DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971 | 1971-02-13 DMR Article: ""Can't Identify Protesters"" ICPC Article: ""Vandalism""

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971

1971-02-13 DMR Article: ""Can't Identify Protesters"" ICPC Article: ""Vandalism""

Des Moines Register
Sat., Feb. 13, 1971 

CAN'T IDENTIFY PROTESTERS
By Larry Eckholt 
(Register Staff Writer) 

IOWA CITY, IA - The director of the University of Iowa campus security department doubts whether many of the persons involved in Thursday night's destructive antiwar demonstration here will be identified. 
"We are investigating a couple of the items that might prove fruitful," William L. Binney, campus security director, said Friday, "but you're not going to get a lot of arrests in a thing like this."
Binney was referring to tactics used by the group of protesters who paraded through the U of I campus and downtown Iowa City for three hours Thursday night. Many wore masks or covered their faces with Indian-style war paint to conceal their identities. 
An office of the U of I Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) headquarters was ransacked by a few of the demonstrators, and windows were broken at the university's new Recreation Building and the Fieldhouse, as well as at a downtown Armed Forces Recruiting Center
One Arrest
One person was arrested during the incidents. 
He was identified as Gary D. Patton, 20, of Sioux City, who has been charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery. Officials here said Patton is not a U of I student. 
Campus police said Patton was arrested at Quadrangle Dormitory after fire alarms in three men's dormitories were set off while a group of students burned an American flag. 
Campus police said Patton who allegedly set off a fire alarm, was apprehended by the Quadrangle head resident, James G. LaHue, and the two were involved in a brief scuffle Patton is free on $150 bond. 
"Not Much Damage" 
Blinney said there wasn't a lot of damage resulting from the vandalism . Desks and file cabinets were overturned in the ROTC office and some military medals were taken from display cases. 
" There was some theft of personal property," Binney said. " Someone lost some smoking pipes and another person lost some clothing."
U of I Vice-Provost Philip Hubbard said the ROTC office was cleaned up and in full operation by Friday morning, 
The numbers of people involved in the protest fluctuated during the evening . At one time as many as 200 marched in the streets, but the acts of vandalism occurred when the group consisted of about 50 persons. 
There were no spontaneous reaction to the incident from members of the Boar of Regents meting here Friday. 
Stanley Redeker of Boone, president of the board, said he talked to some U of I officials about the incident. Redeker called the protest a "serious" incident because "any time you have violence it is a serious thing."
Redeker also note that it appeared only a small number of students actually took part in the demonstration.
The window-shattering spree grew out of antiwar protests generated by a teach-in on the Indochina war here, Wednesday which drew 1,500 persons. 
A peaceful demonstration was staged Thursday afternoon at the U of I placement office. Indications late Friday were that the current series of protests had subsided. 

IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN 
Editorial Page
Saturday, February 12, 1971

Vandalism 
Dignifying what happened in Iowa City Thursday night by any team other than vandalism strains the imagination. It was, as vandalism ordinarily is defined, " willful or malicious destruction of (in this case) public property."

Breaking of windows, setting off of fire alarms, making a shambles of an office an the other incidents are the antithesis of acceptable conduct in a civilized community. They are particularly out of place in a university community in which the values of reason and the intellect are presumed to be held in especially high esteem.

To contend that the vandalism of Thursday night is the result of outrage over American actions in Indochina offers an explanation. It does not provide a justification. Understanding some of the factors contributing to the outburst does not excuse it. Neither does the fact that participants may be deeply and sincerely affronted by the events against which they protest. All the outburst did was to lower those who took part in it to what they contend is the level of their opponents. 
A resort to force or violence or destruction ordinarily connotes the bankruptcy of a position. As such, it wins no support. This is a great loss, along with the further strains in the civic web resulting. There are powerful and sound arguments against the American involvement in the Indochina War and especially against this latest adventuring in Laos. There are sound arguments against military activities including ROTC, on university campuses. 
But they are not made by breaking windows or trashing an office.

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Des Moines Register Sat., Feb. 13, 1971 CAN'T IDENTIFY PROTESTERS By Larry Eckholt (Register Staff Writer) IOWA CITY, IA - The director of the University of Iowa campus security department doubts whether many of the persons involved in Thursday night's destructive antiwar demonstration here will be identified. "We are investigating a couple of the items that might prove fruitful," William L. Binney, campus security director, said Friday, "but you're not going to get a lot of arrests in a thing like this." Binney was referring to tactics used by the group of protesters who paraded through the U of I campus and downtown Iowa City for three hours Thursday night. Many wore masks or covered their faces with Indian-style war paint to conceal their identities. An office of the U of I Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) headquarters was ransacked by a few of the demonstrators, and windows were broken at the university's new Recreation Building and the Fieldhouse, as well as at a downtown Armed Forces Recruiting Center One Arrest One person was arrested during the incidents. He was identified as Gary D. Patton, 20, of Sioux City, who has been charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery. Officials here said Patton is not a U of I student. Campus police said Patton was arrested at Quadrangle Dormitory after fire alarms in three men's dormitories were set off while a group of students burned an American flag. Campus police said Patton who allegedly set off a fire alarm, was apprehended by the Quadrangle head resident, James G. LaHue, and the two were involved in a brief scuffle Patton is free on $150 bond. "Not Much Damage" Blinney said there wasn't a lot of damage resulting from the vandalism . Desks and file cabinets were overturned in the ROTC office and some military medals were taken from display cases. " There was some theft of personal property," Binney said. " Someone lost some smoking pipes and another person lost some clothing." U of I Vice-Provost Philip Hubbard said the ROTC office was cleaned up and in full operation by Friday morning, The numbers of people involved in the protest fluctuated during the evening . At one time as many as 200 marched in the streets, but the acts of vandalism occurred when the group consisted of about 50 persons. There were no spontaneous reaction to the incident from members of the Boar of Regents meting here Friday. Stanley Redeker of Boone, president of the board, said he talked to some U of I officials about the incident. Redeker called the protest a "serious" incident because "any time you have violence it is a serious thing." Redeker also note that it appeared only a small number of students actually took part in the demonstration. The window-shattering spree grew out of antiwar protests generated by a teach-in on the Indochina war here, Wednesday which drew 1,500 persons. A peaceful demonstration was staged Thursday afternoon at the U of I placement office. Indications late Friday were that the current series of protests had subsided. IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN Editorial Page Saturday, February 12, 1971 Vandalism Dignifying what happened in Iowa City Thursday night by any team other than vandalism strains the imagination. It was, as vandalism ordinarily is defined, " willful or malicious destruction of (in this case) public property." Breaking of windows, setting off of fire alarms, making a shambles of an office an the other incidents are the antithesis of acceptable conduct in a civilized community. They are particularly out of place in a university community in which the values of reason and the intellect are presumed to be held in especially high esteem. To contend that the vandalism of Thursday night is the result of outrage over American actions in Indochina offers an explanation. It does not provide a justification. Understanding some of the factors contributing to the outburst does not excuse it. Neither does the fact that participants may be deeply and sincerely affronted by the events against which they protest. All the outburst did was to lower those who took part in it to what they contend is the level of their opponents. A resort to force or violence or destruction ordinarily connotes the bankruptcy of a position. As such, it wins no support. This is a great loss, along with the further strains in the civic web resulting. There are powerful and sound arguments against the American involvement in the Indochina War and especially against this latest adventuring in Laos. There are sound arguments against military activities including ROTC, on university campuses. But they are not made by breaking windows or trashing an office.