▁entirely ▁unique ; ▁rather , ▁as ▁historian ▁John ▁Schutz ▁argued , ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁ordinary ▁in ▁the ▁mid ▁ 1 9 0 0 s ▁South . ▁By ▁per sec uting ▁" black ▁leaders ▁for ▁conventional ▁cr imes ", ▁the ▁state ▁could ▁follow ▁" c ivil ized " ▁methods ▁that ▁would ▁instead ▁of ▁cause ▁violence , ▁put ▁the ▁leader ▁in ▁j ail ▁where ▁he ▁could ▁no ▁longer ▁do ▁any ▁more ▁leading . ▁Ex pert ▁Raymond ▁Mich al owski ▁bel ieves ▁these ▁per sec utions ▁of ▁black s ▁were ▁similar ▁to ▁those ▁of ▁the ▁K K K ▁or ▁other ▁" night ▁rid ers ▁of ▁dec ades ▁past " ▁but ▁instead ▁of ▁illegal ▁hen ch men ▁carrying ▁out ▁the ▁attacks , ▁legal ▁jud ges ▁and ▁pro sec utors ▁were ▁doing ▁so ▁in ▁the ▁courts . ▁By ▁charg ing ▁the ▁leaders ▁with ▁cr imes , ▁the ▁state ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁make ▁it ▁seem ▁like ▁the ▁leaders ▁were ▁not ▁as ▁vi able ▁as ▁they ▁claimed ▁to ▁be . ▁This ▁helped ▁to ▁m ute ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁public ▁support ▁the ▁leaders ▁may ▁have ▁originally ▁gar ner ed . ▁Though ▁the ▁South ▁seemed ▁to ▁have ▁over t ly ▁fixed ▁its ▁race ▁problem ▁after ▁the ▁passage ▁of ▁federal ▁civil ▁rights ▁legisl ation ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 4 - 6 5 , ▁it ▁was ▁cover t ly ▁per sec uting ▁Black ▁revolution ary ▁leaders . ▁The ▁per sec utions ▁were ▁not ▁taking ▁place ▁out ▁on ▁the ▁streets ▁through ▁public ▁l yn ch ing ▁as ▁in ▁times ▁past , ▁but ▁instead ▁through