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2 <br /> • May 14, 1961 - Anniston officials give Klu Klux Klan permission to attack riders without <br /> consequences. The Greyhound bus door was held closed outside Anniston, Alabama <br /> while the Freedom Riders were inside and the mob fire bombed the bus. The mob then <br /> attacked the Riders as they fled the bus. <br /> • When the Trailways bus reached Anniston, eight Klansman boarded the bus, attacked <br /> and beat the Freedom Riders. In Birmingham, Alabama, the riders were attacked as <br /> police and local officials watched as the mob beat the non-violent Freedom Riders with <br /> baseball bats, iron pipes and bicycle chains. <br /> • May 20, 1961 - Police escort abandons Freedom Riders. The Riders attacked again in <br /> Montgomery, Alabama leaving Congressman Lewis unconscious in a pool of blood <br /> outside the Greyhound bus terminal. Compounding all of this was a lack of medical <br /> assistance that Black bus riders could receive for injuries received. <br /> • May 23, 1961 - The Riders board buses from Montgomery to Jackson, MS under <br /> National Guard escort. They are jailed upon arrival under the formal charges of <br /> incitement to riot, breach of the peace, and failure to obey a police officer. <br /> • June 1961 - Freedom Riders are transferred to Mississippi's notorious Parchman State <br /> Prison Farm. Segregationist authorities attempt to break their spirits by removing <br /> mattresses from the cells. New Freedom Riders continue to arrive in Jackson, MS and be <br /> jailed throughout summer. <br /> Approximately 450 women and men, from May 4 through December 10, 1961, participated in <br /> the Freedom Rides. The Freedom Riders persisted in their fight for justice, and eventually their <br /> activism influenced and changed the landscape of race relations, civil rights, and human rights <br /> in the United States. The success of the Freedom Rides showed that nonviolent direct action <br /> could do more than simply claim the moral high ground; in many situations, it could deliver <br /> better tactical results than either violent confrontation or gradual change through established <br /> legal mechanisms. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with consideration of the <br /> proclamation. <br /> SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Social Justice Goal is applicable to this agenda <br /> item: <br /> • GOAL: FOSTER A COMMUNITY CULTURE THAT REJECTS OPPRESSION AND <br /> INEQUITY <br /> The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race or color; <br /> religious or philosophical beliefs; sex, gender or sexual orientation; national origin or <br /> ethnic background; age; military service; disability; and familial, residential or economic <br /> status. <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal <br /> impact associated with this item. <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the <br /> proclamation commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Rides and authorize the <br /> Chair to sign the proclamation. <br />