If not for the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation, there would probably be some sort of event at Kent State on May 4, 2020, to mark the 50th anniversary of the deaths of four students who were protesting the military actions of former President Richard Nixon.
There was a small but solemn ceremony at the school, where a professor rang a bell on the minute that the shots were fired.
Kent State professor rang Victory Bell at 12:24 when shots were fired at unarmed students 50 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/SzDbtJ80fJ
— Tom Withers (@twithersCLE) May 4, 2020
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) commemorated the occasion by ordering the flags to be flown at half-staff.
DeWine wrote on Twitter, “In honor of the lives of those killed and injured and those whose lives were forever altered by the tragedy of May 4, 1970, at [Kent State], U.S. and [Ohio] flags shall be flown at half-staff upon all state-owned buildings throughout at 12:24 pm until sunset.”
And, at the Ohio Statehouse, the flags were lowered.
https://twitter.com/Kevin10TV/status/1257344638274461698?s=20
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) wrote of the tragedy on Twitter, “50 years ago, our nation was rocked when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protesters at Kent State, killing 4 and injuring 9 others. We must never forget that freedom of speech and the right to assemble are the lifeblood of our democracy.”
50 years ago our nation was rocked when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protestors at #KentState, killing 4 and injuring 9 others. We must never forget that freedom of speech and the right to assemble are the lifeblood of our democracy. https://t.co/aBiA3cisBr
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) May 4, 2020
The Kent State shootings became embedded in the fiber of the American psyche and had a huge influence on the music of the era. On May 4, 1970, 28 members of the National Guard fired around 67 rounds into a crowd of protesters.
The protests were the result of Nixon’s move to invade Cambodia.
50 years ago today, Richard Nixon launched a U.S. invasion of Cambodia that sparked a wave of campus protest culminating in the May 4, 1970, massacre of 4 students at Kent State. My column on why the shooting still echoes today will drop this afternoon — stay tuned pic.twitter.com/upZIIJ2oaB
— Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social (@Will_Bunch) April 30, 2020
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, who was present at the shootings, told Rolling Stone on the 50th Anniversary, “It was a long time ago but the reason it is so important and should be remembered is because history repeats itself — and we are as divided as a country now as we were then.”
He added, “The solution then, as it is now, is to be able to peacefully assemble and understand each other and accept our differences, without fear, without hatred, without violence.”
