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Description:
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John Carson was a business owner and a resident of Kent in 1970. He had been mayor of the City of Kent from 1966 to 1969, was a pharmacist, and owned a large drugstore, W. H. Donaghy, in downtown Kent. He was downtown on Friday, May 1, 1970, when the unrest began and he relates what he saw in the early evening: antiwar activists were giving speeches, motorcyclists were downtown, and he describes the mood among people in the bars and on the streets. He then goes on to describe what he witnessed later in the evening as law enforcement personnel were attempting to drive crowds of people back east on Main Street towards the Kent State campus and also discusses the burning of the ROTC building. He describes in depth the way the city reacted to the crisis and analyzes it from his perspective as former mayor. He discusses the various law enforcement personnel that were called in, what he would have done differently, and is firm in his conviction that, if he had been mayor in 1970, the shootings could have been avoided. He describes his experience testifying before the Scranton Commission. He also discusses relations between the city and the University, city government, and the City of Kent's economic development, providing additional background and context for the events of May 1-4, 1970. |