Why did Homer Plessy get arrested?
Homer Plessy was arrested on June 7, 1892, for sitting in a whites-only railroad car, in violation of restrictions set by Louisiana’s Separate Car Act of 1890. The East Louisiana Railroad Company, which also wanted the Separate Car Act repealed, conspired with the (New Orlean’s) Citizens’ Committee, a civil rights activist group comprised primarily of African-American professionals, and Plessy to arrange Plessy’s arrest so he would have standing to challenge the law in court.
