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VIOLENCE, PIKE COUNTY, 1964 January 25 (and March 19) crosses burned 1Believed to have occurred in the city of
McComb. Source: United States Commission on Civil Rights, Hearings Held in Jackson, Miss., February 16-20, 1965, Vol. II: Administration of Justice (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office), Exhibit 11: Staff Report of Investigation of Incidents of Racial Violence, Pike County, Miss., 1964. TESTIMONY OF ROY LITTLEJOHN, STAFF ATTORNEY,
U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS Mr. Taylor. Mr. Littlejohn, will you give your full name and address? Mr. Littlejohn. My name is Roy Littlejohn. I live at 407 Madison Street Northeast, Washington, D.C. Mr. Taylor What is your position with the Commission? Mr. Littlejohn. I am a staff attorney. . . . Mr. Taylor. Do you have an investigation report to present to the Commission? Mr. Littlejohn. Yes, I have. I would like to present to the Commission a report prepared by the staff on incidents of racial violence in or near Pike County from January 25, 1964, to date. This report was compiled as a result of investigations conducted by attorneys in the General Counsel's Office during 1964 and 1965. The attorneys made a number of trips to Pike County, interviewed witnesses, law enforcement officials, and examined government records. Since the report is rather long and since witnesses will testify to some of the incidents, I will summarize only briefly the cases investigated by the staff and submit the full report for the record. . . . During 1964, and particularly during the summer months, there was an unusual amount of vigilante violence in Pike County. Fourteen Negro homes, a Masonic meeting hall, and one church were bombed; two churches were destroyed by fire, two were damaged, and still another was the object of an arson attempt. In addition, there were incidents of assault, including four shootings. From January through May there were three incidents: A fire bomb was thrown at the home of the president of the Pike County NAACP, Curtis Bryant, and on two different nights numerous crosses were burned throughout the county. One night in June, three Negro homes, including Curtis Bryant's, were bombed. Within a 10-day period during the same month, two local Negroes were abducted and beaten and three northern white men were followed from McComb; two of them were assaulted while the third was held at gunpoint. During July, after civil rights workers affiliated with the Council of Federated Organizations arrived to begin voter registration work, bombs were thrown at the home of Curtis Bryant's brother and at the COFO house; two churches were burned to the ground; fire damaged another church, and an attempt was made to burn still another; one of the organizers of the COFO project in McComb, a Northern white man, was assaulted in McComb; and shots were fired at the home of Curtis Bryant and at two Negro policemen. In August bombs were thrown at a Negro home and at the building where NAACP meetings were held; one church was severely damaged by a flash fire; a local white man was whipped; and one night crosses were burned at two different white homes. The violence reached a peak during the first 3 weeks of September. Seven Negro homes in Pike County were bombed; one church was destroyed by fire; and three COFO workers were assaulted on different occasions.. After Negroes rioted in reaction to major incidents of violence on September 20, the State highway patrol was sent in force to Pike County to assist in law enforcement. Prior to September arrests were made for only one of the offenses committed. Four white men were arrested following the shooting at Negro policemen in July; they pleaded guilty to charges of disturbing the peace and were fined. Three paid $22.50 and the fourth paid $47.50. At the end of September 11 men were arrested. One man was not indicted. The rest were indicted on, charges of conspiracy, unlawful use of explosives, or attempted arson. The only incidents cited in the indictments were the bombing of Charles Bryant's home on July 26, the bombing of the Baker home on September 9, the bombing of the Quin home on September 20, and the attempted arson of the Sweet Home Baptist Church on July 18. The attempted arson indictment was passed to the file without further action. Those indicted for conspiracy Pleaded nolo contendere -- no contest -- and were fined $500 and sentenced to 6 months in jail. The sentence was suspended during good behavior. Those indicted for unlawful use of explosives were sentenced to 5 years in jail. This sentence was suspended upon certain conditions, among which were that the defendants possess no firearms or explosives. In imposing sentence the judge added orally -- although this does not appear in his order -- that he would hold all the defendants responsible for a further outbreak of violence irrespective of proof of their participation. Since there were no fines imposed, three of the defendants who were charged solely with unlawful use of explosives paid no fines. After the sentencing of this group of defendants on October 23, there were several acts of violence against white people. One man was assaulted, two others shot at, and one family's store was vandalized. In two of these cases there was evidence that the violence was racially oriented. Six white men were arrested in November and charged with these incidents. Five of them pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year in jail. The sentence was not suspended. The sixth man will be tried in the spring. Source: United States Commission on Civil Rights, Hearings Held in Jackson, Miss., February 16-20, 1965, Vol. II: Administration of Justice (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office), pp. 2-5. |