MXGM Self-Defence Manual

Umoja / MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM MOVEMENT 275
development of a coercive force in the movement that could harass
or punish violators of the boycott and Blacks who collaborated with
the White power structure. The ascendance of the leadership of
Evers, the boycott organizing of NAACP activist Rudy Shields, and
the development of the Deacons for Defense were closely related to
the development of the Natchez model.
CHARLES EVERS AND
THE NATCHEZ BOYCOTT
Evers became a major leader in the Mississippi movement after
the assassination of his brother Medgar on June 11, 1963, by White
supremacist Byron de la Beckwith. Unlike previous Mississippi
movement spokespersons, Charles Evers, in his new position,
would openly advocate armed resistance. During a 1964 NAACP
fund raiser in Nashville, Evers proclaimed, “I have the greatest
respect for Mr. Martin Luther King, but non-violence won’t work in
Mississippi ....Wemadeupourminds...that if a white man
shoots at a Negro in Mississippi, we will shoot back” (“If White
Man Shoots,” 1964, p. 1).
Evers’s involvement in the Natchez movement meant a more
visible defense presence to counter the violent terror of the local
Klan. According to NAACP activist Milton Cooper, a security team
had developed around him, which complemented the presence of
Evers. In the spring of 1965, Evers led a campaign to desegregate
the hotels of Natchez. During this campaign, White hostility grew
to the point where Evers’s security team had to position snipers at
the Holiday Inn where the NAACP leader was residing in Adams
County. Later that same summer, an incident occured that sparked
an acceleration of activity in Natchez (Milton Cooper, personal
communication, July 23, 1994; Evers, 1976).
On August 27, 1965, NAACP leader George Metcalf was seriously
injured when a bomb hidden beneath the hood of his car
exploded after he turned on the ignition. Although Metcalf was fortunate
enough to survive the blast, he had to be hospitalized, suffering
from facial lacerations, a broken arm and leg, and other assorted
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