#OnThisDay in 1917, two Houston police officers assaulted an African American woman after raiding her home. A Black soldier named Alonso Edwards intervened on the woman’s behalf, and police beat and arrested him. While looking for Edwards, Corporal Charles Baltimore was beaten, shot, and arrested. In response, 156 Black soldiers of the Third Battalion armed themselves and left for Houston to confront the police about the persistent violence. Outside the city, the soldiers encountered a mob of armed white men who had heard reports of a mutiny. During the ensuing violence, 4 soldiers, 4 policemen, and 12 civilians were killed. Afterward, many of the Black soldiers were court-martialed and convicted. 40 men received life sentences, and 19 were executed. Newspapers at the time reported that the soldiers had mutinied and attacked innocent white civilians. But an NAACP investigation concluded that the soldiers acted in response to ongoing police brutality. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory 📸 Troops of the 24th Infantry on trial for mutiny and murder. Courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, photograph by Lloyd Photo Company