The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) June 19, 1953
Urge Boycott On BR Buses
BATON ROUGE (AP)—The United Defense League asked Negroes to boycott city buses when service was resumed today after a four-day strike by drivers who objected to Negroes sitting in front of buses.
The drivers agreed late yesterday to return to work at dawn after they won a legal point with the city.
A city ordinance adopted on March 11 had ruled that Negroes, boarding a bus in Negro sections, would not have to surrender seats in front of the bus when white passengers boarded. The drivers said this violated the Louisiana segregation law which reserved separate seats for whites and Negroes.
The state attorney general’s office agreed in an opinion handed down yesterday that the ordinance conflicted with the law.
Shortly before midnight, the United Defense League made its appeal in a radio broadcast by Raymond Scott, secretary of the organization of Negro citizens.
Scott urged all Negroes in East Baton Rouge Parish to refuse to ride the buses under the present situation.
Approximately 20,000 of the 130,000 persons in this capital city ride the buses each day.
More than half of the 20,000 are Negroes.
Scott said that free trans-portation would be given to all Negroes until different seating arrangements were made. He said automobiles, sponsored by Negro citizens, would be stationed over the city at designated places.
The strike began Monday when the Baton Rouge Bus Company suspended two drivers for refusing to carry out orders regarding the seating. The 95 drivers who struck were members of the Bus Drivers Association, an independent union.
Gordon Kean, city parish attorney, said that upon resumption of service, “drivers will follow the former custom of reserving some seats up front for white passengers.”
Kean said he had asked for the attorney general’s opinion be-cause “there was some question about validity of the ordinance.
“The opinion said the city ordinance was in conflict with the state statute which provides for separate seats or compartments for the white and colored races, Kean continued.
“I agree with the attorney general’s opinion and I have placed the matter on the city council agenda for Wednesday night. I will make appropriate recommendations then.”
