Albert Williams - I had to be interviewed (clip)
Interviewed on March 24, 2010
In this short clip, Rev. Williams tells the story of his 1968 interview for a position with the Chapel Hill Fire Department.
Albert Williams: I had to be interviewed by a panel of five personnel. They were five chiefs, and five officers from various departments around the state. One of the questions among the many questions is still down in my mind. They asked me, “What would you do if you were given an order to put the firehose to break up a crowd? Would you do it?” That was a hot question to me.
Interviewer: At that time.
Albert Williams: At that time. And in my mind, I said, “Well, here it goes, here it goes. I... I won’t get the job. I said no sir I will not. I will not put that firehose on a crowd to break up any type of disturbance…use the firehose on people. Mind you I had already been in the military service. I had, had [the] right training. You know? And the year I was hired in 1968, you know, the civil rights demonstration was still peaking. They had burnings, even in Oxford, in Durham, around the area, Washington DC, all of these. So, in Greensboro, in Durham they had called, I might be, no that was before my, that was before my job, before the interview, they had called out the National Guards you know?
