Aug. 21, 1961 - Louisiana District Judge John A. Dixon Jr. found six Negro Freedom Riders guilty today of having an intent to provoke a breach of the peace. The arrests Aug. 4 were the first of Freedom Riders in Louisiana. Four of the six, all Shreveport residents, were arrested by Chief Harvey Teasley as they sat in a Trailways bus station waiting room there. The other two had driven the four to the station. At the trial, the six testified that they were on the way to Jackson, Miss., where nearly 300 integrationist Freedom Riders have been arrested since May 24. The defense attorney, Jesse N. Stone, a Negro, indicated that he would appeal today's conviction, which carries a maximum penalty of four months in jail and a $200 fine.
