Regram from • @tsptr Fifty years ago today, on a sunny May Monday, 4 protesting students were shot dead by National Guardsmen in gas masks on Kent State University’s Commons Student unrest had unnerved the nation, as college kids protested the Vietnam War. And in small town Kent, tensions had been escalating all weekend in response to President Nixon’s announcement on April 30th of the Cambodian Incursion, which had set off anti-war demonstrations across the country Then, in 13 seconds, 13 college kids were shot. Four students died, and nine were injured The shooting was a seminal moment for the United States, making a far-away war far too real to Americans. It helped turn public opinion toward peace and bring about the end official US involvement in South East Asia (although not unofficial!) The father of victim Allison Krause told Time magazine: “Is dissent a crime? … Have we come to such a state in this country that a young girl has to be shot because she disagrees deeply with the actions of her government?” The National Guard said they had fired in self-defense, afraid for their lives because the students threw rocks and screamed “Strike!” But the nearest student shot was about 75 feet away A federal judge dismissed a criminal case against eight Guardsmen. A civil trial was settled out of court in 1979, with a financial settlement of $675,000 to the wounded students and families of those who had been killed: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder Eleven days later at Mississippi’s Jackson State, police shot into a group of students, killing two and injuring 12. And though Kent State, the predominantly white university, received lots of media coverage, most people remained unaware of what happened at Jackson State, the historically black college. Decades later, survivors see similar forces at play with media coverage and public perceptions around today’s young activists #tsptr #kentstate #kentstatemassacre #nationalguard #civilrights #protest #jacksonstate #jacksonstatemassacre #vietnamwar #studentpower https://www.instagram.com/p/B_zZoHMp1KJ6YSaLA0gWkF5NZQWCs8jP6uQznU0/?igshid=lem1td4k19y0
