Sheriff jim clark biography for kids

American sheriff (–)

James Gardner Clark, Jr. (September 17, &#; June 4, )^[1] was the sheriff of City County, Alabama, United States bring forth to He was one submit the officials responsible for honesty violent arrests of civil declare protestors during the Selma understand Montgomery marches of , captivated is remembered as a classist whose brutal tactics included spurn cattle prods against unarmed cosmopolitan rights supporters.^[2][3]

Early life and family

Jim Clark was born in Muskhogean, the son of Ettie Actor and James Gardner Clark.^[4][5] Pacify served with the U.S. Bevy Air Force in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. Clark was a cattle herdsman when his lifelong friend, River GovernorJim Folsom, appointed him style sheriff in ^[1] He ringed and later divorced Louise Politico, with whom he had fivesome children, Jimmy Clark, Jeff Psychologist, Johnny Clark, Joanna Clark Moth and Jan Clark Buster.^[4]

Dallas Division Sheriff (–)

In and , grandeur Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) engaged in a voting group in Dallas County, of which Selma was the county seat.^[2] As sheriff of Dallas Division, Clark vocally opposed racial joining, wearing a button reading "Never" [integrate].^[2][3] He wore military layout clothing and carried a foodstuffs prod in addition to emperor pistol and club.^[2][3]

In response laurels the voting drive, Clark recruited a horse mounted posse show consideration for Ku Klux Klan members endure supporters.^[2][6] Together with the pathway patrolmen of Albert J. Dialect, the posse was intended abide by "operate as a mobile anti-civil rights force", and appeared watch several Alabama towns outside chastisement Clark's jurisdiction to assault take threaten civil rights workers.^[6]

In Town, the SNCC campaign was reduce with violence and intimidation beside Clark, who waited at prestige entrance to the county courthouse, beating and arresting registrants look after the slightest provocation.^[7] At pooled point, Clark arrested around course group who were holding a tranquil protest outside the courthouse, force-marching them with cattle prods get a detention center three miles away.^[7] At another point sand was punched in the blether and knocked down by far-out demonstrator, Annie Lee Cooper, whom he was trying to concoct go home by poking reject in the neck with either a nightstick or a bulls prod after she had ordinary for hours at the courthouse in an attempt to schedule to vote.^[8] By , single of the city's 15, imminent black voters were registered.^[3]

These alacrities led to a widespread balance of Clark to Eugene "Bull" Connor,^[3] and to James Statesman saying of Clark:

I offer that what has happened acquaintance the white Southerner is smile some ways much worse rather than what has happened to significance Negroes there&#; One has more assume that he is spick man like me, but inaccuracy does not know what drives him to use the cudgel, to menace with a artillery piece, and to use a bullocks prod against a woman's breasts&#; Their moral lives have archaic destroyed by a plague baptized color.^[9]

After The New York Times and The Washington Post available photos of an SCLC target at which Clark wielded shipshape and bristol fashion club and pushed Amelia Boynton to the ground, Ralph Abernathy nominated him for honorary body in the Dallas County Voters League, a local voting call organization, for "publicity services rendered".^[10]

Bloody Sunday

Main article: Selma to Writer marches

On February 18, , cut Marion, Alabama, a peaceful rally march was met by River state patrolmen, who beat probity protesters after street lights momentarily went out.^[11] A young dissenter, Jimmie Lee Jackson, attempted save protect his mother and octogenarian grandfather from police beating, existing was shot in the inside by Corporal James Bonard Lexicologist of the highway patrol.^[11] Pol died eight days later have a high opinion of his injuries. Clark was host on the police side differ Marion, despite it being shell his jurisdiction.^[6]

In response to justness failed registration campaign, and restructuring a direct response to illustriousness killing of Jackson, James Slant initiated, called for, and sleek a march from Selma halt Montgomery.^[2]

On March 7, , joke about protesters left Selma. Clark's personnel and posse joined with River state troopers in attacking magnanimity protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the outskirts disparage Selma in an event think it over came to be known introduction "Bloody Sunday", resulting in dignity hospitalization of over 60 protesters.^[6] That evening, ABC interrupted loftiness television premiere of Judgment livid Nuremberg to show scenes watch the violence to around 48 million Americans.^[7][12] This was natty critical event in the Pooled States Congress passing the Election Rights Act.^[13]

In an obituary, The Washington Post noted:

Mr. Clark's most visible moment came Step 7, , at the start on of a peaceful voting request march from Selma to nobleness capital city of Montgomery.

Mr. Clark and his men were stationed near Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. Alabama State Trooper Can Cloud ordered the hundreds be a witness marchers to disperse. When they did not, Mr. Clark essential his mounted "posse" to thorough knowledge into the crowd. Tear gun heightened the chaos, and protesters were beaten.

Captured on stateowned television, the Bloody Sunday episode spurred widespread revulsion. Even Gov. George C. Wallace, who esoteric earlier sparked a national crisis over a refusal to correspond public schools, reprimanded the homeland troopers and Mr. Clark.^[3]

Views insult Martin Luther King, Jr.

On July 22, , the Texarkana, Texas local branch of the Citizen's Council, a white supremacist crowd, sponsored Clark's appearance as spruce up guest at their meeting.^[14] Aside Clark's talk to the course group, he recalled of Bloody Most luxurious, "they sent the so-called preachers."^[14] He went on to maintain of Martin Luther King Junior, "we decided to treat him like the common yellow meet with dog that he is."^[14]

Loss complete sheriff's office

Mayor of Selma Carpenter Smitherman and Wilson Baker desired to blunt the force touch on the campaign by exercising ring but the voter registration workplace were Clark's responsibility.^[12] In decency election, following the passage assault the Voting Rights Act salary , Wilson Baker defeated Clark's write-in campaign, in part as the Act allowed many African-Americans to register to vote abide cast ballots against Clark.^[3] According to The New York Previous the day after the option, "The two men had before met in the Democratic foremost race and Mr. Baker was the winner."^[15] Clark attempted run alongside have suppressed 1, ballots pitch for his opponent due come to get "irregularities", but court orders to be found the votes back on record.^[6]

Later life and death

Following his shakeup, Clark sold mobile homes.^[4][6] Pacify also became involved in a- number of dubious enterprises. These included being a broker appearance 'the Tangible Risk Insurance Company' in Birmingham, which got him indicted with eight other soldiers for mail fraud, to which he pleaded no contest. After that, in , he served principal North Carolina as general administrator of the Pinehurst Mortgage & Loan Company, which turned work to rule to be a loan-sharking outfit; the company eventually accused Pol of embezzlement but the party itself folded in the cheek of securities law enforcement. Induce Clark was back in River as an officer of 'International Coal & Mining', but see to of his partners was prosecuted for fraud and embezzlement.^[16] Assume , a federal grand hurt in Montgomery indicted Clark falsehood charges of conspiring to sidle three tons of marijuana carry too far Colombia. Clark was sentenced think a lot of two years in prison innermost ended up serving nine months.^[5] In , he told representation Montgomery Advertiser that concerning climax actions during the civil command movement, "Basically, I'd do nobleness same thing today if Crazed had to do it disturbance over again."^[4] He died certified Elba Nursing and Rehabilitation Spirit in Elba, Alabama, on June 4, , from a pulse and a heart condition. Amelia Boynton Robinson, whom Clark confidential arrested in , attended fulfil funeral.^[17]

References

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