ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1955, PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF 21 NEGRO CHILDREN WHO WERE REFUSED ADMISSION TO NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS FILED SUIT. EARLY IN 1956, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SPONSORED A DESEGREGATION WORKSHOP. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED THAT THE COMMUNITY SEEMED POSITIVELY ORIENTED TOWARD THE SUPREME COURT DECISION OF 1954, BUT THAT THERE WAS NO ACTIVE MOVEMENT TOWARD DESEGREGATION. THE SCHOOL CASE WAS HEARD BY A FEDERAL THREE-JUDGE COURT WHICH GAVE THE SCHOOL BOARD UNTIL THE FALL TERM OF THE COURT TO PRESENT A DESEGREGATION PLAN. THE PLAN ADOPTED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD WAS FOR PARTIAL DESEGREGATION OF THE FIRST GRADE. ON FEBRUARY 20, 1957, THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT ACCEPTED THE PLAN WITH THE CHANGE THAT THE BOARD WAS ORDERED TO BRING A COMPLETE PLAN FOR DESEGREGATION OF ALL GRADES BY DECEMBER 1957. INCREASED OPPOSITION TO SCHOOL DESEGREGATION APPEARED IN THE SUMMER OF 1957. SUCH GROUPS AS THE PARENTS PREFERNCE COMMITTEE, WHITE CITIZENS COUNCIL, KU KLUX KLAN, AND KIWANIS CLUB OPPOSED DESEGREGATION BY ADOPTING NEW PLANS AND HOLDING RALLIES. ON AUGUST 27, 1957, 13 NEGRO PARENTS REGISTERED THEIR FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN. WHEN NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1957, VIOLENCE BROKE OUT. ACTIONS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER INCLUDED THROWING ROCKS AND BOTTLES AT NEGROES, BURNING A NEGRO'S CAR, HANGING A NEGRO IN EFFIGY, CROSS BURNING, AND DYNAMITING A SCHOOL. VIOLENT SEGREGATIONISTS WERE ARRESTED, AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED THE CRISIS OVER ON SEPTEMBER 12. THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT HEARD THE PLAN FOR VOLUNTARY INTEGRATION PRESENTED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD IN JANUARY 1958. THE PLAN WAS DISAPPROVED, AND A NEW HEARING WAS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 14 TO CONSIDER A MORE SUITABLE PLAN. THE SCHOOL BOARD AT THAT TIME PRESENTED A GRADE-A-YEAR DESEGREGATION PLAN.