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wnylib

(26,388 posts)
2. I have a DVD of actual films and newsreels of the Freedom Riders.
Sat May 9, 2026, 12:52 PM
Yesterday

It shows them in training groups befire starting out, preparing for passive resistant self restraint against harrassment and heckling . They knew there would be problems, but some did not anticipate the level of violence that they encountered, including attempts to kill them by setting a bus on fire while they were in it..

The video shows people scrambling through windows, coughing and gasping, then being beaten by the crowd as they got out. You can see cops watching without interfering.

You can also see a young John Lewis in the video.

ETA: I remember seeing some of this on TV news when it happened. I was a young teen at the time. Horrified to see how viciously cruel people can be.

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