 When the campaign ran low on adult volunteers , James Bevel , SCLC 's Director Direct Action , thought of the idea of having students become the main demonstrators in the Birmingham campaign . He then trained and directed high school , college , and elementary school students in nonviolence , and asked them to participate in the demonstrations by taking a peaceful walk fifty at a time from the 16th Street Baptist Church to City Hall in order to talk to the mayor about segregation . This resulted in over a thousand arrests , and , as the jails and holding areas filled with arrested students , the Birmingham Police Department , led by Eugene " Bull " Connor , used high @-@ pressure water hoses and police attack dogs on the children and adult bystanders . Not all of the bystanders were peaceful , despite the avowed intentions of SCLC to hold a completely nonviolent walk , but the students held to the nonviolent premise . King and the SCLC drew both criticism and praise for allowing children to participate and put themselves in harm 's way . 
