Mrs. HOWARD. Thank you. Mr. WHITENER. This concludes the list of our witnesses. Unless there are some others that we do not have on the list, we Mr. PARKS. I should like to speak. Mr. WHITENER. Give your name for the record. STATEMENT OF SAMUEL J. PARKS, 1914 7TH STREET, NORTHWEST Mr. PARKS. I should like to speak to some of the questions that have been raised. There were several questions raised by Mr. Winn and yourself, concerning which I think I could give for information as to what happened individually to me. Mr. WHITENER. Would you give your address and your business for the record? Mr. PARKS. My home address or my business address was at 1914 7th Street, Northwest. That is in the block that was destroyed which some of the other witnesses referred to. Το go back about six or eight months ago, two officers came into my place and told me that they were from the riot squad and they were checking all of the establishments that had guns, that is, that sold guns, hand guns. And they wanted to know how many hand guns we had, how many rifles, how many shotguns did we have. Mr. WINN. What business are you in? Mr. PARKS. We are jewelers and pawnbrokers. So, I took them down to our basement compartment where the guns are kept, and there were approximately 40 guns, and they made a record of each and everyone of them. I said, "What is the trouble about?" They said, they wanted to know the number because they might have some trouble, so that they could take these guns out and keep them from falling into the hands of the Black Muslims, and the like. So, Friday morning, April 5th, we opened up. That place was built like a fortress. The entire front was enclosed with iron bars that pulled down-impossible to break-and the rest of the building was built equally as strong and protected. We had all sorts of burglar alarms there. ORGANIZED LAWLESSNESS Friday morning, the looters came through-and it was organized, because the first group of them came through and broke the windows. They did not try to get anything. They broke the windows. They were followed by another group. This group, about 25 or 30 or more, they would come right in through the entrance "Let us take the joint. Well, at 7 o'clock my brother was downstairs and I was upstairs. He took a gun from back of the counter and shot over their heads, so that they flew. We closed the place up. So, we tried to secure the place even better than it was before. We left there at three o'clock. Nobody ever came along to pick up the guns. The guns were there. We left there, not thinking anything would happen to our place the way it was built. A colored man that worked for us-incidentally, he was receiving better than $150 a week, and he was a very efficient person-he came back there later, I think the next day, and he checked the front of the store. Everything was intact. He walked around in the back, in the back leading into one of the warehouses, and there was a hole in the warehouse. They had something like 200 portable televisions in there, probably 100 typewriters and the Lord knows what else. The gang was looting all of these things. It was an organized gang. So, he immediately went out and got an officer and told him about this hole. "They have broken into my place, and they are looting," he tells him. He looked down and he said, "It is almost curfew time. Get off the street, or else we will have to lock you up." So, the boy left. He was worried. So, he goes to one of his friend's houses, and he repeated the story to him. I do not know what was done. Nothing was done. The whole day, they paraded and they looted. They went through a house next door and on down the street. The Metropolitan Police Department had been a very efficient organization, very efficient, always had done a wonderful job. If they were not given orders not to do anything, why would this thing have occurred? And for any individual to prove that they were given such orders is impossible, because the orders are not given to a layman but to the members of the police department. That is the story. As to removing the debris or the building, it is really out of reason to order us to do it. My income is gone. My brother's income is gone. We will collect some insurance. The next question was: Would the insurance company pay off? I have been paid for my building, which is about one-half of the value of the building, I guess, if we want to rebuild it. The insurance companies are paying off, that is, my company is. Mr. WINN. Do you know, percentagewise, how many in businesses similar to yours are going back in? Mr. PARKS. I think that probably that three-quarters of them would like to go back. I do not think that any of them will go back unless they are assured of protection. How can you possibly rebuild a business and go back in when fellows like this issue statements: "Build them up and we will burn them down." And he, incidentally, is being paid by you and the rest of us. He has a Government job-Marion Barry, and he teaches these boys that work under him the black power movement. This is not any imagination. I have been around these people. Mr. WINN. I think we are familiar with his operations. You do not think that anybody will go back into business under the present circumstances? Mr. PARKS. I would think 50 per cent will go back in providing they are assured of protection. Mr. WINN. Thank you. Mr. WHITENER. You mentioned what you had out in front of your building. I happened to have been up through that area. Was your building the one where they actually tore the metal open? Mr. PARKS. No, sir, my building was the only building with the rail still standing. It was the only one. The walls were down, but the railing was standing up. They did not destroy that railing. The only time it came down is when they came along and hit the building. Mr. WHITENER. We certainly thank you for being with us. We express our appreciation to each of the witnesses who have been here. PARADE PERMITS ISSUED Mr. Kneipp, as I understand it, you are here today to represent the District Government, to sit in. I wonder if we could ask you to please provide for the Committee-for the record-a list of these 84 or 85 permits to which Mr. Winn has alluded: the name of the applicant, the date, and the purpose stated by the applicant, as to what was sought to be served in the parade or the march or whatever you call it. Mr. KNEIPP. I will get that from the Police Department, sir. (Subsequently, the following letter and enclosure as to issuance of parade permits were received for the record :) GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, OFFICE OF THE CORPORATION COUNSEL, Washington, D.C. 20004, May 20, 1968. The Honorable BASIL L. WHITENER, DEAR MR. WHITENER: On Friday, May 17, in the course of_the hearing on H.R. 16941, authorizing an officer or employee of the District of Columbia to require applicants for permits to parade in the District to post a bond to cover certain costs of such parade, you asked me to supply your Subcommittee with a list of the parade permits issued during the past year. I enclose a list prepared by the Metropolitan Police Department showing, by date, organization, and purpose, the parade permits issued from April 1, 1967, through April 30, 1968. Should you desire any further information concerning parade permits, I will be glad to secure it for you. Sincerely yours, ROBERT F. KNEIPP, Assistant Corporation Counsel, D.C. Chief, Legislation and Enclosure. |