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From Middletown, USA, to Holmesburg Prison: the Journey of Alan Berkman and the Life of the Movement Undergraduate Review Volume 1 Issue 1 Article 7 1986 From Middletown, USA, to Holmesburg Prison: The Journey of Alan Berkman and The Life of the Movement Jim Grossklag '86 Illinois Wesleyan University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev Recommended Citation Grossklag '86, Jim (1986) "From Middletown, USA, to Holmesburg Prison: The Journey of Alan Berkman and The Life of the Movement," Undergraduate Review: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol1/iss1/7 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Commons @ IWU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this material in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This material has been accepted for inclusion by faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ©Copyright is owned by the author of this document. Grossklag '86: From Middletown, USA, to Holmesburg Prison: The Journey of Alan , 63, 66, 73, 129, 130, 132, 133, 282. year member of the Stelle Group, April 15, From Middletown, USA, to Rolmesburg Prison: The Joumey of Alan Berkman and The Life of the Movement Jim Grossklag ndiana, where he attended West History and Religion and received ry in May 1987. Dan intends to go 47 Published by Digital Commons @ IWU, 1986 1 Undergraduate Review, Vol. 1, Iss. 1 [1986], Art. 7 'We are tired of tiptoeing up to society and asking for April 22, 1968, Columbia V rejonn. We're ready to kick it in the balls."! In an open letter to Graysc University, Mark Rudd, the d Columbia's SDS (and a soon­ March 2, 1970, 18 West 11th St., Greenwich Village, N."¥. intentions: "You call for ordel justice, freedom and socialisn A small group of intelligent, ambitious, and privileged young men may sound nihilistic to you, s and women were living in an elegant townhouse owned by Cathlyn liberation.... 'Up against th Wilkerson's millionaire father, away on an extended vacation in the SDS was the largest studen Caribbean. Cathlyn, 25 at the time and a graduate of Swarthmore seen. The leading expression College, was relaxing upstairs with Kathy Boudin, 26, an honors sixties, SDS organized agains graduate in Russian Literature from Bryn Mawr, and the daughter of a oppression of blacks in the well-known civil liberties attorney. Working in the basement were Ted "L corruption of the establishme Gold, 23 and a graduate of Columbia University; Terry Robbins, 21, a groups wanted to "Bring the 1 college dropout; and Diana Oughton, 28, also from Bryn Mawr, a the War Home.,,7 former Peace Corps volunteer, and the daughter of a wealthy Illinois The Columbia chapter of ~ farmer. University's confidential rese: Someone goofed. The wrong wires must have been crossed. The and its planned expansion in! bomb they had been building in the basement-studded with long Harlem. When Mark Rudd al roofing nails for added effect-went off. The nearby boxes of dynamite Low Memorial Library on Ap also blew. The townhouse was leveled almost instantly, leaving a huge success was to be found--din crater, but nothing of Ted, Terry, and Diana. Incredibly, Cathlyn and police went in and cracked st Kathy, half-naked, were able to crawl from the rubble, dazed but evicted the protesters, and pr alive. 2They ran to Kathy's parents' nearby home, where Kathy's mother Mark Rudd on the cover of 1\ saw her, momentarily, for the last time until 1981. 3 police-read "establishment" "action faction" quickly gaint October, 1981, Metropolitan Correction Center, Manhattan most campus liberals. Where a direct assault had succeedec The next time Kathy's mother saw her, she was in solitary That June at the SDS Nat­ confinement. She and three others had been captured during a failed Michigan, one could sense d: "shoot-'em-up" robbery of a Brink's armored car. One Brink's guard was "radical chic."8 When Bema: killed and two wounded outside of the Nanuet National Bank, and two University of Chicago Law S police officers were killed at a roadblock in nearby Nyack, N. Y. 4 Two of on stage, the question from t the suspects were, like Kathy, former members of Students for a Organizational Secretary of E Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weathermen (or Weather consider myself a revolution;: 9 Underground, after the former title was deemed sexist). as well as easily elected. children of privilege: Judith Clark, then 31 and a graduate of the At the next year's SDS N: University of Chicago, and David Gilbert, the son of a former rebels, led by Bernardine Dc Republican mayor of conservative New Rochelle, N.Y., and the father released a statement spelline of Kathy's child. 5 This proclamation, from wh This, then, was the revolution. take its name, was entitled, Which Way the Wind Blow~ 48 https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol1/iss1/7 2 Grossklag '86: From Middletown, USA, to Holmesburg Prison: The Journey of Alan up to society and asking for April 22, 1968, Columbia University o kick it in the balls.nI In an open letter to Grayson Kirk, the staid president of Columbia University, Mark Rudd, the dynamic twenty-year-old leader of Columbia's SDS (and a soon-to-be Weatherman), made explicit SDS , Greenwich Village, N."¥. intentions: "You call for order and respect for authority; we call for justice, freedom and socialism. There is only one thing left to say. It bitious, and privileged young men may sound nihilistic to you, since it is the opening shot in a war of nt townhouse owned by Cathlyn liberation.... 'Up against the wall, motherfucker, this is a stick-up. "'6 y on an extended vacation in the e and a graduate of Swarthmore SDS was the largest student organization the United States had ever Kathy Boudin, 26, an honors seen. The leading expression of the so-called New Left for most of the sixties, SDS organized against U.S. aggression in Vietnam, the I Bryn Mawr, and the daughter of a oppression of blacks in the "land of the free," and the general moral Working in the basement were Ted Jia University; Terry Robbins, 21, a corruption of the establishment. More moderate pacifist and socialist m, 28, also from Bryn Mawr, a groups wanted to "Bring the Boys Home"; SDS had as a slogan, "Bring the War Home. "7 the daughter of a wealthy Illinois The Columbia chapter of SDS was protesting against both the 'es must have been crossed. The University's confidential research for the U.S. Department of Defense e basement-studded with long and its planned expansion into the poor, black neighborhood of Harlem. When Mark Rudd and the students of Columbia marched into t off. The nearby boxes of dynamite Low Memorial Library on April 23, they showed the New Left where led almost instantly, leaving a huge nd Diana. Incredibly, Cathlyn and success was to be found--direct confrontation with authority. The lwl from the rubble, dazed but police went in and cracked student skulls, beat up harmless bystanders, nearby home, where Kathy's mother evicted the protesters, and provided SDS with a great victory (e.g., Mark Rudd on the cover of Newsweek). The brutal vindictiveness of the :ime until 1981. 3 police-read "establishment"-was proven. Rudd and his militant "action faction" quickly gained the sympathy, if not the admiration, of ~ction Center, Manhattan most campus liberals. Where public forums and policy papers had failed, a direct assault had succeeded. IW her, she was in solitary That June at the SDS National Convention in East Lansing, ,had been captured during a failed Michigan, one could sense the shift in the young attitudes of these i armored car. One Brink's guard was "radical chic. "8 When Bemardine Dohm, a hip and beautiful the Nanuet National Bank, and two University of Chicago Law School graduate, stepped to the microphone block in nearby Nyack, N.Y. 4 Two of on stage, the question from the audience was, as a candidate for Inter­ er members of Students for a Organizational Secretary of SDS, did she consider herself a socialist? "I Weathermen (or Weather consider myself a revolutionary communist," she answered. Dohm was ~ was deemed sexist), as well as easily elected.9 then 31 and a graduate of the . At the next year's SDS National Convention, an anxious group of Jilbert, the son of a former rebels, led by Bemardine Dohm and Mark Rudd, among others, \Jew Rochelle, N.Y., and the father released a statement spelling out their view of SDS' future direction. This proclamation, from which this militant sub-group of SDSers was to take its name, was entitled, "You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows," from the Bob Dylan song, "Subterranean 49 Published by Digital Commons @ IWU, 1986 3 Undergraduate Review, Vol. 1, Iss. 1 [1986], Art. 7 Homesick Blues" (some astute opponents pointed out that "you don't While never a member of SI need a rectal thermometer to know who the assholes are"lO). It was one of those moderate stue inveighed against racism, economic and political despotism, and various willing to make a "great revolu other social ills. The Weathermen solutions, however, were vague calls anxious militants Oohrn, Rude for a world revolution-NOW! established SOS roots in order At this 1969 gathering, the idea that SOS would be a moderate force ("We were exorcising Devil Ar for change within the system died.
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