City, Civic Group Move to Avert Riots

A local neighborhood association met with Cambridge officials Wednesday to discuss the creation of a citizens' committee to avert racial flare-ups in Cambridge like those which exploded in Harlem and Rochester.

The Riverside Neighborhood Association met with Mayor Edward A. Crane, City Manager John J. Curry, and Police Chief Daniel J. Brennan, David N. Bailey, president of the Association, stressed that the most important function of such a committee would be to serve as a liaison between the police and the citizens of Cambridge.

Brennan Asks Citizens' Assistance

Brennan said that he would be willing to cooperate, but urged that citizens aid the police in stemming any possible outbreak of violence.

As an example of such cooperation, Brennan suggested, "Parents should check the pockets of their children's clothes if they suspect they carry knives or other weapons."

In an effort to insure harmonious relations between the police department and the Cambridge citizenry, Brennan asserted, "I have instructed all my officers to have high respect for all citizens until they show disrespect for you and your uniform."

He told the Association members to report to him personally any incident of disrespect, and said he would take the proper disciplinary action against the violators.

Bailey pointed out that a Citizens Unity Committee already exists in Cambridge and is supported by the city. But he said that a new committee would be "free to operate as it wanted and with no strings attached, political or otherwise."

"We do not want to tell the chief how to run his department," Bailey added, "we only want to improve community relations. We do not want any riots in this city. This is what we call home and we want to continue to live in one harmonious mass."

Kenneth Guscott, president of the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, added: "This group should not be made up of only Negroes, but rather Negroes and whites. It should encompass all the leaders of the community. Then if anything should happen, the police can call upon responsible citizens for aid. We do not want another Harlem."