Legal Defense Fund Lawyers Advance Americus, GA. Cases

Press Release
October 18, 1963

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Legal Defense Fund Lawyers Advance Americus, GA. Cases, 1963. d4184467-bd92-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/57a8ed0a-1dfd-4274-87c5-9a9c10f86443/legal-defense-fund-lawyers-advance-americus-ga-cases. Accessed July 20, 2025.

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    -“PRESS RELEASE 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
TOCOLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY 
President Director-Counsel Associate Counsel 

LEGAL DEFENSE FUND LAWYERS 
ADVANCE AMERICUS, GA. CASES 

October 18, 1963 

ATLANTA, GA.--Two new moves were made here yesterday to secure 

release of a group of student civil rights workers jailed in Americus, 

Ga. since August 8th. 

Donald Hollowell, attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Edu- 

cational Fund, filed two actions in the Georgia State Supreme Court 

on October 16th: 

* an appeal of a petition for writ of habeas, against Americus's 

Sheriff Chappell, which was denied in Sumter County Superior Court, 

* a motion for immediigté- admission to "reasonable bail", 

Mr. Hollowell, of Atlanta, and C.B. King of Albany are working 

with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in defense of four of the five 

students, 

These are Donald Harris, John Perdew, Ralph Allen and Thomas 

McDaniel, Messrs, Harris, Perdew and Allen, all 21 years old, are 

field workers for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, 

Another student, Zev Aelony, a representative of the Congress 

of Racial Equality, is being represented by Mr. King and other 

attorneys, 

They are among more than 250 persons arrested and jailed on 

numerous "charges" growing out of antidiscrimination demonstrations 

in that part of the state since July. 

The four youths being defended by NAACP Legal Defense attorneys 

were in the midst of a voter registration drive to increase Negro 

voters in Sumter county, They were also seeking to expand the use 

of jim crow public facilities, 

Negroes outnumber whites 12,980 to 11,672 in Sumter county. 

NAACP Legal Defense attorneys also filed a suit in Federal 

District Court on October 11 asking that white leaders in Americus 

oS 



Legal Defense Americus, Ga, Cases Page 2 

be stopped from "intimidating, discouraging...and preventing" Negroes 

from "exercising their rights...guaranteed by the Constitution...." 

This complaint was signed by Mr. King, Jack Greenberg, Con- 

stance Baker Motley and Michael Meltsner, of the Legal Defense Fund, 

If this action is successful, legal precedent will be estab- 

lished to block misuse of the law by local communities to thwart 

civil rights efforts. 

Defendants named in the Legal Defense Fund federal court suit 

include the Solicitor General of the state of Georgia for the South- 

western Judicial District, State Director of Police, the Mayor of 

Americus, the Vice Mayor, the City Council, Chief of Police and 

Sheriff Chappell, 

== 30-—

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Legal Defense Fund Lawyers Advance Americus, GA. Cases

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