were in the hall, and that the suit was merely an assertion by Elijah Muhammad that the Constitution gives him the right to conduct a public meeting or religious assembly in a public place with the public invited, free from police supervision.
A Trenton, New Jersey, patrolman approached two Negroes on
September 27, 1964, to issue them a traffic ticket for double-parking. The two Negroes, later identified as NOI members, knocked the patrolman to the ground, kicked him repeatedly, and attempted to obtain his revolver. A third
Negro seized the revolver and ordered the NOI members to release the patrol-
man. A passer-by telephoned for police assistance. The two NOI members
resisted arrest. In the attack, the patrolman suffered a fractured elbow and torn thumb ligaments.
One of the NOI attackers was found guilty of traffic charges of failing to obey a signal of a traffic officer, failure to show a driver's permit and an automobile registration, illegal double-parking, and failure to notify the Bureau of Motor Vehicles of a change of address. In February, 1965, the NOI members were indicted for atrocious assault and battery against the police officers.
Individuals claiming to be Black Muslims and followers of Elijah Muhammad have created numerous problems for prison authorities in recent years. Some of the individuals involved were members of the NOI prior to
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