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A '''series of demonstrations''' protesting the killing of black motorist '''[[Wendel Blackwell]]''' by Deputy [[Doug Raines]] took place on the grounds of the [[Escambia County Sheriff's Office]] in February [[1975]].
Blackwell had been shot in the head and killed by Raines on [[December 2220]], [[1974]]. It was deemed a justifiable homicide by officials, because Blackwell had apparently possessed a firearm, but members of the black community wanted [[Escambia County Sheriff|Sheriff]] [[Royal Untreiner]] to suspend Raines pending a full investigation. When Untreiner refused, several local [[civil rights]] leaders, including [[B. J. Brooks]] of the [[NAACP]] and [[H. K. Matthews]] and [[Otha Leverette]] of the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]], organized demonstrations in [[downtown Pensacola]], boycotted local stores, and met with Governor [[Reubin Askew]] to discuss the situation. Nightly protests held at the Sheriff's Department on [[Leonard Street|Leonard]] and [[E Street]]s grew in intensity over the course of three weeks.
On [[February 24]], a crowd of nearly 500 gathered outside the Sheriff's headquarters and began repeating protest chants. Rev. [[Jimmie Lee Savage]] reportedly led demonstrators in the chant, "Two, four, six, eight, who shall we incarcerate? Untreiner, Raines, the whole damn bunch!"
