Did you attend, lead or organize a protest in the 1960's ?

[steve2470]

Hopefully this will be a very informative thread.

[PDJane]

1. You betcha. Would do it again.

[trueblue2007]

46. I would too. Come to the WEST coast. Come to Oregon, I WILL MARCH

[NOLALady]

2. Yep.

I was even arrested once along with other high school kids. We committed the crime of marching in front of the NOLA City Hall demanding the right to vote.

Civil Rights marches, Antiwar marches...I participated whenever I had the chance.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Yep. First Civil Rights, then anti-war. Didn't lead. Helped organize and did attend.

Still have a button from 1968. "Vote in the Streets - SDS"

[Ichingcarpenter]

19. My best friend was the SDS leader

for Northern Va. so I did my part too back then.

I think its the young ones time to step it up for their future

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. John Steinbeck said, "Young wolves, show us your teeth."

He was speaking to Soviet students of literature at the time.

[flakey_foont]

4. yes I did

several as a matter of fact

[ixion]

5. Beings that I was only 5 in 1969

I never had a chance.

[steve2470]

6. only 11 that year and conservative parents for me nt

[WinkyDink]

7. Yes. In fact, Penn State has it in their History Videos. YOUTUBE~~"1969--The Struggle for PSU"--->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co93JSvDdxU

[OffWithTheirHeads]

8. Yes, I did it in the 60's. Didn't think I would still be doing it in MY 60's

It's time for the kids to step it up. At this point, it's their future at stake. Not so much mine and I'm getting tired.

[Scuba]

12. +1

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Me either

:-(

[annabanana]

69. Well said.. Me neither!. . . n/t

[OutNow]

9. Mostly in the 1970s

I attended one peace rally in 1968 when I was still in high school. I entered the USAF in 1969 to avoid the draft, and was lucky to get an earlier out (discharge) three years later when they downsized as the US direct role in the war was reduced. That gave me the opportunity to join VVAW almost immediately. I didn't get a hair cut for several years afterward and strived for the dirty hippie look. If there was a protest march, rally, etc. I was there.

[MarianJack]

10. I was 14.

Vietnam War Moratoriums on 10/15/69 & 11/15/69. My father was a WWII and Korean war vet who war opposed to Vietnam from the word go. It was about the only place where he wasn't a total bastard. We went as a family with he my step-mother, my brother & sister and me.

And as we said then...

PEACE!

[MadHound]

11. Too young in the sixties,

But have done so in the seventies, eighties, nineties, '00's and now the teens.

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. me too. got active in the early 80s.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Was in diapers.

[HappyMe]

16. I was a little too young then.

I did go to some in the 70s.


edited to add: I did protest Iraq.

[catabryna]

17. Nope...

I would have been -5 to +4. :)

[bemildred]

18. Attended demos, turned in draft card, worked with vets, sent money, etc.

But I had a family and a job, so there were limits.

[WhiteTara]

20. and in the early 2000s as well. n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Ohio State University in 1970 and DC in 1971.

[libodem]

23. Opps

I might have lied. Think it was like early 70's. Proudly carried : Fighting for Peace is like Balling for Virginity.

[SteveG]

24. I participated in the Nov. 15, 1969 March on Washington

and the National Student Strike after the incursion into Cambodia in 1970 (I was an organizer at my college) and the March on Washington a week after the Kent State shootings.

[emcguffie]

25. The first one, in 1962, when I was nine years old, was with my mother.

Not too many later on, but some.

The most important ones, she attended, and wanted us to stay home. One was an important one, during the sanitation workers' strike in Memphis, which turned into a riot, caused by some young men throwing something, rocks, maybe. Mom saw cops gassing nuns. It got very ugly very quickly.

[LeftishBrit]

26. I probably did a lot of protesting when I was a Terrible Toddler..

but no, too young to do the real sort.

[ChazInAz]

27. Many.

Civil rights, Anti-War, voting rights. Got the crap beaten out of me at Chicago 1968 Democratic Convention. The pigs considered a lame guy who walked with a cane a fun target.

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. I wasn't here yet.

[kestrel91316]

29. Forgive me for my failure to do so. I was in grade school.

[99th_Monkey]

30. Mostly in the 60s. both violent labor disputes (Fry Roofing strike), grape boycott in support

of farm laborers and of course many anti-war demonstrations. Also was Rob't F. Kennedy's student coordinator at Portland State Univ.

[Kalidurga]

31. I was a wee bit too young...

but I attended several protests in the 80's. I took my kids to several as well. Never had a problem of course some people gasp when they hear me say I took my kids to protests. Seriously, not much danger at a candle light vigil same with rally's for kids, although I did see some signs with pictures of dead fetuses on them which I thought was inappropriate. Anyway, never saw any violence, which I am grateful for.

Now on a side note of sorts about young people today not protesting. Many of the young people I know that would protest have very little time to do so. Most have two jobs to pay their bills. Those that do not have two jobs are working and going to school and taking out massive student loans to complete school and worrying that they will have a hard time getting a job in their field of study. And there are those that have time, but no inclination to protest, because they believe it is a waste of time. I almost agree, I don't see where we have held onto a lot of the gains that were made in the 60's, but I guess the point is to fight even if we have just a few victories in between.

[former9thward]

56. Maybe I knew you.

I was at PSU during that time period and was active in both SDS and writing occasional articles for the Vanguard.

[99th_Monkey]

62. Cool. I used to have LONG discussions with SDS folks

at my RFK info table ... as to why RFK was worth supporting despite his McCarthy era mistakes.

[former9thward]

65. When were you at PSU?

I started Sept.68 which would have been after RFK. I was there until June 72.

[99th_Monkey]

67. I dropped out of PSU to become full time activist just after Oregon's primary

election in May of '68, so we were ships passing in the night.

[loyalsister]

32. The zeros

Over health care and disability resource cuts.

[Selatius]

41. Fellow sista! I was marching around the same time, against the Iraq War.

The College Democrats I was with swung very far to the left in response to the war, mainly because we all knew somebody in our age group who was being deployed, and we knew it was wrong.

[county worker]

33. I participated in civil rights marches and spoke against the Vietnam war as a Vietnam vet.

[lunatica]

34. No. I was living in Mexico then.

But I watched.

[Johonny]

35. The music at the protest would probably kick ass so yes

[starroute]

36. I was a geek, not a political type -- but I did get to one major protest

There was a massive anti-war march in the spring of 1968 that went from Central Park to the UN, and I took the bus down to New York City for that.

But for the most part, there was a cultural divide back then between the geeks and the activists -- things weren't like they are now with Anonymous. It might have been different if the hackers had been into politics in 1968 -- but that didn't start until the government began harassing them in the late 80's.

[Luciferous]

37. Nope- born in 1981 :)

[PufPuf23]

38. Yes - SF Presidio Vietnam Anti-war March was the first IIRC

"The protest was set into motion, however, by a group of four AWOL soldiers who turned themselves in the next day at the end of a large anti-war march in San Francisco, where the Presidio is located.<3>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_mutiny

I was a HS sophomore at a boarding school near SF. My roommate's Mom drove from Washoe Valley, NV to take us to the demonstration. Some old Nevadans probably knew her, Maya Miller. She took us to another Presidio rally at the Marina Green and Arlo Guthrie sang Alice's Restaurant. Both her and Eric have passed on. I last saw them in 1993 at the ranch in NV just before I moved to Oregon for 5 years.

I went to a number of anti-war rallies in SF or Berkeley and campaign events for Eugene McCarthy, George Wallace (more mockers than supporters at the Cow Palace), and Humphrey on HS field trips.

Once we went on a school field trip to the UC Berkeley Art Museum, and had to park the bus and walk some blocks because of a demonstration on Telegraph and Sproul Plaza. We got tear gassed on the way to the museum.

Another HS trip was to a March(?) 1969 anti-war rally. That Monday's cover of the SF Chronicle had a tall youth in a surplus army jacket beating a SF Tact Squadder with his own baton. Oops Morgan. He was found out but I am not sure what if any price he paid. He remained in school.

[iris27]

39. Would not be alive for another two decades. n/t

[Chan790]

40. Other.

I wasn't born yet. I've been leading and organizing protests since I was a teenager though so if I'd been alive...I'd have been there.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

42. Yes and every decade since.

It is worse now (progress for women, people of color, LBGT & disabled notwithstanding) in America than it has ever been in my lifetime. Credit goes out to Reagan, Limbaugh, Gingrich, Koch brothers and a capitulating Democratic Party which is courageously compromising us into the the end of the New Deal. On October 1, Medicare cuts of 11% for nursing homes begin:

http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/elder-care-facilities-floored-by-medicare-cuts-57711.aspx

[mitchtv]

43. yes all three

there was a lot to do then

[Pisces]

44. Not old enough, however, protested and help get Evan Meacham impeached in Az

[noel711]

45. I was at the 1969 SDS convention when the weathermen walked out...

lord, am I that old?

[WinkyDink]

49. Maybe old, but forever cool! :-)

[eridani]

47. Where's the "not born yet" option?

Also, those working on the finer points of not peeing in their pants are excused from active citizenship responsibilities back then.

[TeamsterDem]

48. Wasn't even born yet, but I would have if I would've been around! nt

[a la izquierda]

50. My parents were kids/teens in the '60s.

I protested birth by being nearly 3 weeks late :o
I'm pretty sure that doesn't count, though.

[NNN0LHI]

51. 1970's too

[steve2470]

52. Sorry for lack of "not born yet" option !

If I do a similar poll in the future... it will be there :)

[madamesilverspurs]

53. And Daddy was NOT happy!

He especially hated my black sign with white lettering: "Effete Snobs For Peace"

-

[Sisaruus]

54. Also in the 70s and 80s. And during GWB's presidency.

Maybe in the 90s, too.

[Raine]

55. No, I was not into that kind of thing. nt

[The Second Stone]

57. Sought petition signatures

to get a stop sign at a San Francisco street corner after a neighbor got hit in the cross-walk. I think I was about five or six. Ah, the Summer of Love.

[shanti]

58. nope

still in jr. high in the 60's.

[rustydog]

59. My friend and I had the fun task of changing our high school reader board

Every Monday we would put up a new message: Dance this friday...Mother/daughter tea...Trak meet this saturday!

If we were paged to the principals office at the beginning of first period, someone in the town complained about the signs content.

Remember the Ala...Moe, don't forget the water, Lou. Don't goose a ghost, all you geet is a hand full of sheet.
Tricky Dickies gone to China...Rotsa ruck!

We did a few anti-war stuff but it was changed really fast..
Funny thing, we were allowed to continue changing the reader board even though citizens complained regularly. Our Senior year, we received special awards for raising community awareness!

[stlsaxman]

60. though i was 12 in 1969 my mom worked at the university and my gradeschool teachers

were all working on deferments...

i was raised very, very aware of current events. my school was on the other side of the campus from our house so i crossed it every day.

[proud2BlibKansan]

61. Yes

[AnnieBW]

63. I protested by pooping in my diaper

and crying about it. Or throwing a temper tantrum. I was born in November of '64.

[rucky]

64. I was a selfish zygote. n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

66. Nothing changes until you get the asses of the masses out in the streets.

[robdogbucky]

68. Yes

Being born in Madison and living the first 30 years of my life in either Madison or Berkeley, I have attended many, unfortunately they were all necessary expressions to address wrongs, RE:

Dow Chemical, maker of napalm recruiting on campus, ROTC being on Campus, formation of a Black Studies Dept. at UW, 1968 Demo Convention, SMC rallies and demos to end the war, Protests against the secret bombing/invasion of Cambodia, Kent St. killings protests, National Days of Moratorium marches/demos to End the Vietnam War, Marching with Cesar Chavez and UFW members to ensure safe working conditions for migrant workers, Protest/Rally/March against the invasion of Grenada by Reagan, No Blood for Oil protests upon commencement of Desert Storm 1991, US out of Middle East on eve of Iraq War 2003, In support of public employees' unions in Wisconsin.

As best I recall it.

[LWolf]

70. I was born in 1960.

I heard about them from family that attended, but didn't attend myself.

The first political event I remember being allowed to tag along with was in 1971, when I was 11.

[Bluenorthwest]

71. Late 70's and early 80's

There was a global health crisis no one was noticing and other emergencies to address.