An American Tragedy: Kent Plans 50th Commemoration on Anniversary of May 4, 1970 Shootings

Timeline: May 1

The May 4 massacre began when students heard of the My Lai massacre, showcasing the murders of innocent Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam war. Roughly 500 students began to protest the events of the war and its plans

to invade Cambodia by picketing and chanting on Taylor Hill, and the protest expanded into the city. Students, citizens and travelers destroyed windows downtown, police cars and lit a fire in the streets to display their hatred towards government and its officials. Police were ordered to utilize tear gas to push students out of the downtown Kent area and back to campus. It was midnight.

May 2

Due to ongoing threats to businesses downtown, Ohio state governor Jim Rhodes issued a request for Ohio National Guard to be sent to Kent. Unfortunately, the National Guard did not arrive in Kent until roughly 10 p.m., hours after arsonists set the R.O.T.C. building on fire. In an attempt to extinguish the fire, firemen discovered the hoses had been slashed. The building nearly burned to the ground during the late hours of the night.

May 3

Governor Rhodes declares in a statement that the Kent State students are “the worst type of people that we harbor in America,” and is seen slamming his fists in anger. His solution to eradicate the protesters is for them to be met with authority: the National Guard.

May 4

2,000 people gather for the planned rally on Taylor Hill, despite efforts by the Guard to persuade students into thinking the event was canceled. Their presence was met with rocks thrown, forcing them to retreat as the students played music and held impromptu speeches. They realized the students weren’t going anywhere – and advanced forward displaying their rifles. Students moved up and over the hill, back towards the parking lot of Prentice Hall. From positions that varied between a practice field, the parking lot, and the hill, guardsmen did not know how to best eradicate the students entirely. Meanwhile, some students fled, and some stayed and continued screaming at the men while throwing rocks.The guardsmen decided to advance back towards Taylor Hill, and on their route, they kept their eyes fixed on students in the Prentice Hall parking lot. At 12:24, sergeant Myron Pryor is said to be the first to fire into the crowds. Several others followed suit, killing four and wounding nine.

The Aftermath
Today, Kent State’s massacre is one of the most widely debated and mourned losses, as Ohio puts it, the most tragic incident in its history. No one is entirely sure why shots were fired, as no instructions were said to have been made to “fire”. Of the four dead, memorials stand in the Prentice parking lot. A May 4 museum opened in May 2013 to educate and inform students and travelers of the incident. There is only one widely known video recording of the events, from student Robert Elan, that show the demonstrators throughout the week. So much is left unsaid – and on May 4, 2017, those who have felt their voices needed to be heard were listened to in the Kent State Hotel to discuss how best to commemorate the shootings of May 4, 1970.

May 4, 2020

More than fifty citizens and students met to discuss the importance of May 4 in the conference center. To some, fifty years for the death of four may seem trivial, but to the city of Kent, the fiery speeches ridiculing the treatment of citizens and families during this period strike home.

Although many photos were taken over the course of the weekend, society’s easy access to video, photography and voice recordings would have drastically impacted the already troublesome day of May 4. If events of May 4 were to repeat today, several would say the inconspicuous would only be stronger.

Todd Diacon, speaker and Kent State senior vice president, hosted the event. Diacon began working at Kent State in 2012, the provost sees and understands the complexities of May 4.

The relationships between downtown Kent and the university, Diacon said, were very distrusting. According to Diacon, the relations have improved greatly with the expansion of the downtown area in order to restore and renew businesses and appeal.

What defines the university today, though? Again, Diacon states the climate of students can change drastically in just a short amount of time. This attitude may determine the outcomes of an event like May if it were to happen today.

“We want students to be involved in shaping and creating their world,” Diacon said. “Part of that is becoming informed and expressing your opinions.”

And part of that is understanding the stigma that aligns with being a student from Kent State. Diacon mentions he understands the events will never be forgotten.

“Once you get out as a graduate of Kent State, people will define you that way,” Diacon said. “(Students) might as well know what happened and have a deeper understanding than the general public.”

Diacon and associates have planned the meeting the of the 50th commemoration over the last year. Keeping on track to discovering best what the city of Kent wants involved the public hearing, where popular options for memorialization included tearing down the M.A.C. Center Annex (the highest voted idea), finishing the May 4 memorial park, demanding all state and federal documents from May 4 an official apology.

Attendee Laura Davis was amongst those discussing options for May 4, 2020. She was also present during the shooting nearly fifty years ago.

Davis refused comment on her experience of the events of May 4, but knew that if the event were to happen today, the experience would intrinsically be linked to a more widespread confusion due to anyone’s access to social media and live streaming from cell phones.

“Pictures seem to be evident of a crime happening, but situations often are very ambiguous in the end,” Davis said.

Davis described the Robert Elan film of the May 1-4 events, where he set up a super 8 reel in his dorm room in Tri Towers. The film, according to Davis, isn’t a fail-safe descriptor of what actually happened that day. It provides almost no conclusiveness to why the students moved where they did, and why the guardsmen shot.

“Everyone’s assumption would be that technology and the preponderance of evidence that would provide would make a difference but not necessarily,” Davis said. “Some of the problems of interpretation would be the same.”

Attendees of the commemoration spoke out against several of the ideas, like building a Vietnam memorial, and having “trendy” speakers in order to appeal to youth crowds.

According to Diacon, the 50th commemoration year will hold involvement throughout both semesters, including majors to participate in their own representations of May 4 events including art, fashion, photography, virtual reality, and scientific analyses.

Though the event still sits three years away, preparations intensely hope to outline the effects of the devastating shooting while appealing to older and younger crowds in Kent, Ohio.