The Detroit tribune., 1963-03-30
500 Protest
Use Of Dogs
In Virginia

PETERSBURG, Va. - Eight
hundred students and citizens
OF this Southside Virginia city
marched in doublerank file this
week TO Police Headquarters 10
protest the use OF police dogs on
demonstrators making a frontal
attack on the commun'ty's seq
fegGted theatres. For the past
three wcckends. UNI. cr the super
''ie'on ~ tho Petersburg Improve
mcnt Association, high school and
college students Virginia Statc)
have lined the downtown streets
n numbers upwards OF 200 IN
nonviolcnt protest of continuing
discriminat on in the citv's mo-
ie houses On Sunday afternoon
wide. spread community unrest
was generated when Petersburg
ratrolmen. in an obvious attempt
tc terrorize demonstrators allow
Cd police dogs 10 maui professors.
Several students were roughed
up by dogs and the clothing OF
some was literally torn TO shreds.
David Cvnter. president OF the
ScLc affiliate. declared, There
was absolutely no call for the
the use Of dogs on our people.
During the three years OF our
NonvioIenf protest there hes
never been single instance ~
misconduct on the part Of PA
supporters. This is a eIesr-cvt
case of police brutality and IT,
responsibility. II the dogs were
used properly, they should hase
been used 10 disperse the mco
that gathered 10 hsrsss US. Tts
policemen covraged the hoe =
lurrs and victimized US"
Following a city.wIde prot Z
rally held Sunday night at
Gillfield Baptist Church, the n
march for Monday was organiy
coll to Martin Luther King. J
resulted in his chief aide, wy
Tee Walker. former Petersh
or, being dispatched from Al
kie. North Carolina. Walker y
principal speaker for the r.
Twenty-Five persons were
rested on the now infamous "fr
pass" charges and released I
same evening on $4,000 propcr-
~ bonds. Trials have been set
for April 3. The csndhi Society
fc- Human Rights has consented
10 serve as counsel in sssoeia-
ton with Robert n. Cooley, the
weII-known Petersburg civil rights
attorney.
While the congregation Of mass
marchers held service on the
steps of Petersburg Police Head
quarters, Gunter ana several Pc
tersburg pastors closetcd with
police chief Willard Taylor.
Among them we're Gillfield's Gra-
dy Powell, E. r. Knox and l. y.
Terrell. DR.. Milton A. Reid. rec
iona representative. for DR. Kin (.
conducted the services within
earshot of the Chiefs office
Cunter reported that Chief
Taylor asked that formal chsrs-
es b elodsed against the offend
inr officers and promised fair
trial OF those involved. Any or
ficer fourd guilty would be dis
cipIined bv fhe department.
Gunter made il clear that
Dogs or no dogs. the demon
traticns will continue. Reverend
Walker has been in touch per-
sonally with the Department Of
Justice and we expect to have
their agents on hand to observe
firsf.h ID anv future occurance
of the abuse Of police power"
Since the PiA's oriuin, lunch
c-vntcrs and the public library
have been deseeregated. as well
as non-discriminstory hihing pol
ieies beirg established in the
eity's ma - downtown stores.
Durin1 the last severs. months,
the PA. spanked by SCLc's vir-
qinis field secretary Herbert
ccvIton. has msdesignificsnt gains
in .-eqisterina new voters in the