Dogs: From Birmingham to Barack

 

Walter Gadsden in Birmingham, Alabama on 3 May 1963, attacked by police dogs during a civil rights protest.   Photo by Bill Hudson/AP.

There has been a lot of coverage of the military dogs who are part of the Inauguration security team. But I have yet to see someone write about the magnitude of the fact that a merely a generation ago, official police dogs were used against those of the same race as our next President.  It is truly astonishing.

 

 

A patrolman and a police dog go after a black man who swings at the dog with a small knife during racial demonstrations in Birmingham, Ala., May 3, 1963.  Police dispersed hundreds of demonstrators and spectators with dogs and water hoses.  Bill Hudson/AP.

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Birmingham, May 3, 1963.  Unknown photographer via Picasa.

Birmingham, May 3, 1963.  Unknown photogapher via Picasa.

Comments

[laura]

The photograph of the man having his pants ripped by the dog is a Charles Moore photo.

[Derrick]

The big point isn't that dogs where used.

The big point is that the POLICE, the official law enforcement agent of the Government, set out to attack it's citizens. The government not only ok'd this behavior but engaged in violence against it citizens based on their race and denying them services and equality based on their race. I guess this is a dog blog or something but when i hear people question the need for equal rights legislation, denying the existence of bias laws, denying that there are current effects of past discrimination, and most importantly denying that anyone of their race or in the government ever did anything wrong i get upset because far to many people sit quietly by. Far to many people bite their tongue. Far too many people won't say, "you sir are a liar." The past is full of discrimination and violence on the part of southern conservative people, law and government. And and far to few excuse the current hate speech spewed forth today.