July 31, 1962 - Police Chief Laurie Pritchett (left) of Albany, Ga., testified today that the presence of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Albany had raised community tensions to the boiling point. He said the situation had become so threatening that a Federal Court injunction banning antisegregation demonstrations by Dr. King and his followers was needed to preserve order. Chief Pritchett, Mayor Asa D. Kelley Jr., and other city officials are seeking such an injunction from Federal District Judge J. Robert Elliott. They are also laying the groundwork for contempt proceedings against Dr. King and other Negro leaders. The city contends that antisegregation demonstrations since last December have, in effect, deprived the white citizens of Albany of their civil rights. Chief Pritchett testified that the demand for policing mass demonstrations had left his officers unable to provide equal protection for other citizens.
