Dec. 18, 1961 - An agreement reached in Albany, Ga., paved the way for the release of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and about 300 other Negroes (pictured) from prison. The plan calls for ending mass protests and an organized boycott against white merchants. In return for these concessions, Mayor Asa D. Kelley and other officials agreed to take the following steps:
- Assure police compliance with an I.C.C. ruling against segregation in bus and rail terminals.
- Release all prisoners who are property owners, or can show evidence of employment, on signature bonds.
- Reduce bonds for two local Freedom Riders facing a state charge of unlawful assembly.
- Give the Albany movement an opportunity to present its demands for other changes in racial customs to the new City Commission Jan. 11.
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