President Nixon announces the invasion of Cambodia, triggering massive protests on many of the nation's campuses.

Transcription

1 Kent State Chronology: April 30 President Nixon announces the invasion of Cambodia, triggering massive protests on many of the nation's campuses. May 1 On Friday, May 1, students organized a demonstration to protest the invasion of Cambodia. A copy of the Constitution was buried to symbolize its "murder." A second meeting was called for noon, Monday, May 4. On Friday evening, warm weather, drinking and indignation over the invasion of Cambodia resulted in a crowd which moved toward the center of town breaking some windows. Police met and dispersed the crowd at the intersection of Main and Water streets. The Kent city mayor viewed the scene, heard rumors of a radical plot, declared a state of emergency and telephoned the governor in Columbus for assistance. A National Guard officer was immediately dispatched. Bars were closed by local authorities and hundreds of people were forced into the streets and herded toward the campus with tear gas from riot-geared police. The town was quiet by 2:30 a.m. May 2 On Saturday, students assisted with the downtown cleanup. Rumors concerning radical activities were widespread and threats to merchants confirmed the fears of some townspeople. University officials obtained an injunction prohibiting damage to buildings on campus. Notice of this injunction appeared in leaflets distributed by the Office of Student Affairs. Shortly after 8:00 p.m., over one thousand persons surrounded the barracks housing the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps on campus and a few managed to set the building a fire. Firemen left the scene after hoses were punctured and cut open, unable to extinguish the blaze. By midnight, the National Guard cleared the campus, forcing students and non-students into dormitories, where many spent the night. May 3 On Sunday there was a deceptively calm city and campus, occupied by National Guardsmen. Meetings produced a number of conflicting perceptions, resulting in misunderstandings among state, local and University officials. A deluge of sightseers added to the problems. Near dusk, a crowd gathered on the commons at the Victory Bell (a bell ordinarily rung after athletic victories). The crowd failed to disperse. At 9:00 p.m., the Ohio Riot Act was read and tear gas was fired. The demonstrators reassembled at the intersection of East Main and Lincoln streets, blocking traffic. They believed that officials would speak to them, but no one arrived. The crowd became

2 hostile and at 11:00 p.m. the Riot Act was read again, tear gas was used and a number of people - - guardsmen and demonstrators -- were injured in the confusion. The confrontation of Sunday night caused antagonism and resentment among all parties. Classes resumed on Monday. Demonstrators were determined to hold the rally at noon, even if prohibited. The National Guard resolved to disperse any assembly. Rhodes's Response: During a press conference, Governor Rhodes called the protesters un-american and referred to the protestors as revolutionaries set on destroying higher education in Ohio. "They're worse than the brownshirts and the communist element and also the nightriders and the vigilantes," Rhodes said. "They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America. I think that we're up against the strongest, well-trained, militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America." May 4 By noon May 4, two thousand people had gathered in the vicinity of the commons. Many knew that the rally had been banned. Others, especially commuters, did not know of this prohibition. Chants, curses and rocks answered an order to disperse. Shortly after noon, tear gas canisters were fired. The gas, blowing in the wind, had little effect. The guard moved forward with fixed bayonets, forcing demonstrators to retreat. Reaching the crest of the hill by Taylor Hall, the guard moved the demonstrators even further to a nearby athletic practice field. Once on the practice field, the guard recognized that the crowd had not dispersed and, further, that the field was fenced on three sides. Tear gas was traded for more rocks and verbal abuse. The guardsmen then retraced their line of march. Some demonstrators followed as close as 20 yards, but most were between 60 and 75 yards behind the guard. Near the crest of Blanket Hill, the guard turned and 28 guardsmen fired between 61 and 67 shots in 13 seconds toward the parking lot. Four persons lay dying and nine wounded. The closest casualty was 20 yards and the farthest was almost 250 yards away. All 13 were students at Kent State University. The four students who were killed were Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder and Sandra Scheuer. The nine wounded students were Joseph Lewis, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Alan Canfora, Dean Kahler, Douglas Wrentmore, James Russell, Robert Stamps, and Donald MacKenzie. Dean Kahler was permanently paralyzed from his injury. Disbelief, fright and attempts at first aid gave way quickly to anger. A group of two hundred to three hundred demonstrators gathered on a slope nearby and were ordered to move. Faculty members were able to convince the group to disperse. A University ambulance moved through the campus making the following announcement over a public address system: "By order of President White, the University is closed. Students should pack their things and leave the campus as quickly as possible." Late that afternoon, the county prosecutor obtained an injunction closing the University indefinitely. Normal campus activities did not resume until the summer session.

3 Nixon's Response "This should remind us all once again that when dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy. It is my hope that this tragic and unfortunate incident will strengthen the determination of all the nation's campuses, administrators, faculty and students alike to stand firmly for the right which exists in this country of peaceful dissent and just as strong against the resort to violence as a means of such expression." President Richard Nixon The Impact According to a national scientific study by the Urban Institute in May of 1970, the Kent State massacre was the single factor which triggered the only national student strike in US history. Over four million students protested and over 900 US colleges and universities shut down during the effective student strike. President Nixon was pushed to the point of physical and emotional collapse and he promptly withdrew his US military invasion of Cambodia. The tide of public opinion shifted against the war in Vietnam. The historical impact of Kent State and the national student strike of May, 1970, remains recognized as crucial in US history. Dr. George Katsiaficas of the Wentworth Institute in Boston is the leading expert about the impact of the Kent State massacre and the national student strike of May, Here are key facts from the research of Dr. George Katsiaficas regarding the historical impact of Kent State and the national student strike of May 1970: --the largest strike in American history occurred after the Kent tragedy; --over 100 American campuses closed on strike each day for the remainder of the school week after the Kent massacre; --ultimately, nearly 5,000,000 American students joined the national student strike; --more than 500 American colleges & universities were closed by mid-may; --over 900 colleges & universities closed before the end of May, 1970; --approximately 80% of US colleges & universities experienced protests; --approximately 175,000 faculty members joined the protests; --over 35,000 national guardsmen were called into action in 16 states; --30 ROTC buildings were burned or bombed by students prior to May 16, 1970; --at the University of Wisconsin alone, 27 firebombings were reported;

4 --in May, 1970, across America, there were more firebombings & arsons than in any month since those government statistics began; --highways, expressways, city streets & railroad tracks were barricaded across America; --on May 9, 1970, over 150,000 protesters, mostly students, converged on Washington, DC,. President Nixon, Henry Kissinger & others were kept in the White House protected by armed military guards with machine guns. The White House was surrounded & protected by a cordon of bumper-to-bumper buses; --on May 16, 1970, BUSINESS WEEK magazine warned:"this is a dangerous situation. It threatens the whole economic & social structure of the nation." --President Nixon's memoir reveals the days after Kent State as "...among the darkest" days of his presidency; --former Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren said Kent State sparked the worst American crisis since the Civil War; art museums & galleries closed in solidarity with the student strike; --according to the WALL STREET JOURNAL, over 500 US GI's deserted each day in May, 1970; --according to THE LONDON EXPRESS & US military intelligence, each week in May, 1970, over 60 US troops in Vietnam (mostly African-Americans) crossed over & joined enemy forces-- the Viet Cong; --after the Kent massacre, entire companies of US troops in Vietnam refused orders to invade Cambodia; --in solidarity with the US students, numerous US soldiers wore black armbands and refused to fight any longer in Vietnam; --combat refusal became so common that entire companies were established in Vietnam to include the many non-fighting soldiers; --Vietnam Veterans Against the War, a group of anti-war veterans returned from Vietnam, increased their membership by 50% in May, they led many campus protests & strikes after Kent State; --on Armed Forces Day, May 16,1970, there were marches, rallies & rock festivals at 22 US military bases involving 43 different anti-war veterans' groups; --military leaders cancelled Armed Forces Day events at 28 other bases due to planned anti-war demonstrations;

5 --1,000 marched through the streets near Fort Hood, Texas, shouting "Avenge Kent State!" --only a few days after Kent State, President Nixon limited the US invasion of Cambodia to 35 kilometers inside Cambodia & two months maximum duration; --within two months the US troops withdrew from Cambodia; --on August 5, 1970, Black Panther Party leader Huey Newton was released from prison; --only a few months after Kent State, Congress rescinded the Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorizing US forces in southeast Asia; --Congress passed the WAR POWERS ACT preventing the President from invading a country without the approval of Congress; --according to Nixon's aide H.R. Haldeman, "Kent State marked the beginning of Nixon's downhill slide toward Watergate"; --in May, 1970, after the national turmoil sparked by Kent State, Nixon began his "enemies list" & started the paranoid campaigns that led to his resignation; --in June, 1970, Nixon assembled his intelligence, military & law enforcement team to address his perceived threats from the anti-war & student activists, members of Congress, media personalities, authors, & even Hollywood celebrities; --the abuses of Nixon's repressive teams of agents & provacateurs led to Watergate; --the anti-war & counter-cultural movements still blossomed; --radical feminists emerged strongly & the women's movement blossomed in the summer of their symbol of the clenched fist inside the biological sign for women was created for their August 27, 1970, national women's strike; --on August 29, 1970, the Chicano Moratorium of Mexican-Americans against the war was viciously attacked by Los Angeles police--three died & hundreds were injured and arrested; --in September, 1970, the Black Panthers sponsored a convention that attracted over 10,000 activists from various US nationalities & issues; --public opinion polls indicated the tide of public opinion shifted against the war; --Nixon and the Pentagon were forced to seriously de-escalate the war, remove US troops & negotiate peace in Southeast Asia; --the voting age was soon reduced from 21 to 18 in America for the first time.