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Gene- Dobbs (left), candidate |
auel rated (second left),
ator from the 7th Ward, greet
cherator’ Office Opens at 261 Clinton
Velcome to The Albany Liberator,
a new weekly newspaper designed to
serve the needs of Arbor Hill and the
South End sections ofthe Capital City.
The Albany Liberator is owned and
published by The Brothers, the local
Negro men's activist group. The news
columns, however, are open to all
church, civic and neighborhood groups
of Arbor Hill and the South End.
Individuals with news that they would
Residents of Arbor Hill
Seek Trash Collection
Everyone is being urged by The
Brothers to put out their trash Satur-
day for the city to collect, whether the
city wants it or not.
Kenny French, this week's chair-
rman of The Brothers, said the need for
a city trash collection service was big-~
ger than anvthing else and would be
first on the group's list of priorities.
Samuel McDowell and Robert Gene
Dobbs, candidates in the Democratic
primary Tuesday for 7th Ward county
legislator and alderman and Maurice
Newton and William Gibson, candidates
Continued Page 4
like published are asked to serid or bring
the items to The Albany Liberator's
editorial offices located at 261 Clinton
Businesses which wish to ad-
vertise in this newspaper can obtain
advertising rates at the above office.
A total of 6000 copies of this first
issue have been printed and are being
distributed in Arbor Hill and the South.
End by newsboys and news stand deal-
ers. A weekly circulation of 5,000 is
expected.
The Brothers have named Peter G.
Pollak as managing editor. Mr. Pollak,
a native of Gloversville, N.Y., has
been studying for hismasters degree in
history at State University. He received
his B.A. degree from Oberlin College,
Oberlin, Ohio: He has been-active in
the civil rights movement since 1963
and has served as a VISTA volunteer
in the anti-poverty program, in Atlan-
ta, Ga.
While The Albany Liberator is in-
tended to be a self supporting, non-
profit operation, financial suppe- | *--m
interested citizens isurgently needed.
If you are financially able to assist,
you may becomea sustaining subscrib-
er for $15 or $25. Yourhelpis urgent-
ly needed if The Albany Liberatoris to
fulfill its goals.
Avenue.
Rally Saturday at
Ten Broeck St. Park
In a speech given ata campaign ral-
ly, Saturday, June 10, Robert Gene
Dobbs, Democratic candidate for Al-
derman from the 7th Ward, challeng-
ed the claim of the Mayor of Albany_
that the city cannot afford to pick up
trash. Dobbs, indicated that trash was
one of the major issues ofthe primary
election to be held Tuesday, June 20.
Samuel McDowell, Dobbs! running
partner and candidate for the County
Legislature from the 7th Legislative
District, told the same crowd that
Homer Perkins and Frank DeGeorge
did not speak ont. aesin-+
ne party of Barry Goldwater and
George Wallace.
Dobbs and McDowell have campaign-
ed vigorously onthe platform that they
. will vote for measures that will help
the people of the 7th Ward, while the
opponents, Alderman DeGeorge and
have voted both
against measures that would have help-
ed the ward.
Dobbs accused DeGeorge of not see-
ing toit that the city building commis-
sioner perform his job in enforcing
city building codes. When the building
comniissioner does not enforce the
codes, landlords are slow to fix up
their rented buildings,'' Dobbs said
"Therefore,'' he said, ‘people in Ar-
bor Hill today are living in buildings
where there are as many as 25 viola-
tions."
Dobbs said that if he were elected
he would hire a commissioner who
would enforce the codes. He also said
he would favor federal support in the
form of long-range, low interest loans
to help the landlords improve their
buildings or putup new buildings where
old ones have been torn down.
On the Mayor's new trash policy--
providing trash collection on certain
streets every Saturday--Dobbs said
that the people of Arbor Hill should not
wait for the Mayor todecide tat t-ash
must be collected every week. Dobbs
said he was going to put his trash out
Saturday, June 17, and every Saturday
thereafter until the city decides to take
it away...continued Page 3
Supervisor Perkins,
The Albany Liberator is
published weekly by the
Brothers' Coordinating
Committee, at 261 Clin-
ton Avenue, Albany, New
York, 12210. [465-0719]
Editorial Staff’
Editor - Peter G. Pollak
Managing Editor --Earl Thorpe
Advertising Manager - Peter Jones
Business Manager - Arthur Morning
Can They Lose ?
The first issue of the Albany Liberator pre-
sents the story of The Brothers' challenge to the
do-nothing Albany city government. It presents
the voices of four angry men: Samuel McDowell,
Robert Gene Dobbs. Maurice Newton, and
William Gibson. These men promise a change.
Why is achangenecessary? Afew people are
still asking that question. So we will point out to
them that Albany is the largest city of its sixe in
the country without a working poverty program.
Albany is also probably the largest city without
city trash collection.
Albany's schools are overcrowded. There is
a great lack of adequate recreational facilities,
|especially inthe black community. The city em-
ployees' pay scale for many jobsi is below federal
poverty standards.
Last Saturday ata rally on North Swan Street,
Democratic candidates Sam McDowell and Robert
Gene Dobbs brought out the issues in Tuesday's
primary election. They told the people that the
—— Fg sent office Hoaeaer ees are Oe Naw out for
t1eT SATyeA TS En
PRIMARY DAY
TUESDAY, JUNE 20
Born a Prisoner-1619-1966
by Gordon Van Ness
I am a person born with black
skin, born a prisoner of society.
I could not choosemy parents, nor
you yours, but color pigment is
imbedded by the unchangeable hand
of nature.
By chance we live in a white world
with yellow, brown and black skins.
~The four Brothers' Candideleuhers even ene But underneath my skin color 1 am
lenged the right of Homer Perkins and Frank
DeGeorge to run for office in the 7th Ward,
claiming that neither man lives in the Ward.
They have also contested the nominating petitions
of these candidates for various violations and
alleged forgeries.
This action shows that The Brothers are wil-
ling to fight their opponents anywhere. However,
the biggest victory must come from the people,
‘from the voters in Tuesday's primary election.
Collection or Else
It cannot be denied that trash:in a neighbor-
hood is a bad thing. It is dangerous because of
the threat of fire. It is depressing. And it shows
what a city thinks of its citizens.
Some people blame the poor for trash-filled
lots and backyards. But how can a woman on
welfare who receives $120 a month for herself
and two children pay weekly for trash collection?
How can a man with several children pay for
trash collection when his chileren need food and
clothing.
Trash is a problem. How does the city re-
spond? In Albany the Machine and its so-called
civic leaders are fond of having special cleanup
days when everyone is supposed to fixup his own
yard and basement. But without regular trash
pick-up, it isn't worth it tomake things nice one
day of the year.
What is the solution? RobertGene Dobbs and
Samuel McDowell, candidates in the upcoming
primary, feel they have a way to get the city to
fulfill its obligation to the people. They are going
to leave their trash on the sidewalk Saturday,
June 17, and every Saturday thereafter until the
_Mayor decides to pick it up. Let's join them.
just like you. My muscles ripple
with power...Ilove, hate, des-
pair, rejoice and suffer as you do.
My mind functions just like yours,
I want to have a better job, edu-
cation and better housing condi-
tions.
I suffered and sweated in war for
this country's freedom abroad and
here. ..now I have tobuy my free-
dom from this country and society
in order to live peacefully.
When a white man says he is not
given a fair chance it is because
he sat down somewhere. But
black man was always denied a
fair chance from birth..
he is: black,
- because
Black is a way of beauty. I'd rath-
er be a black "nigger" than a poor
white.
I am aware of the bitter road of
prejudice and what my color has
cost me.
I offer you my black hand in ex-
change for a whitehand in rebuild-
ing. America intoa just world. You
and I can make it a better world
than we have found it.
Iam a person born a prisoner.
In 1966 I am still a prisoner but I
am finding ways tobreak society's
chains.
Guest Column
Long Hot Summer?
by Rev. Nellis J. Tremblay
The country girds for a long hot
summer. Chicago makes token ef-
forts atopen housing, summer re-
creation, jobs for unemployed
thousands; Toledo calls out the
National Guard; Tampa and Boston
have million dollar riots. Albany?
Summertime, election time
brings with it a flurry of activity.
What for? f
We as a community must face
the real issues; recreation, edu-
cation, housing, employment and
hatred in the hearts of men. These
are the real issues. MightI ask
why there is somuch vandalism ‘in
Albany? I've heardit reported that
school windows have been broken
to the tune of thousands of dollars
a year. Houses have been destroy-
ed before home owners couldmove
in. Could there be a relationship
between these happenings and the
fact that a reportof the Communi-
ty Chest tells us that recreation
facilities in Albany meet only one
quarter of the national standard?
Education remains a national
as_ solved. How
“come somany sixteen year olds can
come tothe lastyearsof their edu-
cation without knowing how to read
and write? How:come so many of
these reside in ghetto sections of
town? Perhaps, the least amount
of money has been spent on educa-
tion in these sections.
Housing in Albany has reached
Aacrisis stage. 1.1% vacancy exists
in rental housing here of which I
am told 90% is sub-standard. New
housing and open housing has not
even made the least sttempt to
solve the displacement made by the
Mall and Urban Renewal. The hard-
ness of men's hearts has added to
the crisis.
Unorganized workers inthe low
paying job areas; under-employ-
ment of intelligentmen without the
skills remain untouched and un-
touchable areas in Albany.
Until we get excited about basic
issues in our community, fear of
the long hot summers will remain.
Vote For
DOBBS
McDOWELL
June 20
7th WARD
ALBANY
‘7th Ward Polling Locations
ist District -- John Pruyn Library
137 North Pearl
6th District -- School 7
165 Clinton Avenue
2nd District -- School 5
206 North Pearl
7th District -- Healt Department
Building, Livingston and Ten Broeck
3rd District --101 Clinton _Astanua___&th District ——Livinaetan Chea-s——
9th District -- School 5
206 North Pearl
4th District -- School 6
105 Second Avenue
5th District -- 84 North Swan Street
Voting is Tuesday, June 20 from 12 Noon to 9 pm.
If you have doubts as to where you are supposed to vote,
please call, Phe Brothers Headquarters 465-3347, 3348.
Welcome to The Albany Liberator:
The Albany Liberator promises more nitty-gritty reading
per page than any newspaper in the area. Not only will we
be following the ®rothers' campaign for office, but The Lib-
erator will be reprinting articles from nitty-gritty papers
all over the country. (See the story on Harlem on Page 6).
But The Albany Liberator cannot live up to our plans
without your support. You can receive weekly by mail the
news "from where it's happening" by teking out either a
"sustaining" or "supporting" subscription.
Fhe Brsthens
INANE
Address
z\e
Cy sa a see
supporting subscription $5 ae
SUS tarning subscvi plion $ds
Newton, Gibson Run
On Liberal ficket
: from page 1
The candidate for Alderman pointed
out that it was too expensive for poor
people and people on welfare tobe pay-
ing $1.00 or $1.25 every week to have
their trash removed. Dobbs said he
would not pay the fee any longer, but
would keep putting his trash out until
the city started collecting trash all ov-
er the Ward every week. Dobbs urged
all Arbor Hill residents who are tired
of paying such high fees for a job the
city should be doing, to put their trash
out with him on Saturday, June 17.
Sam McDowell, candidate for the
County Legislature, cited many areas
which carne under the duties of the
County Board of Supervisors in which
his opponent, Homer Perkins, had
voted against needed measures or had
failed to speak out. McDowell especial-
ly emphasized the need for more re-
|creational centers inthe Arbor Hill dis-
trict. He said that he didn't blame the
children for playing inthe streets since
thereare so few playgrounds and since
the ones that are there, suchas on
North Swan, don't have lights for the
boys to play basketball after dark.
McDowell said that if he were e-
lected he would work fora park in Ar-
bor Hill with a swimming pool. He re-
marked that peonle-onuelfer warn)’ aifu
that the childrencan't go by themselves
way over -to Lincoln Park for swim-
ming. -
Candidates ‘Dobbs and McDowell
joined in with:The Brothers' Liberal
Party candidates, Maurice Newton and
William Gibson in filing a claim a-
gainst the candidacies of Perkins and
DeGeorge. They claim that neither
men live in the election district.
Perkins, the Brothers claim, has
lived at 152 South Swan, and has only
recently, moved back to a building he.
owns on First Street. DeGeorge, who
also: owns several properties in Arbor
Hill, claims he lives on Clinton Ave-
nue, although the telephone book gives
his residence:at 100 Morton Street.
The Brothers also challenged the
petitions of the two candidates, claim-
ing that they were improperly certi-
fied and that there are forgeries and
invalid signatures on them. The case
to determiné these claims has brought
out damaging evidence against both of
these men, yet itis possible that it will
not be concluded before the primary
election Tuesday, June 20.
Leon Van Dyck, who has been acting
campaign manag. - for The Brothers'
candidates, indicated that the court
case was not as important as beating
Perkins and DeGeorge at the poles.
In this’ regard, he predicted an over~
whelming victory for Dobbs and Mc-
Dowell. ''We're beating them in the
streets, ''Van Dyck said, "and that's
where it counts."
TRASH +
eal
2 ba serorwne
Pai Re
from page 1
in the Liberal Partyprimary, all mem-
bers of The Brothers, also said trash
collection was a prime issue of the
election campaign. They joined with
Mr. French in urging all to join The
Brothers in putting out their trash Sat-
urday, and every Saturday after that,
until the city collects it.
Mr. French recalled what Lutheran
minister Wendall Elmendorf told some
200 persons at Trinity Institution May
17, 1966: "The mayor made us prom-
ises. He told us he would do all he
could. ..But nothing has been done for
the poor."
Mr. French also recalled that the
minister spoke ata rally to protest the
Board of Supervisors! abolition of the
public antipoverty agency, onthe re-
commendation of Mayor Corning. He
quoted another minister, Arbor Hill
pastor Thomas Tooher of St. Joseph's
Catholic Church, who told those at the
protest rally: :
"We were rather naive people. We
could notactually believe what was hap-
pening before our ears and eyes.
"That is what'shappening to CVIL--
the Citizens Volunteer Improvement
League.'' said Mr. French, ''They're
getting promises from the mayor. They
are naive. They think they're getting
the mayor's cooperation and help in a
way that counts because he agrees to
have the city collect trash a couple of
times.
"They're wrong. Ask Olivia Rorie
of the South End about that. She got
some trash collected about a year ago.
But there's still trash there, waiting
to breed rats -- or feed another tragic
fire, like the recent one at Second and
Swan Streets where 78 people were
made homeless; at Sheridan Avenue
and Orange Streets where 36 people
were made homeless; or Second Street
between Lark and Swan where 5 chil-
dren were burned to death.
The Brothers are putting out flyers
coupling the election campaigns of Mr.
McDowelland Mr. Dobbsand Mr. New-
ton and Mr. Gibson with the campaign
to put out trash on Saturdays for the
city to collect. They say the city needs
city trash collection, because it costs
the poor too much to have privage col-
lectors do it. According to a survey
taken by The Brothers and the Council
on Community Concerns, it costs any-
where from $.75 to $1.50 aload tohave
trash picked up.
"That's too much for a poor per-
son,'' said Mr. French, "especially
if he's on welfare. If they provide
trash collection at all, they give it
grudgingly."
THE MAY 19 FIRE that covere
et and North Swen Street
ixty-nine people were
War Against Poverty Losing InHarlemGhetto
By Robert L. Allen
N ALMOST any summer afternoon
Harlem streets are congested with
people. Most of them are not going any-
where. They simply stand in small clus-
ters and talk or drink or play cards
while children chase in and out among
them.
Hariem itself is not going anywhere.
For most of the residents of Harlem
things are just as they were in 1964,
when there was a massive summer up-
rising. Dilapidated housing is still the
rule. Unemployment remains fantastical-
ly high (some estimates put combined un-
der- and unemployment at more than
35%)..If you live in Harlem, schoo] drop-
outs, juvenile delinquents and narco-
tic addicts are likely to be among
your friends, if not members of your
family. The numbers racket still prob-
ably provides more jobs than all of the
anti-poverty programs combined.
_ Frustration, apathy, despair and
anger are terms frequently used to de-
scribe the mood of Harlem. Such words
reflect a part of the reality, but none
captures the full mood of the more
than quarter-million inhabitants of the
nation’s largest black ghetto.
Anger, for example, may be a response
to apathy. Leonard DeChamps, a 17-
year-old-youth, was angered by the mis-
ery and apathy which he saw in many
Harlem neighborhoods. His anger spur-
red DeChamps to set up @ group called
Concerned Youth and he has applied for
an Office of Economic Opportunity grant
to run a summer program in what has
been termed “the toughest block in Har-
lem”: 117th St. between Lenox Ave. and
7th Ave. DeChamps wants to set up
tenant councils and recreational and ed-
veational programs for parents and
children. He hopes that his work this
summer will help stimulate a fighting
spirit and organization among the block
residents.
Anti-poverty programs and control
over the schools are two key issues being
debated in the community.
Harlem has one of the largest anti-
poverty establishments of any commu-
nity in the nation. The nerve center
of this establishment is Haryou-Act, Inc.
Its function, as Haryou-Act officials ad-
mit, is to prevent riots. Asked about the
possibility of violence this summer one
Haryou-Act official replied that it was
“hardly likely.” “A lot of former agita-
tors are gainfully employed right here
in Haryou-Act,” he declared. He said riot
prevention requires the “circulation of
some” money” which makes a youth
“feel like a man.”
In the summer of 1965 Haryou-Act
and affiliated groups employed 4,000
youths. These were mostly “problem”
kids who were given a “stipend” of $37.50
a week.
Last summer Haryou-Act requested
en anti-poverty grant of $6 million for
itself and 89 other organizations. It
received $1.9 million, which was distrib-
uted among 65 groups. Less than 2,099
youths were employed in the summer
program. This year the request is for $5.7
million, to be divided among more than
130 groups. But Haryou-Act officials are
alarmed because the amount of the grant
“being talked about” is only $219,000.
Unlike last summer there has deen”
no closing of the ranks behind Haryou~-
Act and its budget demands, The local
anti-poverty establishment is split over
the issue of a community corporation.
Community corporations are being set
up now in 26 poor neighborhoods under
New York’s anti-poverty program. Each
corporation will determine priorities for
local anti-poverty programs and decide
which proposals from community organ-
izations should receive federal and city
financing. Some Harlem leaders have
charged Haryou-Act with stacking the
*. steering committee which will set up
elections for the local community cor-
poration. They want to alter the com-
position of the steering committee be-
fore elections are held in June.
While anti-poverty warriors scramble
for contro] of the kitty, Harlem parents
suffered what has been called a defeat
in the schoo] issue. A two-week boycott
of P.S. 125 ended March 31 with none of
the parents’ demands having been grant-
ed. The parents had asked for commun-
ity participation in the school’s program
and a voice in the selection of a prin-
cipal. The boycott was a continuation of
the battle for parent participation in
school board decisions which began last
September at IS, 201 in East Harlem.
After the boycott ended the New York
Board of Education agreed to accept par-
ent involvement in reviewing the cur-
Ticulum at the school and in discussing
the selection of a principal. However, the
parents will not have the right to inter-
view a prospective principal nor will they
have the final say in his selection.
The apparent unanimity of the par-
ents then dissolved in an election in
early May in the Parents Association of
P.S. 125. White middle-class parents who
said they “didn’t want the boycott in the
first place” helped overthrow the former
militant leaders whom they accused of
not wanting to come to terms with the
Board of Education. Manuel Romero, the
na
new president of the parent group, caucu
the boycott leaders a “frustrated” group
who wanted to “knock down” the school
board rather than negotiate with it. Sup-
that the election was “rigged” and began
circulating a petition which accused
white parents of “taking over” the par--
ent group.. The enrollment of the school
is 83% Négro and ‘Puerto Rican. :
This bickering among the leaders is
reflected as‘\uncertainty among average
Harlemites. “We have no teachers or
leaders in the community,” said one con-
struction worker. “No one knows who
to follow.”
But despite the uncertainty, the daily
“hustle” goés on. This hustle manifests
itself in the struggle of a welfare client
who described how for years she and her
than settled in an apartment. She has &
history of drug use which makes her &
“pad risk” for the investment of several
hundred dollars in furniture. The wel-
fare department is now maintaining the
family in a hotel at a cost of $63 a week.
The hustle is reflected in the unwill-
ingness of a young man to accept an
anti-war leaflet because it won't help
him make a buck. It is heard in the con-
yersations of unemployed men who are
willing to do almost anything, honest or
dishonest, which might gain them a few
dollars. It is seen in the haggard faces of
young prostitutes who ask passersby. if
they are “sporting” this evening.
Little has changed in Harlem since the
advent of the war on poverty, except
that poverty seems to be winning.
What are the prospects for a violent
summer? No one in Harlem appears to
know for sure. Many agree that much of
the hubbub about a “long, hot summer”
is simply publicity generated by the anti-
poverty establishment in the. hope of
scaring up larger grants. Others think
that an explosion is imminent. There is
general agreement that an “incident” or
series of “incidents” which are mishan-
died or thought to be mishandled by the
police might serve to set things off.
The police are not unaware or tHe
role and have been less in evidence than
they were two or three years ago. Many
former foot cops have been placed in
patrol cars. One Harlem activist said that
the police have made some effort to im-
prove relations with the community in
genera] and with the militants in partic-
ular. “The harassment that we used to
get, we don’t get anymore,” he said.
|
martin
A SINGLE SOURCE’
FOR ALL
YOUR OFFICE NEEDS!
.office supplies
1325 Broadway
.465-3566
business furniture
- 330 Broadway
465-2375
18 Families Homeless
After May 19 Blaze
The aftermath of a tragedy. ..it will
be one month this Monday since flames
swept through the heart of Arbor Hill
leaving 18 families homeless. What
happened on May 19? What was the
cause of the fife and what has happen-
ed to the victims? These arethe ques-
tions being asked today.
The May 19 fire was not the first or
only bad fire to hit Arbor Hill this
Spring. There was one on North Pearl,
one on Sheridan, and one on Second
Street in which five children were kill-
ed.
When asked about the cause of the
.May 19 fire, the city Fire Commis-
sioner replied that it is impossible to
trace a fire to its source. The city al-
so refused to make fire department re-
cords available.
What may be a mystery to the city
officials is common knowledge, how-
ever, to some of the people who help-
ed out the fire victims. Trash and
vacant, condemned buildings may not
be the actual cause, but they seem to
go hand in hand with disaster.
Robert Gene Dobbs, a member of
The Brothers, who was active in e-
mergency relief measures, discussed
the problems of the fire victims. Long-
range still needed, Dobbs
said. ''What these people need is money
to help get them back on their feet."
Dobbs also pointed out that much of
the clothing donated was so threadbare
that it would not replace what the peo-
ple lost. Some of the other men who
relief is
stayed up moving furniture after the
fire also remarked that some of the
appliances were donated in unusable
condition or with parts missing.
While problems of the victims con-
tinue, particularly in finding adequate
housing to replace their lost apart-
ments, several groups have discussed
ways of preventing such disasters in
the future. Most of these have concen-
trated on immediate trash removal;
but the problems of continuous trash
removal and housing still need solu-
“Pearl Street.
‘though
AAIGRATING ‘TO KAW VALLEY, KANS., HE
BOUGHT 80 ACRES OF LAND, GREW PO~
TATOES, AND WAS SO SUCCESSFUL , THAT
HE INCREASED HIS ACREAGE TO 500.
HE BECAME SUCH AN IMPORTANT ‘SHIPP-
ER THAT THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD
BUILT A SPUR ON HIS PROPERTY TO
HAUL HIS POTATOES. HE BUILT A FINE
MANSION, AND LATER REFUSED AN
OFFER IN SIX FIGURES FROM THE RAlL>
ROAD FOR HIS LAND.
Welfare Union Plans Day Nursury ,
Stewards Study Welfare Budgets
The Albany County Welfare Union is
‘planning an important meeting for its
members next Sunday, June 25, at 3
pm in The Brothers' office at 170 North
There will be talk about
the Welfare Union in general, and plans
will be made for setting upa day nursery
so mothers who want to work or go to
school can have a place to leave their
children. The meeting is open to people
who want to join or those who have
questions about their rights with the
Welfare Department.
The creation of the Albany County
Welfare Union offers hope and help to
people with needs. The Welfare Union
was organized to help welfare reci-
pients geta better deal from the County
Welfare Department. It will also help
people who are not on welfare and be-
lieve they should be entitled to financial
assistance.
The Albany County Welfare Union
operates out of The Brothers' office
which is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
The telephone number is 465-3347.
The stewards of the Welfare Union
are people who know what a person is
entitled to get and who know how to go
about getting it. They are people who
are well known inthe community: Leon
Van Dyke, Clarence Newton, Robert
Gene Dobbs, Benny Kemp, and Arthur
Morning.
The stewards are taking acourse at
the State University in the welfare laws
and regulations and they have been
recognized by the Albany County Wel-
fare Department as the official repre-
sentatives of Welfare Union members.
Assistance from the Welfare Union
is free and the welfare stewards get
the job done quickly. One man, the
father of six children and a seasonal
laborer, applied to the Welfare Depart-
ment for temporary assistance. Al-
he had to meet the usual ex-
penses ofa family of eight, they offer-
ed him a job at $40 a week.
When the man complained that he
couldn'tlive atthat salary, the Welfare
Department refused to give him addi-
tional support. He joined the Welfare
Union and with itshelp soon started re-
ceiving the assistance that he was en-
titled to by law.
The Albany County Welfare Union is
growing. The larger the union gets,
according to its organizers, the more
‘it will be able to do for welfare reci-
pients. Yet welfare steward Leon Van
Dyck explained that the Welfare Union
is not at war with the Welfare Depart-
ment.
"Our relationship with the Welfare
Department is very good,"' Van Dyck
pointed out, "because we realize we
want the same thing--for the people to
be self-supporting and self-sufficient."
Van Dyck also pointed out that people
don't get in trouble by joining the Wel-
fare Union. "Many differences the
Union has with the Welfare Depart--
ment," he said, "are often the result
of misunderstanding s."'
However, the union stewards feel
that the purpose of the Welfare Union
is to help the people get what they de-
serve. If the Welfare Department does
not take care of theindividual, then he
must get together with others and act
with the strength of numbers.
Purpose of the Welfare Union
For persons on welfare to set up a
nursery, i.e., a day care center or
baby sitters' pool, so that those of their
fellow recipients whomight want to go
to school in various job training pro-
grams or complete their education, can
do so.
To teach persons who are on welfare
their rights under the law; to get these
persons to protect their rights by join-
ing the Welfare Union.
For persons’on welfare to become
self-sufficient and self-supporting, so -
that they might contribute to their com-
munity and the community at large.
Community
Bulletin Board
The Albany Liberator is offering as
afree community service notices on
the Community Bulletin Board. Any
organization or individual wishing to
place a notice in the Liberatér should
bring the notice in writing to the Lib-
erator office at 261 Clinton Avenue by
5 pm Wednesday in order to be placed
in Friday's paper. For further infor-
mation call 465-0719.
CAMPAIGN RALLY
Samuel McDowell and Robert Gene
Dobbs, candidates in the Democratic
primary, Tuesday, June 20, announce
a campaign rally Saturday, June 17,
at 4 pm‘in the Ten Broeck Street Park.
Besides the campaign speechs, there
will be entertainment and food will be
available.
Classifieds
The Albany Liberator is offering!
another community service in the form
of classified ads. Classified Ads for
employment, items for sale or to buy,
will be run weekly at a service charge
of only $.50. Please bring your notice
to the Liberator office at 261 Clinton!
Avenue by Wednesday at 5 pm in order
to have your ad placed in Friday's
paper. Or call 465-0719 for more in-
formation
SAMUEL McDOWELL VOTE
County Legislature
| im the
Democratic
Primary
Tuesday Jume 20
Sg ag FOR
SAMUEL McDOWELL
and
ROBERT GENE DOBBS
Vote For
Anti-Poverty Funds
City Trash Collection
Supervised Playgrounds
Better Housing “f if
Street Lights ROBERT GENE DOBBS
Aiderman 7th Ward
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