Police Raided University Hall

The following article is reprinted from the April 10, 1969 issue of The Crimson.

More than 400 policemen charged University Hall early this morning and forcibly--and sometimes violently--removed several hundred students who were occupying the building.

Between 250 and 300 people were arrested in the raid, and nearly 75 students were injured.

The arrested students were taken in police paddy wagons and buses directly to district courts in Cambridge.

President Pusey said this morning that the decision to call in police to clear the building came out of the meeting which began yesterday afternoon and ended about 10 p.m. last night.

Besides himself, the deans of the Graduate Schools, Deans Ford and Glimp, and other Administration officials were in attendance. "It became clear in the course of the evening that the only possible alternative [to calling in police] was to take no action at all," he said.

An hour before the raid, more policemen from local suburban forces gathered behind Memorial Hall. There were officers and paddy wagons from Cambridge, Boston, Newton, Somerville, Arlington, Watertown and the Metropolitan District Commission.

All of the officers had storm helmets, most had gas masks. Patrolmen from Somerville carried large metal shields, and several from other forces carried rifles....

At 5:07 a.m., the police came in. They pushed the people back away from the door with their clubs and several people were knocked down and kicked.The troopers rushed up the stairs, pushing downsome of the people standing there...

Crimson reporter David I. Bruck '70 said thatthe troopers broke down the first-floor doors witha three -foot battering ram. He said that thetroopers pushed the demonstrators up front andthen beat several of them with clubs...

Several people were thrown bodily from thecorridor into the anteroom of the Freshman Dean'sOffice. Richard E. Hyland '69, who chaired themeetings inside during the occupations, was driveninto the room screaming with troopers clubbing hisbody...

By 5:15 a.m., police had started to loadstudents from inside the building onto buses andpaddy wagons. Some resisted and were dragged andshoved into the buses. Within ten minutes, thebuses had been filled with about 300 to 400students and they left for Middlesex County ThirdDistrict Court where the students were booked oncharges of criminal trespassing...

Robert Tonis, Chief of University Police,circulated through the crowd of studentsapologizing for the police action and urgingstudents not to try to confront the police.

"As far as the University Police are concerned,we didn't want to do anything about it," Tonissaid. "but they're way over our heads now."

Between 5:30 and 7:45, nothing was done for theinjured students who had been arrested. At 7:45 ,15 were taken to hospitals on the urging ofCharles R. Nesson, assistant professor of law,reportedly pleaded with authorities to dosomething for them.

At the University health Services' emergencyward, 17 students sat for almost half an hourbefore receiving treatment from hospitalofficials. By 6:30 a.m., about 25 students hadcome to the emergency room, and most of them hadbeen attended to.

The majority of injuries were scalp wounds andfacial cuts and bruises. One Harvard students saidhe was maced in the face, but he left to findtreatment elsewhere. Another Harvard student had apossible broken nose, and a girl from Brandeis wasdriven to Stillman with a possible broken leg...

Over 700 students gathered on and in front ofthe steps of Widener between 6 a.m. and 6:15 todiscuss a possible student strike

Crimson reporter David I. Bruck '70 said thatthe troopers broke down the first-floor doors witha three -foot battering ram. He said that thetroopers pushed the demonstrators up front andthen beat several of them with clubs...

Several people were thrown bodily from thecorridor into the anteroom of the Freshman Dean'sOffice. Richard E. Hyland '69, who chaired themeetings inside during the occupations, was driveninto the room screaming with troopers clubbing hisbody...

By 5:15 a.m., police had started to loadstudents from inside the building onto buses andpaddy wagons. Some resisted and were dragged andshoved into the buses. Within ten minutes, thebuses had been filled with about 300 to 400students and they left for Middlesex County ThirdDistrict Court where the students were booked oncharges of criminal trespassing...

Robert Tonis, Chief of University Police,circulated through the crowd of studentsapologizing for the police action and urgingstudents not to try to confront the police.

"As far as the University Police are concerned,we didn't want to do anything about it," Tonissaid. "but they're way over our heads now."

Between 5:30 and 7:45, nothing was done for theinjured students who had been arrested. At 7:45 ,15 were taken to hospitals on the urging ofCharles R. Nesson, assistant professor of law,reportedly pleaded with authorities to dosomething for them.

At the University health Services' emergencyward, 17 students sat for almost half an hourbefore receiving treatment from hospitalofficials. By 6:30 a.m., about 25 students hadcome to the emergency room, and most of them hadbeen attended to.

The majority of injuries were scalp wounds andfacial cuts and bruises. One Harvard students saidhe was maced in the face, but he left to findtreatment elsewhere. Another Harvard student had apossible broken nose, and a girl from Brandeis wasdriven to Stillman with a possible broken leg...

Over 700 students gathered on and in front ofthe steps of Widener between 6 a.m. and 6:15 todiscuss a possible student strike