Description

Statement by Ellis Thomas, Jr. of harrassment of black students at Central High School by white students and police in 1960. -2- Ellis Thomas Jr. The first time the (police) followed me from school one morning on Pulaski there were two of them in a patrol car. They wanted to see my driver's license and searched the car. The day (described on page 1) he said he heard a report that I was carrying a gun on 9th St. so I just laughed and they searched the car. Every time I go to Central they throw rocks, walk in front of the car like they're beggin me to run over them, hop up on the fender. It's always throwing rocks. The police are standing right there. This one particular moring they through a rock at me from a crowd. I run up into the crowd and a policeman made me get back in the car, said I was just coming over to make trouble. On the 27th "as we were getting out of the car we heard this conversation over the police radio, 'We got the red and the white one-" (Meaning my car I guess) and they said "Need any more help?" The officer who talked to me was pretty rough, real nasty. He's the one they call "Red". The girls that I picked up were Sybil Jordan, Sandra Johnson, and my brother Jefferson Thomas. Sandra began to cry and we were trying to comfort her. She was pretty...

From Collection

Land of (Unequal) Opportunity

Record Contributed By

University of Arkansas