In the early 1960s civil rights movement, Freedom Riders endured violent attacks as they rode through the South seeking integration of the bus, rail, and airport terminals. In this cartoon, Herb Block used three armed thugs to criticize the mob that attacked the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 21, 1961. The title, an adaptation of a quote from the city's Police Commissioner, implied that the South's sense of justice differed from that of the rest of the U.S. When local leaders failed to prevent mob brutality, Freedom Ride organizers pushed for national intervention.