RISKY POLICINGWith Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre
The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators underscores the risks of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.
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Earlier in June, President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to quell anti-deportation protests and secure federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles.
The move, some historians say, harks back 55 years to May 4, 1970, when Ohio’s Republican governor summoned the National Guard to deal with students demonstrating against the Vietnam War at Kent State University. Guard members were ordered to fire over the students’ heads to disperse the crowd, but some couldn’t hear because they were wearing gas masks. The troops fired at the students instead, killing four and wounding another nine.
The shooting served as a cautionary tale about turning the military on civilians. “Dispatching California National Guard troops against civilian protesters in Los Angeles chillingly echoes decisions and actions that led to the tragic Kent State shooting,” Brian VanDeMark, author of the book “Kent State: An American Tragedy,” wrote this week for The Conversation.
We asked VanDeMark, a history professor at the United States Naval Academy, more about the parallels between 1970 and today. His interview has been edited for length and clarity.
After the Kent State shooting, it became taboo for presidents or governors to even consider authorizing military use of force against civilians. Is the shadow of Kent State looming over Los Angeles?
VanDeMark: For young people today, 55 years ago seems like a very long time. For the generation that came of age during the ‘60s and were in college during that period, Kent State is a defining event, shaping their views of politics and the military.
There are risks inherent in deploying the military to deal with crowds and protesters. At Kent State, the county prosecutor warned the governor that something terrible could happen if he didn’t shut down the campus after the guard’s arrival. The university’s administration did not want the guard brought to campus because they understood how provocative that would be to student protesters who were very anti-war and anti-military. It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The military is not trained or equipped to deal well with crowd control. It is taught to fight and kill, and to win wars.
