Shuttlesworth v. Gaylord

• Decision Date: 08 November 1961
• Docket Number: Civ. A. No. 9505.
• Parties: F. L. SHUTTLESWORTH et al., Plaintiffs, v. Dan GAYLORD et al., Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Northern District of Alabama

202 F. Supp. 59

F. L. SHUTTLESWORTH et al., Plaintiffs, v. Dan GAYLORD et al., Defendants.

Civ. A. No. 9505.

United States District Court N. D. Alabama, S. D.

November 8, 1961.

Ernest D. Jackson, Sr., Jacksonville, Fla., W. L. Williams, Jr., Birmingham, Ala., for plaintiffs.

J. M. Breckenridge, City Atty., Birmingham, Ala., for defendants.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

GROOMS, District Judge.

This matter came on for hearing on the merits on October 24, 1961. All parties were represented by counsel. Upon motion duly made, Raiford Ellis and King Sparks, Jr., were stricken as party defendants upon the grounds that both defendants were no longer employed in any capacity by the City of Birmingham or in the capacity as alleged in the complaint. The Court also granted plaintiffs' motion to substitute Frank A. Wagner as a party defendant in place of King Sparks, Jr., the said Frank A. Wagner being the present acting superintendent of the Park and Recreation Board of the City of Birmingham. The defendant, Frank A. Wagner, was permitted to file an answer adopting all prior answers filed on behalf of King Sparks, Jr., up to the present date.

Pursuant to Rule 15(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C., plaintiffs are permitted to amend their complaint to conform to the evidence introduced at the trial. Plaintiffs, without objection by the defendants, had taken the testimony of managerial officers of both the Museum of Art and the Municipal Auditorium of the City of Birmingham prior to trial as well as during trial of this matter on its merits. Both parties by their action implied that they considered the Museum of Art and the Municipal Auditorium as recreational facilities falling within the compass of the language of the prayers of the complaint: "Plaintiffs pray that this Court will * * enjoin the defendants * * * from continuing to enforce any policy, custom, usage, regulation or ordinance requiring racial segregation in any public recreational facilities owned and operated by the City of Birmingham or owned and leased by the City of Birmingham to private persons, corporations or associations * * *."

On the other hand, this Court sustained the defendants' objection to the introduction of evidence relative to the Public Library System of the City of Birmingham upon the grounds that plaintiffs had not specifically named the System as one of the recreational facilities being complained about and upon the grounds that a library may or may not be generally known or accepted as a recreational facility. Prior to trial and the subpoenaing of officers of the public libraries to testify at the trial, the plaintiffs had not mentioned specifically the Public Library System or done any act that would have put the defendants on notice to prepare a defense if they desired. This ruling of the Court, however, does not in any way prohibit plaintiffs from taking additional legal steps to bring the Public Library System of Birmingham before this Court and have their rights to use said libraries on a nonracial segregated basis determined, provided that the facilities are then being used on a segregated basis.

Findings of Fact

The Court finds that:

1. The plaintiffs, fifteen in number, are members of the Negro race, citizens of the United States and of the State of Alabama, and are suing individually and on behalf of all colored citizens of the City of Birmingham, similarly situated.

2. The named defendants are the duly appointed and acting members of the Park and Recreation Board of the City of Birmingham, the Acting Superintendent of the Park and Recreation Board of the City of Birmingham, the Mayor-Commissioner, and the two Associate Commissioners of the City of Birmingham; the unnamed defendants are all subordinate officers, employees, agents, licensees, concessionaires, and lessees (except as herein limited) of the City of Birmingham. The City of Birmingham is a municipal corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Alabama. The Mayor-Commissioner and the two Associate Commissioners compose the governing administrative and legislative body of the City of Birmingham. The Park and Recreation Board members have direct authority over all public parks and public recreational facilities except the Museum of Art and the City Auditorium. The Museum of Art is under the control of the City Commissioners and managed by a board created by the City Commissioners, said Board being subject to the control of the Commission as provided by City Ordinance No. 783 (as amended by Ordinance No. 1476-F). The City Auditorium is under the control of the City Commission and managed by a manager employed by the City Commission.

3. All of the facilities involved herein are either owned and operated or owned and leased by the City of Birmingham, and each of them is either located within the boundaries or closely adjacent to the boundaries of the City of Birmingham, and as such are intended to be covered by the permanent injunction to be entered. The Public Library System is expressly excluded at this time from the injunction to be entered. These public facilities include, but are not limited to, the following: Public Parks, playgrounds, tennis courts, swimming pools, the Municipal owned zoo, and all leased areas located on the zoo grounds, golf courses, pitch and putt golf courses, ball parks, Legion Field, the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Municipal Auditorium of the City of Birmingham.

4. The evidence introduced at the trial consisted of city ordinances requiring the separation of races in play as well as in the use of public recreational facilities and imposes criminal penalties upon both the participants and the owner or supervisor of the facilities involved. There was testimony from the petitioners and other citizens as well as from officers, employees, and lessees of the City of Birmingham, to the effect that some of the facilities over a period of years, to wit, fifteen or more years, were used almost exclusively, if not exclusively, by colored citizens or white citizens. The separation of races in the use of parks, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses and all the attending facilities located on these parks and playgrounds was so apparent that each of the supervisors of the Park and Recreation Board could identify each park on the basis of race.

Some of the facilities involved were used jointly by members of both races; however, the evidence showed that the races were either seated in segregated areas, or permitted to use the facilities at separate times. Posted signs were used to designate separate drinking fountains, restroom facilities and windows for service or entrances. The zoo director testified that colored citizens were segregated and discriminated against in the use of picnic areas at the zoo. Colored citizens are denied permits to use certain picnic areas and none were given permits to use sheltered areas. The Court finds that the maintenance of such signs is itself discriminatory, whether applied to separate entrances, restrooms, drinking fountains, or any other facilities provided for public use.

The defendants argue and urge that the separation of the races in the use of these facilities was voluntary and was by custom because the defendants did not enforce adherence to the signs or the City ordinances requiring the separation of races in the use of these facilities. However, the evidence revealed that at no time did the defendants take a single step by public notice or otherwise to inform the residents of the City of Birmingham that they could disregard these signs and the ordinances of the City demanding the separation of races. This was true even though the plaintiffs specifically requested the defendants by petition to clarify their position in connection with the use of these public facilities. That in absence of any evidence to the contrary it may be reasonably assumed that the conduct of the plaintiff, if not in whole at least in part, was responsive to the signs and City ordinances requiring the segregation of races and imposing criminal punishment for failure to obey. The Court, therefore, finds that City Ordinance No. 597 (as amended) and City Ordinance No. 859 are discriminatory. The Court further finds that the defendants are, in fact, operating or permitting their lessees, employees, or agents to operate the public facilities involved herein on a discriminatory and segregated basis.

5. The Court finds that unless enjoined, the defendants will continue the practices and custom of discrimination against Negroes and other colored persons with respect to the use of public recreational facilities owned and operated or owned and leased by the City of Birmingham.

Conclusions of Law

1. This Court has jurisdiction of this cause and the parties thereto. Jurisdiction is properly invoked under Title 28, United States Code, § 1343, Title 42, United States Code Annotated § 1983, Title 28, United States Code, §§ 2201-2202, Title 28, United States Code, § 1331, and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The suit is properly brought as a class action under Rule 23(a) (1), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

2. Though so referred to in public discussion, this action is not one to compel integration of the public facilities herein involved. The law does not compel integration, whatever the guise under which relief is sought. It only prohibits governmentally enforced segregation.¹

3. Discrimination in the use and enjoyment of public recreational facilities of any kind or nature owned and operated or owned and leased by the City, whether under color of law, statute, ordinance, policy, custom or usage, is violative of the Equal Protection of the Laws clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. So long as any such facilities are open to use by the public, the only lawful and constitutional use thereof is on an equal basis,...