Rep. Lewis Supports Preserving Building In Memory Of The Civil Rights Movement

Congressman John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat, wants to save one of the city's symbols of discrimination - the building that housed Lester Maddox's Pickrick restaurant. In July 1964, the future Georgia governor turned away black customers in defiance of the Civil Rights Act that outlawed public segregation. Georgia Tech later bought the property and remodeled it for offices and now wants to demolish the building for green space. Lewis says it needs to be saved because it's one of the few sites left in Atlanta that tells the story of the civil rights movement. Interim President Gary Schuster has offered to place a historical marker at the site since Maddox confronted patrons in the restaurant's parking lot.

(Associated Press)