On July 4, 1961, local NAACP president Eula Johnson and black physician Dr. Von D. Mizell began a series of nationally publicized wade-ins at Fort Lauderdale beaches. Johnson, Mizell, a third black adult, and four black college students took part in the first wade-in, and as many as 200 African-American residents joined later demonstrations during July and August 1961. The protests arose from Broward County's failure to build a road to provide access to Colored Beach, the only beach available to people of color. In 1954, the county had bought the beach, now part of John U. Lloyd State Park, promising African-Americans beach access and amenities, but by 1961 it still lacked tables, restrooms, shelter, and fresh water, and only members of the black community served as lifeguards. On August 12, 1961, the City of Fort Lauderdale filed suit in Broward County Circuit Court against Johnson, Mizell, and the NAACP in an effort to stop the wade-ins. Nearly a year later, on July 11, 1962, Judge Ted Cabot denied the city's request. The ruling effectively desegregated the county's beaches and marked a turning point in the struggle to desegregate all public facilities in Broward County.