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Kent and Jackson State, 1970: A History

By VVAW

KENT STATE—OHIO—1970

As the war in Vietnam continued to escalate, so did the anti-war movement on campuses nationwide. After the announcement of the invasion of Cambodia, things escalated at a fast pace leading to the murders of 4 students at Kent State on May 4, 1970.

On May 4, approximately 3,000 Kent State students gathered at their usual rally site to protest the invasion of Cambodia and also protest the invasion of their campus by the Ohio National Guard, sent in as a result of rallies earlier in the week.

When the peacefully rally began with anti-war slogans, the Guardsmen began to march toward the gather carrying rifles and bayonets. As a great deal of tear gas was thrown, students ran away.

The Guardsmen followed over Blanket Hill where a few students responded by throwing rocks which fell short of their target. After aiming their rifles at the students, the Guardsmen turned and retreated back up the hill but, as they reached the top, "C" troop suddenly turned simultaneously, raised their weapons and fired into the crowd.

During the 13 seconds of gunfire, nearly 100 bullets were fired into a crowd of unarmed students. Investigations have shown there were no snipers and no rock-throwing at the time of the shooting. When the firing ceased, four students lay dead and nine others lay wounded.

JACKSON STATE—MISSISSIPPI—1970

Kent State was not the end of the violence against students by their government. On May 14, 1970 two African-American students were murdered at Jackson State College. According to the "Jackson State Massacre,"

On the night of Thursday, May 14, crowds of students and street people were again out along Lynch and against there was an air of disturbance. A rumor developed that Fatyette Mayor Charles Evers had been shot. This sparked the burning of a city dump truck which was parked in front of the men's dorm near the corner of Lynch and Pretise. A fire engine was called in and police and highway patrolmen assembled at that corner with "Thompson's tank," a riot truck equipped with spotlights and a machinegun turret. Several hundred nationals guardsmen backed up the approximately 180 police and patrolmen. This was before midnight. About the same time another fire was set with brush and sawhorses a the corner of Dalton and Lynch Streets. Another fire engine came south to extinguish that fire.

Jerry Delaughter, a reporter for the Memphis Commercial Appeal, was at the corner of Pearl and Dalton one block north of Lynch when the fire engine came by. He started to follow the engine but turned back when he heard sounds which may have been gunfire coming from the Southwest. He has stated that he is not certain the sounds were gunshots, that he did not know where they came from, but that they may have come from the vicinity of the men's dorm. This occurred at a time when the police and patrolmen were in front of the men's dorm. It is known that at approximately this time police or patrolmen fired into the men's dorm. It is not known if anyone was hit by any of the shots fired at the dorm. A Jackson State student, Gregory Antoine, stated that a bottle and a dustpan were thrown from the men's dorm before police fired.

Approximately 15 minutes after the sounds (which may have been shots fired at the men's dorm) he heard the heavy barrage fired at the women's dorm. Students say that immediately before the barrage at the women's dorm the police and patrolmen marched from in front of the men's dorm east down Lynch St until they were directly in front of the women's dorm. This would account for the 15-minute interval.

There were crowds of men and women students in front of the women's dorm and across Lynch St in front of the Dining Hall. When the patrolmen approached, some of the students fled. Others said, "Why should we leave? We're not doing anything." Shortly after the officers stopped in front of the women's dorm, a bottle landed in the street on the south behind the officers. When this occurred, the spotlights were trained on both sides of the street, probably from "Thompson's Tank." An officer was heard to say, "Ladies and Gentlemen..." He was interrupted by a few scattered shots followed by a heavy barrage of gunfire which lasted for 25 seconds (according to a news tape.)

Every student interviewed said there was not a shot before the patrolmen began to fire. Some students say a bottle was thrown, others say no. They all say that without warning the patrolmen fired several hundred rounds of ammunition including shotguns and automatic rifles into the women's dorm, the crowd in front of the dorm, and the crowd around the Dining Hall across the street from the dorm. There were over 150 bullet marks in the windows and metal panels of the 5-story stairwell at the west entrance to the women's dorm. There were of the front middle section of the dorm. There were also bullet marks on the north side of the Dining Hall.

When the shooting stopped, two people lay dying. Five other men and four young ladies were also wounded by gunshots.