My story is about the 1963 Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama specifically the second day of the protest when the the fire department joined the police to stop the marchers by using fire hoses and the police brought out police dogs. Dr. King and the other organizers of the march had preached nonviolence to those participating, passed out baskets to collect anything that could be construed as weapons at the church they met up at prior to marching towards city hall. They even held workshops were they attempted to prepare the youths participating for getting spit on, beaten, and getting fire hoses turned on them. However, not everyone that joined the march were as committed to non-violence. And so on the second day of the march while the majority of marchers were peacefully protesting there were some people that starting throwing rocks, bricks, and broken bottles at the police and firemen. It was after this that the firemen turned their hoses on the crowds and the canine unit were brought out and turned against black protesters. The police locked the church which held the rest of protesters. Leaders of the march made everyone go home only two hours after the march began because they believed it would give legitimacy to the police's charges and allow them to do even more. The violence did against black people by the police and the fire department did a lot to turn opinion to side with the marchers both among the black community in Birmingham and more broadly across the country.

My source is We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson