On February 8, 1946, Timothy Hood, 23 year-old honorably discharged Marine veteran, was arrested and shot to death by Brighton Police Chief G.B. Fant in Bessemer, Alabama. Shortly after boarding a streetcar, Hood moved a Jim Crow sign separating whites from blacks to relieve congestion. When conductor William R. Weeks told him to stop, Hood stood his ground. Weeks fired five shots at Hood. Although two of the bullets hit him, Hood escaped. Chief Fant arrested Hood and placed him in the back of his police car where Fant shot Hood in the head. Fant later claimed that Hood was reaching for a weapon. The shooting was ruled a “justifiable homicide” by the Jefferson County Coroner, T.J. McCollum. No legal action was taken.

The collection includes: CRRJ student Gregory L. Carr’s essay, “Reflections on a Soldier’s Story and A Quest for Government Documents,” photographs, newspaper articles, Southern Negro Youth Congress file, and letters to Mayor Gulley and Councilman Vance.