Description: David Boeri reports that E.W. Jackson is the manager of WLVG radio station in Cambridge and the pastor of the New Corner Baptist Church in Roxbury. Jackson addressed a community meeting in South Boston last night about the city's public housing desegregation plan. He attacked atheism, school busing, and seat belt laws in his speech, and called the city's housing desegregation plan a form of "social engineering." Interview with Jackson in the studios of WLVG. He discusses public housing integration and says that "freedom of choice" is more important than integrated developments. Boeri reports that Boston City Councilors James Kelly and Dapper O'Neil are leading the fight against the desegregation plan, but that interest in the issue is waning among South Boston residents. Interview with Neil Sullivan, policy advisor to mayor Ray Flynn, who helped develop the housing desegregation plan. Sullivan says that elements of choice have been preserved in the city's new public housing policy.
1:00:13: Visual: Shots of a light outside of the studio door at WLVG radio station; of a record by Amy Grant spinning on a turntable inside of the studio. Music plays on the soundtrack. David Boeri reports that E.W. Jackson is the manager of WLVG, a gospel radio station in Cambridge. V: Shots of Jackson in the offices of WLVG. Shots of a record spinning on a turntable; of the WLVG logo on a piece of paper. Audio of Jackson talking to a disc jockey about the playlist. Shot of Jackson in the studio. Boeri reports that Jackson is also the pastor of the New Corner Baptist Church in Roxbury; that Jackson visited a community meeting in South Boston last night; that 350 white residents attended the meeting. V: Shot of Jackson addressing a community meeting in South Boston on July 12, 1988. Members of the audience stand to applaud for him. Footage of Jackson ad dressing the meeting. Jackson says that South Boston residents have been "dumped on" by city leaders. Footage of Jackson sitting behind a desk, being interviewed by Boeri. Jackson chuckles when Boeri asks him if he had ever imagined bringing an audience of South Boston residents to their feet. Shots of Jackson addressing the community meeting. Boeri reports that Jackson attacked atheism, school busing, and seat belt laws in his speech at the meeting in South Boston. Boeri says that Jackson called the city's plan to desegregate public housing is an example of "social engineering." V: Shots of audience members at the community meeting. Footage of Jackson addressing the meeting. Jackson says that he can understand why the people of South Boston do not want bureaucrats telling them how to live their lives. The audience applauds. Boeri reports that James Kelly (Boston City Council) and Dapper O'Neil (Boston City Council) are leading the fight against the city's desegregation plan for public housing; that interest in the struggle may be waning among South Boston residents. V: Shot of Jackson addressing the meeting. O'Neil sits beside the podium. Kelly is visible behind Jackson. Shot of empty seats at the back of the room. Footage of Boeri asking Jackson if he thinks he might have been "used" by Kelly and O'Neil. Jackson quotes the Bible as saying that it is good to be used for a good cause. Footage of Neil Sullivan (Policy Advisor to Mayor Ray Flynn) being interviewed by Boeri. Sullivan says that the attending the community meeting is a good way to get on television. Boeri reports that Sullivan says that Jackson has confused the issues. V: Footage of Jackson saying that tenants must be able to choose where they want to live; that freedom of choice is more important than integrated developments. Footage of Sullivan saying that the city's plan tries to preserve elements of choice in the new housing plan. Footage of Jackson saying that affordable and adequate housing is needed in every neighborhood. Footage of Sullivan saying that the city of Boston is working harder than any other major city on the issue of affordable housing. Footage of Jackson leaving the stage at the community meeting. Jackson shakes hands with several attendees of the meeting. Boeri reports that Jackson may have forged a new alliance with South Boston residents.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 07/13/1988
Description: Meg Vaillancourt reports that South Boston residents are opposed to the city's plans to integrate public housing projects. Residents are hostile to Mayor Ray Flynn when he attends a community meeting in South Boston to discuss plans for integration, with Doris Bunte of the Boston Housing Authority. Vaillancourt notes that South Boston residents have not changed their attitudes in the face of evidence that the BHA practices discrimination against African American tenants of public housing. Interviews with South Boston public housing residents about public housing integration. Many residents are opposed to integration. Some fear that the quality of life in the projects will decline after the housing projects are integrated. Others say that racial violence will be a result of integration. A few residents are not bothered by the prospect of integration. Vaillancourt notes that the controversy over public housing integration evokes memories of the busing crisis in the 1970s. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Officials attempt to explain the new rules for the Boston Housing Authority's revised public housing tenant selection policy.
1:00:02: Visual: Footage of a white female South Boston resident looking out of the window of a housing project apartment. The woman says that she would like her neighborhood to remain white. Meg Vaillancourt reports that South Boston residents remain hostile to the idea of integration of public housing projects. V: Shots of white residents outside of a housing project in South Boston. Footage of a white female resident saying that South Boston should stay white; that there will be trouble if the housing projects are integrated. Footage of another white female South Boston resident saying that white residents have not received fair warning about the placement of African American families in white housing projects. Shots of white children playing with a hose outside of a housing project in South Boston. Vaillancourt reports that Ray Flynn (Mayor of Boston) announced plans to integrate South Boston housing projects in October; that Flynn tried to explain the policy at a community meeting in South Boston in January. V: Footage of Flynn and Doris Bunte (Boston Housing Authority) the community meeting in January of 1988. Flynn addresses the crowd. A white woman shouts out a comment. Footage of Flynn approaching the stage as the crowd jeers at him. Vaillancourt notes that the audience at the community meeting was hostile to Flynn. Vaillancourt stands in front of a housing project building in South Boston. Vaillancourt reports that there is mounting evidence of discrimination against African American families requesting apartments in public housing projects. Vaillancourt notes that the mounting evidence has not changed the attitudes of white South Boston residents. V: Footage of Vaillancourt interviewing a white male South Boston resident. The man says that there will be trouble if African Americans move into the South Boston housing projects. Footage of another white male South Boston resident saying that the residents want their neighborhood to remain as it is. Footage of a white female South Boston resident saying that she will not be bothered if an African American family moves into her building. She says that African American families need housing as much as white families do. The woman says that some people do not feel the same way as she does; that she hopes no one will bother the African American families who move into the project. Shots of white residents outside of a project building; of a white baby playing in a wading pool outside of a project building. Vaillancourt reports that the city's housing policy has kept the housing projects segregated for fifty years; that the city is now changing its policy. Vaillancourt reports that some residents feel that the new policy will be biased. V: Footage of a white female South Boston resident sitting in a wading pool. The woman says that the city should not make tenants identify their race; that the city should place tenants in an apartment without knowing their race. Shots of the woman and two children in the wading pool. Vaillancourt notes that talk of integration in South Boston raises memories of the busing crisis in the 1970s. V: Footage of a white male South Boston resident saying that school desegregation caused the decline of the Boston School System; that most South Boston residents send their children to private schools. The man says that he will move out of public housing if African American families move in to the projects. Shots of female parochial school students walking toward a housing project building. Vaillancourt reports that the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) has not announced when the first African American family will move into the projects.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/16/1988
Description: Christopher Lydon reports that Mayor Ray Flynn attended a community meeting in South Boston to discuss public housing integration. Lydon notes that the audience was hostile in their opposition to the issue. Lydon's report includes footage from the meeting. City Councilor James Kelly speaks out against public housing integration. The crowd cheers. The crowd jeers at Flynn as he makes the case for a fair and equitable housing policy. Lydon notes that Kelly linked the housing integration issue to memories of school desegregation in the 1970s.
1:00:15: Visual: Footage of Ray Flynn (Mayor of Boston) approaching the stage at a community meeting in South Boston. A noisy crowd yells and boos. The audience is seated at long tables. Footage of Leo Tierney (South Boston resident) saying that apartments in Roxbury should go to Roxbury residents. Tierney says, "Leave us the hell alone. Leave the blacks alone. Leave us to live in peace." The crowd cheers. Members of the crowd rise to their feet to cheer. Christopher Lydon reports that James Kelly (Boston City Council) addressed the crowd of South Boston residents at a community meeting; that Kelly stirred the emotions of the crowd by linking public housing integration to the memories of school desegregation in the 1970s. V: Footage of Kelly saying that "misguided" youth and adults will engage in violence if the public housing projects are integrated; that some South Boston residents will serve time for civil rights violations. Kelly says that Flynn and Doris Bunte (Boston Housing Authority) should be "hauled into court" if the city has refused to grant African American families access to their choice of housing projects; that Flynn and Bunte are more guilty of discrimination than South Boston residents. The crowd cheers for Kelly. Footage of Flynn addressing the crowd. Flynn says that he is here to tell the truth, not to campaign for votes. Flynn says that the city of Boston must provide fair and equitable housing for all.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 01/12/1988