Files
Download File (175.9 MB)
Loading...
Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Det. Burton
Date Created
1967-04-29
Reel Format
16mm
Reel Description
This real contains footage of a protest in opposition to the Vietnam War in front of the Richmond Federal Building in downtown Richmond on April 29, 1967. About 100 individuals participated in the march. Individuals march holding signs or flowers, wearing business clothing. Several children participated in the march as well. This appears to be a group of majority white participants. Towards the middle of the reel, there is footage of a pro-war counterprotest of approximately seven individuals, all of whom appear to be white.
Timestamp Description
00:00:09 Footage begins. Footage of individuals marching single file near the Federal Building in downtown Richmond. A street with cars driving in the opposite direction of the marchers is visible to the left, with a Texaco station in the background. Most individuals wear business clothing, including suits and ties or blouses and skirts. Several individuals wearing suits with clerical collars. Some individuals carry flowers, one carries a sign which reads: "Let Us Seek Reconciliation Not Destruction". A uniformed officer on horseback is visible on the corner.
00:00:27 Footage of the exterior of the Federal Building with it's sign visible.
00:00:31 Footage of the marchers. Many look into the camera as they pass. Some carry signs: "Peace Through This War Is An Illusion", "We Urge Negotiations Now With [Illegible]", "These Are the Real Enemies: Hunger Disease Poverty Ignorance".
00:01:43 The march continues, an individual using a wheelchair is pushed by another individual. Some carry signs: "We Urge Negotiation Now With All Combatants".
00:02:06 Footage of approximately seven individuals marching in the same space as a counterprotest. The first individual is C.P. Johnson. Around his neck he wears a sign which reads "In My Opinion Treason In Any Form Is Treason" and carried a small flag that appears to be a collage of other flags including a United States of America flag. Following Johnson, other individuals also hold signs: "Better-Dead Than [Red]", "Vote For Wallace", "Support Our White Boys In Vietnam", "Fight Communism Here and Abroad", "Wallace for President". Many look into the camera and smile or laugh. The camera follows them and films them from the back as they walk away.
00:02:38 Footage of the anti-war protesters, two uniformed police officers are visible at the corner behind them.
00:02:55 Footage ends.
Event Description
On April 29, 1967, a group of approximately 50 ministers and laymen caravanned from the Union Theological Seminary to the Federal Building in downtown Richmond. There, from about 2PM to 4PM, they held a silent demonstration against the war in Vietnam. The spokesperson for the group was Reverend George A. Chauncey, a staff member of the Presbyterian Church's Board of Christian Education. The group called for "an end to the bombing in Vietnam, negotiation and 'normalization' of Vietnam by an international body." Others joined the group, with the Richmond Times-Dispatch reporting the group grew to about one hundred individuals. They marched around the block comprised of 8th Street, Marshall Street, 7th Street, and Clay Street. After the march began, an individual who identified himself as C.P. Johnson began a pro-war march alongside the group. He was joined by six other individuals. One of the individuals, according to the RTD, wore a blue pin with the word "Never" on it, which was associated with the Ku Klux Klan, though he denied Klan affiliation. Ten police officers were stationed around the block (Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 30, 1967).
Runtime
00:03:10
Topical Subject
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements; Anti-war demonstrations; Demonstrations; Crowds; Clergy; Signs and signboards; Mounted police; Police horses; Animals in police work; Police; Police patrol--Surveillance operations; Electronic surveillance; Video surveillance
City/Location
Richmond (Va.)
Genre
black-and-white 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 and Pro Vietnam War Protest at Richmond Federal Building Film Reel, 1967 April 29
File Name
VCU_M571_022.mp4