requested a permit on June 29, it was issued to them for 100 to 200 people. One thing here it says, "Reason for parade, I do not know.” Well, we went ahead and issued for the parade. It was to go about 3 miles. It started off I think 25 miles The CHAIRMAN. Who started this trouble? Mr. THOMPSON. Well, I am being sued by Frank Howard, Jr. Mr. THOMPSON. He is a native; yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. What contribution did Carmichael and Brown make to the riot? Mr. THOMPSON. I didn't understand, sir. The CHAIRMAN. What contribution did Carmichael and Rap Brown make to the riot? Mr. THOMPSON. No more than I have said, that they had threatened to burn. After he said that he was going to care of Officer Hill, he said that they were there for one reason and that was to burn the town. The CHAIRMAN. There for one reason and that was to burn the town? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The Birmingham Post-Herald had an article about a march from Prattville marching on Montgomery, which was stopped by the National Guard, and the marchers sat in the road and sang "We shall overcome." Now, do you know anything about that? Mr. THOMPSON. That happened in Montgomery, sir. The CHAIRMAN. What? Mr. THOMPSON. That happened in Montgomery, not in Pratville. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, but they marched from Prattville to Montgomery. Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. They did not? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. That story is erroneous in that respect? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Kennedy. Senator KENNEDY. How many weapons did you find on those that you arrested, Chief? Mr. THOMPSON. There were four weapons. There was two in the car as I have stated and there was one, there was a group of some 50 or 60 young Negroes on the side of the road and they saw the police car come up and they dropped this gun and ran. Senator KENNEDY. Do you know if any of the people that had these weapons were formerly convicted or had any police records, Chief? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; I do not. Senator KENNEDY. Would you know? Has your investigation shown this? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. You see, we did not make any charges on those. We were holding that as evidence that there was a disturbance there. Senator KENNEDY. Do you feel that the State or local ordinances were not sufficient in order to arrest any of the people that were involved or who instigated the disturbance? Mr. THOMPSON. I think the State has enough laws, but it will cut down if the Federal laws prohibited them from coming in and causing this. Senator KENNEDY. This does not prohibit them from coming in? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; they have to have intent. Senator KENNEDY. They have to have intent and also you have to have Mr. THOMPSON. Proof. Senator KENNEDY. You also have to have proof and you also have to have a riot? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes. Senator KENNEDY. So actually this would only work afterward, would it not? Mr. THOMPSON. It is possible. Senator KENNEDY. I mean it would only work after they crossed the line? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator KENNEDY. And then in order to prove Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. it? Senator KENNEDY. You have to prove that they incited and there was a riot so it would only work afterward? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator KENNEDY. Some have suggested that they knew that they were going to be apprehended under this law, that they would not come into the State. Mr. THOMPSON. I'll welcome into the State of Alabama. Senator KENNEDY. Pardon? Mr. THOMPSON. I said I'll welcome into the State of Alabama. Senator KENNEDY. But the point remains that you are still able under your local laws to apprehend and arrest them? Mr. THOMPSON. That is right. Senator KENNEDY. As they have been able to, as the other witnesses we have had, the other police officials, have been able to arrest those that instigated the riots, so I am just wondering myself how this law would serve as a deterrent to those who even go across State lines, since they are being arrested under State laws or local ordinances they are in Alabama. Mr. THOMPSON. Well, I do not believe there would be as many. I believe that there Senator KENNEDY. Why would that be? If they are going to be arrested either by the Federal or local, what would be the difference? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Your Federal law has more power. Senator KENNEDY. They are in jail? Mr. THOMPSON. They are in jail. The CHAIRMAN. What you are saying is you favor this bill, is that what you are saying? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir; I sure do. Senator KENNEDY. He did say that. Have you been able to detect any signs of conspiracy among these people that come across the borders and Mr. THOMPSON. No more than Senator KENNEDY. From your own conversations and as a law enforcement officer? Mr. THOMPSON. Not in Autuga County; no. Carmichael would be the only thing I could really say. Senator KENNEDY. So if there was a conspiracy it would be Mr. Carmichael and Mr. Brown? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator KENNEDY. I suppose from their conversations. But you do not have any other evidence that indicates that there is some central planning organization, operation, dispatches from either Mr. Carmichael or Mr. Brown other than I suppose the SNCC organization, that is bent upon instigating these riots? Mr. THOMPSON. That is right. Senator KENNEDY. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Hart. Senator HART. No, Mr. Chairman. I apologize again for arriving late. I will read the record. I sensed when I got in that the witness was saying he did favor the bill and Senator Kennedy was trying to find out why. That is about all I got out of the brief time I was here. The CHAIRMAN. Chief, we thank you. You have been very helpful. Mr. THOMPSON. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Chief Robert Wright. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. WRIGHT. I do. The CHAIRMAN. Identify yourself for the record, sir; if you will. TESTIMONY OF CHIEF ROBERT WRIGHT, DEPARTMENT OF POLICE, WATERLOO, IOWA Mr. WRIGHT. My name is Robert Wright. I am chief of police at Waterloo, Iowa. The CHAIRMAN. Chief, do you have a prepared statement? Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I do not have a prepared statement. I would, however, like to comment with your permission that the disturbances on July 8 and 9 in Waterloo, Iowa, were extremely mild compared to those you have heard described in these hearings. However, I do want to cooperate with the committee and help in any way that I can. I am not acquainted with the details of this bill, H.R. 421, but I certainly support the idea about it. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you support the idea? Mr. WRIGHT. As I understand it, the law will prevent-or give us some approval to take in custody or charge someone who crosses a State line for the purpose of agitating or who agitates after he has come into a State. I think this would be helpful. The CHAIRMAN. What was the nature of the trouble in Waterloo? Mr. WRIGHT. Ours was primarily a senseless damage to property by an element of young hoodlums. The CHAIRMAN. Were any people hurt? Mr. WRIGHT. There were only very minor injuries, mostly on our own officers. There was a minor injury sustained by a passenger in an automobile which drove through the area, and was treated and released from the hospital. The CHAIRMAN. When did this occur? Mr. WRIGHT. Our trouble occurred on July 8 and 9, 1967. The CHAIRMAN. What size city is Waterloo? Mr. WRIGHT. We have a population of 77,000. The CHAIRMAN. How many of those are white and how many are nonwhite? Mr. WRIGHT. Our nonwhite population comprises about 8 percent, or an estimated 6,000. The CHAIRMAN. Where was the trouble located? Mr. WRIGHT. Trouble occurred in what we call the North End business district which is a concentration of business places in our predominantly Negro populated area. The CHAIRMAN. What started the trouble? Mr. WRIGHT. I think our attention was drawn to the probability of immediate disturbances when the manpower commission office was picketed on June 30. This was before the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the office was closed after June 30 until the day after the Fourth of July, on the fifth. The picketing did not continue, but there seemed to be tension. There was criticism directed at the on-the-job training program of the manpower commission office. At the mass meeting, a so-called mass meeting was planned by the Negro community for July 8. Now, on July 7 we had a minor disturbance when a hubcap-a suspect in a reported hubcap theft was arrested by our men. There was some resistance by a group of 25 or 30 young Negroes. Then on July 8 at about 11:15 p.m. our officers arrested a young Negro for assault and battery upon an elderly white man who was sweeping the sidewalk in front of a place of business in the North End area which I have referred to as that business district and where our trouble occurred. From there our officers had a confrontation with a sizable group of Negroes, during which there were 18 arrests made and then the area cleared, and there was no further trouble of any consequence that night. Then on the afternoon of July 9, I attended a meeting at the request of our mayor with a group of so-called leaders of the Negro community, during which they made a strong request that the police officers stay out of the area, out of this area of concentration of business places in the Negro community, which we agreed to. They indicated that they wanted an opportunity to prevent any property damage and to control the situation themselves, and our men were ordered to stay out of the area and to remain at the perimeter. However, we did depend upon these leaders to notify us immediately when things began to get out of hand or it appeared to them that they could not control the situation. It was during this time from about midnight July 9 for a couple of hours that there was some property damage by breaking windows in stores and business buildings, and some minor fires started. This property damage occurred in the area of about four blocks long, and there were a few, two or three isolated businesses, or businesses remote from this particular area, which were attacked. 82-459-67-pt. 1-20 The CHAIRMAN. Property damage was about $5,000? Mr. WRIGHT. This is the estimate. I do not know the source of that estimate, but that is the figure. The CHAIRMAN. Whose property was it that suffered the most? Mr. WRIGHT. Well, it was white owned and operated business places with I think one exception. The CHAIRMAN. Did your local Negro leadership attempt to cooperate with you in restoring peace? Mr. WRIGHT. Well, I have no real serious doubts that their intentions were of the best, when they indicated that they wanted to use their influence with their own people in preventing this property damage, but they were not able to do it. The CHAIRMAN. What stopped the trouble? Mr. WRIGHT. Our officers moved into the area and we cleared it and there was no further damage. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Sourwine. Mr. SOURWINE. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Do I understand correctly that you moved out of this area at the request of the local Negro leaders and then were called back into it shortly thereafter because the situation got out of hand? Mr. WRIGHT. This was the agreement. However, we were not called in until most of the damage had been done. Mr. SOURWINE. Who called you in? Mr. WRIGHT. A designated member of this leadership group, predesignated. Mr. SOURWINE. Who was that? Mr. WRIGHT. Who was that? Mr. SOURWINE. Yes. Mr. WRIGHT. It was a man by the name of Dr. Nash. Mr. SOURWINE. Dr. Warren Nash? Mr. WRIGHT. Dr. Warren Nash. Mr. SOURWINE. President of the local NAACP branch? Mr. SOURWINE. He called you in because looting of stores had begun! Mr. WRIGHT. Well, he maintains that he called for help by the police department, at one time, and he did it by going to a couple of our foot patrolmen who were walking their regular assigned beat in that area, and then when men did come in, he told our commanding officer, the man who was in charge of this detail, that he did not want them in there, and they did withdraw. Mr. SOURWINE. The Des Moines Register of the 11th of July of this year reported and I quote: Within the last month, civil rights leaders warned that trouble might break out this summer in Waterloo. Robert Wright of Des Moines, stated the President of the NAACP, called the city a tinder box of racial discord. Do you remember such a warning? Mr. WRIGHT. I remember reading that in the paper; yes. Mr. SOURWINE. I have no more questions, Mr. Chairman. Senator KENNEDY. Can you tell me how many of these people you arrested during the course of the disturbances? Mr. WRIGHT. During the two nights there were 23 arrests. Senator KENNEDY. And how many were outsiders, outside of the State of Iowa? |