SNCC June 15-July 30 - Civil Rights Movement Veterans

June 19, 1965
APPEAL FOil HELP TO CAHPUS CONTACTS---
From the enclosed chronology' o.f events · and other information you can see that
this is a real CRISIS SITUf~ TION. You can . help. in t he following ways:
1) We understand that . mosi; .of you are not involved with worki~g groups· at the
present moment ••• however there· is ·much that, you as an INDIVIDUAL CAN DO. Tf ,
you live in an area with a Friends of Si:CC 9ffice, r>lease let them know of
your presence and help them••• th~y - need you now.
2) People are wanted in Jacksori now. The.re, vdll bE! a large mass meeting in
Jackson on Tuesday night • . People from all over the country are urged to at-tend/
,.. ___ .,- . . --.t-# 102
..3::a.._ ·-·~~-'"
··~-'t~.-...::1+.-.....ri,.+'l-.n-h;rlnh&."-:"'t<l 'h,_,~h.:n ... d-~,...a,.;+.rrncr
WATS REPOHT
;~;
1 111i.t.hn1it.
.·h~i · 1.
June 15, 1965, Tuesday
JACKSON, MISS. This jls the latest report as of 10 pm. It ·is not to
be assumed to be complet;ely accurate or reliable.
Monday night: At the mass meeting last night at the MOrning Star
Baptist Church, CharlE:s Evers of the NAACP spoke. He offej5ed the
assistance of the NAAGP 1 saying "We squabble amongst ourselves, but
when the chips are down,. we're all together." John Lewis said "SNCC
has supported and will continue to support the MFDP."
Tuesday morning, another meeting was held at the Church, and
the group, about 175-,~00, left for t be Capitol. John Lewis and Charles
Evers were at t be head of the line. This was aro ung noon. As the
group approached Churc:h St., there were 50-60 police approximately 200
yards in front of them. At Lamar St. Police Chief Ray came down the
line and told the people it was illegal for them to march, and if
they d idn 1 t leave, thE~Y would be arrested. They didn't; so they were
then loaded into trucks and paddy wagons, and taken to the Fairgrounds
to join the 500 arrested yeste~day.
According to Bill Kopit of LCDC, the 14 "leaders" separated out
last night are now in the City Jail.
At 4:15, about 20-25 people stood in the entrances to the Post
Of't'i.ce RlliJ Cling, in a d E1mons tra t;j nn to dem:Cl.nd federal pro teet inn .11nJ
an end to po1in() b1·ut.ftlity. An hour later, after having bodily
tossed off the steps by federal marshalls, they were arrested.
WASHINGTON FDP Joffre~ Clarke/Bab
DEMONSTRATION AT JUSTICE DEPT.
About 150 people, mostly students who were taking part in the Washing to
on Lobby, demonstrated at the Justice Dept today. Mrs. Gray o.f the
FDP and attorney Bill Hi.ggs had tried to g13t an appointment wibh
Attorney-General Katzembach, but failed.
In the afternoon, a six-r;tan
d~aegation saw Steven Packel (probably an a~ssistant to IDatzenbach);
they discussed federal protection andrelease of prisoners, and he
said be couldn't do arzything.
ALBANY, GA. Jim Parry/Bab
NEGRO CANDIDATE COMES IN THIRD
Rev. -samuel B. Wells, running for City Commissioner in a special
elcetion, came in thir·d, mn~Xlii.Ja The tow candidates who beat him
and the fourth candidstte were all white. Hobert Denson, the son of
the former Commissioner, got 1976 votes, the second guy got 1924,
Wells got 1470, and the .fourth got about 200. There were many
irregular! ties dmring and after the campaign- -harras smen ts, etc.
Of 18,000 registered voters in Albany, 8000 are Negro.
WINDSOR, BERTIE CO, NORTH CAROLINA Eric Morton/Bab
Jocelyn Mcl\issick and white volunteer John Rowcheck were .followed by
police while canvassing here. This frightened the lady who was
going to give them a building to work out of, and she took back her
offer. However, a loc:al funeral director :ts working on the Elks
Club to find them a place.
THE ADDRESS OF THL:; NOHTH CARIDLINA PROJECT IS
403 Bell Street
Enfield, N.C.
919-445-5686
Eric Mort~n has set up cpntacts in Enfield (Halifax Co.},
Kittrell, and Bertie Co.
TOMORR01ii IS BOND DAY.
(Julian Bond, that :is. We also need about
$70,000 bond for the people in Jackson. This morning we heard they
planned to sta~ in, tc1 avoid sending huge :Huns of money into Miss.,
but they may n,ed it e!ventually.)
.,
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS ~~ JU:NE 14 - 20, 1965
Monday, June 14::
The russissipp:L stato legislature Y!as scheduled to hold a special
session of the legislature. The MFDP had called on people from
across the s1jate to cone to Jackson to protest this meeting of the
ler;islature on the Grounds that it was illegally elected and
unrepresentative of the peo:_;le. Therefore it had no righ·t to sit and
pass lavJs. ~)OO people gathered in Jackson; they had a meeting at a
church one mil~3 from the capital. Around noon JO people left in
cars to r,o to the capitol, when they rrot out of their cars they
were arrested. Around the same time 1jhe rest of the peo~)le (u5o)
berran to marc:h to tho ca~;itol, one block away from it they were
arrested by 1;he police. The peonle rwre taken to the Jackson State
Fairgrounds and booked on demonst.ntin':': 1"1tihout a permit--they
were marching under their First Amendment Tii.~hts of peace r:ul assembly
to protest grievances. At the fairgrounds as men were taken from one
building to another, they were made to go between two rows of city
and state police who beat them with billy clubs.
That evening 16 peorJle were arrested for -handing out leaflets vd thout
a permit.
Tuesday, June 15: 200 more people were arrested in Jackson on route to the capitol for
demonstrating without a permit. Others were arrested late that
afternoon as they picketed the federal building in Jackson. These
picketeers were pushed off the federal steps onto city property by
fecleral marshalls and then were arrested by city police.
7ednesday,JUnel6: 75 people were arrested in Jackson marching to the capitol.
rhursday, Junel7: 27
p~opJ-ci·IJore
arrested around 3:30
1)1~1;
20 of
.~ho~:l
from Alabama.
Seven congressmen in 'i{ashington D.C. held a press conference in which
it was announced that the Clerk of the House has not printed any of
the depcsiticns subr:ritted l::y tho PFDP as evidence for the Challenge.
June 4 he had publicly announced that all of the evidence would be
printed. Now on technica1it5.es (documents not being properly sealed
or signed in the right places) he has delayed the printing of the
depositions.
"'riday,. June 18:
100 people werr arrested in Jackson in five separate demonstrations.
They picketed in various plac€s--the Nor1 Capitol, the Old Ccpitol,
the Governor's Mansion and the Robe ·t E Lee Hotel, where some of the
sessions are bej_ng held.
President Johnson announced the appoin1;ment of J.P. Coleman to the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The appointment has been sent to the
Senate Judiciatry Committee for apnroval. Coleman, ex-governor of
Mississippi, is one of the lawyers representing the five congressmen
being challenged by the FDP.
About 19 people from Nfississippi decided to sit in the office of the
Clerk of the House, Ralph Roberts to protest the fact tha·t he has not
yet r>rinted any of the FDP's evidence. They left that evening when
Hoberts promised to meet with them the next morninr,.
~turday,
June 19:Roberts cancelled his appointment with the Hississippi people this
morning. The people decided to wait until he, came. Police closed the
office to the press and would not allow any food to be brought into
the Clerk's office. Many of the Mississippi people are very old.
About 5 P.H. pol:ice arrested 12 of the peonle, including Mrs. Gray.
Acting Captain of the Capitol Police who ordered the arrests said he
did so in consultation with the House Sargent at Arms and with the
U.S. Attorney's office in "Tashinr,ton, D.C.
Nine people went down to ~:--iclcet the .f;drL;rounds with the intention <.f
getting arrested, inorder to take heTis to the people in the jails and
to help build up the morale.
Federal District Judge Cox r;ave Jackson until Hednesday to submit
additional affid~1vHs and briefs to prove that the anti-parade and
the anti-leafleting city ordinances are constitutional.
INCIDEl-JT S U.. Jf!L\RY F01"?.
'o"r.::; ~.-;J(
OF' JUHE 27 to .JULY
4
SUNDAY~ JUNE 27 1 1965
TUSKEGEE;fiLABAUA -- 16 p e ople tried to int egrat e three r,• hite churche s this
morning in Tuskegee. The group divided up into three's. At all three churches,
the deacons locked the doors of' ijiJe church.
AMERICUS, GEOJ:.GB. -- Sammy Mahone and Sammy Rushing, SNCC workers, at tempted to
integrate the Ma rtin Theat 0. r. They were sold tickets a nd went into the lobby.
In the lobby , they were attac)-:ed by a croup of wh:Ltes. The manager of the theater
came out and told the tw·o · guys that tl:1ey 1'/ould have to get out, They said that
they would if he would return their l'lOney. The money was returned anrl they left.
'Ihe manager also returned the money to some of the ~uys in the mob, The mob
followed the GUYS 1'ihen they left the theater. One of them drew a knife on the
two civil rights workers. They then ran, and the mob didn't follow. In Americus
each time that a :Jlace is inter, rated a mob is waiting outside to intimidate the
peo~)le.
I'10NDAY, JUNE 28 1 1965
ALBANY, Gf.OHOIA --.About 60 peot;le from Cordele. and Americus planned a picnic last
weekend at Lake . Dlackshcr, Georgia State Part~. The picnic was planned to prove
that the people were not intimidated by the shooting that occured last week after
several Negroes inte:?;rated the swimming pool at the park. !'ihen they got to the
park, the group divided into the men and the women. The women went into one of the
pavilions . imd the men into the p icnic area. The group used the :.1 ublic dining
facilities. A white mob formed around the Group and began to harrass them. They
smashed the window of a VW. Tha group then decided to l e ave. As they tried to
get into the cars they were 1;ushed by the whites and another window on bhe VW
smashed with a tire iron. They managed to Get into the ·c ars. At the intersectton
leading out of the :1ark, the wh:i te mob started throwing b ricks and rocks. Orie
of the white guys who had smashed the car windavs had a revolver. He shot into
the group three or four times b ut did not hit anyone. Later, the group had a
meeting and invited the sheriff to come by. He did. He refused to swear out a
warrant for the man who clid the shootinc;. He said that on Sundays 'he court
house is closed and that he colildn 't swear out warrants on Sundays. The people
will try again cl.ur~ng the week.
SHAH, FH .SSIS&IPFI -- There was a state meetinr- of t he Mississippi Freedom Labor
Union in ShavitOday. People discussed the fact that the cotton chopping season
is almost over, and the picldnr; season is beGinning. They decided that they will
strike if they aren't able to get : :'5 per 100 pounds of cotton they pick. They
are also going to try andget bhe guys who drive the machines that pick cotton
to go on strike because some of them e;et 50¢ a bale of cotton and others get ~n.
Some of the :1eoi)le on strike said that they were going to · stay on strike until
they can get ~~1.25 per hour. They also discussed · how to get land for those people
on strike and who have been thrown off their land.
THURSDAY, JUNE 29 , 1965
PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS -- On Saturday, following an attempt to test a restaurant
a white summer volunteer was threatened with a gun by the owner of the restaurant.
Today a warrant was sworn out for the owner. SNCC was ovictod from its office
after one week in occupancy,
CLEV:f.LAND, l't1I3SISSIPPI -- The Ftrst National Bank in Cleveland has cancelled
the 'MFLU accounts and refused to reopen them. The mana •"c r, Mr Collier, said
the reason was because they didn't agree with the policies of the union. This
bank is a member of the Federal Reserve.
GREENWOOD, MISSISSI P? I -- Arthur Roberts, a 14 year old boy wa.s shot in the
face by a guard of the Leflore c:ou.nty farm yesterday. He is still alive,
Reverand Roberts,.his father, says the boy told him a Ne gro guard asked him
to pick up a rag. He turned away, and then he he ard the gun cocked and t.urned
around and by that time the gun was firing away; there wa s no scuffle. A wife
of one of the guard.s said it was an accident; the gun wa s dropp ed . Arthur . Roberts
had been accused of shoplifting about two months a go. He neve r had a tra il.
When he was first arrested, Ileverand Roberts tried to ge t the h ff icials bo send
him to reform school instead of th<~ county farm. They r ofuscd ..
June 29
CANTON,
at 6t30
because
(continued)
.
!ITSSISSIPPI -- About )0 Madison ·county peo·;le went into the city park
today and had no trolli>le at all. The reason there was no trouble is
they had a court order.
WEDNESDAY · JUNE )0, 1965
.
CAMDEN, AUBAHA -- Tonight a group of people were sitting around the SCLC office.
A group of white guys came into the office and beat them up. At least two
people were hospitalized as a result of the beating. They were beaten with
pipes on the head and shoulders, At least one shot was also fired.
THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1965
BAKER COUNTY, GI:ORGIA -- Yesterday aft e rnoon, around 14-15 people tested rest
rooms in gas stations and the courthouse here. The only place they were
allow~d in was the s ervice station owned by George Bush, who is running for
sheriff against the p resent sheriff, L. Uarren Johnson. That night they
had a mass meeting to discuss . the t e sting. About 200-250 people attended.
They decided that t hey would boycott every gas station in town except the one
owned by Bush.
GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI~ Last Sunday; fifteen white people attended a Negro church
here, the Mount Olive Baptist Church. Tonight, a cross was burned in
front of the church.
FRIDAr, JULY 2, 196)
HAT'fi'F.BBURG, NISSISSIPPI" --- About a week ago there was a court order agains t
county registrar T, Lypd. · The orde1· does away with "int erpre ·ba tion and duties
of ci tizemJhip. 11 About thi.rtyfive. people per day have gone to take the test.
Last night, the Klan rode ancl burned four crosses.
sUNDAY, JULY 4, 1965
CAJ.!fBRIDG:C, r.IARYLAFD -- Seven ';)<80ple, CHAC workers and l ocal citizens were
arrested this evening when V1e:1r attempt ed to inte grate the only swirruning
pool in town. The pool ·was financed by public solicitations of fun ds and
by loans from the ·f our local banks. It is operated by the se gre r.:at.e d volunt ee r · ·
fire department, which receives city and county appropriations. However,
the pool does not accept Nee roes. On April 3~ the Just ice Department
declared the pool to be a bona fide private clttb. 'I'he s even p eople attempted
to file membership applications. The managers refused to g ive them applications
and ordered them to lea ve • . V~1en they refused, they were arrested and bodily
removed from the premises, cha r ged with trespass-inG and di sorderly conduCt.
The pool is the only safe swimming area in town.
FRANKLIN eomJTY, );ISSISSI PPI
On July 1~ . two crosses were burned wHhin several miles of the Masonic
Temple on Highway 98 near Meadville. At 10 pm last night; the Temple
was burned down. Marshall Gam~, who went to investiage , came t0 the
conclusion that the Klan is beginning to organize and gr ow acu,·e in this southwest Mississippi county.
\
RUNNTNn
INCIDENT SID11'1ARY FOH. THE MONTH OF JULY, 1965
July 1---Laurel, Mi.As--.The freedom School and FDP office was bombed at about
1:30 AM. Two FDP wor'lw:rs from Hattiesburg were in the hou~se asleep
at the time and werr able to put the fire out before the house was
totally destroyed. Telephone wires to the. bu :i ldjng were cur, and after
the fire was put outj, the remains of a Molotov cocktail made fr r w two.
beer bottles were found. ·
1
Selma, Ala.--At least two people were hospitalized as a result
beating in Camden, 'j1a .. , last ni_ght by a group of whtte men.
bf
I
a
Civil
rights workers were beaten with pipes on the heact and shouldorsl
least one shot was ftred.
At
Gulfport, Miss--A cross was burned in front of the Mt. Olive Baptist
Church, a Negro chur(:h where 15 white pf;ople wont to 1vorshin th~; Sunday
before.
I
Jackson, lVliss • ..;-A demonstration began today with ab01..1t 70 pconle.
no one was arrested, o1ihers joined the demonstrAtj on.
I
1rJhen
July 2---tTaclcson, IVJiss.---200 pcop\c; marched from the f1orni~gstar Baptist
Clrurch to the ste~to c:apitol. Ihey marched aro11nd the Capitol R~Iildinr;
for one hour. Police did not interfere with the marchers bE' cause
of the recent injunction handed down by the ~th drcui t Court of l\pp0als
restraining them from interferinr: with the Constitutional right of
peaceful assembly and! peaceful protest. News reports from Jackscm
indi.C<'te that 40 crm;ses wore burned in different places Across tho st2te
last night.
July 3--Little ltock, Ark,,--:Last night in Dumas, Ark., bob Cnpleton rnd Terry
Carr wore picked up by a local policeman for questioning. The ~ayor
called down and gave then a warning about ci.vll rights vwrkGrs in "his
town." 'I'hey were rel€ascd in Go,,J.rl, Ark., and had to hide frcm llocal
rolice arrl a carload of wh:i.te.s who were looking for thf.m.
Jackson, Miss.--150 people marched from the Farrj sh Street Baptist Church
to City Hall and bRck ngain. The marchers wore led by l~ .1:-ld<nnn min;f''·' l
'1'1:ere were no arrest~>.
,Tnlv 6---Euta~v, Ala.--1,:)00 Negroes marched on the conuty co1n·Lhousc;
n:m::dnorl
20n
t.o attempt to register to vot0.,
West Helena, 1lrkans£w;..•.I\1.Jout 150 people attcndcf~ a mass meeting last
night where Julian Bond and John Lewis spoke. 1 hc meeting kich:pd off a
voter ngistration dri vc and .today 200 people went down on their mm to
attempt to register. As a result of a recent election, no litetacy test
is required anymore.
Amite Co, l1iss--'l'he homes of \nTUlics Hayes and Curtis Johnson 1vere
dynamited.
Pine Bluff, Ark.--'fhe manager of the Plantation hmbers Rrstaurant, Hh o
a vreck and a half ago pulled a gun on a whtte SNCC worker shortl y after
he tested public accomodations, was arrested to:lay on a warrant signed
by the workEr.
Pine Bluff, l 1rk, .. -E1ijah •(andolph, Pine Bluff Negro, was fired f rom his
job after his boss found out that he was workinp- with QNCC.
Albany, Ga.--People from .nlbany have bf.en demonstrRting and trying to
.see the sheriff, LEmar Stuart, recently to protest the beatinp.: by police
last week of three Nr:gro bClfE.l--one of whom had been arrPsted on a burglary charge, and two boys who were with him. At first the sheriff
rE!.f.used to see anyone but the parents of the ooys. One SabJrde~ 1y, 25
people picketed the sheriff's office and presEnted a petition tb him.
Indianola, J.VIiss.--Five local people announced they will run for city
offices during the city elections in October. They will try to qurtlify
next week.
"-
page 2
July 7---Mout.go llle ry, A]::~, - - Workers have been circuln tinr: p e ti t ;i ons ::~rklr c s s c d _
to the fed eral, ut.ate .a nd loc::~l r;ovcnmu-mt,c !'lAking that theright-towv.dr law be repealed, the~t minimum wage laws be passed to cover those
occupations that employ large numbers of Negroes, netitions will be s ent
to Congress which is coudicrl:er1ng l'lholishi np; thn ri ght.-bo-work law,
Hcliomb, Miss,--11. "SpeR,kout" was held here in the Sweet Home t!apti.sh l:hu.t<'h
1
on ;;:;unday, June 27 • · tie purpose was to bring together white a1111Negro
citiz Ens to discuss their problems, and it was organized by the Whitestown Precinct FDP and letters of invi tat-lon were smt out to over 600 whit
vvhite citizens, ~ncluding a telegram to,}ongressman John Bell Hilliams,
There was a total hews blackout on the peakou t, and none of the white
people came.
Shaw, Miss,--Tl..Yo truckloads of food were driven to
winstcn liounty tod~;Y"~
.::)
haw from the poople in
vhicago; Ill--35 kids are attending the Residential Freedom 0 chool.
( c-eor;rnphical breakdown: 4 from Miss., 4 fran lila., 5 from Ga., 3 from
'J'•c:,-n ., 3 from Ark~, 2 from Newark, NJ., 3 from Philadelphia, Pa., and
·-r .x
f om Ch·J.Cago • )
Indianola, Miss--People continue to p;o down to the courthouse to attempt
t ·· :::' 0 ?~-ster to vote. l.iotton picking season has started and 50 people are
en.
r.:t·~ -· lke.
July 11---Cordele, Ga.-Y or the 4th time today a group tried to integrate the
T:·: ·::- . !louse,, a restaurant l"lhich is the hangout of the local white arist r:.: c1cy. lhey had been refused service .each of the three ti"·es befor e .
1-r,,~ f:' e of the four people who went today wore arrested ~nd charged with
t re spassing.
Victoria, Va.--An integnd~eu group of workers went into the Nelson Drug
Btore to eat; Negroes ·were served but th1, white people were refused.
The i'legroes then ordered food for all.
he next day they went back.
The owner c1oseil down at 1 PM rather t1.-1::1n serve the group.
Bo 1 ~olmw, La.--A white man threw a rock and hit a 17-year-old who was
part of a demonstr ~ tion at the county court house in °ogalusa tonight. A
nurse went to get the girl who had been hit on the head. A mob of
whites stood outside the courthouse and when the nurse took the gid
to the car, the white mob attacked the car and tried to bEat them. A
member of the Deac nns, a Negro group organ; zed about, 6 months ago to
fight the Klan in Loutsiana in self-defense, shot into the mob of whi t cs.
he white man Nho hit the girl was critically injured. Someone from
the Klan called and said that the Klan was coming into the Negro cornrrnmj ty
tonight. There are mobs forming domtov.rn,
.Tnly ?-·--Corrlele, ua.--A mass meetin~ was scheduled for Wednesrlay night at the
home of a man in Arabi, Ga •. when his boss found out about this the man
was fired from his job and evicted from his home. He was told that if he
stayed in one nlace too long that his luck would chanp,e. 'l'he man WCls founct
sitting under a tree outside of town. vvhen pGople heard him tell wh,gt
had happened, they held a mass meeting outside under the tree,
Lm~dnes County, Ala. --'T here were approximately 104 people at the Court
House yes erday and only about 7S of them were processed. They are exr-ecting 200-.300 people at the Court House today.
Amelia, va.--A bottle fi l led with fire crackers was thrown on to the
driveway of a local Negro girl who had been canv.<~ssing with some white
workers.
West Point, Miss.--Tbree white volunteers were arrested as they tried to
enter the Live Stock Restaurant. with a local Negro youth. T,~cy were
charged with disturbing t,he peace. Bond has not. been set.
he Negro
was not arrested, but he was b~ldly beaten by some local whites and left
lying in the street.
York, Ala.--The t1ayor of York came into the churdh that harl been frr ed
into an:l gave Alvery 11'!illiams, SNCC worker, a subpoena to annear in court.
He is charged with firing into the church,
I
j _ _ _ _ __
:
· ·~ -· .'1'-"''", ~t-~·r~~"'~
q
!
•
Page 3
I·
.
_.i
I
~
.
'
~
;
'
Forr~st ca.-t;.y ,· Ark.~~S2 ,,people registered here today.' · ~NCC J,s mw working
·" ~n 14' eastern ''and southec1stern counties in' Arkansas. ' 1'our 1'reedan centers
"lcombination of community center and freed an school) are operating with
' .,400-450 peoplELtaking ;P'a rt. ; '
'r.
."J t :
,.Vi·J
I
'
'
. ·.
1 ~:-
_,
~'·I,.'
,;' ..
-~
•
'
' I '
-~
. : .\ '
I
'
' ,
i
.,
1. Hale}~c;>unty .. ~ ,,~la ••-~on ,','I'~sday a.l.bout.
. .' herEf (with permit). .
I
•
·.500 people t.ook part in a march
. Cordele, Ga.--Two. white volunteers were beaten here as tp.ey; took part
>' in .a 'demonstrati9n involving 6Q . people who picketed in' front .qf. the Town
·· Honse Restaurant. The ambulance refused to take one of the volunteers
who was unconf!cious, .
the . hospital .unless the driver was paid $10.
A hostile _mob, stocq .,around .making threats.
·
to'
' ' ;
'
.. :
'
'
I
!.
' . ~
I
.
.
Ala~--Th~ ' ~'io~ B~~t:i.~t '"'hu~ch, 5 miles from 1utaw in Greene
County, was burned down . this . ev«ming around 8 or 9 PM~ ,·The Church
has no conne~io~ ' with : the movement.· llO tol5 white men were standing around
. ~~e ch~.ch t as,:}t., bur.~ed.
. 1.
,J11ly 10·--Eutaw,
July 11---Americus, Ua.--~rs. ~art Bell 'announced she will run for Justice
of the Peace on July . 21, .., ~e . is .:tne first Negro candidate to run for
_.,. ,. anything 'in 'Americus~
·
' · 1 •
!
t
•
If
'
~
"
Cordele, Ga.--.a:od~y people aga~n picketed the Town House Restaurant in
., shifts of five. 'l'wo large whit4a mobs gatherc:d on both ends of the
street. A group of w}lite peopl1a. attacked one of' the picketerst Rev.
William Abbott., 'white min~~ter frpm .the Presbyterian Committee on ·Race
and R~ligioh , from 'California, :_ Ar, little wh::Ue lat.e r an old white man
came up ari~ · beat h"'m with his fist. ' 'fhe man was arrested and beaten ·
· · with a· . billy club by a . Ne~o policeman • . The mob was egg-ed on. by two
... · white guys and . started pcwn 'the street toward the demonstrators, but
.· :. ,. the · State Patrol ·.pus1u3~. ;tbem ~ack.
. ·' t
'
' '
"
..
;
'
. ' :
I ' ::
,
~
.
;
\
\
I
Bogalusa; ; La.~..:.YeEf~(n-d.ay i:>icket•3rs tr:l,ed to picket downtown stores and
1-vere beaten· bY whites. A CORE 1rorker 1took the nonviolent ' pbsition, but
a Negro soldi~r on the .'picket .l:lne fought back, Last night when they 1
came back frdn the rally, · whitel3 were running up and down the street,
hlowing horns with confederate flags, and later shooting guns. ~~hen the
iiegroes shot bac,k. two were arrc;;sted, .but no whites were arrested. Nobody
was · hit. 1Tooay '700 people .took part in .a silent march. State troopers
threw up "a ,.roadblock around th.e ·town to keep outsiders who wanted to come
in and help, out.
·
.Jnly 12··-West. Tennesoco vot.ero ProJoct.--11. cross was burned at minnighb last
night at the home of the leader of the Tifton (T'enn.) movement.
.
.
' 1,. ' '
'
'
'
'
Starkville, 'Miss.-;.,49 people. successfully integrated the Hinih lrJayia
Sta1je· Park 1in utarkville •. ' ''!'he group. included 3 whi tee and 4 Negroes from
Starkville' and 42 .pe Qp~.e from : ~ins
COJ,ln.ty • .' There were no incidents.
' • ~
1 1 _;· ; ! ·
,1 '
i' '
I
'
.
I
ton
1
·
,
Tuskegee, Ala.--A group ; ,Sf peopleattempted to integrate three churches
in downtown ! Tuskeegee. '.' : oo;r:s o£, all the three church~s, the First Baptist
The First PresbYterian ' and J:.he · ~ ir st Methodist., were locked and the people
were ref\1.sed ehtranc·a ,' · .' a cameraman was· attacked at the First Methcx:list
Church.. ~: as 'he was try:l.~,g· 1t.o ' tak1e pictur:es , by the former mayor and enot.hr?':man., .'rhe ·sheriff p'assed by rut did not take any type of. action.
'
'
Indianola, Miss.--'fhirt.een families ·went on strike on the Reed Plantation.
-
. ,
•
•
\
·
'
'
•
'
•
•
•
'
j
•
•
'
July 14.---0cilla,;· Ga~-..;The . .StlCC Freedo~' · House was fired upon last night about
midnight.· · ~ive ' niin~tes later .the .SCOPE Freedom House was fired upon. · 1'her e
1
·
were no injuries.
PinEl Bluff,· Ark.--At 1 RM . tw~ white volunteers and three Negroes went to
the Cream. Land.'Restaurlmt. · he Negroes were served, rut the whites were
refused service. '£he rnanager asked the whttes 1;o leave and when they ··
refused · she called the police .and they were arrested. At the police
station they were ' beate1n and ' charged with. ttl.sturbing +.he peace and fined
~16.50 each. ,.
. . . ' ,·'
'· . .
.. .
. ·.- ' . · . !· '.
Shaw, Niss.--100 peoplEl are on strike.
I
"
'
page
4
Grecnw<)\)d, Mi.<ll" .. - -- 3 00 puc•pln a l.!Jended a concert by th e SHCC Fre edom
Voices and Malcolm Boyd. While the people were there they signed
petitions 'protesting se~eg<ition
the city hospital and the appointment
i' JP Coleman. · ·· ·· ·! ! , . ' '
!
Jn
v
,, , . ,.
: .~
.. : :. ·,
( i
r i
'1 ··, .,
,'
r' l
:.
·., ·,
Denton, Nd••-Nigrant worker::: are consid ering going on strike. Most of the
workers are Hegroes and Puerto Ricans .and come from Florida. Mr.
Hawkins ' of d:,he MFLU and Mar:i.on ' Barry of .~NCC spoke at a mass rally last
night.
,T 11 1..Y
'·
l..s'--TcJmh; .l"liM~~·.:.Saui' Sutton; • local Negro, was ar-rested on bad check
charge • . He . was ·hou:3ing ' two summer volunteer:3.
.
, •'!,
I
, " i:
·j
.I
. '
'
. j
r ,. I
•''·'· .
Jackson, 1'1is s.--Jamus · Johnson was beaten by JJolice after refusing to
tell them his name. He was driving some peonle home from a meeting,
1ve1s arr <sted and charged with driving "W:i-thout a license • .
· :· ·:t · i·'t·, .Tq : i
'j
~·
·' .
1
!
! 1Yt' t
r·,lfp l,\
~
1
·1n~ 1
r 1•·
·
· •
Li~~ol~ : Co. ~ty, ~rk ..--A branch of the ' registrati on office was opened up in
Gould. · · In 2 , days, 300 :Negroes imd · 17 whi~es were regist ered. ,The
office was closed after the second day ~ rhe Negroes in Gould are going
to petition the Regis t rar to re-open the office.
I
·
~
·
.... , ; • !
t' l :· , r
,. 1• : ;·1,
!· .
July 16--Greenwood, · Misei~·· ·-The Holiday Inn was successfully integrated today.
It Has the first succe s sful inte gration of the Holiday Inn in Gremwo od ·
since the Civil !iigl:tts bill ·w-as pass ed l ast sumnter. This tim e they were
treated courteously. r: ' · .,
'
.f
f• ' r
Greensboro, , Ala .·--Two demonstrations were held here .today to protest
hiring dil'lcrimination <Url difficulty in votinf,. In the morning 24
students took part. 1• In the l3fterpoon as the gr,Ot1p i.cketed the courthouse,
two known ,m€lTlbers of· the Klan tried ·to take a camera away from staff mE!'llb er·
Hoy Loe. " The rest of ·t he demonstrators ' went over to s e e what was happening .,
Th6Il the police .tol d the gra.tp to ' leave~ ,. The · crowd started to leave and
then turned back and then police, anned with billy clubs, began to
beat the crowd back. People began to run back to the church from ~. ich
they had marched. ·· Pive; ' polieemen be gan firing into th e air. One of the
bulletsricoch?ted , and hit 1 Jess~ ' Bregans. 16.people Hho to~k ~art in
t he d emons trat1ons · WE:I'El treated ·at Good Saman_tan HC? s rd tal 1n elm a
·
·
f or head . injuries ·. i •H" '"' ": ' i • · .. ,
I
I
l
i' ' ·"~
1
i
!
--..__,.
l
i
. l
\ .
..
1
,-,· :":\
. ,. ;
•
'
'
'I
·I .
..
·!
1
I
.Tul y 17--0ree~sboro, ,Ala .--·People dernon~trat ed a gain today to protest job
discrimination and · .poli ce brutality. · Several demonstr,qtors were pushed
. around by local whi t ·e s but none were injured.
West Memphis, Ark.--:3ix Negroes s1<>1arn in the West lVIEITlphis swimming pool
today. · Two -white volunt.eers and a Negro work er wer e standing outside
watching. ,Ryian Rybolt ; ·one of the' volunteers, was takin~ pictures. A
local white gu~· slugged Brian, stomped him. ~rwo policemen \vere sitting
1n a ·car across the !:street watching. · When the Negro worker asked the
police to do eanething, ,~hey · arrested Brian (attacker had ' left' by
th en), chC~rging him H'ith "disturbing the peac~3 by fighting~"
Baker County (Newton) · Ga.--As'· people.' wer e going to the Courthouse in
Newton to register, 'police arr€sted ;two civil rights workers and a l aw
student. I rhe law .student , Wafi' 1trying to photograph a police officer.
He was charged• with : jLnterfering with a police of fie er. Roy Shields,
Georgia Project .uirec:tor : for SNCC, was . also arrested for driving without
tail lighl:is:, ~ a false .charge • .
I·
•
'
I
•
Tuskege e , Ala .--A FrEledorn Rally was heldl here in front of th e courthous e .
atten:ied by 2)0-300 pecpl!e. Pe ople gatmred to hear freedom songs and
spec~hes by students on the no-vement.
A petition concerning ·13 grievances
W8 d "presentf1d ,to , the : Ma;yor. l
I
•:
•
'
·
·
·
Eogalusa, La.--Severcll people from Missi.s sippi have come to help. Today
a t the march, :white pelople thr ,ew eggs and tomatoes at the marchers.
~
.,
'
. I ..
Greenwood, Mss .--About ,100 p >e ople were picketing the grocery store owned
by Mrs. JoDabhs, to protest unsanitary conditi 0ns and rude treatment
of customer1s. White Volunteer Carol iliatson WElnt into the store to ask
for a soda • . Mrs. Dabbs said: rn:~re don't serve. sons-of-bitch es in her e ,"
;
i
I
I
rt
\
'\
14". '··~
'• ¥ ··--···~·
• • <;,of:" t" !!~
.. "' ~~'l!'!~.r-~~Jl!f'~
I
•
5
page
and ordered r.~~~~ vu~ of the store.
As Carol went out the door Mrs.
This was don~ in full
·:,'' :' view ·of Chief ·o f 1 Police Curtis Lary and ·two ot' ·er policemen. Carole
was taken to GreenwoOd Leflore Hosp1tal 1 and received 3· stitches. The
people _picketing began to . t-hrow bottles at Mrs . Dabbs. She went back
·w,:;; .i-..• i· into · the. sto'i•e r · came '~ c~u t·,-_ with ' a ' shbtgun arrl fired twice in the air. PoHco
· did ~othing. ··'· Later ''th'e y ·! came ! by with; riot guns , shotf!Uns, and tear gM
',. and patrolled the ' ~:ti-eet. a _ ·.' •·· : · · ·
· ·
·D:~bh"' ·""'';,.shed an . empty coke bot.tle 1 over her head.
'
r.
. l
I
'
.~ . t
J ' •
. .' ~
'.
;
;~'
;
.' i~
'j , '
' I ~'
J' )
I 1
·r·:·' ' ,, ·, '. j '1
I
1
·,
~
Hale County, Ala~ 1.:....Twb ch~lrcJhes wer e burned here last night. One church
·was ~stored by Rev. _bay ~ leader· of the Hale Co• l'1 ovenent, the other
. "' .
·. .
didn t "have · any mass ·nlieet ings. · _, ·
1
~ .,
'
;'
I
i
•, '" :
.. ;
•
..
:
I
'
.
'
I
.. .
I
Suly H)--Greenwood, MisiS.-~~ people picketed the s tore owned by Mrs~ Dabbs
again today. Police (city and county) came armed with tear gBs, and
ordered the'· people · to · diapurse t1 • · . ' •
'
·
.
i
( < :, ' .....
!
.• , •
'
I
I
1'
Olive Branch, Miss. --·Yesterday morn;ng, a surrrn er voiunteer, Ray Goz zi,
fran Amherst, 1'1ass., was dragged out of the car arrl beaten by white men.
He suffered".·.f'ractured Lri bs ~ ' ..£he beating took plBce after an integrated
group attempted · to · be · s'e rved: at· the Pine Acres Mot.ei -· Restaurant. The
Hegroes were served, v;rhi.tes we:re refused . This was t.he .first, int.e g.L·ot-,;m
attempt in Olive Branc:h •.
I·
. i.:
.'
-·~
1
'
'
'
, . Denton; Mct.-.;;.Four· people 'werr arrested for trespassing in a migrant
workers camp ,.by .uorchElste r l!oun ty ·: pomice when they went to the camp
to take part in a· meeting to organize a s t rike.. .As soon as they set foot
:' on the place ' they 'werEl arrested· by police, who ' knew that they were com:tng.
• r ·This is the fifth camp SNCC wo:rkers · have be~n c~hased out of. · The meeting
was held ' any-Way with 1;he ·staff and Andrew Hawklns from .. ~haw, Miss., MFLU
• ·· ~ on one · side · of the ro~1 d and ' the migrant workers on ~he other side.
i•
~
!, ,
, ,
f •
t:
•
I
~
,.
' j
.
i
I
•
' .
•
.
: ..
\
'\
I
· 'fuskegee, , &~.la.-•This inarning an integrated group of 2~ students wa s attacked bya sma~l ' group · of whites as they attempted to integrate the Tuskegee
11
' ethodist Church. "1l()rtly aft€r the: · integrated group arrived at the
. ·' church, two ' students Heil't3 immediately forced out of the Church and the
doors locked. At 11: ]0 ; A4'J.; the 1JOlice ears whic:h bad been cruising the
streets, mysteriously disanpeared and about 15 whi res gathered o-poosite
·.. · · the front entrancs 6r ' the · church and began to heckle · the students. The
white group began; attacking : the · students with blunt instruments and t he
butts of guns. Several threatened to shoot. Two o£ the students were
taken to thl John An::lrews Hospital and one guy had to have b. stitches in
his head.
he incident took less:,than f i ve minutes after which t:i,.me t he
police reappeared on the scene/ 1 hroughout the incident, · the rloors
of the church remained closed. This was .t he fourth week they attempt ed
to worship at the · 'church. 1 ' ,: '
..
·
•
.
'
• • '
I
.
~
I
'
! ~ -" '
, ':
•I
July 21---0cilla, Ga.--ThEl t'reedan House was firebombed last night •. No serions
damage was dcne. Ano1~her molotov cocktai l was thrown at the hou:=: e of
a ' woman ' who ' is letting ciVil rights workers 'stlw in her · home.
: ... . :_
; . ,;
: ' i . ,,
''i':,;
'
.'
l
i• . ; .
t.
l
•.
':
. __. .•
f
,.
· ;·
.,
'i '
•
.
'
'
·.
'
.
.,
'
. 'Americus, Ga.--Mrs. Mary· Ben· who ran . for just:tce of the Peace, received
votes ' according to ' the official count . The winner, J1.nl Southwell,
received 2,000 '.votes.- ' SNCC :werkers believe at least 500 people -, ·
act ually voted fo:fl 1v.lr:s. Bell. 40 people _picket ed the courthouse today
demanding·,a. recount. rr ~V1hne they were p:i.ck eting wh:l.tes sprayed them
with water, waved .guns' and· threw bottles at them. ' Police just stood
by and watched . .. . ,
', _' '· .
. ! · 332
..
.
. Nrs . Bell an::l ·.two otht~r ladies ·wer r. .arres;ted and charged "lith blocking
the entrance to th~ polls · as t hey attempted to use the voting boo.t h
reserved for white \ women. The pol ls are segretated--"rh:i:te men, white
._ ,·, women, and . colored ~ ' e-, ,, ., ' · < ' '' '
··~ r .
· ! : ,
\
i ·,
I
j '
!1
Baker County (Newton) Ga.--People have been picketing the courthouse here
to get the ·'registrati on ·office ·open every day i nstead of only one day a
week. !Juring the piel<:·eting today, a -group qf 'White boys _·an rl girls blocked
the picket line. Project director c...,arles ~he:rrod · was severely beaten
and another worker Jaek Holt,, was hit on the head by a man standing
right next, t-o ·the · Chief of PoJ~ice • .. Sherrod had notified the FBI that
a demonstration was going 1 to take 'place but no agents arrived.
'. r ··:· . ! . r~' . ' !
!' . '
·j
_,
'
\
~
•
'
Page 6
. ,, Lib~r'ty,
1
Miss'I,--22 poopl.,e went. to theJ (',our l:.h<rns('l and 22 people were
reg1st.ored,
here werr: 1no :inc'ident.~. · · This is the first time people have
tried to register. herE;J , ~~n,o'e 1~1 6,1 • .. :
'
,.·; i
(
.
',
·.
'
·,
'
.
. .I: .
i . . Gould, Ark.-~Homes , and'; t;>Uslhos(..places. of :· five menbers of the liould Citizens
for Progress were rald<ed.. on :Sl'l1•urday after they had taken part in a .
demonstration at the County seat • . The purpose 1:)f the demonstration was
to protest the clos i ng of a voter registration ,:)ffice that had ju st
been open in Gould for :three. dc:1ys . : During those three days; 300 Negroes
and 16 whites'' were registered • . ,City, , ~ounty am State police made the
raids. In some cases they had warrants authorizine them to search
for il' egal liquor, and in othe1r cases they r.:.::rle the raids without
,warrants. : ,,..
. ,.·.;1::
·:! ·, ., : . . r
I.
I'
West Tennessee--Two churches were burn~ last night--one in Fayette
County and one in Hardaman County. Neither had any connection with the
. : movement.
.,.. ,.. ,.. ,,:. ' •·: ~ . i' ; {;'\'• . , •. 1
,
Miss. .. .
.. .
,
.T1JJ.Y 23---McCombf.-Several·· of : ~he . 9 maids who work at the Holiday Inn Motel
have walked off their ,j o~> to pr•otest their 39¢ an hour wage and their
poor working conditions. ;
I
, ; . '
,
.
,
\
'
1rJest Tennessee--Last night the Tennessee Freertom Labor Union was formed
here. Its membe.l;'S come . from cour counties--Fayette, Haywood, :f,-T.ardaman,
Tipton. ~'1 Embers are mostly fai'IIli worke;rs an d. tractor drivers.
' d' i · j
'
Nm...rton, Ga.--James Barry~ ... ope of. the :white men who htJd taken part in the
bec~ting yesterday swore out'·! a l-Jarrant for the arrest of Charles Sherrod,
charging him with 1 disturbing the .pe.a ce and fighting. Later in the day
the · people .picketed . the .: cour.thouse. ; About 60 whites, armed with sticks,
runs and knives, lined up so tbat the picketers had to go around them in
. , order to gEt · to the other , picketers. · Several incidents occurred~ One
boy ·was beaten by .12 '\'ihit~ ,boy~~. -w,hEn· his mother went to the police
offic e to swear out a :w-arrant, the police ·refused to . swear it out,
.and while she was sta1;:1ding ,in th~ . office she was bitt in the back of the
neck by a local white man. : .~horrod, was bailed out.
..
• .,_.; , J :,-:
1
·f
I
Amoricus, Ga.-.:.About 300 peoplo marched from the Friendship Chapel to the
Courthouse to pr,otes t r,seg;rega tion at the polls, a fixed electi.on andboa·L:i n r;s
and arrests at the polls, on Tuesd:;w • .' .
·
r
1
1·: . ·,1
, ~·,. :'
•
.Tnly 2h--West Tennessee--.,-1:,.0 00 people marched in Covington yesterday
in 103° hea:b • . , , There were.· no :lncidents .,
j
'
I'
!
!:
i
.
, '
1·
·
.
'
Baker Connty (Newton) Ga.,--Yesterday at t he courthouse 200 whites counter
picketed 5 Negro demonstra tons,, Later, t he 5 were jumped, seriously
in~juring both: Yharles.· ~herrod Hnd Isaac pi.mpkins. ·
'·
I
i·
.1
;'
I
. /! i
Tuskegee, Ala.--~or a ,,fifth .we,ak, people tried to integrate all white
churches here.
n integrated group of 120 tried to worship at the First
!."lethodist Church \lere. , J\1 deacon read the Negroes a proclamation which
said that the church be+onged : ·~o the congre~ation arrl they had decided
through their .bo.ard .tw~ 1 ,to be i :integrated. · here were no arrests •
i'
I
I
•
.' ' . ! ,· ·~ t r, ., j
:
' '
f ~i\
,.
•
•
r
July 27--Greensboro, Ala ···r·.~About ; 250 . ; gople marched again to demand that
the1 registra:r .',s , office1 , be open1ad ' mare frequently. A barricade was nut up
again. There were about 15 carloads of state troopers there.
McComb, lVliss.--About :;~o p eople, · including the ~;maids from the Holiday
Inn, picke;ted . twp : e~t.t;~;·ances . of the Inn .today.
•,
i
t;•
' '
~ ' /-,.+ c.
Americus, Ga.---1,000 people marched to the courthouse earlier today.
evening 350 people began ai'il all night vigi l on the courthouse lawn.
(
.
.
~ 1
'C
t
!
; . .. '~ '
j
1
I
f
I
~
., ;
!. :
I
This
i
July 28--Greensbo~p , 1 Alaba.ma-... -200 people werEl •arrested on Main Street.
They were singing near ,the bar:ricade that had ·been set up on Main st.
to keep . them/fro~. mar<;:l}ing.
i,
(
, ',I
j-1
1
Hernando, Mi~s--About lOQ people went do'W!l to 't1he courthouse to take the
test to regi~ter , t .o vote:.ancLa1bout 60 pas~;ed.
.
·•
July 29--Newton{Bl ker Co.) Ga--Cha:rles Sherrod was arrested again today and
charged with
~ssaulb ~rith
intent to kill.
The'warrant. for his arrest. was
sworn out by the man "rho beat Mm up last ~eek,,
I
~:
page 7
Americus~
Georgia -- 350 peop:i.e began an all n:i.p:ht vi gil on the c>•ur
house la-Wll last nieht., 1·u" l.;i • .-. o-l r'ltiOII::lLJ.·c.. l.inn hL'Okf! .,lfJ !lh OtiG 1:30.
c-
Greenf!hoJ.·u, A 1 nh..'lma -- Over 300 people were arrested when they attempted
to march to the courthouse and 111ere stopped by police,
29--th-oonsLoJ:o, ll.laba.ma -- F'ri$oners are in three jails: Camp Selma,
Dallas County and Camp Thomasrton iri ·nearby Marengo 1 County. Conditions
are very bad in these prisons~
.T., ·ry
,Tuly 30--Americus, Georgia -- About 50 people p~rticipated in a march and
demonstration at the courthouse.. There were no incidents. Around
midnight last night the four women who were·· arrested in connection '..rith
the election of the Justice of the Peace were ·r eleased.
Newton, Georgia -- 60 Negroes supported by white volunteers marched from
the plantation Grove Baptist ·church through Newton. It was the first
civi,.l . rights march in Baker County.. 40 Stat~ Troopers -were pt•esento
.
'
.
.
. '
. . !
•
'
.
.,
'
.July 31..:.-Ro~edale, · }1ississippi~4o p~~ple were arrested here last night
while d~monstrating in front of the jailhouse. The purpose of the
demonstrati.on was to protest thEl arrest and conviction of Robert Lee
Jackson, a local Negro who was s entenced to 6 months in jail for
disturbing the peace by _profanit y last Monqay.
Newton, Georgia--81 people marched to the courthouse and demonstr ated
for two hours. 40 state troopers and 5o whites marched. There were no
incidents.
Columbia, Mississ:l.pp:t--This morning about 1:30 am t wo or thr ee fi robombs
were thrown on the front por ch of the newly acquired Freedom Hous e .
Everyone in the house managed to get out but the fire ,r,omplf·tely destroyed
one half of the house.
Americus
Picketing began at t he Qui k Chek Market today and demonstra ~.on~
were attacked by a group of whit es while pol:i.ce and ot.<lt.e troopers stood
idly by.
Holly Springs
Summer volunte err Mark Schapiro was arrested for
public drunk and ~isord erly conduct. He was at a picnic and the charge s
are false.
Rosedale, Miss--People arrested here l ast night ·were t aken to Parchman
Penitentiary and each of than w~1 s made to drink two gla sses of Milk of
Magnesia. They were later brought back to t~e Bolivar Colmty jail in
Rosedale. White volunteer M.orton Thom~f! was put in a c ell with white
prlE:onm·s who beat him so badly that 'he hl'lrl to l)P. t.al< en to the hos pitaL,
•