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

thereby silenced and neutralized by the organized violence of "Da Spirit ."
The Origins of the Deacons for Defense
While "Da Spirit" enforced the boycott, another military force provided
the armed protection necessary to provide security for the Movement leadership
and the Black community in general . Movement leaders, workers, and Black
communities with Movement activity needed protection from Klans men and
other white vigilantes . Particularly after the signing of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, white supremacists stepped up their use of terrorism to intimidate southern
Blacks . Not only was local law enforcement unreliable, but often Mississippi and
other Southern police officers were either the source of the violence or provided
logistical support for the Klan. In addition, the experiences of Freedom Summer
had also shown that the FBI and the Justice Department were also unreliable
allies .
In the boycotts that were organized in Mississippi after 1965, the Louisi-
ana based Deacons for Defense and Justice provided the paradigm for protection
of the Movement and the Black community in general . First organized in
Jonesboro, Louisiana in July of 1964, the Deacons received national attention
because of their practice and open advocacy of armed self-defense. While not
revealing most of their members, unlike many of their predecessors the Deacons
publicly declared their existence and willingness to use their weapons in the cause
of civil and human rights . The Deacons could also be distinguished from informal
defense groups, patrols, and militias that protected areas as Harmony and
Mileston (in Chapter 4) . The para-military structure of the Deacons was different