Riots in Miami, Florida Announcement of Federal Assistance in Rebuilding Areas Damaged During the Riots.

The White House today announced the Federal Government's initial commitment of resources to assist in the rebuilding of the Liberty City and other riot-torn areas of Miami, Fla. Gene Eidenberg, Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Frank N. Jones, Chairman of the Federal Interagency Task Force on Miami, announced a 7-agency program at Miami City Hall.

The program of Federal aid focuses on both short-term and long-term employment. It includes both new and reprogrammed moneys to the Miami-Dade area. In making the announcement, Eidenberg emphasized that, "This announcement reaffirms President Carter's promise that the Federal Government would play a role in the rebuilding of the Liberty City community. However, as the President emphasized in his meeting with community leaders on June 9, the Federal Government cannot solve the problems that caused the riot by itself. The State and local governments, and particularly the private sector, must play the lead role in addressing the complex issues facing Miami."

The 7-agency program includes:

—$4.280 million for U.S. Department of Labor training and job programs;

—$5 million for both short- and longterm economic development from the Economic Development Administration;

—$17.3 million of expedited Urban Mass Transportation Administration funds to provide jobs for black contractors;

—$40 million for small businesses impacted by the civil disturbances from the Small Business Administration;

—$1.3 million for anticrime efforts in public housing projects in Liberty City;

—$2 million of Law Enforcement Assistance Administration reprogrammed to the area for criminal justice programs;

—$1,250,000 for health and human service efforts in the impacted areas from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Frank Jones announced that he has submitted his interagency report on the riot in Miami to the White House. The report is being reviewed by White House staff.

The report includes a number of specific recommendations to revitalize the impacted areas, emphasizing economic development, in general, and the specific needs of the black-owned businesses. The Task Force recommends that the President appoint a Federal coordinator in order to ensure that Federal agencies continue to work in a coordinated manner in the Miami rebuilding effort.

The report noted the efforts being made by State and local governmental agencies, by the business sector, and by community organizations to find jobs for those who are unemployed due to the disturbances.

It praises the cooperation between the area's three chambers of commerce, representing the white, black, and Latin business sectors in the post-riot. The Federal Government will continue to work with all the parties at the State, local, and private sector levels to ensure the success of these initiatives.