Audio for McComb "Syndicalism" Case
15:49
Explicit language
16:06
Racial Slur
16:29
Explicit language
16:38
Explicit language
Sample Collaborative Student Project - Bethany (Student 1)
00:21
"It's very uh -- it's very much important that you became a political prisoner and this is what you were in many ways. Not that we say you should have thrown a brick [unclear] if you did. I don't know whether you did or you didn't.Maybe some of you did. This we shouldn't have done because we need discipline. We have to have far more discipline than the white man if we're gonna win this uh struggle."
01:00
"Whether you threw a brick or didn't, the fact still remains that he used you as a tool, as an instrument. He made something of a thing of you. Because he was trying, by keeping you in jail, by setting a bond at 5/000 finally reducing it to 500, to strike fear in the hearts of your parents, and other people in the community."
01:23
"He was trying to cut off one segment of the Negroes in McComb from another segment"
01:56
"You were used. Some of you no doubt will be bitter about it. I know a lot of people were bitter the night that the [or our?] houses were bombed. Bitterness alone is not going to suffice. If you're angry, good. You have right to be angry. The question now is not whether you're angry or you dislike somebody, but whether or not you will take actions take steps to change the kind of city and county where people can be held in jail for things like this, where they can create a law to arrest any negro or any white person in the movement on just about any charge they want to and they you know, give it an nice sounding name. They say "syndicalism." Some of us [unclear] stumble over it [when we couldn't?] pronounce the word. But it still basically means that anyone who tries to work for justice in our society is doing something against the law. This is ironic, this is a mockery. You know. During the next few weeks, months, or years, everyone here, in Mississippi and in the south is going to be embroiled in a battle, and you're going to have to do something."
02:46
"They give it a nice sounding name-- they say 'syndicalism'" - the charge used to arrest the group of students
03:43
"You're going to have to be out canvasing, talking to people, doing something to bring about justice, unless you enjoyed being in jail" - this sounds threatening
03:49
If you didn't enjoy it then you must do something to change it and that's simply turn your back and say "it can't happen again" cause it can happen again and it might happen tomorrow.
04:00
unless you're ready to do something
04:04
plus you, your friends and your parents are ready to band together as a united people seeking to bring about a full good free society and world in which to live
05:11
people walking in?
05:19
coughing
05:22
chairs moving, scraping on floor
05:33
chairs moving, scraping on floor
05:37
people entering room?
05:53
more people entering the room?
06:00
"I was out in a day" - one of the white protestors arrested
06:09
"I thought...what you must be thinking about and how it must make you feel to know that, you know, a white civil rights worker can be picked up and out of jail in a day when you have to stay in jail and stay in jail and say in jail. And, it's not fair, it's.. I don't know what to say about it, except that that's why we're down here, and we're not gonna leave, until such a time arrives that, you know, people aren't treated that way."
07:44
woman in audience - "yes, lord"
08:30
reference to the court case/date
08:40
"That sounds huh absolutely stupid to me, but we will check with our lawyer, to make absolutely certain. We will, you know, find out, cause we don't want them to pulling you back in on a technicality. They would try and do something as asinine as that, but uh, we want to check that out"
08:40
inequality of court requirements
08:59
papers rustling
09:04
walking around, movement
09:10
microphone noises
09:12
"What were the conditions there, first in terms of the parents being able to get in and see the children? I know some were able, and some were not able to see their children."
09:15
conditions at prison
09:25
Mrs. Thomas
09:35
Willie - one of the arrested students
09:35
"It was a week before they let me even see Willie"
09:39
"It's according to how they feel whether they let you see their parents or not"
09:49
"the white people could come in"
09:50
"They wouldn't even let my father give me not clothes or nothing"
09:54
Louise Banks
09:55
"They wouldn't even let me talk to nobody"
10:07
"Louise Banks -- they wouldn't even let me talk to nobody, the whole 30 days"
10:07
"Louise Banks. They wouldn't even let me talk to nobody. In the whole thirty days."
10:11
lack of communication
10:14
"They let my uncle come one time and they told him to hurry up because they didn't have but a few seconds"
10:15
"They let my uncle come one time and told him to hurry up because they didn't have but a few seconds. And out of the thirty days they let me see nobody else"
10:21
isolation
10:55
tape restarted?
10:58
Christine Anderson
11:09
police stealing from those imprisoned
11:11
"...some days they were mean to us. They cursed at us."
11:48
mic noises and footsteps - microphone switch between speakers?
11:53
hygeine at prison
12:03
door opens and closes
12:45
police threatened students
12:47
mic noises - sounds like breathing (or wind?)
12:54
"they told us they were going to quit feeding us and quit letting our parents see us and quit letting them bring us anything"
13:06
"Wait, John. Wait. Let one talk" - Barbara Beecher (?)
13:15
police threatened isolation
14:06
" I would like to ask you about what recreation privileges did you have?"
14:11
lack of recreation privileges in prison
14:13
"None" and "None at all"
14:15
"Were you able to get out of the cell at all?"
14:19
"[unclear ] play cards"
14:34
"How about the food that they gave you there?"
14:35
inadequate food in prison
14:36
unanimous response that food was awful: "terrible," "it's cold," "cold beans," "cold pork and beans out of the can"
14:37
laughter
14:45
"potatoes mashed up with eggs"
14:52
"shhh" Barbara Beecher (?) shushes attendees (for better recording quality?)
14:52
Barbara Beecher (?)
14:56
tape paused and restarted?
14:57
outdoor noises (birds?)
15:06
slapping sounds
15:06
"about two weeks ago, they stopped giving us coffee"
15:11
"What did you have for breakfast?"
15:12
"grits," "bread," "little old small pieces of bacon"
15:12
breakfast in prison
15:22
"How about your singing? Have they discouraged your singing in the cells?"
15:24
singing discouraged
15:26
"They cursed us, so many times, every night"
15:35
cat meowing? Or children playing? Or birds?
15:36
children playing outside?
15:49
Explicit language
16:06
Racial Slur
16:10
three police officers/jailers - Bagwell, Bates, Owen
16:29
Explicit language
16:38
Explicit language
Sample Collaborative Student Project - Kylie (Student 2)
00:00
muted jostling, static noise
00:11
sudden increase in background/recorder noise
00:11
John Beecher
00:21
sudden increase in background/recorder noise
00:25
"you became a political prisoner" - threw a brick
00:26
political prisoner
00:30
students accused of throwing a brick
00:30
jostling of recorder/background noise
00:33
decrease in background noise
00:36
"This [throwing a brick] we shouldn't have done, because we need discipline. We have to have far more discipline than the white man if we're gonna win this, uh, struggle."
00:38
pages rustling
00:44
"Because the Mississippian is fighting a fool's battle, a battle that he has to lose. And in winning it, we need control and restraint, so that when we strike we strike when we're on good grounds."..."
00:44
pages rustling, movement in environment
01:05
"he used you as a tool, as an instrument, he made something of a thing of you because he was trying, by keeping you in jail...to strike fear into the hearts of your parents and others in the community"
01:07
sliding, scraping noise
01:08
using $5000 bond of high school children to divide community
01:18
horns/music in background
01:23
cough/sneeze
01:39
Freedom House
01:43
"to gain the kind of justice, the kind of right action and good living that is necessary if any of us are going to live in a free America, particularly in a free Mississippi."
01:44
justice
01:54
distant rush
01:58
"know you were used. Some of you, no doubt, will be bitter about it."
01:58
cough
02:05
bitterness
02:05
"houses were bombed" - which houses?
02:09
vehicle in background
02:10
"if you're angry, good. I think you have a right to be angry."
02:15
"the question now is, not whether you're angry or if you like somebody, but whether you will take action take steps to change the kind of city and county where people can be held for things like this"
02:17
cough
02:18
anger vs. action
02:21
rustling
02:36
syndicalism
02:48
"syndicalism. some of us, you know, stumble over (when we gotta?) pronounce the word"
02:53
"[syndicalism] basically means that anyone who tries to work for justice in our society is doing something against the law - this is ironic, this is a mockery."
02:56
vehicles in background
03:01
horn
03:05
pages rustling
03:13
scraping
03:13
coming battle
03:21
"as students, you're going to have to speak in your community and perhaps out of your community to tell people what's happening to tell people why they must try and change this."
03:29
action items for students (tell people, how)
03:31
"those of you who are students are still at the same congregate (?) to have to be working very hard at your studies so that you're not losing ground there as we're trying to win it in another field."
03:31
recorder adjusted
03:33
cough
03:43
exhale
03:49
"unless you enjoyed being in jail. If you didn't enjoy it, then you must do something to change it and not imply turning your back and saying 'it can't happen again,' because it can happen again and it might happen tomorrow unless you're ready to do something."
03:57
tapping
04:04
sudden increase in volume
04:07
banding together - united people
04:18
upcoming events
04:18
tapping
04:19
rally on sunday, freedom day on Monday - which events - in Magnolia?
04:24
pages rustling
04:29
working primarily with adults
04:30
voting
04:33
"you realize that if your parents, if you, were voters, this could not have happened to you."
04:37
recording device
04:41
sigh
04:41
pages rustling
04:42
cough
04:43
Sheriff Warren, Chief Guy, Mayor Burt
04:50
"He's in power, he's in office, because you don't vote. He treats you the way he does because you or your parents don't vote."
04:54
sigh
04:59
dog barking
05:05
Goodbye to Guy - slogan?
05:05
ducks?
05:12
rustling
05:14
background music
05:15
rally
05:19
Jesse?
05:19
cough
05:21
chair movement
05:23
speaking
05:25
laughter?
05:25
"we want the people to see you, to know who you are, to know that you suffered something for them."
05:28
cough
05:32
"you'll be called on many times - be ready and be available."
05:32
chair movement
05:35
conversation
05:43
Beecher coughs
05:43
Dunnis and Sepis?
05:50
introduction about questions about jail
05:54
Dunnis speaking
05:56
recorder
06:01
Dunnis discusses his treatment vs. students
06:02
"that was when I was in the cell downstairs but I was out in a day"
06:17
"how it must make you feel to know that a, you know, a white civil rights worker can be picked up and out of jail in a day, and you have to stay in jail and stay in jail and stay in jail" (mhmm heard in background)
06:20
horn
06:26
"mhmm" in background
06:31
rustling
06:36
cough/sneeze
06:45
AOS? LS?
06:56
Attorney Reaves
07:04
"I just want to apologize for the way that system works in that particular case and I know how you must feel and um that's really why y'know we're here."
07:05
apology
07:20
cough/sneeze
07:22
mention of getting an affidavit from LS about what Reaves said to him
07:33
"all I want to say is welcome back" (laughter)
07:33
unknown male speaker - Jesse?
07:37
group laughter, exclamation
07:37
welcome back from jail
07:37
multiple speakers
07:46
"right now everybody's y'know ready to uh fall back to into the normal uh procedures in like y'know living sort of as we did before but I hope not completely as we did before."
07:46
unknown male speaker
07:49
rustling
08:01
multiple speakers
08:02
cough
08:03
horn
08:04
"after you've had a chance to sleep on your own beds and uh eat at your own tabels among real friends."
08:08
multiple speakers
08:09
laughter/exclamation
08:11
unknown male speaker - Jesse?
08:16
question about coming back every day
08:17
unknown male speaker
08:20
pages rustling
08:26
multiple voices
08:27
"I didn't understand exactly what he means about coming back"
08:27
coughing
08:30
"he said something about court on the 20th"
15:49
Explicit language
16:06
Racial Slur
16:29
Explicit language
16:38
Explicit language