Threatened by the potential four-to-one advantage of the black vote, whites retaliated by ousting black families from white-owned lands. The African American families who lived here paid dearly to earn their right to vote. Crowded into canvas tents with no running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity, families lived out a harsh day-to-day existence for nearly two and one-half years. Drive-by shootings into Tent City were commonplace, according to SNCC staffer C.J. Jones, who said, "Tent City was like a shooting gallery.... They used to come by three or four times a week and shoot into Tent City." For protection, residents took turns guarding the camp and often hid in the bushes at night. Some people had no option but to live in Tent City, and the community was always supportive in bringing them food, clothing, and anything else. There was also a hepatitis outbreak there, and one woman had a baby in the dead of winter when it was feared both she and the baby might be lost. Leaving the tenant farms behind, Tent City residents moved into tight confines, surrounded by all their earthly possessions.