Student N nonviolent 6 Raymond Street, N.W. Coordinating Atlanta 14, Georgia Committee NEWSLETTER 688-0331

------~ ------~ ------~ Vol .. 1, Nos. 9 & 10 . ' - February 8,9 1963 - . ------~ MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA -- An assistant circuit solicitor said here during a hearing on false pretenses charges against SNCC field secretary Bob Zellner that he had offer ed to drop that charge if Zellner vlOuld plead guilty to a charge of vagrancy. (The false pretenses charge is based on the fact that Zellner ~Tote a chepk for $85 on the day of his v~grancy arrest thinking there was money in his account to cover ito Through a clerical slip, money was not in his account vJhen he wrote the check, but was deposited three hours later. The check would have cleared during ordinary course of business and never 117as sent through the bank of marked "for insufficient funds ,,!I ) State authorities plan to press the false pretenses charge -- a felony in Alabama l,V'ith a 1-10 year sentence -- to the Grand Jury February 12. (SEE ACTION REQUEST.) -l~ - ATLANl'A, GEORGIA ---The SNCC offic.e -here announced that food and clothing drives for dispossessed Mississippi Delta Negroes are continuing. Groups in Louisville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Ic~a City and other cities are underway~ TALLADEGA, ALABAYm -- Joanne Grant and Carl* Braden were dismissed from injunction hearings here February 8 on motion by Attorney General Richmond Flowers. Hearings Hill be continued February 11 against othere named in the injunction, including the Talladega College student body, President Arthur Gray, Bob Zellner, and others. Assistant Attorney General John Bookout told reporters "we think it will strengthen our case to deal with the local situation only." LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS -- Public facilities* in some hotels, a bowling alley, and several lunch counters desegregated peacefully here January 2, following sit-ins which saw SNCC field sec'y Bill Hansen and SNCC executive committee member Worth Long arrested.

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE -- Eight stores have agreed to upgrade Negroes to white collar jobs after negotiations conducted by the Knoxville Civio Improvement Committee, headed by SNCC member Avon Rollins. AMERICUS, GEORGIA -- SNCC field workers in SoutmlTest Georgia called the trial of D. E. Sl1.s> rt, Dick Gregory will escort a cargo of food and clothing from Chicago to dispossessed Negro families here February 11. The goods were collected by the Chicago Friends of SNCC. (SEE ACTION REQUEST.) PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS -- Thirteen members *of the Pine Bluff Student Movement staged this city's first sit~ins here on February 1, the third anniversary of the student movement. Participating were SNCC workers Bill Hansen and Ben Grinage. * MONTGO~lliRY, ALABAMA -- State investigators, who followed SNCC field secretary Bob Zellner from here to his grandmother's deathbed and funeral in Mobile, have set off a storm of protest. SNCC, and the Souttern Conference Educational Fund are asking other groups and individuals to protest "this desecration." (SEE ACTION REQUEST.)

ATLANTA, GE0RGIA -- The Freedom Singers have recorded a new album, IIWe Shall Never Turn Back," the title song written by SNCC staffer Bertha Gober. ------2------CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- Clyde Kennard, the first Negro. to. apply to a white scheel in Missi. ssippi, has been placed en indef:i,nite sUspensien fremhis 7-year prisen term. Kennard is here at the University. ef Chicage's* Can i ~er Research Divisien. CLARKSDAIE, MISSISSIPPI -- C~l Clrges of Uillegal possession of ba-rbituate" were, in effect, dropped against SNCG w:xr!~er IvtLnhJe Donal.cU l':n and Ben Taylor vJhen .ths Coahema. County Grand Jury refused to indict the two c:..fter they brought a 2-ton truck of food and clothing fer Delta Negroes and we.re arrastedo i~ ATLA~"TA, GEORGIA -- The Spri.ng Conference of SNCC will be held here Easter weekend" April 12-14. 'twrite now for [1, -::, rJ . icat:~ens to. Ruby Doris Smith, SNOG effice. All requests for applicatiens must be in by l'le.reh 1.

ACTION REQ L~STS: * 1" ~Te ar e -calling upon yeu to pretest the injuman treatment Bcb Zellner and his family received frem Alabama investigating efficerso Gall, wire or write ens ef the fellowing, protesting the haras3ment and the false pretenses cha~g ed ledged against him: (1) 11aury Smith, Acsistant (;:i.rcuit Solkitol', Hontgomery.l1 Ala~2.I!1a; (2) Richmend Flowers, Attorney General ef Alabama; (3) Governor Geerge Co lV-allace; and (4) AI Lingo., State Directer of the Department ef Public Safety, all in Ment.gomery regarding the charges and the harassment by state agentso vJrite to. Attorney General Robert F 0 Kennedy and the U. Se Civil Rights Commission in Washington.

20 We are asking you to continue your aid to. Mississippi. Neede1: foed, clething, and paperback college-level texts~ biography, social science, and fiction~ Send materials to. SNCC, 6 Ra;ymend Street, NovI., Atlanta 14, or to. Bob Meses" 901~ Nelsen Street, Greenville, Mississippi. -!HI- 3. Need still persists for an autemebile to. aid the 11i.ssissippi SNCC field staff in cevering their assigned voter rcgistratien areas. Please help -- any car in decent shape will be received with open arms.

4. Money is badly needed to. have the SNCC Spring Cenference here in Atlanta. Last year1s conference cest well ever ~4ooo and this year we ac- e abselutely llC)t in any position to. stage such a cestly venture. We welceme and ask fer special contrib­ utiens earmarked for holding the conference~

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

v.le are gathering documented infermation en indicatiens that Clyde Kennard did net receive adequate medic

FROM A FIEID REPORT : liT hirteen students, all members ef the Pine Bluff Student; Mevement (PBST j, b'egan the first sit -ins in the history ef Pina Bl"J.f:f en February 1 ..

• •• the ceunter was clesed c:.nd the:.ce 'tvere no. arrests -:0 CI .,Bon and I j ::>ined the second daY.o.Chief ef Pelice Nerman Yeung told the students: 'You fll bcg for mercy before this is ever.' tI ------frem Bill Hansen and Ben Grinage in Pine Bluff, Ark.