Eat at Joe's Protest

This was part of continuous protests of all of the segregated restaurants and lunch counters downtown. The Long Meadow Milk truck in the back was used as a paddy wagon to take people to the police department, because department did not have any at the time. The owner of Eat at Joe’s, one of the most vocal opponents of integration, said he would never integrate. Brady’s and Leo’s, an Italian restaurant on Franklin St. across from Colonial Drug, were also very vocal about not integrating. Sutton’s Drug always let Black people sit at the counter, so Black community members went to Sutton’s to get their prescriptions.

Wilbur Farrar is in the black shirt under the sign that says “JUSTICE.” The profile of Willie Fykes, who is wearing sunglasses, can be seen between the two white men on the right walking down the sidewalk. David Benton is standing behind the word “NOW” on the “FREEDOM NOW – EAT AT JOE’S – BLACK & WHITE.”

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