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Kenneth ClarkKenneth Clark
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Session:         Page of 763

next/? How do we handle the problem?

It was a curiously supportive Group, without any kind of coercion, without any -- well, it had the character of Ben, and it was probably quite good that we met in his apartment, because there's something about this man and his environment that was communicable, you know. It was contagious, in terms of the balance, the calm, the looking at problems without being over-dramatic about them, without being over-anxious, etc. And by the way, he'd always have-- he was a widower, and the thing that dominated his living room was a wonderful portrait of his wife. Up to the day of his death, he was in love with his wife.

Well, while this group was meeting, on just general problems, a very dramatic thing occurred. Bob Mangum, a young black who, I think, at that time was deputy police commissioner -- must have been in the Wagner administration. I think Wagner was mayor -- yes, Wagner was mayor at the time, because it was around HARYOU time. He did something that the DAILY NEWS blew up into a major scandal, sort of. A young black woman -- or maybe she wasn't all that young-- she was stopped by white policemen, and given a ticket, and according to her report, this white policeman insulted her, etc., and she did what most Americans would do, she made contact with a friend of hers or an acquaintance who was high in the Police Department, and he used his power and influence to neutralize the ticket, to give the young white policeman hell, etc. And the DAILY NEWS took it up, and made a front page story about it, and really, continued this thing to the point where I think Mangum had to resign, as





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