A young Catholic priest said Sunday night’s riot on Boulevard Avenue was caused by general unrest in the area, the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old Negro boy and the handling of a wounded youth.

Father Paul Kelley, 28, a priest at Sacred Heart Church, said he went to the area and talked to Negroes at the scene. Negroes hurled bottles, rocks, bricks and fire bombs at police who attempted to stop the rioting. The priest said the rioting was not caused by the jailing of Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, though many Negroes called for his release.

“The Negroes were bitter about the boy being shot,” the priest said, “but they also did not like the way another wounded boy was left on the street. A wounded policeman was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and a police car later came and took the boy to Grady,” he said. The priest said the body of the dead youth was left on the scene for some time.

“I didn’t detect any positive leadership in the incident,” Father Kelley said, “It was more or less spontaneous and it partially was the result of what happened at Summerhill last week.” Father Kelley said several policemen told him the crowd had been egged on earlier, but the agitators had left before the violence erupted. “Most of the Negro leaders who live in the area were trying to cool off the crowd. The crowd was vehement against the mayor,” he said.

The priest said residents of the Bedford-Pine area have been upset because they are afraid of being moved, since the city auditorium will be built in the area. “The Negroes also know of plans for public housing units, but the city has not outlined the plans to them.” He said Negroes told him if they had to move from the area they may lose their jobs because of the difficulties of public transportation.

He said the crowd did call for the release of Carmichael, who has been in jail since last week’s riots.

“I asked one Negro if he thought Carmichael was the answer,” the priest said, “and he replied, ‘Not really, but we don’t have any other answer.’”

The priest said many Negroes asked him why he had come to the area. “I went because it is within the boundaries of Sacred Heart and because we have student’s from St. Joseph’s High School who live in the area,” Father Kelley, a religion teacher at the school, said.

He said he found himself in the middle of the disturbance by circumstance, and that he was treated well. Later, however, he said he was told it would be better if he left.

Hector Black, a white man who has become well known for his efforts to help Negroes in Vine City, said he disagrees “with the argument in the press and on TV the SNCC was the cause of the trouble” on Boulevard.

“Some seem to think if you get rid of SNCC, you’ll get rid of trouble, but this is not true,” Black commented. Black pointed out that neither he nor the Vine City Council agree with SNCC’s objectives, but added, “I have an uneasy feeling that some people are being used to get rid of SNCC.” Black said he was not present at the riots on Boulevard, but witnessed the rioting last week.