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Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Bussing Picket- Belvidere St. / Grove Ave. 1100 Block taken 10-14-70
Date Created
1970-10-14
Reel Format
16mm
Reel Description
This reel contains footage of several dozen adults and children protesting against school desegregation busing in Belvidere Street near the Virginia War Memorial on August 22, 1970. This appears to be a group of majority white participants. It also contains aerial footage of the Monroe Park area of Richmond filmed on October 14, 1970.
Timestamp Description
00:00:11 Footage begins. A group of approximately two dozen individuals, adults and children, stand and sit on the corner of a street holding signs and small United States of America flags. Footage is filmed from across the street, with vehicles driving between the demonstrators and the camera. The camera pans right down the street, showing more individuals on the sidewalk and what appears to be a retail business and parking lot behind them. Legible signs read: "Can Anyone Hear Us? Give us Back Our Freedom of Choice", "Don't Bus Us!", "Hell No We Won't Go", "The Treason of the Communists is not Against Government But Against Humanity", and "Busing Never!"
00:00:45 Footage of the demonstrators filmed from across the street, zoomed out so the entire building behind them and several others are visible. The building they stand in front of flies a large U.S. flag.
00:00:57 A child stands in front of a Texaco holding a sign which reads "Don't Bus Me!" Cars drive buy between them and the camera. The camera pans right to show several more children and one adult with signs and U.S. flags.
00:01:00 Footage slowly panning right of approximately two dozen individuals standing in front of the Texaco with signs and flags. Most are children, many of whom appear to be barefoot.
00:01:41 Footage from a different angle of the demonstrators in front of the Texaco, a sign above the awning reads "Lee Bridge Service". As the camera pans left, the retail business at the beginning of the clip is visible, with a sign that reads "[Illegible] End Antiques". Legible signs the protestors are holding read: "Where will your child be on August 31st? Mine Will be Home", "Boycott Schools! Do What You Said!", "If you are against busing blow your horn", and "We'll Be Here Aug 31st".
00:02:11 Aerial footage of Richmond, likely filmed from a plane or helicopter. It appears to be circling the Monroe Park area, with buildings such as the Grove Avenue Baptist Church (now the James W. Black Music Center), the Pollak Building, and the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart visible in the footage.
00:03:35 Footage ends.
Event Description
On August 22, 1970, several parents and several dozen children organized a demonstration to oppose desegregation busing in Richmond, Virginia. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the crowd was from the Oregon Hill area. They stood along Belvidere Street near the Virginia War Memorial with signs and flags (Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 23, 1970).
It is unclear what event the aerial surveillance footage is related to, but is dated October 14, 1970 on the reel.
Runtime
00:04:09
Corporate Name Subject
Richmond Public Schools (Va.)
Topical Subject
Busing for school integration; School integration; Segregation in education; Signs and signboards; Demonstrations; Crowds; White supremacy movements; White nationalism; Richmond (Va.)--Aerial film and video footage; Police; Police patrol--Surveillance operations; Electronic surveillance; Video surveillance
City/Location
Richmond (Va.)
Genre
color films (visual works)
Local Genre
moving image
Type
Moving Image
Digital Format
video/mp4
Language
eng
Rights Statement URL
Rights
This material is in the public domain in the United States and thus is free of any copyright restriction. Acknowledgement of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is requested.
Collection
Richmond Police Department Surveillance Collection
Source
Anti-Busing Protest in Richmond Film Reel, 1970 August 22 ; Aerial Footage of Richmond, 1970 October 14
File Name
VCU_M571_139.mp4