‘Everyone joined in and the whole place vibrated’

From Michael Crosby, San Diego:

Well, you buried the lede.

I was 19 years old. I attended Wabash College, in my fourth semester. I was on the steering committee of PCPJ [People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice], nominated/elected when it was NCAWRR [National Coalition Against War, Racism, and Repression.] I had some organizational responsibility with the Mayday Tribe. I mostly dealt with Rennie [Davis] and to some extent Jerry Coffin. But my job was to visit colleges and towns in Indiana and promote the Mayday idea. Mostly we talked to people who had worked with the [People’s] Peace Treaty. Given my travel to PCPJ meetings (my very first plane flights, courtesy I think of the Communist Party) and Mayday stuff, everyone assumed I had dropped out. My psych professor expressed surprise when I showed up for the final.

My affinity group was a group of friends from Indianapolis, though I stayed in touch with my Wabash friends. But transportation got messed up, and I ended up in an illegal U-Haul as one of 43 (!) people in the trailer. Picture a slave ship.

Ended up at the [West Potomac] Park. It was crazy. I remember Jefferson Airplane’s Volunteers in the very early morning. Don’t remember where I went, but met up with my affinity group at our assigned intersection. It was a low-priority spot. I remember the cop on a little white scooter chasing me and me dodging him. He crashed once, but eventually caught me. I had the sense by that time that we weren’t shutting down the city.

I was uneasy. Eventually dumped at the city jail. I remember the inmates cheering and throwing down blankets. After a while some of us were loaded and taken to what I learned was the DC Coliseum. I was held separately from others and not permitted to circulate. Otherwise cops were pleasant. The most memorable event was when someone started an Om chant. Soon everyone joined in and the whole place vibrated. It felt like the roof was going to lift off its moorings. It went through my whole body. Never experienced anything like it.

Yes, they came at us with a series of deals. Frankly, I came to DC to stop the government, not to make deals with it. So Michael sayeth no. So finally they sounded exasperated and just said, “ get in a line and get out.” I carefully tucked my ID in my sock.

Here is where my story differs. I didn’t know about splitting the defendants. No one said anything about it, but our lawyers never said anything that I remember. We filed into a courtroom with a black judge, Judge Johnson, I believe. What is very different is our prosecutor was [Deputy U.S. Attorney General] Richard Kleindienst himself. This tickled the judge no end. He called him “General” at all times, with an edge to his voice. So he said, “General, call the first defendant, Doe 1. Is that his name, John Doe, is that on his birth certificate?” (at this point I thought, ok, this might be good) “”Well, I don’t know, I don’t think so.” “So what name is on his birth certificate?” “I don’t know.” Why don’t you know?” “He refused to tell us.” “ Hmmm. He wouldn’t tell you. OK Where was he arrested?” “I don’t exactly know, Your Honor.” “Well, General, isn’t it customary practice for police officers to note the location of the arrest!” “Well yes, in ordinary circumstances, but…” “Alright General, what was this alleged lawbreaker doing that got himself arrested?” “Kleindienst brightened; “He was disturbing the peace and obstructing governmental business, your Honor!” “Yes, I see the charge, but exactly what was this young man doing that disturbed the peace General? Wouldn’t he tell you that either?” Kleindienst made a sort of harrumphing noise and looked at his shiny shiny shoes.

This went on for about 5 John Does. I don’t remember defense counsel saying anything until the judge said, “If I ask the same question about all 232 John Does and 138 Jane Does, would the answers be the same, General?” Yes, Your Honor.

So the defense attorney made a motion to dismiss.

One of my Wabash friends met me and took me to this really nice Georgetown townhouse. Their 17 year old babysitter had been arrested too, on the way over to sit their kids.

I’m one of the people who considered Mayday to be a failure. But I remember all my local and national friends using the same phrase for a few weeks: “I’m still high off Mayday.” About two weeks later I got a call from Rennie or Jerry or someone saying the staff and organizers were having some debriefing sessions, and would I go to one at Needmore Commune, near Bloomington. I mention the name because it was owned by Kathy and Larry Canada. Kathy may have been there for a day or two. I really didn’t know Larry. Other than a couple of my friends, the only person I remember was Jennifer Dohrn, Bernadette’s younger sister.

One thing I’m curious about, a few weeks later, I was visited by the FBI and was told I was or was going to be indicted in Harrisburg federal court for inciting people to cross state lines to incite a riot. Then later I heard it was dismissed. I was never sure this was true. The head of the Indianapolis office had a very personal vendetta against me. He and his daughter, my grade school classmate, ran a very nasty campaign in our parish. Fortunately, unbeknownst to me, a couple moms fought back on my behalf. I digress. I also had a run-in when two of their accountants were in my files when I ran the Indianapolis auditor’s office and administered federal grants. I drank with those guys at the Knights of Columbus across from their office. They never figured out what we had done. It was legal. Shady, but legal. I digress again.

Eventually I moved to San Diego, became a lawyer and then an administrative law judge. I was active on the National Employment Lawyers Association, which was and is replete with people like us.

Now I’m retired and getting active in the Indivisible actions here.

One thing you noted that I’m glad you wrote. The local people, the cabbies, the diner owners, whoever we needed, took care of us. They made us feel welcomed and supported. It made a difference.