Four Innocent Students Killed & Nine wounded by our own national guarD-
-How are we to Support Their actions?
The Kent State Massacre
By this time, every well-informed American citizen has undoubtedly heard about the tragedy that unfolded on Monday, May 4th of last week. Now that the initial chaos has worn off to some extent, now is the time to try and clear up any misinformation- to get a view of what really happened, and where it leaves us for the future.
Students at Kent State University in Ohio had been responding to President Nixon's April 30th announcement of the expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos, starting with peaceful anti-war speeches at noon on May 1st, scheduling another meeting the afternoon of May 4th. However, later that night protests escalated as drunken students began lighting bonfires in the streets downtown and breaking store windows, at which point Governor James Rhodes was contacted and the National Guard was dispatched. The next day, many students assisted with repairing the damage others had done downtown- a good example that not all of the students, or even the protesters, were destructive and bad intentioned. Others, however, returned to what they had started the night before- this time by setting fire to the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) building on campus, in an attempt to rid the school of the military's presence. The riots continued Sunday, with the Guard becoming more involved and announcing that assembly had been banned on campus. Thousands of leaflets announcing the ban were produced, but they were terribly distributed- a large number of protesters gathered at the scheduled time May 4th with no knowledge that they were disobeying the prohibition! The Guardsmen attempted to disperse the assembly with tear gas and threat of bayonets, but after reaching one of the University's athletic fields they took another massive step as some of them crouched down to level their guns at the protesters. However, without firing the Guard returned back the way they had come, seemingly in retreat. To students, this must have finally seemed like a victory- the initial fear of the Guard's raised weapons replaced by relief and reaffirmation that our own National Guard would never shoot unarmed protesters. If only that was true. Instead, after reaching the crest of a hill, 28 of the Guardsmen turned and let out a volley of some 60 rounds into the crowd in just 13 seconds- despite the closest students being more than 60 feet away!
Students at Kent State University in Ohio had been responding to President Nixon's April 30th announcement of the expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos, starting with peaceful anti-war speeches at noon on May 1st, scheduling another meeting the afternoon of May 4th. However, later that night protests escalated as drunken students began lighting bonfires in the streets downtown and breaking store windows, at which point Governor James Rhodes was contacted and the National Guard was dispatched. The next day, many students assisted with repairing the damage others had done downtown- a good example that not all of the students, or even the protesters, were destructive and bad intentioned. Others, however, returned to what they had started the night before- this time by setting fire to the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) building on campus, in an attempt to rid the school of the military's presence. The riots continued Sunday, with the Guard becoming more involved and announcing that assembly had been banned on campus. Thousands of leaflets announcing the ban were produced, but they were terribly distributed- a large number of protesters gathered at the scheduled time May 4th with no knowledge that they were disobeying the prohibition! The Guardsmen attempted to disperse the assembly with tear gas and threat of bayonets, but after reaching one of the University's athletic fields they took another massive step as some of them crouched down to level their guns at the protesters. However, without firing the Guard returned back the way they had come, seemingly in retreat. To students, this must have finally seemed like a victory- the initial fear of the Guard's raised weapons replaced by relief and reaffirmation that our own National Guard would never shoot unarmed protesters. If only that was true. Instead, after reaching the crest of a hill, 28 of the Guardsmen turned and let out a volley of some 60 rounds into the crowd in just 13 seconds- despite the closest students being more than 60 feet away!
"When the gunfire ceased, after a moment of eerie silence, we saw the killers begin to march away while students screamed in pain and shock and called out for ambulances"
-Alan Canfora, wounded Survivor of the kent state shootings
Four students were fatally shot: Alison Krause and Jeffrey Miller- both participants in the protests- as well as bystanders Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder. Schroeder, ironically, had been applied for the ROTC. Nine other students were hit, with injuries ranging from cosmetic to permanently debilitating. Regardless of their participation in the protests (as if even then it would be somehow be justified!) the fact remains that even the closest victim of the shootings- Joseph Lewis- was some 70 feet from any of the National Guardsmen. HOW was an entire platoon of military trained, military armed, National Guardsmen acting in "self defense" against unarmed college students, most several hundred feet away? Some of the Guardsmen later claimed to have witnessed or heard a sniper which prompted the shooting. Yet none of the Guardsmen were shot and no evidence of a sniper was found. leaving us with the irrational conclusion that this would-be sniper must have been simultaneously very good and very bad at his job. Others point out that some of the students attempted to throw rocks or bricks at the Guardsmen (who proceeded to throw them back), however- not denying the lethal potential of a large stone- it seems unlikely that one thrown from at least fifty feet posed much risk, let alone demanding lethal force. We may never know whether the Guard conspired before the shooting, were given an order to fire, or acted independently, but the blame falls on THEM, and on Ohio's government for training, arming and dispatching them.
We can NOT allow law-enforcement policies to remain the same after this event. YOU must pressure your state and federal representatives to impose restrictions on the accessibility of loaded firearms in response to non-violent protests to your local State Police and National Guard; as evidently their training is not sufficient to enable them to cope with high stress environments, and their position provides them with license to kill without consequence. Perhaps it should also be asked whether Governor James Rhode's militaristic- and seemingly default- response of calling in the National Guard to quell a student uprising is not in itself a major overstep of government power. Across the country, the students of hundreds of colleges and universities have already begun protesting and going on strike because of the shootings: advocating an end to the invasion of Cambodia and Laos- as the students intended- as well as much needed changes to the minimum voting age, Nixon's power to declare future war without the direct approval of Congress, and of course an end to the war in Vietnam itself. Hopefully the voices of some 5 million student protesters are enough to carry out those lofty goals, and quickly (with the help of well informed citizens such as ourselves!), as it has already been widely pointed out how disruptive the economic and social consequences of having 5 million permanent college drop-outs could be to the future of America.
Ultimately, a certain level of government and military distrust is good for promoting cautious, skeptical, and well informed citizens. If anything, the Kent State shootings and the war itself have taught a generation of youth to have less confidence and pride in their government. We can only hope that such skepticism would encourage more open decision making from politicians in the future.
Ultimately, a certain level of government and military distrust is good for promoting cautious, skeptical, and well informed citizens. If anything, the Kent State shootings and the war itself have taught a generation of youth to have less confidence and pride in their government. We can only hope that such skepticism would encourage more open decision making from politicians in the future.