The Injustice of Edward Walton
On December 5, 1968, there was confrontation with a Black student named Edward Walton and a police officer. At 10:30am, Walton was stopped and refused to show his license. He was soon forced onto the ground, handcuffed, kicked, and detained in a police car. Black students were regularly harassed by police, and William B. Pollard was no exception. When correcting an officer in being called “boy”, an officer responded to Pollard that the officer would call Pollard anything he pleased.
As the injustice of Walton became popularized, ABC members decided that they would approach the police station. As there was not responsive efforts given of the state of Walton or the incident, ABC members staged a sit-in at the on-campus police station; this occurred while police left and more than thirty students entered the building.