June 10, 1964 - In St. Augustine, Fla., tonight, tear gas and police dogs broke up racial clashes tonight which broke out during an anti-segregation march by 400 persons despite a heavily armed escort of more than 200 police. (Pictured below is Randolph Hampton, one of the demonstrators who was attacked.)
A crowd of more than 100 white men milled about in a city park, and some of them broke police lines and attacked demonstrators.
The crowd broke up concrete block fixtures in the park and hurled chunks of rock and brick. Several marchers and at least one policeman were struck.
Police fired tear gas into the ugly mob and used dogs to break it up.
At one point, a white marcher was knocked down, kicked, and slugged before policemen charged in and drove the assailants away.
The outbreak was similar to a demonstration last night by 300 marchers, mostly Negroes, who were beaten by white gangs until police intervened.
Integration leader Dr. Martin Luther King, vowing a massive assault against segregation in St. Augustine, said earlier today he had asked President Johnson by telegram to send in federal marshals to help keep order. Police officials responded with a promise that demonstrators would be protected.
State troopers, city and county police, and special reserve policemen formed an escort line all along the nine-block march downtown. Despite this, some of the white mob got to their targets.
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