Texas Southern University Updates (1968)

Duration: 8:08

Year Published: 1968

Sound: sound

Description: This unedited footage from Houston’s KPRC-TV contains a series of short news segments related to events at Texas Southern University. As with the rest of the country, the 1960s were a period of rising racial tension in Houston. This footage captures happenings before and after what is arguably the height of that unrest: the so-called “TSU Riot.” On the night of May 16, 1967, a standoff between students and police escalated into an hours-long shootout, resulting in the death of one rookie patrolman and the arrest of nearly 500 students. A small group of students, known as the “TSU Five,” were the only ones to face charges. This film captures a change of venue hearing regarding the trial for one of the “TSU Five,” Charles Freeman. Footage of a student demonstration and a press conference with Police Chief Herman Short is also included.