Langford v. City of Texarkana, Arkansas

337 F. Supp. 723, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15384
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 26, 1972
DocketT-71-C-1
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 337 F. Supp. 723 (Langford v. City of Texarkana, Arkansas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Langford v. City of Texarkana, Arkansas, 337 F. Supp. 723, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15384 (W.D. Ark. 1972).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

PAUL X WILLIAMS, District Judge.

Texarkana, Arkansas operates under “City Manager” plan. The City Manager is selected by the Board of Directors. The statutory authorization is set out in Ark.Stats.Ann. 19-712 (Repl.1968).

When the United States Model Cities Program came along, Texarkana, Arkansas had the vision to take advantage of it and in due course a very substantial sum of federal money was made available to and for the use of Texarkana to carry out the purpose for which the Model Cities Program was enacted.

The proper administration of the Model Cities Program required an organization which Texarkana provided. In chart form, the chain of authority was as follows:

In actually hiring personnel, the City Manager selected and employed Tom McRae as head of the “Community Development Department,” then entrusted to Mr. McRae the matter of hiring the personnel in his department. The City Manager was available to confer with Mr. McRae and was in close touch, with him, ready to counsel and assist, but the actual selection of Mr. McRae’s personnel was entrusted to Mr. McRae.

Mr. McRae hired Harold L. Langford to head the “organization” division of his Community Development Department. Texarkana has a substantial population of blacks and since a great deal of the organization work involved work with black people, it appeared desirable that a black person be put in charge of organization in order to get maximum cooperation. Harold L. Langford, a black, was in his early thirties, a graduate of a Massachusetts College, of good appearance and active in civic affairs among the blacks of the area. He seemed the best man for the position. He was employed and entered on the duties of his position as head of the organization division, among which were the duties of selecting and supervising community organizers. Although it is a matter in dispute, it appears to be true that when Mr. McRae hired Harold L. Langford, Mr. McRae was fully aware that Langford had worked at the Dunbar School where he had been fired, had worked for Lone Star, when he had been fired and that Mr. Langford was keenly interested in politics and active in that field, particularly among the blacks.

Among the community organizers hired by Harold L. Langford were Mrs. Viola Ribble and Mrs. Jimmie Johnson, each a white person.

Mrs. Jimmie Johnson has a small son- and is either separated or divorced. On June 15, 1970, the date she was hired by Harold L. Langford, she lived in an all white public housing development complex called “High Point Court” in *725 Texarkana. As stated in plaintiffs’ brief, “while she resided there, she allowed blacks, including Langford, and whites to socialize at her apartment.” The hours of “socializing” were erratic, some times quite late and sufficient in departure from the general demeanor of other residents in that community that the manager of the housing complex either talked or attempted to talk with Mrs. Johnson about it. Harold L. Lang-ford knew of the living habits of Mrs. Johnson and either knew or should have known that Mrs. Johnson’s ability and competency as an organizer was being affected in Texarkana by the notoriety of her conduct.

After the confrontation with the manager of the “High Point Court” complex Mrs. Johnson removed herself to the “Preston Circle” complex, a predominantly Black complex and there she continued to allow blacks, including Harold L. Langford, and whites to meet and socialize.

Mrs. Viola Ribble was hired by Lang-ford on August 16, 1969 and was assigned to work in the South Texarkana neighborhood council. She was considered by Langford to be his best organizer. Mrs. Ribble had one and a half years of training in business college above high school. She is either separated or divorced. She testified in her own behalf at the trial of this case on its merits and appeared knowledgeable and well able to express herself. She seemed to be genuinely interested in the Model Cities Program.

As stated above, she was assigned to work in the South Texarkana neighborhood which almost necessitated that she work in some degree of cooperation with the local council president, Mr. Vincent Glorioso. This she was unable to do— and regardless of which of them was right or wrong on the issues where they differed — they were at cross-purposes which was not for the best interest of the Model Cities Program. Langford was knowledgeable of this fact and critical that the elected president of the coun-. eil was given as much consideration as he was. Neither Langford nor Mrs. Ribble seek to conceal the fact that each has but slight regard for Vincent Glorioso and his wife and needless to add, when Mr. Glorioso testified, he was plain in stating that he did not have high regard for Langford, Ribble, or Johnson, but to the contrary that in his opinion each is unfit for employment by the City in the Model Cities Program.

Mrs. Ribble’s efficiency and competency in her employment by the City were further affected by the publicity given to her association with Mr. Lyle Hendricks, a married man with whom Mrs. Ribble was keeping company — or at one time kept company. Mrs. Hendricks, wife of Lyle Hendricks, made complaint and gave the matter such publicity that the neighborhood was fully aware of the fact that Mrs. Ribble was having dates with Lyle Hendricks. Further notoriety occurred when the police were summoned to quell a disturbance where Lyle Hendricks was involved and the situs was a place where Mrs. Ribble was at least temporarily, in presence. This unfavorable notoriety was well known to Harold L. Langford, who took sides with Mrs. Ribble.

The above recited facts were also known to Tom McRae, the head of the Community Development Program, and to Mr. Paul Shriever, the City Manager, each sharing some of the information and each influenced to a degree by information from independent sources. They talked about the matter of whether or not the entire picture rendered Lang-ford, Ribble and Johnson incapable and undesirable as City employees. Mr. McRae thought that they should be retained, but the City Manager, Mr. Shriever, after full evaluation reached the considered judgment that each was unfit and undesirable and told Mr. McRae to fire them. This conversation between the City Manager and Mr. McRae occurred on Saturday, November 28, 1970.

On Monday November 30, 197Q, Mr. Tom McRae informed each of the *726 three that their employment with Texarkana was terminated.

Langford, Ribble and Johnson consulted among themselves and with the other employees within the “organization group” and there was some discussion that the entire group would walk out and quit; but Langford told them to stay on — that the program was too important to be disrupted by the firing of three people and that in his opinion it was better for them not to quit.

But the three thought they were entitled to be heard by the City Manager; so they called on the City Manager, Mr. Shriever, at his office. The complainants state in their trial brief as follows:

“Langford, Johnson and Ribble arrived at Shrievers office at City Hall at or about 9:45 a. m. Langford initiated the conversation with Shriever in his office, and informed him that they had just been informed that they had been fired, and they wanted to know why.

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Bluebook (online)
337 F. Supp. 723, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/langford-v-city-of-texarkana-arkansas-arwd-1972.