Marches In Selma
John Lewis, a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, led a peaceful demonstration in Selma to advocate for voter registration among African Americans. However, the police force led by County Sheriff Jim Clark stood in their way. Both sides met on the bridge named after a KKK Grand Dragon.
Crowds build in Selma at the Edmond Pettus Bridge. Image courtesy of FinalCall.
After protesters tried to peacefully discuss their issues with the police, they were beaten and tear-gassed by a swarm of violent officers.
Police beat African American protestors in Selma 1965. Courtesy of APNews.
Police beat African American protestors in Selma 1965. Image courtesy of FinalCall.
Video taken from The Selma Bloody Sunday in 1965. Courtesy of Youtube.
ABC Coverage of the Brutality
At 9:30 that night, ABC aired Judgement at Nuremberg, a film about the Nazi trials relating to the Holocaust. Suddenly, the movie was interrupted by a news report. However, the 50 million viewers kept their eyes glued to their television screens. Horrified, the viewers saw innocent people being beaten on the street by merciless policemen and juxtaposed it with the atrocities committed by the Nazis. These viewers saw the maltreatment of the African-American community first-hand in their own living rooms.
