—“Tiventa in Dallas have drain attention to the methods the Southern cops uses The treatment meted out to Poagco Walkers by the Georgian Police,as reported in the November 25th Militant reminds ono of the vilest tortures used by the French pare~ troopers against the Algerians,
Militant reports: "White and Negro members of the Quebec-Washington—Guatanamo Peace Valk were tortured Nov. 9th by police in Georgia. The 23 walkers, spons= ered by the Committee for Nonviolent Action, include 3 Negro men, 14 White mon and 6 white women, including 70 year old Poarl Ewald of Washington who is recuperating from a heart attack suffered immediately after her reloase from the Griffin j-i. | rpose of the walk is to help ease tension between the U.S. and Cuba by pres onting ™e nonviolent alternative to the continuing Cuban crisis, The pacifist marchers also Barried banners calling for racial integration.
Difficulties began when the marchors tried to hand leaflets to Negroes in a park in Griffin Georgia, Negroes were ordered out of the area. When the marchers attempted to enter a Negro district adjacent to the park, the police attempted to stop the group by arresting the leader Bradford Lyttle, A policeman then appreh— ended Jack Shapiro, 20, a Detroit student, and told him he was under arrest, ‘Shapiro sat down refusing to co-operate with an order to walk to the police car, The off icer yelled to a member of the Goorgia Dureau (G.5B,I ), waiting in a parked car: "Bring the electrie prodder over here," (An electric prodde® is . device capable of g ving a powerful electric shock which produces localised sensations of extreme pain and burning snd involuntary muscle spasms in humans) The G,B,I, agent ordered Shapiro to rise, When the youth continued to sit, the agent applied the prod first to Shapiro's chest and stomach and then his gonitals. The student roiled over to protect himself, giving the agent an opportunity to prod the base of hie spine. Several agents then carried him to the car and threw in him. i policeman grabbed walkor Kit Havice, 23, a medical studentand ordered her into a polica bus, ‘che
sednnd sat down. The officer said to anothor "Get the prodder ovor her" Tweo_
cers pickod her up and were carrying her to a tus when tho G.B.1I. agent who he- #ertured Shapiro ran over with the cattle prod and began applying the electric current to Miss Havice's legs and thigh. ‘She was shoved into the bus, Most of the walkers in the tus refused to leave under their own power and underwont the same treatment as before, Alan Nyysola, 20, a studont was throw from the bus. is he lay on the sidewalk, the G .3.I. agent prodded him on the faco and leg:. nother officer held him while the agent shocked him in the groin, The student tried to | roll over to oscape the prod bitthe agent continued to altornate betwoon applying | the prod to his gonitals and head, WNyysola pullod his avoater cyor his head in self protection, exposing his back to the prod, Finally the agent left the student in erder to work on 17 year old Tom Rodd, a Pittsturgh studont. He applied ‘the proi to fe evory sensitive part of Rodd's body.
g Miss Snyder was dragged into the jail roception room, Several minutes later,
G BI agent entered and applied the cattle prodder next to her oye; raising akc welts
Police then ordered the pacifists to walk to thoir cells, Most of them rofused
on the grounds that their arrost was unjust, Michele Gloor, 20, 2 Chicago student was tho first to be so ordered, Sho refused, A policeman with a cattle prod burned
repeatedly on the necks and legs in full viow of the other wilkors, the sheriff
several policeman and women, Several walkers ericd out in herror ot the pain
is Gloor was enduring, Thoir appoals to the policeman had an effect. He apparent~
could no longer contime tormenting the girl and finolly stopped. mother police m grabbed the prodder saying "Heck, I11 uso it" Eyontually ho tired too of using it, and with the first policeman carriod the girl up the stairs to tho cdi s, During the entire episode, tears stroamod down tho facas of two policemen standing by the door, tut they s,id and did nothing, Tho authorities had no desire to keop the the Marchers in jail. The marchers wore adamant in their domand to be allowed to distribute the leaflets and whon tho authorities released thom thoy returned to the spot of arrest and carried out all the activities thoy had plannod.