 Protest organizers knew they would meet with violence from the Birmingham Police Department and chose a confrontational approach to get the attention of the federal government . Wyatt Tee Walker , one of the SCLC founders and the executive director from 1960 to 1964 , planned the tactics of the direct action protests , specifically targeting Bull Connor 's tendency to react to demonstrations with violence : " My theory was that if we mounted a strong nonviolent movement , the opposition would surely do something to attract the media , and in turn induce national sympathy and attention to the everyday segregated circumstance of a person living in the Deep South . " He headed the planning of what he called Project C , which stood for " confrontation " . Organizers believed their phones were tapped , so to prevent their plans from being leaked and perhaps influencing the mayoral election , they used code words for demonstrations . 
