On December 1, 1955, after a long day's work, Rosa Parks got on the bus home. The driver noticed several white passengers standing in the aisle. He asked four black passengers to give up their seats. Three agreed. But Parks refused, so the driver called the police. Later, Parks recalled that she was not physically tired, but she was tired of giving in. The police arrested Rosa and took her to jail. Later that night, she was released until her trial.(2)
African Americans decided to continue the boycott. They chose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as their leader. Montgomery's buses remained mostly empty for 381 days. People carpooled, rode in taxis or walked – even long distances. The buses sat idle, and the bus company lost money. (2)