MACSStudents Begin a Protest
Protests by students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio began on May 1, 1970. At
noon, students held a protest rally on campus and later that night rioters built a
bonfire and threw beer bottles at police off campus. The mayor declared a state of
emergency and asked the governor for help. The governor sent in the Ohio National
Guard.
On May 2, 1970, during a protest near the ROTC building on campus, someone set fire
to the abandoned building. The National Guard entered the campus and used tear gas
to control the crowd.
During the evening of May 3, 1970, another protest rally was held on campus which
was again dispersed by the National Guard.
All of these protests led up to the deadly interaction between
Kent State students and the National Guard on May 4, 1970 which
is known as the Kent State Shootings or the Kent State Massacre.
The Kent State Shootings
On May 4, 1970, another student rally was scheduled for noon at the
Commons on the Kent State University campus. Before the rally began,
the National Guard ordered those congregated to disperse. Since the students
refused to leave, the National Guard attempted to use tear gas on the crowd.
Because of the shifting wind, the tear gas was ineffective at moving the crowd
of students. The National Guard then advanced upon the crowd, with bayonets
attached to their rifles. This scattered the crowd. After dispersing the crowd, the
National Guardsmen stood around for about ten minutes and then turned around
and began to retrace their steps.
For an unknown reason, during their retreat, nearly a dozen National Guardsmen
suddenly turned around and began firing at the still scattered students.
In 13 seconds, 67 bullets were fired. Some claim that there was a verbal order
to fire. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. Some of the
students who were shot were not even part of the rally, but were just walking
to their next class.
The Kent State massacre angered many and incited additional protests at schools
across the country.
The four students who were killed were Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer,
and William Schroeder. The nine wounded students were Alan Canfora, John Cleary,
Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald MacKenzie, James Russell, Robert
Stamps, and Douglas Wrentmore.
