| A Tale of Two Protests: Anti-War Rallies in 1969 & 2007 In March 2007, some 350 Palo Altans, mostly over 40, gathered at City Hall to protest the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. While there were a few cops on hand and the spirit of the rally was angry and defiant, it had little of the wild, riotous atmosphere of the Vietnam era. This is not to say that the feeling against the war in Iraq is not strong. In fact, national polls indicate that there is less support for this war than there was for Vietnam. And there have certainly been many vocal protests around the country, including one at Stanford in 2003. But it’s also evident that Iraq War protesters tend to be a lot older and a lot less disruptive than their counterparts in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Why doesn’t this generation take to the streets like the Baby Boomers? Is it that famous slack-jawed apathy of Gen X (or Y or whatever letter we’re now on) that has left only ex-hippies to fight the anti-war fight? Is it the lack of a draft? Have today’s young people given up on changing the world? Whatever the reason, the 2007 City Hall protest paled in comparison to the chaos of a day in 1969 when Stanford kids brought Palo Alto to a halt protesting the fourth year of fighting in another foreign land. It was May 16th, 1969 and a Stanford student militant group called the April 3rd Movement was protesting war tactics and chemical weapons being researched at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Early that Friday morning, 150 demonstrators arrived at the SRI building on Hanover Street in the Stanford Industrial park off Page Mill Road. Linking arms, they formed a 100-man picket line while others carried placards saying “SRI Kills” and “Pax not Pox” (as in peace, not smallpox weapons that were being developed). The Palo Alto police sent a bus with 55 officers and other security personal to oppose them. By 7:30 A.M., the picket lines blocked the Hanover-Page Mill intersection on both sides and had backed up busy rush hour traffic all the way to El Camino Real. The group hoisted a red flag up SRI’s flag poll and painted slogans on the building such as “No Academic Freedom to Kill Thais.” Then the students deflated the tires of an empty school bus to stall traffic and created a barricade out of ping-pong tables, sawhorses and benches. Having completely ceased traffic flow, the students passed out leaflets to motorists that said, “'Most of you are probably quite angry about being late to work and unable to go about your business. We are here to stop the war research work of SRI…we'll be glad to talk about SRI with you. Turn off your motor and take it easy." One Palo Alto dentist on his way to work was not persuaded. He told a newspaper man, “I'm so damned mad at those stupid radicals. Can't.they think of some other way to protest things, than making people late to work?” Other exasperated commuters began to drive over dividers and across fields to get around the barriers. By mid-morning there were nearly 400 demonstrators on hand and the police force opposing them had grown to 130. Things began to spiral out of control. Some protesters began to throw rocks and break windows in the SRI building. Then in 2 places, the students set fire to the bus and the makeshift barricade. As the chaos grew, the police gave the crowd a warning to disperse or face arrest. When they did not, all hell broke loose. Police released eye-irritating choking tear gas and smoke bombs and began moving en masse down Hanover Street. Many protesters were forced to flee into an empty field, while others caught the full effect of the teargas. Some of the police, ducking rocks, chased protesters as far as 3/4 of a mile. In all 15 arrests were made, 60 protesters were injured and someone threw a rock through the window of the Stanford president’s office. Since those raucous days there have been many more protests in Palo Alto concerning Vietnam, nuclear weapons,abortion, the Patriot Act and a host of other issues. And while it's been some time since teargas and smoke bombs were needed, last week's Iraq War protest shows that demonstrating is still a Palo Alto tradition. -Matt Bowling (Note: This article ran in the Palo Alto Daily News on April 2nd, 2007) |
| The Palo Alto History Project |
| A Tale of Two Protests Civic Center Plaza & Page Mill Road at Hanover Street |
| The Iraqi War protesters in 2007 |
| Most of the protesters were over 40. |
| There were only a few cops needed for the March 2007 protest, as opposed to over 100 in 1969. |
| The protests took place in the shadow of Palo Alto City Hall. |
| Palo Alto: Then & Now |
| 2007 |
1956 |
| Hanover Street in 1956, shortly after it was extended into the newly created Stanford Industrial Park. This shot is looking south toward the Page Mill Road intersection where protests over SRI war research would reach its zenith 13 years later. The buildings of the Lockheed Martin plant are off in the distance to the far right of the photo. |
| The Stanford Industrial Park has been built up quite a bit since the mid '50s. Hanover Street is now lined with office parks, including Hewlett-Packard and the venerable Lockheed Martin, no longer visible. |
| In May 1969, police met protesters demonstrating at Stanford Research Institute. |
| A wild scene in Palo Alto |
| On May 19th, the April 3rd movement again protested at SRI. One company employee drove his car through a barrier nearly running over a demonstrator. (San Mateo Times) |
| Police came prepared with riot gear on (San Mateo Times) |
| The intersection at Page Mill Road and Hanover Street today. |
| Sources: Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto Times |
| The map below shows the El Camino Strip |