Citizens' Council Set Up

from ‘The Militant! From_August 23- 26th, the Cleveland Citizens. Committee for Review of the Grand -Jury Report held public hearings on the Hough, Cleveland, outbreak, The Grand Jury-Report said that’a riot was caused in the Negro area by Communists and outside agitators.. Held at Liberty Hall. Baptist Church, the public review - “was-attended by audiences ranging from 300- 800 people. The Citizens Committee ’ plans to publish an answer to the Grand Jury Report. The first witness to 4 testify was Earl-—Rowe,-supervisor of the Office-of Economic Opportunity in the Hough area, He described .the- conditions there: housing owned by landlords who do not live up to city housing codess~ -overcrowded families; lack of garbage collection; abandoned dwellings; lack of jobs. Rowe was on duty during the outbreak, and saw no “ outside agitators... the only organisation. I. saw was the National Guard." When asked if therehad been any change in Hough since the riots, fRowe saids"I have séen the greatest change in my life since the occupation/Turope. I have seen city machines roll into the area, and I have seen condemned buildings come down like magic. Over 500 jobs have been found for residents in the last four weeks. Hough residents are now supervisors _in the-Uough cleanup campaign. J have seen more officials, more supervisors, -tharr-ever before," There were a number of ‘!lough residents who testified what happened to them during the eruption. Anthony Lewis, resident in the Hough area, testified that he was walking to the store to buy some bread. He saw police put some people into a police wagon. Then he saw bricks flying and four cops got out and fired. "One took dead aim with a shotgun and one took dead aim with a revolver. I saw smoke, a fellow next to me hit the ground. Somebody came to help him but the cop said, 'Stop! Don't touch him'. ‘hen I read the newspaper report, it said that a sniper shot Percy Giles. It wasn't. This was murder," Henry Towns told this story: He was awakened by his 16 year old wife Dianna around 4.0 a.m., because a fire was raging in the next building. Afraid the fire might spread to their house, they dressed and put their baby and three year old son into the car, along with Mrs.Towns? 12 year old brother. When Mr. Towns tried to back his car out of the driveway, he found a car was blocking it. He asked an officer to remove the car, but the officer ignored him. Finally, he blew his horn and drove across the lawn. ‘An officer yelled "What the hell do you think you're doing?". Mr.Towns stopped to explain, and the police ran up to his car and began to drag him out. Tis wife grabbed him round the neck, and the police bezan to beat him with clubs. The car lurched forward a foot or so, and the police opened fire. ‘hen they stopped shooting, Mrs.Towns was lyinz unconAcious, the baby wss covered‘vith blood and the little boy had been shot in the hesd. Mr.Towns was taken to gaol, where he was indicted on a charge of “agzravated assault", His son suffered extensive brain damage and Mrs.Towns suffered brain damage and has lost her right eyee Another witness was Mr.Adams, who lives on Hough Avenue. Te watched police from his apartment, and when they started shooting in the street, six friends crowded into his apartemnt. Police then shot down Mr.Adams! door because they alleged that somebody was shooting from the bedroom. Although they found nobody, lr.Adams and his friends were charged with disorderly assembly next morning, having been kept in a filthy cell with 60 other people during the nisht. When he returned home, he found that his record player had been torn to pieces and his home wrecked,