Shawyer dissertation May 2008 final version - The University of ...

Krishna” and “Om” to their repetitious recitation, drawing on the Eastern religiousinspirations of the hippies. They called for the demons to leave the Pentagon. Theydemanded that the building rise in the air. The Pentagon remained stubbornly earthbound,but nevertheless, the band played on. It was ridiculous, it was fun, and it added awelcome carnival atmosphere to the March after the sober speechifying of the Mall rally.At the doors of the Pentagon, lines of police, marshals, and military personnelkept the crowd from going any further. But still the thousands of March participantspushed closer. If they stepped too near the building, they were arrested: there wentWilson, Dellinger, novelist Norman Mailer, and hundreds of others. One small group ofradicals, led by anarchist artist Ben Morea of the Lower East Side art gang know as BlackMask, saw a crack in the army lines, and sprinted through the opening, only to be drivenback and beaten with rifle butts (McMillian 540; Loftus 58). 36 The marshals clubbed oneyoung man so hard that “the force knocked his black loafers from his feet. Blood ranfrom his long hair and onto the cement steps” (Breslin A1). In response, the enragedcrowd threw eggs, tomatoes, and dead fish at the building and its protectors (Franklin32). They threw bottles left over from their picnic lunch (Loftus 1). A hail of othermissiles followed: their picket signs, magazines, leaflets, sticks, and rocks (Chapman,“55,000” A1). Some of the demonstrators even improvised missiles of mud-balls(Laurence Stern A10). The peaceful march and joyful exorcism disintegrated into civildisobedience.36 Black Mask later became known as Up Against the Wall, Motherfucker (UATW/MF).63