Urban Confrontation; 13; Dick Gregory

A. From Northeastern University the National Information Network presents urban confrontations. That stop talking my civil rights and talk about human rights and I tell my black folks don't like the system we have to go down and we have to see to it that they made an appellation for good he is just do under the Constitution and his right to live and survive as the black man is in a ghetto without burning up the country. Because I'm sure the middle white here believes does marching to burn up country the difference is reason enough of that not because he gets mad he wants take it out on me but I'm not I'm not the issue the issue is not. You may get because that white boy ain't got nothing. Because the same system that if you misuse me is misuse Neal and I think I think it's very horrible that white kids today are talking about feeding hungry folks and they don't include poor

white here but I think until we reach back and get his hand we're not going to ever have a true America I think we've got to start talking about feeding hungry folks who got us to it. This week on urban confrontation. Dick Gregory human rights activist and comedian. This week's program. Dick Gregory the urban crisis redefined. Here is your host Joseph R. fader. More than a year now since Dick Gregory sat before our microphones a year that many critics feel has grown more intolerable for blacks and more frustrating for middle class whites the same middle class whites that put Richard Nixon in the White House and defeated Dick Gregory in his bid for the presidency in 1968 on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Dick what will Nixon's policies on segregation and on the war on poverty have what effect will they have on the unity of the country.

Well I think I think he unified the country more. I think if you look at the latest Harris poll you see here the majority of people in America for school integration you see there's a lot of people a small part that would not the president small part you know they always put a man in office they want him to be a book. You know Nixon is one of the first president we have that sound like a Reeses Now I don't believe he's a racist myself. I think he's playing games you know trying to cater to that southern white vote. But I think he's embarrassed and he's alienated a whole lot of white folks the Nixonian of black folks on his cabinet. But as old as white folk get to bump into black folks every day. When Nixon making stupid recent statement it was a lot of white folks up tight in America. And so I would think. That is going to unify American black folks and white folks a lot of faith I think I think you see it with colors Well I think there's a lot of white folks that will admit that the court's been too liberal there will they need some conservatives on it but there's a lot of white folk particular southerners that see. Why do you call him pick the bottom

of my barrel when you're looking for conservative and let the world believe that all southerners is stupid and dumb and ignorant they have some brilliant lawyers and a staff that could do conservative change in the next not a very important is this what Nixon had to say or to the server for those of you that believed in the client. Those of you that fought for segregation those of you did have a bad civil rights record. You qualify to be on my Supreme Court. Those of you decent white folks in the south that's a damned place that say I'm a doer even because it is right because I know in the long run it's going PR. Nixon have to say it. That type of man in the south. He do not want the U.S. Supreme Court and so I think it's going to unify I think all the dirt you see cars with I think or don't you see contains what I think Southerners a supply now. These are the stars that's insulting because he would come down here and reach into the bottom of the barrel and insult them so I think he's going to unify the

country. Let's shift to another point of questioning. Dick is it possible that liberals and intellectuals and urban planners in their rush to show a long overdue compassion for lower income blacks have occasionally forgotten the lower income whites and that this is in part responsible for the white backlash you know I was yelling You were like white back and white races were only thrown off by that is there a selective compassion. I mean a lot of people use the word but don't you don't put words in my mouth because I got audience out here and I've got black books out there to go let me talk and see. We don't believe in a right back place that's a word it's a clever word that you know that uses sound we call it white racism. You see we stop you comment on Rap Brown and you have got to talk computers don't they don't call it black backlash they call it pure hate. They never did the movement what the backlash is today was pure for one hate so I think what happens on the question you say about have they. Oh

blockade it to us at the expense of the poor white folks and create an alien nation. No I think the sickness of this country don't do you Stuart Ramanna reason Hey I'm tired of stuff people don't give a damn about you. The NDP is the most passionate nonviolent human being this country is known for the last 75 years and nobody's given him a day. But if he starts raising cain alone in the environment and yelling whining go home and talk about real power will be interviewing Indians. All you see on television is Indians. We start getting programs together for any business some kind of way. We got to look at our mistake has been made and we've got to start on my civil rights and talk about human rights and the Tomah black folks don't like the system we've got to go down and we have to see to it that their man and Appalachian will get his just due under the Constitution and his right to live and survive as the black man is in a ghetto without burning up the country. Because I'm soooo limited to white here believes does marching to burn up country. Difference is reason enough of that

look because he gets mad he wants take it out on me but I'm not I'm not the issue the issue is not good. May I add because that white boy ain't got nothing because the same system that if you misuse me is misused here and I think I think it's very harmful that white key is today talking about feeding hungry folks and they don't include poor white hillbilly. I think until we reach back and get his hand we're not going to ever have a true America I think we've got to start talking about feeding hungry folks because to it this is what I wanted to get out. Is there ever where there will be a possibility of a coalition between poor whites and poor blacks of the poor whites ever want to solve their problems we will have to form a coalition. They have to form a coalition you see it's very very strange when you stop and think. He was a poor white boy in Mississippi that it tell him it is a no good that he can go to school with new clothes that he can meet with niggers. But when it comes time for him to go to war where his life depends on me they tell him it's OK and look like their white boy I want to see another man I would rather go to school with them since they stupid

then be layin with one up on the front line that Mao lived appearance on his brilliance or his stupidity. Now the fact that these wacky is going let these politicians you know Buffalo him into believing that you should never do what a black man. But when it comes time to go to the army the army is integrated. The Black Cats cooking. He better not run through there see a nigga cause then I don't like you I got God on his job and so consequently happens I mean you know he does not talk about a whole lot of white boys get killed on the front line because he made a wrong all the world from a black area and he just listed as killed in action. There's a whole lot of white parents get to Mars but it back here that really believe he was killed by a vehicle and you care about something like Yeah where he come up in every society and he slipped into the wrong thing in front of a blackout would look on his shoulder. And so consequently I would say that you know your wife folks would have a wake up and really decide to solve their problem. They do it in Chicago and Chicago. I never thought I'd see the day or be a button worn with a Black Panther the

Confederate flag on it but the young Lloyd the young patriot in the Black Panthers said John Taylor you know talking about niggers in hockey is no more. You see it's very interesting. In most states in America if you kill it is not in school by the age of five or six years old the parent can be put in jail but they don't enforce that what he'll believe you can come to see you never read to your kids. So I say that to say like in Chicago there's a secret law among the police department that if a cop in Chicago runs into it he'll barely tabun by himself he can be suspended. He got to have a minimum of five cops to go out to the heel Billie tab so you can imagine what kind of movies they deal in today he'll be able is now the governor will take his. Now when he realizes look at my struggle that my brother that my mother put down he will already have a vehicle. We already know how to challenge the protests. We already know how to use political muscle and if you have a Benz with me and take my black

powder which he has white power mad we will have the largest political force that ever existed in the history of this country. What can be done to stop the attorney's sale of the stablish institutions to pit lower income whites against lower income blacks and blacks against police when perhaps their true enemy is elsewhere. Well I think first you gotta understand. That this is not the system's job system promoted you know I have no doubt some of my early writings that the police were going to start being copied because on every key is reading he's read a lot a lot of lies if you read a book last night. Yes when the peak the symbol what you took out your first race you know. That's right. OK now how do you start getting all educational system. Read the lot of the flight and show you key skill in a p p to take out their frustrations before not long. The policeman becomes that symbol. We did in early America. We talk about the Red Coats the recalls were not a problem it

was the queen. But we took out our frustrations on the rate coastal exam we want them and you want to touch a little a white man gave the queen the right message and so I would say you know that when you look at the system you know they deliberately look like they even miss certain things in certain ways I think it's left up to this level up to black folks I think it's never to black folks and white folks see to it they don't get it. Now that's easy to say until we develop the right type of leadership in the black in the white community they'll be willing to sit down and put a nigga thing together. Let me give you example. If a man had two dogs in your backyard you was one of the dogs and I was the underdog and he knew we were a very vicious dog but he knew he needed us so he could survive. Everybody know how bad we are and nobody wants to mess with his house but now he have to feed us and all of Peter's good we have to come out in the backyard. But I know he can never feed none of us separately cause we eat him up.

So he always turns to have a solution in the backyard to wrong together 50 minutes but we bring out food knowing that we're going to get locked in such a vicious fight that he can bring up the food walk all over the backyard and we can be too busy doing nothing. Now what we have to do is to go is give people love when they see the babies. I mean you know you know I'm the new guy and you know these changes. But still it's just for a few minutes. I know you don't like me down like this for a few minutes when it's all come out here let's make like we fight. And when you come out here lest you hear a man because he might be a problem. And after we get through Q1 here look if we still got some problems then this mean you go back to do one eye thing and the first time those two dolls have a lot of sense to fake like they're going through some changes in the masseur wasn't all that all of us get free because once we get him out the way we can leave.

First time in this country we can organize all poor folks in the system to drop what we can organize all poor folks. Then we can solve problems and then for the first time the power structure going to be in trouble. And yet George Wallace is left alone to stand up for the poor whites This is a phenomena that must interest you is not a phenomena most ignorant people will rally behind the wrong thing most ignorant people will rally behind patience most ignorant poor people will sit back and let somebody else do their homework forms that you speak for me. Because he's speaking from passions he's speaking from emotions but he has come up with BASIC programs he said think about WALLACE Is this the same people that listen to Wallace talk about law and order are so dumb and ignorant they forgot he stood in front of schoolhouse door and blocked lol. The same ignorant white folk that will listen to George Wallace talk about don't have nothing to do with niggers forgive George Wallace comes up north to get on Meet the Press stays in a hotel with black folks state. Yes there he has a black maid.

He has a black butler. He will flop on United Airline which has Blacks do it is his and he ain't got nothing to say about it. One day those white folks going to get just a little bit of education and they go we hear George Wallace. Then they don't realize you see either George Wallace be so beautiful He's kept a state stay segregated but he's kept on parole you know and when you start talking about you know how many for white folks and you got Alabama and what those white folk don't know that the rich white man did were only if he had a choice to be with a poor black man or whole rare Nick hillbilly cracker he would take the folk like me prove that everyday by bringin my momma into his house to work for him and would bring a full white here Billy within a 200 mile radius of here this is the problem that when George Wallace really starts working for the common man it is one thing to build a political muscle. What the common man there's a lot of play to be undercover Matty Johns was doing the same way many unions did when the union

was busy giving him a nickel. And when he was getting his phone working man a nickel and wasn't talking dirty to the bowels. They fail to realize that unions were stealing them blind was wiping out the pension program was dealing with hoodlums and then again it was the man's fault because he went back got a home to tell the boss to be careful to make the boss give him some money and he got that money but he didn't do it with a Pure me. So consequently not as a whole as you use that if you had to check the books in the morning the workers would be horrified to find out what you went down with a pension program. So consequently I would say there's two trains of people rally to you a beautiful beautiful individual a beautiful beautiful Arctic people rally to an very foul objects draws a lot of flies and so I would say you know that some kind of way that white folks like folks in America that a developed type of leadership. Where we can walk hand-in-hand where I can deal with this cat as a white cat that's concerning why I don't have to go into is

reality only because the only things that they just unconsciously slip in say that we can still talk about feet because you don't bother me as much as that little hungry white kid bothers you. If I can give me a food program we can feed Americans and I think most of the houses gone dry. Dick Gregory I'm going to pause at this point in the program and shift to a very interesting conversation that you and I had at a press conference a few hours ago I think when you look at America today particularly the south in rural areas. They're both black kids that have lived across the street from white high school 20 miles to get into a black school they have to bust my key it's past my high school to get into a white school. So we have been busted. But I feel that you know wrestling is the same thing that white folk do not people in California to Nicky is on a reality to go home but you know we see that the goods don't come to us we go into them no more no less.

Now you've got situations like in Chicago you've got a black school that's so overcrowded they have double shifts. You're going to school half a day now five blocks away you have a white school that. For 3000 years we've got 800 kids in some kind of way. We've got talk about bussing those kids to use those facilities to use those to use those to use those cheers. There's not been so I would say that I don't think you can just blanket leave you know what if you have a bus and into you look at the reason it's being bussed you know black folks feel safe you know. We don't want to admit this because we have not talked on this. Around white folks here but many black folks want to know that they go Mr. bad in a white school when the blacks they know to give us a new chemistries and they give us no language department did they give us all a type of school along with give us a basketball keeping niggas happy we always end up winning the state championship every year.

Everybody has have and that would not be so we wouldn't you know whites. Vic let's pause at this point in the program to let those in our audience around the country who may have just tuned in let them know. We're talking with human rights activist Dick Gregory. I'm talking about the racial poverty and political problems that face the nation. We're not in our studios for this one. Dick Gregory has just finished one of his many speeches to college groups a speech to Bentley College students and we're talking with him following the speech. You talk about so many problems that the country faces and there is one common denominator of the solution to so many of them is going to cost a lot of money. Let me ask you where you think you might get the money for social reform at a time when the middle income tax payer learns from 7 to $20000 a year is increasingly restless as there are signs of the taxpayers revolt. Many middle income taxpayers are just saying no they won't pay any more and yet so much more is needed to be done. Well one there's many ways of doing it. You could call for a conference

with Russian leaders and say look you know we've got some problems. I know you guys from. I know you've got a problem we've got a problem with the young. He is running. Let's cut back for the next 25 years x amount of billions of dollars on defense. Then in the process of doing this let's dump it into you know solving the problems of human needs. No it wouldn't cause us no more tax money to solve these problems. Then we use it. No I think if you get a type of Molly dedicated honest president in office that's willing to look at all the loopholes and start cutting back budgets for instance if you get a map of the world and see where all the natural resources are to pass it. Then if you get a map from the United States printing office showing

you where all the American installations is located around the world you find out all I installations is located right where the natural resources are so that if we call our army back and do parts and you get the snow and guess you got your own natural resources mangos we now can pay for that. There will be a different shot when you look at the money we paid you to guard placed over there when those folks is able to do it themselves we guard it because we want to control. I think when we look at the money we can save from just that can only solve our problems above and beyond that I would be interested if I was to present the United States. Oh so Alan when I call peace and freedom bar now I see there's a lot of Americans. There will be out war but I would buy war because the way I feel about this country fight wars but there's lot of people there feel it should buy war bonds but that's new. You've got a lot of people is buying war bonds for no other reason then to cut some money on it. After 10 years I think if you put out peace and freedom both you know how to make a whole lot of money because of the weak. I have no basic faith in the

system that I was being a hole as my money by a piece of freedom bond knowing it was going to be used to build a better America. Not to blast napalm on people and I think if America would give their people the chance to buy peace in freedom bun and prove to ethical people that what can be used for the fence that was going to be you wrongly that was going to be stole. And then at the end of 10 years of the end of 18 years these bonds would move to in two ways when you have your little piece of work in the bank into you would have built you an America out of the decent folks that what home are on you know I think they got enough I don't think they need this and I think once you know that we get some friends there. That's forceful enough in our listener and statement enough to suggest you go to the nation and say we're going to sell peace and freedom about what we're going to do Willie is just the same thing we do with Wal-Mart. We

use war bonds for defense. Good piece of real love and I think that you know there's a whole lot of people in America as a whole as a decent folks in America that would love to know I can help the Indians by buying me a piece of fried Bon. Think if we could move into these there. I think we have made here the very end of the program Dick there's a common thread of optimism that runs through our conversation I want to push you wanted to see just in fact how optimistic you are some social commentators say there might be a civil war in the next 10 20 30 years. His father has a burger president of Notre Dame talks about the possibility at least of homegrown fascism here in the North American continent. Now it's been about a year since we last talked. How have things gotten better. Are they at the same point Have things gotten worse. Oh I think we've come close to a CIA takeover but I don't think it's going to be here. I think what's going to happen in this country I think a lot of things that the lefties get blamed for the CIA and the father has been very right about faces. I just wonder if you know where it's coming from. Can you document that.

Well you see that's another game you see a lot of things Hitler done can be documented. I met a lot of Jews was asked Can you document bodyguards Drazen camps I was asked five years ago when I talked about concentration camps in America could I document. I was there five years ago and I talked about how American quite a star power quantity the man that the oppressor don't need to document is in the heart the heart of need to document a map the geese just being shot at. Man I don't need to come up with no written explanation about where he is the problem is that we're going to look around one day and we go see some in this country and then you find out that it can't be documented. You see there's certain things that cannot be done. The minute you feel you watch it and if you have an intelligence you say wait a minute what's happening here you know you have some buildings get blown out of New York City. Right came one newspaper in America documented who did it right but everyone was blaming it on the left right it's my fault for not swallow newspaper you know who did. But everybody is doing it right now. There's a possibility I'm not saying where it's

coming from. There's a possibility it could be the right that's doing it but I would say that I think it's going to be a good thing for the CIA take it over. There are too many people in this country other than white folks it's a we lost a democracy because the Indians Casey Chicanos California Casey the poor reconsidered not sure we can't say that although there will be some silly black folk there stupid enough to believe when the CIA overthrow this country we lost a democracy. Let me say this now once this country is taken over five years from now I see a civil war because I think Americans for the first time is going to have a hunger for freedom. So I think you know that we we can look for an overthrow. I think there's a lot of these kids get blamed for things that they didn't do. I think when you lower the sophisticated electronic device this government have now with all of these slick devices ma'am we can bring you anybody who's Toma overthrow of this government. We want to force France that's more sound than the fingerprint. So don't tell me I can call up and make a bomb threat. This is the left that's supposed to be

doing it and didn't pull every last phone in this country they can match or spray it in no damn good way. Now who those boys Prince belong to so see from the bag are you know and how much sophisticated electronic surveillance. This man a guy I am not normal enough to believe I know how to go and really left me in places where the cops go in and the Little Secret Service agents go that fake them out and know what happens in Chicago. I know Hardies County is infested by government agents. They put him up to do a lot of things I know how black folks get. The comment is get out of my Kill whitey and he kept this suggested it was a get became attorney evidence and know what they're doing but I think after the overthrow which I think we're going to see a quest for freedom in this country there's only barely out in the history of man. Now this might be offset Nixon might put so much pressure only his old folks dollar as you might see the old folks fight I think that's a tremendous possibility that last year when we talked I had realized as I close let me say this rich rich aristocrats was very clever

at keeping the working man separate the workers day all around the world is made a first mate. Now in this country we refuse to let America celebrate mayday. We change it September Call it Labor Day. So we have never let this work come together in a worlwide you and I think maybe for the first time after the post about the meekest homeless cats and I society after they flex their muscles and show this system that they're going to get the true day's pay for a true day's work the cops firemen I think everybody else in society is going to save things. I think Nixon's reaction to that is money get tight. Might see it live here in St.. Man the barricades that will make these little young radical kids look just like

what they call radical. There's something in our culture which likes the happy ending we like it in our history books we like it our movies television and in our radio programs no happy ending possible at the end of this radio program. A realistic to a degree gloomy perspective on where America is at and more importantly where America is heading. By one of the most articulate human rights activist in America today Dick Gregory thank you very much. Northeastern University has brought you Dick Gregory human rights activist and comedian. Today's program. Dick Gregory the urban crisis redefined. The views and opinions expressed on the preceding program are not necessarily those of Northeastern University or the station. Questions I asked where the moderators method of presenting many sides of today's topic. Your program host has been Joseph

Iyer Baynard Director Department of radio production. This week's program was produced and directed by Peter Lance the technical supervision by Howard Mennonite. Urban confrontation is produced for the division of instructional communications at the nation's largest private university. Northeastern University. Requests for a tape recorded copy of any program in this series may be addressed to urban confrontation. Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts spoke to on one side. Your announcer Dave Hammond. This is the national educational radio network.