APRIL 24, 1960

A mob attacked about 125 protesters, including Dr. Gilbert Mason, with bricks, chains, baseball bats, cue sticks and pipes after they walked onto “whites-only” Biloxi Beach. 

Police arrested the protesters, instead of those acting violently. By the time dawn broke, more than 20 Black Mississippians had been injured. 

“Tetanus shots had to be administered, gashes were sewn, and eye and head injuries were tended to. Most of the demonstrators were beaten badly as onlookers, such as the law enforcement, stood watching,” the Mississippi Civil Rights Project wrote. 

Before the week ended, two Black youths, Malcomb Jackson, a member of Mason’s scout troop, and Bud Strong had become victims of the racist violence

More on this day

On this day in 1931

January 17, 2025January 15, 2025

On this day in 1959

January 16, 2025January 14, 2025

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On this day in 1960

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
April 24, 2023

<h1>On this day in 1960</h1> <p class="byline">by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today <br />April 24, 2023</p> <br /> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://cdn.mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/06130831/OnThisDay-FinalLogo_page-banner-2-1200x151.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1089732" /></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-april-24-1960"><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">APRIL 24, 1960</mark></h3> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://cdn.mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/06121545/April24-Dr-Gilbert-Mason-police-escort-Biloxi-Mississippi-court-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1094369" /></figure> <p>A mob attacked about 125 protesters, including Dr. Gilbert Mason, with bricks, chains, baseball bats, cue sticks and pipes after they walked onto “whites-only” Biloxi Beach.&nbsp;</p> <p>Police arrested the protesters, instead of those acting violently. By the time dawn broke, more than 20 Black Mississippians had been injured.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Tetanus shots had to be administered, gashes were sewn, and eye and head injuries were tended to. Most of the demonstrators were beaten badly as onlookers, such as the law enforcement, stood watching,” the <a href="https://mscivilrightsproject.org/harrison/event-harrison/the-bloody-wade-in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mississippi Civil Rights Project wrote</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Before the week ended, two Black youths, Malcomb Jackson, a member of Mason’s scout troop, and Bud Strong had become victims of the racist violence</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mississippitoday.org/2023/04/24/on-this-day-in-1960-mob-attack-gilbert-mason-biloxi-beach/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mississippitoday.org&quot;&gt;Mississippi Today&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.&lt;img src=&quot;https://cdn.mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/06074517/MT_icon-logo-favicon-1-200x200.png&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mississippitoday.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1094740&amp;amp;ga4=G-VSX4B701MS&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mississippitoday.org/2023/04/24/on-this-day-in-1960-mob-attack-gilbert-mason-biloxi-beach/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mississippitoday.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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