Background Info

Birmingham was known for being the worst city for racism and segregation. This was mostly because of police officer, Eugene Connor, and the bombings of the church. Birmingham soon became the main focus for civil rights. The riots started in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. The rioting lasted for 8 days, May 2 to May 10.

Goal

The event was trying to accomplish civil rights and for everyone to be treated the same. The riots were towards the law not allowing segregation to actual be enforced.

People Involved

Everyone involved in the riots were mostly the police and protestors. Some important people that impacted the event were Eugene "Bull" Connor and Martin Luther King Jr. Eugene Connor was the head of the police and the most violent. He was the one that lead the attacks on protestors.Both SNCC and the NAACP were relatively inactive in Birmingham; so any civil rights campaign could be lead by SCLC without too much rivalry. Martin Luther King’s brother was also a pastor in the city so family connections helped the role of SCLC.

Obstacles To Overcome

Groups that were protesting faced a lot of obstacles. Police dogs were released on them and would bite them, they were sprayed with fire hoses, and beat up by policemen. There were also bombings at a church after the protesting causing in killing 4 little girls. Figuring that even Connor wouldn’t cross this line, King was the one to send children ranging in age from six to 18 marching through the streets for freedom. Eugene Connor didn't care, he had imprisoned 959 youthful protesters. Quietly capitulated and negotiated a settlement that was stunning for its time, they agreed to desegregate lunch counters and fitting rooms. They agreed to remove “Whites Only” signs from drinking fountains and restrooms. They agreed to hire more African-Americans