Group Challenges City Hall for More Voice, Action on Issues

By Darwin Campbell
African-AmericanNews&Issues

The battle for equality in Fort Worth involves demanding city hall recognizes and respects community issues and the concerns of all Black citizens.
It has one grassroots group challenging the city council and African American leaders to get serious, be fair and do more than just listen or pay lip service to the community’s needs. “It is time to balance the scales, come together, make it work and make downtown pay attention,” said the Rev. F.D. Lawson, pastor of Harmony Missionary Baptist Church.
“If we come back together as a community, take an unselfish approach and stand up, we can make a difference.” Lawson and a group of pastors and community activists are sounding the alarm they intend to fight, until conditions improve citywide African Americans.
“Fort Worth could be world class community, but it is a tale of two cities,” said pastor and community activist Rev. Kyev Tatum. “Mayor (Mike Moncrief) likes to travel to places and talk about Fort Worth being the fastest growing and most livable cities in the country, but the truth is it is the most unlivable cities if you are poor and Black.”
Lawson is concerned about the double standards in the city’s education system, imbalances existing between Black and White neighborhoods, and constant attacks on community leaders, Black children and Black institutions, like churches. In his case, the New Harmony Baptist Church faced a $138,000 property tax bill from the city for its church property and made threats to take it. “It is outrageous,” he said. “We are fighting to keep the church property and get the taxes deleted, because we do not feel we should have to pay property taxes on a church being used for religious purposes.” According to Lawson, the released permits to a building developer to expand the church property into residential homes. The plan has since been withdrawn after church leaders raised objections. Group leaders also said Councilwoman Becky Haskins allegedly made backroom commitments to remove older properties and get Blacks out of her district. “Everyone of color ought to be upset over this, because we don’t live in the 1960’s no more,” he said. “We don’t have to drink out of black and white water fountains no more, so the city needs to quit treating us like it.” Lawson said the church tax issues and other concerns have fallen on deaf ears downtown and not much help or support has come from Black pastors in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce or the NAACP.
Lawson and Tatum believe greed is at the heart of developers preying on prime real estate property owned by Black residents and churches. Other concerns the group is seeking to remedy, include changing improper procedures in city government and the school district protecting whites from punishment and sanctions, nailing Black employees and residents to the cross, problems with minority children assigned to alternative school, education funding and other imbalances in schools with a majority minority students and the attack on Blacks in the criminal justice system. According to the leaders, African Americans want responsibility and deserve the opportunity and equal access and fair input in educating Black children and rebuilding the community. “This city refuses to acknowledge the problems and is not being fair about imbalances between the north and south sides of Fort Worth,” he said. “Kids grow up in that kind of environment with no real investments in community, be it sewer, water and streets being in the third and fourth generation of this demonstrates the attitudes downtown that demonstrate an unwillingness to balance the scales.” Tatum added one of the problems with African Americans in Fort Worth is the petty jealousies and grudges existing between segments of the community. “Willie Lynch works so well in Fort Worth,” he said. “It is tragic for someone to come up with a good plan that works for all of us, but because it is not advanced forward, because one person doesn’t like another and so the plan is set aside and forgotten.” Tatum said division has been the greatest weapon used to divide the Black community and neutralize its strength. “It is time to stop letting them trick us,” he said. “Stand up now and work together on Black issues in Fort Worth, so that we can be heard and get some changes made.”