Stepped-up Klan extortion schemes—Jewish, Black, and Catholic merchants paying to avoid boycotts—were a steady source of income. To avoid trouble, one large manufacturing company made membership in the Ku Klux Klan a qualification for employment. Per an unwritten agreement, city streetcars would hire only members of the hooded order. At bus stops near Indiana Avenue, Black passengers were left stranded. When they tried to board at other locations, the doors were slammed in their faces. Drivers were specifically instructed not to pick up Black bus riders. The Klan was also promoting
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