The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-16
Birmingham Cops
and xxx. Combine
to Attack Pioneers
BY a Worker Correspondent

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-We went out
Thursday night to hold an Unem-
ployed Council and Pioneer meeting.
We had a large crowd for both meet
ings, at the same house and at the
same time. The pioneers had just
gotten through with their meeting
and got out Of doors. We were not
finished when along came four cars
loaded with police, some dressed in
their uniforms and others dressed in
the XXX. outfits.
One policeman stood on the porch
and another marked cross in front
of the door we were having our meet
ing in, and the xxx. lit it and all
stood and PATCHED it till it got to
burning good.
AS the c.oss began to burn then
they all went to their cars and started
to leave. Some of the comrades ran
out to see what had happened. One
comrade kicked the cross over. The
other Young comrades took 1t and
ran to the car and said, Here, take
your god damned cross with you,
and the comrades threw the cross
at the car. 1t moved as he threw
the cross, The children came running
and a woman came running into the
house crying from fright.
After the cops left, all went back
into the house and continued with
the meeting. The cops and the K.
K. K. drove about
One car of policemen stopped In
front Of the house. Two policemen
came up to the steps and asked
where Water Street was. One COM
rade told him, but they did not break
I'D our meeting. The next morning
nv husband went to put card into
the mail box. A man who said ne
had signed an Unemployed Council
card Oct. 6, 1888, but did not pay
his fee, named Bert Brown, age "a,
Ills Coosa ST., East Birmingham.
walked up to the comrade and asked
him what these little parties were
the kids have, what are they all?
Are they Communists?
The ccmrade answered 1t Is the
Young Pioneers of America. Brown
said, IT did not know what 1t was,
so 1 called the police and turned
all the literature and CARDS that my
two kids had over to the law ana
told them I wanted it stopped" ana
he asked the comrade, us this to
free the Scottzbo-o boys, and other
dirty niggers"? And he said we had
a Mason and Dixon line to keep the
white and colored apart.
Inc next day my brother, COM
rade. went to the store. This Brown
was talking over the phone. When
he saw my brother he said to the
other party, I'll have to hang up
now and will call you later at 4:15."
About $50 O'Clock the squad car with
three policemen came and burst the
door open and searched where the
Y.P.A. met the day before. Then
they burst another door and searched
another room on that side OF the
house. We live in duplex apart
ment. They picked up the typewriter,
brought it into our bedroom, looked
it over well, took the number OF 1t,
and told us to be very careful ana
not let it get away, for they thougnt
it was stolen. Saturday morning
when my husband got to where ne
works on the C.W,A. two policemen
met him and sent him to the super
intendent. They said it had been
reported that the comrade had been
u1tting out Communist papers. he
told the superintendent he had been
giving out Unemployed Council
papers and pamphlets, so he sent
him back to the foreman with a
note to allow him to work but 10
keep an eye on him and to Keep
the superintendent posted. He SAID
he was not going to work with a
Communist if he knew it.
The policeman got some Daily
Workers he had given to a man
who took them to a superintendent,
SO he fired the comrade. He SAID
the reason for his being fired was
due to the fact that he was letting
the pioneers meet at his home and
that it had to be stopped. Last week
a man bought Southern Worker
from this comrade. He wrote an
additional copy and put this COM
rades name on the paper and tackled
it up so everybody could see it. We
have lots of stool-pigeonS. This is
written by a white Southern woman
still struggling to organize both white
and Negro.
P. S.-The cops and the xxx.
have not stopped us.