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Escambia High School riots

286 bytes added, 03:26, 11 September 2009
Aftermath
==Aftermath==
In the weeks that followed, however, crosses were burned on many school board members' yards. School board committee member [[Teresa Hunt]] was called by telephone to a special meeting on [[February 21]], which turned out to be a hoax, and when she returned her house had been set ablaze.<ref>"Fire damages woman's home." ''Boca Raton News'', with one February 23, 1976.</ref> One school board member, who was black, was specifically targeted with a gunshot which went through his window. A human relations board member as well as a state legislator also had their homes torched. After all the retaliatory violence both at the school and in the community, the Florida National Guard was called in to patrol the school until the end of the year.
In the fall of 1976, students chose the name "Gators" after a second ballot was deemed necessary. On [[July 26]], [[1977]], the [[Ku Klux Klan]] held a rally on the school grounds with regards to the issue, which necessitated a reorganization of the school board. The name "Gators" has been used for Escambia High's athletic teams since, without incident.

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