John Jacobs, known as ''].].,'' was Ol1e of the wildest, most audacious 1'evolut'ioI101'y leaders. A College dropout, he was thought by some to IlOve "~ipped out" or gone slightly mad. Others though saw him as an imaginatively bold guerilla fighter.
an illegal sit-in in February, 1967, and almost failed to graduate because of the time he devoted to his political activities. Very bright, calm, and welldressed-unlike many of his comrades he is shaven, short-haired, often wears a white shirt and tie, and is partial to white socks-Papert was later seen tlY some as the little-known guiding spirit behind the Columbia revolution. He shuns publicity and refuses press interviews, again unlike many of his fellow activists, who tend to be candid, outspoken, and publicity-conscious. At nightfall it was still raining. The 6: 30 outdoor rally with black speakers from SNCC, Harlem CORE, and the Mau Mau Society thus failed to materialize. Discussions between the Negro students in Hamilton Hall and the College's deans and University's adminish'ators had intensified. At 8:00 p.m. Associate Dean Platt climbed into Hamilton to notify the Hamilton Hall Steering Committee, composed of CICero 'Nilson, College senior Ray Brown, and graduate student Bill Sales, that if the students left the building "by 10 p.m. tonight" they would have no crim-
in~l charges pressed against them, only disciplinary probation for the rest of the semester, which had only five weeks left. Moreover, President Kirk said he would "ask the Chairman of the Trustees to call a special meeting of the Board at the earliest practicable time to consider the Faculty recommendations concerning the gymnasium." (The University charter requires that before a Trustee's meeting can be held three days notice must be given.) It was an offer of virtual amnesty plus a promise to reconsider the gymnasium promptly. The Steering Committee discussed the proposal, then turned it down, saying that disciplinary probation would exclude them from continuing their work in the Students' Afro-American Society. Quickly, they were informed that this was not the case, that such probation would not exclude them from any 0Xtracurricular activities. More deliberation. Another refusal. Why didn't the black students accept the offer? It is not fully known. Some observers claim that the Steering Committee did not discuss the offer accurately with the other black students in
Hamilton, who might have voted for acceptance. Others feel that the Steering Committee was persuaded against the idea by the SDS whites in Strike Central, who argued that the University was trying to "split the revolutionary forces." Still others contend that the offer to reconsider the gymnasium was not strong enough and that the Steering Committee wanted construction stopped forever, with a hard guarantee. The matter of the Columbia gymnasium is one surrounded by inaccuracies and misconceptions. Particularly clouded is the origin and history of the idea. (See "Morningside's Late, Late Show" in Columbia College Today, Fall, 1966.) When the idea for its construction was born in 1960 in the minds of Columbia Vice President Lawrence Chamberlain, Park Department officials, various political leaders in Harlem and ew York City, and West Harlem residents, it seemed like a fine idea, a pioneering effort in universitycommunity relations, a bold push for better racial integration between the mixed but largely white residents of ~Iorningside Heights and the black residents below in Harlem. A "bridge" to promote better relations between the two areas, it was called. umerous Negro groups from Harlem went before the City Council to ask that it be built. None other than James L. 'Watson, the Negro State Senator who represented \Vest Harlem, a fierce spokesman for Negro rights, introduced the bill asking Governor Rockefeller to grant the city permission to lease the land to Columbia. Percy Sutton, then a Negro Assemblyman, now Manhattan Borough President, voted for the bill. By using a rocky slope in the park instead of a city block, no Morningside residents would be displaced. (University expansion was already an issue in those days.) Also, the park, by becoming an interracial meeting place full of activity, would become a safe place in which to walk and play again. The Community Gymnasium, and later, the swimming pool, would be West Harlem's only decent indoor recreational facility. Columbia's commihnent for the 100-year lease and the community gym would be $3,000 a year rent, $85,000 a year for trained staff and supervisors, and $3 million donation for the Community Gymnasium and Pool -a total of over $12 million-for the
SPRIXG, 1968
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