On August 27, 1960, Black students a part of the Jacksonville Youth Council staged a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter in downtown Jacksonville. They were following a trend of lunch sit-ins appearing across the country. But this one soon turned violent.
The protesters were peaceful, but racists around them began to spit on them and hurl racial slurs. Still, this didn’t deter them. The students held their ground.
Klan members arrived with Ax Handles as their weapons of hate. The violence quickly escalated. Every Black person nearby became a target of this growing mob – and to make matters worse, there was no one to help them. Or so it seemed.
The Boomerangs arrived. This Black street gang threw themselves in harm’s way to protect their community. Only then at the sight of retaliation did the police interfere. They joined in with the white mob.
The Boomerangs’ actions illustrate the need for Black people to protect themselves. The system cannot be trusted to protect us. It’s up to us to protect each other.