Fifth Estate Collective
National News Shorts
NASTY WEATHER
The Motor City Nine—nine Weatherman SDS women who invaded a Macomb College classroom last July—were convicted of disorderly conduct by District Judge Robert Chrzanowski in Centerline.
The judge sentenced five of the women to jail terms ranging from six days to ninety days. He also issued bench warrants for three women who failed to appear and delayed sentencing on the remainder. He refused appeal bond requested by defense attorney Dennis James.
Charlotte Marchand was given 90 days; Karen Salin 60 days and two years probation; Ellen Borison, 15 days, a $200 fine and two years probation.
Rachel Bishop and Ann Hathaway, whose father is a Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor, received six days and a $100 fine.
The charges stem from when the women entered the classroom of Macomb College sociology professor Gerald Hankus who said, “These women invaded my classroom distributing SDS literature, shouting obscenities and scrawling them on the blackboard.” Mr. Hankus was a willing prosecution witness.
One of the students in the class, Eric Latos testified before a witch-hunt House committee in Washington that was investigating SDS.
Da Judge said he gave close attention to a report from the House Committee on Internal Security titled “SDS Plans for America’s High School” in passing sentence. The women with high sentences either had previous convictions or have riot felonies pending against them for other Weatherman activities.
MOVEMENT
CLEVELAND — Over 4,000 persons attended an anti-war convention Feb. 14 and 15 to map plans for massive nationwide demonstrations demanding immediate withdrawal of troops from Vietnam.
Over 200 people were present from Michigan at the largest such gathering in the anti-war movement’s history.
Decisions were made to turn the campuses and high schools across the country into centers of anti-war activity the week of April 13–18. On April 15th, the day income tax is due, there will be nationally coordinated strikes, rallies and demonstrations.
GIs from many bases participated enthusiastically and from all indications GI participation in April will be on an unprecedented level. Also, the conference had a series of workshops on organizing and passed a bill of rights demanding political freedom for high schoolers.
The gathering received telegrams of support from all over the world including the Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam and the National Liberation Front urging people to continue the struggle to force the U.S. government to allow self-determination for the Vietnamese.
ANTI-PERSONNEL
PHILADELPHIA (LNS)—A local research/action guide to counterinsurgency weapons has been published by NARMIC (National Action/Research on the Military Industrial Complex).
The booklet contains specific information on chemical, biological, anti-personnel and incendiary weapons, the universities engaged in researching them, and the corporations that manufacture them.
Instructions on how to research the involvement of a local corporation or university with counterinsurgency weaponry research or manufacture are detailed, with suggestions on additional sources of information.
“Weapons for Counterinsurgency” is available from NARMIC, 160 North 15th Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
SCAB DESECRATION
BERKELEY, Cal. (LNS)—The Berkeley Tribe has a new feature entitled “Scab Licenses.” The Tribe, underground paper of the Berkeley community, is printing the license plate numbers, names and addresses of those cars who crossed picket lines to park on the site of People’s Park. The park has been turned over by the University of California to a private parking enterprise.
The Tribe doesn’t suggest specific actions to be taken against the scab vehicles or their owners. The people of Berkeley consider the park to be James Rector’s grave, and they won’t put up with desecration.
Rector was killed by shotgun pellets when police crushed the community’s attempt to hole the park last year.