This paper provides a rhetorical analysis of a protest action, namely, the mobilization and action of black citizens in Seattle, Washington, in reaction to the 1965 shooting of a black man (Robert L. Reese) by a local police officer. A description of actions during this time, as reported by two Seattle newspapers, is provided. An extrinsic examination of the situation probes the rhetorical problem of police brutality and explains the formation of the Freedom Patrols, nonviolent groups of concerned black-community members who were devoted to justice. Finally, an intrinsic examination is provided of the Freedom Patrols' organization and actions, their effect on the news media, and the ultimate public identification of the discrepancy between the police department's own description of its behavior and attitude toward blacks and that department's actual behavior and attitude. (KS)