Also Tuesday, Harvard obtained a "Jane Doe" injunction from Middle-sex Superior Court directing the women to vacate the building immediately. The women denied that the injunction-read to them outside the Center-had ever been served.
Almost a week later, the building occupation ended of its own accord-before the anticipated bust could take place. About 65 singing, chanting women left 888 Memorial Drive at 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 15.
Bust rumors had begun circulating from various sources around noon, although University officials later denied that any police action had been planned. "I know there was nothing going to happen today," Robert Tonis, Chief of University Police, said that night.
The women in the building, however-expecting a bust by MDC police at 2:30 p.m.-voted after a one-and-a-half hour meeting to leave the building as a group. They marched out the door in pairs, with faces painted and banners waving, and headed down Putnam Ave. toward the Square, where they were joined by 100 more chanting women.
As they left, they locked the door of the vacated Women's Center and hung a large paper banner reading "MDC: Sorry We Couldn't Be Here" draping the doorway. A small, hand-written letter in blue ball point was tacked on the building. The letter read:
Dear Cambridge Police, Harvard Cops, and MDC: We waited and waited but you never came. Where were you? Hope to see you in the near future. Keep up the good work. Yours in struggle, (signed) Jane Does 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
In a press statement read that afternoon Cox said that charges against the women would not be dropped. He declined to comment on what sort of court action was planned or whether steps had been taken to identify women in the building.
However, one source revealed that night that the University had hired a commercial photographer during the preceding week to take pictures for identification purposes, but obtained no usable photos. "According to Cox, they didn't get any pictures even a mother could recognize," the source said.
Court proceedings were later dropped for lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, as the police reclaimed the building, the women marched down Mass. Ave., spray painting cars, walls and sidewalks with the biological female symbol and liberation slogans. "The people are a great ocean-they cannot be contained" one banner read.
"We decided to leave the building so that the love and energy generated in the last eight days can be used toward further creation of a center for women rather than in the courtroom for legal hassles," their final press statement read.
At present, negotiations for the new center-a twelve-room house on Pleasant St.-are being completed.