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Negro Integration Leader’s Home Bombed in Birmingham

Aug. 21, 1963 - A bomb blasted the garage of a Negro integration leader last night in Birmingham, Ala., and 2,000 angry Negroes rushed to the scene and hurled rocks at police. Police officers with carbines and shotguns fired over the rioters’ heads when they refused to disperse. One policeman was reported rushed to the hospital with a head injury. No one was reported hurt when the bomb went off in the garage of Negro attorney Arthur Shores (right). The blast was heard 10 miles away. The bomb blew in Mr. Shores’ garage door and damaged his two cars and the room overhead. Neither he nor his wife, both at home, were hurt. Mr. Shores, 58 years old, has been called Alabama’s “drum major for justice.” He has used his legal skills to support civil rights issues since 1938. As last night’s riot swelled, the Rev. A.D. King, brother of Dr. Martin Luther King, leaped on top of an automobile and tried to calm the Negroes. “My friends, we have had enough problems tonight,” he shouted. Rocks flew over his head and into the ranks of policemen. “If you’re going to kill someone, then kill me,” Mr. King cried. “We cannot beat them [the police], but we are going to win this town regardless of what they do. Stand up for your rights, but with nonviolence.”

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