St. Augustine: A Segregated Superbomb

This is our first visit to St. Augustine, Florida and one thing is immediately evident that sets it a part from most other Southern cities and towns we have visited- there are very few Black people here. The Black population in St. Augustine was 4.9% in 2023, compared to many Southern cities that are majority Black. We wondered why this was true and found out that in 1965, the population was 40% Black, which peaked our interest further, especially since St. Augustine hosted the first free Black community in the land.

An article in Harper’s magazine article written in 1965 by Larry Goodwin, entitled “Anarchy in St. Augustine” details the violence that happened here during the civil rights movement. Bull Conner had nothing on the White community leaders in St. Augustine. Trigger warning: there is liberal use of “N****r” in the article, but I recommend a read in spite of this. Goodwin states that St. Augustine “is perhaps the most bitterly divided community on the North American continent. Massive hostility exists not only between the races, but also within the white population”.

Holstead (Hoss) Manucy, klan-oriented leader of a group that townspeople call “Manucy’s Raiders.” His numerous, well-organized tribe roams the beaches by day and the plaza by night, and is officially known as the Ancient City Hunting Club and less officially as the “Gun Club.” Local sheriff Davis named Mauncy and several of his men as “honorary special deputies”.

Reverend Andrew Young of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff summed up the dismay of the Negro leadership at the unique group of recently appointed “volunteer special deputies” in St. Augustine: “It’s one thing to oppose the klan. . . . But when you have one man, wearing civilian clothes, beating you while another, wearing a badge, stands waiting to arrest you when the first one gets tired, well, that makes you think. St. Augustine is really worse than Birmingham. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”

The violence in St. Augustine drew in many of the nationally known civil rights leaders- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth and others. As demonstrations reached their peak in St. Augustine, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was being filibustered in congress. The images of segregation and violence coming out of the city helped to end the stalemate and get the legislation passed.