tion, he suggests, is economic in na-
ture. He notes that "if the law is to
be enforced...and rights fulfilled for
the poor...we must end poverty. To
permit conditions that breed antisoc—
ial conduct to continue is our great
est crime." What is missing is any
observations on government's failure
or unWillingness to move in this di-
rection or even any blueprint of the
steps that should be taken.
Mr. Clark is saying what so many
have said before and what so many of
us know to be true. This only height
ens anxiety. It offers no feasible
strategy or sensible reconciliation
of fundamental human behavior as it
clashes with the artificial demands
for order in mass society.
Clark covers the specific subjects
of criminal statistics, drugs, organ—
ized crime, gun control, and many
others. In so doing he seems possess—
ed with an assurance that American in-
genuity can develop ways of solving
these problems. “Drug uses should be
placed in correctional programs that
cure and provide the opportunity to
stay cured.” The underlying fallacy
here is the assumption that govern-
ment can effectively cure problems
it doesn't understand, nor perhaps, »
more significantly are endemic to the
highly complex society in which we
live today.
Criticism of Crime in America need
some qualification. Throughout his
cataloguing of our crime problem Clark
has given thoughful treatment to a
subject matter about which his sincer-
ity of purpose can never be doubted.
Even as Attorney General, he refus—
ed to submit completely to the role in
which he was cast. He refused to di-
chotomize the world into good or bad.
Foremost to his credit is the fact
that Clark has not accepted the total
validity of the system of government
in America and through his book is
bringing that message of skepticism
to those who have not known this for
themselves.
On the criminal justice system,
_ Clark says:"For the system of crimin
al justice to succeed, it must under-
ie
stand its role and adhere to that role
with absolute fidelity...To succeed,
the people working within the sysem
must be highly professional and sen-
sitive." :
The foregoing is Clark at his wors.
"Absolute fidelity" to a “role™ about
which there is no agreement or even
definition is the weakest of platituds
"Highly professional" and “sensitive”
are under our present “system” terms
as mutually exclusive as can be imagn—
ed. No system can exist if its survi=
val is predicated on the exaustive in=-
volvement of men and women possessed
of the highest ideals. The reality is
that the agents of our present system,
with but a few exceptions, are not ~
such personse Any system which so con=
trols and affects people's lives must
be inherently fair, in itself, in om
der to provide for the protection of
all-who are process by man as we know
him today. The system must command
compassion and concern from its agents
not leave merely the faint hope that
such treatment will be accorded.
On the police, Clark has the follow
ing to say:“Society has thoughlessly
dumped the enforcement of unenforce=—
able laws on police with tragic con—
sequences. Legislatures blandly pass
and retain such laws, knowing they are
honored most in the breach. Our hypoc—
risy in refusing to face the truth ca-
ches police in the middle."
That this is tragically true should
‘serve not as an apology for the police
but rather as an indictment of our pre-
sent system as it actually operates.
Clark makes excuses for all of our
failures. Criminals are products of
poverty-stricken environment; the po=
lice are ill trained and under equip—
ed; the courts are over=—crowded;pri-
sons are under-staffed,etc. Yet the
cure, he predicts, will be accomplid+
ed by more money, training,equipment,
staff,etc. Is this really the answer?
Ramsey Clark, in his book, has
demonstrated a kind of courage which
should not go unmentioned. His cour=
age exists in the face of a system
which he describes as a “failure.”
It is the kind of courage that
personified the early pioneers who
set our toward the frontier, aware
of its dangers, but hopeful that
they could be overcome. The question
which remains unanswered is whether
or not the approach which created our
present system can now cure it.
Huey Long
HUEY LONG BY T.HARRY WILLIAMS
paperback, Bantam, 1970.$1.95.
Reviewed by Abby Place,Lecturer in
American Studies, SUNY at Albany.
"He was one of the most extraordin-—
ary figures in American political
history..a great natural politician
who lboked, and often seemed to be-
have, like a caricature of the red-
neck Southern politico." If Huey
Long is recalled at all in the 1970s,
he is often dismissed as just a dic-—
tator in Louisiana. His public image
is well known: an uneducated, poor
Southern white who used any means
necessary to become US Senator and
governor of Louigiana during the
early Thirties, he espoused a'Share
the Wealth’ scheme which aroused e-
nough popular support to make him a
rival to F.D.Roosevelt for the pres-
idency.
Huey Long has been called a fas—
OK REVIEWS
cist dictator, a demagogue, a power
mad corrupt politician who used his
public appeal for personal aggran-—
dizement, and the infamous founder
of the infamous Long machine in
Louisiana. Yet none of these judg-
ments is basically true. Neither is
the opposite opinion entirely true..
that Long was The Only Friend of the
Masses. T. Harry Williams examines
the details of this man's life and
reveals a human being who is neither
a god or the devil, but who was gen-
uinely determined to improve the
conditions of the people, white and
black, who had been victims of the
country's powerful political and in- y
dustrial elite.
Huey Long's political career was
dominated by one Overriding ambition: .
the wealth of the country must be |
removed from the powerful and return-
ed to the people. This was no mere s
Slogan, especially in his relation 3
to black people. Any Southern pol- if
itician can at least double his ,
Power by using racism, but Huey :
Long refused to exclude blacks ei-
ther from his programs or from his a
conceptions of human dignity. He ke
worked for and got real, not token
gains for the poor, black and white.
Propaganda, political and econom—
ic warfare, police and military pow—
er, assissination plots and other
means were used by Long's relentless
opposition. It is not surprising
that Long responded by building un-
limited personal power. What is sur-—
prising is that he usually used his
power in behalf of the people. In
the 1970s, he might be called a
revolutionary.
Huey Long was assassinated before
his career was fully developed. This
fact makes it impossible to reach a
any final judgment of the man.
Hunger in America ;
Kotz,Nicke Let Them Eat Promises; the
politics of hunger in America; with
an introd. by Senator George S.McGov—
ern. 261p. indexeDoubleday Anchor
Book, 1971 (1st pub by Prentice-Hall,
1969) $1.95.
Reviewed by Bill Katz
This is all about children starv— a
ing to death in the land of plenty.
The primary target is the South, the
primary victim is the Black child.
But it's a democracy, and the North
and Whites are included, too. Just
four years ago the late Robert Ken—
nedy and Joseph Clark discovered what
a hell of a lot of Blacks knew for
generations——-some people, too many
people, die or are undernourished and
starving. Moving to do something
about the gross crime, the laymen and
well meaning politicians run smack
into a wall of indifference. Worse,
the wall is constructed by callous
governmental officials and the food
industry which denies there is a prob-
lem. Tell that to a starving kid.
The Pulitzer Prize winner author
identifies and quotes the good guys
and the bad guys. He exposes the shod-
dy maneuvers within the federal bu-
reaucracye And it is all done with
the thoroughness of a Ralph Nader
looking at the death trap fondly
called an automobile. Administra-
tive promises of two years ago,when
this title first appeared, are still
just promises. The indifference from
the White House right on down hasn't
changed much —just the rhetoric. | |
ia eae
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FOR INFORMATION CALL 434-5155
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eS
| The Liberator.
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ACOI
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APPLY NOW FOR HEADSTART CLASSES
BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER 19771
ACOI ANNUAL MEETING JULY 20 1971
7:45 P.M. at YWCA, 55 STEUBEN ST.
ALBANY ,N.Y~
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et Ty 2a ae +* i fe _
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7
TRIAL FINDS STUDENT NOT GUILTY OF ASSAULT BUT SHOWS ~
ALBANY POLITICAL MACHINE GUILTY OF CONTEMPT FOR THE PEOPLE
BY L.M. CHAMPAGNE
Norman McConney: Black; 24 year old college student at
SUNYA; accepted at Howard law school; on trial in Albany
County Court for assault upon a white cop at Albany high
school November 12, 1969; also charged with criminal tress-—
pass * é
May 17,1971. Norman is sitting at the large wooden table
in front of the judge's bench, listening to his defense law=
_ yer, Francis Anderson, make a 'summation' of the trial to
the 12 men and women in the jury box.
It is a time of tension for Norman, for his attractive
young wife in the front row, for his friends gathered in
the far reaches of the court room. The whole trial was a
time of tension for the many Black witnesses, who,
another were standing up in front of their white oppressors
in court and telling ‘how it happened' eighteen months ago.
How they had been in the high school auditorium and the po-
lice, with guns, riot sticks, helmets, tear gas guns, and
other impliments of persecution had moved on the weaponless,
fleeing high school and college students. Now those memories
that were nightmarish had turned into controlled words, in
the warm days of trial, in the old,somewhat elegant courtroom.
Attorney Anderson was pleading, if not for a life, for
perhaps years of that life of a young Black man who, though
having suffered from police brutality, was now the accused
in assault.
If you know of the infamy of the half-century old O'Con=
nell-—Corning machine in the County of Albany, you are not
surprised to see the victims of the machine put on trial.
Norman McConney had joined a long list of men and women who
just in asking for fair treatment of their people had found
their individual freedom endangered.
_ Attorney Anderson: White; professor of law at Union Univer-—
sity Albany Law School; serving once again for no fee in a
case with a Black man on trial; lithe body of an athlete; «.
crew cut;courteous, relaxed and smiling one minute; pacing
briskly all about the 'stage' of the court room the next.
_ Anderson in summation: "...to be charitable to Sgt.Carroll,
I'm not going to suggest he lied...we can charitably say
about Carroll, he was mistaken...I'll tell you who was
- assulted. McConney was assaulted...it is obvious where the
brutality in this case comes from. It didn't come from the
students. They didn't have any arms...Who had the capacity
College of St. Rose
y
JUNE 28 to
ACADEMIC CALENDAR |
Registration—Friday Ma
Deadline for registration by mail—June 15
Late registration-June 28 ($10 fee)
Monday June 28......eClasses begin
Monday July See eecee -Holiday
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WRITE OR CALL:
Director of the Undergraduate
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES IN THE HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND EDUCATION
COURSE NO. TITLE AND CREDIT INSTRUCTOR TIME ROOM
Art 20 Sculpture I (An investigation of a Art Staff 1:00-2:15 peme Studio
variety of media and techniques-3)
Art 51 Enameling (An intro.to copper Art Staff 8:20-9:35 asm. Studio
enameling:prereq.Art 10,11,or equiv.(3)
Bus. 312 Accounting IV (2) | Eleanor Cecucci 8: 20=9:10 asm. 412.
Ed. 52 Social Psychology (3) S.A. Rathus 11210=12:25pem. 104
Ed. 73 Current Educational Issues (3) G.W. Bragle 9:45=—11:00a.m. 308
Enge 8 Survey of Eng. Literature (3) M. Lalor 1:00— 2:15peme 303
Hist. 16 New York State (3). M.A. Hayes 11:10=12:25p.m 306
Hist. 29 South Asia (3) R.Foy (Tu.&Th. ) 6:00-9:00 p.m. 208
PolSc.11 American Political Institutions(3) A.R. Burton 8:20-9:35 acme 207
RelSt. 1 Intro. to Religious Studies (3) R.L. Lucas(M&W) 6:00-9:00 p.m. 104
RelSt. 4 New Testament Studies (3) B.T. Fay 9: 45-11: 00a.m. 305
RelSt. 8 Moral Man,Immoral Society (3) R.F. Willi 8: 20-935 a.m. 305
See...2 Current Social & Political Issues3) F. Shumway 9245-1: 00a.m. 104
Saturday August 7...Final day of summer session
to inflict the brutality?...I say to you, do not convict this
man because of Sgt. Carroll's mistaken identity...or because
he (McConney) is Black....I'm white. The judge is white. All
of you are white...I know you would not want this on your
conscience...We are all, Black and White, members of the same
human race, entitled to justice...You can't find much justice
in the market place...very little in the streets...if we cant
get justice here, we can't get it anywhere...Justice does not
come in big banner headlines...but in many, many little ways
in our daily L5fBscase™ ;
That was the emotional finale of Anderson. The man who
had spent months tracing down witnesses, gathering crucial
photos of the high school event taken by photographers who
chanced upon the scene,—presenting as evidence even the
coat that Norman wore that cold late autumn day. Anderson,
—-not teaching his young law students in a mock demonstra—
tion, but Anderson trying to reach an all white jury, typical
all white, non-poor jury,who got in that jury box because of
the carefully controlled proceedures used by the machine in
one after Albany to cull the lists of prospective juries.
Crome
SKETCHES OF WHITE JUROR PPR p Op
AND COURT SCENE oO ee
BY RONALD CLARK Wwe 7 7
>
Normans alleged assault upon Sgt.eCarroll was to havetak—
en place while Carroll was aiding other officers;to stop
Norman,Carroll claims to have put all 253 lbs.of his weight
behind a blow with the riot stick to the ‘gut' of Norman.
After that imaginary blow by Carroll, Norman was supposed
to have been knocked flat on his back While Carroll leaned
over and told the prone young man he was under arrest. Then
Carroll testified, this young man in "casual clothes...grey
sweat shirt, T-shirt,something of that kind" was teken out
of the auditorium by two fellow officers. But no fellow of-
ficers testified that they had seen the assault or had taken
Norman out of the auditorium
Many witnesses saw Norman inside the auditorium. One wit—
ness was running next to Norman out of the auditorium when
he was hit by the police officer at the door who was hitting
Summer 197]
AUGUST 7
EXPENSES
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Change of registration—$5 (June 28,29)
Late registration fee—-$10
Tuition per semester hour—-$45
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Private room (extra)—$25
Summer Session, The Gollege of Saint Rose, Albany,N.Y. 12203
Area Code 518-438-3567, extension 30
every other student who went out the door, so testimony went.
Another ‘witness, '—a photograph—shows Norman running
in his coat, from the school door into the general crowded
scene of that morning. And there were photos showing Norman
lying down on the grass by the school after the blow to his
one good lung left him gasping for air.
What really went on in that auditorium that morning. Let
us examine the testimony of Dr.Harry Hamilton, resident of
Delmar, Black leader, educator, atmospheric scientist, and
a man present at the ‘morning of violence’ by the Albany
Police Department...present because students from the high
school had called his home at 9 A.M. on the 12th of November.
eee" I called Dr. Heppenstall (Albany school superinendent
who had agreed to meet with the student delegation from Al-
bany High School that morning, but instead locked his doors
and left)..+..I reached him in the office of the Mayor of
Albany.eseeeel drove directly to Lake Avenue, parked and enter-
ed the main dooree.."
Dr. Hamilton then talked with the police chief, the dep-
uty chief, and the school principal before he "“..went into
the auditorium .eeand talked with some students...told them
the police outside were going to put tear gas into the aud—
itorium to clear it...As a result of my words to students,
and as a result of words by Mr. Mitchell, a meeting was held
by the student leaders....the leadrs were discussing what
they were to do when the rear door opened and uniformed po——
licemen came into the roomeseeSilently marched in....(students
were told)you have five minutes to leave the auditorium or
you will be arrested....As time went on, most students got
up and left....perhaps 30 students were left when the police—
men began moving forward... wearing helmets, carrying riot
sticks, which are longer and heavier than traditional night
sticks..eI was pushed with these sticks...After saying to
these police officers that I was not to be pushed,they moved
around m@eeeeel Saw a student go towards the back and sever—
al policemen began beating him...Mr. King was struck by po=
licemen as they held him...."
When Dr. Hamilton went outside,"I saw the defendant lying
out on the lawn...on his back...tried to stand...but was not
getting up...Police officer had said not to get upeeeif he
could stand, he would be arrested and taken awayeeehe was
taken by this officer, pushed into the van, and taken away."
But the crucial matter in the entire affair was that the
police had come to the auditorium at all, when the school's
Housemaster, Johh Bach, testified he had not asked the police
to his school. So the police who entered the auditorium had
done so because some other city officials had planned before
school started that it would be so.
Albany police officers on the stand testified that they
had been kept on duty after their normal 8 A.M. departure
in order to be issued special 'riot' gear and to stand by
for special assignment. As Anderson said,"The police knew
what they were going to doeeethey could have been there be—
fore any students arrived." ; y
‘‘Somebody' knew before the student delegation knew that
Superintendent Heppinstall was not going to meet in good
faith with students at his downtown office.
"Somebody' ordered 25 to 30 policemen to stand by with
all that lethal equipment.
And before the police entered the school,each were told
to remove identifying badges.
Was it a set up for the students? A trap?
Was it a lesson for students on how the machine deals
with those who would raise a voice against the curse of
a system'that is called “Public Education" in the City of
Albany. For those who dared ask for a Black history course,
the right to wear Afros, have soul food,etc. .
Norman McConney is spending five weeks in Albany County
jail. The 12 jury members found him not guilty of assault
upon a police officer. The evidence showing his innocence
was too overwhelming by the time Francis Anderson finished
presenting Norman's case, ‘
But the criminal tresspass charge was upheld by the
jury though as Anderson Said, there was no rule posted _
against visitors (and Norman was an alumnis of the school )
meeting with the students as they had before. "The meeting
was unusual," Anderson admitted, "but the question is, 'was
it lawful?!"
Francis Anderson asked the rhetorical question,"Were
they playing political games with these students or were
they interested in these students?"
The Norman McConney's who have been recipients of Albany's
brutality, overt and covert, in the public school system,
learned the cynical answer to the question as young children.
As young parents these are the men and women who dare raise
their voices in hopes of Saving their children from years of
Similar brutality.
SUMMER PROGRAM
CONTINUING EDUCATION DIVISION
HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
80 VANDENBURCH AVE.
BUSINESS COURSE
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
TROY, N.Y. 12130
CLASSES START JUNE 14, 1971
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The Liberator June, 1971
MATHEMATICS
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For Information Call __ ce
Lee Dames 283--1100 EX 221
The Adirondacks: Your Park 2 million acres of lakes and forest
have argued that the land should be managed for timber,
‘protectionists' have defended leaving it alone, and enginees
have sought to dam the rivers to provide for metropolitan
areas. ‘
A commission was appointed two years ago to recommend land
use plans. Their report is now available. This is what they
Bay:
eet Adirondack Park Agency should be created with power
over the use of both public and private land within the park
boundary. In effect this agency, in consultation with others,
would zone the entire park according to an overall plan given
them by the state legislature.
2)Public land should be divided so that appropriate parts
would be "wilderness" (where no motor vehicles or development
is allowed) and about $ would be"wild forest" (some develop-
ment and some vehicular use). A small fraction of the land
would recieve intense use as campsites and boat launching
sites.
3) On private land, the wood using industries, backbone
of the Adirondack economy, would be encouraged and efforts
would be made to attract colleges, medical enters and re—
search industries. The state would purchase scenic" ease—
ments to protect the appearence of the land while it con-
tinued to be used by the private owners.
4) A thorough report of the commission's findings appears
By in the February-March issue of the New York State Conserva=
heme tionist magazine.
DISTANT RANGE OF MOUNTAINS in the Adirondack Park
all have well marked trails and are on lands open
to any people who want to climb and camp.
By Joe Hart
We New Yorkers own a big park in the Adirondacks. It only
an hour or two away, its free, and we can use it for hiking,
camping, hunting, and fishing. This article will describe
the park, tell you how we can use it, and discuss some recent
plans for its future.
HISTORY The Adirondack Forest Preserve began in the 1890s
when the state legislature decided on a boundary for the park
and wrote the park into Article 14 of the New York State Con—
stitution. After that any land bought by the state within the
boundary became Forest Preserve land and not trees can be cut
from it. The boundary includes much of the forested land in
northern New York.
The legislature made the park because the logging industry
of that day did not yet know how to protect the forest while
using the tree crop. A great deal of the Adirondack forest
land had been injured and burned.
DESCRIPTION—In the 75 years since the park came into ex=
istance the state has been gradually buying land within the
boundary. We now own some 2 million acres. Some of the state
land is in large tracts and some in very small parcels. The
Forest Preserve land is nearly all forested. It includes the
most magnificent mountain range in the eastern United States
and hundreds of lakes,ponds and streams. It is the headwaters
of the great rivers of the state—The Hudson, the AuSable,
the Saranac, the Salmon,the Grass,the Racquett,the Black, and
others;rivers whose stability depends on the forest which
protects the thin Adirondack soil.
There is much private land within the park boundary. Most
of the private land is owned by lumber and paper companies
who practice modern forestry and maintain good fire control.
These wood-using industries provide the main income for the
people who live in the park.
PRESENT USE OF THE LAND The private land within the park
has several uses beside lumbering. Several large tracts are
private estates owned by single individuals or clubs. The
remaining private land is used for villages, businesses and
a few farms.
We use the state land in many ways. The most obvious is
recreation. The high mountain trails are used year around now.
In summer, the water ways are canoed and fished. Water skiers
Slice the water of the larger lakes and in winter snowmobiles
follow the trails made for their use. Cross-country skiing
and snowshoeing are becoming more popular each year on the
“hikers only" trails. The N.Y. State Conservation Department
built many campsites which serve the automobile camper.These
car campsites charge a small fee, but wilderness camping is
free.
Finally, the Forest Preserve is a great timbe reserve
which could be used in time of emergency.
PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE USE — Arguments about the use of
Adirondack state land have raged for years. Timber companies
The Liberator
The proposal has many advantages. It is the first com—
prehensive plan which takes into consideration the diverse
use of Adirondack land. The economic future of the permanent
residents has been provided for.
The Adirondack park desperately needs a zoning plan. This
proposal provides a planning commission for both state and
private land. Only by zoning the private land can the beauty
of the area as a whole be retained.
The plan gives the Conservation Department clearly defined
goals and limits for it regulation and development of state
Se
AMPERSAND MOUNTAIN can be climbed even by small children.
The view from the top of lakes and other mountains makes
the couple of hours work well worth the effort.
land in the park. By defining the areas to be used as wilder—
ness, the Park Agency can provide a land-use plan appropriate
to the varied interests of the people using the park.
One problem the commission has not solved to my satisfac—
tion is the use of gasoline powered boats in inland waters.
I believe they should be banned altogether on all waterways
except the very large lakes such as Champlain. Outboard
engines pump a good deal of gasoline and oil into the water
and certainly shaiter the solitude of the lakes and rivers.
Electric motors are available for boats (although they won't
power a water skier}.
With or without the new Park Agency, the 2 million acres
of natural woods, streams, lakes, and mountains are yours to
enjoy any day throughout the year. Maps of the exact area
are available by writing to the Department of Environmental
Conservation,50 Wolf Road, Colonie,N.Y.,requesting their
Outdoor Recreation Map.
CLOUDS,FIELDS AND MOUNTAINS as these near Mt.Marcy can
be seen from the main road to Lake Placid. Within the
2 million acres we all own, there are areas available
for free hiking, camping, and boating or fishing.
PHOTOS OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK BY L.M.CHAMPAGNE