U.S. Marshals and the Pentagon Riot of October 21, 1967
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Civilian supremacy and Civil Disobedience:
Pentagon Riot of 1967 - Page One
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Throughout most of the day the Marshals relaxed. Many stored their nightsticks and small field packs along the Pentagon walls and lay in the grass, their heads pillowed on their white helmets. |
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Anti-Vietnam war protestors rallied to Washington on Saturday, October
21,1967, in the first national demonstration against the war. The
Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organized the protest
to get national visibility for the anti-war movement. Nearby, military
policemen stood at ten-foot intervals around the Pentagon. Within the
circle of MP's, 300 U.S. Deputy Marshals spent the day waiting. The
Deputies were on hand to make any necessary arrests, a civilian power
not normally bestowed on the military. Hidden inside the Pentagon and
other government buildings were five to six thousand Army troops armed
with rifles and bayonets.
No one knew what form the anti-war protest would take, whether peaceful or violent. The picnic mood at the Lincoln Memorial changed during the long day of speeches and demonstrations. At 5:40 p.m., a determined crowd of 35,000 headed for the Pentagon. A smaller segment at the front stormed forward, scaled the walls, and forced their way into the Pentagon. The Deputies and soldiers were taunted and assaulted with vegetables, rocks, and bottles. The troops inside the Pentagon rushed outside as the violence escalated. A full-scale riot erupted. |
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