freedom riders, They rode the bus because they thought they was safe from the white folks. why they didn't fight back is because they new that they was going to loose that fight between the white folks and black. Everybody was on the white peoples side even the police and the government. But if i was in the black peoples shoes i would have done the same thing they have done. they should have not got beat up for not doing a single dang thing to the white folks. It was some hard times back in the old days i probley would have not made it.