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photo by roger allen griggs had waited through all the other speeches to hear. He One thousand marchers formally launched the claimed that the march "had set the nation in motion." Spring Offensive, to protest Nixon's budget cutbacks, He told the crowd that "we cannot give up ... we can't in Atlanta Wednesday, April 4th, on the fifth anniver- tum on 'each other." He said "we must organize around sary of the assassination of Martin Luther King. powerful action programs." He urged blacks to organize Marchers began gathering at King's grave around the issue of Revenue Sharing, 66% of which he 11:30 Wednesday. At I pm themarch fmally got un- said went to local police forces, 12% to firemen, and derway. The crowd, on the whole was very somber, 7% to highways. Money for education and social services was but did- several times try to sing a few old black spiri- not -in the top ten, he said. He urged the crowd to use tuals and even attempted a few verses of "We Shall sivil disobedience to gain their objectives. "Let it be known Overcome" during the two-hour march. The crowd's known that we'd rather eat in jail than starve in the enthusiasm grew at three points. Once when Ralph Abernathy of the SCLC, Jesse Jackson of PUSH and streets." He then stirred the crowd with the chant he Mrs. Johnnie Tillman of NWRO met a delegate from made famous, "I am somebody ... I may be on welfare, . the governor's office on the steps of the capitol, again I may be poor, I may be hungry, I may be black, but I when thesQ sam~!~aders cb,arged up the steps of city hall am somebody." to-.attempt a confrootetion with the mayor and finally Abernathy spoke last and proved that he is at at the end of the march when several stirring speeches least an excellent speaker. He claimed that this day were given at Herndon Stadium. would go down as one of the most memorable in his On the steps of the capitol, Abernathy read a pre- life. He said, "we must send King Richard a message." pared statement to an aide of Governor Jimmy Carter He reminded the crowd that Martin Luther King had which demanded that 1) the tax structure" of the state died in his arms and urged him "to take my people on." be reformed, 2) that a citizens review board that was He challenged America "to get her house in order be- . fully representative of the community be appointed to cause black people are no longer going to sit around WHAT and take this mess from white America any longer." oversee the revenue sharing funds and 3) that the state make sure that jiJstice is administered equally to all races Although SCLC leaders insisted that the turnout and classes. was a tremendo.us beginning for the Spring Offensive, The march then proceeded to city hall where the there were many doubters. Only 1,000 people showed group had hoped to meet Massell. Once there they were up at the rally. The first three days of activities of the told that Massell could not come down. About ten of nEHT Spring Offensive failed to get off the ground at all. the leaders angrily marched up to Massell's office, only to Sunday's activities were attended by about 30 people to find that he had slipped out. While the entourage and the turnout for Monday's and Tuesday's activities climbed the steps of the city hall the crowd outside chant- was even worse, as 4 people tumed up at the court- ed "Fire Inman." Abernathy read a statement saying house for Equal Administration of Justice Day. Local that he spoke in behalf of NWRO, PUSH, and SCLC and FOR and national media tended to ignore all the activities. demanded that 1) Inman be fired, 2) that a citizens re- And although Atlanta was the focal point of activities, view board be set up to monitor revenue sharing money, there were larger demonstrations in Chicago and Los 3) that there be a reduction of the 4% sales tax, 4) that Angeles. A march in Memphis drew 800 people. the 3.75 million in revenue sharing money budgeted for But the day was tarnished by several other factors, concrete and physical improvements be used for social the absence of Hosea Williams, poor organizing, a central services and 5) that members of the Afro-American SEL[ issue which lacked thrust and broad interest, Nixon's cut Police League not be demoted and fired for their efforts backs, and finally rumors about the leadership and finan- on behalf of the community. ces of the SCLC that continue to cloud its future. As the weather chilled the marchers went on to Hosea Williams, who was originally supposed to Herndon Stadium where the crowd dwindled. The first organize the Atlanta Spring Offensive, told the Bird that group of speakers endorsed the march and its goals. The AnD THE he didn't participate in the Spring Offensive because he speakers included J.D. Greer, chairman of the personnel disagreed with its main subject of protest being Nixon's board of the city of Atlanta, several Atlanta University budget cuts. He said poor people -don't need Nixon's Center spokespersons, an actress who plugged a black money, or Foundation money for that matter. He said movie, union and PUSH officials from Chicago, and Aus- the poor must begin organizing to provide for each other. tin ford of Emmaus House. Among the more notable He said that. people must not depend upon benevolence speakers were Ethel Mae Matthews of NWRO, who de- BLAEN from oppressors but must organize to take what is right- nounced "Tricky Dick" and challenged the crowd to fully theirs. "stop shucking and jiving" and get serious about fighting But even though he wouldn't participate in the system, and Maynard Jackson, who urged the crowd SCLC's Spring Offensive, he thought that SCLC was to continue the civil rights movement with ballots instead the organization that could lead a renewed black move- of bullets and gasoline. . mOUE·· ment. He said that SCLC had a good organization and Then came the main speakers. Mrs. Johnnie Tillman goals and only needed to return to the streets and the of NWRO, because of the cold weather did not deliver a people. He denied that SCLC lacked the leadership to speech but simply led the crowd in a chant of "Nixon launch and lead a renewed black movement .. It is no doesn't care." Then came Jesse Jackson who most of the people mEnT? continued to page 16