1971 May Day Protests

The 1971 May Day Protests were a series of large-scale civil disobedience actions in Washington, D.C., in protest against the Vietnam War. These began on May Day of that year, continued with similar intensity into the morning of the third day, then rapidly diminished through several following days. Most members of the Nixon Administration would come to view the events as damaging, because the government's response led to mass arrests and were perceived as violating rights.

Planning

By the middle of 1970 many leaders of the anti war movement had come to believe that tactics of massive, non-violent political protests that had been used previously would not end the war, and that more aggressive actions were needed. Rennie Davis and Jerry Coffin of the War Resisters League began planning the actions; later in 1970 Michael Lerner joined their number.^[1] The May Day tribe^[2] was formed. It was made up of Yippies and others among the more militant members of the anti-war movement. It was decided that small groups of protesters would block major intersections and bridges in the capital.

The protests

Saturday May 1

35,000 protesters camped out in West Potomac Park near the Washington Monument park to listen to rock music and plan for the coming action. The government planned to use low flying helicopters to disrupt the protest. This tactic was stymied by the launching of large numbers of helium filled balloons - some of which were tethered by cables large enough to snarl a helicopter's rotors.

Sunday May 2

The Nixon administration canceled the protesters permit. U.S. Park Police and Washington Metropolitan Police, dressed in riot gear, raided the encampment. The police formed up in phalanxes and slowly moved through the park firing tear gas and knocking down tents, forcing out the campers. The campers scattered towards the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial. At this point the campsite was closed down, forcing some protesters to abandon the demonstration while others were forced into the nearest car and others were ordered to leave the city by police. The remaining protesters estimated at 10,000 or more regrouped at various churches and college campuses in the area. At Georgetown University police arrived though the main gate and lobbed tear gas at hundreds of protesters who had sought refuge.^[3] After the cancellation of the Sunday concert and the days actions many protesters left the city leading to hours long gridlock.

Monday May 3

The Government put into effect a plan it had developed in the 1960s to combat urban disorders. While protesters listened to music, planned their actions or slept, 10,000 Federal troops were quickly moved to various locations in the Washington, D.C. area. At one point, so many soldiers and marines were being moved into the area from bases along the East Coast that troop transports were landing at the rate of one every three minutes at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland, about 15 miles from the White House. Among these troops were 4,000 paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division These troops were to back up the 5,100 D.C. Metropolitan Police, 2,000 D.C. National Guard and Nixon’s internal security forces^[who?]that were already in place. Every monument, park and traffic circle in the nation's capital had troops protecting its perimeters. Paratroopers and marines deployed via helicopter to the grounds of the Washington Monument.

Protesters announced that because the government had not stopped the Vietnam War they would stop the government^[2] and told troops, many of whom were of similar age, that their goal was to prevent the troops from being sent to Vietnam. In response troops were rotated frequently. While the troops were in place and thousands held in reserve, the police clashed with members of the May Day tribe. The Yippies engaged in hit and run tactics throughout the city, trying to disrupt traffic and cause chaos in the streets. Politicians were harassed by protesters.^[4] President Richard Nixon, who was at the Western White House in San Clemente, California, refused to give Federal workers the day off, forcing them to navigate through police lines and May Day tribe roadblocks. Federal Employees for Peace held a rally in Lafayette Park^[4].

While the troops secured the major intersections and bridges, the police roamed through the city making massive arrest sweeps and used tear gas. They arrested anyone who looked like a demonstrator, including construction workers who had come out to support the government. By 8 am 7,000 protesters had been arrested. The city's prisons did not have the capacity to handle that many people thus an emergency detention center surrounded by an 8-foot-high (2.4 m) fence was set up next to RFK Stadium. No food, water, or sanitary facilities were made available by authorities but sympathetic local residents brought supplies^[4]. Skirmishes between protesters and police occurred up until about mid-day. By afternoon the show of force had mostly suppressed the unrest^{[citation needed]} and Federal workers, at least those who were not arrested in the arrest sweeps, had arrived at their jobs, despite being delayed somewhat.^[2]

Next several days

Smaller protests continued resulting in the arrests of several thousand more, bringing the total to 12,000 people, making this the largest mass arrest in U.S. history. ^[2][5]

Aftermath

Conspiracy charges against May Day tribe leaders were dismissed. Out of the 12,000 demonstrators arrested most were released without charges and 79 were eventually convicted.^[6]

Richard Helms, who was Central Intelligence Agency director at the time, said "It was obviously viewed by everybody in the administration, particularly with all the arrests and the howling about civil rights and human rights and all the rest of it...as a very damaging kind of event. I don't think there was any doubt about that."^[4]

References

1. ^ "Order of Battle". Time. 1971-05-10. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,902933,00.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Page 5 "Vietnam Demonstrations: 1971 Year in Review, United Press International Accessed 2009-04-13.
3. ^ Weber, Galen (January 28, 2010). "Saxa Politica: A penchant for protests". The Georgetown Voice. Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. http://georgetownvoice.com/2010/01/28/a-penchant-for-protests/. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost by Joe Allen excerpt reprinted by SocialistWorker.org May 30, 2008
5. ^ 1971 Year in Review Archived United Press International 2009-05-05.
6. ^ The Nixon Years Down from the Highest Mountaintop Time Magazine August 19, 1974 issue

• The Washington Post, various news articles, May 1–7, 1971.
• Barber, Lucy G. (2002) Marching on Washington . University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. (www.ucpress.edu)

Further reading

• [1]Daniel Ellsberg relates his experiences during the protests