“Would you describe the experience?”
I was there for the adventure, the national news made it sound like it was going to be a blood bath because of the 82nd and the Marines.
In the coliseum where I was held along with a few thousand others we didn’t have showers and we just slept where we could, we were kept in the bleachers while the National Guard guarded the exits and controlled the arena below, that is where the FBI did their initial questioning of every individual, offering release to those that would agree to further interrogation away from public view.
The sexes were mixed and it was a fascinating collection of people, the National Guard seemed friendly and even sympathetic, they even supplemented our food one day, I don’t remember if we were being fed or not, although when I got to the city jail I was ecstatic to find that the food was a huge cardboard box of dry bologna sandwiches, for me it was the best feast that I have ever had in a jail, I could eat all I wanted, in fact most everyone else ignored them.
Seeing how quickly and easily the system can choose to ignore all the rules of law was a little discouraging, but I already had years of experience of seeing that by being a part of the wandering hitchhiking world, It really impressed me that I didn’t see the DC police beat anyone (except at the demonstration) back then a beating at the jail or even in the offices in front of the secretaries was very common.
I assume this little soiree is that to which you refer (the tipoff is the every three minute landings at Andrews):
WIKI
“By 1971, many anti-war leaders realized that massive, non-violent political protests were not going to end the Vietnam war. The next step of the protest movement would have to be more aggressive. The planning began in June 1970 when Rennie Davis joined Jerry Coffin of the War Resisters League, and then Michael Lerner later that year. Davis went to Paris for coordination with representatives of the communist North Vietnamese government. [1] So the Mayday Tribe was formed. It was made up of Yippies and other more militant members of the anti-war movement. Their tactics would be non-violent but aggressive. The overall objective of the Mayday Tribe was to create such a high level of “social chaos” that the only way the political leaders could end the chaos would be to stop the War. The Mayday Tribe’s first and last action would occur on May 3rd, 1971.
The Tribe’s plan was to “shut down the Government”. This would be achieved by having small groups of determined protesters block major intersections and bridges in the Capital and stop workday traffic from coming into the city on Monday morning. On the weekend prior to the action, about 35,000 activists had camped out in West Potomac Park, not far from the Washington Monument. They had gathered in the park to listen to rock music and plan for the coming mass action. Unfortunately for the protesters, the government had anticipated their actions. Early Sunday morning May 2nd, the Nixon administration had the park permit canceled. 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. After the campsite was closed down, most of the protesters went home but a hard core of about 10,000 regrouped at various churches and college campuses in the area. Even though their numbers and objectives had been reduced, they still planned to close down the government on Monday morning. Many were forced into the nearest car and ordered to leave the city by police. The mass exodus stopped traffic on the freeways for hours, and there was a big mobile party on the highways leading out of D.C. that day. Police mostly ignored the drugs, concentrating on expelling the mob from the Nation’s Capital.
The Nixon administration was determined to keep the Capital open at all costs. The Federal government already had various plans drawn up to deal with major disruptions in cities throughout the country. These plans had been developed in response to the urban disorders of the 1960s. The government now put one of these plans into action to protect the Capital. While protesters listened to music, planned their actions or slept, the authorities quickly moved 10,000 Federal troops to various locations in the D.C. area, including 4,000 paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. 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. These troops were to back up the 5,100 D.C. Metropolitan Police and 2,000 D.C. National Guard troops that were already on the streets.
A state of siege existed in the Capital. Thousands of troops and thousands of demonstrators planned to confront each other on Monday May 3rd. Nixon’s internal security forces had moved into place early Monday morning. Every bridge coming into the city was lined with troops. Every monument, park and traffic circle had troops protecting its perimeters. Paratroopers and marines made helicopter combat assaults onto the grounds of the Washington Monument. Hundreds of troops were brought into the city by helicopter to support the police. While the troops were in place and thousands held in reserve, the police clashed with members of the Mayday Tribe. The Yippies engaged in hit and run tactics throughout the city, trying to disrupt traffic and cause chaos in the streets. The police responded with tear gas and mass arrests. While Nixon rested in San Clemente, California, thousands of Federal workers had to navigate through police lines and Mayday Tribe roadblocks. Nixon had refused to give Federal workers the day off because he wanted it to appear as though the government was still operating normally.
While the troops secured the major intersections and bridges, the police roamed through the city making massive arrest sweeps. They arrested anyone who looked like a demonstrator, rounding up thousands and transporting them to an emergency detention center located at the Washington Redskins practice field, next to RFK Stadium, east of the United States Capitol.[citation needed] Skirmishes between protesters and police occurred up until about mid-day, but by Monday afternoon, the Mayday Tribe’s actions were mostly over. Against thousands of troops and police, the protesters did not have a chance. On Monday, the police had arrested over 7,000 demonstrators. Over the next few days several thousand more would be arrested during smaller protests, making this the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.
The Mayday action had failed. The government had not shut down. Its leaders were arrested by the FBI on conspiracy charges, and other protesters who had been caught up in the police sweeps were eventually released. Many of those arrested were later financially compensated by the Federal government because the massive police arrest sweeps were later declared unconstitutional.”