Columbia University 1968 - Photo #50

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barricades2
The barricades were set on fire either before or after we were arrested, I don't know. Incidentally, the idea of police on campus was horrifying to many in the Columbia community: faculty, staff, students. The university was supposed to be a civilized place where disputes could be settled by honest dialog, and any problems could be handled by Columbia's own security force. However these assumptions had already been disproved; it was the administration's refusal to negotiate with us on the war and the gym that had prompted the strike in the first place, and in the end the administration chose to dislodge us violently rather than speak with us about the issues. You could say they had a right to defend their property, but we would say they did NOT have a right to help kill people in Vietnam. It's the same question that haunts us today. How do we make people in power stop doing things that they know are wrong?

Screenshot: Columbia Revolts.