1968 Tallahassee riots
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital eventually started to admit black patients to try and not lose federal funding which led to drawing away middle-class African American patients who could pay and had the right insurance coverage to choose TMH over FAMU's hospital.
The hospital began to fall into bad financial grounds as it could not attract patients who were either white or African American.
Speed bailed the students out and the protestors were arrested under the charge of disturbing the peace by riotous conduct along with unlawful assembly.
A "Local Citizen Council" prevented them from entering a store as a group of white men who were armed in one instance.
The mayor announced that the group had three minutes to disperse but before the time was up, the police used tear gas with several females being hospitalized after receiving burns.
State government officials thought that the protests would weaken the Florida Interracial Committee and that they would end making the Democratic gubernatorial primaries more favorable for a segregationist candidate, Farris Bryant.
The Southern Mobile Homes Brokers located at 1804 South Monroe Street was firebombed at 9 PM and 2 trailers were burned down.
At around that same time one of the city commissioners, John A. Rudd was injured by shattered glass when the car he was in with Mayor Gene Berkowitz was hit by bricks and bottles on Railroad Avenue close to Gamble Street.
As a result, police forces hid behind their patrol cars and the paddy wagon that was at the scene.
A $2,700 reward was posted for any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person who had thrown the firebomb that killed Crow.
On May 5, two black teenagers were arrested and charged for Crow's death: 17-year-old James Colbert and 18-year-old Billy Ray Oliver.
The county judge ruled that Crow's death was homicide by arson and the two were convicted of first degree murder and got life sentences.
The Florida cabinet authorized a $100,000 purchase of mace, tear gas, helmets and shotguns among other equipment for the state police in response to the riots.
