Yah, completely innocent, there had only been violent protest for several days...violent enough to bring out the National Guard. There had been protests, but not "violent protests for several days".
Then these so called innocents stroll along between armed men and a violent crowed. If they were innocent, and I'm sure some were, they were stupid. Not true. Some of the students killed and injured were hundreds of yards away. The closest was about 85 yards. What is stupid is firing indiscriminately into a crowd of people.
It was probably just couple professional agitators that through the first brick...
For clarification, things were thrown but not bricks.
In my less then humble opinion, throwing bottles, rocks, or bricks is potentially lethal force and should be answered with a bullet.
Firing indiscriminately into a crowd of people is stupid.
Gee, the hippies only peaceably burnt down the ROTC building the day before.
Perhaps they did. However, there is no evidence.
"There is no evidence"
Oh, come on. Lets not sugarcoat any of this. The "anti-war" movement was in reality a "don't draft my sorry a#$" movement, which promptly went away once the draft was rescinded. The country was in complete chaos by 1968, and while I lament the loss of life at Kent, it was in large degree predictable.
http://www.library.kent.edu/exhibits/4may95/exhibit/chronology/
"For clarification, things were thrown but not bricks."
According the the above site, it was rocks..but your right, that is MUCH better than bricks.
"Perhaps they did. However, there is no evidence."
Good point, it may have been dancing sugar plumb faries. From the above link:
"Shortly after 8:00 p.m., over one thousand persons surrounded the barracks housing the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps on campus and a few managed to set the building afire. Firemen left the scene after hoses were punctured and cut open, unable to extinguish the blaze. By midnight, the National Guard cleared the campus, forcing students and non-students into dormitories, where many spent the night. "
Sounds like an accident too.