Description

One of CIC's primary activities was to hold biweekly meetings called "community dialogues" to discuss broad issues such as racism, police sensitivity, education, and employment discrimination within the city of San Diego. The number of attendees at any given meeting was usually quite high--perhaps as many as 30 or more persons--representing an extremely wide variety of backgrounds, including city officials, educators, administrators, religious leaders, law enforcement, journalists, and minority community spokespersons. The agenda for this meeting's dialog was law enforcement, both the San Diego Police Department and County Sheriff Department. The first topic was the image of the police and sheriff's departments, based on minority perceptions of them. Police were described as "storm troopers" who were too focused on riot control, who were sadly insensitive to minority communities, and who responded differentially in African-American or Mexican-American versus white neighborhoods. Another key discussion was the demand (from an earlier 9-point presentation by members of the African-American community) that there be specific, immediate appointments of African-American police officers to positions of sergeant, lieutenant, and investigator. Talk bogged down, as police administrators attributed the lack of promotions to the failure of any African-American officers to pass the required tests for promotion. George Stevens, from the Urban League, gave a heated, uncompromising rebuff (01:59 on audiotape), based on former statements that the tests were culturally biased, and therefore failed to excuse the racist passing over of African Americans for promotions. He called for the immediate appointment of African- American supervisors. While some were initially put off by the outburst, it was soon agreed by many that he had every right to be angry, and that he had spoken the truth. A committee was formed to approach city officials and the police chief, who was not present, regarding the appointment of African Americans to supervisory roles as soon as possible. The meetings were moderated by CIC Executive Director Carroll Waymon, and his voice is often the first one heard in the audio recordings of the meetings. The tape constitutes the minutes, but a summary consists of 11 pages of handwritten notes on stenographic-notebook paper, with tape-recorder-counter numbers at the left (002-565) next to names of speakers, with comments about motions, agenda, and comments, etc. One page is labeled "Education," with a list.