Letter: David W. Stith to Gov. Dan K. Moore, February 21, 1968

u±im±± POST OFFICE BOX 1071 Telephone 682-6125 Durham, North Carolina February 21, 1968 The Honorable Dan К . Moore Governor of North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Dear Governor Moore: I respectfully request that you use the powers of your office to assist in establishing effective channels of communication between the city government and the people of Durham. It is my feeling that the two groups have reached an impasse . The events of Thursday, February 15, 1968, in the City of Durham pointed up the tensions which lie just beneath the surface of the city. It is tension which has built up to explosive proportions and broke out in destructive disorder. These tensions still exist, potientially more explosive than before . A number of people have made statements in response to this event emphazing the need to maintain law and order and the determination to control any similar outbreaks in the future. However, none of these people addressed themselves to the real causes of the disorder, those things which produce and maintain the tension. Durham is still ripe for disorders because the tension is still here . It needs only a spark to light the fire. Durham is typical of the cities where riots occured last summer. Each of these; Watts, Newark, and Detroit, according to the chairman of the President's Study Commission on Riots, was triggered by events involving the police. So also was the event in Durham last Thursday. In none of these cities has there been decisive action by the city government which would ease the tension . Neither has there been any action to ease the tension in Durham. All these cities are as ripe for riots today as they were last summer. Will they be set off again? Will Durham's tensions be triggered again? My hope is that this will not happen. But this hope can only be realized through decisive action--words will not suffice. Decisive action must be taken to reduce and eliminate the tensions which exist. The answer is not in increased and more efficient methods of riot control . Controls such as this do nothing to prevent outbreaks but are only effective in putting down disturbances. The threat of punish¬ ment will not stop disorders from breaking out. More people may be jailed or killed in a shorter period of time using these methods but the tensions within the city will continue to rise.