More 1968!

[herron]

Found a whole bunch of negatives tonight, along with some old prints and transparencies (it's the reason I am still up at 2:30 in the morning!)

www.mamiya35collectors.com/cops at DPL68-b.jpg[/img]

This was a shot of the Detroit Mounted Police, on the back lawn of the Detroit Public Library. A short time after this photo was taken, they were joined by several other mounted patrolmen, and they actually charged across Cass Avenue, to break up a student demonstration that had gotten out of hand on the Wayne State University campus!

Shot in 1968 with a Mamiya 1000DTL on Plus-X pan.

Oh! Am I going to have fun looking through these! ;D

[luke]

These were dark days indeed.

Luke

[herron]

I'm still looking for some of the other images from the same day as the shot of the mounted police.

Somewhere I have images of the anti-war demonstration, which got ugly enough to have the police and their horses charge into the crowd. They include shots of burning flags (and the plural is intentional...and a long story), a fistfight, and even a hook-and-ladder fire truck!

I can't seem to find the sleeve of negatives that has all the shots I remember, but I'm still looking!

[John Parry]

Hi Ron,

I categorically agree - 1968 was a very, very good year. My football team won the league championship for one thing! Will dig out a photograph of my return from the final match of the season (will need to get to grips with Photoshop first for that one!)

On the subject of police horse charges... Two years before 1968, we got promoted from the second division as champions. After the final game, many of the supporters assembled around the main entrance to the stadium, hoping to get a glimpse of our heroes going home. You couldn't have had a more good humoured crowd - they were singing and chanting (as you do on these occasions!). The next thing we knew was a loud drumming noise, approaching rapidly down the road. The local police force had decided that the crowd were getting too boisterous, and the whole of the mounted police division charged at full speed into the crowd, swinging their batons.

Amazingly, I never heard of any injuries worse than bruises and scrapes as a result of that evening, but it was one of the scariest experiences I have had.

At the end of the day, I was there. I know there was absolutely no justification for what happened. I have thought about it at some length, and the only conclusion I have reached is that the police took the opportunity to get some practice of ultimate riot control at the expense of a good-natured crowd who were unlikely to write to their MPs.

Surprising what you remember after forty years!!

Regards - John

[herron]

johnrparry said:

...1968 was a very, very good year. My football team won the league championship for one thing!...

John:
By football I assume you mean what folks this side of the pond refer to as soccer? Isn't that the game in England where there is always a riot? (at least, that's what the papers here - when they bother reporting about the game at all - tell us)! Makes my blood boil!

I used to get a channel where I could watch delayed English Premier League games, and I watched it all the time, but it was dropped by my local cable company!

I don't know if you ever saw one of my early posts, showing the U-19 team I helped coach to the Premier Division I championship here in Michigan, a little over 15 years ago!


The dark haired kid (first arrow) is my oldest...he was 19 at the time, and a very good right wing...the blonde kid (2nd arrow) is my middle son...only 16 at the time, and playing "up" three years...and a very good center mid. Both won First Team All-League honors that year. The ugly old guy with the beard (3rd arrow) is yours truly. Once upon a time, I used to play, too...a keeper (no honors, just a lot of bruises and broken fingers)

For nine seasons, I was also a certified FIFA ref...one of the old, original, despised by at least half the crowd, no matter what, men in black! LOL ;D