On this day in 1960 by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today February 17, 2024 Feb. 17, 1960 The New York Times front page, May 28, 1960 Alabama authorities sought to stop the civil rights movement by indicting Martin Luther King Jr. for perjury, claiming he lied about his taxes. Under state law, income tax evasion was only a misdemeanor, but that failed to halt authorities’ efforts to punish King, making him the first person ever criminally charged in this way in state history.
” Three months later, King went on trial, facing a white judge, a white prosecutor and an all-white jury, which deliberated for more than three hours before returning the unexpected verdict: not guilty on all charges. Afterward, King said, “Something happened to that jury. It said no matter how much they must suppress me, they must tell the truth.”This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.