News Freedom Riders traveled deep into the South in 1961. Klansmen beat them, then set their bus on fire. October 3, 2021October 11, 2021 Melissa Brown, USA TODAY Comments Off on Freedom Riders traveled deep into the South in 1961. Klansmen beat them, then set their bus on fire. The Freedom Ride movement almost ended in Alabama on May 14, 1961, when a group of Riders nearly died on a bus set ablaze by Klansmen.