History
5
On June 30, 1960, African Americans Gwendolyn Greene (Britt), William Griffin, Michael Proctor, Marvous Saunders, and Cecil Washington Jr. were arrested when they attempted to ride Glen Echo Park's Dentzel Carousel and were charged with trespassing on private property. Part of a college-based civil rights group called the Non-violent Action Group (N. A. G.), the five sit-in demonstrators were protesting the long-standing segregation policies of the privately owned amusement park. A summer-long picketing campaign followed the arrests. The campaign involved citizens of all ages and backgrounds. The neighboring community of Bannockburn joined the picketing and provided particularly strong support. The protestors achieved success when the park opened on a fully integrated basis on March 31, 1961.
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Glen Echo, Maryland · United States
