DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970 | 1970-05-10 Davenport Times-Democrat Article: ""Uneasy Calm Falls Over Iowa U"" Page 2

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970

1970-05-10 Davenport Times-Democrat Article: ""Uneasy Calm Falls Over Iowa U"" Page 2

[Handwritten}  2 (of 2)
"Bldg. Blaze Fuels Tension - Uneasy calm . . ."
Times-Democrat
May 10, 1970
Davenport-Bettendorf, Ia.

[photo]
Pelting spring showers drove demonstrators off the grounds in front of Old Capitol at the University of Iowa Satrday afternoon, except for a lone student who sought shelter under an improvised first aid station. Student militants have used red paint to fashion slogans on the four stately columns of the campus landmark.

Iowa City Braces For Violence—
Continued From Page 1A
ken out in that 80-year-old building.
Authorities said the blaze was confined to a restroom and the corridor of the first floor but the fires were deliberately set.
Campus police rushed to the Engineering Building shortly after 10 p.m. acting on a telephone tip that a fire was burning there. No fire was found, however, and officials theorized the call had been made by a prankster.
Firemen were called out at about 3:10 a.m. when two youths noticed flames leaping from a building designated as "Old Armory Temporary" and called "Big Pink" by the students.
Off-duty firemen were called in to battle the blaze which raged for more than three hours before consuming the old barracks-like building which housed the university's rhetoric department.
AUTHORITIES combing the ruins Saturday said the fire was deliberately set. An Iowa City fire department captain told the Times-Democrat warnings had been received earlier in the week that the building had been singled out for burning by student militants.
The fire was the signal for state officials to move elements of a National Guard military police unit to the Johnson County Fairgrounds to standy for possible action in Iowa City.
Moved to the fairgrounds were the 34th Military Police Battalion from Knoxville, Marshalltown and Des Moines.
Still on standby at their own armories are units of the 185th Artillery at Davenport, Clinton and Muscatine.
GOV. Robert Ray said Saturday morning it was his decision to have the troops brought close to Iowa City, but that he has given no orders for them to actually enter the community. Ray said he acted on the advice of Highway Patrol command officers who warned him the situation was becoming increasingly perilous.
The fire came on the heels of demonstrations Friday nhight on the lawn of Old Capitol in the heart of the campus.
A crowd of about 1,500 students, many of them only onlookers, heard dozens of speakers urge closing of the university in support of protests against involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia, the death of four students at Kent (Ohio) State University, and demands that Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) be banished from the university curriculum.
BOYD, who made a dramatic appearance at the rally to plead for calm, was alternately heckled and cheered.
Boyd was cheered when he said he sympathized with some aims of the demonstration regarding involvement in Southeast Asia. He was jeered when he said students should finish the school year.
The mood in the community, among both studnets and citizens, seemed to be shifting in the direction of anger Saturday morning when news of the fire became known.
BEFORE the rain began Saturday afternoon, thousands of students had walked by the ruins to see the fire damage.
"This stuff has got to come to a big halt," one student said.
Along a street facing the yard of Old Capitol, merchants expressed fear Saturday that the city is in for more disruption. Many windows, broken during trouble earlier in the week have been replaced with plywood sheets.
THE MANAGER of a popular drugstore where students meet said he will not replace his broken windows until the school year has ended.
Busienss men confess they ar hard put to understand the reasons for mounting anger on the campus that fronts them.
Ray Vanderhhoff, owner of Iowa Book and Supply Co., said "people here really are trying to understand, but it is hard, especially when you can't get a word in edgewise some time.
"I'm very discouraged by it all," he added.
ON THE plywood sheets the merchants have used to replace their windows, students have written slogans. Many of them call for students to strike, boycotting classes. Others urge "Remember Kent State."
A sign saying "Off the Rots," means that ROTC students should be killed, a pleasantly smiling coed volunteered to a Times-Democrat reporter.
The city is alive with rumors, most of them wildly false. Most of them finally find their way to the police department where officers armed with shotguns barred entry to the building which houses other city offices Friday night.
In downtown Iowa City Saturday the rain seemed to have brought an interlude. Young shoppers scurried beneath awnings and made their way into stores with boarded up windows.
But apprehension hangs heavily and there is a worry about what coming days will bring. 
The marquee of the Englert Theater advertises that "Halls of Anger" is the movie playing there.
This town hopes there is no prophesy in the sign.

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[Handwritten} 2 (of 2) "Bldg. Blaze Fuels Tension - Uneasy calm . . ." Times-Democrat May 10, 1970 Davenport-Bettendorf, Ia. [photo] Pelting spring showers drove demonstrators off the grounds in front of Old Capitol at the University of Iowa Satrday afternoon, except for a lone student who sought shelter under an improvised first aid station. Student militants have used red paint to fashion slogans on the four stately columns of the campus landmark. Iowa City Braces For Violence— Continued From Page 1A ken out in that 80-year-old building. Authorities said the blaze was confined to a restroom and the corridor of the first floor but the fires were deliberately set. Campus police rushed to the Engineering Building shortly after 10 p.m. acting on a telephone tip that a fire was burning there. No fire was found, however, and officials theorized the call had been made by a prankster. Firemen were called out at about 3:10 a.m. when two youths noticed flames leaping from a building designated as "Old Armory Temporary" and called "Big Pink" by the students. Off-duty firemen were called in to battle the blaze which raged for more than three hours before consuming the old barracks-like building which housed the university's rhetoric department. AUTHORITIES combing the ruins Saturday said the fire was deliberately set. An Iowa City fire department captain told the Times-Democrat warnings had been received earlier in the week that the building had been singled out for burning by student militants. The fire was the signal for state officials to move elements of a National Guard military police unit to the Johnson County Fairgrounds to standy for possible action in Iowa City. Moved to the fairgrounds were the 34th Military Police Battalion from Knoxville, Marshalltown and Des Moines. Still on standby at their own armories are units of the 185th Artillery at Davenport, Clinton and Muscatine. GOV. Robert Ray said Saturday morning it was his decision to have the troops brought close to Iowa City, but that he has given no orders for them to actually enter the community. Ray said he acted on the advice of Highway Patrol command officers who warned him the situation was becoming increasingly perilous. The fire came on the heels of demonstrations Friday nhight on the lawn of Old Capitol in the heart of the campus. A crowd of about 1,500 students, many of them only onlookers, heard dozens of speakers urge closing of the university in support of protests against involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia, the death of four students at Kent (Ohio) State University, and demands that Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) be banished from the university curriculum. BOYD, who made a dramatic appearance at the rally to plead for calm, was alternately heckled and cheered. Boyd was cheered when he said he sympathized with some aims of the demonstration regarding involvement in Southeast Asia. He was jeered when he said students should finish the school year. The mood in the community, among both studnets and citizens, seemed to be shifting in the direction of anger Saturday morning when news of the fire became known. BEFORE the rain began Saturday afternoon, thousands of students had walked by the ruins to see the fire damage. "This stuff has got to come to a big halt," one student said. Along a street facing the yard of Old Capitol, merchants expressed fear Saturday that the city is in for more disruption. Many windows, broken during trouble earlier in the week have been replaced with plywood sheets. THE MANAGER of a popular drugstore where students meet said he will not replace his broken windows until the school year has ended. Busienss men confess they ar hard put to understand the reasons for mounting anger on the campus that fronts them. Ray Vanderhhoff, owner of Iowa Book and Supply Co., said "people here really are trying to understand, but it is hard, especially when you can't get a word in edgewise some time. "I'm very discouraged by it all," he added. ON THE plywood sheets the merchants have used to replace their windows, students have written slogans. Many of them call for students to strike, boycotting classes. Others urge "Remember Kent State." A sign saying "Off the Rots," means that ROTC students should be killed, a pleasantly smiling coed volunteered to a Times-Democrat reporter. The city is alive with rumors, most of them wildly false. Most of them finally find their way to the police department where officers armed with shotguns barred entry to the building which houses other city offices Friday night. In downtown Iowa City Saturday the rain seemed to have brought an interlude. Young shoppers scurried beneath awnings and made their way into stores with boarded up windows. But apprehension hangs heavily and there is a worry about what coming days will bring. The marquee of the Englert Theater advertises that "Halls of Anger" is the movie playing there. This town hopes there is no prophesy in the sign.