Home / Full timeline / Soul singer James Brown is arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, sparking a heated controversy in which lawyers for the singer threatened to sue the city of Knoxville.
Soul singer James Brown is arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, sparking a heated controversy in which lawyers for the singer threatened to sue the city of Knoxville.
1972 (Dec 11)
Soul singer James Brown was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arrest of Brown, an idol of rock and soul fans and a political supporter of President Nixon, sparked a heated controversy in which lawyers for the singer threatened to sue the city of Knoxville for one million dollars. Brown said he was talking with a group of children about drugs and the importance of school attendance when he was arrested by Knoxville police. The police charged Brown with disorderly conduct by creating a scene and failing to move on. On December 12, Knoxville Mayor Kyle Testerman said the arrest of Brown apparently resulted from a misunderstanding and promised to meet with Brown's attorney, Albert G. Ingram, in an effort to resolve differences brought about by the incident. Following his meeting with the mayor on December 18, Ingram announced that the matter still had not been satisfactorily resolved.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.