Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "118564804",
    "label": "Issue Papers - Demonstrations",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/118564804"
}

{
    "id": "118564804",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/118564804",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Issue Papers - Demonstrations",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/118564804",
    "identifierLocal": "840",
    "collections": [
        "Ronald Reagan's Governor's Papers of the Press Unit",
        "Issue Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/reagan/7408628/40-840-7408628-P30-009-2017.pdf",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/reagan/7408628/40-840-7408628-P30-009-2017.pdf",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/reagan/7408628/40-840-7408628-P30-009-2017.pdf",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/118564804",
    "naId": 118564804,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1975-12-31",
        "year": 1975
    },
    "coverageStartDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1967-01-01",
        "year": 1967
    },
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/reagan/7408628/40-840-7408628-P30-009-2017.pdf",
    "mediaId": "b50ae545b7f57ad9",
    "ocrText": "Ronald Reagan Presidential Library\nDigital Library Collections\nThis is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.\nCollection: Reagan, Ronald: Gubernatorial Papers,\n1966-74: Press Unit\nFolder Title: Issue Papers - Demonstrations\nBox: P30\nTo see more digitized collections visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library\nTo see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection\nContact a reference archivist at: [email protected]\nCitation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing\nNational Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/\nState of California\nMemorandum\nTo\n:\nDate\n:\nGovernor Reagan\nOctober 24, 1967\nful\nSubject:\nOakland Anti-Draft\nIncidents\nFrom :\nEd Meese\nSince you may receive questions at the Press Conference today\nconcerning the police handling of illegal activities in connection\nwith the anti-draft demonstrations in Oakland last week, the fol-\nlowing information is provided:\nOn Monday, October 16, approximately 1,500 persons picketed the\nArmed Forces Induction Station at 15th and Clay Streets in Oak-\nland. A group of these demonstrators, who were identified with\narm bands, \"packed in\" the doors of the station, and by sitting\nin the entry way, prevented anyone from entering or leaving this\nfacility. It was necessary for the police to clear the doorway\nso that employees, inductees, and other persons using the induc-\ntion station could obtain entrance and exit. Approximately 119\npersons were arrested for this illegal activity.\nOn Tuesday, October 17, approximately 4,000 persons took over\nthe streets in the vicinity of the induction station. These\npersons totally occupied the sidewalk and street area for two\nfull blocks and the adjacent intersections. By this action the\ngroup denied access to any of the buildings in this area, including\nthe induction station and several stores, hotels, and office\nbuildings. Police officers made several requests over a public\naddress system for the demonstrators to clear the streets and\nmove up on the sidewalk. When the demonstrators refused to do\nthis, the police commanding officer declared an unlawful assembly,\nand ordered all persons to leave the area (pursuant to 5726 of\nthe Penal Code). This order was given three times over a period\nof at least 20 minutes. When a large mob still remained in the\nstreets, the police formed a tactical wedge formation, and cleared\nthe streets, dispersing the law violators. This reopened the\nstreets to traffic, and another cordon of police officers then\nescorted the buses carrying civilian employees of the station\nand those men appearing for draft examinations and induction to\ncome into the area. The employees and others were then able to\nenter the induction station.\nWhile the police were attempting to clear the street, the law\nviolators threw bottles, chunks of concrete, rocks, garbage can\nlids, burning rags and paper, a magnesium flare, and cyanide\nbomb at them. The demonstrators also struck the officers with\nheavy wooden sign boards and sticks.\nGovernor Reagan\n-2-\nOctober 24, 1967\nBecause of the very militant and defiant attitude of the mob, it\nwas necessary for the officers to use reasonable force to disperse\nthe crowd and clear the streets. The amount of force used was\nproportionate to the requirements of the situation and was not\nexcessive. This is shown by the fact that although approximately\n500 police officers successfully dispersed 4,000 law violators,\nno major injuries were suffered. Only about 24 persons were\ntreated at local hospitals, even for minor injuries. The most\nserious injury was a broken ankle received by a highway patrolman\nwho was stomped by a demonstrator.\nSome newsmen came into physical contact with the police because\nthey remained at the scene of the unlawful assembly, and did not\nmove out of the area when ordered to do so by the police. In\naddition to the numerous warnings given to the entire crowd, a\nspecial warning was given to the press, requesting them to leave\nthe area. Many members or the press remained in the mob among\nthe demonstrators, and when the police lines moved to clear the\narea, they were caught up in the sweep of the streets. Many news\nmedia personnel have admitted to me privately that those newsmen\nwho came into physical contact with the police should not have\nbeen there, and any injuries they received were their own fault.\nOn Wednesday, October 18, the demonstrators again resorted to\npicketing the induction center and did not mass in the streets.\nA number of arrests were made of those who persisted in sitting\nin around the entrances and interfered with access to the station.\nOn Thursday, October 19, the \"Stop the Draft Week\" committee had\nscheduled no activity at the induction station, although some\npickets did nex appear. On this date a large rally was held on\nthe Berkeley Campus of the University of California to generate\nsupport for another attack against the induction station on Friday.\nOn Friday, October 20, more than 5,000 persons again took over\nthe street and sidewalk area surrounding the induction center\nand closed this area to traffic or to citizens attempting to enter\nthe adjacent buildings. The police warned them several times to\nclear the streets and then declared an unlawful assembly, order-\ning all persons to clear the area. When the demonstrators refused\nto leave the scene of the unlawful assembly, the police again\nformed tactical formations and cleared the streets. The demon-\nstrators moved ahead of the police lines avoiding physical\ncontact in most cases. However, by prearranged plans, the law-\nbreakers would then take over intersections and streets ahead of\nthe police lines. The mob then moved cars from the curb into\nthe center of the street, let the air out of tires and slashed\nthe tires on these vehicles so that they could not be moved, and\nmoved benches, flower pots, newspaper racks, and other objects\ninto the streets as barricades. While being dispersed, the crowd\nGovernor Reagan\n-3-\nOctober 24, 1967\nagain threw bottles, cans, rocks, magnesium flares, and other ob-\njects at the police, and struck the officers with sticks and\nboards. Persons in the crowd also painted crude signs on build-\nings and on the street and smashed several windows in stores and\noffice buildings. The demonstrators stopped moving vehicles in\nthe middle of the street and then let the air out of the tires\nto further impede traffic.\nCalifornia\nAt this time police reinforcements arrived from the/Highway Patrol\nand surrounding police departments, and the law violators were\nfinally cleared from the streets.\nThe police action was conducted by the Oakland Police Department,\nassisted by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, and the\nCalifornia Highway Patrol. On October 20, reinforcements were\nreceived from local police departments in Alameda County, San\nFrancisco, Marin County, San Mateo County and Contra Costa County,\npursuant to Mutual Aid agreement.\nThe California Highway Patrol was utilized in this instance pur-\nsuant to sections of the Military and Veterans Code, under which\nthe Governor is authorized to use any department of state govern-\nment for the mitigation of an emergency beyond the control of\nlegal resources. The Highway Patrol was utilized in a manner\nconsistent with their traffic duties, the clearing of law vio-\nlators from the streets. The Commissioner of the Highway Patrol\nand the Finance Department are now working on methods by which\nstate emergency funds (rather than gas tax funds) can be used\nto pay highway patrol expenses incurred during such emergencies.\nThe issue in these incidents was not the war in Viet Nam, or the\ndraft, but rather whether or not a mob could take over a section\nof the city and prevent its use by peaceful citizens who were\nentitled to safe passage to and from their places of business.\nThe police exercised their responsibilities in a disciplined and\ntrained manner, and demonstrated great professional skill in\nrestoring order and preserving the peace.\nEM:fr\ncc: W. Clark\nL. Nofziger\nP. Beck"
}