Andrew Wade remained steadfast in response to the violence that climaxed with the dynamiting of his home. He told the Louisville Defender, “The principle of living where you are able to buy is too great to sell out. ... We intend to live here or die here.”

The Wade Defense Committee called for the FBI to investigate the bombing, but then learned no federal laws were violated. Its members kept vigil at the county courthouse to urge quick arrests. Yet it took weeks for a grand jury to convene to investigate.

Meanwhile, with his wife and daughter staying in town with his parents, Andrew Wade continued to sleep in the shell of a house. Threats intensified, and he clashed with county police over his coming and going, but he kept his nightly watch. “Segregated housing is no answer; there can never be enough of it,” he said.