Wednesday, August 27, 1969
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Wednescloy, August 27, 1969 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
Welfare
sit-in:
'U,
students
vs.
the
Establishment
Poor man's guide
to student protests
Diag Rally iOct. 7, 1964): Some 200 students, led by Voice
Political Party, rallied on the Diag to discuss demands for liberal-
ized dormitory policies and higher w a g e s of student employes.
Joint Judiciary Council later convicted Voice of breaking Univer-
sity regulations in staging the rally without permission.
First Teach-In (March 24, 1965): Some 3000 University stu-
dents and faculty members held the first teach-in in U.S. history,
holding discussions, speeches and movies on the Vietnam War.
Draft Board Sit-In (Oct. 15, 1965): Thirty-nine University
.tudents and teaching fellows were arrested while sitting at the
Ann Arbor Selective Service office to protest the war in Vietnam.
On the same day, a Homecoming float expressing opposition to the
war was attacked and destroyed during the traditional parade.
Bookstore Controversy (Jan. 21, 1966: Students picketed a
Regents meeting as the board refused to establish a discount book-
store at the University, despite popular student support for the
idea
Student Power Movement (Fall 1966: Early in the academic
year, Voice Political Party staged a number of demonstrations to
protest the disclosure of membership lists of student radical groups
to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Later, after a
referendum showing students did not want the University to com-
pile class ranks for the Selective Service System, students staged a
series of massive demonstrations in an attempt to force the admin-
istration to end class ranks. These demonstrations included the
famous lunch-hour sit-in in the Administration Bldg. attended by
1500 students. With finals approaching, and disagreement over
demands, the Student Power Movement ended in chaos in mid-
December
Navy .leeting Disruption tOct. 11, 1967 ): Some 40 radical
students *Srupted a meeting between Hear Admiral S. N. Brown
and University officials. Later in the term, charges against some
of the students involved were brought secretly before the executive
boards of the literary college and the graduate school. Under
student pressure, however, these charges were dropped
Women's Curf~ew Controversy (fall, 19): On Oct. 12, SOC
"recognized the right of freshman women in individual houses to
set their own curfew." After a long series of minor demonstra-
tions, the Regents abolished curfews in January, 1968. At the
same time, houses were given the power to determine the times at
which visitation by members of the opposite sex would be per-
mitted.
War Research Sit-ini (Nov. 2 1967): Some 300 students staged
a six-hour non-disruptive sit-in in the Administration Bldg. to
protest University involvement in classified research, and a $1
million counter-insurgency project run by University researchers
in Thailand.
Apartments Ltd. Boycott (January - April, 1968): In a fore-
runner to the rent strike, SGC committees organized an ineffective
boycott of Apartments Limited, demanding that the corporation
begin offering eight-month leases to its tenants. The boycott's
slogan - "Wait for eight" - never quite caught on, but some
smaller realtors did begin offering the shorter-term lease
Black Student Lock-in (April 9, 1968): Over 100 black stu-
dents, led by the Black Student Union, staged a five-hour non-
violent lock-in in the Administration Bldg. on the day of the burial
of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Demands of the black
students --now largely met - included hiring of more black
administrators and the creation of a scholarship for black stu-
dents in memory of Rev. King.
Welfare Sit-inss Sept. 5 - 6, 1968): Over 240 people mostly
University students - were arrested during two days of demon-
strations at the County Bldg. staged to dramatize the demands of
mothers receiving Aid to Dependent Children for increased child-
ren's clothing allotments. The welfare mothers won a compromise
allocation for increased clothing. Most of the demonstrators (in-
cluding about 40 mothers) were convicted of criminal trespass and
received fines of about $50 and week-long work sentences.
Election Day Deemonstrations (Nov. 4 - 5, 1968): Some 2000
students, led by SDS, massed before the on-campus residence of
President Fleming to protest University involvement in war re-
search. The next day (Election Day) 200 students held a briel
sit-in in the Administration Bldg.
Navy Recruiter Lock-In (March 25, 1969): Some 25 members
01 SDS held a five and one-half hour lock-in in West Engineering
Bldg., preventing a Naval recruiter from interviewing students. The
case is now pending before Central Student Judiciary.
By MARTIN IIIRSCIIMAN
Student leaders had always
half jokingly complained that
once they'd gotten a good move-
ment going they were in t hi e
middle of finals week.
But last fall, after only two
weeks of classes, almost 200 stu-
dents had already been to the
barricades, and to jail, for pro-
test activity,- without student
leaders lifting a finger,
It all started with a little not-
ed demonstration in the Coun-
ty Bldg. where some 40 welfare
mothers (recipients of Aid to
Dependent Children) were de-
manding - and being refused-
increased allotments to buy
school clothing for their child-
ren.
At first, University students
were not involved. Then, on the
third day of the mothers' dem-
onstrations, t h e n Daily Man-
aging Editor Steve Wildstrom
was arrested by Washtenaw
County sheriff's deputies as he
attempted to enter the County
Bldg. Wildstrom. who was alleg-
edly bea ten by the deputies, was
charged with assaulting the of-
ficers as he was protesting har-
rassment of Daily reporters by
sheriff's deputies.
By sunset, 400 students had
organized a march to the Coun-
ty Jail and a rally on the Diag
was scheduled for the next day.
Wildstrom was released on bail,
but charges were never pressed
against him.)
The next day, Sept. 5, stu-
dents marched down to the
County Bldg. to show their sup-
port for the welfare mothers.
First they threw up picket lines
around the County Bldg. Later,
at the request of the mothers,
several students joined them as
they sat-in to dramatize their
demands.
iff making the arrests at the
demonstrations, but his men
h a d arrested Daily Managing
Editor Wildstrom in the inci-
dent which provoked student
participation. M o r e recently.
Harvey's activities have won
him tribute as 'one dumb cop"
from a Detroit Free Press edi-
torialist.
On the other side, the issues
involved were like apple pie and
motherhood to a mass of con-
cerned students. Certainly the
allotments of the welfare moth-
ers were - inadequate --- t h e y
were (and still are) based on
1961 price levels. And that the
specific allotments i n v o l v e d
were for children's school cloth-
ing made the issue seem all the
more clear-cut,
In late fall, the mothers or-
ganized the Welfare Rights
Committee and began to seek
bargaining rights with th e
County Social Services Board.
Despite several meetings with
the board since then, such rec-
ognition has not been granted.
The welfare mothers have a
ntumber of complaints with the
welfare system as it functions
in Washtenaw County and in
the country as a. whole. And
these complaints are not com-
pletely tied to inadequate allot-
inents.
The mothers also sight provis-
ions in the welfare laws which
make it difficult to work one's
way off welfare roles, and in-
competence of some case work-
ers in advising clients concern-
co c r-ing the law,
As t h i s supplement goes to
press, the welfare mothers are
preparing for further disputes
and possible confrontation over
allotments for the coming year,
and recognition as a bargaining
agent for ADC recipients.
And who knows, when stu-
dents return to Ann Arbor in
early September, it might be
just that time of year again.
Shteriff's deputies escort Daily Manuging Ed itor Stere Wildstrom to jail
With about 100 deputies on
hand, Sheriff Harvey and Coun-
ty Prosecutor William Delhey
initiated legal proceedings with
a five minute warning. T h e n
the deputies moved in and be-
gan arresting the demonstrators
one-by-one and- pushing or
dragging them to waiting police
vans.
Deliberations between t h e
welfare mothers and the Coun-
ty Social Services Board con-
tinued the next day, but no so-
lution acceptable to the moth-
ers could be reached.
And when closing time came
at the County Bldg., several
hundred students were already
sitting-in in the lobby in sym-
pathy. The mothers decided to
stay - some of them would be
arrested both days --- and they
invited the students to j o i n
them.
When the five minute warn-
ing came this time, some 195
people, mostly students, refused
to leave t li e building. Sheriff
Harvey brought in about 300 of-
ficers from a number of neigh-
boring counties and again the
arrests began.
The welfare mothers met over
the weekend with county offi-
cials and, miraculously, a set-
tlement was reached on Mon-
day, thus averting new demon-
strations.
And after a surprising spurt
of protest activity and student
involvement in community af-
fairs, the campus returned to
normal.
Why did the welfare demon-
stration provoke such wide-
spread student concern? A num-
ber of factors were involved.
First, t h e demonstrations
came only two weeks after the
massive street confrontations
with police in Chicago. Reports
of violence surrounding the
Democratic National Conven-
tion polarized the views of many
concerning the police.
And local politics had provid-
ed students with t h e perfect
object for this hatred -- Sheriff
Harvey. Not only was the sher-
Harris wins in
Democratic sweep
-E('lUnml d truni t'&gI
two incidents involving alleged
beatings amd unfair treatment
of blacks by the police
The mayor soon established
an ad hoc committee which has
been making recommnendations
for strengthening ties between
the police and the entire com-
munity. Harris has set as his
prime objective t h e establish-
ment of "a new and better state
of police-community u n d e r-
standing than has existed in any
city in the land to date."
One of the incidents involved
Human Relations Commission
staff member Ray Chauncey
who charged that Ann Arbor pa-
trolman Wade Wagner beat him
after Chauncey was arrested for
alleged disorderly conduct while
making an HRC discrimination
test at a local bar.
After a city mvestigation
which substantiated the charge
that Wagner had struck Chaun:-
cey, the patrolman resigned
from the force. (The next day
Washtenaw C o u n t y Sheriff
Douglas Harvey hired Wagner.)
Barely a month after the in-
cident, however, the city issued
a report criticizing the HRC for
resorting to public exposure of
the conflict before an investi-
gation could be made. Although
charges against Chauncey were
dropped, the city' report also
criticized the staff member for
"inappropriate" behavior dur-
ing his test of the bar and at
the police station.
The other clash, just six days
after the Chauncey incident, in-
volved the arrest of two blacks
charged with obstructing, hin-
dering and resisting police - a
high misdemeanor, The two
men. John Abrahams and John
H. Bingham, w e r e arrested
twice, first on Tuesday, May 13,
w hen they were imnmediately re-
leased, and then on Thursday,
May 15 on warrants charging
them with the high misdemean-
or
After a special session of Ann
Arbor District Court, the sec-
ond night, called at Hart'is's re-
quest the two were released on
bond,
Since taking over council Ap-
ril 14, the Democrats, occasion-
ally with Republican approval,
have given both financial and
moral support to several com-
munity improvement programs
and to Human Relations Com-
mission projects.
In May, for example, Council
approved by a 10-1 vote the Mo-
del Cities ordinance which form-
ally establishes the six-year
federally funded urban improve-
Inent program in Ann Arbor.
Prior to t h e April election,
there had been considerable
doubt as to whether or not the
Republican council would ap-
prove the program.
Similarly, on two occasions,
the new council granted addi-
tional appropriations to the Hu-
man Relations Commission for
community projects, d e s p i t e
strenuous objections from two
of the Republican councilmen.
The city's new $10.7 million
operating budget also reflects
Harris' concern for establishing
greater services to the commun-
ity. 't'hrough a series of working
sessions, the mayor added $100.-
000 to the city's Transportation
Authority for establishing a
temporary bus service and an
eventual full time service f o r
the fall.
Bus service in Ann Arbor had
been discontinued after the city
was unable to secure suitable
arrangements with an out-of-
state firm when a local coin-
pany went out of business.
The Democrats hope to intro-
duce a local income tax within
the coming months to replace.
in part., the current regressive
property tax. Many residents
claim the proper'ty tax unfairly
asseses the lower income citi-
zen and does not adequately tax
wealthier residents.
The Democrats have been in
office barely four months, and
Mayor Harris h a s established
some difficult goals for his par-
ty to achieve during his two-
year tern.
The democratic (small "d",
bureaucratic process always ne-
cessitates relatively lengthy pro-
cedures for change. Bu t the
Democrats seem on the way to
achieving the progress they
have aimed at, and Ann Arbor-
ites seem to have good reason
to expect delivery on the goods
Harris has promised.
I
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ACTIVITIESZ
But I want friends, diver-
ty, action, and something
keep my interest too",
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