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Lowndes County Negroes Work to Take Over County

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Lowndes County Negroes Work to Take Over County 20~ JUNE 1966 < VOL. 2 PICKE'IS AT DIGIORGIO NO.4 SF Headquarters were spit Pub Iished by on by DiGiorgio employees The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of California (story page 2). $204. LOWNDES COUNTY NEGROES WORK TO TAKE OVER COUNTY They nominated 7 candidates for the avail- that the Party in Alabama is still fully 'tble offices: in the hands of racists. Those Negroes Sheriff - Mr. Sidney Logan, Jr. who ran in the Democratic primary either It Before the Black Panther Party came, when I went to Coroner - Mr. Henry R03s lost or were put into run-offs which they the boss man to ge't a little :money, I had to take my hat 'Tax Assessor -Miss Allce Moore will probably lose. It may be that in Nov­ off and scratch my head, you see. And I had to look down at Tax Collector - Mr. Frank Miles, Jr. ember the only Negroes running inthe state Board of Education - Mr. Robert Logan will be those of the Lowndes County Free­ the· ground, you couldn't look him in the eye. Well, I'll - Mr. John Henson dom Organization. never do that again." -Mrs. Willie Mae "It's ~ot use if we' get the vote and still Strickland are poor," says Hulett. The leaders of the -- a Lowndes County man, active in the LCFO. The Lowndes County Freedom Organi­ Organization have been thinking of ways to zation is independent in every way. It change more than just who votes in Lowndes LOWNDES COUNTY, ALABAMA -- The The lawyer then stayed up all night has taken no money from SNCC. It raises County. They plan to use the taxing power story behind the May 3 Primary of the getting a written interpretation, signed its money from collections taken in mass of the County to redistribute the wealth. Lowndes County Freedom Organization, the by Alabama Attorney-General Richmond meetings and from a group of relatives When Miss Moore ran for Tax Assessor, "Black Panther Party," tells a lot about Flowers and the Probate Court Judge of and friends in Detroit. The SNCC Field her platform was "Tax the Rich to Feed the most powerful movement of Negroes Lowndes County, saying that it was within Secretaries, Stokely Carmichael, Bob Mants the Poor." in Alabama. the law for the LCFO to hold its nominat­ and Courtland Cox, canvass for the LCFO, Most of the big landowners are paying Alabama law s.ays that a political nolp­ ing convention a half-mile from the Court­ but they do not direct it. The major work from 1/2 to one-tenth of what they should inating convention must be held ' 'in or house at the First Baptist Churchof Hayne­ is done by John Hulett, who works full­ be paying in property tax. The LCFO around a public polling place." The only ville. time for the LCFO, and other members and plans to change that, by raising property public polling place in Lowndes County is LCFO leaders agreed to thiS; a safer taxes to the legal limit. the courthouse, which was also the loca­ location meant more people would come to candidates. Their work this summer and fall will be "If Dan River Mills (the largest indus­ tion for the Democratic Party primary. the convention. to register as many Negroes as possible trial plant in the county) can't pay its The week before the primary, the lead­ The point of this story is that Lowndes and to convince them to vote for the taxes, we'll take it over," says Hulett, ers and organizers of the LCFO went to County Negroes are serious about taking Black Panther rather than the Democratic "and run it ourselves." Sheriff Ryals, with their plans. The Sher­ over their county. They have no illusion If they move out of the county, that's iff told them they could not hold their Party. that whites will turn over their power Their arguments have been given a boost all right too. They didn't hire many resi­ primary there. "We said -- the law says peacefully. Already a $1000 rewardhas been by the results of the state-wide primaries. dents of the county and they didn't pay we have to hold it here," reported Stokely offered for the person who kills the first The choice of Mrs. George Wallace as the taxes, so it's no big loss." Carmichael, an organizer of the LCFO and Negro Sheriff. Democratic candidate for Governor proves The Black Panther Party may begin a recently elected Chairman of SNCC. The "We intend to become the power structure new direction for American Negroes. There Sheriff refused to give them protection. of our country," says John Hulett. "In any has only been one demonstration in Lowndes "We said -- that's okay baby, we're going fair election, we will win. And we will hold FAC'IS ABOUT LOWNDES COUNTY Comity, and it achieved nothing. The weap­ to bring our guns and we're going to have onto that power if we have to deputize County Population. ••• ••..•• 15,417 ons used are the vote and economic power. our meeting uninterrupted." 1000 Negroes to do it." Negroes. ••••. ••...••••. 12,425 "We spend our money where it's appre­ Carmichael then wrote to John Doar of 900 Negroes met at the May 3nominating % Negroes .• ••.•••••••.••• 81% ciated," says Hulett. "If people aren't for the Justice Department, explaining the prob­ convention. Several hundred more attended Median Family Income: . us, they don't get our money." lem. Doar sent down a Justice Department but were unable to vote because they had white •.•.•..• •••.••••. $4400 The new tactics have been very effec­ lawyer to the country. The lawyer asked voted in the Democratic Primary. (Ibe negro •.••••....•.•...••• 935 tive. "We don't depend on the Justice John Hulett, the Chairman of the CLFO to charge that SNCC and the LCFO asked Voter Registration - 1964 Department, the white liberals, the Demo­ tell his members "notto start any trouble." Negroes to " boycott" the Democratic pri­ White Negro cratic Party, the courts -- nobody -~ to get '·'We don't intend to," replied Hulett. mary is false. By law no one can vote in Eligible 1900 5122 done what has to be done. We depend on "We are within our rights. We will come two primaries. The LCFO urged Negroes Registered 2240 0 ourselves. And we'll win." armed. You .tell the crackers not to start in Lowndes County tQ. attend the Black There are now about 2700 whites reg­ 'FOR THE STORY OF THE BLACK any trouble, because if they start some­ Panther convention rather than vote in the istered,- roughly 700 more than are eli-. PANTHER PARTY IN THE WORDS OF I'IS thing, we're going to finish it." Democr~tic primary.) gible, and 2500 Negroes. LEADERS AND ORGANIZERS , SEE PAGE 3. AFTER THE PILGRIMAGE -A BURST OF ORGANIZING DELANO --There is a popular song that is They don't shout orders, they ask." And played on the juke boxes all over the San even those who still oppose the strike talk JoaqUin Valley, called "El Corrido de about when the Association will.win; not,g. Delano." Organizing "In Kern County you hear the words - Come brother, join the union, The strategy of the Association has It will be better for us- changed. The campaign is' now concentrated We only ask the justice and dignity inside 'the state. The DiGiorgio boycott is of man." not planned nation-wide, but state-Wide. O.ne .day last month, when the NFWA The summer 'program, which hopes to pickets appeared on the edge of the fields involve 300 to 500 studtmts, will center in at the DiGiorgio Sierra Vista Ranch, a California. Student - worker teams will DiGiorgio truck with a loudspeaker was sweep the state, bring the word of the driven up to drown out their cries. The Association to farm workers from North driver turned the radio to a local Mexican to South. station and went into the field. Suddenly, In the Delano-Bakersfield area theAsso­ blasting over the rows of grapes, too loud ciation, newly re-organized into 13 depart­ to ignore, c"me "El Corrido de Delano." ments, is putting its best people into signing up members. "Our best organizers," says Things are not going well for DiGiorgio a staff member, "are the young Mexican or for corporate agri - business in Cali­ guys who were on the Pilgrimage. "There fornia. In the month after the Delano to were some who didn't make much impres­ Sacramento Pilgrimage all has changed. sion on us two months ago. Then during the "1 can't wait to get back to the Arvin Pilgrimage their real talent came out." area," says Marshall Ganz, a SNCC field Whole DiGiorgio crews are being signed secretary on the organizing staff of the up. "We're finding out that the scabs Association. "You walk up to a worker, aren't anti-union," says an organizer, "they say Ah, and he says, Where do I sign?" just didn't know what was happening. We A DiGiorgio foreman, sympathetic with couldn't get to them, and their employers the union, says "The company men treat CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE the workers different now. TIley're polite. A DIGIORGIO WORKER leaves field to talk with NfWA:pickets. TO OUR READERS "GOODBYE, MR. BROWN" We're calling this issue the June issue. It started out to be the May issue, but the editor had to go to the SNCC These two letters are pretty clear. Father Kenny is staff :tneeting and then to" Lowndes County.
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