St. Louis Rock ‘n Roll star Chuck Berry was arrested today (August 28, 1959), because he kissed a white girl after a concert.
The incident unfolded in Meridian, Mississippi where Chuck Berry was performing to a packed house.
According to Chuck Berry, he was on the stage following the show, when several young people approached him for autographs.
“One of the girls threw her arms around me and hung a soul-searching kiss that I let hang a second too long,” Chuck Berry said.
The brother of the woman who kissed Chuck Berry became enraged, while another man drew a knife and exclaimed “this Nigger asked my sister for a date!”
The promoter of the show took Chuck Berry to the local sheriffs office, where he was promptly charged with disturbing the peace.
According to reports, the police took Chuck Berry’s show money as an advance down payment on the fine for the disturbing the peace charge.
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