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Confrontations local goals, arguing that "one hand washes the other.... You can't better a specific situation until you better the whole situation. Montgomery ... isn't going to be any better on voter registration until they get a fiat from the federal government." This element of unity between the two organizations, as contrasted with what happened in Albany, necessitated a series of agreed-upon policies between Shuttlesworth and King. First, decisions during the demonstration were to be made in consultation with Shuttlesworth and the ACMHR. Second, all communications with the media were to be made jointly by the two organizations. Third, because he had sworn never to give up until tangible progress was reached and had developed the trust of his people, Fred insisted that King and the SCLC "could not stop in Birmingham unless we got some definite commitment" from the city's economic elite. King recognized Shuttlesworth's claim on the movement in Birmingham, and on the eve of the March 5 mayoral election, King and his organization entered the city in agreement with Shuttlesworth 's terms of engagement.73 Events in early March portended important political change for Birmingham . On March 1 the Alabama Supreme Court upheld the efforts of the Progressive leadership petition to change Birmingham's government to a mayorcouncil form. This decision thwarted the commissioners' suit to retain the old system and fully legitimized the mayoral elections set for March 5. Election day brought news regarding another judicial decision that impinged even more directly on Shuttlesworth and similarly augured well for the civil rights movement : the Alabama Court of Appeals had reversed Fred's two breaches of the peace in connection with the Freedom Rides. The court found that the state provided insufficient evidence that Shuttlesworth's notifying of the press and the police of the approaching Freedom Rides had "conspired to cause mobs to form" at the bus station. On learning the news of his court victory, Shuttlesworth quipped, "This may be a sign that some of the people in the Alabama court system are getting some religion." Most of Birmingham's white progressives thought additional good news arrived in the day's election returns, as Boutwell led the way with 17>434 votes to Connor's 13,780, followed by 11,659 votes for liberal candidate Tom King. The results set up an April 2 runoff election between Boutwell and Connor. Because King had been considered the most liberal of the candidates, local politicos expected most of his support to fall to Boutwell, making likely a defeat of Connor.74 The infinitesimal difference between Boutwell and Connor on segregation suggested to Shuttlesworth that the "promised land" stilllaysome distance away. 336 Confrontclti.ons For him a Boutwell victory harclly heralded the arrival of the millennium. He told audiences at mass meetings that "whoever is elected is going to catch hell:' Demonstrations would be necessary in ether event. Nonetheless, his bitter experience with the commissioner made him hope for Connor's eventual ouster, and he believed Boutwell to be marginaJy better for Birmingham in the long run. Fred therefore viewed Connor as a definite contender in the runoff and counseled that Project C again be postponed until after the elections. This advice coincided with that of others, such as Miles College president Lucius Pitts, who worried that demonstrations wou:,d have deleterious effects, especially if held before the election. In a March 9 meeting with Alabama Council on Human Relations director Norman Jimerson, Pitts noted that he and others in the black business elite were "convinced that demonstrations mean blood on the streets:' He further indicated that Connor hoped to create an incident by hiring a former Miles student to sit next to him at a political event and "start a ruckus:' Pitts had learned of the ploy and convinc,ed the student not to be Connor's pawn and to return the money. Two weeks before election day, Connor, hoping to galvanize his far right-wing support, made a radio comment that "Negroes are already planning something to come off during the election:' Stopping over in Atlanta on his way back to Cincinnati, Shuttlesworth heard Connor's comment on the wire services and immediately called Lola Hendricks back to Birmingham . He complained, "If Bull can win on his own merits, that's one thing, but to use cheap tactics to fool the white and Negro communities makes him unfit as a public servant. If anything happens, the general public will know it has...

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