Page Four

Perspective

By Tom Thomas

It’s Washington and every
body is getting their heads to-
gether. Marching together.
chanting together, talking to-
gether. It’s the politics of the
Woodstock Nation and it start-
ed before you ever got to DC

Every rest stop on the tum-
pikes, from Wednesday on,
was a movement center. Quick
:onversations as people stretch—
ed their legs after long drives.
Born a cigarette and trade an
underground newspaper. The
highways are filled with
freaks in painted-up VW buses.
Nobody believes the numbers
of other people that are mov7
ing with them.

Things start Thursday with
the March Against Death.
Across the river in Arlington,
people are arriving in care-
fully timed buses coming trom
the five Mobilization reception
centers. Shortly alter sundown,
the march gets underway.
Thump, thump, thump, rolllll,
it‘s like Kennedy’s funeral, a
comparison that no doubt is in
the minds of many marchers.

The first marchers are a
careful mixture of types, obr
viously chosen for the image
the Mobilization Committee
(Mobe) wants to project. The
march is led by an old social-
ist stereotype and a young
war widow. Following them
come hippies, an elderly
couple, a business executive, a
whole family, two coeds, a
couple of guys that look like
they just got back from the
McCarthy campaign. and then
some more freaks. Most are
carrying candles.

Mobe marshals are every-
where. Carefully trained, even
though some had begun to
learn only the day before, they
quietly directed the marchers
and sometimes traffic, talked
easily with police officers, and
seemed very much in control
of the sitUation. The march
stopped at each red light, and
in many instances, the police
let the marshals direct the
traffic.

As the march moved through
the night, very few onlookers
or cops seemed to be around.
Then we turned toward
Pennsylvania Avenue, march-
ing virtually next door to the
White House, The seven drums
sounded like a thousand as the
cadence echoed off marble of-
fice buildings. The cops are
now wearing white helmes,
the drums get louder, and ev<
erybody’s adrenalin flows a
little more swiftly as we get
near Tricky Dick’s big white
house (even though everybody
knows he‘s not in).

We reach the main gate and

marchers call out the name of
a slain 6.1. Some are defiant,
others solemn, some have
tears in their eyes. Many of
these first marchers are call-
ing the name of someone close,
a husband, a son, a brother:
others Carry a placard and call
the name of a man they have
never known.

Klieg lights glare as the tele-
vision cameras whirl. Over
thirty microphones record the
names of the war dead. And
in the not too distant back-
ground, a police intelligence
photographer snaps the pic-
ture of every single marcher.

The march moves on and the
Capitol, the final goal, comes
into view. As marchers realize
that it will be a while before
‘anything new happens, the
cold seems a little more ap-
parent, the winds a little more
brisk. The line is now grow-
ing, however, as onlookers join
in the procession.

Meanwhile, nattily dressed
agents in unmarked Cars care—
fully watch the protestors. One
agent, in his car, goes over
page alter page of youthful
face shots; another agent
stands under a street lamp and
scrutinizes each face as the
marchers pass.

As the march reaches Capir
tol Hill. the route goes up the
Hill to within about fifty yards
of the Capitol building, then
across, and back down to the
imposing statue of General
Grant which stands at the foot
of the Hill. In front of the
statue stand twelve empty
“coffins." Behind flle coffins
stand the drummers, never
stopping the funeral cadence.

The marchers file quietly by,
depositing in the coffins the
placard inscribed with the
name of the soldier they rep-
resent. Marshals direct the
marchers to waiting buses
which will return them to
their original “centers."

For thirty—six hours the
march will continue, linally
concluding on Saturday morn-
ing. it will rain and get colder,
but the march will go on. As
1 leave the Grant statue, I can
see a constant stream of
marchers across Capitol Hill.
Looking d o w n Pennsylvania
Ave., me line goes as far as I
can see. The Mobe has created
an impressve scenario

The March Against Death
was beautifully programmed
for media presentao'on. Bell
tolling as the march starts, out
to shot of long line of march-
ers, then a dramatic sequence
as marchers call out names,
keep the drums on the sound—
track all the time. Conclude
with nighttime sequence of

SCARLET AND BLACK

candlerholding marchers place
ing names in the coffins. Beau
tiful. Also the impact of ev-
ery hourly news report on the
”protest activities" concluding
with a solemn, reporter inton-
ing “and the March Against
Death continues."

The march seemed to have
a very symbolic lunction for
those who participated —— sort
of a masochistic purification.
Two and a half hours, four
and a half miles. People are
not just getting together for
a "g r o o v y demonstration.”
They are solemn, serious. The
March Against Death sets the
tone. It’s passive, force com-
ing from the numbers, 46,000
marching the route, and the
continuity. night and day and
night and the sun rises and
the march continues, It is a
sacrifice, .a symbolic act of
committed youth, hanging
black curtains on a stage the
world is watching.

On Friday a large group as-
sembled near the Justice De-
partment for a rally in oppo-
sition to the Conspiracy 8 trial
in Chicago. About 1,000 people
heard Frank Joyce of the Con
spiracy staff explain “we’re
not concerned about the legal»
ities of this trial, we Want the
trial stopped. Everything that
Hitler did in Germany in the
1930‘s was legal.”

Dr. Benjamin Spock told the
Crowd. “I think it is disgrace-
ful that the Attorney General
would prosecute these brave
young men under the law (of
conspiracy).”

It was then announced that
the group would set up a pick-
et line around three sides of
the Justice Department, located
just a short distance from the
rally site, and that a small
delegation, headed by Spock,
would try to get in to see At-
torney General John Mitchell.

Chanting “Stop the Trial" and
”Free Bobby Seale," the dem-
onstrators marched around the
building, then gathered at a gi-
gantic door as Spock sought an
appointment in vain. Deputy At-
torney General Jack L a n d a it
told Spock the staff was “too
busy with other emergencies”
to see him. Army troops were
visible inside the building, sta-
tioned in a grassy courtyard.
it was the first time troops
had been in the Justice De-
partment since World War II.

Spock told the crowd to move
back to the park for a linal
speech after which the crowd
would disperse. Dwight Mac--
Donald spoke briefly, claiming
that Judge Julius Hoffman, who
is presiding in the conspiracy
case, is holding “what you
might call axfree form trial.“

“l-lis conduct has stripped this

law of any dignity and ration-
ality it might have ever had,”
he added.

MacDonald then announced
that he, Spock, and others would
return to the Justice Depnrlr
ment to try to arrange an ap-
pointment with Mitchell and [0
turn in draft cards that had
been collected at a rally lil
Philadelphia, The crowd, at
least part of it, followed. Mobe
marshals, anxious to avoid a
confrontation, tried to clear the
area. One marshal, using a
police bullllorn, tried to para
suude the crowd to leave.

SDS organizers moved
through the crowd announcing
a march on the Saigon Em-
bassy later that night. “We're
going to reclaim that embassy
lor the true people of Vietnam,
the Provisional Revolutionary
Government,” shouted one
man, waving a Viet Cong flag.

Helmeted police cleared the
streets and lined the sidewalks.
MacDonald told the crowd that
“this is what Nixon wants——a
confrontation.” After a b o u t
thirty minutes the crowd dis
persed. A New York Weather—
man leader, fist clenched, said,
“See you all at the Saigon
embassy,"

The st rally. in support oi
the Provisional Revolutionary
Government (PRG), was sche—
duled to begin at 8:30 lll Du-
pont Circle, a traditional “hang
out” for Washington’s “hip com-
munity,” By 0:15 about 2,000
people were gathered in the cirr
Cle — Weathermen with their
white helmets now painted
black, Crazies, RYM-ll passing
out leaflets, Youth Against War
and Fascism with their beautia
fully lettered banners, red
llags, NLF flags, upside down
American ilags, Yippie! flags,
and even a Washington, DC.
llag.

Despite p u b l i c statements
that the action would be “non-
violent," everyone there was
aware that confrontation would
not be long in coming. Many
wore helmets and many others
had gas masks.

Teargas at Dupont Circle

The temperature was near
freezing and the winds were
brisk. Nobody wanted to stay
in the Circle long and nobody
needed to be told why they
were there, At 8:40 everybody
moved out of Dupont Circle
and down Massachusetts Ave-
nue toward the Saigon cm-
bassy.

About l00 yards from the
embassy was a solid line of the
Washington police Civil Disor-
ders Unit wearing helmets and
gas masks. The loud hum ol
tear gas generators druned be—
hind the line.

After a brief stand-off,
bottles began to fly from the
crowd, crashing around the po-

Friday. November 2|, [V69

lice line. At that point the po-
lice released the tear gas and
the crowd retreated back MasA
sachusetts Ave. The Crowd rce
grouped at a traffic triangle at
22nd. Q Street, and Massa»
chusetts Ave; the police line
moved to about a half block
away The demonstrators
surged toward the police line,
led by the Weathermen, and
more tear gas was released.
The crowd scattered in the
open area of the triangle, then
moved back toward Dupont
Circle.

A police motorcycle. parked
on a corner, was smashed and
set fire. A police Van which
drove through the crowd was
pelted with rocks and bottles.

By 9:30 we were all together
again in the Circle. Police ar-
rived and launched tear gas
into the Circle this time using
bazookarlike d e v i c e S. The
crowd is together this time.
People keep cool, urge others
not to run, and treat those who
have been gassed. A nearby
hotel and a church become
medical centers as people
Wash the burning gas from
their eyes and faces.

The Wind is on the side of
the people. The gas is quickly
blown out of the Circle and
the Viet Cong flags move back
to the center.

Before the evening is over
police Will gas the Circle at
least a dozen times. Although
nearly everyone gets gassed at
least once, people won't leave.
There are occasional forays
down business streets and win-
dows are smashed — selective-
ly. The Riggs National Bank
has every window smashed. A
flower shop is untouched. PoA
lice cars have their sides
caved in; passers-by are un-
harmed.

People are learning how to
work together. How to function
without leaders. It is all help
your brother and he‘ll help
you, keep cool and you won’t
get hurt. Let them throw the
gas and then move right back.
Militant resistance.

The police finally leave
around midnight. The radicals
an hour later, smiling with
chattering teeth.

Most people have probably
already read quite a bit about
the Saturday march so I won’t
dwell on it for long. The mass»
ing on the Mall was chaos.
Flags were waving, people
were chanting and handing out
leaflets, others were having rev
unions from earlier peace
marches. It sort of had the at-
mosphere at a peace party.

McCarthy spoke and people
shouted Peace Now. The
march finally got under way
and slowly wound its way
down Pennsylvania Ave It
was cold but people were
happy, passing around pea»
nuts and sandwiches.

By 2:03 the grounds at the
Washington Monument were
covered with more than 400,000
people. There were so many
that all of them couldn’t even
walk the march route. The
speeches were mostly rhetoric,
a real drag, although some of
the music was great. It was
definitely cultural politics.

At about 4:15 the ”radical
splinter group,” 10,000 splint-
ers, moved out to march to
the department of injustice to
protest the conspiracy trial