“The Kent State shootings (also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre)[3][4][5] were the shootings on May 4, 1970 of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio during a mass protest against the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces. Twenty-eight guardsmen fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.[6][7]”
Don’t forget that basically half the country thought the students deserved it…
Another picture from Kent State.
But it was not just Kent State, eleven days later Mississippi Police fired 150 rounds into a dormitory at Jackson State College, killing 2 and wounding 15 black protesters.
Btw half of the students killed at Kent State weren’t even protesting, they were just there
What in the absolute fuck
When the Irish guy has known about this since he was like 8, but it’s suspiciously hard for Americans to learn about…
This was the alternative that our elders gave us to selling out. Think about that.
Campus Scene during Shootings at Kent State University, Records of U.S. Attorneys, National Archives at Chicago, NARA ID 2723186.
Map of Site of Shootings at Kent State University, President Nixon’s Commission on Campus Unrest. 6/13/-12/1970, NARA ID 596837.
KENT STATE SHOOTING #OTD 1970
In the midst of Vietnam War, President Nixon televised his decision to initiate the Cambodian campaign. This apparent expansion of the war detonated an explosion of antiwar activity that escalated to a national crisis when 4 students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio.
Affidavit of student shot, Donald S. Mackenzie, NARA ID 596838.
Telegram from Doris and Arthur Krause to President Ford re: the Pardon of Former President Nixon, Ford Library, NARA ID 16637619.
Did you know…?
- While Nixon spoke of initiatingthe Cambodian campaign, he had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by President Johnson in 1965.
- Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed students. There were over 1,300 armed troops, armored personnel carriers, mortar launchers, and helicopters.
- 67 shots were fired in 13 seconds, killing 4 students and wounding 9—one paralyzed for life (Dean Kahler).
- Two of the students murdered weren’t protesters; they were walking to class, and one of those was ROTC and planned to enter the military.
- Following this shooting, an estimated 4 million striking students shut down 800 campuses nationwide.
- According to a Gallup Poll, 58 % of Americans blamed the studentsfor the violence at Kent State.
- Dean Kahler, who was shot and paralyzed during the attack, came out of an induced coma to read a letter that began: “Dear communist hippie radical, I hope by the time you read this, you are dead.”
- President Nixon responded to the shootings stating: “When dissent turns to violence, it invites tragedy.”
- President Nixon’s Commission on Campus Unrest concluded: “the indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable.”
- A federal grand jury indicted 8 guardsmen, but found they were not subject to criminal prosecution because they acted in self defense.
Urban Outfitters Wins The First Jean Ralphio Seal Of Being The Worst
Urban Outfitters recently offended a fuck ton of people by posting this seemingly blood-stained, vintage Kent State sweatshirt. This, of course, reminded everyone that vintage means old and old is, like 40 years ago. Well, 44 is basically 40, and 44 years ago (1970) the National Guard fired into a mass of 2,000 people during a rally at Kent State University. These shots killed four students and wounded nine. Now, how Urban Outfitters even thought about selling a sweatshirt that looked like someone spat blood all over it was a good idea, whether to commemorate this horrible event or not, was a huge “oversight.” I use the term “oversight” due to the fact that I am fairly uninformed when it comes to what goes on in the headquarters of Urban Outfitters. All I know is, I once paid $35 for a snap-back hat and convinced myself that was reasonable.
Anyway, that’s why I have awarded them this seal. Read the full story where everyone else reads shit, Buzzfeed.
