Kristian Williams - Our Enemies in Blue - Police and Power in America

1 Eugene L Leach, "The Litcratllre of Riot Duty: Managing Class Conflict in tbe Streets,1877-1 927," Radical History Review, Spring 1993, 23.1 9 Quoted in Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 24.20 Ibid.21 Quoted in Jeremy Brecher, Strike' (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1972), 15.22 Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 23; Zinn, People's History, 243-244; and Brecher, Strike' 15.23 "Chicago was typical: President Hayes authorized the use of federal regulars; citizen's patrolswere organi/cd ward by ward using Civil War veterans; 5,000 special police were sworn in, freeingthe regular police for action; big employers organized their reliable employees into armedcompanies-many ofwhicb were sworn in as special police. At first the crowd successfllllyout-maneuvered the police in the street fighting that ensued, but after killing at least eighteenpeople the police finally gained control of the crowd and thus broke the back of the movement,"Hrecher, Srrikt' 20.24 Strike duty accounted fo r fu lly one-half of all deploymmts between 1877 and 1892. Leach,"Literature of' Riot Duty," 25.2') "The even ts of the [1870s1 in particular led many persons to fear .1nuther insurrection, and as aresult legislation was introduced to improve and ptovide better arms fo r the organized militia.267- !28293031323334.'3 53637383940414243444546474849505152In 1879, in support of this effort, the National Guard Association came into being in St. Louis,and between 1881 and 1892 every single state revised its military code to provide fo r:In organizedmilitia, wh ich most states, fo llowing the lead of New Yo rk, called the National C;uard ...Through the efforts of the National Guard Association, the Guard .,. succeeded in seeing an actin 1887 that doubled the $200,000 annllal federal grant fo r firearms that the militia had enjoyedsince 1808." Maurice MatlofT, ed" Ilmcrican Military fli.rtory (Washington, D.C.: United StatesArmy, Office of the Chief of Military History, 1 '169) '287.Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 2,).Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 26-28.Quoted in Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 28,Leach, "Li terature of Riot Duty," 29,Quoted in Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 30. Emphasis in original,Leach, " Literature of Riot Duty," 29-.)0.Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," .B -34.I.cach, "I.iterature of Riot Duty," 31.Quoted in Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 34.Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 41,Leach, "Literature of Riot Duty," 35-36.In 1914, National Guard troops used a machine gun against striking workers in Ludlow. Colorado.They then set the miners' tf'nt C'itv on firp hurnino- tn ,.Jp