On the 54th Anniversary, Fostering Peace, Kent State Truth & Protection for Protesters
On the 54th anniversary of the May 4, 1970 Kent State massacre in 2024, I started publishing on Substack.
At the Allison Center for Peace on the Mendocino coast of Northern California, above all else, I stand for peace and spread the word of my sister Allison Krause who was a 19-year-old student protester killed by the Ohio National Guard in the 1970 Kent State massacre. My work is founded on our U.S. citizen’s right to “assemble peaceably and to petition their government” as well as overall freedom of expression as conveyed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights.
“The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. -- from the Cornell Law School
Ever since the day they killed Allison as she protested the Vietnam War at Kent State University to the present, I have watched U.S. government response to protest in America become increasingly dangerous and violent as they make our right to protest illegal. Instead of those in power negotiating for peaceful resolve and agreement related to publicly concerning issues like war, U.S. leadership bring only excessive brute force and deadly force to protesters. I have witnessed the U.S. military demonize and target protesters against war, thwarting all human rights and then blame us for protecting ourselves. When will our rights to ASSEMBLE PEACEABLY AND TO PETITION in the United States become a protected human right and a safe reality in the U.S.?
On May 3, 1970, less than 24 hours before her killing, Allison said, “What’s the matter with peace? Flowers are better than bullets.”
If you wish to read more on the topics protest, war and peace, please come along with me on my path … and maybe even support our work here at the Allison Center for Peace. Please subscribe to my Substack!
It’s Going to Take All of Us
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Also associated with Laurel Krause is the Kent State Truth Tribunal website and her blog MendoCoastCurrent.
