Comment

Comment by XLFD on August 17, 2014 at 10:58am

 Thanks for the recap of the Ludington riots of 1972, where the LPD Police Auxiliary and Sheriff's reserve played such a major role in keeping our streets safe.  If something like this happened today, one wonders if Chief Barnett would close down West Ludington Avenue from the City Park to James Street until the litter ad trash was picked up.

Reminds me of seeing a group of five teenage boys being harassed by the LPD down at the end of George Street two days ago.  I didn't see what the cause of the problem was, but once the responding units dispersed with no incident, they walked by with their skateboards in their hands down Dowland Street.  Chief Barnett passed a lot of fascist laws regarding skateboard use and other means of teen transportation in the City back when he initially came on, using the Mayor's Youth Advisory Panel to say the kids wanted them.  Kid's travelling by skateboards on back streets apparently are a problem.

Comment by AQUAMAN on August 17, 2014 at 12:27am

It started out by closing the City Park downtown. Too many undesirable hippy-types flying frisbies, talking, drinking, smoking, and enjoying band concerts, some of our own making, with many musicians around. This was going on for several summers, day and nite. Some of the drunken idiot roudy's broke glass at the barber shop two nites in a row, that was only a few guys, and not me either. That was the last straw, the LPD put a 10pm curfew on the entire downtown, and went about arresting anyone in the street at all, even if they were by-standers, or just out for a walk. When that mentality of gestapo tactics went into effect, the kids got hot and bothered. You've got to remember, that the entire US had repeated riots years previous, esp. Detroit. And this was our precious summer months when everyone was gathering in peace and anti-war protests too. And the reason I was down there for simply to enjoy summer with friends, and hope that peace would prevail at all costs, not violence and chaos. Which btw, is just exactly what the COL propelled the episode into. 

Comment by XLFD on August 16, 2014 at 8:20pm

I was living a sheltered life out in Victory Township as an eight year old, and going to Scottville schools.  But you would have been a teenager and doubtlessly one of those 'rock-throwing, rampaging youths'.  You can see that even back then the COLDNews reported solely on the reports of the authorities.  There is exactly no effort by Pumped Storage Peterson to report on what started the disturbance, who was behind it, or why it was going on. 

Comment by AQUAMAN on August 16, 2014 at 2:37am

That Party Line Deli bus wasn't locked at the back door of the school bus, so ALL OF US ESCAPED UN-CAPTURED!  LOL!