Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

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survival of CORE and the Movement in Madison depended on the involvement and support of a man whose reputation was at least as formidable as Billy Noble's, "Badass" C.O . Chinn . Chinn developed his reputation years before the Movement came to Canton when he confronted a white planter who made demands that he work on a white owned plantation (see ChapterTwo) . As a young adult, Chinn participated in the U.S . military. Ironically he served in the same military with Billy Noble. Upon leaving the military, Chinn and his young wife, Minnie, began to build their family in Canton . Chinn became an enterprising businessman, opening a cafe, bar and "bootlegging" on the side . The white power structure and Sheriff Noble did not interfere with Chinn's legal and illegal enterprises, allowing him the space to exist . Ofcourse, Chinn paid a fee to the local white elite in order to operate an illegal alcohol business . When George Raymond initially came to Canton, local people avoided him and CORE, fearing reprisal from Canton's white power structure . Once Chinn, who was well respected in Madson County, endorsed Raymond, doors began to open to the young CORE activists . CORE was able to utilize office space in the Chinn family business . C.O . also provided CORE workers with transportation and protection . Chinn began to use his connections to getCORE forums at churches and other public gatherings and often himself spoke in support of the Movement. In spite of warnings from the white power structure, Chinn became the first resident of Canton to embrace Raymond and CORE . By supporting CORE's voter registration campaign, Chinn was targeted for economic reprisal and political repression by the local power structure . The cordial relation- ship which had developed between Chinn and Noble since their days in the
military soured after Chinn openly supported the Movement . Chinn would lose his liquor license and be forced to close his bar.-50 C.O . Chinn is a legendary figure in the history of the Mississippi movement . If Billy Noble was the stereotypic white Southern sheriff, Chinn was defi- nitely the quintessential "crazy Negro ." He certainly did not fit the stereotype of servile and deferential behavior which has been identified with Southern Blacks of his generation . He crossed lines that other Blacks only dreamed about. C.O. was revered by the local Blacks and feared by local whites . Chinn did not fit most popular images of a Southern civil rights leader. Most of our popular images of Movement leaders are religious, moral figures, generally Christian ministers . While Chinn was a Christian, his life-style could not be confused with that of a devout religious leader or layperson . In fact his wife, Mrs . Minnie Chinn, who also loved and respected Chinn, described Chinn as a "devil ." Black people in Madison County respected Chinn because he openly spoke his mind and was not intimidated by white racists . Chinn's courage gave him a tremendous moral authority in the Black community which was not based on religion.'' Chinn was also respected by Blacks because whites, including the police and the white power structure actually feared him. CORE activist Matthew Suarez remembered "[E]very white man in that town knew that you didn't fuck with C . O . Chinn." Chinn also received respect and special treatment from Billy Noble and the police which wasn't accorded to anyone else . Rudy Lombard recalls how Noble once grabbed George Raymond and taunted the young CORE activist. According to Lombard, Noble told Raymond "[A]in't but two bad sons of bitches in this county, me and that nigger C.O . Chinn." It is suggested by many Move-
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Eye for an Eye: The Role ofArmed Re
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This is an authorized facsimile, ma
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ABSTRACT Although, the Civil Rights
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Light and Power on their spirits Mo
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Eye for an Eye: The Role ofArmed Re
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Ch
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armed resistance in Black struggle
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Review of the Literature The Litera
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from advocates of armed self-defens
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the Movement. Each of these authors
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whom were committed to and practice
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and enforced against Black humanity
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transcript" of insurgency that has
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Chapter One: Historic Armed Black R
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to Kongolese armies. The use of arm
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people who were antagonistic to the
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nation, and to promise Africans fre
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coons to chattel status. Rather tha
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South legal . The Seminoles prepare
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more than slaves or mercenaries . A
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maroons, calling themselves the "Ki
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Adams county, Mississippi, in 1861
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The same year abolitionist and fugi
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separate Black army with its own "c
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soldiers defended their sisters and
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Southern whites were not willing to
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die where they stood before they wo
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teers throughout Hinds county. Real
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supremacy was not secure without th
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hours . While in each case there we
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of Alabama, to be armed at their me
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initiated gunfire after hearing rum
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apists . In February of 1948, Mrs.
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U .S . Army, was known as a sharpsh
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11 . Kenneth Wiggins Porter, The Ne
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31 . Edwin S. Redkey, AGrand Army o
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North Carolina Press, 19903, 44-45
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in the Age of Jim C,Eow, states tha
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Page 79 and 80: ers his father would not allow him
Page 81 and 82: ist mob continued their intimidatio
Page 83 and 84: unit designed after the Mau Mau of
Page 85 and 86: the 1954 U .S . Supreme Court decis
Page 87 and 88: he refused to persuade the thirty r
Page 89 and 90: Meredith to "Ole Miss." Because of
Page 91 and 92: eturned home around midnight . Myrl
Page 93 and 94: 11 . C.O . Chinn, interview by the
Page 95 and 96: crime . He was abducted by a mob of
Page 97 and 98: Chapter Three: The Non-Violent Move
Page 99 and 100: as the popular leader of this new o
Page 101 and 102: ments for protest based on moral an
Page 103 and 104: ticed some form of self-defense cov
Page 105 and 106: and NAACP organizer. Moore had assi
Page 107 and 108: On Moore's recommendation, Moses fi
Page 109 and 110: house, under pillows, under chairs
Page 111 and 112: lacks to challenge Amite's white po
Page 113 and 114: including Medgar Evers and Roy Wilk
Page 115 and 116: practice of self-defense . To warn
Page 117 and 118: Mississippi officials, charging the
Page 119 and 120: Anyone participating in the march h
Page 121 and 122: and harassed, local police did not
Page 123 and 124: Blacks alike were amazed that the g
Page 125 and 126: ase for SNCCICOFO and the Mississip
Page 127: with its own identity in the state
Page 131 and 132: Besides this group of protective gu
Page 133 and 134: for younger activists to challenge
Page 135 and 136: 9, 1984, 1-B- 10B ; Chuck McDew int
Page 137 and 138: 47 . Ibid, 178-179 ; Dennis, interv
Page 139 and 140: demonstrate that disenfranchised Mi
Page 141 and 142: franchised Black voters, the organi
Page 143 and 144: themselves and advising SNCC activi
Page 145 and 146: massacre as implied by Hall . Other
Page 147 and 148: to be a force in the Southern movem
Page 149 and 150: CORE also was engaged in debate con
Page 151 and 152: Schwerner, and one Freedom Summer v
Page 153 and 154: Goodman . Another element of this c
Page 155 and 156: Black history, Movement politics, a
Page 157 and 158: Harmony school and bused Harmony's
Page 159 and 160: economic arena was also displayed i
Page 161 and 162: on, in Brown's words, the "organiza
Page 163 and 164: There was a fine line . There was a
Page 165 and 166: (formerly known as Stokley Carmicha
Page 167 and 168: Union Baptist Church, led by its pa
Page 169 and 170: terrorist violence was initiated by
Page 171 and 172: Reeves family had a history of bein
Page 173 and 174: and Movement activists of McComb .
Page 175 and 176: friend by pretending he was only pa
Page 177 and 178: and cohesiveness of each community.
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lenge the credentials of the segreg
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5 . Hollis Watkins, interviewed in
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28 . Dovie Hudson, interviewed in B
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56 . Bob Moses, interview by the au
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turn followed a different posture t
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cials were uneasy about Charles bec
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Cooper stated " We had 30.06. We ha
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Charles Evers's stated: He encourag
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the boycott. Arange of coercive tac
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thereby silenced and neutralized by
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crushed when a police car led a Kla
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Robert Williams . Thomas had read a
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of the Deacons in Bogulusa. The lea
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McKeithen also called for negotiati
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settlers . Natchez was the hub for
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would spark an acceleration of acti
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Even though the police officers wer
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U.S . Constitution [including the S
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e known, you better figure on dying
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situation that day: These pecker wo
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of the Deacons capabilities, provid
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unless City government acted favora
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Black community to enforce its deci
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claiming victory , announcing the m
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teams to enforce the boyott1 In Cla
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argument between Shields, and a whi
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Jackson also led to near uprising b
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implementing the Natchez model, Rud
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Okolona, Tupelo, and Byhalia. The U
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18 . Porter, Interview with Deacon
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44 . Ibid ; Young, interview by aut
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73 . Ibid. 74 . James Scott, interv
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CONCLUSION ". . ..the armed liberat
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existence of armed resistance in th
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Some may argue that the evidence pr
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ofthe Movement and doesn't apprecia
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it was necessary for the Black comm
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the white power structure but also
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Significance of "Eye forAn Eye" It
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4 . Comel West, Progb= Deliverance
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Herman Leach, July 30,1994, Yazoo C
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Correspondence Letter from Sundiata
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Carson, Clayborne, et al. The Eyes
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Jordan, Winthrop, Tumult and Silenc
Page 267 and 268:
Payne, Charles, 1've Got the Light
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DissertationslTheses Barksdale, Mar
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