March 22, 1956
Martin Luther King Jr. was found guilty of violating a 1921 boycott statute in Montgomery, Alabama. During the four-day trial, King’s lawyers, led by attorney Fred Gray, outlined the abuse and violence toward Black riders.
Among the 31 witnesses testifying were Stella Brooks, who stopped riding buses after Montgomery police killed her husband after he demanded a fare refund. The judge found King guilty and fined him $500, plus $500 in court costs.
When he decided to appeal, the judge converted the fine to 386 days behind bars. When King walked out of the courthouse, 300 supporters greeted and cheered him.
That evening at Holt Street Baptist Church, King announced that the boycott would continue. “We will continue to protest in the same spirit of nonviolence and passive resistance,” he said, “using the weapon of love.”
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