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<h2 class="post-title"><a
href="http://blog.freedomarchives.org/oakland-induction-center/">Oakland
Induction Center</a></h2>
<div class="meta"> <span class="sep">Posted on </span><a
href="http://blog.freedomarchives.org/oakland-induction-center/"
title="5:46 pm" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date"
datetime="2016-03-09T17:46:32+00:00" pubdate="">March 9,
2016</time></a><span class="by-author"> <br>
<b><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://blog.freedomarchives.org/oakland-induction-center/">http://blog.freedomarchives.org/oakland-induction-center/</a></small></small></b><br>
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<p>Hello,</p>
<div id="attachment_2033" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption
alignleft"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2033"
src="cid:part4.07060109.00080107@freedomarchives.org"
alt="Protesters at the Oakland Induction Center"
srcset="http://blog.freedomarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/oakland-induction-center-300x208.jpg
300w,
http://blog.freedomarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/oakland-induction-center.jpg
600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" height="208"
width="300">
<p class="wp-caption-text">Protesters at the Oakland Induction
Center</p>
</div>
<p>It is our pleasure to introduce a new chapter in the Colin
Edwards audio collection. Our catalog now contains dozens of reels
recorded during anti-war protests, taken primarily from the Stop
the Draft Week mobilizations in 1967 and 1968, outside of the <a
href="http://search.freedomarchives.org/search.php?view_collection=1027"
target="_blank">Oakland Induction Center</a>. The Oakland
Induction Center served as a delivery point for draftees of the
United States Armed Forces and would become a lightning rod that
drew massive numbers of demonstrators who looked to disrupt the
murderous cycle that fed the armed invasion of Vietnam. As a
street reporter, Colin Edwards offered us not only a detailed
visual of what these protests looked like, but a multitude of
perspectives from individuals who made up the demonstrations
themselves, through speeches delivered at rallies, interviews or
simply recording the sights and sounds of chants, songs and
observations made by onlookers. The power of these reels lies in
this wealth of firsthand accounts, and the decision to record on
the ground and allow the events to tell the story offers a glimpse
into a tumultuous time period that is often opined over and
criticized, but very rarely experienced in its actuality.</p>
<p><a
href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Mp3_files/Oakland7.Statement.mp3"
target="_blank">Reese Erlich on Stop the Draft Week</a></p>
<p>The reels also paint a picture of anti-Vietnam War efforts beyond
the Oakland Induction Center, covering a wide array of protests,
rallies, mill-ins and interviews around the San Francisco Bay
Area, in locations like the campuses of UC Berkeley Campus and San
Francisco State, the Alameda Court House, and Port Chicago in
Concord (a large munitions plant).</p>
<p><a
href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Mp3_files/PortChicago.Setting.mp3"
target="_blank">Summary of Protests at Port Chicago</a></p>
<p>The audio on the reels themselves not only show the lengths
demonstrators went in order to disrupt an unyielding war machine
with risk to life and limb, but also the different conversations
that took place between various organizations and voices within
the movement, in order to halt the senseless violence. Rather than
romanticize anti-War efforts, Colin’s reels show insight into what
kind of practical and theoretical labor sustains such a movement.
Beyond the rhetoric or generalized explanations others might
provide for the motives of these protesters, in their own words
you hear why they took to the streets in favor of direct action.
Beyond the charismatic figureheads that often grow to represent
whole movements, Colin’s interviews bring to the forefront
individuals who history has a way of leaving out, and elevate
voices that might not have ever been heard, offering a wide array
of experiences, insights and reasoning for objecting to the
Vietnam War and the draft process. From concerned parents and
citizens to college students, musicians and clergymen, the range
of people who protested at the site of the Oakland Induction
Center is well represented.</p>
<p><a
href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Mp3_files/PortChicago.CounterProtest.mp3"
target="_blank">Port Chicago Counter Protesters</a></p>
<p><a
href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Mp3_files/PortChicago.Marines.mp3"
target="_blank">Marines Rebuff Anti-War Demonstrators</a></p>
<p>For those looking to enhance their knowledge of the efforts
against the Vietnam War and the draft, these reels are vital. The
interviews are informative and thought provoking, while
maintaining a level of accessibility and basic language that makes
it easy to jump in and follow the thoughts and philosophy behind
their efforts. The reels also contain a variety of different
tactics employed against “the establishment”, such as the
occupation of a campus lab in protest of the CIA’s presence at UC
Berkeley, or the mill-in that was held in the Dean’s office to
protest administrative actions against student protesters. I hope
that these works are as informative for those who do decide to
come check them out as they have been for me.</p>
<p>-Chris</p>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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