Sit-ins and pickets brought cries of “Communists!” from Jackson officials and White mobs. The Sovereignty Commission looked for communists at Tougaloo. On May 31, 1963, they arrested some 450 demonstrators—many high school students—marching downtown waving flags and chanting, “We want freedom!” Police drove them in garbage trucks to a temporary jail at the fairgrounds’ livestock pens. A few days later, national NAACP leaders urged compromise, partly due to mounting bail costs, now at $64,000. The Movement temporarily lost momentum.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of Reverend Ed King being carried to a police wagon after being arrested. One man has King by the arms, the other man carries his legs. In the background, police and onlookers are on the steps.
Credit: AP/Bill Hudson
