On Crawford 's first full day in the position , April 2 , 1973 , he told twenty of his division managers that they would spend an entire weekend at a public housing development in Washington , D.C . They would sleep in vacant apartments in the buildings . Crawford said he wanted each of them " to have first-hand knowledge of how to cope and exist with inner city properties . " With help from the National Capital Housing Authority , Crawford planned to have the staff members stay in vacant apartments in the Frederick Douglas Dwelling development at 21st Street and Alabama Avenue SE . After a delay caused by emergencies related to flooding in parts of the country , the one-day one-night trip to the Frederick Douglas Dwelling took place at the end of May 1973 . During the trip , the staff members met with Thelma N. Jones , chair of a tenant advocate group in the neighborhood . Jones stressed that a minority of public housing tenants has scared the majority of tenants through vandalism and other crimes , leaving them with no option but to move to another public housing unit . Jones called on the officials to get tougher on the tenants who commit crimes in the public housing developments . The next year , Crawford instructed another 51 staff members to take similar overnight trips
flooding in parts of the country
Mississippi flood of 1973
H. R. Crawford