Leon County Jail
Tallahassee, Florida
April 8, 1960
Chief Stoutamire-Sheriff Joyce
Police Station
Tallahassee, Florida
Dear Sir:
Because of the bad food here two whites have tried to commit suicide and quite a bit of it is thrown away each day.
Society has arranged to punish those who break their rules or laws adopted by society. Certainly, society did not arrange for one's health to go bad as a result of this punishment. Let me be more specific. One breaks a law; he is punished by a certain amount of days or years in jail or prison. Now in prison is he to be punished again or is prison enough in itself? Is a Jailor or Matron given permission by you or God to give or serve food only fitting
for lower class animals, such as dogs?
I have sixty days to serve in this jail and my health is bad. This may be proven several doctors. Now in order for my health to improve I need the proper kind of food. This has been denied to me so far. Although two doctors have stressed the importance of proper food, no actions have been taken.
Today I have been in here three weeks. It was mentioned the first day of my arrival about a special diet for me, but action was taken.
Now I am writing to you in hope that you will do something about this. Another thing I only time we a warm is on Friday, other days it is cold.
Let me again emphasize the importance of a prisoner's health. It is your job to see that we are punished if we break a law by imprisonment, is our health included too?
cc: Governor Leroy Collins Justice Dept.
State Health Dept New York's Post
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The Second Sit-In at Woolworth's
At 1:00 P.M. we met at the Intercivic Council's office to go through a Socio-drama of the sit-in. We arrived downtown at approximately 1:45 P.M. We all separated into pairs. Each pair went in a different direction to Woolworth's. Larkins and I were together. I was chosen the [spokesman] of the group. We all shopped around first waiting for vicinity [sic] at the lunch counter. As some one pair would be seated, another pair would move in closer to the counter to look for vacant seats. Gradually, the whole group was seated. Then each pair quickly placed their orders and were refused. Each pair was told to say I'll wait; then talk softly among themselves or read. We sat there for about an hour and a half before any outsider said anything to us. This outsider was Hugh Williams, Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida. He spoke pair nearest the entrance. He asked them if they knew that the counter was closed and they told him to
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direct his question to the [spokesman]. I was then pointed out to him by them. He (the Mayor)
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