Army Base Blockade-Was it Successful?

After an initial sense of disappointment, most members of the Non-Violent Direct Action Group felt by Friday night that their blockade of the Boston Army Base that morning had been a success.

All the demonstrators went to the Army base prepared to be arrested. They hoped they could be effective in temporarily shutting down the base or at least disrupting its function. (The base is one of two induction centers in Massachusetts.)

Neither of these things happened. Only 67 of the 400 demonstrators were

NEWS FEATURE

arrested. And within 45 minutes the police had cleared a large enough corridor to allow seven busloads of draftees to enter.

To Build Support

But the group had other objectives as well. They sought to dramatize their opposition to the Indoohinese war in a way that would encourage others to join them in future action. And they south to change the minds of those who remain unconvinced that the war must be immediately stopped.

If the amount and nature of the publicity they received is any measure of their success in these objectives, they accomplished more than many believed possible. There were large favorable front page stories and pictures in all the major Boston papers and the Record American displayed a picture of a bystander-a construction worker-flashing the "V" hand signal for peace.

Some bystanders, including long-short-men and civilian employees of the army base, admitted to being favorably impressed by the demonstration. Demonstrators sang "America the Beautiful" and applauded the police for their "patience and restraint."

The Deputy Superintendent of Police was almost apologetic for the arrests. He explained that while demonstrators might be trying to "keep the international peace" he still had to "keep the domestic peace."

Perhaps everything went too well.?????

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Diverse Group
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Protest in Newton
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