Kent State, May 4, 1970: America Kills Its Children

[amzingjourney]

i feel bad for the victims, but understand that they were throwing rocks and glass at the guard. They burnt a building down. It was not a peaceful protest. You people spit on our troops and feel offended when your own best interests are more important than students trying to safely get to class. Tell both sides of the story

[Tarten46]

@amzingjourney im a vet and despise liberals. ive studied this extensivelly thru my old, tired, law enforcement eyes. cold blooded murder is what this is.

[ScooterpupReljac]

Those kids would still be alive if they hadn't been stupid enough to provoke the National Guard with violence....they were the cause of their own deaths. America did not kill its children as this stupid title says.

[MrDevonDonaldson]

@ScooterpupReljac they were unarmed, citiation needed on the violence.

[thegnomeidentity]

first,i am encouraged by the intelligence and dignity of the top comments etc.next,i would like to express a certain distaste at seeing some trying to draw parallels with oakland ows.bravo to cardsguy 4 seeing thru the veil.this is nothing like oakland, which i feel was a small carefully media-crafted and staged event, complete with actors.just my opinion

[itsadeadmansparty]

Apartheid

4 Dead in Ohio

A Government who really cares about his peoples

[cardsguy76]

It does make me wonder that with member of offshoots of the OWS movement instigating incidents with Oakland Police, caling them 'pigs" and "cheap bastards" and incidents elsewhere are members of OWS and their offshoot also looking for a "Kent State moment" to push their cause. And YES, the recent , deranged White House shooter was an 'Occupy' supporter.

[caveman1968]

@cardsguy76 sticks and stones will break your bones but police in riot gear will fuck you up for calling them names. some professionals huh?. in my city the police actually ran an add in local paper saying they werent our babysitters, not their problem if someone stole our stuff, (lock it up better) they dont care if your spouse is cheating, they arent here to provide protection for your bad decisions. it was on the national news, they quickly retracted, my tax dollars at work. saddddd

[scottsonofwayne]

wake up people...it's starting all over again

[flyyspit]

HANG**



[flyyspit]

KISSINGER needs to HAND by the neck til DEAD..

[crysta555]

America did not kill its children, the government killed them. Give them a few more weeks of OWS and they will murder them all too. Watch and learn America. You didn't learn in 1970 the heartless bastards that run America are still there, in the dark and secret societies told you by John Kennedy himself in his last speech before they had him murdered as well to shut him up. Wake up America. How many must die for the blood lust of our satanic government?

[jayess82]

I wonder what would've happened if they had done what they were told?

[andrelebaron]

fuck these idiots. ONce he crossed into Cambodia Nixon should have attacked the NVA instead of just wiping out their supplies.

[revhowardgoss]

They should have killed a whole bunch more of them. America would have been better off. Read "Slouching Toward Gommorrah" by Robert Bork.

[THEBURNINGTIGERS]

@revhowardgoss They shyoud have killed you, then america would be better off.

[charagma12]

Flash Forward to 2011. Occupy Longview.

[CeCeA1990]

What a waste of life. However, these kids were not killed for their opinions. They were killed because they were with people who resorted to violence when facing resistance. Many of the protesters refused to remain peaceful. How ironic it is that people protesting violence are so quick to resort to violence to force their opinions on others who don't agree. Remember that most of these frightened guardsmen were no older than the students throwing projectiles and burning down buildings.

[KentuckFan]

@CeCeA1990 Yes, people were indeed targeted for their opinions against this god awful war. You are sadly naive about what can happen to an innocent person for exercising their freedom of expression & speech to speak up against power in the USA. Did you see any one acting violent in this video? No. You did not. Yet a large group of unarmed U.S. citizens were fired on. Just like in Oakland this past week. You have to be VERY brave to be an activist--both bodily & psychologically.

[CeCeA1990]

@KentuckFan That's just foolish. You pick up a rock, a brick, a smoke bomb, a stick....that, my friend is a weapon, and those young troops were fired upon. All the tape reels show this and my sister in law was actually there. I had friends who were who's father was on the jury when the guard was on trial. They lived in terror with threats of violence. I was there the day a rock came through their window threatening arson from these innocent peaceful activists. YOU are invincibly ignorant.

[Tarten46]

@CeCeA1990 oh you mean the revolver siezed from the fbi snitch with two spent rounds that magically disappeared. the pictures dont lie gun,snitch, ohio state troopers, national guard, all inspecting the open cylinder all photographed together. guns s/n traced to the documented gov payed informant. kinda has that fast-n-furious smell to it.

[RonPauL4America2012]

before you decide to post judgement on the Kent State Protestors you should read the full story of the days before leading to that day then you will understand it. dept kent "dot" edu may4/chrono

[RonPauL4America2012]

Aware of bayonet injuries of the previous evening, students immediately ran away from the attacking National Guardsmen

[RonPauL4America2012]

Ohio's Assistant Adjutant General Robert Canterbury, an army jeep was driven in front of the assembled students. The students were told by means of a bullhorn to disperse immediately. Students responded with jeers and chants. When the students refused to disperse, Canterbury ordered the guardsmen to disperse them. Approximately 116 men, equipped with M-1 rifles and tear gas, formed a skirmish line towards the students.

[RonPauL4America2012]

A really good read about this giving you a more in depth look at what was really going on can be read here.....not a conspiracy...FACT.....dept kent dot edu may4 chrono

[martinmp91]

how many people were killed or injured by the protesters (or violent rioters as some of you claim)?

how many protesters and innocent bystanders were killed or injured by the guardsmen?

I don't care that the guard were kids themselves, last time I checked being 20 years old was never an excuse for murder

[wynn1960]

The campus Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) building (which had already been scheduled for demolition) was set on fire, but it was never attributed to the peaceful protesters on the hill in front of Taylor Hall. In fact, in the years since, it has been suggested that it was most likely set by an "agent provocateur" in the employ of either the Federal or State Government.

[wynn1960]

@TheNorthernSoulKing So get your facts straight little man. Anyone can be a laptop gangster spouting idiotic, and obviously false nonsense. Is that who you are? Probably not since you took the time to watch this video and write your comment. Get it right the next time brother. Peace.

[TheNorthernSoulKing]

@wynn1960 Those are the facts

[KentuckFan]

@TheNorthernSoulKing I was at the protests on my campus, U of Kentucky, a few days after Kent State. As a 20 yr old sophomore I recall looking down the barrel of a rifle ptd at me by National Guardsman. Our ROTC building was also set afire. Years later an ivestigation found that gov officials had had that building burned. Students had NOT done it. No one was in it at the time. It was at night. Phones melted in neighboring dorm. Vietnam vets were also at ours, protesting against the war.

[TheNorthernSoulKing]

@KentuckFan Im just saying the protests should have gone to that effect that they had to destroy buildings which had nothing to do with protesting they could have done it peacefully

[KentuckFan]

@TheNorthernSoulKing You did not read my entire comment. An investigation done years later concluded UK's ROTC buildng was NOT burned by students & other protesters. It was ordered burned by a high level official in the GOVERNMENT. (Lexington Herald Leader story). Current OccupyWallSt protesters are very savy re: deliberate provocateurs posing as protesters giving police an EXCUSE to violate civil rights of US citizens, even fire upon them, which has happened lots this past week!

[revhowardgoss]

@KentuckFan I have two words for you. The first is HOG. The second is WASH.

[THEBURNINGTIGERS]

@revhowardgoss You want to talk about who's slouching. Its conservatives like you, the most apathetic people today are the pro war, pro law enforcement conservatives. You all believe anything the Gov or mainstream media tells you and you never question, all your masters have to do is dangle fear of terrorism or crime in front of your noses and you’re willing to sign away your rights and send your sons to die without even asking why.

[PostToastie]

@TheNorthernSoulKing

Some rocks had been thrown, and some tear gas canisters fired by the Guard had been hurled back, but (though some of the Guardsmen certainly must know the truth) no-one has ever been able to establish why the Guard fired when they were seconds away from safety around the corner of the building.

None had been injured worse than a minor bruise, no demonstrators were armed, there was simply nothing threatening them that justified an armed and murderous response.

[JibbaMahnfeet]

I fear a similar outcome from one of the "occupy" protests. Will America kill its children again?

[sgtcrab1]

The Guard were and still are ill trained and ill led. They "distinguished" themselves again at Abu Graib. US Army 65-58.

[KIRA87451]

打了某些人士的脸

[ScottMacFie]

The moral of the story? Don't throw rocks and bottles and people with guns. 

[JuliusIsMe]

America is a free speech country?! More like the united states of china.

[harleyrider11488]

i lived in stow 5 minutes from kent. ive been there many times and its a sad place to visit.

[mmmmmska]

anyone who can shoot at someone thats unarmed is a coward

[RonPauL4America2012]

Anyone who thinks these students were being awful is out of your mind.

Take a look at the Rodney King riots, then look at this. You tell me which is worse.

And those of you who put us down well there is allot of horrible stuff that happens to other countries to. The Government had no business killing those students, Look at the stuff that is going on today. .

[bungdup]

The Kent State video footage should help people bear in mind what's happening in Syria, Yemen, and many parts of the middle east right now that -aren't- getting as much exposure as the unrest in North Africa. They're going through scenes like this on a daily basis over there, and all because they want the simple freedom to choose their leaders that we take for granted.

I, for one, hope that they can take down their oppressors with western help, rather than western intervention.

[TheJer1963]

A lot of people forget these National Guard troops were just kids themselves.

College kids. You need to visit the site to understand. I live 15 minutes from Kent State and I still go to remember.

[wynn1960]

@TheJer1963 I don't usually respond to comments upon my videos, but I would like to thank you for voicing your opinion in such a human and respectful manner. Well done. You are absolutely correct in stating the fact that the National Guard that horrible day was comprised of people the same age as the people they were shooting.

[waypastprime]

@wynn1960 BUT. There should have been NO LIVE AMMO there. A balanced response was in order. This was a bad day for the USA, and the parents of the young men and women killed or wounded should have a very big ugly chip on their shoulders.... forever. This was not warranted, or even called for. I am an old man, I remember this day vividly. It was AMerican Military firing on unarmed American citizens... This is common today, but in the 70's it was dictator-like.

[buckandotis]

@wynn1960 .....with all due respect,they were armed with loaded mi garrands and led by officers who presumably had some experience in the field....no matter how you slice it there was no justification for opening fire...most written accounts,and all of the film indicates that the students were no threat to the troops....i find it interesting that so many are willing to condone firing on students....two of those who were killed were not part of the protest,but walking farther away when shot

[smackyo]

@TheJer1963 Kids or not they should be properly trained before they get a gun put in their hands. How anyone even this day and age can listen to Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and not feel anything but rage is beyond me.

[markdubeau]

I don't like how people in other countries give rise and think that we are lacking in freedom because of this. This happened in 1970, over 40 years ago. We are not proud of this, in the slightest. This is a very dark day in American history, it was a time of civil unrest and Government trust issues. This is history, as bloody and sad as it is. If this were to happen today, that the military were to open on unarmed civilians on US soil, the State would send in the Guard and civil war would start.

[XOneThat]

Solution….when the cops say go home, you go home!

Enough said.

[tampaxkidd]

@XOneThat cant u use ur opinion in a public place without bein shot? so freeee!!!!!!!!!

[XOneThat]

@tampaxkidd Im just saying it didnt seem to work out so well for these guys.

[conijoo]

@XOneThat You're a moron!.

[XOneThat]

@conijoo

Kids who dont listen - 0

Cops with guns - 4

...and Im the moron

[conijoo]

@XOneThat Life it's not a score, and yes , you are.

[XOneThat]

@conijoo dont be bitter.... Im just stating a fact. If they went home, they would not have been shot. If you'd like, you go ahead and make it personal though. Whatever veers from the facts, I guess.

[wynn1960]

@XOneThat Thanks for not being overly disrespectful to your fellow YouTube commenter's. Truly. I understand that there are differing opinions about this tragic day, cause, effect, and so on. Please remember that this is a tribute video that I made to just remembering young people being murdered by soldiers for doing nothing more than protesting what they and I, consider to have been an unjust war.

[XOneThat]

@wynn1960 I, by no means, disagree with you. I am in fact appalled at the events that unfolded that day…it was a crime and completely unnecessary. I think we have all had “that bad feeling” in our guts. That feeling that says, “it’s time to leave.” It seems to me that feeling must have been there in their stomachs that day.

Its just some people (I won’t name names) just like to name call and be BITTER :)

Nice job on the video...well done

[conijoo]

@XOneThat Americans way back : "give me freedom or give me death" Americans now : " meeh just go home and watch TV.

[XOneThat]

@conijoo And the best part is....we're FREE to watch any channels we want!!!

[conijoo]

@XOneThat ok, you're retarded, I'm done typing to you.

[XOneThat]

@conijoo round and round we go....you should have never started!

[XOneThat]

@conijoo round and round we go....you should have never started! Ever heard, "dont start nothing, there wont be nothing." Next time you open your big trap and try to insult...think it through

[4y6857b]

@XOneThat Consider these facts:There was no reason for them to go homeThe college was not shut downClasses were in sessionThe Guardsmen had already been on riot duty elsewhere for 12to16 hrs w/o a break b4 being trucked to KS.It was a warm day,they were in full field uniform w/gas masks onThe shooting occurred when classes let out creating a sudden unexpected(by the Guardsmen)influx of thousands of students onto the quadAt least 1 of those killed was an ArmyROTC student exiting a classroom.

[XOneThat]

@4y6857b I agree with you, I do...and from what they say, they were even being orderly about it (depending on who you ask.) but there was indeed a time when they were told by the armed soldiers to leave. Surely that sinking feeling had to be there in their stomachs...the one that says, "You should go."

Write or wrong, it would have saved lives. Even with 4 dead, it was still swept under the rug. Like nothing ever happened. In my opinion going home would have had the same outcome just no deaths

[4y6857b]

@XOneThat I hear you saying that,if the demonstrators had left the area, tensions would have diminished,the G'men would have relaxed and the sudden rush of students leaving class would not have triggered the shooting.Yes,I can accept that as a reasonable possible scenario.

[XOneThat]

@4y6857b Thank you....some one gets it!

[flashkaput]

Was it just me or was this not much of a hot topic in the month of May 2011 in mainstream media? Barely a squeak it seemed.

Whatt a disgrace.

[preciousjules19]

this video footage is great, i am doing a project on kent state and i wasn wondering if i could use this, do you know where i could find it on the internet or do you think you could email me the video not on youtube?

[cheeriosinabowl]

This happened during that rotten Viet Nam war. Not a peacfule time in the USA.

Even now .... the wars still ravage on, just in different places.

[attra91]

I was in country (Nam) when Kent State went down. I recall thinking why the hell are these people getting there selves killed for me doing what I volunteered for? Back then I did not care for a lot of my own people much. You will never understand unless you came home from a war and were spit on and called a bunch of crap names. As the years have passed I have grown to understand what they were trying to do but still think they went about it the wrong way. Please support our troops.

[slobomotion]

I have so much to say . . . I was there.

[terrialan3]

how is that bush cunt sorry7

[sj176]

THEY R BRAVE for not getting the hell out of their

that is sooo against the constitution tryin to the their righrt bastereds

[cclauer]

God bless you Mr. Krause..this was a massacre by our military...killing children.

[gigwalnutz1]

Now these fags run what's left of this once great nation. Kinda makes you think, they should have all been killed. You look around this country now, and you don't recognise anything anymore. If you go to beirut or if you go to any large city in the states, you can't tell the difference! These pieces of shit had everything to do with the destruction of this country and should never be forgiven for it!! And you're paying tribute? Look what we have for "president" now! R.I.P.AMERICA

[bk5470]

@gigwalnutz1 Go intercourse yourself. The destruction of this country is being caused by the hateful POS like yourself, whose bravest act in their life is to post something on a site like you have - You are a coward unlike those who faced armed military with only the courage of the knowledge that the President was a criminal and the war immoral.

Bob Kahl

[sj176]

@gigwalnutz1 u talkin bout bush rite

[terrialan3]

@sj176 how is it bush?

[littlewolf60]

Good old tricky Dick Nixon.

[BinnorieButterfly]

To all victims of violence: REST IN PEACE.

Also, what song is this? It sounds like Sigur Rós...

[shaykeogh]

ironic, stopwar with violence

[tampaxkidd]

@shaykeogh i think the tear gas couldv pissed some ppl off. its not needed

[hi262779]

'Land of the free'

[reemstrrr]

same shit is happening in iraq now bud the us media is smart enuf not to show it

so massife protests like this dont happen and the coverment can happely fight there child killing wars

[jeandodge67]

Governor Rhodes wanted to look tough for the law and order vote.

Kids old enough to be drafted but not vote wanted to protest a bad war.

This 16mm film footage shows the second half of a 13 second cowardly and murderous volley fired at unarmed kids. Look closely at 1:46-1:52 and you will see the men of Troop G raise their rifles up having finished killing four and wounding nine students, some of whom were simply walking to class, and all of whom were very far away and no danger to anyone.

[Danieljs54]

There was no massacre, just a bunch of kids destroying that which was not theirs to begin with. They should have sent half of the whole army.

[katherine232]

@Danieljs54 You really are a prick aren't you! Really into property and violence. "When one threatens a life the same one forfeits theirs" Did you make that one up all by yourself or did you read it in some pseudo religious comic?

[reemstrrr]

@katherine232 (When one threatens a life the same one forfeits theirs)

whahaah he stole that from the call of duty game XD

[Danieljs54]

The fact is is that many were threatening the lives of the soldiers and they defended themselves against a mob which had no business being or doing where it was at. They should have went to the streets. A campus is for learning, not rioting.

[brandnewyork48]

@Danieljs54 yes, the students' behaviour probably was reckless but at the same time these were unarmed students just beginning their lives, two that were shot dead weren't even protesting.

[katherine232]

@Danieljs54 Quote " They should have went to the streets. A campus is for learning, not rioting." Oh so the reason that you are quite O.K. that four people were executed for having the temerity to suggest that carpet bombing half of S.E.Asia and killing and maiming tens of thousands of civilians was immoral is because they were protesting in the wrong place.

[Qopel]

@Danieljs54 Oh, but a campus is for armed soldiers to shoot at unarmed civilians? What "business" did the National Guard have on the campus? Their lives wouldn't have been threatened, as you alledge, if they hadn't shown up to begin with!

[pauldrake2511]

fact no one was ever prosicuted for these murders.there is no statute of limitation on murder open it back up! arrest the murderers!they too k a allegiance of oath never to fire on unarmed americans and broke it.eric holder heres your chance to rectify an injustice .

[Danieljs54]

@pauldrake2511

When one threatens a life, that same one forfeits theirs. The students should have been prosecuted and expelled for causing all the trouble to begin with. They had no business and no right setting fires anywhere.

[nmsulefty]

@Danieljs54 You are probably the meat head who would cry for the poor Iranian students standing up to the Iranian regime, saying let them be heard. You right wing nuts are nothing but a bunch of hot air.

[r0llskyay0]

@nmsulefty

you dont think the iranians should be free? you should check out "reading lolita in tehran", because obviously you have no background on this issue. any side with the term "regime" postifxed to its name should not be the side you choose, dumb bastard

[nmsulefty]

@r0llskyay0 No, the Iranians should be free. I am for it. I would love to Ahmadinejad tossed out on his rear. We all say let the people be heard and respected. It seems that the right wing hear when it comes to dissent or protest seem to cheer the police or in the case of kent state on to shoot. Some here said the national guard should have opened up on all of them. So all in all why in the view point of some on the right is dissent ok around the world but here is treason.

[FluxRostrum]

amazing footage

[wksufreshair]

GREAT edit what the music???

[1502Tia]

reminds me of Iran...

[TednGilbertAZ]

Never ever forget - and prayerfully, never ever repeat.

[katsluvr]

We must never forget what happened on that tragic day. Thank you for this video.

[candicecarla]

This is intense, I've never seen this much video.

[Danieljs54]

@candicecarla

Yes, don't make the mistake of allowing students to protest on campus. It is not their property. It did not solve anything.