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Protesting in 1970
Posted:05/25/2005
Views: 3,204
Grade: B
Comments 3
In the spring of 1970, I was a senior in college and I was doing my student teaching at a nearby high school.
On this particular day, I had completed my teaching and I headed for campus for my afternoon class. When I arrived on campus, it was a ghost town. My professor had left a note on the classroom door, informing the students that the class had been cancelled until further notice due to the unfortunate events of the day.
I was confused. I hadn't heard of any unfortunate events. The radio in my car had died months earlier and no one had mentioned any events before I left the high school. I proceeded to walk to the center of the campus free speech area, hoping to discover what was going on.
As I walked toward down the hill, I heard a crowd assembled near the free speech podium. I couldn't make out what was being said, so I started to walk faster.
I saw yellow police tape tied between the trees, surrounding the free speech area. As I hurried down the hill, I heard a someone on a loudspeaker shout at me to stop. I turned around and saw a police officer in riot gear, pointing at me and directing me to move away from the tape.
Being the rebellious person I was at the time, I ignored the instructions and continued to walk in my intented direction. The officer shouted again, and I again ignored him. At that point, the officer ran toward me and grabbed my arm.
I swung around as he grabbed me and my heavy leather shoulder bag slipped down my arm and swung around with me, hitting the officer on his side, right into his gun holster. The officer grabbed both of my hands in his and dragged me over to a tree, where he proceeded to handcuff my hands around the tree trunk.
I shouted unpleasantries at him and he told me I was under arrest for assaulting an officer of the law. I saw my future as a teacher slip away and I started to cry. The officer was not very sympathetic as he radioed for a back up officer to take me to the campus holding area.
At this point, I still did not know what was going on. Through my tears and fear for my own plight, I heard the speaker at the podium ask the assembled students for a moment of silence for the fallen students.
What fallen students I questioned? "Those punks who were protesting againist the war." Was the officer's response. That was how I learned what had been the unfortunate events of the day; the shooting of innocent students at Kent State.
On this particular day, I had completed my teaching and I headed for campus for my afternoon class. When I arrived on campus, it was a ghost town. My professor had left a note on the classroom door, informing the students that the class had been cancelled until further notice due to the unfortunate events of the day.
I was confused. I hadn't heard of any unfortunate events. The radio in my car had died months earlier and no one had mentioned any events before I left the high school. I proceeded to walk to the center of the campus free speech area, hoping to discover what was going on.
As I walked toward down the hill, I heard a crowd assembled near the free speech podium. I couldn't make out what was being said, so I started to walk faster.
I saw yellow police tape tied between the trees, surrounding the free speech area. As I hurried down the hill, I heard a someone on a loudspeaker shout at me to stop. I turned around and saw a police officer in riot gear, pointing at me and directing me to move away from the tape.
Being the rebellious person I was at the time, I ignored the instructions and continued to walk in my intented direction. The officer shouted again, and I again ignored him. At that point, the officer ran toward me and grabbed my arm.
I swung around as he grabbed me and my heavy leather shoulder bag slipped down my arm and swung around with me, hitting the officer on his side, right into his gun holster. The officer grabbed both of my hands in his and dragged me over to a tree, where he proceeded to handcuff my hands around the tree trunk.
I shouted unpleasantries at him and he told me I was under arrest for assaulting an officer of the law. I saw my future as a teacher slip away and I started to cry. The officer was not very sympathetic as he radioed for a back up officer to take me to the campus holding area.
At this point, I still did not know what was going on. Through my tears and fear for my own plight, I heard the speaker at the podium ask the assembled students for a moment of silence for the fallen students.
What fallen students I questioned? "Those punks who were protesting againist the war." Was the officer's response. That was how I learned what had been the unfortunate events of the day; the shooting of innocent students at Kent State.
- California State University--Long Beach
Editors Note:
Here's another side of things from a Vet.
Comments
I well recall the Kent state shooting in 1970, but oddly I was in Saigon in 1975 still evacuating women children and troops in 1975, kinda makes me wonder who told you the U.S. had been out of Vietnam since 1972...Nixon did not resign until 1974 and up until that time there was still hope albeit a slim chance that peace could be negotiated between north and south vietnam.
I suggest that nowayjose reread his/her history book. The Kent State shootiing took place in May of 1970. Students were protesting the invasion of Cambodia. By 1974, the US had been out of Vietman for two years, protests against the war were over. Such commentary without checking one's facts only breeds the kind of ignorance that plagues this country. Again, checkout your history book before you lay claim to the "truth" of anything.
This story is not true. Unless he accidently meant 1974 instead of 1970, this story could have never happened. The kent state shootings took place in 1974.