Lessors, Custodians Close Japanese Apartment, Hotel Rooms To Negro

U.S. Evacuates Seattle Japanese; Lessors, Cutodians [Custodians] Evacuate Negroes

NOTICE TO VACATE

TO: M. SHIRAISHI and to KIKUYE SHIRAISHI, his wife and to all guests, lodgers, boarders, or persons renting rooms in the premises hereinafter described.

YOU AND EACH OF YOU will please take notice that the month-to-month tenancy of those certain premises designated and known as 655 1/2 Jackson Street, being the upper floors of that certain building now situated upon Lot 1 and part of Lot 2, Block 48, D.S. Maynard's Flat, an addition to the city of Seattle, King County, Washington, also known as Tokiwa Hotel, is hereby terminated. You are hereby notified and required to surrender and vacate the said premises on or before March 31, 1942.

DATED at Seattle, Washington this 2nd day of March, 1942.

FRAUENTHAL BROTHERS, INC.
By D.N. Jauri
Secretary

Notices similar to the above is what any Japanese apartment house or hotel owner may find in his mail. Either from choice or necessity Japanese will begin evacuating military District No. 1 within ten days or two weeks. Co-effective with the order evacuating the Japanese is the unwritten ultimatum of the landlords, lessors, and government, in hotels and apartment houses that no Negroes may be accepted as tenants.

While the above notice does not specify any tenant; it is significant the 90% of all are Negroes. The matter was brought to the attention of the N.A.A.C.P. The Reverend F.W. Penick, president of the local chapter, began an investigation to determine if possible the extent of the evacuation areas, as it concerns Negroes in Japanese hotels and apartment houses.

Mr. Joe Newberg, president of Frauenthal Brothers, Inc., denied any move to oust Negroes: that the "Notice to vacate" made no reference to Negroes or other races. (More than 90% of the Tokiwas' tenants are Negroes.

Miss Birdie Morris, a potential lessee, said "Mr. Joe Newberg in refusing us a lease stated he was saving the hotel for use of Boeing employees. (Boeing employs no Negro men).

The Atlas and other Japanese hotels and apartment houses will follow the Tokiwa in evacuating Negroes.

The Kenyon Apartments, long the home of Negro tenants, has been placed in the restricted area. Unless rescinded the order evacuating Japanese, will also evacuate Negro tenants in this apartment. Lessors and custodians seem to be in accord in the exclusion order.