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leveymg

(36,418 posts)
27. It went way up in May, 1970. The Jackson State shootings.
Sat Jan 19, 2013, 07:06 PM
Jan 2013


(The night of the Kent State shootings there was a demonstration at Jackson State, a predominantly Black college in Mississippi). Seventy-five city policemen and Mississippi State Police officers armed with carbines, submachine guns, shotguns, service revolvers and some personal weapons (arrived at the campus). Their combined armed presence on the Lynch Street side of Stewart Hall, a men's dormitory, staved off the crowd long enough for the firemen to extinguish the blaze and leave.After the firemen left, the police and state troopers marched along Lynch Street toward Alexander Center, a women's residence, weapons at the ready. No one seems to know why.

bulletholes2.JPG (12687 bytes) bulletholes1.JPG (19979 bytes)
Bullet holes from May 14, 1970 can still be seen on the walls of Alexander Hall;.


Falling back before the approaching officers, the students congregated in a thick not in front of the dormitory. At this point, the crowd numbered 75 to 100 people. Several students allegedly shouted "obscene catcalls" while others chanted and tossed bricks at the officers, who had closed to within 100 feet of the group.

The officers deployed into a line facing the students. Someone in the crowd either threw or dropped a bottle which shattered on the asphalt with a loud pop. At the same time, an officer fell, struck by a piece of thrown debris.

Accounts disagree as to what happened next. Some students said the police advanced in a line, warned them, then opened fire. Others said the police abruptly opened fire on the crowd and the dormitory. Other witnesses reported that the students were under the control of a campus security officer when the police opened fire. Police claimed they spotted a powder flare in the Alexander West Hall third floor stairwell window and opened fire in self-defense on the dormitory only. Two local television news reporters present at the shooting agreed that a shot was fired, but were uncertain of the direction. A radio reporter claimed to have seen an arm and a pistol extending from a dormitory window.

Whatever actually occurred, the police opened fire at approximately 12:05 a.m., May 15, and continued firing for more than 30 seconds. The students scattered, some running for the trees in front of the library, but most scrambling for the Alexander Hall west end door.

Mississippi has historically been full of racist nuts Special Agent Oso Jan 2013 #1
Thank you for reporting this here. tosh Jan 2013 #2
Just a bunch of responsible gun owners exercising their American tradition Downtown Hound Jan 2013 #3
There was a bomb found at an MLK rally in another state last year malaise Jan 2013 #9
I believe in Washington. I don't remember Ilsa Jan 2013 #16
It was in Spokane. Twinguard Jan 2013 #19
Thank you! Should have figured it was way east! nt Ilsa Jan 2013 #22
Hatred is learned.. ananda Jan 2013 #33
You are so right malaise Jan 2013 #34
Nobody was shot at their rally Recursion Jan 2013 #29
Looks like one man shot in the chest. Link: bunnies Jan 2013 #4
Jackson has one of the highest murder rates in the country for the city its size Recursion Jan 2013 #5
That's true ashtonelijah Jan 2013 #7
I'm "from" this culture enough to guess their reaction Recursion Jan 2013 #24
It went way up in May, 1970. The Jackson State shootings. leveymg Jan 2013 #27
Not really, unfortunately. 2 dead was a drop in the bucket Recursion Jan 2013 #28
Charge the gun nuts responsible with felonies and grab their guns jpak Jan 2013 #6
What's the diplomatic way to put this Recursion Jan 2013 #10
I don't know Jackson, but there's a lot missing from the story JustABozoOnThisBus Jan 2013 #17
Almost guaranteed the parade was more diverse Recursion Jan 2013 #18
Gun Appreciation Day??!! Vietnameravet Jan 2013 #8
"like something out of a dark sci fi story" Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2013 #13
The Madness Of America's Gun Culture Strikes Again cantbeserious Jan 2013 #11
Movie Theaters, Schools, Malls, Parades otohara Jan 2013 #12
Gun Appreciation Day !! pangaia Jan 2013 #14
It's a thoughtless knee jerk reaction MynameisBlarney Jan 2013 #31
I'm telling you, if this turns out to be as bad as it sounds,... Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2013 #15
The opposite, unfortunately Recursion Jan 2013 #20
It's Gun Appreciation Day . . . another_liberal Jan 2013 #21
Wrote to my Representative John Culberson R-TX this morning, he is vowing to support Thinkingabout Jan 2013 #23
We need to stop the carnage now Politicub Jan 2013 #25
One more reason to ban brandishing. If someone's carrying a gun, people should call the cops. leveymg Jan 2013 #26
Aggravated assault? WTF? nt awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #30
That's what that means (nt) Recursion Jan 2013 #32
I would have thought... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #36
I didn't see anything about a death (nt) Recursion Jan 2013 #37
I thought I had read... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #39
Interesting How the Headlines on WLBT are worded stultusporcos Jan 2013 #35
Because there's no sign the two are related, and mentioning it makes it sound like... Recursion Jan 2013 #38
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