Protesters, 2nd Nixon inauguration, 1973.
NIXANIMOSITY!
Protesting Nixon in 1973, second inauguration.
On January 20, 1973 I made my way to Washington, DC with a group of students from Brown University to protest Nixon and his Vietnam war conduct. Déjà vu, George, Donald! I created a fairly decent photo-slide record of the events of the day, from the perspective of Nixon-haters and anti-Vietnam-war protesters, and I include a link to an album of all the photos I took and that have remained unseen since then. A year and a half later, as a result of his own criminal acts in the Watergate scandal and cover-up, Nixon would resign from office in disgrace. I also wrote a matter-of-fact diary entry which I transcribe below the photo-album link.
(Photo album, January 20, 1973.)
I had planned to go to Washington for the demonstration. Bill and Tony didn't want to go. I managed to get a free bus ticket for one of the Brown University busses scheduled to leave at midnight. Bought a couple of sandwiches to go. I had earlier told mama that if I wasn't home in the morning, I'd have gone to Washington. The bus left late at 1 A.M. The ride was long and grueling.
The Pawtuxet Valley Bus Company bus stopped three times for breaks, including a breakfast stop in Maryland. Arrived Washington 10 A.M. Lincoln Memorial. The rally drew, by our estimate, over 100,000 people. Very cold but not unbearable. The march from the Lincoln Memorial along Constitution Avenue to the Washington Monument was dignified and beautiful. Speeches followed. The ground was muddy. I left the rally around 4 P.M.
Walked up to Pennsylvania Avenue where the inauguration parade was ending and where phalanxes of policemen kept demonstrators away from the Nixon crowd. A divided city: the believers in the Nixon-God and the non-believers. I walked about a bit, to the Capitol, back to the White House, and then back to the area near the Washington Monument where the bus was parked, just in time for departure. I got a seat on a different one of the three busses. The bus left at 6 P.M.
An excruciating half-awake ride back. Three stops. I ate nothing of the execrable food in the highway restaurants along the way. The Maryland spot we stopped at this morning (Maryland House) was mobbed with hordes of returning demonstrators. There was a nice restaurant in the complex but not enough time for a good meal, and too many people at the cafeteria, coffee-shop, and take-out service. The other places we stopped at were wretched. I wasn't really hungry anyway. I managed to have a coffee in New Jersey. We arrived in Providence at 3:45. Mama opened the door. The outside door was locked. I went to bed, exhausted. It was a worthwhile trek, however.
...got up at 3 P.M.
Protesting Nixon in 1973, second inauguration.
On January 20, 1973 I made my way to Washington, DC with a group of students from Brown University to protest Nixon and his Vietnam war conduct. Déjà vu, George, Donald! I created a fairly decent photo-slide record of the events of the day, from the perspective of Nixon-haters and anti-Vietnam-war protesters, and I include a link to an album of all the photos I took and that have remained unseen since then. A year and a half later, as a result of his own criminal acts in the Watergate scandal and cover-up, Nixon would resign from office in disgrace. I also wrote a matter-of-fact diary entry which I transcribe below the photo-album link.
(Photo album, January 20, 1973.)
I had planned to go to Washington for the demonstration. Bill and Tony didn't want to go. I managed to get a free bus ticket for one of the Brown University busses scheduled to leave at midnight. Bought a couple of sandwiches to go. I had earlier told mama that if I wasn't home in the morning, I'd have gone to Washington. The bus left late at 1 A.M. The ride was long and grueling.
The Pawtuxet Valley Bus Company bus stopped three times for breaks, including a breakfast stop in Maryland. Arrived Washington 10 A.M. Lincoln Memorial. The rally drew, by our estimate, over 100,000 people. Very cold but not unbearable. The march from the Lincoln Memorial along Constitution Avenue to the Washington Monument was dignified and beautiful. Speeches followed. The ground was muddy. I left the rally around 4 P.M.
Walked up to Pennsylvania Avenue where the inauguration parade was ending and where phalanxes of policemen kept demonstrators away from the Nixon crowd. A divided city: the believers in the Nixon-God and the non-believers. I walked about a bit, to the Capitol, back to the White House, and then back to the area near the Washington Monument where the bus was parked, just in time for departure. I got a seat on a different one of the three busses. The bus left at 6 P.M.
An excruciating half-awake ride back. Three stops. I ate nothing of the execrable food in the highway restaurants along the way. The Maryland spot we stopped at this morning (Maryland House) was mobbed with hordes of returning demonstrators. There was a nice restaurant in the complex but not enough time for a good meal, and too many people at the cafeteria, coffee-shop, and take-out service. The other places we stopped at were wretched. I wasn't really hungry anyway. I managed to have a coffee in New Jersey. We arrived in Providence at 3:45. Mama opened the door. The outside door was locked. I went to bed, exhausted. It was a worthwhile trek, however.
...got up at 3 P.M.