On Saturday, former Vietnam War and civil rights protesters, administrators and police officers gathered to talk about their experiences with previous social unrest at MSU.
The East Lansing Historical Society sponsored the event, which drew community members of all ages to the Hannah Community Center to relive the era.
Tom Wibert, East Lansing police deputy chief and member of the Historical Society, put together the event on civil disobedience. The society sponsors four to six public presentations each year that focus on East Lansing's history.
The eight-member panel was made up of former MSU students who were leaders in the group, Students for a Democratic Society; the MSU chief of police at the time; the Administrator of Student Affairs; a former police sergeant; and another former MSU faculty member.
Wibert gave a brief overview of the major protests, and the panelists took turns sharing their starkly different experiences. The first major protest in East Lansing was on May 27, 1965. Protests continued in East Lansing throughout the rest of the 1960s and '70s.
In February 1970, the trial of the "Chicago 8," a group of alleged conspirators, led to a violent protest. Buildings on campus and in the city were vandalized as protesters met at the Union and made their way throughout the city.
Bob Foster, an East Lansing police sergeant at the time, said the protests became more violent as time went on.
"We were the ones that took the brunt of the abuse," he said. "I got knocked out by a chunk of concrete the first night of the protest. Things started to escalate. Many of us were literally scared to go on duty."
Dick Bernitt, former MSU police chief, said police were not trained to deal with large crowds.
"In my early days, it was a police man dealing with one individual," he said. "One of the things that I am personally proud of is that at MSU, deadly force was never used."
Wibert said he is confident police are equipped to handle a similar situation today.
"We have already been through a riot, but I would hope a peace protest would be very different from a beer riot," he said.
Rick Kibbey, a former member of Students for a Democratic Society, said protesting was not just something someone did every now and then.
"Every day, you woke up and got slapped in the face with hypocrisy," he said. "If you felt these lies were wrong and you wanted to do something about it, it was not just a 'should I play Frisbee or should I smash the state' decision."
Lynn Scott, another former society member, said many of the former MSU students who were involved in the society are still in touch and actively involved in anti-war efforts today.
Scott said she would like to see students question the government more today.
"There is so much passivity and acceptance of everything said," she said. "Students need to be more educated about U.S. foreign policy and our role in the Middle East."
Beverly Baten, member of the Historical Society board of directors and an East Lansing City Council member, said the society is considering a similar program on campus in the fall for students.
