A Reckoning at Kent State

Family Members of Victims Seek Full Accounting for Events that Triggered National Outrage; Call for Healing and ‘Restorative Justice’

On May 4, 1970 the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students protesting America’s bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. In a day that changed America, four students were killed and nine were wounded as they protested against the war. The incident triggered national outrage in a country already divided. In response to the Kent State Shootings, more than four million students rose up in dissent across 900 campuses, generating the only nationwide student protest in U.S. history. Fearing civil unrest, President Nixon was taken to Camp David for his protection.

The Ohio National Guard has never publicized the findings of its investigation of command responsibility for the shootings. And importantly, there has never been a public inquiry to hear, record and preserve the stories of those directly impacted by Kent State.

Forty years later, family members of those killed have initiated the Kent State Truth Tribunal to preserve and honor the stories of those whose lives have been touched by this tragedy. The Truth Tribunal will generate the only comprehensive historical record and live archive of the Kent State massacre. The tribunal will take place for four consecutive days, mirroring the events of 1970, and held at Franklin Square Deli Building, corner of Water & Main Streets, 110 S. Water Street, in downtown Kent, Ohio on May 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2010.

“The Kent State shootings have never been thoroughly examined,” said Laurel Krause, who was 15 years old when her older sister Allison was cut down by a Guardsman’s bullet. “We hope the Kent State Truth Tribunal will shed light on the truth of the murders that transpired on May 4, 1970. We have not set out in pursuit of punitive justice, but rather the restorative justice that comes from collective, historical inquiry and healing,” she added.

Organizers are reaching out to participants and witnesses to the events of May 4, 1970 and others who were present on campus and in the community including protesters, Ohio National Guardsmen, Ohio State officials, local residents, students, family members and others who were affected by the shootings.

Among the confirmed participants will be:
Doris Krause—Mother of slain student protester Allison Krause
Dean H. Kahler—wounded on May 4, 1970
Thomas Grace—wounded on May 4, 1970
Marc Siegel—KSU student witness of May 4, 1970
Sue Corbin—KSU student witness of May 4, 1970
Emily Petrou—Kent resident and witness of May 4, 1970
Barbara Agte—Instructor at KSU and witness of May 4, 1970
Avery S. Friedman, nationally-known civil rights lawyer and law professor who was a monitor on campus in the immediate aftermath of the killings

The personal narratives of original 1970 Kent State witnesses and participants will be beamed via integrated, new and social media technologies to broadcast live over the first four days of May 2010 and will be available on the Internet at the Truth Tribunal website where it will continue to grow.

For More Information, visit: http://www.truthtribunal.org

From: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/40-years-later-kent-state-truth-tribunal-examine-1970-killings-protest-over-bombing-cambodia