Boston Police Arrest 3 Harvard Students In Medicaid Protest

Police arrested three Harvard students Friday and charged them with assault as they tried to enter the Department of Public Welfare in downtown Boston.

The students-Carroll S. Dorgan 71, Coleman P. Harrison '74 and John M. Hosken '73-were participating in a demonstration sponsored by the Progressive Labor Party to protest recent cutbacks in the Massachusetts Medicaid program.

Harrison is also charged with armed robbery. He allegedly demanded that a policeman hand over his gun at knifepoint.

Harrison denied the charges last night. "The whole thing was a frame-up." he said, "We were engaged in a legal political protest and the cops came in and broke it up."

Harrison also denied he had a knife or any other weapon on his person at any time Friday.

Police arrested six other persons at the demonstration and filed assault charges against them. The arrests came after Welfare Department Officials permitted ten welfare mothers to enter the building and a group of about 80 chanting demonstrators tried to force past police lines to accompany them.

An additional squad of about 20 police was called in to contain the demonstrators.

The three students spent almost nine hours at Police Station Two before bail was set at $5000 in Roxbury District Court at about 9 p. m. Friday. Only Harrison was able to post the necessary five per cent bail collateral to gain release.

Dorgan and Hosken remained in custody last night, but a motion will be filed in Boston Superior Court today in an attempt to reduce their bail.

Attorneys for six of the persons arrested Friday will ask the Court to reduce the bond which, Harrison said, is "excessive for these trumped-up charges."

Harrison said last night the defendants will offer a joint defense at their trial, which is set for May 24 in Roxbury District Court.

Demonstrators' March

Friday's demonstration began when about 80 persons-most of whom were welfare clients or students-marched through black and Spanish-speaking communities in the Mission Hill area of Boston.

After arriving at the Welfare Department, the demonstrators heard several speakers condemn Medicaid cut-backs which become effective today.

Shortly after the ten mothers were admitted to voice their opposition to the cutbacks, the crowd began to push against police lines and arrests began.

Harvard police are investigating the role of the three Harvard students in the demonstration, according to Robert Tonis, chief of the University Police. Tonis said last night his department's findings will be forwarded to Dean May and to the Allston Burr senior tutors of the three students.