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National Urban League 8/8/89 [2]
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Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 8/2/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
8/3/89 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
WINSTON
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
\
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm.
122, x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 3, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See comments 8/3/89 8/3
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
AUG 03 '89 13:09 US ************************* 0 P02 VEPT vr MUD - OF:# 3
DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694
McGroarty/Dooley
August 2, 1989
4:30 pm
1009 AUG 2 7:1
[URBAN]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AUGUST 8, 1989
1:00 P.M.?
Thank you. [Introductory acknowledgements, Urban League
leaders, Secretary Kemp(?).
I want to speak to you today about the state of urban
America -- about the future I see for American cities, and for
the many millions of Americans who make them their home.
In many respects, urban America offers a bleak picture --
an inner city in crisis. There is too much crime, too much
crack. Too many drop outs, too much despair. Too little
economic opportunity, too little advancement. Too little hope.
But there's something else that's true about our inner
cities -- something we can't overlook. And that's a core
community that is simply too strong to succumb. A community
too much hope, too much puide,
where there is too much faith, too strong a sense of family not
to fight back and win -- whatever their challenge, whatever the
odds.
But the challenge for urban America is a challenge for All
of America. It's a challenge for my Administration -- it's a
challenge every American must embrace.
The condition of our inner cities isn't a matter of charts
and graphs and cold statistics.... It's more than an exercise in
quotice- Dave Runkel.
Treasury- Deseree Tucker- Serein - 566-8191
AUG 03 '89 13:09
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P03
too mega time -doesn't acknowledge that there have been successes n
the 80's is America's unner atris give Urban League some credit.
- talk about expanding prosperity nto pockets of poverty $ despan,
restoms jobs, hope, opportunity enterprise
sociology or public policy. It's a question of how people live
their lives a question of human dignity.
And it's a challenge I take to heart. Your problems are my
problems. Your hopes -- the hopes all Americans hold dear.
Today, H offer you my hand. I offer you my word. Together, we
will make America open and equal to all.
Together, we will find a way to stop the decline in our
inner cities to restore hope, and make the 90's a decade of
urban renaissance.
To Succeed we must
Whether we succeed depends on how well we meet three key
tests. First, we must strike down barriers to advancement and
opportunity for American minorities. Second, we must create
conditions for urban growth and economic revival. And And finally,
Attorney hae)
we must secure the most fundamental right of all the right of
ikyeaw 10 Generalking been this want 333 for fear.
young and old alike of any race to walk city streets without
Let me start with equal opportunity. Not just in urban
frow is & &
America, but across this nation, we must continue the crusade for
equal rights.
the
Just a few weeks ago, a collection of scholars released a
monumental study called Blacks in American Society. It offers
detailed evidence of the progress our nation has made in the past
50 years in living up to American ideals. But the study makes
clear that our work isn't over. The "great gulf" between black
and white America has narrowed. It has not closed.
Tormany, but fr all too many
Athers A
AUG 03 '89 13:10
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P04
this needs to be stronger, Ie, a reference to the Diclaration 8 Independence,
the promise of democracy.
3
Closing that gulf -- eliminating it for all time -- is the
next chapter ve must write in the unfolding history -- the
unfinished history -- of civil rights.
And that chapter will be written. Because today -- as in
the past -- advancing the cause of civil rights (is the right
thing to co.)
Think back to 1954, the Court's decision in favor of Linda
Brown....
A year later, another decision: Rosa Parks' refusal
to go to the back of the bus. (It was the right thing to do.)
1964: the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Four years
later, Fair Housing. (It was the right thing to do.)
In this decade, the elevation of Martin Luther King to &
place of honor among our American heroes. (It was the right thing
to do.)
And today -- when our challenge is securing true equality
for every American -- once again, we will succeed, because it is
the right thing to do.)
Let me be clear. This Administration will not tolerate
discrimination, bigotry or bias of any kind. [[Pause]] We mean
to reach out to minorities, to strike down barriers to free and
open access. And I want to tell you today: we're not throwing
away affirmative action as & remedy. [[Pause]]
the strict use of
All of you know that I oppose quotas. There's something
fundamentally wrong about a solution that with the best of
H am not opposed to affirmative action
intentions -- in the name of erasing past injustices and the
AUG 03 '89 13:10
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P05
i
I
or
D
4
stigma of race, awards jobs, promotions and educational
opportunities on the basis of race. I am convinced that quotas
are counter-productive. They promise to perpetuate the very same
set of attitudes that are the opposite of all that "equal rights"
stands for.
But there are ways to put the force of law behind
affirmative action -- and my Administration is committed to doing
just that. Take & look at the Carpenter case. The Department of
Justice is defending a federal set-aside program, one that
reserves 10% of all interstate highway construction contracts for
minority-owned businesses. It's a sound plan -- fair and
flexible -- that assists disadvantaged minority businesses, that
remedies real injustices. And it's proof that affirmative action
is not at risk. It remains a tool for positive change.
Beyond the courts, the new frontier for equal rights is
expanding advancement and opportunity -- helping the
he reality
disadvantaged get a hand-hold on their future.
the of coutrol
Take low-income housing. We're working to expand resident
management -- and resident ownership. The aim: to give tenants
( sense of control) -- a stake in their community, and something
more: a shot at the American Dream.
in Boston, L St. Louis, in Chicago,
And it's working. Here in Washington, and in cities across
America, more and more public housing residents are travelling
Step
the road from tenant to manager to owner. That's e neth out of
the poverty trap -- And we've got to heap continue 14 open. to build upon it.
- discuss Low- Income Housing
Tax Credit. sector
and onto the Ladder I.T.C.) of opportune ty
the Drwate that market
IT
AUG 03 '89 13:11
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P06
/
5
Opportunity also means education. The bill I sent to
Congress this spring will make a difference for urban America --
and for American minorities. I've called on Congress to increase
funds for Head Start, and to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. In many urban schools, the key is creating a sound
learning environment: one that keeps the drop-outs in -- and
keeps the drugs out. That's why I've called for the creation of
Urban Emergency Grants, to help schools hit hardest by the drug
scourge.
All our kids have their eye on their dreams. Education is a
means of turning those dreams into reality.
The future of urban America depends on bringing growth to
our inner cities. And there is an entrepreneurial answer to
preneurship
inner city poverty. I'm talking about enterprise zones.
Enterprise zones can be a source of jobs, growth and
Subjecty
advancement. And the payoff isn't simply economic. When you
create jobs -- you create hope.
We've debated the idea of enterprise zones long enough
It's time for action. I'm asking Congress to create 50
(other)
enterprise zones between now and 1993. But enterprise zones are
meaningless if we don't create economic incentives for urban
expansion. That's why I've called on Congress to enact changes
in the tax code that will make enterprise zones magnets for
capital and job creation.
the key
capital gains should to fast because of is they ding to creating
new businesses, more jobs- through
AUG 03 '89 13:11
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P07
6
I'm talking about incentives for working people. We want to
establish a refundable wage credit for low-income employees in
enterprise zones. In many cases, this credit will cut the taxes
of low-income workers to sero. And for some low-income families
who already owe little in taxes, a refundable credit will not
only take them off the tax rolls -- it will put money in their
pockets. That will make a real difference in the lives of
working men and women in our inner cities.
first
But in order to make enterprise zones a magnet for economic
growth, we've got to encourage investment. If we're going to
make inner cities attractive to new capital, individuals who
)
invest in enterprise zones should get an immediate tax savings.
risk taking
And we've also got to reward economic success.
I've
newB w MY
on
proposed a sero capital gains rate for businesses AUT th enterprise
zones. That should be a powerful incentive for outside
Entry
investors, and a fitting reward for urban entrepreneurs.
(All together, that's a package of tax incentives worth
five
nearly $1.8 billion dollars over four years.) That will start in
motion Rup anteconomic renaissance that will bring jobs and growth to
our inner cities, to the people who need them most.
the by is the power of free-entarprise the the pravate sector, not the
91.88 Stress power of entrepreneurship.
Opportunity, advancement, equal rights. Each is essential.
But we can't talk about the future we want to see for urban
America without talking about the number one threat in our inner
cities today: illegal drugs. You know the simple truth: Our
Meed to talk a bont unlocking the flow of "seed capital", removing barrers
between Msk in reward to hip turn an entreprinems theams ato reality.
11.ml Lornuse the meh want it. but because those who / want to become
AUG 03 '89 13:12
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P08
7
inner cities cannot become cases of opportunity as long as they
are battle nones in a drug var run out of control.
A little over a week ago, Dr. Louis Sullivan released the
newest statistics on illegal drug use in America. The statistics
show two trends: one positive, one profoundly disturbing.
Overall use of cocaine is down 37% -- but cases of cocaine
addiction are up one third. That means while our message is
getting across to the casual user, hard-core drugs .. drugs like
crack cocaine -- are tightening their grip.
That's grim news, because crack, crime and violence are an
unholy trinity in our inner cities. And urban communities suffer
most. When the crack house is on your block
When the stray
bullet from a drug-war shoot-out kills the mother sitting on her
porch
When parents and teachers and churches struggle to
teach the values of honesty and hard work -- and find themselves
up against the fast-money lure of the drug trade.
We've got to combat that violence. We've got to eliminate
speecher drug erections
that fear. We've got to create a climate of hope -- so that our
n public housing.
children can live and learn in peace, so that urban communities
can thrive again.
The federal government is doing its part -- and we're going
to do more.
In less than a month, we'll unveil our drug strategy
-- our comprehensive battle plan to wage the long, hard fight
against illegal drugs.
And we've already sent to Congress a comprehensive crime
package that sends a clear message to criminals:
My Administration has taken forceful action to speed the exection precess
then densome displicator Federal lease & guevance procedures (saves ments up
for drug dealus n America's public housing communities by waving
AUG 03 '89 13:13
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P09
8
If you commit & crime -- you will be caught.
when you're caught -- you will be prosecuted.
/Insert
If you're convicted -- you will do time.
A
But there's a message I want to send today to all law-
abiding Americans. The war on drugs is a battle that can't
simply be waged from Washington. That is why urban leaders must
demand that states and local governments fully fund anti-drug and
anti-crime efforts. Put more police on the streets, tougher laws
on the books, build the jail cells we need to put drug criminals
where they belong --behind bars -- and keep them there. Let's
not point the finger or look for scapegoats. Let's enlist every
asset we have, form a united front, and fight this war together.
(The state of urban America is far from hopeless.
We've got
to see past the stories on the six o'clock news, past the
statistics... We've got to see the inner city heroes who are
keeping communities alive -- who are carving out a better future
in America's inner cities, and they're doing it today.
People like Lena Jackson, a tenant in a Cleveland housing
project where drug dealers caused residents to live in fear.
Lena led a crusade to have management responsibilities turned
over to residents, and drove the drug dealers out. Before the
tenants took control, they used to call crime-ridden Lakeview
Terrace Estates "Saigon." Today there's a 3000 person waiting
list for housing units there.
AUG 03 '89 13:13
US DEPT OF HUD - OFC OF THE SECRETARY 694 P10
9
People like Mattie Pitts, whose husband and son served on
the Miami police force, and who now heads Miami's Citizens Crime
Watch. Mattie spends 14 and 15 hours a day on the streets and in
the schools of Miami's north side -- an area devastated by riots
less than a decade ago. She's helping a neighborhood reverse
course -- rebuild -- and work its way back.
People like Eric Holoman, an urban entrepreneur in Los
Angeles, owner of a string of fast food restaurants. Eric's
growing business is giving 170 employees from disadvantaged areas
"an opportunity to move from the working class to the middle
class." All this - and he's not even 30 years old.
Lena Jackson, Mattie Pitts and Eric Holoman are just three
of the thousands of people making life better in urban America.
Let's look to them -- for answers, and for the inspiration we
need to create a promising, prosperous future for all Americans
and every American city.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
INSERT A
But the Federal government recognizes that law enforcement
alone will not be enough to stop the scourge of drugs. We have
to help people make good anti drug decisions. People strong
enough, people tall enough, and bold enough to withstand the
temptation of drugs and drug trafficking. That is why federal
law enforcement agents all across the country are becoming
involved in drug prevention activities in their local
communities.
knistin Taylor
only on pages 2,3+4
McGroarty/Dooley
August 2, 1989
4:30 pm
[URBAN]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AUGUST 8, 1989
1:00 P.M.?
Thank you. [Introductory acknowledgements, Urban League
leaders, Secretary Kemp (?).]
I want to speak to you today about the state of urban
America -- about the future I see for American cities, and for
the many millions of Americans who make them their home.
In many respects, urban America offers a bleak picture --
an inner city in crisis. There is too much crime, too much
crack. Too many drop outs, too much despair. Too little
economic opportunity, too little advancement. Too little hope.
But there's something else that's true about our inner
cities -- something we can't overlook. And that's a core
community that is simply too strong to succumb. A community
where there is too much faith, too strong a sense of family not
to fight back and win -- whatever their challenge, whatever the
odds.
But the challenge for urban America is a challenge for all
of America. It's a challenge for my Administration -- it's a
challenge every American must embrace.
The condition of our inner cities isn't a matter of charts
and graphs and cold statistics
It's more than an exercise in
2
sociology or public policy. It's a question of how people live
their lives -- a question of human dignity.
And it's a challenge I take to heart. Your problems are my
problems. Your hopes -- the hopes all Americans hold dear.
Today, I offer you my hand. I offer you my word. Together, we
will make America open and equal to all.
Together, we will find a way to stop the decline in our
inner cities -- to restore hope, and make the 90's a decade of
urban renaissance.
Whether we succeed depends on how well we meet three key
tests. First, we must strike down barriers to advancement and
opportunity for American minorities. Second, we must create
conditions for urban growth and economic revival. And finally,
we must secure the most fundamental right of all -- the right of
young and old alike of any race to walk city streets without
fear.
Let me start with equal opportunity. Not just in urban
America, but across this nation, we must continue the crusade for
equal rights.
Just a few weeks ago, a collection of scholars released a
AND
monumental study called Blacks in American Society. It offers
detailed evidence of the progress our nation has made in the past
50 years in living up to American ideals. But the study makes
isfar from
clear that our work isn't over. The "great gulf" between black
But
and white America has narrowed. It has not closed.
3
Closing that gulf -- eliminating it for all time -- is the
next chapter we must write in the unfolding history -- the
unfinished history -- of civil rights.
And that chapter will be written. Because today -- as in
the past -- advancing the cause of civil rights is the right
thing to do.
Think back to 1954, the Court's decision in favor of Linda
Brown
A year later, another decision: Rosa Parks' refusal
to go to the back of the bus. It was the right thing to do.
1964: the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Four years
later, Fair Housing. It was the right thing to do.
Dr.
Jr.
In this decade, the elevation of Martin Luther KingAto a
place of honor among our American heroes. It was is the right thing
to do.
And today -- when our challenge is securing true equality
for every American -- once again, we will succeed, because it is
the right thing to do.
Let me be clear. This Administration will not tolerate
discrimination, bigotry or bias of any kind. [[Pause]] We mean
to reach out to minorities, to strike down barriers to free and
open access. And I want to tell you today: we're not throwing
away affirmative action as a remedy. [[Pause] ]
All of you know that I oppose quotas. There's something
fundamentally wrong about a solution -- that with the best of
intentions -- in the name of erasing past injustices and the
4
stigma of race, awards jobs, promotions and educational
opportunities on the basis of race. I am convinced that quotas
are counter-productive. They promise to perpetuate the very same
set of attitudes that are the opposite of all that "equal rights"
stands for.
But there are ways to put the force of law behind
affirmative action -- and my Administration is committed to doing
just that. Take a look at the Carpenter case. The Department of
Justice is defending a federal set-aside program, one that
reserves 10% of all interstate highway construction contracts for
minority-owned businesses. It's a sound plan -- fair and
flexible -- that assists disadvantaged minority businesses, that
remedies real injustices. And it's proof that affirmative action
is not at risk. It remains a tool for positive change.
Beyond the courts, the new frontier for equal rights is
expanding advancement and opportunity -- helping the
disadvantaged get a hand-hold on their future.
Take low-income housing. We're working to expand resident
management -- and resident ownership. The aim: to give tenants
a sense of control -- a stake in their community, and something
more: a shot at the American Dream.
And it's working. Here in Washington, and in cities across
America, more and more public housing residents are travelling
the road from tenant to manager to owner. That's a path out of
the poverty trap -- and we've got to keep it open.
5
Opportunity also means education. The bill I sent to
Congress this spring will make a difference for urban America --
and for American minorities. I've called on Congress to increase
funds for Head Start, and to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. In many urban schools, the key is creating a sound
learning environment: one that keeps the drop-outs in -- and
keeps the drugs out. That's why I've called for the creation of
Urban Emergency Grants, to help schools hit hardest by the drug
scourge.
All our kids have their eye on their dreams. Education is a
means of turning those dreams into reality.
The future of urban America depends on bringing growth to
our inner cities. And there is an entrepreneurial answer to
inner city poverty. I'm talking about enterprise zones.
Enterprise zones can be a source of jobs, growth and
advancement. And the payoff isn't simply economic. When you
create jobs -- you create hope.
We've debated the idea of enterprise zones long enough.
It's time for action. I'm asking Congress to create 50
enterprise zones between now and 1993. But enterprise zones are
meaningless if we don't create economic incentives for urban
expansion. That's why I've called on Congress to enact changes
in the tax code that will make enterprise zones magnets for
capital and job creation.
6
I'm talking about incentives for working people. We want to
establish a refundable wage credit for low-income employees in
enterprise zones. In many cases, this credit will cut the taxes
of low-income workers to zero. And for some low-income families
who already owe little in taxes, a refundable credit will not
only take them off the tax rolls -- it will put money in their
pockets. That will make a real difference in the lives of
working men and women in our inner cities.
But in order to make enterprise zones a magnet for economic
growth, we've got to encourage investment. If we're going to
make inner cities attractive to new capital, individuals who
invest in enterprise zones should get an immediate tax savings.
And we've also got to reward economic success. I've
proposed a zero capital gains rate for businesses in enterprise
zones. That should be a powerful incentive for outside
investors, and a fitting reward for urban entrepreneurs.
All together, that's a package of tax incentives worth
nearly $1.8 billion dollars over four years. That will start in
motion an economic renaissance that will bring jobs and growth to
our inner cities, to the people who need them most.
Opportunity, advancement, equal rights. Each is essential.
But we can't talk about the future we want to see for urban
America without talking about the number one threat in our inner
cities today: illegal drugs. You know the simple truth: Our
7
inner cities cannot become oases of opportunity as long as they
are battle zones in a drug war run out of control.
A little over a week ago, Dr. Louis Sullivan released the
newest statistics on illegal drug use in America. The statistics
show two trends: one positive, one profoundly disturbing.
Overall use of cocaine is down 37% -- but cases of cocaine
addiction are up one third. That means while our message is
getting across to the casual user, hard-core drugs -- drugs like
crack cocaine -- are tightening their grip.
That's grim news, because crack, crime and violence are an
unholy trinity in our inner cities. And urban communities suffer
most. When the crack house is on your block
When the stray
bullet from a drug-war shoot-out kills the mother sitting on her
porch
When parents and teachers and churches struggle to
teach the values of honesty and hard work -- and find themselves
up against the fast-money lure of the drug trade.
We've got to combat that violence. We've got to eliminate
that fear. We've got to create a climate of hope -- so that our
children can live and learn in peace, so that urban communities
can thrive again.
The federal government is doing its part -- and we're going
to do more. In less than a month, we'll unveil our drug strategy
-- our comprehensive battle plan to wage the long, hard fight
against illegal drugs.
And we've already sent to Congress a comprehensive crime
package that sends a clear message to criminals:
8
If you commit a crime you will be caught.
When you're caught -- you will be prosecuted.
If you're convicted -- you will do time.
But there's a message I want to send today to all law-
abiding Americans. The war on drugs is a battle that can't
simply be waged from Washington. That is why urban leaders must
demand that states and local governments fully fund anti-drug and
anti-crime efforts. Put more police on the streets, tougher laws
on the books, build the jail cells we need to put drug criminals
where they belong --behind bars -- and keep them there. Let's
not point the finger or look for scapegoats. Let's enlist every
asset we have, form a united front, and fight this war together.
The state of urban America is far from hopeless. We've got
to see past the stories on the six o'clock news, past the
statistics
We've got to see the inner city heroes who are
keeping communities alive -- who are carving out a better future
in America's inner cities, and they're doing it today.
People like Lena Jackson, a tenant in a Cleveland housing
project where drug dealers caused residents to live in fear.
Lena led a crusade to have management responsibilities turned
over to residents, and drove the drug dealers out. Before the
tenants took control, they used to call crime-ridden Lakeview
Terrace Estates "Saigon." Today there's a 3000 person waiting
list for housing units there.
9
People like Mattie Pitts, whose husband and son served on
the Miami police force, and who now heads Miami's Citizens Crime
Watch. Mattie spends 14 and 15 hours a day on the streets and in
the schools of Miami's north side -- an area devastated by riots
less than a decade ago. She's helping a neighborhood reverse
course -- rebuild -- and work its way back.
People like Eric Holoman, an urban entrepreneur in Los
Angeles, owner of a string of fast food restaurants. Eric's
growing business is giving 170 employees from disadvantaged areas
"an opportunity to move from the working class to the middle
class." All this -- and he's not even 30 years old.
Lena Jackson, Mattie Pitts and Eric Holoman are just three
of the thousands of people making life better in urban America.
Let's look to them -- for answers, and for the inspiration we
need to create a promising, prosperous future for all Americans
and every American city.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON
August 3, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
BILL KRISTOL up
SUBJECT:
National Urban League Speech
I think the speech is basically fine. I enclose some suggested
edits on the text.
89 JUL 3 P3: 09
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 8/2/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
8/3/89 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
WINSTON
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm.
122, x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 3, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Ciceoni
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McGroarty/Dooley
August 2, 1989
4:30 pm
1009 AUG - 2 31
[URBAN]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AUGUST 8, 1989
1:00 P.M.?
Thank you. [Introductory acknowledgements, Urban League
leaders, Secretary Kemp (?) ]
I want to speak to you today about the state of urban
America -- about the future I see for American cities, and for
the many millions of Americans who make them their home.
In many respects, urban America offers a bleak picture --
an inner city in crisis. There is too much crime, too much
crack. Too many drop outs, too much despair. Too little
economic opportunity, too little advancement. Too little hope.
But there's something else that's true about our inner
cities -- something we can't overlook. And that's a core
community that is simply too strong to succumb. A community
where there is too much faith, too strong a sense of family not
to fight back and win -- whatever their challenge, whatever the
odds.
But the challenge for urban America is a challenge for all
of America. It's a challenge for my Administration -- it's a
challenge every American must embrace.
The condition of our inner cities isn't a matter of charts
and graphs and cold statistics
It's more than an exercise in
2
sociology or public policy. It's a question of how people live
their lives -- a question of human dignity.
And it's a challenge I take to heart. Your problems are my
problems. Your hopes -- the hopes all Americans hold dear.
Today, I offer you my hand. I offer you my word. Together, we
will make America open and equal to all.
Together, we will find a way to stop the decline in our
inner cities -- to restore hope, and make the 90's a decade of
urban renaissance.
Whether we succeed depends on how well we meet three key
tests. First, we must strike down barriers to advancement and
opportunity for American minorities. Second, we must create
conditions for urban growth and economic revival. And finally,
we must secure the most fundamental right of all -- the right of
young and old alike of any race to walk city streets without
fear.
Let me start with equal opportunity. Not just in urban
America, but across this nation, we must continue the crusade for
equal rights.
Just a few weeks ago, a collection of scholars released a
monumental study called Blacks in American Society. It offers
detailed evidence of the progress our nation has made in the past
50 years in living up to American ideals. But the study makes
clear that our work isn't over. The "great gulf" between black
and white America has narrowed. It has not closed.
3
Closing that gulf -- eliminating it for all time -- is the
next chapter we must write in the unfolding history -- the
unfinished history -- of civil rights.
And that chapter will be written. Because today -- as in
the past -- advancing the cause of civil rights is the right
thing to do.
upholding
Think back to 1954, the Court's decision in favor of Linda
Brown
A year later, another decision: Rosa Parks' refusal
to go to the back of the bus. It was the right thing to do.
1964: the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Four years
This were
5
later, Fair Housing. It was the right thing to do.
In this decade, the elevation of Martin Luther King to a
place of honor among our American heroes. It was the right thing
to do.
And today -- when our challenge is securing true equality
for every American -- once again, we will succeed, because it is
the right thing to do.
Let me be clear. This Administration will not tolerate
discrimination, bigotry or bias of any kind. [[Pause]] We mean
to reach out to minorities, to strike down barriers to free and
open access. And I want to tell you today: we're not throwing
away affirmative action as a remedy. [[Pause]]
All of you know that I oppose quotas. There's something
fundamentally wrong about a solution -- that with the best of
intentions -- in the name of erasing past injustices and the
4
threaten
stigma of race, awards jobs, promotions and educational
opportunities on the basis of race. I am convinced that quotas
are counter-productive. They promise to perpetuate cin't the very same
set of attitudes that are the opposite of all that equal rights'
programs stands should for.
l
racism, denid
be striling
But
there
are
ways
the
to put
the
force
of
law
behind
to
should
of
squal
eliminate
affirmative action -- and my Administration is committed to doing
opportunity
just that. Take a look at the Carpenter case. The Department of
Justice is defending a federal set-aside program, one that
reserves 10% of all interstate highway construction contracts for
not guotas
minority-owned businesses. It's a sound plan -- fair and
flexible -- that assists disadvantaged minority businesses, that
remedies real injustices. And it's proof that affirmative action
is not at risk. It remains a tool for positive change.
Beyond the courts, the new frontier for equal rights is
expanding advancement and opportunity -- helping the
disadvantaged get a hand-hold on their future.
Take low-income housing. We're working to expand resident
management -- and resident ownership. The aim: to give tenants
a sense of control -- a stake in their community, and something
more: a shot at the American Dream.
And it's working. Here in Washington, and in cities across
America, more and more public housing residents are travelling
the road from tenant to manager to owner. That's a path out of
the poverty trap -- and we've got to keep it open.
I've also urged
such schools as maput
meannes.,A increase
5
choice
Opportunity also means education. The bill I sent to
and
Thus
Congress this spring will make a difference for urban America
:
and for American minorities. I've called on Congress to increase
funds for Head Start, and to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. In many urban schools, the key is creating a sound make
learning environment: one that keeps the drop-outs in -- and
schools
keeps the drugs out. That's why I've called for the creation of mm
Urban Emergency Grants, to help schools hit hardest by the drug accountds
scourge.
for maiding
All our kids have their eye on their dreams. Education is a
effective
means of turning those dreams into reality.
educationt all 70,
The future of urban America depends on bringing growth to
our inner cities. And there is an entrepreneurial answer to
annican
inner city poverty. I'm talking about enterprise zones.
Enterprise zones can be a source of jobs, growth and
advancement. And the payoff isn't simply economic. When you
create jobs -- you create hope.
We've debated the idea of enterprise zones long enough.
It's time for action. I'm asking Congress to create 50
enterprise zones between now and 1993. But enterprise zones are
meaningless if we don't create also economic incentives for urban
expansion. That's why I've called on Congress to enact changes
in the tax code that will make enterprise zones magnets for
capital and job creation.
6
I'm talking about incentives for working people. We want to
establish a refundable wage credit for low-income employees in
enterprise zones. In many cases, this credit will cut the taxes
of low-income workers to zero. And for some low-income families
who already owe little in taxes, this refundable credit will not
now must pay
only take them off the tax rolls -- it will put money in their
pockets. That will make a real difference in the lives of
working men and women in our inner cities.
But in order to make enterprise zones a magnet for economic
growth, we've got to encourage investment. If we're going to
make inner cities attractive to new capital, individuals who
invest in enterprise zones should get an immediate tax savings.
And we've also got to reward economic success. I've
proposed a zero capital gains rate for businesses in enterprise
zones. That should be a powerful incentive for outside
investors, and a fitting reward for urban entrepreneurs.
All together, that's a package of tax incentives worth
nearly $1.8 billion dollars over four years. That will start in
motion an economic renaissance that will bring jobs and growth to
our inner cities, to the people who need them most.
Opportunity, advancement, equal rights. Each is essential.
But we can't talk about the future we want to see for urban
America without talking about the number one threat in our inner
cities today: illegal drugs. You know the simple truth: Our
centers
remain
inner cities cannot become oases of opportunity as long as they
are battle zones in a drug war run out of control.
A little over a week ago, Dr. Louis Sullivan released the
newest statistics on illegal drug use in America. The statistics on
cocase use
show two trends: one positive, one profoundly disturbing.
Overall use of cocaine is down 37% -- but cases of cocaine
by almost the same amount.
addiction are up one third. That means while our message is
getting across to the casual user, hard-core drugs -- drugs like
crack cocaine -- are tightening their grip
on
without
That's grim news, because crack, crime and violence are an
STET
unholy trinity in our inner cities. And urban communities suffer
most. When the crack house is on your block
When the stray
bullet from a drug-war shoot-out kills the mother sitting on her
porch
When parents and teachers and churches struggle to
teach the values of honesty and hard work -- and find themselves
up against the fast-money lure of the drug trade.
We've got to combat that violence. We've got to eliminate
that fear. We've got to create a climate of hope -- so that our
children can live and learn in peace, so that urban communities
can thrive again.
The federal government is doing its part -- and we're going
to do more. In less than a month, we'll unveil our drug strategy
-- our comprehensive battle plan to wage the long, hard fight
against illegal drugs.
And we've already sent to Congress a comprehensive crime
package that sends a clear message to criminals:
8
If you commit a crime -- you will be caught.
When you're caught -- you will be prosecuted.
If you're convicted -- you will do time.
But there's a message I want to send today to all law-
abiding Americans. The war on drugs is a battle that can't
simply be waged from Washington. That is why urban leaders must
demand that states and local governments fully fund anti-drug and
anti-crime efforts. Put more police on the streets, tougher laws
on the books, build the jail cells we need to put drug criminals
where they belong --behind bars -- and keep them there. Let's
not point the finger or look for scapegoats. Let's enlist every
asset we have, form a united front, and fight this war together.
The state of urban America is far from hopeless. We've got
to see past the stories on the six o'clock news, past the
statistics
We've got to see the inner city heroes who are
keeping communities alive -- who are carving out a better future
in America's inner cities, and they're doing it today.
People like Lena Jackson, a tenant in a Cleveland housing
project where drug dealers caused residents to live in fear.
Lena led a crusade to have management responsibilities turned
over to residents, and drove the drug dealers out. Before the
tenants took control, they used to call crime-ridden Lakeview
Terrace Estates "Saigon." Today there's a 3000 person waiting
list for housing units there.
killed?
9
People like Mattie Pitts, whose husband and son served on
relevance
the Miami police force, and who now heads Miami's Citizens Crime
Watch. Mattie spends 14 and 15 hours a day on the streets and in
the schools of Miami's north side -- an area devastated by riots
less than a decade ago. She's helping a neighborhood reverse
course -- rebuild -- and work its way back.
People like Eric Holoman, an urban entrepreneur in Los
or
Angeles, owner of a string of fast food restaurants. Eric's
growing business is giving 170 employees from disadvantaged areas
"an opportunity to move from the working class to the middle
class. " All this -- and he's not even 30 years old.
Lena Jackson, Mattie Pitts and Eric Holoman are just three
of the thousands of people making life better in urban America.
Let's look to them -- for answers, and for the inspiration we
need to create a promising, prosperous future for all Americans
and every American city.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
is
# # #
why dright any other
of
no fast fast-Pood hm chain?
Alternative 2: Our preference would be to delete that paragraph
and any reference to set-asides altogether. It could be replaced
by a discussion of the affirmative action activities the
President has taken as an employer -- touting his hiring of
competent minorities for top positions in the federal government.
The President could follow that discussion with a statement to
the effect that he will work to encourage the private sector to
do the same.
Page 9, Paragraph 2: Of far less significance than the comments
made above, we recommend deleting of the quote "an opportunity to
move from the working class to the middle class." In the first
place, the quote is confusing in this context in that it appears
that Mr. Holoman actually is providing people with an opportunity
to move from unemployment to the working class. Moreover, there
are those who may well think that the working class is the middle
class. Finally, it seems inappropriate to have the President
refer to groups of Americans in terms of "class".
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 8/2/89
ACION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
8/3/89 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
\
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm.
122, x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 3, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE: OK
9 € Ed E 7nr 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AUGUST 8, 1989
2:00 P.M.
THANK YOU DR. WATSON. JOHN JACOB, URBAN LEAGUE
LEADERS, SECRETARY KEMP, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
**[[INSERT CARDS 1A & 1B]]**
I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THE STATE OF
URBAN AMERICA -- ABOUT THE FUTURE I SEE FOR AMERICAN
CITIES, AND FOR THE MANY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO MAKE
THEM THEIR HOME.
- 1A -
BEFORE I BEGIN TODAY, I WANT TO SAY A WORD ABOUT A
DEDICATED CONGRESSMAN AND FELLOW HOUSTONIAN, MICKEY
LELAND. WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF
ETHIOPIA AND THE UN TO LEARN THE WHEREABOUTS OF
CONGRESSMAN LELAND'S PLANE. CUPDATE, IF AVAILABLE.]
I THINK IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE MAN THAT HE WAS ON
HIS SIXTH HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO HELP THE HUNGRY OF
ETHIOPIA.
- 1B -
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH MICKEY LELAND'S
FAMILY AND FRIENDS. WE PRAY THAT HE'S SAFE, THAT HE
AND THE OTHERS TRAVELLING WITH HIM WILL BE FOUND
SOON -- AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO ALL WE CAN TO LEARN
WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
0
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 8/2/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
8/3/89 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
\
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
a
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
\
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm.
122, x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 3, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE: Comments inside.
26 : pd E 7nr 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
SECUTIVE the UNITED OFFICE & U.S. E
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
SEALS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
o
NOTICE:
Enclosed are comments from staff members of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Such comments do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Director of OMB or of the
Office of Management and Budget. If you wish to have the
Director's personal comments, please let me know -- and contact
me if you have any questions.
David J. Haun
Executive Assistant
to the Director
McGroarty/Dooley
August 2, 1989
4:30 pm
1009 AUG :
[URBAN]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AUGUST 8, 1989
1:00 P.M.?
Thank you. [Introductory acknowledgements, Urban League
leaders, Secretary Kemp (?)
I want to speak to you today about the state of urban
America -- about the future I see for American cities, and for
the many millions of Americans who make them their home.
In many respects, urban America offers a bleak picture --
an inner city in crisis. There is too much crime, too much
crack. Too many drop outs, too much despair. Too little
economic opportunity, too little advancement. Too little hope.
But there's something else that's true about our inner
cities -- something we can't overlook. And that's a core
community that is simply too strong to succumb. A community
where there is too much faith, too strong a sense of family not
to fight back and win -- whatever their challenge, whatever the
odds.
But the challenge for urban America is a challenge for all
of America. It's a challenge for my Administration -- it's a
challenge every American must embrace.
The condition of our inner cities isn't a matter of charts
and graphs and cold statistics
It's more than an exercise in
2
sociology or public policy. It's a question of how people live
their lives -- a question of human dignity.
And it's a challenge I take to heart. Your problems are my
problems. Your hopes -- the hopes all Americans hold dear.
Today, I offer you my hand. I offer you my word. Together, we
will make America open and equal to all.
Together, we will find a way to stop the decline in our
inner cities -- to restore hope, and make the 90's a decade of
urban renaissance.
Whether we succeed depends on how well we meet three key
tests. First, we must strike down barriers to advancement and
opportunity for American minorities. Second, we must create
conditions for urban growth and economic revival. And finally,
we must secure the most fundamental right of all -- the right of
young and old alike of any race to walk city streets without
fear.
Let me start with equal opportunity. Not just in urban
America, but across this nation, we must continue the crusade for
equal rights.
Just a few weeks ago, a collection of scholars released a
[monumenta]] study called Blacks in American Society. It offers
detailed evidence of the progress our nation has made in the past
50 years in living up to American ideals. But the study makes
clear that our work isn't over. The "great gulf" between black
and white America has narrowed. It has not closed.
note: This study in methodologically flawed. (folen x5178
3
Closing that gulf -- eliminating it for all time -- is the
next chapter we must write in the unfolding history -- the
unfinished history -- of civil rights.
And that chapter will be written. Because today -- as in
there is nothing complicated about
It's SIMPLY
the past -- advancing the cause of civil rights. is the right
thing to do.
Think back to 1954, the Court's decision in favor of Linda
Brown
A year later, another decision: Rosa Parks' refusal
What atnd
to go to the back of the bus. It was the right thing to do.
1 in ind
1964: the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Votw Four years
later, Fair Housing. It was the right thing to do.
Sharmy
In this decade, the elevation of Martin Luther King to a
X7362
place of honor among our American heroes. It was the right thing
to do.
What atmy
And today -- when our challenge is securing true equality
for every American -- once again, we will succeed, because it is
Fair
the right thing to do.
Ad 19362 +
Let me be clear. This Administration will not tolerate
discrimination, bigotry or bias of any kind. [[Pause]] We mean
to reach out to minorities, to strike down barriers to free and
open access. And I want to tell you today: we're not throwing
away affirmative action as a remedy. [[Pause]]
All of you know that I oppose quotas. There's something
fundamentally wrong about a solution -- that with the best of
intentions -- in the name of erasing past injustices and the
4
stigma of race, awards jobs, promotions and educational
opportunities on the basis of race. I am convinced that quotas
are counter-productive. They promise to perpetuate the very same
set of attitudes that are the opposite of all that "equal rights"
stands for.
But there are ways to put the force of law behind
affirmative action -- and my Administration is committed to doing
just that. Take a look at the Carpenter case. The Department of
371
Justice is defending a federal set-aside program, one that
letter
reserves 10% of all interstate highway construction contracts for
minority-owned businesses. It's a sound plan -- fair and
flexible -- that assists disadvantaged minority businesses, that
X7362
remedies real injustices. And it's proof that affirmative action
is not at risk. It remains a tool for positive change.
Beyond the courts, the new frontier for equal rights is
expanding advancement and opportunity -- helping the
disadvantaged get a hand-hold on their future.
Take low-income housing. We're working to expand resident
management -- and resident ownership. The aim: to give tenants
a sense of control -- a stake in their community, and something
more: a shot at the American Dream.
And it's working. Here in Washington, and in cities across
America, more and more public housing residents are travelling
the road from tenant to manager to owner. That's a path out of
the poverty trap -- and we've got to keep it open.
hole: a specific participation
level signifies a guts.
Volum
x5178
5
legislation
Sweeny
x7362
Opportunity also means education. The bill I sent to
Congress this spring will make a difference for urban America --
and for American minorities. I've called on Congress to increase
funds for Head Start, and to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. In many urban schools, the key is creating a sound
learning environment: one that keeps the drop-outs in -- and
keeps the drugs out. That's why I've called for the creation of
Urban Emergency Grants, to help schools hit hardest by the drug
scourge. inserb from nextpage.
All our kids have their eye on their dreams. Education is a
means of turning those dreams into reality.
The future of urban America depends on bringing growth to
our inner cities. And there is an entrepreneurial answer to
inner city poverty. I'm talking about enterprise zones.
Enterprise zones can be a source of jobs, growth and
advancement. And the payoff isn't simply economic. When you
create jobs -- you create hope.
We've debated the idea of enterprise zones long enough.
It's time for action. I'm asking Congress to create 50
enterprise zones between now and 1993. But enterprise zones are
meaningless if we don't create economic incentives for urban
expansion. That's why I've called on Congress to enact changes
in the tax code that will make enterprise zones magnets for
capital and job creation.
I'IRNAGEMENT AND BUDGE&P
002
Holen
x5178
insert for page 5
In addition, I have put improving the rate of success of
minorities in our education system at the top of my policy
agenda. On July 26th, I established for each of the major
agencies of government the key policy objectives I intend to hold
the agencies accountable for. Here are two of the three
objectives for the Secretary of Education:
To increase minority participation and retention in two-and
four-year college degree granting programs.
To improve academic achievement of elementary and secondary
students, especially low-income, minority and handicapped
children.
Last week, I also invited the Governors to join me in an
intensive two-day summit meeting on education to hammer out our
national goals and objectives in practical terms and to set our
course for success.
government
Ultimate success will not come in a day or a year But with
this kind of concentrated effort by the Federal partner, along
the efforts of groups like yours, with the comparable
commitment of the Governors, and most importantly, with the
commitment of parents and students will come.
success
6
I'm talking about incentives for working people. We want to
establish a refundable wage credit for low-income employees in
enterprise zones. In many cases, this credit will cut the taxes
21 writ tablef of low-income workers to zero. And for some low-income families
Hen
38
the
who already owe little in taxes, a refundable credit will not
Soc.Sa.
i
Federalincome
paynel
only take them off the^tax rolls -- it will put money in their
pockets. That will make a real difference in the lives of
Sweeny
working men and women in our inner cities.
X7362
But in order to make enterprise zones a magnet for economic
+
growth, we've got to encourage investment. If we're going to
make inner cities attractive to new capital, individuals who
invest in enterprise zones should get an immediate tax savings.
And we've also got to reward economic success.
I've.
eligible business investments
proposed a zero capital gains rate for [businesses] in enterprise
Hale
zones. That should be a powerful incentive for outside
x3120
investors, and a fitting reward for urban entrepreneurs.
All together, that's a package of tax incentives worth
five
Hale
nearly $1.8 billion dollars over [four] years. That will start in
x3120
motion an economic renaissance that will bring jobs and growth to
our inner cities, to the people who need them most.
Opportunity, advancement, equal rights. Each is essential.
But we can't talk about the future we want to see for urban
America without talking about the number one threat in our inner
cities today: illegal drugs. You know the simple truth: Our
note: In budget documerls,
we talk about 81.05
billion in 4 years.
7
inner cities cannot become cases of opportunity as long as they
are battle zones in a drug war run out of control.
A little over a week ago, Dr. Louis Sullivan released the
newest statistics on illegal drug use in America. The statistics
show two trends: one positive, one profoundly disturbing.
Overall use of cocaine is down 37% -- but cases of cocaine
addiction are up one third. That means while our message is
getting across to the casual user, hard-core drugs -- drugs like
crack cocaine -- are tightening their grip.
That's grim news, because crack, crime and violence are an
unholy trinity in our inner cities. And urban communities suffer
most. When the crack house is on your block
When the stray
bullet from a drug-war shoot-out kills the mother sitting on her
porch
When parents and teachers and churches struggle to
teach the values of honesty and hard work -- and find themselves
up against the fast-money lure of the drug trade.
We've got to combat that violence. We've got to eliminate
that fear. We've got to create a climate of hope -- so that our
children can live and learn in peace, so that urban communities
can thrive again.
The federal government is doing its part -- and we're going
to do more. In less than a month, we'll unveil our drug strategy
-- our comprehensive battle plan to wage the long, hard fight
against illegal drugs.
And we've already sent to Congress a comprehensive crime
package that sends a clear message to criminals:
8
If you commit a crime -- you will be caught.
When you're caught -- you will be prosecuted.
If you're convicted -- you will do time.
But there's a message I want to send today to all law-
abiding Americans. The war on drugs is a battle that can't
simply be waged from Washington. That is why urban leaders must
demand that states and local governments fully fund anti-drug and
anti-crime efforts. Put more police on the streets, tougher laws
on the books, build the jail cells we need to put drug criminals
where they belong --behind bars -- and keep them there. Let's
not point the finger or look for scapegoats. Let's enlist every
asset we have, form a united front, and fight this war together.
The state of urban America is far from hopeless. We've got
to see past the stories on the six o'clock news, past the
statistics
We've got to see the inner city heroes who are
keeping communities alive -- who are carving out a better future
in America's inner cities, and they're doing it today.
People like Lena Jackson, a tenant in a Cleveland housing
project where drug dealers caused residents to live in fear.
Lena led a crusade to have management responsibilities turned
over to residents, and drove the drug dealers out. Before the
tenants took control, they used to call crime-ridden Lakeview
Terrace Estates "Saigon." Today there's a 3000 person waiting
list for housing units there.
9
People like Mattie Pitts, whose husband and son served on
the Miami police force, and who now heads Miami's Citizens Crime
Watch. Mattie spends 14 and 15 hours a day on the streets and in
the schools of Miami's north side -- an area devastated by riots
less than a decade ago. She's helping a neighborhood reverse
course -- rebuild -- and work its way back.
People like Eric Holoman, an urban entrepreneur in Los
Angeles, owner of a string of fast food restaurants. Eric's
growing business is giving 170 employees from disadvantaged areas
"an opportunity to move from the working class to the middle
class." All this -- and he's not even 30 years old.
Lena Jackson, Mattie Pitts and Eric Holoman are just three
of the thousands of people making life better in urban America.
Let's look to them -- for answers, and for the inspiration we
need to create a promising, prosperous future for all Americans
and every American city.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
REMARKS: NATIONAL URBAN
LEAGUE
Tray
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Hammond
AUGUST 8, 1989
1:00 P.M.
drop#
THANK YOU DR. WATSON. ovnn URCOD, VINER URDAN
LEAGUE LEADERS, SECRETARY KEMP, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THE STATE OF
URBAN AMERICA -- ABOUT THE FUTURE I SEE FOR AMERICAN
CITIES, AND FOR THE MANY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO MAKE
THEM THEIR HOME.
IN MANY RESPECTS, URBAN AMERICA OFFERS A BLEAK
PICTURE -- AN INNER CITY IN CRISIS. THERE IS TOO MUCH
CRIME, TOO MUCH CRACK. TOO MANY DROP OUTS, TOO MUCH
DESPAIR. TOO LITTLE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, TOO LITTLE
ADVANCEMENT. TOO LITTLE HOPE.
Convention Center.
- 2 -
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S TRUE ABOUT OUR
INNER CITIES -- SOMETHING WE CAN'T OVERLOOK, SOMETHING
THE URBAN LEAGUE HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY TO STRENGTHEN.
AND THAT'S A CORE COMMUNITY THAT IS SIMPLY TOO STRONG
TO SUCCUMB. A COMMUNITY WHERE THERE IS TOO MUCH FAITH,
TOO MUCH PRIDE, TOO STRONG A SENSE OF FAMILY NOT TO
FIGHT BACK -- WHATEVER THEIR CHALLENGE, WHATEVER THE
ODDS.
BUT THE CHALLENGE FOR URBAN AMERICA IS A CHALLENGE
FOR ALL OF AMERICA. IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR MY
ADMINISTRATION -- IT'S A CHALLENGE EVERY AMERICAN MUST
EMBRACE.
THE CONDITION OF OUR INNER CITIES ISN'T A MATTER
OF CHARTS AND GRAPHS AND COLD STATISTICS
IT'S MORE
THAN AN EXERCISE IN SOCIOLOGY OR PUBLIC POLICY. IT'S A
QUESTION OF HOW PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES -- A QUESTION
OF HUMAN DIGNITY.
- 3 -
AND IT'S A CHALLENGE I TAKE TO HEART. YOUR
PROBLEMS ARE MY PROBLEMS. [PAUSE] YOUR HOPES -- THE
HOPES ALL AMERICANS HOLD DEAR. TODAY, I OFFER YOU MY
HAND. I OFFER YOU MY WORD. TOGETHER, WE WILL MAKE
AMERICA OPEN AND EQUAL TO ALL. [PAUSE]
TOGETHER, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO STOP THE DECLINE
IN OUR INNER CITIES -- TO RESTORE HOPE, AND MAKE THE
90'S A DECADE OF URBAN RENAISSANCE.
WHETHER WE SUCCEED DEPENDS ON HOW WELL WE MEET
THREE KEY TESTS. FIRST, WE MUST STRIKE DOWN BARRIERS
TO ADVANCEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICAN MINORITIES
-- AND STRIKE THEM DOWN FOR GOOD. [PAUSE] SECOND, WE
MUST CREATE CONDITIONS FOR URBAN GROWTH AND ECONOMIC
REVIVAL -- CONDITIONS THAT LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.
[PAUSE] AND FINALLY, WE MUST SECURE THE MOST
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF ALL -- THE RIGHT OF YOUNG AND OLD
ALIKE OF ANY RACE TO WALK ANY STREET WITHOUT FEAR.
[PAUSE]
LET ME START WITH EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. NOT JUST IN
URBAN AMERICA, BUT ACROSS THIS NATION, WE MUST CONTINUE
THE CRUSADE FOR EQUALITY. [PAUSE]
- 4 -
JUST OVER A WEEK AGO, A COLLECTION OF SCHOLARS
RELEASED A MONUMENTAL STUDY CALLED A COMMON DESTINY:
BLACKS AND AMERICAN SOCIETY. IT OFFERS DETAILED
EVIDENCE OF THE PROGRESS OUR NATION HAS MADE IN THE
PAST 50 YEARS IN LIVING UP TO AMERICAN IDEALS. BUT THE
STUDY MAKES CLEAR THAT OUR WORK IS FAR FROM OVER. THE
"GREAT GULF" BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE AMERICA HAS
NARROWED. BUT IT HAS NOT CLOSED.
CLOSING THAT GULF -- ELIMINATING IT FOR ALL
TIME -- IS THE NEXT CHAPTER WE MUST WRITE IN THE
UNFOLDING HISTORY -- THE UNFINISHED HISTORY -- OF CIVIL
RIGHTS.
AND THAT CHAPTER WILL BE WRITTEN. BECAUSE
TODAY -- AS IN THE PAST -- ADVANCING THE CAUSE OF EQUAL
RIGHTS IS IN KEEPING WITH AMERICA'S HIGHEST IDEALS. IT
IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
THINK BACK TO 1954, THE COURT'S DECISION IN FAVOR
OF LINDA BROWN
A YEAR LATER, ANOTHER DECISION:
ROSA PARKS' REFUSAL TO GO TO THE BACK OF THE BUS. THE
1960S: THE PASSAGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, FAIR HOUSING.
- 5 -
IN THIS DECADE, THE ELEVATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER
KING, JR. TO A PLACE OF HONOR AMONG OUR AMERICAN
HEROES. IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
AND TODAY -- WHEN OUR CHALLENGE IS SECURING TRUE
EQUALITY FOR EVERY AMERICAN -- ONCE AGAIN, WE WILL
SUCCEED, BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
DISCRIMINATION STILL EXISTS. RACE HATE -- BORN OF
IGNORANCE AND INHUMANITY -- STILL EXISTS. THE DAY OF
THE POLL TAX IS OVER, THE DAY OF JIM CROW IS GONE
TODAY, BIGOTRY AND BIAS MAY TAKE MORE SUBTLE FORMS.
BUT THEY PERSIST -- AND AS LONG AS THEY DO, OUR WORK IS
NOT OVER.
BEFORE I GO ON -- I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN
THIS ROOM KNOWS JUST WHERE I STAND -- JUST WHERE MY
ADMINISTRATION STANDS. MY ADMINISTRATION IS COMMITTED
TO REACHING OUT TO MINORITIES, TO STRIKING DOWN
BARRIERS TO FREE AND OPEN ACCESS. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE
DISCRIMINATION, BIGOTRY OR BIAS OF ANY KIND -- PERIOD.
[[PAUSE]]
- 6 -
NOW -- WE'VE ALL SPENT A LOT OF TIME OVER THE PAST
TWO DECADES DEBATING THE BEST MEANS FOR ENDING UNEQUAL
TREATMENT. WE'VE ARGUED -- SOCIETY'S ARGUED -- ABOUT
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, ABOUT QUOTAS, GOALS AND TIMETABLES,
ABOUT SET-ASIDES AND 8-A FIRMS.
WELL, WHILE SOCIETY'S BEEN DEBATING THESE
IMPORTANT ISSUES -- SOCIETY'S ALSO BEEN CHANGING. THE
ECONOMY'S BEEN CHANGING. OUR WORLD -- THE WORLD OUR
CHILDREN WILL INHERIT -- IS CHANGING.
PART OF THE CHANGE IS THE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE --
HARD-FOUGHT CHANGES IN WHICH THE URBAN LEAGUE CAN TAKE
PRIDE. PART OF THE CHANGE IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF THE
DYNAMICS AT WORK IN OUR WORLD.
TAKE THE ECONOMY. WE'RE USED TO THINKING OF
UNEMPLOYMENT AS A CASE OF TOO MANY PEOPLE, AND TOO FEW
JOBS -- A GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS. ALL TOO OFTEN IT IS
MINORITIES LEFT STANDING WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS. IN THE
1990S -- INTO THE NEXT CENTURY -- OUR PROBLEM WILL BE
JUST THE OPPOSITE: MORE THAN ENOUGH JOBS -- AND
TOO FEW PEOPLE QUALIFIED TO FILL THEM.
- 7 -
THE LAST OF THE BABY BOOM GENERATION ARE IN THEIR
THIRTIES. THERE'S BEEN A SLOWDOWN IN THE NUMBER OF NEW
WORKERS ENTERING OUR ECONOMY, WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO
THE 1990S. NEW WORKERS WILL BE IN DEMAND -- AND THE
SIMPLE FACT IS THAT 8 OF EVERY 10 NEW WORKERS WILL BE
WOMEN, MINORITIES, OR IMMIGRANTS.
THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS. FOR EVERY CHILD
GROWING UP TODAY -- BLACK OR WHITE, URBAN OR RURAL --
THERE WILL BE A JOB WAITING. [[PAUSE]]
THE QUESTION -- OUR CHALLENGE -- IS WHETHER THEY
WILL HAVE THE EDUCATION AND THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO
SEIZE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
THAT'S THE NEW FRONTIER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.
OPPORTUNITY MEANS EDUCATION. THE JOBS OPEN TO THE
21ST CENTURY WORKER WILL REQUIRE HIGHER SKILLS. NEVER
HAS EDUCATION BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION -- FOR THE FIRST GRADER WHO IS A MEMBER OF
THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2001.
- 8 -
THE PACKAGE OF EDUCATION INITIATIVES I SENT TO
CONGRESS THIS SPRING WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE -- FOR
URBAN AMERICA -- AND FOR AMERICAN MINORITIES.
I'VE CALLED ON CONGRESS TO PROVIDE A $250 MILLION
DOLLAR INCREASE IN FUNDS FOR HEAD START -- A KEY
PROGRAM IN GETTING DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN READY FOR
SCHOOL. AND BACK IN APRIL, I SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER
THAT WILL STRENGTHEN OUR NATION'S HISTORICALLY BLACK
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES -- AND EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR THEIR STUDENTS AND GRADUATES.
IN MANY URBAN SCHOOLS, THE KEY IS CREATING A SOUND
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: ONE THAT KEEPS DROP-OUTS IN --
AND KEEPS DRUGS OUT. THAT'S WHY I'VE CALLED FOR THE
CREATION OF URBAN EMERGENCY GRANTS, TO HELP CLEAN UP
SCHOOLS HIT HARDEST BY THE DRUG SCOURGE.
EDUCATION IS THE WAY TO TURN DREAMS INTO REALITY.
AND EVEN IN THE INNER CITY, EVERY KID HAS A DREAM.
- 9 -
AND OPPORTUNITY MEANS JOB TRAINING -- BUILDING THE
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS AND BASIC LITERACY ABILITY EVERYONE
NEEDS TO GET AND KEEP A JOB. FOR SIX YEARS NOW, THE
JOB TRAINING PARTNERTSHIP PROGRAM HAS BEEN EQUIPPING
DISADVANTAGED YOUTH TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE -- AND START
THAT CLIMB UP OUT OF THE POVERTY TRAP. JTPA WORKS.
THE PROOF IS ITS 68% SUCCESS RATE -- AND WE'RE WORKING
TO MAKE THE PROGRAM EVEN STRONGER. LAST MONTH WE
INTRODUCED AMENDMENTS TO THE JTPA TO TARGET IT MORE
TIGHTLY ON AT-RISK YOUTH -- KIDS WITH THE MOST URGENT
NEED FOR JOB TRAINING.
BUT GROWTH CREATES JOBS -- AND THE FUTURE OF URBAN
AMERICA DEPENDS ON BRINGING GROWTH TO OUR INNER CITIES.
ONE ENTREPRENEURIAL ANSWER TO INNER CITY POVERTY IS
ENTERPRISE ZONES.
ENTERPRISE ZONES CAN BE A SOURCE OF JOBS, GROWTH,
AND ADVANCEMENT. AND THE PAYOFF ISN'T SIMPLY ECONOMIC.
WHEN YOU CREATE JOBS -- YOU CREATE HOPE.
- 10 -
WE'VE DEBATED THE IDEA OF ENTERPRISE ZONES LONG
ENOUGH. I'VE ASKED CONGRESS TO CREATE AT LEAST 50
ENTERPRISE ZONES BETWEEN NOW AND 1993. AND NOW IT'S
TIME FOR ACTION. [PAUSE]
BUT ENTERPRISE ZONES ARE MEANINGLESS IF WE DON'T
CREATE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES FOR URBAN EXPANSION. THAT'S
WHY I'VE ALSO CALLED ON CONGRESS TO ENACT CHANGES IN
THE TAX CODE THAT WILL MAKE ENTERPRISE ZONES MAGNETS
FOR CAPITAL AND JOB CREATION.
I'M TALKING ABOUT INCENTIVES TO INCREASE
INVESTMENT -- TO OPEN A FLOW OF "SEED CAPITAL" INTO
URBAN AREAS. IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE INNER CITIES
ATTRACTIVE TO NEW CAPITAL, INDIVIDUALS WHO INVEST IN
ENTERPRISE ZONES SHOULD GET AN IMMEDIATE TAX SAVINGS.
AND WE'VE ALSO GOT TO REWARD RISK TAKING. I'VE
PROPOSED A ZERO CAPITAL GAINS RATE FOR ELIGIBLE
BUSINESS INVESTMENTS IN ENTERPRISE ZONES. THAT SHOULD
BE A POWERFUL INCENTIVE FOR OUTSIDE INVESTORS, AND A
RATE OF RETURN FITTING FOR URBAN ENTREPRENEURS.
- 11 -
AND I'M TALKING ABOUT INCENTIVES FOR WORKING
PEOPLE. WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A REFUNDABLE WAGE CREDIT
FOR LOW-INCOME EMPLOYEES IN ENTERPRISE ZONES. IN MANY
CASES, THIS CREDIT WILL CUT THE TAXES OF LOW-INCOME
WORKERS TO ZERO. AND FOR SOME LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WHO
ALREADY OWE LITTLE IN TAXES, A REFUNDABLE CREDIT WILL
NOT ONLY TAKE THEM OFF THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX ROLLS --
IT WILL PUT MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS.
OPPORTUNITY, EDUCATION, ADVANCEMENT, EQUALITY.
EACH IS ESSENTIAL. BUT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE
WE WANT TO SEE FOR URBAN AMERICA WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT
THE NUMBER ONE THREAT IN OUR INNER CITIES TODAY:
ILLEGAL DRUGS. YOU KNOW THE SIMPLE TRUTH: OUR INNER
CITIES CANNOT BECOME CENTERS OF OPPORTUNITY AS LONG AS
THEY ARE BATTLE ZONES IN A DRUG WAR.
- 12 -
A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AGO, HHS SECRETARY LOUIS
SULLIVAN RELEASED THE NEWEST STATISTICS ON ILLEGAL DRUG
USE IN AMERICA. THE STATISTICS SHOW TWO TRENDS: ONE
POSITIVE, ONE PROFOUNDLY DISTURBING. OVERALL USE OF
COCAINE HAS DECLINED BY ALMOST HALF -- TESTIMONY TO THE
YEARS OF DEDICATION AND HARD WORK OF PARENTS,
EDUCATORS, RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, ALL
DETERMINED TO END THIS PLAGUE. BUT OUR GREATEST
CHALLENGE IS YET TO COME. FREQUENT COCAINE USE IS UP
SHARPLY. THAT MEANS WHILE OUR MESSAGE IS GETTING
ACROSS TO THE CASUAL USER, HARD-CORE DRUGS -- DRUGS
LIKE CRACK COCAINE -- ARE TIGHTENING THEIR GRIP.
THAT'S GRIM NEWS, BECAUSE CRACK, CRIME AND
VIOLENCE ARE AN UNHOLY TRINITY IN OUR INNER CITIES.
AND URBAN COMMUNITIES SUFFER MOST. WHEN THE CRACK
HOUSE IS ON YOUR BLOCK.
WHEN THE STRAY BULLET FROM
A DRUG-WAR SHOOT-OUT KILLS THE MOTHER SITTING ON HER
PORCH
WHEN PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND CHURCHES
STRUGGLE TO TEACH THE VALUES OF HONESTY AND HARD
WORK -- AND FIND THEMSELVES UP AGAINST THE FAST-MONEY
LURE OF THE DRUG TRADE.
- 13 -
BUT OUR CHILDREN CAN LIVE AND LEARN IN PEACE.
URBAN COMMUNITIES CAN THRIVE AGAIN. THAT'S WHY WE'VE
GOT TO COMBAT DRUG VIOLENCE. THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT TO
ELIMINATE FEAR. THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT TO CREATE A
CLIMATE OF HOPE.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING ITS PART -- AND
WE'RE GOING TO DO MORE. WE'VE TAKEN FORCEFUL ACTION TO
SPEED UP THE EVICTION PROCESS FOR DRUG DEALERS IN
AMERICA'S PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITIES. AND IN LESS THAN
A MONTH, WE'LL UNVEIL OUR DRUG STRATEGY -- OUR
COMPREHENSIVE BATTLE PLAN TO WAGE THE LONG, HARD FIGHT
AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS.
AND THERE'S A MESSAGE I WANT TO SEND TODAY TO ALL
LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS. THE WAR ON DRUGS IS A BATTLE
THAT CAN'T SIMPLY BE WAGED FROM WASHINGTON. WHEN I WAS
IN CHICAGO LAST MONTH, I ASKED THIS NATION'S GOVERNORS
TO PASS LAWS IN EACH OF THEIR STATES THAT PARALLEL THE
TOUGH FEDERAL STAND WE'VE TAKEN AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS.
TODAY, I ASK EACH OF YOU TO DO THE SAME AT THE LOCAL
LEVEL, IN URBAN AMERICA.
- 14 -
LET'S PUT MORE POLICE ON THE STREETS, TOUGHER LAWS
ON THE BOOKS, BUILD THE JAIL CELLS WE NEED TO PUT DRUG
CRIMINALS WHERE THEY BELONG --BEHIND BARS -- AND KEEP
THEM THERE. LET'S NOT POINT THE FINGER OR LOOK FOR
SCAPEGOATS. LET'S ENLIST EVERY ASSET WE HAVE, FORM A
UNITED FRONT, AND FIGHT THIS WAR TOGETHER.
THERE ARE SOME WHO SAY THE STATE OF URBAN AMERICA
IS HOPELESS. I SAY THEY'RE WRONG. WE'VE GOT TO SEE
PAST THE STORIES ON THE SIX O'CLOCK NEWS, PAST THE
STATISTICS
WE'VE GOT TO SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR
PROGRESS -- WE'VE GOT TO SEE THE FACE OF HOPE IN OUR
INNER CITIES.
NOW, I'M NOT AFRAID TO SAY WE'VE GOT HARD WORK
AHEAD OF US -- THAT WE'VE GOT TO WAGE WAR ON POVERTY,
WAGE WAR ON DESPAIR, WAGE WAR ON THE HOPELESSNESS THAT
ROBS US OF OUR FUTURE.
- 15 -
AND I WANT TO TELL ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY: I'M NOT
GOING TO REST UNTIL I KNOW THAT I'VE DONE EVERYTHING IN
MY POWER TO ENSURE THAT WE SUCCEED -- THAT EVERY CHILD
IN OUR INNER CITIES HAS A SHOT AT A GOOD JOB
THAT
EVERY KID STAYS IN SCHOOL -- GETS A QUALITY
EDUCATION
LIVES IN DECENT HOUSING -- IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD FREE OF DRUGS, FEAR AND VIOLENCE.
WE'VE GOT TO WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS.
I KNOW WE WILL -- AND I KNOW WHY.
JOHN, YOU KNOW WHY. JACK, YOU KNOW WHY. EVERYONE
HERE TODAY KNOWS WHY.
BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
# # #