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\Vhy They Cry Black Power .O utbreaks in Atlanta he sense of belonging to one human family can :tlonc sa\'c this planet. But the time is short before h:ite shuts the doors. The time is· coming when we will regret the billions wastecl in Vietnam. The time is coming when we may regret the · · number· of Negroes we have trained there in guerrilla war. There is hardly a city where the Negroes do not already dominate the strategic areas through which the affiuent comm(Jter passes on his way to the inner core. SNCCs hostility to the war is not disloyalty but wisdom. We cannot rebuild that .s ense of community so essential to our bcloved~.country's fu:ure by engaging in a white man's war in Asia- while a black nan's revolt rises at home. ~, in e1e '.) ,r e y SNCC'S VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ATLANTA lf/e 1ho11gh1 (J ur n ·_,J ,,rs 11·,,11/d lilt· 10 Jt:t' Sf\:CCs ,-er1iu11 of u•h,11 , J>,11 lud th,· ,1t/.;111/,1 ,·iot.<. Al.11·.',,11 R.1rr.~ of SNCC' J IY/ ,11hi11AI0 11 office J:,11·,.-, t he f,1JJo u ·i111,:. :ll°f t; unl /IJ the.> / )r,?JJ Sc/1/ , R o,: hi; n'/11'1! from Atl,1111.1 u·hae h,· u •.11 tJ/l,·11di11x, tJ S/\'CC 11:orklho/1 ,,,J,,·n t he (,r,1 r, 111h,·,·,d uccurr.-d Sc/>!. 6: • At appnn: i11l.Ht·l r l I ~ p .rn . two whitl' pcili(ttn t·n ~ro p pt.·\! J 1. J r d ri \·t:n hy H .trul,i Pr.1t h t·r. .1 -' ' · '-·l·:l r 1d,f ;\;l·).:rP. -.1. hr > Ii\(:\! t i nf .1 hlot k J\1,,·.1r. Tiil· 1. nt ' '" f" r n i l';Jtl:c r Jt <.J pi:11! .1,t·n u c .1 rki <) r r:11)n .t ~: l\u o rdin.1! t 11 : ') o r ~IJ p t: r,un"' v. 1,._, ,, 1tnc·.S. 'th! t h e 1n\ 1J t:nt. Prather jun:1,cd f1u 111 thl' (,If .Hh1 r.,n .! n,! ,, .1, , hnt thrt.T t ir~H....... br o ne of the w h itl" t,ftiH·r--.. " l' r.1 tht·r kep t ni,;,in.~ .1t ;t \t·ry !-h ,w ~pct.·1.I and was ti red upon a,,:ain as he: tric·J to gc-t to h,~ hom,· Yi .,( J hl", k away," sa i<l one: w itness. He: fi nally ma,k· it :tnJ ft.I I o n the pord1. I mmc:diatt'i y after !ht· s hoot ing, a aowd of l ~O ro 200 pt·rso ns _gathc:rcJ a t Prather's hou~t' to protest tht' shooting. Tht·re wcr<' n c1 SNCC pcoplt- prc:sc:nt. Stoke-Icy Carmichael , SNCC d1:1irman . n·turn - . ing from a radio inttrvic:w heard about tht• in,id(·nt 0\'c:r thc: raJio and went to the sten<:. The p <:0ple there were \'Cry anj\ry. The . lo cal people wanted Carmichael to come back and help organize a pea(eful protest dc111on:Hratio n . It wits ,allt-J for -I p .111. Witnesses Asked to Speak At approximately 3:30 p.rn . two SNCC 1x·oplt arrivcJ at Capitol A\'e. and Ormond St., the: sn~ne of the d emonstration ; 200 µcop lc w<:re the re . The !oral people: h a<l ,nad<: thc-ir own s i~ns a nd .- gone arouhd in th,: various n,:;ig hborhomls informing their frien<ls as to wh:1t had hapl'C:nt·J . At 3 :/4'.i p .m. Hi ll \\:1 :irt·. l'rojcct Jircct6r fo r s;--.:C:C', A t lanta Projto:t . anJ thrt·t· othn SNCC pt'Ople arri"ed with

1 ".,u nd rru,k .

\X' .rrt· .t,kt-d tht· :1s,t:rnhlt-,I pc·oplt- what haJ hapl'<'!lt·,l Jn,! th,·\' b<",1:.rn t<' tdl !,ii,, _ \X ' :ir" , :1 iJ tht· whole: grrn, p ,houl d kn,," wl1.1t h.1d lr:q ' J'l'l\<',i JnJ J,l.;,·,I ,i "l!n<·~-,,-, " "u l,I tel l :ihout t h,· 1nt. id c: n t ()\er tla · puhli \ .lr.. l drt·\ ~ ;\ r ~t (·n t. . ~t·l'l: r.rl 1'l'f,11n, hq.:.111 t, li ,n,,.: "hat the)' h.i.i ,,Tn. Poli, .: o th«" 11nm l'di :lldy 11111\'ni rn and t,,Id \X' an: to turn ofl th<: P.A . <\·. tu n. \X1 :1n.: info rmed the rolill·nKn th:11 ht· w:rna·d to stop , um, >r s :111,l makt: s ure that e veryone: km·w what h:rJ happt·ne,t'. The p,)li«·nKn i m mt-xliatdy arrestc<l W a re . Another SNCC worhr :1 ·kt:d if p,·opltstill wanted to ta lk . The lotal ptoplt: said "y(·s ." The talking continued and police arrested tht SNCC perso n . This made the cro wd a ng rier. They demandt:d tha t police relc:ase the two SNCC people. The local pc-oplt said that they would sit in the stret'ls unti l the two persons were released :ind the Mayor suspended the policc-m:in who shot Prather. T he police me n t ried to remove people and arrc:steJ snmc w ho· liv<:d in th(: m:ig h borl,o od. T he a rrests were immediatc:ly protested b y the· crowd , h u t to no a vail. T he peop le really got :ingry and started p ushing some: of the officers a nd sevc:rnl bottlc:s _W<·re thrown . M ay_or 1-.·.rn Allc·n a rri vt•d o n th(: scene and h roug h t with hun I 50 -200 wlute i"'li,<·11wn a nd an :irmo rcd tru( k lo ad ed w ith w h_ite mps, machim· 1.: uns mJ otht·r riot equi1, mc:nt. White offic<:rs w ith shotguns w~c ,t:1tionc:J a ll alo n ..: the: st rc.:et. A t tha t tirn<: M ayor Allen tried to lead th(' crowd to the Atlanta stad ium some: 4 o r 5 blocks away. T h e crowd rc:fused to leave their nt•1ghborhood. T he c rowd was also a n.~ry hc:cause all of the white otfin·rs had mach ine g11ns anti shotg uns, hut tht: Negro otficers had o nl y t hc.:ir pi stol s. This rt·allv S<:t tht' crow d off. ttottlcs. !'>ricks a nd oth <:r ob jects " 'tr<: t hrown ;11· thl' whi t<· nllir,·r~. What the Protesters Wanted Allen trit·d to ta lk to tht· pt·opl<: ( rom· ;1to1' a pol in· ,ar but th<'y would n u t listc:n b<:cause tht: crowd wantt-d one of their h:~<lt'rs to ta lk anJ not A llen. The h lo, k lt"J<lcr w ho got on top of the ca r J e mand ed that I ) w h ite cops g et out of th<:r<: with mad1in,· gun~ and sh o tg u ns, 2) the release of all those lllegJlly and unju,tly arrested. anJ 3) the cops be fired who shot the young Negro. The crowd ch tered the demands but Allen refused 10 answer. He refused to address himself to their grievances, at which time he was toppled from the police car. Theo 50 to 60 cops rushed into the crowd and start<:<l hitting and pushing people. Mayor Allen thc:n directed that tear gas be use<l to disperse th<: I 500 people who were on the scene. 'Tear gas them or tear those houses down," Allen shouted. All 400 to 500 officers began firing their pistols und shotgum wirhnut warning. hOfh in t he a ir an,! al the c rowd. It WJS a ter rify . CONT. P. 3 �i!i.W.. ATLANTA RACE RIOTS - THE 11 0THER 11 . S1DE PRESE" !TE Dooo cont . frol]l P. 2

n_g exp<;rience. Unarmed people were assaulted bv ·o.fficers armed

with tea r gas, pis to ls, machine guns and shotgu ns. Never seen anyrhinj: like it. Little ki ds, 7 or 8 y<_;a rs old were hit with tear gas , .11,-; -'t•rs. Black women were clubbed to the g round. Anyone who was nu, .. - fi st enoug h was iinmedi.1tely arrested and thrown head first in the p. _ :; wagon. Cops fi red tear gas ind_iscriminately into the ho mes of Black people who were not even on the street. Litt le kid s came o ut gasping for air. Cops went onto Black people's rorchcs to beat and arrest them. D uring th is period, several police nu-s were stoned, and several poF •1e, " e inj ured. During all of this, the attack was directed by . .. Ivan Alkn . He ordered little kids tear-gassed. H e ordered whit<· , . ..,~ to bea t and arrest black people. SNCC's Role in t he Outbreak Now as to SNCC's role: 1) SN CC has only one pro ject in .Atlanta

rnd that is in an area call ed V ine Ci ty whi ch is on the other side

of the town from the disorders. 2 ) SNCC has neve r worked in the nt·i~hhm hood where the disorders took place. 3 ) It was the shooting of the young Negro by the whi te cops, then subsequent arrests of SNCC peup l<:: that made people angry. 4 ) T he local people themst: h·l'~ made the signs and got th ei r fri nds togtthcr. 5 ) Stokdey C.arn1i r hnd d rove throug h the area on ly nftcr th e: disorders began. (, ) Mus t of ... ':' ·rr . ·'"> pie arri, ,-d on the: · scene after the crowd h:1.I iia tht·red and police "" hi·a ting peo pl(·. 7) The focus should ht· on Mayor Allen and his r. rr, ps anJ not SNCC. A t 11 a.m. that day SNCC members h.,J P,0 1. the Maror·s office with a complaint com:ern ing police officials. ,. , -~ time Mayor A llen refused to speak with Lhe gro up and d ismis.. , 1 .. ~ by stating, "You're out llf line; in Atlanta which is known for its r.jr and equal rreatment of all citizens.:· �