Terrible Thursday
Dr. King returned on March 28th to lead a march in support of the sanitation workers on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Minutes after the procession began, violence erupted. Windows were broken and looting started. Dr. King was quickly escorted away while 600 police dispersed the marchers with tear gas and nightsticks. During the course of the day 2 people were injured and 1 was killed. The FBI circulated a memo to newspaper editorial offices across the country citing a breakdown of the non-violence in Memphis and that this was a precursor to the Poor People's Campaign. King and many others belived the march had been undermined and sabotaged.
This was the first time in King's life he was forced to leave a civil rights march. He felt compelled to return to Memphis to organize a truly non-violent march to put doubts about non-violent protests to rest, and to lay the groundwork for a successful mass demonstration in Washington DC with the Poor People's Campaign.
The Men March, The Guards Watch
By the evening of March 28th, martial law had been declared and 4,000 soldiers of the Tennessee National Guard patrolled the streets. Undaunted, the sanitation workers marched the following day, but this time, they were shadowed by soldiers with bayonets and tanks. "It was the classic confrontation between striking workers with nothing more than picket signs and the might of the armed forces of this city," stated Bill Lucy.
Undaunted, the sanitation workers marched the following day, but this time they were shadowed by soldiers with bayonets and tanks.
