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Campus "Unrest" demonstrations and consequences, 1970-1971

1971-11-12 American Report: Review of Religion and American Power Page 27

AMERICAN REPORT    23-S

Kent Legal Fund

[italics] The following letter, asking for contributions to the recently established Kent State Legal Fund, is being mailed to denominational members of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The appeal is signed by Mrs. Cynthia Wedel, N.C.C. president and Edwin Espy, general secretary. [/italics]

   On Friday, August 13, 1971, 15 months after the Ohio National Guard fired combat rifles and killed four students and wounded nine others at Kent State University, the Attorney General of the United States announced that he had decided not to convene a Federal Grand Jury to further investigate the shooting and indict those who were responsible for it. 
   It was critically important for a Federal Grand Jury to convene and use its powers to complete the investigation of the Kent State shooting. Other investigations had presented conflicting evidence.
   In belatedly announcing his decision not to convene a Federal Grand Jury, the Attorney General of the United States also agreed that, "The facts available to me support the conclusion reached by the President's Commission that the rifle fire was, in the words of the Commission, 'unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.' " 
   Someone has said that truth has become the fifth victim in the Kent State tragedy. Now that the Department of Justice will not use its great resources and its awesome powers for discovering the real truth about the shooting, the full responsibility has fallen upon the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded.
   The cost of continuing this pursuit of justice will be great, but the families have joined in committing themselves to searching out the truth and requiring the agencies of Government to assume their responsibility under law. This will be done through private investigation and through cases presented to the courts at every level of appeal.
   In order to secure the due process of law in the Kent State cases, the General Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. has authorized its Department of Social Justice to receive contributions to secure due process of law in regard to the Kent State killings. The Fund will be used to receive tax deductible contributions to assist in the payment of the costs of investigation and litigation for the Kent State cases.
   This is a request to you and your organization to contribute to the fund so that the long pursuit for justice may be begun. Let us remember that for 16 months the families of the victims used every possible channel of Government through which to make their appeal for a judicial forum before which the facts of the case could be placed. So far their appeals have fallen on deaf ears, and the cases which they have taken to court have been dismissed. Also, "An Appeal for Justice," a documented report which was written by Mr. Peter Davies, on behalf of the families, and circulated by the Board of Christian Social Concerns of the United Methodist Church, has resulted in a suit for malicious libel and slander, in the amount of $3 million, filed by a non-commissioned officer of the Ohio National Guard.
   The civil cases of the families have been appealed. The libel case will be resisted legally.
   We ask you to give your support, therefore, to the "Fund to Secure Due Process of Law: Kent State." The support of this fund is one effective way in which you can help turn back the tide of repression in the United States. The money received will be used to pay for depositions, transcripts, investigations, and other legal costs such as telephone, duplicating, etc. These costs will be extensive, and so we ask that your contribution be generous.

{In box, lower left corner of page: "...Law enforcement officers should use only the minimum force necessary in dealing with disorders when they arise. A human life - the life of a student, soldier, or police officer - is a precious thing, and the taking of a life can be justified only as a necessary and last resort."
PRESIDENT NIXON In a letter to William Scranton December 10, 1970}

{Photograph of two men, center top of page with caption: Greg Rambo, left, waits while Gregory Pappas, a construction worker from Cleveland, signs a petition calling for President Nixon to reconsider convening a Federal Grand Jury. The petition, this more than 10,000 signatures, was presented to the President by Rambo, Paul Keane, both Kent State students, and by K.S.U. President, Dr. Glenn Olds, on October 20.}

Letter to President Olds
President Olds,
   Eleven days ago we informed you of our petition to President Nixon seeking a Federal Grand Jury investigation of the Kent State affair. You voiced interest in knowing the results of the petition and offered to convey those results to the President of the United States. Today we offer you our report.
   More than 10,380 people signed the petition in the last 11 days, the largest petition response ever received in the history of Kent State University. Petitions are not weak instruments on our campus as I trust you know: In 1964, signatures from over 5,000 students, or approximately 40 percent of the then 13.000 student body, resulted in the allocation of millions of dollars to build the new student union.
   Though these statistics are powerful in themselves, they represent but one dimension of the significance of this petition. For those of us who witnessed the tragic events of May, 1970 this petition is a dramatic symbol of Kent State University's desire to prove that it is not the cradle of dissent and disorder as some have characterized us, but rather it is an institution whose members are committed to the time-honored tradition of democratic procedure.
   This unprecedented expression of sentiment through petition is proof of that: Kent State and its faculty and staff are dedicated advocates of democracy who are willing to work through the system. And as other campuses around the country join us in petitioning for this Federal Grand Jury it will become apparent that the decade of dissent through disorder is over, and the dawn of democratic dissent has begun.
  We hope, therefore, that when you present this petition to President Nixon you will remind him of his words in this week's [italics]Look[/italics] Magazine: "The most important thing of all is to restore the American spirit...that is what I would like to do before I leave this office...I hope to give more people a chance to participate in the action-to believe that what they do counts...I want to restore as much as we can the concept that this country has grown great by adhering to the principle of shared responsibility and peaceful change."
   And so, as we present you these petitions in the shadow of a building whose resemblance to the Greek Parthenon fills the imagination with suggestions of democracy, we recall, with sober hears, that for 13 seconds on May 4, 1970 democracy died at Kent State University and America stood naked, ashamed, and diminished in the world. We and the country, first sickened, then angered, have mourned these many months. Today, the road all noble mourners come, we defy this death and consecrate here on our Commons a rebirth of democracy. We offer to you, Dr. Olds, and to President Nixon, this symbol of our faith in the system. And we say to President Nixon: Work with us now to achieve your goal. help us restore the American system.
Paul Keane
Kent State University
October 15, 1971

McGovern Sends Telegram
October 14, 1971

Sisters and Brothers,
   Kent State stands as a symbol of the terror and injustice which have afflicted our people in this nation's most traumatic decade. As the song goes, "We gotta get down to it/Soldiers are gunning us down." Not just here, but at Jackson State, Attica, My Lai, and around the globe.
   Someone must answer for Kent State, not with rhetoric, but with justice. Someone must answer for Kent State now, before it is written in the history books that the bloodshed here sparked the downfall of the American Republic. I call upon President Nixon to answer your plea; I urge him, as I have in the past, to convene a Federal Grand Jury to carry out full and open investigation of the events of May, 1970. It will not bring back to life those who were slain, but it may help heal the wounds of America which were opened by the killings.
   Our Government has become a Tin Woodman, with a bloody axe and useless armor but without a heart, and let that heart be our guide. Let us reach out with compassion for those who have been trampled for so long-to the young, the blacks, the women, the poor, and the veterans. We must heal their wounds and bring them back into the fold. It is time to end the slaughter in Indochina and open our eyes to our problems here at home. 
   Let us follow the example of President Lincoln. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us strive to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have been born the battle, and to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
   I support your cause and stand ready to work with you in any way I can.
   Senator George McGovern

______
   "When we see someone in the first full spirit of life, suddenly and senselessly wiped out of existence, we are overwhelmed. The first brutal truth we must face together is that we mark here the anniversary of four senseless deaths. They, and their brothers at Jackson State and Orangeburg, were killed by the conscious deliberate acts of other men. When did we start to value life so cheaply?"
   -James F. Ahern
Member of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest

Saving...

AMERICAN REPORT 23-S Kent Legal Fund [italics] The following letter, asking for contributions to the recently established Kent State Legal Fund, is being mailed to denominational members of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The appeal is signed by Mrs. Cynthia Wedel, N.C.C. president and Edwin Espy, general secretary. [/italics] On Friday, August 13, 1971, 15 months after the Ohio National Guard fired combat rifles and killed four students and wounded nine others at Kent State University, the Attorney General of the United States announced that he had decided not to convene a Federal Grand Jury to further investigate the shooting and indict those who were responsible for it. It was critically important for a Federal Grand Jury to convene and use its powers to complete the investigation of the Kent State shooting. Other investigations had presented conflicting evidence. In belatedly announcing his decision not to convene a Federal Grand Jury, the Attorney General of the United States also agreed that, "The facts available to me support the conclusion reached by the President's Commission that the rifle fire was, in the words of the Commission, 'unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.' " Someone has said that truth has become the fifth victim in the Kent State tragedy. Now that the Department of Justice will not use its great resources and its awesome powers for discovering the real truth about the shooting, the full responsibility has fallen upon the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded. The cost of continuing this pursuit of justice will be great, but the families have joined in committing themselves to searching out the truth and requiring the agencies of Government to assume their responsibility under law. This will be done through private investigation and through cases presented to the courts at every level of appeal. In order to secure the due process of law in the Kent State cases, the General Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. has authorized its Department of Social Justice to receive contributions to secure due process of law in regard to the Kent State killings. The Fund will be used to receive tax deductible contributions to assist in the payment of the costs of investigation and litigation for the Kent State cases. This is a request to you and your organization to contribute to the fund so that the long pursuit for justice may be begun. Let us remember that for 16 months the families of the victims used every possible channel of Government through which to make their appeal for a judicial forum before which the facts of the case could be placed. So far their appeals have fallen on deaf ears, and the cases which they have taken to court have been dismissed. Also, "An Appeal for Justice," a documented report which was written by Mr. Peter Davies, on behalf of the families, and circulated by the Board of Christian Social Concerns of the United Methodist Church, has resulted in a suit for malicious libel and slander, in the amount of $3 million, filed by a non-commissioned officer of the Ohio National Guard. The civil cases of the families have been appealed. The libel case will be resisted legally. We ask you to give your support, therefore, to the "Fund to Secure Due Process of Law: Kent State." The support of this fund is one effective way in which you can help turn back the tide of repression in the United States. The money received will be used to pay for depositions, transcripts, investigations, and other legal costs such as telephone, duplicating, etc. These costs will be extensive, and so we ask that your contribution be generous. {In box, lower left corner of page: "...Law enforcement officers should use only the minimum force necessary in dealing with disorders when they arise. A human life - the life of a student, soldier, or police officer - is a precious thing, and the taking of a life can be justified only as a necessary and last resort." PRESIDENT NIXON In a letter to William Scranton December 10, 1970} {Photograph of two men, center top of page with caption: Greg Rambo, left, waits while Gregory Pappas, a construction worker from Cleveland, signs a petition calling for President Nixon to reconsider convening a Federal Grand Jury. The petition, this more than 10,000 signatures, was presented to the President by Rambo, Paul Keane, both Kent State students, and by K.S.U. President, Dr. Glenn Olds, on October 20.} Letter to President Olds President Olds, Eleven days ago we informed you of our petition to President Nixon seeking a Federal Grand Jury investigation of the Kent State affair. You voiced interest in knowing the results of the petition and offered to convey those results to the President of the United States. Today we offer you our report. More than 10,380 people signed the petition in the last 11 days, the largest petition response ever received in the history of Kent State University. Petitions are not weak instruments on our campus as I trust you know: In 1964, signatures from over 5,000 students, or approximately 40 percent of the then 13.000 student body, resulted in the allocation of millions of dollars to build the new student union. Though these statistics are powerful in themselves, they represent but one dimension of the significance of this petition. For those of us who witnessed the tragic events of May, 1970 this petition is a dramatic symbol of Kent State University's desire to prove that it is not the cradle of dissent and disorder as some have characterized us, but rather it is an institution whose members are committed to the time-honored tradition of democratic procedure. This unprecedented expression of sentiment through petition is proof of that: Kent State and its faculty and staff are dedicated advocates of democracy who are willing to work through the system. And as other campuses around the country join us in petitioning for this Federal Grand Jury it will become apparent that the decade of dissent through disorder is over, and the dawn of democratic dissent has begun. We hope, therefore, that when you present this petition to President Nixon you will remind him of his words in this week's [italics]Look[/italics] Magazine: "The most important thing of all is to restore the American spirit...that is what I would like to do before I leave this office...I hope to give more people a chance to participate in the action-to believe that what they do counts...I want to restore as much as we can the concept that this country has grown great by adhering to the principle of shared responsibility and peaceful change." And so, as we present you these petitions in the shadow of a building whose resemblance to the Greek Parthenon fills the imagination with suggestions of democracy, we recall, with sober hears, that for 13 seconds on May 4, 1970 democracy died at Kent State University and America stood naked, ashamed, and diminished in the world. We and the country, first sickened, then angered, have mourned these many months. Today, the road all noble mourners come, we defy this death and consecrate here on our Commons a rebirth of democracy. We offer to you, Dr. Olds, and to President Nixon, this symbol of our faith in the system. And we say to President Nixon: Work with us now to achieve your goal. help us restore the American system. Paul Keane Kent State University October 15, 1971 McGovern Sends Telegram October 14, 1971 Sisters and Brothers, Kent State stands as a symbol of the terror and injustice which have afflicted our people in this nation's most traumatic decade. As the song goes, "We gotta get down to it/Soldiers are gunning us down." Not just here, but at Jackson State, Attica, My Lai, and around the globe. Someone must answer for Kent State, not with rhetoric, but with justice. Someone must answer for Kent State now, before it is written in the history books that the bloodshed here sparked the downfall of the American Republic. I call upon President Nixon to answer your plea; I urge him, as I have in the past, to convene a Federal Grand Jury to carry out full and open investigation of the events of May, 1970. It will not bring back to life those who were slain, but it may help heal the wounds of America which were opened by the killings. Our Government has become a Tin Woodman, with a bloody axe and useless armor but without a heart, and let that heart be our guide. Let us reach out with compassion for those who have been trampled for so long-to the young, the blacks, the women, the poor, and the veterans. We must heal their wounds and bring them back into the fold. It is time to end the slaughter in Indochina and open our eyes to our problems here at home. Let us follow the example of President Lincoln. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us strive to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have been born the battle, and to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." I support your cause and stand ready to work with you in any way I can. Senator George McGovern ______ "When we see someone in the first full spirit of life, suddenly and senselessly wiped out of existence, we are overwhelmed. The first brutal truth we must face together is that we mark here the anniversary of four senseless deaths. They, and their brothers at Jackson State and Orangeburg, were killed by the conscious deliberate acts of other men. When did we start to value life so cheaply?" -James F. Ahern Member of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest