Keeping cool was made difficult, he continues, by the provocative statements the rioters continued to hurl at the officers' ears.
"They were talking about the Vietnam War. They were coming right up to us, right up to our faces, and we had to keep moving, shuffling," Doherty says.
"Oh, they were calling us all kinds of names," he adds. "'Baby killers.' 'Get out of Vietnam.' 'Not our war.' 'Too many Americans dying over there.' I said I was in Korea. If they'd sent me to Vietnam, I'd go."
Hanging Tough
In 1969, Caliguri was in his first year on the force, a 25-year-old who had seen combat in Vietnam.
He also remembers getting orders to go to Harvard Square April 9.
"I had come to work for regular duty, which was 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at that time, and we were then told that there were some problems occurring in Cambridge," he says.
Not a member of the TPF, Caliguri spent most of the day as an observer. He and other patrollers were brought in as a "show of force" and spent most of April 9 standing on Mass. Ave.
"We were additional people to support these tactical units. They were kind of special units, and they were equipped in different ways than we were," he says.
The regular patrollers, on the other hand, were given military helmet liners and weapons, primarily shotguns, Caliguri explains.
As both TPF and patrollers were bussed into Cambridge, Caliguri recalls, the officers were told that there was rioting that needed to be kept under control and that Harvard students were destroying property.
Caliguri says he remembers being informed that the students were damaging businesses, that cars were being overturned and that the Cambridge police could not control it.
Aside from that knowledge, Caliguri says, "We didn't know what to expect. We'd only heard about it in vague terms."
When he and his fellow patrollers arrived in the Square, he says, "They stationed us in a certain spot which was in front of the Harvard Square theater."
He says the police could see students leaning out of the windows of Yard buildings across Mass. Ave.
Read more in News
Schor Will Speak at Alternative Commencement AddressRecommended Articles
-
Crimson Backs Rip Through DartmouthA week before, Dartmouth had shut out Yale, holding John Pagliaro to 62 yards on 41 carries. Earlier in the
-
Report Shows Harrassment Levels UnchangedThe number of sexual harassment complaints filed during the 1996-97 school year by students, faculty, and staff remained the same
-
Childcare Access an IssueJunior faculty as a whole are affected by a scarcity of childcare, but the problem is particularly acute for mothers.
-
2 Dead, 1 Wounded in Dunster Murder-SuicideA Dunster House resident went on a stabbing spree this morning, fatally wounding her roommate, injuring a visitor and then
-
FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2005: No Bending or Breaking for Thomas, Defensive LineMatt Thomas was understandably excited about playing linebacker for the reigning Ivy League champs this season, but he never expected
-
Report Details Alleged COI in Mass. UniversitiesThe report, which sampled the 20 wealthiest colleges and universities in Massachusetts, named four “worst offenders,” including Harvard University, Boston University, Tufts University, and Williams College for providing “substantially problematic responses that raise major questions in both state and federal filings for 2009 and 2010.”
