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And so it was that inflammatory words of hate spewed by the Rev. Connie Lynch, of the National States Rights Party (NSRP), on the grounds of the Calhoun County Courthouse on July 15, 1965, led to the death of an innocent man. As Willie Brewster, an African American, drove home with co-workers from the night shift at Union Foundry, shots were fired into the car, and Brewster was hit in the neck. (1)
Upon his death three days later, The Anniston Star published a full-page advertisement offering a $20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his killer. It was endorsed by 268 black and white Annistonians. (2) (3) On December 2, 1965, at that same courthouse, local white extremist Hubert Damon Strange was convicted by an all white jury for killing Brewster. It marks the first instance in Alabama history when a white jury penalized a white person for racial murder. (4) (5)
The National States Rights Party (NSRP) was a white extremist organization active during the 1960s. The NSRP was based on racism and bigotry with blacks and Jews as its main hate targets and “white supremacy” as its goal. Law enforcement, especially the FBI, was viewed with hostility. The NSRP held rallies, demonstrations and counterdemonstrations as well as political campaigns and published literature. The NSRP held close relations with the Ku Klux Klan. (6)
The Rev. Connie Lynch was a member of the National States Rights Party and agitator who encouraged white Annistonians to commit acts of violence against blacks during a rally on July 15, 1965. His words led to the death of African American Willie Brewster.
Willie Brewster was described by his employer as someone who “went beyond his duties to help.” He was a family man with a wife, Lestine, two small children, Katrina and Willie, and another child on the way. He worked the night shift at Union Foundry in Anniston and stayed home with his children by day while his wife worked. On the night of July 15, 1965, Brewster was driving home to Munford along Highway 202 with two co-workers. Suddenly shots rang out, smashing the car’s rear window—one hit Brewster in his spine.
As his co-workers fought to regain control of the vehicle, a car that had been trailing them sped past. The men caught a glimpse of its white passengers. Although Brewster reassured Lestine of his recovery, he died in the hospital three days later. Lestine miscarried a month later. Outraged Annistonians — black and white — reacted with a full-page advertisement in The Anniston Star offering a reward of $20,000 for information leading to an arrest.
A tip led authorities to three local white men with ties to the KKK: Hubert Damon Strange, Johnny Ira Defries, and Lewis Blevins. The men were indicted for Brewster’s murder on August 27, 1965. After 13 hours of deliberation, an all-white jury returned a second-degree murder conviction against Strange. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison although he never served his time. Free on bond, Strange was killed in a barroom brawl. Strange’s conviction was the first time in Alabama history that an all-white jury convicted a white person of killing a black person. (7)
Willie Brewster became the target of white extremists after words spoken at a National States Rights Party encouraged them to commit acts of violence against blacks. As Brewster drove home with co-workers from the night shift at Union Foundry, he was shot in the neck.
Upon his death three days later, The Anniston Star published a full-page advertisement offering a $20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his killer. It was endorsed by 268 black and white Annistonians.
Hubert Damon Strange was convicted for killing Brewster on December 2, 1965. It was the first instance in Alabama history when a white jury penalized a white person for racial murder.
“We, as a community, are determined that those who advocate and commit secret acts of violence will not control this country. We are determined to fight with the weapons of law to retain the dignity of this community and to punish those who struck down a respectable and industrious citizen.”
— The Anniston Star, Sunday, July 18, 1965, Page 5-
34 West 11th Street, Anniston, Alabama 36201
(1) The Anniston Star. 17 July 1965. 1-A Print. The Anniston Star Archives. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.
(2) The Anniston Star 18 July. 1965, 5-A. Print. The Anniston Star Archives. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Strange v. State, 197 So. 2d 437 (Ala. Ct. App. 1966). Retrieved from https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/ 1725292/strange-v-state/?q=Hubert+Damon+Strange&type=o&stat_Precedential=on&order_by=score+desc. Date retrieved: May 16, 2016.
(5) “Crime and Punishment — Southern Style.” The Harvard Crimson 3 Dec. 1965. The Harvard Crimson. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
(6) Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Report on White Extremist Organizations. Vault.fbi.gov. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
(7) Beyond the Burning Bus by J. Phillips Noble; The Anniston Star, July 15, 1965.
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