I happened to be in DC in the '60s and spent 3 days in a building I blocked with 3/4" ply over the doors, only 2 and no windows were on the first floor. It had squat to do with Vietnam, those "protests" were by idiots who wouldn't get drafted because the ole man kept them in "college" and now they are our leaders. It got hot in the day King was assassinated. I was working on 12th St., NW when I got a call to get out if I could from my boss about 9pm. I walked over to 11th and waited for a bus just watching windows breaking, looting pawn shops & liquor stores. I was "bothered" once by 4 young men and when the "leader" got in my face I stomped his instep, other knee to the groin and heel of hand to his chin. He went to sleep and his friends picked him up and went on merrily looting. Caught a bus and made it to VA, just bricks thru the windows, next day it started again and everyone went crazy mainly the LEOs were told NOT to do anything, just observe. The thing began with a mad crowd on 14th St over King's killing and threw a few bricks. It hit the fan because LEOs were told to stand and watch but don't touch. I have a video (old super 8) of the place burning and looting I took from the corner of 12th & H NW from the roof. It wasn't civil unrest, just people who took everything that wasn't nailed down because they saw they could without reprisal. The "Weathermen" tried to kill the city by stopping traffic on May 1 by blocking streets, opening hoods and pulling coil wires out. I drove from K St. to Constitution Ave on the sidewalk and drove "gently" thru their locked arm road blocks and I did get out and made a couple go "nite-nite" that one was the war, after Fonda & Kerry whipped them into shape. Ain't gonna happen again on that level.
