Lessons from the 40th Anniversary of Kent State Shootings

May 4, 2010 was the 40th anniversary of Kent State students being shot by National Guardsmen.  The 1960s was characterized by organized protests of large numbers of people.  There were race riots, peace protests, and student protests all around the country. Some of these events resulted in violence and death.

After President Nixon announced that the US had invaded Cambodia, unrest and protest broke out in many areas.  At Kent State a protest march was scheduled for 5/4/70.  Based on some looting on 5/2 the National Guard was requested to keep order and prevent violence. 

The student protests began on 5/4, in spite of the University attempts to ban them.  While no order to fire was given, four students were killed and nine injured by guard gunfire.  Some of those shot were not protesting, but simply walking to class.  Jerry Lewis, a professor at KSU, has written on this subject and recently spoke about the shootings and the yearly memorial activities. 
 

Recently, a few Illinois lawmakers have been calling for the National Guard to be deployed into the most violent neighborhoods of Chicago.  To me this would escalate the violence in the streets for much the same reason that students were killed at KSU.  The local police force and the National Guard would have confused lines of command and jurisdiction.  The National Guard personnel would be in unfamiliar territory. The people in the neighborhoods would be even more fearful and resentful of the authorities.

If the National Guard were to be deployed to keep the peace, they should leave their guns at home.  There should also be a community focused process to address the core issues of poverty, gangs, and the drug trade.  Local people can resist the violence by constructive and organized nonviolent protests. We need to support the police and community leaders in making these neighborhoods safe for families again.