Recent protests in Los Angeles mild compared to memories of Watts riots of 1960s

Don Kirkland

Don Kirkland

While the recent days of protests in Los Angeles may have brought to mind gatherings that occurred years ago in Tempe and other Valley cities, they’ve been mild so far compared to the turmoil, injuries and deaths that were an outcome of L.A.’s Watts Riots in the mid-1960s.

As a young reporter in those days at the city’s Times-Mirror news behemoth, and as a member of one the many reporter/photographer teams that Bill Thomas, our managing editor, dispatched to cover the story, I was there for a close-up view — almost too close, as I now recall.

Most of the harrowing experiences I had during those days of violent street battles have long since slipped into memory. Yet they’re once again brought into focus as we watch TV coverage of what’s going on in the same area now, primarily in and around Civic Center and the nearby cities of Paramount and Compton.

Also among my memories are the vivid — even now — recollections from 1968 and 1969, after I had moved from California to Arizona and taken on the job of executive editor at the Mesa Tribune, which in the weeks before had been acquired by the publishing collaborative that included the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin Statesman and Dayton Daily News.

It was also in the same time frame that conflict erupted at ASU and its nearby neighborhoods, with students protesting the call-up of students for combat.

By that time, according to history of the era, the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam had approached its peak of over 500,000, and young men from ROTC programs were largely mobilized to fight the North Vietnamese army.

According to an ASU document from those days, in the spring of 1969, 22 students began what would turn into a three-day hunger strike, demanding removal of all military training on ASU campuses.

They occupied the ROTC building — now the University Club, a dining/meeting venue. A crowd of observers and students threw eggs at the demonstrators on the first night, and demonstrators protected themselves with bed slats.

According to the document, rumors arose the second night that students opposed to the protesters would be backed up “by large groups of fraternity men, ROTC members, veterans, athletes or motorcycle gang members” to intimidate the protesters into abandoning their occupation. More eggs were thrown at the protesting students that night.

On the third day, records show, the campus security chief told the demonstrators they had two options: leave voluntarily or be forcibly removed and arrested.

Twelve students departed and the remaining 10 were taken away for posing a threat of a riot and “sedition,” rebelling against authority.

Update

As of mid-2024, protest rallies had tapered off long ago and the campus environment appeared to have mostly settled into a less confrontational mode.

And now, although demonstrations, protests and so-called expressions of free speech remain protected at ASU, one caveat remains: “Demonstrations cannot disrupt operations. Lawful demonstrations can take place, except between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.”

Whether on campuses or in the wider universe of differing viewpoints, the same guideline may help provide generalized parameters for the expression of opinions today.

To wit: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” ― S.G. Tallentyre, The Friends of Voltaire

Don Kirkland is publisher of the Wrangler News Independent. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines at https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist.