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1-24-1969

Resist Newsletter, Jan. 1969

Resist

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Recommended Citation Resist, "Resist Newsletter, Jan. 1969" (1969). Resist Newsletters. 133. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter/133 a call to resist ...... illegitimate authority 24 January 1969 - 763 Massachusetts Ave., #4, Cambridge, Mass. - Newsletter #22

THE THREE R's: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST RACISM THE THIRD IS FOR REPRESSION? IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE "The greate~t error a young person Very few of our readers know about can make is to criticize an older per­ the situation in Wilmington, Delaware, son." "You're not old enough to real­ because very few people in this coun­ ize what liberty and justice are, and .try know what has been happening in you have no right to criticize." Many that city for the last ten months. Wil­ high schools try to teach their students mington's black ghetto has been occupied these important lessons every day. The by white national guardsmen ever since a rule is passive acceptance of the disturbance there following the assassi­ school's authority in almost all areas; nation of Martin Luther King on April 4. active criticism of that authority is Last week, two days before a planned often a major offense. In one Milwau­ demonstration (on January 21, the same kee high school this fall, students were day as the new governor's inauguration), told that if they continued to print the troops were finally withdrawn. The their own paper their college scholar­ demonstration was planned by People ship forms would not be signed by the Against Racism (PAR), which deserves principal and they would be suspended. full credit for organizing sufficient In another Milwaukee high school three publicity to embarrass the new governor, students were suspended, and threatened Russell Peterson, into removing the with vice squad investigation and ex­ Guard. Earlier, Peterson had said he pulsion from school, for handing out would take no action about the guards leaflets that criticized outdated text­ until·after he was in office. books, ·lack of black history courses, locked lavatories, newspaper censorship. On April 8, 1968, Mayor John Babiarz Their suspension notices formally of Wilmington sent a request to Delaware charged them with "expression of dis­ Governor Charles Terry for 500 National satisfaction." Incidents similar to Guardsmen to quell a small civil disor­ these in Milwaukee are conmon wherever der involving fewer than 100 ~lacks. high school students challenge what Property damage was light and there they see as illegitimate authority in were no deaths. Gov. Terry responded their schools. by mobilizing, for the first time .in Delaware history, the entire strength In at least two cities high school of the 4000 man Delaware Army and Air students have formed city-wide organi­ National Guard. 3,500 armed men res­ zations to begin changing their schools ponded to his call. and to protect each other when they are On April 14, Mayor Babiarz lifted a punished or harassed for such offenses city-wide curfew and declared the situa­ as wearing what they want or "expressing tion under control. The gov~rnor dissatisfaction." refused to remove the troops. From April 8 to 13, when emergency The Milwaukee Student Alliance, which conditions were in force, 157 persons brings together students from all over were jailed and more than 370 were the city, puts out a city-wide news­ arrested, including 67 juveniles. The paper, The Open Door, containing essays, mayor put total arrests as high as 714 letters, cartoons, grievances, and news at one point, many of them under pro­ items relevant to high school students. visions of the Emergency Riot Act. This bill was passed August 4, 1967, following Delaware's first rebellion, Continued on p. 3 continued on P· 2 streets, any organizing effort on the Page 2 part of the blacks could be termed a violation of law and order. Indeed, the WILMINGTON, continued logic of the situation encouraged the police to use their powers of arrest and was voted on by both houses of the indiscriminately: the more arrests they legislature and signed by the governor made, the more convincing would be the in one day. According to this law, per­ argument that the Guard was needed; the sons arrested for damaging property more it was needed the longer it would during a declared emergency are liable stay, the longer the Guard stayed, the for not less than three nor more than longer the police would be free to work ten'years in jail with no chance of at the destruction of indigenous black parole for the first three years. Any­ leadership. one 16 years old or over is -considered an adult, and merely urging someone to Behind all the issues in Wilmington destroy property, even i~ that person (pop. 90,000, 40% black) is the question does nothing, constitutes guilt. of corporate racism. Delaware is con- On April 29, 1968, a clerk-typist in trolled by the DuPonts. The DuPont the Guard shot and killed a black man family has the largest private concen- accused of burglary while the suspect tration of wealth. in the U.S., with a wa_s in police custody. No charges were fortune of at least $7. 5 billion. The filed against the Guardsman. The only DuPonts _own both of Wilmington's news­ response was the introduction of a bill papers and its main radio· station. The in the legislature to absolve the Dela- skyline of Wilmington is dominated by ware Nat'l Guard from civil or criminal the DuPont building, the Nemours build­ action resulting from deeds performed in ing, the Delaware Trust Co., the Far­ the line of duty while under state mobi- mer's Bank and the Wilmington Trust Co., lization orders. -- all either owned or controlled by In the face of such action at the the DuPonts. Of the 250,000 people in state level, Mayor Babiarz formally New Castle County, 30,000 are directly ended the state of emergency on May 1.. employed by DuPont. The other major To support his declaration, Babiarz employers in the area are two DuPont withdrew city police from Guard patrols. · spinoffs. The new governor, Peterson, Gov. Terry still refused to remove the is a Republican who for the last ten Guard. The Guard does not have the years has been a DuPont executive. power to arrest. Ostensibly, it is there to prevent riots and its only task The turn-out for the demonstration on is supposed to be crowd control. ~uards-January 21 was no doubt reduced by the men have been used, however, to back up governor-elect's announcement that the police and to provide cover for police troops were bei~g withdrawn, and be- action. cause it was pouring rain. Nonetheless, nearly 1000 people came to Rodney Square The significance of the Guard's pre­ to make and listen to speeches about sence is that it has provided a smoke­ repression in Wilmington. Black Wll- · screen for the concentrated, systematic mingtonians were warned that to parti­ and largely successful attempt to des...-. cipate in the demonstration would be to troy militant ghetto leadership and invite dismissal from t~eir jobs; still organization. The principal repression there w7re perhaps ten who ~ouraqeously has been directed against people con­ stood with the demonstrators in the city nected with t~e W~lmi~~ton Youth square. Several members of the RESIST Emergency Action _. Council which was Steeri~g Committee were there, and one originally formed in the· summer of 1966 reported "an atmosphere I can compare after the death of a local gang leader. only to Mississippi." One woman, a mem­ It was at first a loose coalition of ber of the White Coalition for Justice "gang" youth whose support came· from Without Repression and a resident of church-related agencies. During Wil• Wilmington, said, "I have gone to many demonstrations for racial· justice and mington' s first rebellion (July 28-29 ,1 1967), WY~A<; s_pez:it three da_ys cµig ~. equality, but never one in Wilmington. nights on the street -- cooling things I never-·_-thOU9'ht I'd live to see ·this down. But in 1968, the police took· ad~ day." vantage of the Guard's presence to ~ork goe~ on. For more information decimate the yo~g, grass-roots ghetto write: Nat 1 Emergency Comm. Against leadership. Re~ression in Wilmington, 1237 Vine st. With the National Guard patrolling the Phila. Pa. Page 3 THE THREE R's continued.

11 The Milwaukee Student Alliance has also iors,.• .fail to register) , an end to arbi­ formed a Student Defense Committee "to trary suspensions and the start of due defend Milwaukee high school students process for students, no more narcotics from infringement of their civil liber­ agents in schools, history courses ties by teachers and administrators." which include the true role of black The Alliance meets every Saturday to people in history, and the right to discuss problems and to make plans for look the way we want." meeting them. _s_pend twelve of our "We Some high school students are refusing most formative years of life within the to learn the lesson of passive submis­ public school system," they explain in sion that many high schools would . like their statement of purpose, "and there­ to teach them. They are beginning to fore feel that it is both our right and recognize their own rights and to criti­ our obligation to examine that institu­ cize and resist the efforts of high tion critically and act upon our cri­ school authorities to violate these tique, demanding that the schools en­ rights .and manipulate their lives. The hance our development as individuals Milwaukee Student Alliance and the New and our interaction as a community." York High School Student Union are ex­ amples of students working together to Last summer New York City students resist the oppressive qualities of their formed the High School Student Union. schools and to gain greater control over In many public, parochial, and private their own lives. schools in the New York metropolitan --Alan Berube area, students have formed High School Student Union locals. Each local or-· ganizes its own school and sends two·. representatives to the central Repre­ sentative Committee, which makes policy n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n decisions concerning the whole Union. The cent~al Union has an office with equipment available for the use of each local. It offers a draft counseling FUNDING REQUESTS GRANTED course and hopes to have at least one trained draft counselor in each local At its January meeting the Steering working inside the school. A High Committee made the following grants: School Legal Defense Fund has been set up to protect and create legal rights Wilmington, Delaware: for the committee for students. A city-wide newspaper, to free Wilminqton the High School Free Press, was recent­ Donna Mickelson: for travel expenses ly formed by a group of editors of New as coffeeshop coordinator York independent student newspapers. Delaware County Pe·ace Ac·tion Center: for high school organizing The Union is currently organizing a Columbus . Draft Pr•oj•ect: for office membership drive in ~ew York City high equipment schools. When a large enough member­ Charlottesville Draft Opposition: for ship is reached, the Union plans to program expenses demand a written contract with the New Atlanta Workshop in Non-Violence: for York City Board of Education. "We're program expenses going to the Board of Education and Milwaukee Resistance: for seed money saying we want freedom of speech and Austin Draft Info·rtnation Center: for press, a meaningful role for student an organizer's salary government in school affairs, no more Brethren Crusaders for Peace (New names sent to draft boards (most N.Y.C. Windsor, Maryland~for organizing schools and the Board of Education send within the church the names of senior males to the draft Pennsylvania Resistance: for graphics boards so they can identify which sen~ materials Page 4 GENERAL NEWS Boston: Fourteen Boston area anti-war New York City: The cases of those ar­ groups sponsored a teach-in chaired by rested at the termination of Bill Howard Zinn at Boston University on Jan. Brakefield's sanctuary at CCNY came to 6, the night before the hearing on the court in mid-~anuary. Half of the 171 appeals of the Boston Four in the First people arrested with ~ill pled guilty U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The to charges of criminal trespass in the speakers included Dr. Spodk, Rev. third degree; they were discharged. Coffin, Michael Ferber, Harvey Cox, and Many of· the others, who pled not guilty, Father Anthony Mullaney of the Mil­ will defend _themselves when their trials waukee Fourteen. Mitchell Goodman sent take place in early March. They hope a tape from Berkeley, where he is their defense will encourage others ar­ teaching this semester. The gu~sts of rested in similar cases to defend them­ honor were those present who had been selves, thus freeing professional law­ indicted for Resistance-related activi­ yers so that they can handle the more ties. important and increasing number of cases Cambridge, Mass.: An all day conference involving draft resistance. on The Draft and American Society is Indianapolis, Indiana: Since it began being sponsored by the American Friends three months ago, the Indianapolis Draft Service Committee on Sat. Feb. 15 at Project has counseled more than 150 men the First Parish Church,Harvard Sq., and leafleted induction centers, high Cambridge. John Swomley, Prof. of schools, colleges, and downtown Indian­ Social Ethics and Philosophy, St. Paul apolis. Dave Dellinger is scheduled to School of Theology, will give the major speak to the Draft Project on Feb. 21. address on Selective Service and its relationship to the American economic St. Louis, Missouri: During National system and to foreign policy. G.I. Week the St. Louis Draft Resis­ tance organized a peace caravan to Fort Devens, Mass.: On January 14th Fort Leonard Wood to demonstrate Move­ Mike O'Conner, who took sanctuary at ment support for G.I.~s. They were M.I.·T. this fall (Newsletter #20) was successful in "reaching" the soldiers, found guilty of being absent without including some MP's. leave from military service and was sentenced to four months in the stock­ Minneapolis, Minnesota: Members of the ade. He will begin to serve this sen­ Twin Cities Draft Information Center tence as soon as he finishes the four­ and its University of Minnesota af­ month sentence he is currently serving filiate, Students Against Selective for a previous AWOL. This sentence had Service combined a celebration of Nov. been suspended but was reinstated when 14 (Happy Resis~ance Day) with a mem­ Mike was returned to military control bership drive for SASS, and Minnesota -after his second departure. · RESIST, their newly organized local chapter of RESIST. Part of the money New York City: Several members of contributed by new members was sent to Draft Board 4 resigned rather quickly RESIST to help with production of the after an underground paper organized Newsletter; the rest was used to sup­ a "Phone-In" and published the names, port the activities of TCDIC artd SASS. addresses, and telephone numbers of the draft board members. San Francisco: The Committee for Draft Resistance reports that there are cur­ Ithaca, New . York: Faculty members at rently 105 men in the Bay area under Cornell have set up a teaching program indictment for refusing induction. Of for resisters imprisoned at Allenwood these, 50 have been indicted since Oct. Detentiori Center in Pennsy~vania. They 1968. are now trying to organize full courses for next semester & have them accredited. Page 5 GENERAL NEWS ANTI-WAR NAVY DESERTER SEIZED IN JAPAN Fresno, California: The Fresno RESIST­ Gerald Lynn Meiers, an anti-war U.S. ANCE has been busy this fall: 13 Fresno deserter from Vietnam, was arrested on men turned in their draft cards on Nov. November 5 at Kushiro in Hokkaido, 14. On the same day 100 persons showed Japan; he is now being held for court­ up to support Jim Mobley as he refused martial at the American naval base at induction. The event was covered by Yokosuka, Japan. We have· received an radio and television. urgent appeal from Beheiran and JATEC (Japan Technical Committee for Assist­ Honolulu: Two AWOL Marines, Gary Gray ance to U.S. Anti-War Deserters), re­ and Tom Met, took sanctuary at the Univ. que·s ting cables protesting his arrest of Hawaii in November. After three days and demanding his f reedom. they returned voluntarily to their base , declaring--as Mike O'Connor did at M.I.T Desp ~te Japan's peace constitution, --that the purposes of the sanctuary the u. ~. -Japan Security Treaty obliges had been achieved and that they were Japanes e police to arrest American free. deserters. Nonetheless, JATEC and "General News" has been adopted as a Beheiran have succeeded in getting 19 regular feature of this newsletter. We American soldiers and sailors through encourage our readers to participate to asylum in Sweden. here by submitting newsworthy items from their area. Jerry Meiers spent ten months on the Navy hospital ship Repose, offshore from the DMZ, listening to the reports 0f wounded Americans about military · operations in Vietnam. He became shocked and disillusioned about the war, denounced it to his commanding ARMY LOGIC officer, and was eventually sent to the Yokosuka naval hospital for mental Second Lt. David J. Earl launched a court treatment. He was pronounced sane and order against the U.S. Army alleging that ordered back to duty in Vietnam. military authorities shackled him hand and foot, forcibly removed him from Ft. Devens and He decided to desert and seek aid flew him to Vietnam without processing his ap­ from JATEC. He was arrested the day plication for discharge as a c.o. after his 19th birthday by Japanese police and U.S. MP's. Now Beheiran Earl had refused to leave the post of his and JATEC are conducting a world-wide own free will when told that he was being sent campaign to support Jerry and to pro­ to Vietnam. test to the American authorities. His case should be dismissed and all charges On Dec. 12, Earl filed "an application for against him dropped. Wire or write to discharge," as a c.o. with his commanding the Se c retary of Defense or to the Amer­ officer at Devens, the complaint says. The ican Embassy in Tokyo, Aoicho 1, Akasaka, Army spokesman refuted that "He prepared a Minatoku , Tokyo, Japan. Beheiran can letter of intent to file a discharge, but we be reached at Beheiran, 13, Daikyocho, couldn't accept it because it should have been Shinjukuku, Tokyo. Further details and submitted to his unit, which is already in Jerry Meier's own statement are avail­ Vietnam." able from the Quaker Ac tion Group, 20 South 12th Street , Phil adelphia, "The letter was sent with him to his unit." Pa. 10107.

~· -Boston Globe December 19 n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

"I should like t o be a ble to love my country and s till love justice." --Albert Camus REFLECTIONS FROM JAIL SPEAKERS FOR RESIST Page 6 FROM THE MILWAUKEE FOURTEEN Local groups might be interested in availing BOSTON-AREA NEWSLETTER themselves of the following speakers, who will be in the areas designated during the next few To The Editor: Two exclusive world views - months. All are ~illing to speak for RESIST. "I just rmished .saying night glad tidings of peace versua loud Addresses and/or phone numbers can be secured prayers in a small cell with six dronings of war - end up in the from Elaine Hedg ~s 6309 Pinehurst Rd., other men. A 11 of us sat on the same indigestable stew. Princes of peace and exponents of violence Baltimore, Md. 2 ~L, Phone 301-377-5850. floor listening to the Gospel - the Beatitudes of Matthew - and each comfortably share the same plat­ of us had the opportunity to give form and utter the rhetnric. Priest · Hugo Bedau Feb. 0 1 · March in the Princeton, thanks to the Lord for all the and general shake hands: "Peace N.J. area marvelous things that he has done is our profess ion". • • • • for us. Once again, at this very moment, Rev. Blase Bonpane after December Calif. A vision has brought us together tn help in toppling the walls of fear a national culture is being de­ State College, Los Angeles which imprison the d re ams of ~troyed. Napalm and phosphorous mankind. A simple and uncom­ have replaced gas ovens. A Galway Kinnell March 17-21 at Stony Brook, promising refusal to accept things people are at stake and for those who are capable of listenq a L.I. as they are, proclaiming with our nesh and futures that his is notthe question of survival poses itself. best of all possible worlds - this ']."hose who cannot direct their Adrienne Rich Feb. 5 Pittsburm and April in is the immediate task of men energies to correcting this in­ Oberlin mobilized for life. tolerable reality, in their leth­ argy, become accomplices to war; nor is it enough to breathe syl­ Rev. John Swomley Jan. 22 at Ohio Wesleyan, But what of the Gospel? What of the living? Has napalm become lables of protest into the air. Feb. 4 at Ohio Northern, Feb. 5 at Minneapolis, the good news? Has the book of Feb. 6 at Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa., and Feb. 18 death at last incinerated the book The times demand interest and at Doana College, Neb. of life? Hard and bitter times pre­ more interest, perhaps our vail. Polarities are clearly drawn; security and carefully planned futures - perhaps our very lives. Arthur Waskow Jan 26, Feb. 23 and March 23 life or death. A burst of life is de­ manded. Men are invited to Great opportunities for life are in Chicago breathe the gospel of life into the afford men of faith - men and grim news of napalm. women over whom principalities Also, any group or organization interested and powers have no final say. In­ in arranging speaking engagements with any of I have tried to learn, to listen, sofar as we are willing to place tn hear the whistle of the bombs, the weight of our own existences the Milwaukee 14 should first call Milwaukee to hear the cries of the people of on the side of life there is hope. for scheduling and information: 414-933-3228 Vietnam as if in my own commun­ It · is we ourselves who hold the or 414-344-4892 or 414-344-6205. Or write to ity. Posing the questions why was crucial balance." I born, what are the consequences Linda Forest, M-14 Defense Committee, 2117 Rev. Jame.s Harney West Vliet, Milwaukee, for information. of having been given ears and not hearing, eyes and refusing to see? Milwaukee CountY Jail, What are the consequences of life Milwaukee, Wisconsin Four of our speakers will be available in notlived? ..•... •California because of temporary or permanent posts. Denise Levertov and Mitchell Goodman left Maine in Dec. for a half year of teaching on the Berkeley campus. John Holt will be on WANTED FOR CONSPIRACY the west coast from Jan. through March. Father Blase Bonpane, recently expelled from Guatamala In filing the Government's brief in because of his sympathies with the liberation the appeal of the Boston Four, Prosecu- · movement there and now living in Washington, tor John Wall sadly stated that "you D.C., begins a new teaching job in Los Angeles can't indict everybody" and then listed on Jan. 1. six more members of the conspir·acy: Noam Chomsky, Paul Goodman, Rooert At the University of Nebraska recently Paul Lowell, Dwight MacDonald, Ashley Monta­ Lauter shared ·a platform with Duane Ferre. gu, and Arthur Waskow. Duane, now working with the Rochester Resis­ tance, was an Air Force second lieutenant Conspicuously absent was the name before his imprisonment and discharge as a c.o. of Albert Einstein, who once stated unrecognized by the military. Duane tells his that "the masses of people can most own story with great impact and those of you effectively fight the institution of working on projects .directed toward soldiers war by establishing ... an organiza­ would find him an especially useful speaker. tion for the absolute refusal of mili­ tary service." The members of the Steering Committee are also available as speakers. IMPORTANT

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