They are blocking the street. 1700 block pennsylvania avenue. We have a wagon headed up that way. [radio chatter] [sirens] we have a report of two cars overturned. Anyone in the area of Dupont Circle they are placing barricades. Attention all units. Teargas is being used in the area of of 34th and prospect northwest. [indiscernible] unit in the area we have an injured officer. 607 you have it. At dupontrge group circle blocking the street. Another large group at at 34th and prospect. Large group at 34th and prospect. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. This was the spring offensive, the mobilization of masses of people at a given time and place attracts worldwide News Coverage and attention. For the protest organizer, it is a vital and necessary tactic. On april 24, 1971, the National Peace action coalition, supported by welfare rights groups, labor unions, and others, held a massive demonstration in washington dc. Some 175,000 people from all walks of life, with differing ideologies and purposes, marched from the white house to the capital. Washington has grown accustomed to this method of voicing dissent. This was an organized demonstration with parade permits, marshalls , and responsible leadership. The demonstrators position on the war, Racial Discrimination and other issues were made known. Officers of the metropolitan police were directed to maintain a low visibility profile. Their role was, as always, to protect the Constitutional Rights of citizens, intervening only to meet emergency situations. There were few laws broken, few arrests. Most who came in the name of peace returned to their jobs and schools. But some who came to break the peace stayed on in west potomac park. For them, the april 24 rally was only a prelude to mayday, an opportunity to advance their own welldefined aim, to shut down the federal government. Shouldountry respond from coast to coast with demonstrations across this country. These members of the new left decided the discipline and tactics of Peaceful Assembly were no longer acceptable. As early as june, 1970, strategy conferences were held by radical leaders in milwaukee and ann arbor. Here, a new tactic was adopted, massive civil disobedience and confrontation. Instead of large crowds peaceably assembling to petition their government, activity would move to unlawful direct action. Stop the government, paralyze the judicial system. Challenge Law Enforcement and embarrassed the establishment. A detailed 24 page tactical manual was printed and distributed across the country, prepared by the mayday collective of the Peoples Coalition for peace and justice, it scheduled 10 days of civil disruptive activities focused on education and welfare, Internal Revenue service, and the justice department. In each action, the tactics vary, but the objective was the same to disrupt the government. [applause] on tuesday, april 27, mayday action called for demonstrators to obstruct entrances to the Selective Service building. When federal employees refused to be intimidated, demonstrators turned to less violent forms of protest. Draft cards were burned. The National Anthem and the American Flag were made a mockery. The next morning, maydayers again took up their positions at employee entrances. Police ordered them to disperse. Those that did not were taken into custody, leaving behind only their traces. It is wrong. Although rain canceled wednesdays march on the Internal Revenue service, the mayday collective joined at the department of health, education, and welfare on thursday. When they were refused access to the entire building, they ripped down a wall. Police ordered the crowd to disperse. Again, those that did not were methodically arrested. [shouting] in each action, recognized organizations, such as the quakers, the southern christian leadership conference, National Welfare rights organization, and others, played a role in the agenda by the mayday leaders. Amen amen, amen. On friday, mayday leaders unveiled a new strategy at the department of justice. Demonstrators moved in in waves to block entrances. The manual instructed units of 10 to 25 the manual instructed units of 10 to 25 people to sit down and pass the pipe and play music until arrested. As each unit was broken up or arrested, another wave took its place. God bless america. The tactic was designed to test the ability of police to handle arrests of large groups, but the action failed. Come with me, you are under arrests. Police utilized field arrest reports on the scene to facilitate booking procedures. That afternoon, southern christian leadership members, acting under a parade permit authorized by the city, were joined by more mayday demonstrators at the justice department. When the permit expired, the Police Command was to disperse. And those who refused to leave were arrested. From april 26 to may30, Police Arrested over 1000 lawbreakers. Each was processed, collateral or personal bond was posted, and the demonstrators released. Many would be arrested again in other mayday demonstrations. During this period, the west potomac park campsite became the command, communications, and Training Center for all mayday activities. Initial mayday tactics called for headquarters in rock creek park, a rugged 1700 acre park that runs through the heart of washington. Recognizing the surveillance and logistics problems with such a site, the department of justice and interior limited the assembly permit to the west potomac park area. Although the permit prohibited camping, the mayday manual advised people to bring tents, blankets, food, and communication equipment. The list of essentials included wire cutters, Water Bottles for teargas, and dope to share with fellow demonstrators. By may 1, armies of blue denim and khaki pants streamed into potomac park. Hippies and high school students, freaks with drugs an d and well here real wellheeled agitators with pamphlets. Subsequent arrests showed 75 of the participants came from outside the washington area. Some came for a widely publicized weekend marathon rock festival. Some came to get high. Some came for some action. And some came to stop the war. During the rock festival, hundreds of cases of Drug Overdose and excessive drinking were reported. A local unit set up to disseminate drug information quickly turned into emergency treatment center. The emergency physician treated over 600 narcotics cases. By midday, Police Aerial surveillance indicated the crowd had grown to over 25,000. Early evening photos showed 45,000 had spilled over the confines of the park, posing Health Hazards and threatening the destruction of public property. These repeated and flagrant violations of the park permit, which was negotiated and accepted by the mayday leaders, left no alternative for the government but to close the campsite down. It was up to chief wilson to execute the revocation, the singularly challenging assignment for the metropolitan police force. At 4 00 a. M. Sunday, all members of the department were mobilized for a predawn trip to west potomac park. At 6 00 a. M. , the announcement was made to the slumbering and surprised crowd that they must vacate the area face arrest. Everyone on the ground. Those who do not leave the area are in violation of the law and will be arrested. All those wishing to leave the area and avoid arrest will be given time to do so. The mayday manual instructed demonstrators to maintain communication, prevent panic, and not be allowed to be chased out of town. Instead, the opposite happened. The demonstrators offered almost no resistance. Attention, this is the metropolitan police department. Everyone is supposed to be leaving now. What you are saying is you may begin to arrest people . This is possible but not probable. We wont be arresting for some time. Within hours, nearly 45,000 youths were cleared from the campsite. Most who left the park also left the city. Others who would have stayed for mondays planned demonstration scattered to all parts of the district. In all, only a handful of hardcore militants who remained in defiance of chief wilsons order were arrested at the park. Why dont you get off your phony eyelashes. Take off your girdle and your false eyelashes. Youre a pig. Stop feeling me up you faggot woman. None of your business, assholes. You are all fucking pigs, all of you. The 15,000 demonstrators who remained in washington were joined by several thousand militants for the following days traffic stopping action. Mondays tactics called for massive disobedience at 12 selected targets. Targets 21 were broken into two areas, traffic circles and bridges. Mayday leaders flet if these felt if these were blocked during rush hours, government business would be stopped. We are going to see to it that the thousands of government workers who have a right to go to work peacefully are not interfered with by those few militants who in the name of demonstrating for peace abroad presume they have the right to break the peace at home. Predawn washington was quiet. I will start working on that and be back very shortly. The task of keeping the bridges clear of demonstrators was assigned to federal troops, allowing policeman to be assigned to strategic targets. At 4 30 a. M. , inbound commuter traffic on washington bridges was heavy, but flowing normally, as federal employees sought to avoid rushhour disruption. Then, at 6 00 a. M. , police, protesters, and commuters converged. 1000 demonstrators blocked Dupont Circle. 1000 swarmed onto washington circle. Over 1000 more hit georgetown. Some sat in busy intersections, taunting police. Some threw trash or slashed tires. Others alarmed innocent bystanders. The brunt of these Early Morning clashes was borne by district police. The tactic was to send in scooter and motorcycle officers to evaluate the situation, then send in patrolmen and buses to scatter and arrest protesters. The military followed up to maintain security. Despite sporadic blockages, the major traffic arteries were kept open as Police Responded with tear gas to drive the demonstrators off. During this critical period, police maintained normal booking procedures to the potential to maximize the potential for successful prosecution. At chief wilson made the 6 23 a. M. Decision to discontinue the timeconsuming project of using field arrest forms. Violators working in groups were ordered to disperse, to leave the area. This area is closed. Warnings were given every two to three minutes by loudspeaker and bullhorn. Those that did not take the opportunity were taken into custody without exception. By early afternoon, field arrest forms were reinstated, and arrests totaled over 7000, the largest arrest total in American History. Our Nations Capital does not possess facilities for detaining 7000 prisoners. No government should stand ready to arrest and detain thousands of people at one time. When the police were forced to take action, they were also forced to use facilities which provided a minimum of security, shelter, and sanitation. This was what the demonstrators wanted. As stated in the manual, it greatly enhances our technical position tactical position if the jails and detention facilities are filled with demonstrators. The specter of thousands of people jailed in the governments unsuccessful attempt to control mayday will graphically demonstrate the political isolation of the warmaking government. Tens of thousands going to jail will make the choices painfully clear to americas rulers, end the war or face social chaos. After demonstrators filled police and court cellblocks and the d. C. Jail, police established a temporary Holding Facility at robert f. Kennedy stadium. [shouting] to force further confrontation, some of the prisoners attempted to escape. Others mutilated a large tarp covering the field. [applause] when it was apparent that bogged down Court Procedures would cause the detention of many prisoners overnight, they were transferred to the washington coliseum, a large auditorium nearby. By nightfall, all demonstrators were indoors. Blankets were secured by the military, and more than enough food to take care of the prisoners needs. Reaction of some prisoners was to destroy the sanitary facility. Tear pup tear up the blankets and throw the food on the floor. Many refused to be properly booked and identified. On tuesday, with most of their fellow demonstrators under arrest, the remaining mayday activists deployed hit and run tactics throughout the morning. About noon, police prepared for the planned march on the justice department. Indicate 800mates protesters would take part. Over 3000 joined by others who have been released by the court. Police warned demonstrators to disperse or be arrested. Most left peacefully, but 1500 chose to be arrested. [applause] final mayday action called for a massive siege of the u. S. Capitol, to hold Congress Hostage until it ratified a peoples peace treaty with the north vietnamese. By now, 3000 hardcore radicals was all that was left of a mayday tribe that had numbered 45,000 days before. 45,000 five days before. At 1 00, they mounted the east steps of the capitol to applaud political oratory against the establishment and the war. [applause] shortly after the speeches, police again ordered the demonstrators to disperse or be arrested. Some 1200 reacted as the technical manual dictated. No matter what anyone says, no matter what laws we break, we will not leave our actioned targets until we have succeeded of creating the specter of social chaos or until we are arrested. They were arrested. The remaining few who were drawn to washington by the romance and excitement of the movement vanished. The spring offensive was over. Stated, with its objective of starting the government, had failed. Capital andons metropolitan police, it was business as usual. As president nixon asked, the metropolitan police had performed its duties in a professional manner, dealing fairly but firmly with violators of the law to the end that all citizens who live, work, and visit our Nations Capital were afforded protection of the law. Otherere will be asonstrations, other crises protesters and police alike discovered. There can be no tactical manual for a may day. Each incident is unique. Each situation must be individually evaluated and acted upon. For Law Enforcement today, the Police Officer often the offense involving national and local issues for which he is neither responsible nor empowered to resolve, yet he remains the crucial pivot around economic, education, racial, and other issues of the day revolve. Youre watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Next, on lectures in history, Weber State University professor branden little teaches a class about the u. S. Military in the 1890s. He covers reforms designed to make the officer corps more professional, a new focus on sea power and an International Incident with chile. This class was taught online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Weber state provided the video. Prof. Little this is our final presentation for history 3280. I titled it shifting horizons, 1890 to 1892. The subtitle, beyond wounded knee, should be familiar in one sense. We have discussed the ways in which that engagement between American Forces and the
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