A bayoneting incident between students protesting on the campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the New Mexico Army National Guard took place on May 8, 1970, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Students protested on campus for several days leading up to the incident as a response to the Kent State shooting that had happened four days prior. The protest was also part of a larger series of anti-war demonstrations that occurred on college campuses across the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s to voice opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam War. In the days leading up to the incident, students occupied the Student Union and Air Force ROTC buildings on campus, which led to UNM President Ferrel Heady and the Board of Regents' decision to court order the temporary closure of the Student Union Building. Heady encouraged students to leave, and many did before police arrested the remaining 131 protesters. As the building was being cleared out, the National Guard arrived and bayoneted a crowd that had gathered around the Student Union Building. During the incident, 10 or 11 people including students, teachers, and media members received bayonet wounds, though no deaths occurred.
Background
Vietnam War During the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many college students across the United States participated in anti-war demonstrations and protests. Although protesters urged the US to withdraw troops and end the war, the anti-Vietnam War movement was a more broad movement for greater peace and less war. When Richard Nixon became president, anti-war activists expanded their efforts. This would result in the increase of the anti-war movement in college campuses. Throughout his presidency, Richard Nixon often publicly portrayed both a desire to prolong and win the war as well as a desire to be a peacemaker. Nixon's efforts to win the election and re-election focused on the promise of ending the war without true desire to actually cease military operations in Vietnam.
Invasion of Cambodia – college protests, and Kent State incident On April 30, 1970, Nixon launched US troops into Cambodia. For those who hoped that Nixon was tapering off war efforts, this appeared to be a strong escalation of military action that was moving the US further from peace. Nixon spoke about the invasion as a necessary evil to preserve democracy, freedom, and US power, which further reinforced the belief that he had no plans of ending the war any time soon. College students on many campuses reacted by going on strike. Within 10 days over 500 universities had gone on strike and more than 100,000 protesters had marched in Washington DC. On May 4, 1970, students at Kent State University gathered to protest the invasion of Cambodia and the Vietnam War. The National Guard was ordered to campus and began firing on students. Four students including two that were not part of the protest were killed and nine were injured. This only increased student activism as students began protesting about the Vietnam War, the invasion of Cambodia, and the Kent State shooting, leading to the largest college student strike in the history of the United States.
University of New Mexico The Kent State incident sparked many protests on college campuses throughout the entire United States, including at the University of New Mexico. As students at UNM learned about the Kent State shooting they joined in those protests and strikes.
Timeline
May 4, 1970 On May 4, 1970, actress and anti-Vietnam War activist Jane Fonda visited students at the University of New Mexico. Fonda encouraged students to engage in "non-violent and vigorous protest of Nixon's Cambodia policies." During Fonda's speech, students began planning a strike that was set to begin early on May 6, and created a list of demands for University President Ferrel Heady. After the speech, Fonda and about 150 students proceeded to march to Heady's home where they delivered their demands and protested late into the night. Following the protest, student body president Eric Nelson and The Daily Lobo editor Michael Blake formally encouraged students to participate in a strike with the purpose of protesting Nixon's invasion in Cambodia and the violent Kent State shooting that had happened earlier that day. The students adopted the theme "They Shoot Students, Don't They?" for the strike, a play on words reference to Fonda's star role in the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
May 5, 1970 In response to and in mourning of the Kent State shooting, the US flag on UNM campus was lowered to half staff. Around 12 pm, several hundred students gathered around the flag pole and debated whether or not the flag should be flown at half staff or raised to full staff. The debate lasted well into the afternoon with the flag being raised and lowered throughout the day until campus officials removed the flag at about 5 pm.
At about 10:30 pm, a group of 250–325 students marched to the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) building in protest of US military action in Cambodia. The group, which had been planning strike activities for the following day, decided that action was needed immediately despite pleas from student body president Eric Nelson to continue preparations for the strike until the following day. Upon arriving at the AFROTC building, ROTC members attempted to prevent protesters from entering the building. Their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful as 50–75 students occupied the building at approximately 12 am and removed those who were not part of the protest. Concerned about the occupation, New Mexico Governor David Cargo spoke with President Heady at some point during the night to discuss the potential need to send in the National Guard if the strike escalated. Students left the AFROTC building in the early morning after President Heady threatened to have students who occupied the building after 6 am arrested.
Throughout the day, efforts were made to bring awareness to the strike that would begin early May 6. Eric Nelson encouraged students to spread information about the planned strike and added his name to a petition with over 220 other student body presidents from universities across the country urging politicians to impeach Richard Nixon. Donald Burge, an editor in the student run newspaper The Daily Lobo, published an editorial that would print the next morning calling for student participation in the strike and threatened that the strike was "the last nonviolent protest that can be made....If Nixon does decide that killing, and the rape of the countryside must continue, we are perfectly willing and perfectly capable to bring that violence and that rape home."
May 6, 1970 At 7 am, Glen Anglese, a Vietnam War veteran and student at UNM, called police to report that protestors had raised a "strike or 'unity' banner depicting three upraised, clenched fists" to the flag pole where the US flag was usually flown. By 11 am that banner had been removed by the Albuquerque Fire Department and burned by students who wanted the US flag flown at full staff. Debates about flying the US flag from the previous day were reignited, this time escalating to fist fights. UNM student body president Eric Nelson and vice president Frank Lihn attempted to stop the fighting at around noon by removing the flag entirely. Later, Andy Lucero and a group of students raised the flag to full staff, claiming that campus police had approved the raising of the flag once again. They guarded the flag to ensure that it would not be lowered, and were attacked by five protesters with knives. Three people, including Rex Sewell (stabbed in the upper back), Jerry Buckner (stabbed in the back twice), and Galand Coffman (stabbed in the neck and back) were injured and taken to the hospital. Five men including David Bookert, Ernest Malry, Sam Johnson, Donald Walton, and Eddie Segears were charged with aggravated battery but the charges were later dropped due to difficulty prosecuting the case. The incident caused University President Ferrel Heady to consider closing the university campus due to the potential for more violence.
Throughout the day, approximately 800 protesters participated in the university strike. They first met at the Student Union Building where student body president Eric Nelson spoke to students and reminded them "We must use peaceful means of communication without the bias of violence." The students moved to the anthropology building where they stopped an exam from being administered. Josh Sager, a student, promised his fellow protesters that "We're going to keep protesting until we get out of Cambodia." At around 3 pm, the students moved back to the Student Union Building where they formally occupied the building. The regents viewed this student occupation as being about more than simply student grievances related to Cambodia and the Vietnam War, it was also a battle of "student power versus regent power." Campus officials then decided to close UNM as a precautionary measure until Monday, May 11, but allowed students to continue to occupy the Student Union Building after talking with State Police Head of Intelligence Major Hoover Wimberly and deciding that students did not pose a serious threat at that time.
Later, in the evening, witnesses reported seeing William Lee Stone intentionally ramming his vehicle into groups of protesters walking on campus. Four people were injured, including Michael Montgomery who was thrown onto the vehicle and experienced head injuries. All four were taken to the hospital but released the same day. Stone fled from the scene but turned himself in later that night.
May 7, 1970 Students continued to occupy the Student Union Building throughout May 7 and UNM remained closed. Although the strike continued, May 7 was calm compared to the violence that had occurred the day before. Students planned to march in downtown Albuquerque to the Sandia Corporation. This was proposed by student body president Eric Nelson, who said the company was a "major link in the nation's defense research." Other possible march locations included the Kirtland Air Force Base and the Federal Building. Those two sites would eventually become march locations later in the week.
That day, a group of 15 students traveled to Santa Fe to talk with Governor Cargo about the student strike. He promised that the National Guard would not be sent to the university campus unless the protest turned violent and destructive.
May 8, 1970 On the morning of May 8, 1970, UNM President Ferrel Heady met with the Board of Regents to discuss the student strike and occupation of the Student Union Building. The Board decided to file a court order to force students to leave the Student Union Building in the interest of preventing damage to the building and property. Although the order provided for the use of force to clear the building, the UNM Board of Regents did not request that the National Guard be sent, instead opting for campus and city police. Students learned about the court order at about 8:45 am, and Heady visited the Student Union Building at about 10 am, asking students to voluntarily clear the building.
At 11 am, about 300 of the protesters occupying the Student Union Building left to participate in a previously scheduled march in downtown Albuquerque. The protesters marched from UNM campus to the Federal Building, from there to Robinson Park, and finally back to the Student Union Building. During the march, students from Albuquerque High School appeared to initially join the march but instead began throwing rocks at protesters. Police intervened by creating a barrier between the two groups, shielding the marchers, and threatening to use tear gas on the high school students. One marcher was hospitalized after being hit by a rock.