Smoke-bombs Used In Kentucky

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31349, 20 April 1967, Page 15

Smoke-bombs Used In Kentucky

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LOUISVILLE (Kentucky), April 19.

Police tonight hurled smoke-bombs and tear-gas into a crowd of 1000 white persons taunting Negroes demonstrating for open housing.

A spokesman for the Louisville Police Department said about 40 persons were arrested on disorderly conduct charges. They were about evenly divided between the Negroes and whites.

Police tried to halt the demonstration when it began. When the two groups failed to disperse, police hurled the first smoke bombs at the taunt-

ing whites to try to move them from the area.

In return, the police and the demonstrators were pelted with rocks, garbage and a few firecrackers.

Among those arrested was the Rev. A. D. William King, brother of Dr. Martin Luther King, and head of the commitee for open housing. He was taken into custody for not having a parade permit. The city obtained a restraining order last Friday limiting demonstrations to daylight hours. Open housing workers filed a petition yesterday in the United States District Court in Louisville to dissolve the injunction.

The city countered today with a petition to have the order remanded to the lower court for jurisdiction. A hearing on the petitions was to be held in the Federal Court on Wednesday.

But tonight police acting on the belief the ban was still in effect made the arrests. After the arrest of the three leaders, demonstrators sat on footpaths waiting to be arrested.

Police led about 50 to police waggons. The whites arrested were charged with disorderly conduct