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Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Peace March #2, Union Group, 10-15-69
Date Created
1969-10-15
Reel Format
16mm
Reel Description
This reel contains footage of individuals gathered in Monroe Park on October 15, 1969 for the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. Individuals are seen gathered in the park near the Checkers House. Footage includes several speakers on a stage in the park, demonstrators leaving Monroe Park, and speakers at the Virginia State Capitol Building. This appears to be a group of majority white participants.
Timestamp Description
00:00:13 Footage begins. Blurry footage filmed from above, potentially from the Checkers House, of a large crowd gathered at Monroe Park.
00:00:27 Several individuals in the crowd hold up a raised fist while others clap.
00:00:32 Zoomed in footage of the crowd, mostly obscured by shade from a tree. Some individuals hold up two fingers in a peace symbol.
00:00:44 Footage goes black.
00:00:50 Footage resumes. Zoomed in footage of the crowd walking left to right in the frame, one individual carries a Pan-African flag.
00:00:56 Zoomed out footage of the crowd walking left to right in the frame.
00:01:00 Blurry footage filmed from above of individuals standing in the park.
00:01:04 Footage of a table set up in front of what appears to be the Checkers House, three individuals stand at the table and three others walk away from it. A sign above the table reads "Sign Here For Anti-War Work In [Illegible] Community".
00:01:07 Footage to the left of the table in the previous clip, more signs are visible but illegible due to shadows from trees.
00:01:11 Multiple clips of blurry footage of a stage with a podium, an individual speaks at the podium with a large crowd both in front of the stage and behind it. A United States of America flag is visible on the left hand side of the stage.
00:01:28 Footage of the crowd, a large amount of individuals are seated on the ground, surrounded by individuals standing. The camera pans back and forth.
00:01:44 Zoomed in footage of a speaker at the podium, filmed from their left side so they appear in profile. This speaker wears a navy suit and glasses.
00:01:47 Another speaker at the podium, they wear a brown suit and a black arm band around their left arm. This is likely VCU student Herman Schmidt.
00:01:55 Another speaker at the podium, they wear blue jeans and a button up blue shirt.
00:02:00 Another speaker at the podium, they wear a black turtle neck, red cardigan, glasses. This is likely VCU student Charles McLeod.
00:02:11 Multiple clips of another speaker at the podium, wearing a navy suit and glasses. Standing next to them is another individual in a black suit, sunglasses, an orange button on their lapel, and a white arm band around their left arm. The individual at the podium holds up a two finger peace sign.
00:02:42 Footage of the march from Monroe Park to the Virginia State Capitol, filmed from the corner of Belvidere Street and Franklin Street opposite from Monroe Park. A uniformed officer on horseback stands between marchers crossing Belvidere Street and car traffic. At the head of the march is Schmidt carrying a U.S. flag, followed by individuals carrying a banner with a peace symbol drawn on it, with "Thru Love" written below. Many individuals carry signs or wear them hanging around their necks.
00:03:40 Footage filmed from a distance of individual crossing Belvidere Street.
00:03:49 An individual speaking at a podium under the portico at the top of the steps of the Virginia State Capitol building. The speaker appears to be wearing a clerical collar, and another individual sits in a chair on their left also wearing a clerical collar.
00:04:00 Footage of two individuals holding the "Thru Love" banner and U.S. flag at the top of the Virginia State Capitol stairs.
00:04:01 Footage ends.
Event Description
Held on October 15, 1969, the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam was a massive demonstration and teach-in across the United States against the country's involvement in the Vietnam War. A large Moratorium March in Washington, D.C. was held a month later on November 15, 1969 (Wikipedia). In Richmond, police estimated approximately 2,500 individuals joined the protest. Others had the count at some 5,000 in Monroe Park. The morning of October 15, names of those killed in the war were read at the University of Richmond, followed by a similar event at the capitol in the afternoon (The Collegian, October 17, 1969). Discussions were had in Monroe Park before groups marched downtown to the Virginia State Capitol. Marchers wore black arm bands and peace signs. At noon, there was a "folk mass" at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Named speakers included Herman Schmidt, Charles McLeod (mispelled McCloud in the RTD), Reverend James G. Carpenter, Dr. James H. Smiley, and Dr. Richard Lodge. Richmond Mayor Philip J. Bagley was quoted as stating he held the protestors "in utter contempt" (Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 16, 1969). Groups represented included Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Richmond Mobilization Committee Against the War in Vietnam (The Commonwealth Times, October 17, 1969). After the protest ended at the capitol, some individuals returned to Monroe Park, while another contingent marched to City Hall. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported the crowd was "a mixture of welfare recipients and Virginia Union University students". Mayor Bagley agreed to meet with Loretta Johnson, chairperson of a local welfare rights group and member of the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO), as "an individual," but she preferred to meet in an official capacity and refused Bagley's invitation. A number of protestors entered the building and started a sit-in in front of the Mayor's office, and Bagley told Police Chief Frank S. Duling to "clear the building". When some 100 individuals did not leave, police called in reinforcements, including two dozen officers in helmets holding batons. When they arrived, the crowd inside left the building. The crowd tried to reform at Monroe Park, but few individuals arrived. The RTD does not name the welfare rights organization, but it was likely the Virginia Welfare Rights Organization (VWRO). The paper states this was the third day the group had visited City Hall in order to call for increased welfare payments (Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 16, 1969).
Runtime
00:04:21
Corporate Name Subject
Students for a Democratic Society (1969-1974)
Topical Subject
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Draft resisters; Anti-war demonstrations; Demonstrations; Crowds; Student movements; Student protesters; Students--Political activity; Signs and signboards; Public welfare; Welfare rights movement; Clergy; Mounted police; Police horses; Animals in police work; 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
Moratorium Day in Richmond Film Reel #03, 1969 October 15
File Name
VCU_M571_006.mp4