[conus]

Okay, first a little background. I did take part in the riots in Isla Vista in 1970. Actually it was before I ever lived there. That was later. I was sixteen at the time of the riots and living in the San Gabriel Valley in L.A. Several of us drove up to Santa Barbara that day and several other days during the previous three weeks.

I had been radicalized for about a year, at least in part as a result of two police beatings in L.A. Did you see the Rodney King tape? One of the incidents was similar-- not as many cops, but similar. There was nothing unusual about that at the time. I doubt that I even knew anyone who hadn't been physically attacked by the police. In my case both beatings occured, not because my behavior warranted it, but because of the length of my hair, which in those days was an indication to the police that someone's political opinion regarding the war in Vietnam differed from theirs. That was all it took. That was political freedom in America. What they don't tell you on the History Chanel is that people opposed to the government were routinely beaten, murdered or sent to prison for the rest of their lives on false charges. I even remember two incidents in which good Americans scalped anti-war protestors. Attacks like that were not rare, isolated incidents. It happened from one end of America to the other.

Anyway, these particular riots had gone on for about three weeks. In began when a popular teacher was fired by UC Santa Barbara. Nancy Reagan was on the board of regents at the time. By the time that we burned the bank it was simply revenge. The Santa Barbara sherrif's dept. had called in backup police agencies from Ventura County, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. For the last two weeks they had been charging through the residential streets eight or ten abreast, beating with billy clubs anyone they could catch. It got so bad that even the middle class citizens had gotten involved. if the police were chasing you, practically any home in Isla Vista would open its doors and give you refuge. Even the normaly conservative frat kids got involved. i remember one afternoon when a group of fraternity boys ran through the streets with a wheel barrow full of those decorative rocks you see in front of some apartment buildings. One of them had a bullhorn and was shouting, "Rocks for the people!" Students would run out into the street and fill tuperware containers with rocks to throw at the police. Sort of a carnival atmosphere at times, but a lot of people were hurt.

It ended on the day that a Santa Barbara sherrif brought a target rifle from home-- a .22 with an unusually heavy stock, the sort of weapon favored by snipers. I guess their purpose was to kill someone to get the attention of the rest of the riot participants. He shot a kid named Kevin Moran in the head, killing him instantly. Ironically, Moran wasn't even involved. He was on his was home from the library. But that really didn't matter to the police. It worked, and the riots died down within the next two days. But not before we burned the Isla Vista branch of the Bank of America to the ground.

In answer to your question, I didn't give a fuck if the fire spread or not, any more than I cared if one of their employees or any of the police died. At that point no one cared.


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