DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970 | ""Iowa '70: Riot, Rhetoric, Responsibility?"" Page 46

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970

""Iowa '70: Riot, Rhetoric, Responsibility?"" Page 46

42
in the street, grazing several as he sped from the scene. 
During the arrest of the 215 from the old Capitol steps, a friend of mine stood on the fringes watching her boyfriend who had joined the demonstrators in their vigil. As he was led away by the police, she held herself in rigid control, but her hand trembled as she grasped the arm of a friend standing next to her. She didn't say anything, but her gaze was steady on the night stick in the hand of the policeman. 
As these same 215 demonstrators were loaded into buses to be taken to jail, the scene was macabrely peaceful. As a group was led away, someone began a song which was picked up by others. It wasn't a protest song, it was America. 
Why did these people even participate? Reasons were published by the Strike Committee! The Indochina War, Kent State, racism, sexism - were among the officially listed. But what were the unofficial reasons that motivated people to come?
Some were motivated by personal reasons. One didicated worker's boyfriend was being sent to Viet Nam. Another guy wanted to end the war so he would not have to go when he was drafted after college. And one who said he was an ex-GI who had been there and lived through it, was participating now to try to stop further killing. 
At one small fally, a townsman came with his entire family. During open discussion he stood up and after introducing his family talked in an open manner about why he had come. He wanted to understand the students and he wanted to express what he felt about their actions. Even though the students did not agree with all that he said, he received a round of applause when he had finished. 
On the night of he sit-in at Old Capitol steps a guy with hair just starting to cover his ears and the beginnings of a beard joined some of his friends on the steps. He was very vocal in his cheering of speakers but when the police came to take the demonstrators to jail, he ran, denying that he had participated.
At all of the rallies, especially the one of the many arrests, there were the curious who came to watch and added to the body counts. And there were those who came to contribute bail money. Still others were there because they wanted the protests to be non-violent, so they came to try to keep order by working for the monitors. and the police were there for the same reason - to keep peace - but their presence was by order, not by choice. 
There were people such as me who found it less frustrating to be at the rallies than to stay at home and listen to the faint sounds of yells coming from the Pentacrest and not know what was happening.  I went so that I could protest a war I felt immoral and so I could know what was happening. 
When the black said that the police were human first and must be treated as such, he summed up for me what I felt about the whole two week's events. All of the people involved in these protests are human and must be treated as such. The only lasting end of the protests are the effects that they have on these humans involved in them. The broken windows are replaced and forgotten, but what they symbolize will remain for a long time. The experiences of the protests on the individual will continue to effect his life. All of the pain and reaction will be remembered by students and townspeople alike. It is not the larger events but the individual person and his actions that are important to me. Because of them the demonstrations take on meaning.

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42 in the street, grazing several as he sped from the scene. During the arrest of the 215 from the old Capitol steps, a friend of mine stood on the fringes watching her boyfriend who had joined the demonstrators in their vigil. As he was led away by the police, she held herself in rigid control, but her hand trembled as she grasped the arm of a friend standing next to her. She didn't say anything, but her gaze was steady on the night stick in the hand of the policeman. As these same 215 demonstrators were loaded into buses to be taken to jail, the scene was macabrely peaceful. As a group was led away, someone began a song which was picked up by others. It wasn't a protest song, it was America. Why did these people even participate? Reasons were published by the Strike Committee! The Indochina War, Kent State, racism, sexism - were among the officially listed. But what were the unofficial reasons that motivated people to come? Some were motivated by personal reasons. One didicated worker's boyfriend was being sent to Viet Nam. Another guy wanted to end the war so he would not have to go when he was drafted after college. And one who said he was an ex-GI who had been there and lived through it, was participating now to try to stop further killing. At one small fally, a townsman came with his entire family. During open discussion he stood up and after introducing his family talked in an open manner about why he had come. He wanted to understand the students and he wanted to express what he felt about their actions. Even though the students did not agree with all that he said, he received a round of applause when he had finished. On the night of he sit-in at Old Capitol steps a guy with hair just starting to cover his ears and the beginnings of a beard joined some of his friends on the steps. He was very vocal in his cheering of speakers but when the police came to take the demonstrators to jail, he ran, denying that he had participated. At all of the rallies, especially the one of the many arrests, there were the curious who came to watch and added to the body counts. And there were those who came to contribute bail money. Still others were there because they wanted the protests to be non-violent, so they came to try to keep order by working for the monitors. and the police were there for the same reason - to keep peace - but their presence was by order, not by choice. There were people such as me who found it less frustrating to be at the rallies than to stay at home and listen to the faint sounds of yells coming from the Pentacrest and not know what was happening. I went so that I could protest a war I felt immoral and so I could know what was happening. When the black said that the police were human first and must be treated as such, he summed up for me what I felt about the whole two week's events. All of the people involved in these protests are human and must be treated as such. The only lasting end of the protests are the effects that they have on these humans involved in them. The broken windows are replaced and forgotten, but what they symbolize will remain for a long time. The experiences of the protests on the individual will continue to effect his life. All of the pain and reaction will be remembered by students and townspeople alike. It is not the larger events but the individual person and his actions that are important to me. Because of them the demonstrations take on meaning.