Arson At Mike's Grocery and Trial
On February 6, 1971, Mike's Grocery, a white-owned business, was firebombed. Firefighters responding to the fire said they were shot at by snipers from the roof of the nearby Gregory Congregational Church. Chavis and several students had been meeting at the church, which also held other people. The neighborhood erupted in rioting that lasted through the next day, in which two people died.
The governor of the state called up the National Guard, whose forces entered the church on February 8 and removed the suspects. They claimed to have found ammunition in the building. The violence resulted in two deaths, six injuries, and over $500,000 in property damage.
Chavis and nine others, eight young black men who were high school students, and an older white woman, an anti-poverty worker, were arrested on charges of arson related to the grocery. Based on testimony of two black men, they were tried and convicted of arson and conspiracy in connection with the firebombing of Mike's Grocery. They were sentenced to a total of 282 years in prison.
The "Ten" and their sentences:
- Benjamin Chavis (age 24) - 34 years
- Connie Tindall (age 21) - 31 years
- Marvin "Chili" Patrick (age 19) - 29 years
- Wayne Moore (age 19) - 29 years
- Reginald Epps (age 18) - 28 years
- Jerry Jacobs (age 19) - 29 years
- James "Bun" McKoy (age 19) - 29 years
- Willie Earl Vereen (age 18) - 29 years
- William "Joe" Wright, Jr. (age 19) - 29 years
- Ann Shepard (age 35) - 15 years
Read more about this topic: Wilmington Ten
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