In April and May 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point of the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the KKK's most violent cells, and violence against blacks was so common (including in the form of explosives) that it was nicknamed "Bombingham." It was these conditions that led Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of nonviolent protests in the city. These protests were relatively discreet and did not attract many people. This was due to political rivalries between King's organization, the SCLC, and other civil rights organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests quickly made headlines due to the city's police commissioner, Eugene "Bull" Conner,'s response to the protests. Viewing any form of black protest as a threat to his power, Conner sent police and firefighters to quell nonviolent demonstrations. Soon, scenes such as German shepherds attacking black men and firefighters dousing protesters with high-pressure hoses appeared in newspapers across the country. Martin Luther King had also been arrested for his role in the protests (his 13th time) and, while in prison, he wrote his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in response to another letter published by eight white clergymen from Alabama (An Appeal for Law). and Order and common sense). This letter written by King was later published in national newspapers and distributed to various churches in pamphlet form. Another significant event that occurred in September 1963 was the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Four little girls were killed in the explosion. (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Rosamond Robertson and Addie Mae Collins) Four...... middle of paper ...... hat he found there. Works Cited Carson, Clayborne. Civil Rights Reporting: American Journalism 1941-1963. Colaico, James A. “The Unrealized American Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Phylon (1960-), Vol. 45, no. 1 (1st quarter, 1984), pp. 1-18. Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963.McWhorter, Diane. Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climate Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution. Simon and Schuster Books. March 2001. “Killers of Innocents” – Commentary. Birmingham World. September 18, 1963. http://www.useekufind.com/peace/a_1963_church_bombing.htm#KILLERS. “Six dead after church bombing. » Washington Post. September 16, 1963. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/churches/photo3.htm.