|
August 24, 1971
<br />
<br /> At'-a regular meeting of the City Council, held on August 24, 1971, there were
<br />
<br /> Ja~ksP~.Ba~m~$N James W. Molley, Burrell R. Johnson, Isaac W. King, R. Irvine
<br /> Raymond B. Smith, Raymond Turner, A. P. Johnson, Jr., City Manager, and W. J.
<br /> Jr., Assistant City Attorney.
<br /> Councilman Isaac W. King offered_the prayer.
<br /> The minutes of the regular Public Hearing, held on August 9, 1971, and the minutes of
<br />the regular City Council meeting, held on August 10, 1971, submitted in writing, were ap-
<br />proved unanimously, subsequent to a motion to approve by CoUncilman Isaac King, which was
<br />duly seconded by Cbuncilman Irvine Smith.
<br />
<br />Smith,
<br />0'Brien,
<br />
<br />The followihg reports from the City Manager were read:
<br />
<br /> 71-370 "I submit two resolutions:received from the School Board which were adopted
<br />at their regular meeting on August 12, 1971. The first resolution requests City Council to
<br />authorize the School Board to expend funds from State and Federal agencies that are not
<br />presently included in the 1971-72 budget. These are funds which the School Board receives
<br />from special Federal and State projects. The Council, in the past, has annually authorized
<br />the expenditure of these funds.
<br />
<br /> The second resolution adopted by the
<br />ate $S00,000 to purchase 60 school buses.
<br />purchase of these buses. The only method
<br />be through the issuance of bonds."
<br />
<br />School Board requests the City Council to appropri-I
<br />There are no current funds available for the
<br />available to City Council to finance this would
<br />
<br />The following 1-etter~ redei~6d from Mrs. Mit:dr~d['.~, ~ing~ S406 'G?6e~nfi'etd. Drive' was::
<br />
<br /> "I"respectfully request the Council's permission to attend the next regular meeting
<br />which I unde'r~t'and is the 24th day of August, 1971. At this time, on behalf of the¢~i~izens
<br />of Porsmouth~ I ~out~ 1.ike:~o~'~hamk'tHem~,O~tkei~!~e¢isi:ve:gta~d;: ~h--dh~t'h'~','i~s'sue of
<br />busing itself, and on any appropriations of the people's tax revenues for t~is purpose, which
<br />to-date they have declined. I have in my possession many signatures on petitions to these
<br />effects, which I would like placed on the Council's agenda for presentation to Council."
<br />
<br />Mrs. King spoke, presenting the following letter and petition:
<br />
<br /> "I respectfully submit to you and the City Council, the attached signed petitions. We,
<br />the residents of the City ~ Portsmouth wish to express our gratitude to you and those major-
<br />ity members of Council for,~your decisive stand in regard to the Forced busing of school
<br />children from their neighborhood environments.
<br />
<br /> To full explain the purpose of these petitions, which were signed by very concerned,
<br />anxious and frustrated citizens of our City, we would like to affirm that we are aware of
<br />the assorted pressures inevitably to be placed upon Council, by those fmctions which seek
<br />to disrupt our educational systems, and our lives. ~e, therefore, wish Council to have
<br />tangible and available evidence of the temper of the residents in regard to the issue of
<br />Forced busing, and any and all proposals ~hat we, the residents through our tax revenues,
<br />pay for or provide any means to perpetrate the very thing which we so viole~$1y oppose.
<br />
<br /> I would like to state that the petitions here presented are done so in part. As Council
<br />well knows, there has been a limited time factor involved, a prior calculation again on the
<br />part of those factions which would place our children in hazardous circumstances, and our
<br />schools in a state of chaos. We will, therefore, formally request to ~e placed on the Counci~
<br />agenda again and if so granted, we will at that time submit the balance ~f petftiens, allow-
<br />lng as many as possible of our citizens in the interim to have a voice in t~e petit~ssu_~es
<br />
<br /> Allow me to express again for all concerned, our ~preciation to those members of
<br />Council who realize that Forced, massive transportation of children from their neighborhood
<br />schools, and the many hardships entailed is in truth unfair to the children it purports to
<br />represent."
<br />
<br />Petition
<br />
<br /> "We, the undersigned r6sidents of the City of Portsmouth, being tazpayers and parents,
<br />do hereby give notice to the Portsmouth City Cogncil that we do protest and reject the in-
<br />stitution of Forced busing of children on the gruunds that it is unsafe, unwise, ~njuSt and
<br />we believe it to be both discriminatory and detrimental to their health, well being and to
<br />their education.
<br />
<br /> We, the undersigned, do also serve notice to the City Council that as taxpayers already
<br />overburdened, we will protest and reject any'additional taxes which may be contemplated to
<br />be levied upon us for the purpose of implementing or financing the institution of Forced
<br />busing, an act which we~feel to be against-the better interest of the children involved, and
<br />a denial of our Cons$itational Rights. Signed~ by Barbarie- L'. Capel, $621 Pine Road and others.
<br />
<br />Tha following petition received frQm tko roi!owing was read~
<br />
<br /> "This is to advise you th.at you have-~cted without my authority to forfeit may constitu-
<br />tional rights as an American citizen in submitting to the fed.era~ courts a plan that calls
<br />for extreme cross-town busing of school children in ord6r ~'6~'achieve an artificial racial
<br />balance in our neighborhood schools and one which is uncons~tit~}$onal without the forfeiture
<br />of individual citizen's basic ~e~bMs,' ......... ..... ?:' i
<br />
<br />
<br />
|