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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

Report on Urban Renewal Programs and Their Effects on Racial Minority Group Housing in Three Iowa Cities - Page 5

Several of the complaints made by Negroes were not explored during the meeting. The Committee has attempted to evaluate these complaints from press reports of the operation of the Urban Renewal Projects and other sources.

Complaint No. 1

Nonwhites were not adequately informed as to how Urban Renewal would affect them.

The representative of the NAACP contended that the Urban Renewal Staff did not contact and adequately explain to the people involved what the plans were for the area in which they lived. He was supported in this protest by one of the representatives of the Council of Social Agencies.

The following table of the River Hills Project was presented by the Urban Renewal staff to show the distribution of Negroes in this Urban Renewal area.

[table is transcribed from top to bottom, left to right] Urban Renewal Area

Total

Census

Tracts 23

Tracts 24

Heads of Households

1,085 (43%)

2,498

1,602

896

Nonwhite

(108-12)

Head of Primary Family

681 (43%)

1,581

1,147

434

Primary Individual

404 (44%)

917

455

462


It should be noted that the River Hills Project did not include all of Census Tract 23. Therefore, there are fewer families in the Urban Renewal area than there are in the total of the Census Tracts 23 and 24. This Urban Renewal Project contained 12 percent of the nonwhites living in houses.

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Several of the complaints made by Negroes were not explored during the meeting. The Committee has attempted to evaluate these complaints from press reports of the operation of the Urban Renewal Projects and other sources. Complaint No. 1 Nonwhites were not adequately informed as to how Urban Renewal would affect them. The representative of the NAACP contended that the Urban Renewal Staff did not contact and adequately explain to the people involved what the plans were for the area in which they lived. He was supported in this protest by one of the representatives of the Council of Social Agencies. The following table of the River Hills Project was presented by the Urban Renewal staff to show the distribution of Negroes in this Urban Renewal area. [table is transcribed from top to bottom, left to right] Urban Renewal Area Total Census Tracts 23 Tracts 24 Heads of Households 1,085 (43%) 2,498 1,602 896 Nonwhite (108-12) Head of Primary Family 681 (43%) 1,581 1,147 434 Primary Individual 404 (44%) 917 455 462 It should be noted that the River Hills Project did not include all of Census Tract 23. Therefore, there are fewer families in the Urban Renewal area than there are in the total of the Census Tracts 23 and 24. This Urban Renewal Project contained 12 percent of the nonwhites living in houses. 5