Under the heading "Sister Stomp,"
he poster read "More and more wo—
\en are fighting on the right side now.
hey are realizing the strength with—
n themselves and in women who are
ree and complete human beings, fight—
.ng out of love for all the people."

And finally, "All these wars are
?eally one big war. People refuse
go have their countries run by the U.S.
any more, and that is what the war is
all about."

Weatherman movement centers opened
Wednesday at three locations. Demon—
strators from Wisconsin, Michigan,

New York, and New England reported to
Garret Theological Seminary in Even—
ston, those from New York City, Ohio,
and Pennsylvania assembled at the
University Disciple Church in Hyde
Park, and groups from Illinois, In—
diana, Colorado, and Pacific North—
west, Washington, D.C., and the South
originally intending to form at St.
Luke's Lutheran Church, moved into

the gymnasiwn of McCormick Theological
Seminaryw The group at McCormick, led
by the Chicago SDS collictive, was to
be by far the largest contingent.

Youths arrived prepared for street
action. Nearly everyone carried some
kind of a helmet, many were holding
wooden clubs and other weapons, and a
Baltimore group brought more than a
score of gas masks. Men and women
alike were dressed in combat boots,
jeans, and heavy, protective clothing.

The Chicago police were prepared
as well. Unmarked cars and plainclothes
men continuously patrolled the area
while another unit systematically
read license numbers into a tape re—
corder.

Security guards were immediately
stationed by the Weathermen. Every
person entering the centers had all
possissions thoroughly scrutinized,
down to every identification card in
their wallets, and each person was care—
fully frisked. All weapons were left
at the "security desk" and no one was
allowed to possess illegal drugs
Only those prepared to "run with us in
the street” were allowed to enter and
even representatives of the under—
ground press were barred admittance.
Items confiscated included a can of
lighter fluid, a scissors, and a butane
cigarette lighter.

At one point, several underground
photographers tried to get in and an
hour long debate followed between the
photographers and leaders of the Chi—
cago collective. The leaders objected
to the photographers because "if you're
carrying a camera you can't fight and
that's what we're here for." "It's all
which side you are on, because if you're
not fighting with us, you're fighting
against us, no matter what else you
are doing."

The photographers objected, pointing
out that they felt it necessary to
have a "medic present, in order to build
the movement."

You can't talk about the movement,
because we have to crush the movement
to build the revolution," one leader
told them. "The movement only cos
opts people and you aren't going to
bring down 'the man' by some pansy—ass
demonstration."

Page f 9%

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"We start to build a red army by fight beg

ing in the streets now. We're going
to knock the pig on his ass in those
streets. Sure there's going to be pigs
hitting people like before, but this
time there's going to be people hit»
ting pigs."

”The focal point is here in Chi—
cago. We've got to show people that
white kids are willing to fight on the
side of black people and on the side
of revolution around the world. If
you‘re not going to fight then you‘re
not part of us. It‘s as simple as
that."

*************

Simultaneously, the Revolutionary
Youth Movement II (RYM—II) faction,
working in a tenuous coalition with
the Black Panthers and Young Lords
a militant Puerto Rican organization,
opened their movement center, located
at

The RIM—II group had also estab~
lished a tight security operation, sim,
ilar to the Weathermen, although not
as thorough .

Inside the church, demonstraters
were briefed on scheduled events and
given information for emergency medi—
cal service and legal service that
would be provided during the Chicago
action. Individuals filled out cards
with information on emergency contacts
for bail if they were arrested and
leadership members advised youths to
get tetanus shots if necessary.

The first RIM—II action was not
planned until the following day and
organizational meetings were to be
held that night and the following mor—
ning. The RYM—II program called for a
series of "disciplined, militant ac—
tions" around the city. A rally at
the Federal Building, site of the Con-
spiracy Trial, was planned for Thurs—
day, to be followed by a demonstration
at the International Harvester plant
that afternoon. Also scheduled were a
rally at Cook County Hospital on Fri-
day afternoon and a mass march Satur—
day through black, Latin, and working
class neighborhoods.

***********r*

By late Wednesday afternoon, prep—
arations for the Weatherman action
were underway at the McCormick Semin—
ary. In an atmosphere that lies some—
where between a National Guard armory
and a football lockerroom, grim-faced
radicals checked their first aid kits,
tried on helmets, and adjusted straps
on gas masks. In one corner, a group
discussed the effects of different
kinds of tear gas.

Youths wrote key phone numbers on
their arms and several people were
carefully polishing goggles.

At about 5:00 two people entered
carrying 2x2 wooden poles about five
feet in length. Viet Cong flags were
affixed to one end. In a voice not un—
like that of an army drill instructor,
a leader announced, "We are now going
to learn how to smash pigs. Listen
up!” He then proceded to give a short
demonstration in various techniques of
stick fighting: jab, lunge, thrust,
swing. "Always advance on your oppon—
ent, keep him moving back, surprise
him."

Soon, in groups of eight, people

an to practice the basic moves

some awkwardly, others with obvious
experience. Against walls, against
imaginary opponents — shouting as they
moved — the radicals swung their poles.
Others began to practice karate kicks
and judo holds.

By 6200 they were taning their
wrists and padding their arms. One
youth of about 17 said, to no one
in particular, "It's amazing that in
a couple of hours I might be dead."

Shortly after six the regional lea-
dership group arrived. It was ex—
plained that the contingent would
march to Lincoln Park, there to be
joined by the other groups at a rally
in honor of Che Guevara and Nguyen Van
Troi, a Vietnamese revolutionary.

From the rally, the group would then
move into the streets of Chicago and
"tear apart Pig City."

Leaders again went over medical
and legal information. A medical car
dre would be on the street, it was
explained. No one was to go to a
hospital except in extreme circumstan—
ces. "If you have anything short of a
mortal wound, you are expected to fight
on," said one leader. "We‘re going to
off (kill) the pig."

Leaders explained tha’ people'

should "run with their affinity group
of five or six people." The affinity

groups should stay together, and help
each other. The contingent was told
that national leadership would be at
the rallyaand that it was only then
that it would be announced exactly
what was to happen. The meeting _
then broke into affinity groups to
prepare for the action.

In Lincoln Park, a crowd of about
two hundred gathered in anticipation
of the rally scheduled for 7:30. A
fire was started with pieces of wood
torn from park benches. No uniformed
were in sight, although three hun~
dred were deployed in the area, over
one hundred of them stationed in the
nearby Lincoln Park Cultural Arts
Center. Several plainclothes officers
mingled with the crowd. One officer
later told newsmen he had thought
"maybe we won't even have to tell them
to leave."

After about an hours wait, 150
Weathermen arrived chanting "Ho, Ho,
Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Cong are going
to win." This was the McCormick Con—
tingent. As the helmeted marchers appA
reached the bonfire, one elderly gents
leman asked who they were. From somes
where in the crowd came the answer,
"It's the riot squad, 92: riot squad."

As the rally got underway, a girl
with a bullhorn, one of the leaders of
the Chicago Collective, proclaimed
"This rally is to honor the memory of
Che Guevara and Nguyen Van Troi. And
the way to honor them, there is only
one way, is to move into the streets
and tear the city apart."

She went on to explain that the
group \puld wait until the groups from
the other movement centers arrived and
then move out to "tear down the mother
country." The other contingents did not
arrive immediately and the intervening
time was filled with speeches, songs

.errVuani

 

