MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A Georgia congressman says he was moved to tears when the police chief in Montgomery, Ala., apologized for officers failing to act during an attack Freedom Riders more than 50 years ago.
Kevin Murphy also presented Lewis with the badge off his uniform during a program at First Baptist Church on Saturday.
Lewis, a Democrat from Atlanta, is one of the original Freedom Riders.
He and other members of Congress were in Montgomery for the 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Lewis and Murphy spoke Saturday about the day in 1961 when a white mob beat Freedom Riders. Lewis said the Montgomery Police Department decided not to be on the scene.
Murphy said an apology should have been issued a long time ago.
