Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-05-20
Eye Of The Storm
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L
you are! You're not welcome
here!"
We walked on out Of the door.
and when we got to the street,
several young sport-shirted men
and one elderly white citizen fell
in behind US. We walked on In sill
ence to the car, which was parked
around the corner from the City
Hail, across the street from the
fire station. Not looking back, we
seated the girl in the car. got in
next to her by the door, and the
other young man walked around
to get in the drivers seat Before
he got in, my door was yanked
open and two of the men who
had followed US were grabbing at
me, cursing and trying to pull me
out Of the car. They grabbed for
my arms, legs and the notebook
and papers carried, tearing at
my clothes and ripping my jacket
The young man who had come
to the meeting with me quickly
hustled the girl out Of the car.
She ran across the street to the
fire station, where four or five
Montgomery city |firemen were
standing outside and watching US.
She yelled Help" as she ran
toward them, and they hurried in
side, retreating into a back room
Of the fire station, and refusing
to answer when the girl pounded
on the door.
Ny own yells by now had be-
come quite loud and quite sincere,
and the jealous citizens, who still
hadn't managed to pull me out of
the car, finally ran off down the
street and out Of sigh My two
friends got back into the car, and
just before we drove away the fire
men appeared again outside the
fire station across the street They
were smiling at US Evidently they,
too, were unmoved by, or unaware
Of, the doctrine of the uses of
peaceful means" in preserving
tradition that their boss, Safety
Commissioner Sullivan, had es-
poused in behalf of himself and
his men at the meeting a few
minutes earlier.
Law and Disorder
In fairness to the inspired citi-
zens who attacked us, however, 1t
ought to be explained that the
Citizens Council Salute to Law
and Order program was not ex-
actly a Grandhian conference on
the merits of love and non-viol-
ence, and l. B. Sullivan's text
was far from being The Sermon on
the Mount One of the significant
and dangerous features of the re-
spectacle racism practiced by the
White Citizens Councils is that
although their leaders and orators
never fail to mouth a firm dedica-
ton to law and order at every
public gathering, they also stir the
passions of their crowds with pro-
vocatiye and outraged attacks on
all those who oppose their prin-
ciples, and deliver soul-searing de-
CARNATIONS on the sacred cause of
white supremacy. If zealots leave
these meetings and vent their pas
sionate dedication to the cause
by violent means, the Citizens
Council officials can, of course,
deny responsibility by citing their
statements upholding legal, peace
full means" Of action.
Safety Commissioner Sullivan,
for instance, could disclaim any
Indictment to violence in his speech
by pointing to his clearly stated
belief in peaceful means" of pre-
serving the threatened white trad
itions. But after that affirmation
"a not too radical stand for a city
police chief, he got down to more
alarming matters. The City Of
Montgomery, he explained to his
audience, was selected long ago
as "a site for racial agitators and
troublemakers to attack our cher
ished way Of life" The pressure
had increased Of late, he said, be-
cause Of the efforts Of civil rights
groups to influence politicians in
Congress and in the coming Pres
idential elections. The rabble-rous-
ers had 50 far met with little sue
cess, he reported, but there were
dangers ahead:
Not since Reconstruction have
our customs been I'm such jeOp-
ardy We can, win and must
resist outside forces heII-bent on
our destruction. -.
AS If this weren't enough to In
flame the breast Of any loyal
white citizen, Mr.. Sullivan went
on to state: I'VE want these out
side meddlers to leave US alone;
then, in a slow, meaningful tone
Of irony:'H they do otherwise,
wei do our best to accommodate
them here In Montgomery"
And who could say that the citi-
zens who shortly afterwards at
tackled US were not Just doing
their best to accommodate" some
outside meddler"?
The audience had also been in
formed that outsiders were the