Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Montgomery: Learning From the Past
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Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case

Montgomery: Learning From the Past Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 7, 2024

1. Montgomery: Learning From the Past Marker

Inscription.

Montgomery: Learning From the Past, also, Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case. . Montgomery: Learning from the Past. The Whitehurst Case has proven transformative in Montgomery and is part of the body of events and individuals that have shaped both the struggle for civil rights and the relationship between the Montgomery community and the Montgomery Police Department., Decades after Bernard Whitehurst was shot and killed by a Montgomery police officer, the Montgomery Police Department employs a case study of this fatal shooting and subsequent events to help officers learn about policing in a capital city that is both the “Cradle of the Confederacy” and the “Birthplace of Civil Rights.”, The Whitehurst Case forms a significant part of the police curriculum, “Policing in a Historic City: Civil Rights and Wrongs in Montgomery.” This case, which embodies both private grief and public tragedy, continues to teach powerful lessons to police officers seeking to understand the line between right and wrong., Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case. On December 2, 1975, Bernard Whitehurst was shot to death by a police officer in Montgomery, Alabama. He died behind a house on Holcombe Street, running from police officers who mistakenly believed he was the suspect in a robbery of a neighborhood grocery store., The facts were slow to emerge in this shooting of a black man by a white police officer. But investigations urged by the Whitehurst family, the city’s daily newspaper, and the local district attorney revealed the following of that tragic event: that Whitehurst, 32, did not match the robbery suspect’s description; that he was unarmed, despite police claims that they returned fire after being fired upon; that the gun found by his body had been confiscated by police in a drug investigation a year earlier, and was placed at the scene as a part of a police cover-up., The shooting that cost Bernard Whitehurst his life ultimately led to the resignation of the city’s mayor and public safety director, the resignation or termination of eight police officers, and the perjury indictment of three police officers. These events, known collectively as the Whitehurst Case, are considered pivotal in the history of the City of Montgomery.

Montgomery: Learning from the Past The Whitehurst Case has proven transformative in Montgomery and is part of the body of events and individuals that have shaped both the struggle for civil rights and the relationship between the Montgomery community and the Montgomery Police Department.

Decades after Bernard Whitehurst was shot and killed by a Montgomery police officer, the Montgomery Police Department employs a case study of this fatal shooting and subsequent events to help officers learn about policing in a capital city that is both the “Cradle of the Confederacy” and the “Birthplace of Civil Rights.”

The Whitehurst Case forms a significant part of the police curriculum, “Policing in a Historic City: Civil Rights and Wrongs in Montgomery.” This case, which embodies both private grief and public tragedy, continues to teach powerful lessons to police officers seeking to understand the line between right and wrong.

Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case On December 2, 1975, Bernard Whitehurst was shot to death by a police officer in Montgomery, Alabama. He died behind a house on Holcombe Street, running from police officers who mistakenly believed he was the suspect in a robbery of a neighborhood grocery store.

The facts were slow to

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emerge in this shooting of a black man by a white police officer. But investigations urged by the Whitehurst family, the city’s daily newspaper, and the local district attorney revealed the following of that tragic event: that Whitehurst, 32, did not match the robbery suspect’s description; that he was unarmed, despite police claims that they returned fire after being fired upon; that the gun found by his body had been confiscated by police in a drug investigation a year earlier, and was placed at the scene as a part of a police cover-up.

The shooting that cost Bernard Whitehurst his life ultimately led to the resignation of the city’s mayor and public safety director, the resignation or termination of eight police officers, and the perjury indictment of three police officers. These events, known collectively as the Whitehurst Case, are considered pivotal in the history of the City of Montgomery.

Erected 2015 by the City of Montgomery.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is December 2, 1975.

Location. 32° 22.192′ N, 86° 18.721′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is on Holcombe Street south of Mildred Street, on the right when traveling

Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 7, 2024

2. Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case Marker

south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 532 Holcombe St, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Ship A.M.E. Zion Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Montgomery Racial Segregation on Buses (approx. 0.2 miles away); Racial Inequality in the United States (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Transatlantic Slave Trade (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civil War - Barnes School / Figh-Pickett House (approx. 0.2 miles away); The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (approx. 0.2 miles away); House of the Mayors (approx. 0.3 miles away); Marching On (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Rice-Semple-Haardt House (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been confirmed missing).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Similar marker about 1.4 miles NNE of this marker.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article about Whitehurst Case.

Excerpt: In June 2015, after the City rejected a request to rename a street for Whitehurst, an agreement was reached for the city to place a second historic marker near the spot where Whitehurst
Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 7, 2024

3. Marker in front of where Whitehurst was killed.
was shot and killed. The second marker (this one) was dedicated on the 40th anniversary of his death in December 2015.

(Submitted on March 7, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional commentary.
1. Similar markers 1.4 miles apart but small difference.
This marker and the related one are similar in nearly every respect except, one has some italicized text, the other same wording on this marker is not italicized.

— Submitted March 7, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 456 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 7, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Montgomery: Learning From the Past⎯⎯⎯Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case

Montgomery: Learning From the Past
⎯⎯⎯
Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case