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Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Moratorium Day, Monroe Park + Capitol, 69, Police I.D.
Date Created
1969-10-15
Reel Format
Super 8mm
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. Footage includes several speakers on a stage in the park, speakers at the Virginia State Capitol Building, and the crowd of demonstrators gathering on the capitol grounds. This appears to be a group of racially diverse participants.
Timestamp Description
00:00:10 Footage begins. Zoomed in footage of a speaker at the podium on a stage at Monroe Park, a United States of American flag is visible to the left, and the crowd is visible between the camera and speaker. The speaker wears a brown suit and a black arm band around their left arm. This is likely VCU student Herman Schmidt.
00:00:47 Another speaker at the podium, they wear a black turtleneck, red cardigan, and glasses. This is likely VCU student Charles McLeod.
00:01:19 Footage filmed from the left side of a speaker at a podium set up under the portico at the top of the stairs at the Virginia State Capitol building. They wear a gray suit and clerical collar. Another individual in a gray suit sits on a chair behind them.
00:01:34 Footage of individuals sitting and standing on the steps of the capitol building, filmed from above. The camera pans right to show more individuals on the steps, with more across the street on the capitol grounds. Several individuals wear signs around their necks. Speakers are set up on the steps.
00:02:17 The camera pans left. Behind the observers, a line of demonstrators walks right to left in the frame. Several uniformed officers are visible amongst the crowds.
00:02:45 More demonstrators approach the sidewalk in front of the capitol building. Two individuals carry a Pan-African flag, another has a sign of a peace symbol. Another individual wears a sign which reads "Hell With the Nixon [Illegible]".
00:03:30 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
00:03:36
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; 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 #04, 1969 October 15
File Name
VCU_M571_071.mp4