“Negroes With Guns” is a very short book describing the efforts of Robert Williams to integrate the public swimming pool in Monroe, North Carolina during the late 50’s.  After serving in the Marines, Williams returned to Monroe and became head of the local NAACP chapter where he had success integrating the local library.  Seeing the continued violence against black people in North Carolina, he trained members in the use of arms to defend themselves against the Klu Klux Klan.

After two separate children drowned swimming in unsupervised local ponds, Williams petitioned the city council to build a colored swimming pool.  He was flatly turned down so Williams then led a protest to integrate the existing city swimming pool.  This eventually led to multiple-day protests joined by Freedom Riders.  The police encouraged local whites to show up and intimidate the protesters.  The Klan brought in even more to break up pickets.  One Sunday night militant white forces massed to invade the black part of town but were met with armed resistance.  Williams eventually had to flee the area.  He went to New York but found the locals had trumped up kidnapping charges so he had to flee to Canada and then eventually to Cuba, were blacks were treated as equals.  Williams was eventually able to return to the US and died in 1996.

The book gives several examples of intimidation methods used by whites against black people.  And how the government at all levels refused to provide protection.  There were also examples of blacks displaying arms and fairing better than other people in the south.  Apparently going to beat someone up isn’t as fun when they have a 12 gauge.

The book was published in 1962 when memories were fresh.  What really sunk home after I finished was that the Police were the backbone of any successful Klan chapter.  You can’t oppress people without the law looking the other way.  So much of the material and attitudes apply today, with the creation of Black Lives Matter and the backlash from whites against it.