Evening star., 1961-12-14
Police Chief Asks Coo|ing-Off Period
In Appeal to Negroes at Albany, Ga.


Police Chief Laurie Pritchett
appealed to Negro leaders to-
day for a cooling off period
from a tense situation caused
by repeated demonstrations
against segregation in this
Southwest Georgia city of
$4,000.
At the same time. the Albany
unit of the National Guard was
alerted for possible duty. The
GuardSmen began assembling
at the Armory.
Chief Pritchett made his ap-
peal after directing removal of
10 Negro youths from a bus
terminal cafe. Chief Pritchett
said the 10, who were released
without being charged, were
taken from the station for their
own protection.
He said the cafe manager
asked that the Negroes be re-
moved under the States anti
treSpaSs law.
= Another group of 10 Negroes
sitting in a bus station waiting
room usually reserved for white
persons was not removed, Chief
Pritchett said. because we've
never lnterfered with interstate
travel"
Orders LunchrOOm Closed
The chief said the lunchroom
was privately operated. He
ordered it closed and a hastily
Scribbled sign was placed on
the door announcing it was
"closed for cleaning"
Chief Pritchett said he made
his appeal for a a cooling-off
period to Mrs. W. q. Anderson.
wife of the president of the
Albany Movement, a group that
is pressing for desegregated
public facilities.
He said ne asked Mrs. An
derson to "try to understand
both sides-that I didn't believe
either side is 100 per cent
right"
Il asked her to contact her
husband and plead with Linn
for cooliug-off period, that
the way things stand nova
tense and heated situation
there is no meeting ground"
Mrs. Anderson said she would
talk with her husband.
Crowds DiSperse !,
A crowd of several hundred
white persons that gathered
near the bus station dispersed
after removal of the Negroes
from the cafe. All but two or
three of 40 officers stationed
at the terminal were removed.
Several hundred Negroes as
sembled on one street corner
also began dispensing.
Meanwhile. court hearing
for nine Freedom Riders. re-
cesSed yesterday when Negroes
staged a demonstration in front
of City Hall. was to resume
this afternoon.
The nine we're arrested Sun
day night, along with two Al
bany Negroes, when they at
tempted to desegregate railroad
station facilities.
Since then, 555 Negroes and
five white persons have been
arrested here. There has been
no violence.
Warnings of continued ar
rests came from Chief Pritchett
after 200 were jailed last night 6
as they marched in protest of |
earlier arrests.
The wholesale arrests brought
from one Negro leader a charge
that "a police state" exists with
in the citf. The charge was
made by M. S. Page. secretary
of the pro-integration Albany
Movement. Mr.. Page said the
Negroes who had been arrested
had done nothing but walk the
streets and pray"
81 Arrested Earlier
Earlier 81 Negroes were herd
ed into City Hall after refusing
to halt a kneeling and singing
demonstration on the sidewalk
in front of the building. All but
one was released.
Recorders Court Judge OBJ
ner Israel imposed a five-day
Jail term on grocer Slater King
for contempt of court. Mr.. King,
the spokesman for the group, |,
is a member of the Albany
Movements Executive Com
mittee.
Police jailed 267 Negroes
Tuesday for marching and sing
ing in protest of the arrest of
the Freedom Rider group. They
were charged with disorderly
conduct. obstructing traffic and
failure to obey officers. The
same hargeS were lodged
against the II arrested Sunday.
Those jailed last night were
charged on three other counts
unlawful assembly. parading
without a permit and unlaw-
fully congregating on sidewalks.
Albany Negroes have asked
for desegregation of BUS and
train stations, the city library, Il
parks, hospitals and buses, ad-
dition of negro policemen, bet
ter jobs on city payrolls, jury
representation and better job
opportunities with private bus
inesses in the city.
In racial developments else
where:
The South Carolina Supreme {
Court upheld the trespass con-
LOST
CAT, gray, Persian, female; vic.