The Murder of Thomas D. Foster

On March 22, 1942, a white Little Rock military policeman shot dead Thomas B. Foster, a U.S. Army sergeant based at Camp Robinson. Foster, a twenty-five year old North Carolinian, was on a pass enjoying rest and recreation on West Ninth Street. When he saw two white military policeman rough-handling one of his men he intervened. Foster scuffled with one of the policeman and the two had to be pulled apart. The white policemen stood up and emptied his gun into Foster, who still lying on the ground. A city investigation ruled it a “justifiable homicide.” The incident brought an outcry from African American leaders and the African American newspaper the Arkansas State Press. The city agreed to appoint eight African American police officers to patrol West Ninth Street with limited powers of arrest. I’m John Kirk of the UALR History Department and this has been an Arkansas moment.