PROUD TO TAKE A STAND COMMEMORATING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF THE 1960’S *All participants were arrested and charged with parading without a permit. filled, those over 12 years of age were sent to Parchman Penitentiary, more than 200 miles away. This act of intimidation was intended to cruse the movement, and the abusive treatment the marchers received was horrifying. Everyone was stripped of their clothing. Men and boys were kept naked, and housed more than 10 to a cell, with fans blowing and windows kept open to the cold night air. Women and girls were hosted down but allowed to keep on their underwear. *All those imprisoned were given laxatives and allowed only minimal toilet paper; they were left to their own devices to post bond and find their way back to Natchez. The KKK harassed and threatened those who drove north to assist or check on the imprisoned marchers. *An additional 100 marchers were arrested on October 4 th, bringing the total number arrested to more than 500. *On October 6 th Judge Harold Cox lifted the injunction against demonstrations; 1, 200 people, including the newly formed Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice, a militant organization formed to protect the black community, organized a same-day march. *Mayor Nosser re-opened negotiations with the NAACP and its supporters. By mid-October, the mayor & board agreed to parts of the initial 12 demands, originally presented in late August, and then were immediately renounced. *Marches and boycotts continued through October and November. Six businesses closed, with the boycott now threatening the Christmas shopping season. *A tentative agreement was reached on November 29 th. NAACP Secretary Evers announced terms of the deal on December 1 st and called for an end to the boycotts. Mayor Nosser formally announced the agreement on December 3, 1965. *Racially-incited killings continued in the Natchez area, with Ben White being murdered in 1966 and Wharlest Jackson in 1967. *In October 2015 the City of Natchez recognized the survivors of the Parchman Ordeal and the families of those participants who were deceased, as well as the participants and families of those who were detained in Natchez but not actually sent to Parchman Penitentiary. *The City of Natchez, with the assistance of the Parchman Ordeal Committee, commissioned a monument in memory of the turbulent Civil Rights Movement, for those who were imprisoned and died, fighting for equal rights. The PROUD