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Keeping the Peace K 8 8 Keeping the Peace k r BY WADE LAWRENCE o Officers planned for the worst as festival goers poured into Bethel. Y w e PHOTO BY BARRY SERBEN, BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2015.17.25, FRAME 19 PHOTO BY BARRY N archives around State trooper and sheriff’s deputy direct traffic on West Shore Road at the Woodstock festival. n August 1969, half a million marred by violence and injury. ately planned for the worst. young people converged on Woodstock Ventures, the They met with organizers, Ia dairy farmer’s alfalfa field planners, had to leave their half- attended public meetings, and in the rural town of Bethel, completed site in the Town sent out a call for law enforce- New York, for a rock festival of Wallkill in mid-July 1969 ment in neighboring counties billed as “three days of peace because of objections from to lend a hand. They knew and music.” The Woodstock local residents. They had less that the narrow roads would Music and Art Fair—also than a month to find another become congested if traffic known as An Aquarian Exposi- location, advertise the change, was not well controlled. They tion or, simply, Woodstock— and construct a new site. A knew they needed officers on has since come to represent deal was struck with Sullivan the ground to direct traffic the dreams and optimism of County dairy farmer Max and keep the peace. They an entire generation. Yasgur, and Woodstock was knew they needed patrols in Woodstock was one of doz- moved to Bethel. cars, on motorcycles, on ens of rock festivals that were Based on what they heard horseback, and in the air in staged across America in the about violence at other rock helicopters; communications aftermath of 1967’s “Summer festivals, the Sullivan County systems; staging areas and of Love,” and many had been Sheriff’s Department immedi- holding areas. They also NEW YORK archives • SPRINGSUMMER 2018 2018 www.nysarchivestrust.org 9 9 PHOTO BY LISA LAW, BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2011.34.8 PHOTO BY LISA LAW, Aerial view of the stage and audience at the Woodstock festival, probably Saturday, August 16, 1969. needed to coordinate with In 2006, thirty-seven years regional medical facilities, after Woodstock, Bethel for the normal medical emer- Woods Center for the Arts gencies such as heat stroke, opened its gates for its dehydration, and broken bones, inaugural concert with the and for drug overdoses, bad New York Philharmonic. The trips, and possible violence. Museum at Bethel Woods Even three weeks from the opened two years later, on festival, officials were expect- June 2, 2008. The museum’s BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2010.9.11 ing up to 50,000 people growing collections include attending the festival daily. ephemera, clothing, photo- They could not have predicted graphs, home movies, objects, that the number would be ten and oral histories related to times that. Torrential rains, the 1969 Woodstock festival twenty-mile traffic jams, and and the 1960s. One of the breakdowns in the provision museum’s first archival acqui- of food, water, and sanitation sitions was a collection of 216 exacerbated the overcrowded folders of Woodstock-related situation, providing the perfect personal papers of Sullivan ingredients for chaos, violence, County Sheriff Louis Ratner, neighbor disputes. Numerous Letter from Harold Harriman to and injury. By some cosmic including duty reports, after- hand-written letters from Sheriff Louis Ratner, August 19, miracle—maybe the marijuana action reports, correspondence festival attendees and their 1969, thanking the sheriff for the or the vibe or a genuine belief with other law enforcement parents praised the friendly, “wonderful attitude” of law enforce- in the power of peace and agencies, and newspaper helpful, and respectful ment at the Woodstock festival. love—Woodstock remained clippings. These papers tell a attitudes shown by the sheriff peaceful. In fact, the great compelling story of the law deputies, and many thanked restraint shown by the sheriff’s enforcement preparations for Sheriff Ratner personally. A department and other police Woodstock and the experiences note on a Gracie Mansion agencies was a major factor of individual officers who notecard expressed Mayor John contributing to the peace. directed traffic and dealt with Lindsay’s appreciation for NEW YORK archives • SPRING 2018 www.nysarchivestrust.org 10 PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2011.50.2 Above left: Two young women relax on the hood of a sheriff’s patrol car at the BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2010.9.38 Woodstock festival. Below: Telegram from Leon Greenberg to Sheriff Louis Ratner, ca. August 19, 1969, demanding “immediate investigation” of the Woodstock festival. Right: Hand-written statement of R.B. Sinclair and Robert Connors, August 16, 1969, describing circumstances of the death of Raymond Mizsak at the Woodstock festival. Ratner’s “help.” There were and nurses. His rambling, also letters and telegrams sometimes poetic report, from local citizens who had which he titled “A White felt like prisoners in their Lake Happening,” concluded: homes while their streets and "And in closing, I leave BETHEL WOODS COLLECTION, 2010.9.15 yards were overrun by “immoral you with the medical, political, hippies.” These personal psychological, and philosophi- notes to Sheriff Ratner, several cal conclusion of this entire bearing the name of The affair: At no time during the Concerned Citizens of Bethel, entire festival did any of the demanded a full investigation one hundred fifty odd medical and measures to prevent this personnel who worked at from ever happening again in the site treat any case, or see their community. any incident, which involved didn’t share his enthusiasm, of seventeen-year-old Mizsak The Ratner papers contain the causing of personal or responding that he should describes how the young a fascinating perspective on physical injury from one re-submit his report with less Trenton, New Jersey, native Woodstock through the eyes human being to another. Not personal opinion. was run over by a tractor of law enforcement. An eleven- a knife wound was sewed, There are also moving while he was asleep in his page after-action report by not a punch wound was reminders of two tragedies sleeping bag on the edge of Lieutenant Ralph S. Breakey treated. This might very well during the festival: the deaths the festival field. Accompany- illustrates his interactions with have been an example of the of Raymond Mizsak and ing the official report, a state- members of the Hog Farm and first time that a large number Richard Bieler. The matter-of- ment in the tractor driver’s Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, of people have come together, fact reports of two deputies own hand reveals little of the describing the former as lived together, suffered describe a “John Doe” who charged emotion of the hard-working and the latter together, and given to the was airlifted to a regional moment. as more interested in dancing rest of us an indication that it hospital and later died of a The museum’s archival and relaxing. can be done in love and suspected heroin overdose. holdings have been reviewed A report by Dr. William peace. There was no fish or The eighteen-year-old Marine and stored, pending the Abruzzi to his superior out- wind, but perhaps in that on leave was identified as creation of finding aids and lines the setup and operation spirit, the bread went further, Bieler by his cousin and friends full cataloguing. Researchers of the medical tents, triage, the water lasted longer. Christ he had traveled to the festival may examine the museum’s and medical evacuation would have smiled.” with. An original police archival holdings by appoint- efforts of his staff of doctors The good doctor’s boss accident report of the death ment at 845-583-2079. n NEW YORK archives • SUMMER 2018.
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