KTLA News: "Black Leadership Coalition on integration of Los Angeles Schools" (1978)

[Silence]. [John Mack] Uhm... [Silence]. [John Mack] As members of the Black Leadership Coalition, representing over 50 organizations, the clergy and Black elected officials we're here this morning to announce our strong opposition to the racist forces within our community which are seeking to thwart integration of the Los Angeles Unified School District and to all parents... and to urge all parents to oppose the school boycott that reactionary forces threaten our schools and our community by calling for people to keep their children home tomorrow. [Marnesba Tackett] I think that, that if the busing was for segregation of the schools, as it has traditionally been in the United States of America, that these parents would have a different attitude. The truth is they are not really against busing their children. [Silence]. [Mack] As you will note on the state... [Silence]. action of the California Supreme Court in vacating the stay imposed by the Court of Appeals Second District. An action which would have set us a giant step backward in achieving our goal of complete desegregation of the schools. It is a well known fact that the Court of Appeals Second District has a history of making reactionary and racist decisions. Indeed it was the same court which overturned Judge Gitelson's original order that the Los Angeles Unified School District be desegregated eight years ago. And I should point out that this morning we're pleased that the... now I understand that Justice Brennan has joined with the other two justices, Powell and uh... Rehnquist, to refuse to vacate the stay or in effect enter into the California Supreme Court. So that should remove that last remaining legal hurdle. As leaders of the Black community, we are here also to express our strong condemnation of the Los Angeles Board of Education, a group of elected officials, which as a body has totally abdicated its responsibility to assure equal educational opportunities for all children of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The majority of the members of the Board of Education... [Silence]. As I've indicated in a statement, I would like also for my colleagues to join in his reaction. First of all, I think, that's a totally irresponsible position. There is very...it's very likely that it is illegal. Uh...City Attorney Burt Pines indicated earlier this morning in another press conference that may well constitute grounds for criminal action. So it seems to me that Mr. Klein and those who are with them are on very shaky legal grounds. Obviously they are on disastrous moral grounds as I've already indicated. So unless, from what I understand, unless they are prepared to take up another fight and maybe prepared to raise some bail money to get themselves out of jail or someone out of jail, they'd better watch what they're doing. [Silence]. [Mack] I would like to have one of my... [Tackett]...excuse that children have been bused as long as we have had schools and uh...parents... did not object to busing their children or even having their children walk further past minority schools, Black schools especially, to attend an all white school. They bus them to...for recreational activities. And they...they're lying when they say that the bus ride will take an hour and a half one way. You know that on yesterday the farthest bus ride that was supposed to have taken 55 minutes took less than 50 minutes. So that it is really not the bus as Jesse Jackson as Jesse Jackson says, it is us.