WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from May 1961, Assistant Attorney General Byron White speaks to reporters about the presence of federal marshals in Montgomery, Alabama, following an attack on the Freedom Riders.The clip begins with White walking from an airplane hangar; several cameramen take pictures of White as he walks on the tarmac. White stands in front of an airplane with several microphones in front of him and a reporter standing on either side. An off-screen reporter asks White about the danger of further violence in Montgomery, to which White replies that while he believes the possibility of further violence is remote, the marshals will stay in Montgomery for a few days in case of violence in the community or surrounding areas. The reporter then asks if White still thinks marshals are necessary in Montgomery. White declares that "it was a wise decision" to send marshals to the city after mob violence indicated law and order was not maintained in the community. In the end, White points out, Alabama governor John Patterson declared martial law and brought in members of the Alabama National Guard.The 1961 Freedom Ride, organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), began in Washington D.C. on May 4, 1961 and traveled through Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia with only minor disturbances. The interracial group of riders tested compliance with a 1960 Supreme Court ruling against segregation in interstate travel in these Deep South states. On May 14, Mother's Day, the two groups of Freedom...

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia