Allen Building Crisis: Tape #2 / Silent Vigil (1968) and Allen Building Takeover (1969) Audio Recordings / Duke Digital Repository

B.J.

Tried to debilitate anybody else

0:02

in this goddamned world.

0:04

This is something that should be done,

0:06

and we've tried in every other way within our power

0:08

to get the man to understand what our demands are.

0:12

They're not unreasonable,

0:16

they don't take two and a half years to realize.

0:17

We're not planning on anything like at Columbia,

0:20

that's his bag, he figured that out, he made that up.

0:23

He's trying, look, he's, who called the pigs?

0:25

He called the pigs in!

0:29

He called the pigs in because he thinks

0:31

that's the thing to do!

0:33

-

You mean Dr. Knight?

B.J.

Dr. Knight, if he called them in, yes.

0:35

We didn't call any pigs in.

0:38

We understood one thing.

0:39

We've occupied a building, we're asking for

0:41

our final demands that were presented

0:44

two and a half years ago!

0:48

Who made a Columbia?

0:51

We didn't make any goddamned Columbia.

0:53

We didn't, the only thing that we're doing here,

0:54

he created.

0:58

What comes out of this, he created.

0:59

We didn't create anything.

1:02

You can't kick people around and treat 'em like dogs

1:04

and expect they're going to stay here amongst these people

1:06

and live like dogs all their lives,

1:09

and expect to say, "Thank you, White Man," no.

1:12

We're not gonna stay here and say "Thank you, White Man."

1:15

We're saying, "White Man, give us what is ours!"

1:18

He brought us here, didn't he?

1:24

Now, we're asking him, when he brought us here,

1:27

he said he would give us what we needed.

1:30

He ain't given us a goddamned thing!

1:32

He's put us here like a bunch of dogs.

1:35

Just, go for yourself, go for yourself!

1:39

How can you go for yourself when there's nothin' here?

1:41

-

Your name's Bernie, or what?

1:44

-

No, my name's not Bernie.

B.J., that's all.

1:47

Larry, you want to say something?

1:49

Larry

No, I don't wanna say nothin', but just,

1:51

come on baby, because we're ready for you, Jay.

1:53

All I wanna say, Don.

1:55

-

Thanks a lot.

Reporter

And supposedly,

2:01

these blacks that we see here --

2:02

(mic rustling)

2:05

Don

Alright, there was a faculty meeting this afternoon

2:07

starting at four o'clock in Baldwin Auditorium.

2:09

The ultimatum was read to the assembled faculty members.

2:15

A motion was made

2:18

that the ultimatum not take effect until the faculty

2:20

had time to deliberate upon it, at which point

2:23

Dr. Douglas Knight, the president of the university,

2:27

arrived at the faculty meeting,

2:29

and said that the,

2:31

the motion was out of order, since a process had already

2:34

been set in motion, and it could not be retired.

2:38

At this point, one of the faculty members

2:41

got up and moved that the meeting be adjourned,

2:46

since there's nothing they could do.

2:49

This motion was defeated, at which point,

2:51

approximately 50 members of the faculty who had voted

2:54

to adjourn the meeting walked out.

2:57

Further news, I am ignorant of, I'm afraid.

3:01

(tape stutters)

3:05

We're on.

3:10

Reporter

First of all, about the faculty meeting,

3:13

the concerned faculty meeting.

3:17

What actually transpired there,

3:19

and what was their final outcome, their decision?

3:22

Faculty Member

Concerned faculty decided to do

3:24

essentially two things.

3:26

First of all, the concerned faculty decided to pass

3:28

a petition seeking individual support.

3:31

In addition, it decided to offer certain resolutions

3:35

or amendments to resolutions

3:39

in the general faculty meeting.

3:42

Specifically, it planned to offer a resolution

3:45

urging the university to refrain from using violence.

3:49

Urging the university to refrain, specifically, from using

3:53

force to extract the students from Allen Building.

3:56

I can't tell you about the faculty member,

4:00

because I didn't go, Prof. Getter,

4:03

who's just around here, can, he did.

4:05

-

That's the large one?

4:08

-

Yes.

And evidently what happened is that

4:10

the university administration told the faculty

4:13

that even if it passed such a resolution,

4:16

that the administration would not honor it

4:18

if it felt that it should do otherwise.

4:20

Reporter

Are you going to sick this thing

4:23

out to the end?

4:25

-

Right to the end.

Reporter

And you've been in touch with the SLF

4:27

all along, correct?

4:29

-

Yes, but there's no

official connection.

4:31

It's just an individual commitment on my part.

4:32

We plan to stay until our

4:36

brothers and sisters inside

4:42

either come out, or they try to take 'em out.

4:43

Reporter

Does that include using force

4:48

on the students' part, or on your part?

4:50

Faculty Member

That includes ...

4:51

I would say, I don't plan to use force as an individual.

4:55

I plan to stand, and if I'm thrust aside

4:59

and I'm beaten up, then I'm thrust aside and I'm beaten up.

5:03

We don't plan, at this moment,

5:06

at least, I don't plan at this moment, to use any sort

5:08

of counter-force against the police.

5:10

-

Okay, anything else?

5:14

-

I can't think

of anything else.

5:17

-

Thank you very much.

Protester

And something in common with the other people

5:19

in the house ...

5:21

-

Owner,

what actually happened at the faculty meeting,

5:23

when Dr. Knight came in?

5:27

-

Well, we began by asking,

by rising to a point of information,

5:31

for confirmation on whether there was an ultimatum

5:34

to the students or not, and what the nature

5:37

of the ultimatum was.

5:39

-

Who issued that?

Getter

Who issued the ultimatum?

5:43

The provost.

5:44

It was actually a statement, but it contained an ultimatum.

5:47

The nature of the consequences were not specified,

5:51

but they were clearly implied.

5:55

Namely, that the building would be cleared out.

5:57

Later in the meeting, a question from the floor asked

6:00

whether the police were, in fact, being called in,

6:03

and the question was not answered from the Chair,

6:07

which again, would incline one to believe that

6:10

they were involved, at least, up to that point.

6:13

Now, after we got the statement read,

6:19

and we had about 10 or 15 minutes to go

6:25

before the ultimatum was to expire, at that point,

6:29

we then rose and offered a motion that

6:33

the faculty of Duke University request and direct

6:38

the president and provost to suspend the force

6:42

of that statement, until our deliberations were concluded.

6:47

This did not strike us as an unreasonable request

6:55

under the circumstances.

6:59

There was, at that point, as I say, a great deal

7:00

of urgency, since time was running out.

7:03

The Chair responded, at that point, by inviting

7:06

various officers of the university to explain the background

7:10

of this disturbance, it seemed to us, obviously,

7:15

with a view to stall things to a point that

7:19

the motion would be pointless.

7:23

There was a motion from the floor

7:28

calling for an end to debate,

7:32

that motion was ruled out of order by the president.

7:34

The president, at one point,

7:38

after that, said that even if the motion passed,

7:42

there are occasions where machinery is set in motion

7:47

and so forth, and the university would,

7:51

well, I remember his remarks as saying that

7:53

the university would not necessarily be bound by the motion

7:58

even if it were passed.

8:03

Some other people heard it as, the university would not

8:04

be bound by the motion.

8:06

I am not at this point clear in my recollection.

8:08

At any case, when there was almost no time left,

8:12

there was a motion from the floor that,

8:16

since the faculty obviously were intended to play no role

8:21

whatsoever in decision-making on this issue,

8:25

there was a motion that the meeting be adjourned.

8:30

That's a motion that does not allow for debate.

8:33

The motion, the vote was taken,

8:37

there was a small, very small minority in favor,

8:40

so it was overwhelmingly defeated, at that point,

8:46

I understand some 35 faculty members walked out

8:50

amid the jeering, hisses, and derisory applause

8:53

of a large number of our colleagues.

9:00

Reporter

I see, there is a report that the police

9:04

have already organized and formed.

9:07

So you'd say that police power, used by Dr. Knight

9:11

in this instance, authorized by Dr. Knight,

9:16

is absolute, right now?

9:19

Getter

I have no information on whether police

9:23

are to be employed, one would make that inference.

9:26

It seemed, at least, clear that it is with the concurrence

9:30

of Dr. Knight, since he is obviously

9:32

fully aware of the facts.

9:35

Reporter

Where is Dr. Knight right now?

9:38

Getter

In a meeting with the faculty.

9:40

The rest of the faculty.

9:42

-

I see, the part that didn't

walk out?

9:45

-

The part that didn't

walk out, yes.

9:47

-

I see.

9:48

-

I suppose, it's been

about 20 minutes since I was there.

9:52

-

You're gonna stick this out to the very end, right?

9:54

-

Yes I am.

9:56

-

Are you in contact

with the SLF?

9:58

Or are you --

10:00

-

I have no affiliation

with them, I have no knowledge of their plans, I have never

10:03

been consulted with them on their plans, nor do I have a

10:06

particular reason to become involved in that way.

10:10

-

It's personal commitment?

10:14

-

It's personal commitment,

that's right.

10:16

-

Thank you very much.

10:17

-

I just don't like to see

students forcefully manhandled unnecessarily.

10:20

I think this could be settled by negotiation,

10:24

ought to be settled by negotiation,

10:27

and that it is a negotiable matter.

10:29

That the introduction of police is unnecessary,

10:31

there is no reason why, at this particular moment in time,

10:35

those students absolutely must be out of that building.

10:39

Reporter

Thank you very much.

10:44

First of all, what's your name?

10:56

-

Brenda Armstrong.

10:58

-

Why did they send you out?

10:59

-

To protect the girls.

Reporter

They sent all the girls out?

11:03

-

Just about.

11:05

-

What do you mean,

"just about", how many are still there?

11:06

-

Three left.

11:08

-

Why are they staying

in there?

11:09

-

They wouldn't leave.

11:11

-

One of them has

her boyfriend in there, she's not leaving.

11:13

And the other two just don't believe in leaving.

11:17

The rest of us are kind of frightened, kind of scared,

11:20

kind of upset, we've been going through all kinds

11:21

of mental pressure all day long.

11:23

Reporter

How many people are in there now,

11:26

including the boys?

11:28

-

About 40.

11:30

-

I don't know,

I couldn't say, because more people are coming in

11:32

from the outside, here.

11:34

-

Do they have any arms

or anything like that?

11:37

-

They're armed the best they

can, they improvise, but --

11:39

-

They have no firearms?

Both Women

(vehemently) No!

11:42

-

No firearms, nothing.

11:44

-

No kerosene or gasoline.

Reporter

Were you with them when

11:48

they walked in this morning?

11:49

-

Yes.

Reporter

And what was, how did they take over

11:51

the building, exactly?

11:53

(everyone speaking simultaneously)

11:55

Protester

We came in the front door,

12:00

there wasn't any physical violence.

12:03

All, that secretary and the man, they lied.

12:05

We escorted them out, they walked on their own two feet.

12:07

They roped the doors off, they chained the boards up,

12:11

I mean, put chains on the door,

12:14

they boarded the doors up with, you know, boards and nails.

12:15

We moved furniture and things like this,

12:19

this took us one minute and 59 seconds,

12:22

they barricaded everything.

12:24

-

The safe was open then?

12:27

-

No, the safe in the

bursar's office was not open.

12:31

-

I see, where the safe was --

Brenda

The one in Central Records is open.

12:35

Reporter

The one in Central Records, just a sec.

12:37

How many, I mean,

12:39

they know what's going on now.

12:42

What are their plans, what are they doing

12:43

in there right now?

12:44

Brenda

I don't, we don't wanna make any comments

12:46

about that.

12:47

-

We're not supposed

to make a comment about that.

12:49

-

They've been knowing

what's going on for two and a half years.

12:51

-

For two and a half years.

12:54

-

And today it's gonna stop,

one way or the other.

12:56

Reporter

I was going to ask them, what the point is,

12:58

where are they going.

13:01

Okay, where are you going?

13:02

Are you gonna stick around now?

13:03

-

[All Women Speaking] Of course we're gonna stick around!

13:05

I wanna see those men come out of there!

13:06

We're gonna --

13:08

-

It's not like they're

just somebody, they're our brothers.

13:10

Reporter

Are you going to join

13:12

the group around back?

13:13

-

Whatever happens to

our brothers happens to us.

13:17

-

Whenever the cops come out

we're gonna follow them.

13:19

-

We're gonna be there

when they get there.

13:21

-

I see.

You did have,

13:26

they can hold up there, say, if the cops don't come.

13:27

They've been issued an ultimatum, right?

13:29

-

Yes.

13:31

-

Who issued that?

Brenda

Mr. Hobbs, the provost of the university.

13:34

-

And it came from who?

13:37

-

It came from

the administration and the faculty and a few students,

13:39

according to him.

13:42

-

When did they issue that?

Brenda

About an hour ago,

13:45

about an hour ago right now.

13:45

-

And how did you finally

get out of the room?

13:48

They didn't let you through that door, I'm sure.

13:50

-

No, we came through --

13:53

-

We were lowered out

a window.

13:55

-

Have you gotten

any official statement from Dr. Knight today?

13:57

-

No we haven't.

13:59

-

He probably isn't

even on campus.

14:01

-

Yeah.

Reporter

I see, do you know who is in charge

14:04

of making the decisions?

14:06

-

The administration,

the provost.

14:08

-

The provost.

That's about it, thank you very much.

14:11

Spokesperson

Who are left behind.

14:15

And that's not the solution to the race problem.

14:17

That's not the solution.

14:20

Now what's needed is that there be lots and lots

14:22

of black people who go through

14:24

lots of good --

14:26

-

People that are in there,

why are you here this afternoon?

14:28

-

[NCC Spokesperson] Our purpose is, this afternoon,

14:31

is to support all black students

14:32

and all of their effort to get the support themselves.

14:35

So many times within the past years,

14:39

we've had incidents happen all over the state.

14:41

And we need more students to help,

14:44

and this is just one effort to help.

14:47

Any other questions?

14:51

-

You're completely

aware of the demands of the students inside,

14:53

and the group supports it completely, or half,

14:58

or what?

15:01

-

No, there is no

half-blackness, there is no half-anything.

15:03

We support all the demands that they have submitted

15:06

before the administration.

15:08

There is no half-and-half.

15:11

-

The SLF drove you over here?

15:14

-

Pardon me?

Reporter

The SLF drove you over here,

15:16

or did you come by yourself?

15:19

And about how many are there?

15:21

-

[NCC Spokesperson] We came over here by ourselves,

15:23

and I'm not counting.

15:23

-

Do you plan on physically

opposing the police, should they come?

15:30

-

No comment.

15:34

-

Did you ...

Now I forgot what I was gonna say. (laughs)

15:38

-

[NCC Spokesperson] Well, I'll play the game too, right?

15:40

-

You'll play the game too.

15:42

-

Oh yes.

Reporter

When did you learn about the situation here?

15:45

-

[NCC Spokesperson] We learned about the situation today,

15:49

after we heard on the radio, like everyone else

15:50

heard on the radio, that the students would be,

15:52

the students are, they've closed this little

15:55

administration building down, whatever it was.

15:58

It was Allen.

16:03

And we heard it about it today,

16:05

so after we heard about it, we planned to come over here

16:06

to support, you know, their efforts.

16:08

-

Do you have a group at NCC

16:10

that is in contact with the Afro-American Society

16:12

here at Duke?

16:16

-

Yes, we have a group,

but I'm not at liberty to disclose it at this time.

16:18

Reporter

I see, have you talked, person to person,

16:23

with the group inside?

16:27

-

Yes, we have.

-

And was that just lately?

16:31

-

Yes it was,

it was this morning.

16:34

A few of our representatives talked to some of the students

16:36

inside, and we had personal

16:39

negotiations at that time.

16:45

There wasn't anything that we felt

16:46

everyone here should be involved in,

16:49

but the black students.

16:51

Reporter

Have you talked to the people inside

16:54

since the university has issued its ultimatum, and if so,

16:56

what is their feeling right now?

16:59

-

[NCC Spokesperson] Yes, we have talked to

17:01

some of the people inside.

17:03

In particular, Howard Fuller and a few of the other people.

17:04

But ...

17:07

We have not, you know, we're not at liberty right now

17:10

to disclose anything.

17:13

Reporter

You realize that they just released the girls

17:17

that they had inside, don't you?

17:19

-

[NCC Spokesperson] We are not, no comment,

17:22

no more comments.

17:23

-

Thank you very much.

Speaker

One kind of progress or another has been made.

17:26

-

Right now we'd like to know, about how many people

17:32

do you have in there?

17:35

-

75,000.

Reporter

That's a good round number,

17:39

something like that?

17:40

You just sent the girls out.

17:42

You have two other girls in there?

17:44

Protester

We don't have

17:46

any girls in here.

17:48

-

Approximately 10,000 girls.

Reporter

Has your strategy changed any

17:51

since when I talked to you this afternoon?

17:53

Protester

We have some people that are talking,

17:55

I don't know what it's gonna do,

17:58

but we may end up the same way.

18:00

Reporter

When you were issued the ultimatum,

18:01

who exactly issued it, and was it in written form?

18:03

-

Yes, it was.

18:06

-

It's from the provost

in written form, he confronted us earlier

18:08

with the same shit.

18:10

-

Has the SLF

been in touch with you?

18:14

-

Yes.

-

I mean, just lately?

18:17

-

No.

Reporter

Do you know what's happening

18:20

on the outside, support from NCC and whatever?

18:22

-

Yes, partially.

18:27

-

Partially, not all of it.

Reporter

Have you, before this happened,

18:29

did you have ties with a group at NCC?

18:31

I mean, the Afro-American Society?

18:37

Protester

No, they were made,

18:39

but we had no direct contacts and this was not

18:41

a part of anybody else's scheme

18:45

or anything like that, no.

18:47

-

When was the ultimatum

supposed to end?

18:50

-

What?

18:53

-

When was the ultimatum

supposed to end?

18:56

-

About three.

Reporter

So you don't have any kerosene

19:01

or guns or anything like that?

19:03

-

No, no, that's all lies.

19:05

-

All we have are

the records that they left.

19:08

Reporter

I see, is the safe open, with the records?

19:10

Protester

The main safe in the

19:15

bursar's office is closed, the other safe

19:17

is open, was left open.

19:20

Reporter

I see, what exactly happened?

19:23

I mean, tell it the way,

19:25

when you came in, what actually happened?

19:26

There's been reports of violence

19:29

and that you lifted a person out of the place --

19:31

Protester

No, they walked out on their own.

19:33

They were even given time to get their own coats.

19:36

How could we throw them out then?

19:38

Reporter

How many people were in there

19:40

when you came in this morning?

19:42

-

10 or 20.

The place wasn't even really open then.

19:46

There weren't that many people in.

19:51

Reporter

Do you think your demands will be met?

19:53

Or what's your position right now?

19:55

Protester

Well, if the man's gonna send 85 or 70 cops

19:58

on a bunch of flimsy things he thinks

20:02

are happening inside, I don't think, at the moment,

20:06

we can say we're gonna get 'em.

20:09

But I can say this much, we're gonna fight

20:11

all the way to the end to get 'em,

20:13

and we're gonna leave this goddamned rathole.

20:15

Reporter

Have you had any,

20:18

are there any possible weapons

20:21

that you have in there, or have you started

20:23

planning your tactics?

20:24

-

They have no weapons,

no guns, as we've heard people say.

20:27

We haven't got any guns, no axes, no knives.

20:30

Reporter

What do you plan to fight with,

20:34

or how?

20:37

-

Whatever we get hands on.

-

What's ...

20:40

-

There's plenty in

the records office that you can use to beat people with,

20:43

when you're being struck.

20:46

Reporter

What, how many doors are there

20:49

to the records office?

20:49

-

Central Records?

-

Central Office, two.

20:52

-

Yeah, where you are now.

-

Well, as we're situated in a building,

20:56

there are only two exits.

20:58

Three actually, one in the basement, two on the first floor.

20:59

Reporter

Since Dr. Knight isn't here right now, and ...

21:02

Oh, he has come back to town.

21:05

Well, if they decide not to use police force,

21:08

you said, this morning, you could last

21:12

for about a week, right?

21:15

-

Longer than that, maybe,

I don't know.

21:18

-

Do me a favor, tell the pigs

that if they are gonna attack

21:20

we'd appreciate if they'd be on time.

21:22

Because they're already about 15 or 20 minutes overdue.

21:23

Reporter

Well, it's disputed whether that

21:28

was just a rumor or not, but --

21:30

Mark

Were chanting something, which I couldn't exactly

21:36

understand, they sounded, you know, some sort of a chant.

21:39

They were coming out with jackets and stuff over

21:42

their heads, probably to prevent pictures

21:45

being taken of themselves.

21:48

-

Uh huh, right.

Mark

Then, I came down to phone you, and I went back,

21:51

and in that interim there were approximately

21:53

five or six patrol cars that came on the scene.

21:56

There are policemen all over the place.

22:00

They did not enter the building, however,

22:02

they demonstrators came out first.

22:04

Ken

Alright, are you sure that all of them left?

22:06

-

I am pretty sure --

22:09

-

Or just some of them

decided to leave?

22:11

-

I don't know.

Ken

We've gotta find that out before we can do anything.

22:13

Mark

I can't find any of our units, so I'm going to try

22:15

and go over there and go inside and see what happens.

22:17

-

Hey Mark?

22:19

-

Yeah?

Jeff

If you find anybody who works over here,

22:21

Tom or Warren, tell them to conglomerate

22:22

and find the information and then get back over here,

22:24

don't let anybody wander around.

22:26

Mark

Yeah, 'cause make sure somebody stays there.

22:28

Ken

Yeah, make sure somebody

22:30

stays, but now this --

22:31

-

I was just over there now,

I was trying to get you, but somebody was on the phone.

22:33

Ken

Yeah, we were talking with CBS people.

22:35

Listen, what you have to do is find out if everybody left,

22:37

and found that out as quick as you can

22:38

so we can get it out.

22:41

-

Right now, the situation now

is just sort of, everybody's milling around out front

22:43

in disbelief --

22:45

-

I understand.

Mark

You know, there's a bunch of cops all over

22:47

the place including State Police.

22:49

Ken

Please find out, and have someone call us back

22:51

immediately when you find out if everybody's left.

22:53

Mark

Yeah, right, Davis and I were gonna try to call you

22:54

every 10 minutes, but I haven't been able to find Davis

22:56

since I told him --

22:58

-

Okay, well we'll wait for

your call, to see what happens.

22:59

As soon as possible.

23:00

-

Right, but that's

the situation now.

23:02

-

Well call back

in the next few minutes, alright?

23:03

-

Right, so long.

23:05

-

Bye bye.

(phone hangs up)

23:06

Don

Yeah, they left marching down

23:09

out of the,

23:11

away from the chapel,

23:14

'til one girl got mildly struck by a police car.

23:15

She's alright.

23:19

They turned around and started beating on the police cars

23:20

and kicking them in with whatever they had.

23:22

And then turned around and went back

23:25

towards Allen Building.

23:28

And then the police, now in force with helmets,

23:30

tear gas,

23:34

and what some people refer to as cattle prods,

23:35

came around the back of Allen Building

23:39

and are now standing at the doorway to Allen Building,

23:41

sort of completely surrounding it.

23:46

Ken

Now those people went back in?

23:48

Don

No, they didn't go back in.

23:50

But the police are just standing there and showing force,

23:52

and the students are --

23:53

-

So the kids can't get

back in, right?

23:55

-

No, they can't.

All the black students are out.

23:57

Ken

Are you sure all of them are out?

23:59

Don

Yes, I talked to a black student

24:01

and I got as much as I could on tape.

24:03

Ken

But now, okay, let me get this straight.

24:06

They all came out and started marching towards the chapel?

24:08

Don

No, marching away from the chapel, down that road.

24:10

Ken

Okay.

24:12

And then they ran into the police, or something?

24:13

Don

About three or four, I can't remember,

24:16

three, I think it was about three police cars

24:18

were coming in the other direction,

24:20

hearing that the black students

24:22

had gotten out of Allen Building.

24:24

Now, the university let them out,

24:27

and they were marching down, away from the chapel,

24:29

and they were saying, oh, what were they saying.

24:33

They were saying, "It's not over --

24:35

(someone reminds him in background)

24:37

"Hell no, it's not over."

24:39

They got about halfway between the chapel and the gates

24:41

when three police cars came down,

24:45

mildly struck a girl, a black girl.

24:47

-

Intentionally or what?

24:51

-

I don't think it was

intentionally, it looked like they tried to stop.

24:54

They just hit her mildly.

24:56

And --

24:58

-

How do you mildly

hit somebody in a car?

25:00

-

Well, you know,

he probably slammed on the brakes, and --

25:02

-

Okay.

25:04

-

She wasn't hurt, anyway,

and we took her over to the side of the road.

25:06

-

Okay.

25:07

-

And the rest of the blacks,

they were surrounded by blacks from NCC,

25:09

and as they were marching down,

25:12

all yelling, "Hell no, it's not over,"

25:14

and then they hit the car with whatever they had

25:16

in their hands --

25:18

-

One car?

Just one car?

25:20

-

Three of 'em.

-

Okay.

25:22

-

And then they turned around

and they followed the police cars back toward

25:25

Allen Building.

25:28

At the same time, the highway patrol and the dorm police

25:29

moved in from in the back of Allen Building --

25:34

Ken

And closed off Allen Building, right?

25:38

Don

Closed off Allen Building completely.

25:39

They're now standing out there, in front of the door,

25:41

the students are all around them,

25:46

some had, at first, were throwing things --

25:47

-

The black students?

25:49

-

Yeah, no.

White and black.

25:52

And they were yelling, "Sieg heil", and --

25:54

-

So --

25:58

-

Well, the cops have

gas masks --

26:00

-

What are the blacks

doing right now?

26:02

Don

They just don't know what to think, there's --

26:04

Ken

They're just standing there, right?

26:06

Don

They're just standing there right now.

26:08

Ken

Do you know why they came out in the first place?

26:09

Don

I tried to talk to everybody,

26:11

and they just said, the only --

26:14

the best comment I could get on it, other than no comments,

26:16

was that they came out because they had been suspended

26:19

from the university, and they decided to leave.

26:22

They said they were going to regroup,

26:26

and one guy said he was gonna come back,

26:29

and then he was gonna get the hell out of Duke.

26:32

Ken

Alright, so, they came out voluntarily,

26:35

no tear gas was used, right?

26:38

-

No, they --

Ken

Now where are you right now, Don?

26:40

-

They said they wanted out.

26:42

-

Where are you right now?

-

I'm in FF Lounge.

26:43

-

Can you see?

-

Pardon?

26:45

-

Can you see

what's happening?

26:47

Don

Not right now, I'm going back over there.

26:48

Ken

So you don't, so now we're just gonna wait and see,

26:50

the blacks are standing around, right?

26:52

Don

The blacks and the whites,

26:54

just a mass of students out there.

26:55

Ken

Okay, so we're just gonna wait

26:57

and see what happens, right?

26:58

-

Right.

Ken

Alright, well I'll phone that in to ABC,

27:00

and then we'll expect something as soon as anything happens

27:03

from you, okay?

27:04

-

Okay, they didn't,

no force --

27:06

-

Right.

(tape squeals)

27:10

Don

Oh boy, cops were (gasping for breath)

27:13

standing outside of Allen Building,

27:17

started throwing tear gas grenades into the students.

27:19

-

All the students?

27:21

-

Yeah.

All the ones that were out on the quad.

27:24

-

I see.

27:25

-

And students are

running away, they're throwing anything they can get

27:28

their hands on.

27:29

Must have thrown about six or seven tear gas grenades.

27:31

-

Okay.

27:34

-

And it's just covering

the, this is the quad,

27:36

the part where the buses pull up.

27:38

Ken

Right, now was there any provocation that you saw

27:41

that provoked them to throw the tear gas?

27:43

There must have been something, anything happen?

27:45

Don

Not that I,

27:48

ugh, got some of that stuff in my eyes.

27:50

Not that (gasping) --

27:51

Ken

Correspondent Don Baumgardner dies on the scene!

27:53

No, go ahead.

27:55

-

C'mon, I'm rushing in there,

I didn't know whether it was smoke or tear gas.

27:57

-

Yeah, yeah.

27:59

-

Not that I could see.

They're all just jeering and yelling.

28:01

There was a student standing up,

28:02

at the doorway, a student standing up with his arm out

28:05

stretched like a Christ figure.

28:07

Ken

Okay, now let me ask you this.

28:09

Does it seem to you that the majority of

28:10

the white students there are now

28:12

sympathizing with the blacks?

28:14

Don

Oh, you better believe it.

28:15

Well, I'm not sure if they're sympathizing with the blacks,

28:17

but they're sure after the police.

28:19

Ken

In other words, they're all pissed off at the police

28:21

as far as you could tell.

28:23

-

Yes.

Ken

Okay, now, could you look out the window

28:25

and see if anything else has happened?

28:26

-

Just a second.

28:28

-

'Cause there's --

(faint shouting in background)

28:31

That's a kid.

28:34

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

28:35

Don

Okay, all I could get is that the cops,

28:41

that the students started sort of pushing in on the cops.

28:43

-

Uh huh?

28:46

-

And that started,

the cops just started throwing tear gas.

28:47

Ken

Now, when you say students,

28:49

do you mean all the students, black and white?

28:50

Don

Black and white.

28:52

-

Okay, now, so --

28:53

-

The students were

standing out there, even the white ones,

28:55

they were throwing things and clubbing.

28:56

Ken

What do you think is gonna happen now?

28:58

-

I have no idea!

28:59

-

Just looking at the scene,

I mean, is it stopped or?

29:01

Don

No, the students have pushed away from where

29:03

the buses come in, and the cops, just as I last saw them,

29:05

they were sort of retreating backwards a little bit.

29:07

But the tear gas grenades have landed all the way up

29:10

right next to the building I'm in.

29:12

I'm across, you know, in Canterbury?

29:15

-

Yes.

29:17

-

And they've landed

all the way up next to the door, even there.

29:19

Ken

Alright, now look.

29:20

Has there been any clubbing?

29:22

-

No.

29:23

-

Okay, now look.

Do you think it's safe for me to go in

29:24

and call these stories to CBS and ABC?

29:26

Or do you expect anything to happen right now?

29:28

Don

I expect something to happen.

29:30

-

Well then, we can keep this phone right on the line

29:32

like this and just let you sit --

29:34

Don

Okay, I don't think anybody'll be

29:36

using this phone, okay?

29:39

-

I'll tell you what, listen,

here's a good thing to do.

29:40

I'll send somebody downstairs and have them call you

29:42

on our other line.

29:43

Will that line call a Duke number though?

29:45

-

Yeah.

29:47

-

Okay --

-

Wait a second!

29:48

-

[Student In Background] They're running around the campus

29:49

tear-gassing everything in sight.

29:51

They're running around outside the main quad

29:52

in the bus circle, just throwing teargas grenades

29:54

right and left.

29:56

-

I know.

-

You got that, Ken?

29:57

-

Yeah, I got that,

but I don't want any wild-ass things, I wanna know just

29:59

what's happening, what do you mean they're running around?

30:01

Don

I'll tell you what,

30:03

keep the line ...

30:04

(speaking in background)

Tape recorder's busted.

30:06

-

That's great, that's great.

Don

We'll run around out there and see --

30:09

Ken

Listen, look, we might as well just go ahead

30:12

and keep this line open, alright?

30:14

So I'm just gonna sit here, and you keep Jeff by the phone

30:16

and tell him not to let anyone mess with this line.

30:17

-

Okay, I'll go back --

30:19

-

You want me, Ken,

you want me to call on the other one

30:21

and keep this one for anyone else

30:23

that wants to call in?

30:24

-

Uh, if you can do that,

yes.

30:26

-

Okay.

What number are you over there, Jeff?

30:27

-

Uh, I'm at --

30:29

-

I'll tell you what --

(tape stopped, sound winds down)

30:31

Allen Building Crisis: Tape #2

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