Memories OF A Revolution 40 Years Ago

Memories Of A Revolution 40 Years Ago
Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:43 0 Comment(s)



I graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972. I keep in touch with my old college and receive the alumni magazine every three months. It's call The Tulanian. I got around to reading it because I was ill at home yesterday. Much to my surprise it was all about the reports of the college newspaper, The Hullabaloo, from April and May of 1970.

This was a tumultuous time. The Vietnam war was still going strong. At Kent State University in Ohio, a student protest about the war led to four students being shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard. This set off rioting and violence all over the United States. My college was no exception. Violence erupted when a US Army building was burning and students occupied the student center. THhe school was closed down for two months.

I remember one afternoon when I was in my apartment 6 floors above the college. Even at that height I could smell the tear gas in the air. A large group of protesters gathered below. They put women in the front row to confront the police. One of the girls shouted out to a policeman in front of her:

"Up your ass with apple pie you God-damned pig!" (Pig in American English is slang for a policeman.)

Instantly I saw a large billy club of the policeman fly through the air and smash the young woman's skull. An ambulance had to be called. I was frightened and called my mother in Houston. I told her that a revolution was about to start.