Connors was ready for trouble. At his command, five police dogs were brought out to the street. Most of the demonstrators stood their ground. The snarling dogs lunged at the crowd. Gradually the dogs drove the crowd back to the church. By this time an angry mob of Negroes was forming at the scene. A white mob formed, too. Before long both sides were hurling rocks and bottles at each other. Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth tried to calm the rioters. Suddenly a blast of water slammed him against a brick wall. Shuttlesworth had to be taken to a hospital for treatment of a chest injury. Two hours after Bull Connor ordered the hoses turned on the marchers, the battle was over. Dr. King spoke to 1,000 people at a church meeting that night. "The eyes of the world are on Birmingham," he said. "We're going on in spite of dogs and fire hoses. We've gone too far to turn back."
He was right. …
