Dion Tyrone Diamond

Released

Date of birth:1941

Age:85

Gender:Male

Era:1960s

State:Mississippi

Time Imprisoned:

4 Months

Support

Civil Rights

Biography

Dion Tyrone Diamond was a Howard University student, Freedom Rider and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee field secretary. Police arrested him when the May 24, 1961 Freedom Ride reached Jackson, Mississippi. A court sentenced him to sixty days, and he was confined in the Hinds County jail and at Parchman; the reviewed sources do not give his exact individual time served in that episode. Authorities arrested Diamond again at Southern University in Baton Rouge on February 1, 1962 after he spoke in support of striking students. Prosecutors dropped the criminal-anarchy charge, but he was convicted of disturbing the peace and served sixty days in jail.

Calculated incarceration date for the stay ending May 6, 1964: March 7, 1964. This is obtained by subtracting the reported 60 days actually served from the release date, using elapsed-day counting. It is a calculated date, not a separately documented admission date.

Calculated release date for the stay beginning February 1, 1962: March 31, 1962. Using inclusive calendar-day counting for the recorded 59-day stay, adding 58 days gives this date, consistent with the established March 1962 release month. The inclusive counting method follows that chronology. This is a calculated date from the recorded admission and duration, not a separately documented physical-discharge date.

Calculated release date

Calculated release date for the stay beginning February 1, 1962: March 31, 1962. Using inclusive calendar-day counting for the recorded 59-day stay, adding 58 days gives this date, consistent with the established March1962 release month. The inclusive counting method follows that chronology. This is a calculated date from the recorded admission and duration, not a separately documented physical-discharge date.

Calculated incarceration date

Photo credit

Dion Diamond Freedom Rider Mugshot: 1961, Washington Area Spark Flickr archive. Portrait crop from the documentary photograph; used with permission.

Cases

Charges: Breach of the peace for using the white bus-terminal facilities after the May 24, 1961 Freedom Ride arrived in Jackson

Arrested: May 24, 1961

Incarcerated: May 24, 1961

Sentence: Sentenced to sixty days and confined in the Hinds County jail and Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman; an exact individual release date or time-served total was not located.

Convicted: Yes

Charges: Disturbing the peace after speaking to students at Southern University; an initial criminal-anarchy charge was dropped

Arrested: Feb 1, 1962

Incarcerated: Feb 1, 1962

Released: Mar 31, 1962

Sentence: Held for 59 days under a $7,000 bond on the criminal-anarchy charge, according to the February 25, 1964 SNCC Student Voice. Released in March 1962; exact day unverified. The later sixty-day term following the unsuccessful appeal was served separately in 1964. Calculated release date for the stay beginning February 1, 1962: March 31, 1962. Using inclusive calendar-day counting for the recorded 59-day stay, adding 58 days gives this date, consistent with the established March1962 release month. The inclusive counting method follows that chronology. This is a calculated date from the recorded admission and duration, not a separately documented physical-discharge date.

Convicted: Yes

Charges: Trespassing during a sit-in at a segregated Howard Johnson’s restaurant

Arrested: Jun 10, 1960

Sentence: The available sources document the arrest but do not establish a custodial sentence or final disposition.

Charges: Trespass and assault charges during Glen Echo desegregation protests

Arrested: Aug 2, 1960

Incarcerated: Aug 2, 1960

Released: Aug 5, 1960

Sentence: Held in the Rockville county jail after initially refusing $500 bond; released August 5, 1960 after posting $100 bond on each charge. Jury trial requested; no custodial sentence established here.

Charges: Disturbing the peace at Southern University - later service of sentence following appeal

Incarcerated: Mar 7, 1964

Released: May 6, 1964

Sentence: Returned to Baton Rouge city jail in March 1964 following the unsuccessful Supreme Court appeal. SNCC reported release on May 6, 1964 after sixty days in jail. Exact return day remains unverified; this is separate from the 1962 detention. Calculated incarceration date for the stay ending May 6, 1964: March 7, 1964. This is obtained by subtracting the reported 60 days actually served from the release date, using elapsed-day counting. It is a calculated date, not a separately documented admission date.