This caught my attention on MSNBC last night. Rachel Maddow had a segment with a look back at the Nixon Administration back in 1970. That was the year I exited Cal after Ronnie cancelled the commencement and briefly shut down the University after Kent State. The Nixon supporters organized a "Honor America Day" in Washington on the 4th of July with a mass rally and fireworks display at the Washington Monument. Nixon did not attend, he was actually in California on the 4th.
blob:https://www.msnbc.com/ac454930-96b2-488a-b1e1-dce9a32f1f46
The New York Times and network news described a heated clash between long-hairs and crew-cuts (aka Riot) where police and long hairs were battered and bloodied and the Park Police on horsback chased the demonstraters into the reflecting pool. It is quite a story, and I don't remember it at all, but on that night in Yosemite I lived it. After end of classes I went to Yosemite to report for duty as a seasonal ranger. There had been a disturbance on Memorial Day and a couple of Rangers were embarrassed and the Park asked for ten additional seasonal rangers, I was one. At that time Park supervisors were mostly retired military, not tree huggers, and not fond of interaction with the public. The next big holiday weekend was barely a month later on the Fourth; and the command spent the time preparing. A 'war room' was setup and with help from the CHP, the movement of motorcycle gangs throughout the state was plotted. Back-up reserves from the closest Air Force Base were on stand-by, local sheriff deputies were on call, US Marshalls were authorized for law enforcement duties by the local Federal magistrate and Concessionaire wranglers were deputized for a mounted horse patrol.
On the evening of the 3rd a large crowd had gathered in Stoneman Meadow and 20 of us were sent in on foot to break up the crowd. Signs had been posted declaring an 8pm curfew, most ended up in the Merced river and the curfew was ignored. It took over half an hour of us in the middle of the 'party' when those gathered left, us alone in the meadow, This forced a revision of 'the planning'. The motorcycle gangs were avoiding the park, so the plans for immediate backup from MPOs and US Marshalls were stood down. But supervisors, sensing success on the 3rd opted for a more aggressive response on the Fourth. All rangers in the park were called in to the Valley for duty on the evening of the Fourth. Our group of twenty on foot had swelled to 38 and we were to enter at double time from the trailer campground next to the meadow. On the opposite side, the horse patrol was to enter and in a pincer movement we would push the gathered crowd of 1,000 or more celebrants, feeling the effects of booze and weed, into the ice cold river in the dark of the evening. The result was the first riot held in a National Park; it lasted into the morning, by which time nearly a hundred were arrested and there were only a handful of visitors in the valley as Mr and Mrs America fled with their families in the middle of the night. I had been up for almost 36 hours, on duty for 18 hours when I was finally relieved and never heard about the 'riot' in DC at the "Honor America Day".
Fast forward to yesterday and Rachel Maddow announcing that The Grump is planning his celebration for the Fourth, A Salute To America. Unlike Nixon, The Grump will attend, to receive lavish praise. I am sure.
I remember the last time this was tried and have no desire to attend.
But the question is - Will You attend ???
blob:https://www.msnbc.com/ac454930-96b2-488a-b1e1-dce9a32f1f46
The New York Times and network news described a heated clash between long-hairs and crew-cuts (aka Riot) where police and long hairs were battered and bloodied and the Park Police on horsback chased the demonstraters into the reflecting pool. It is quite a story, and I don't remember it at all, but on that night in Yosemite I lived it. After end of classes I went to Yosemite to report for duty as a seasonal ranger. There had been a disturbance on Memorial Day and a couple of Rangers were embarrassed and the Park asked for ten additional seasonal rangers, I was one. At that time Park supervisors were mostly retired military, not tree huggers, and not fond of interaction with the public. The next big holiday weekend was barely a month later on the Fourth; and the command spent the time preparing. A 'war room' was setup and with help from the CHP, the movement of motorcycle gangs throughout the state was plotted. Back-up reserves from the closest Air Force Base were on stand-by, local sheriff deputies were on call, US Marshalls were authorized for law enforcement duties by the local Federal magistrate and Concessionaire wranglers were deputized for a mounted horse patrol.
On the evening of the 3rd a large crowd had gathered in Stoneman Meadow and 20 of us were sent in on foot to break up the crowd. Signs had been posted declaring an 8pm curfew, most ended up in the Merced river and the curfew was ignored. It took over half an hour of us in the middle of the 'party' when those gathered left, us alone in the meadow, This forced a revision of 'the planning'. The motorcycle gangs were avoiding the park, so the plans for immediate backup from MPOs and US Marshalls were stood down. But supervisors, sensing success on the 3rd opted for a more aggressive response on the Fourth. All rangers in the park were called in to the Valley for duty on the evening of the Fourth. Our group of twenty on foot had swelled to 38 and we were to enter at double time from the trailer campground next to the meadow. On the opposite side, the horse patrol was to enter and in a pincer movement we would push the gathered crowd of 1,000 or more celebrants, feeling the effects of booze and weed, into the ice cold river in the dark of the evening. The result was the first riot held in a National Park; it lasted into the morning, by which time nearly a hundred were arrested and there were only a handful of visitors in the valley as Mr and Mrs America fled with their families in the middle of the night. I had been up for almost 36 hours, on duty for 18 hours when I was finally relieved and never heard about the 'riot' in DC at the "Honor America Day".
Fast forward to yesterday and Rachel Maddow announcing that The Grump is planning his celebration for the Fourth, A Salute To America. Unlike Nixon, The Grump will attend, to receive lavish praise. I am sure.
I remember the last time this was tried and have no desire to attend.
But the question is - Will You attend ???
