Protest | The Digital Dispatch

Flag_in_Chains_Collection_University_of_California_at_Berkley 1965 by Marc Morrell

Nick Walsh presents a three-part story about a significant public controversy related to the Vietnam War that happened in my home town of Decatur, Illinois. Using sources from the archives of the Decatur Herald and Review, the Decatur Tribune, Millikin University’s Decaturian, and recent interviews with the one of the controversy’s key figures, Walsh covers how the situation developed, how the public and authorities reacted, and how the court case surrounding the exhibit of Flag in Chains unfolded. I remember the anger of these times fairly vividly. It seemed as if everyone in our community was forced to choose sides.

By using their talents to confront the issues of their time, artists take on a certain amount of risk if their perspectives are contestable in the court of public opinion. While not directly about the Vietnam War, the story of “Flag in Chains” reflects sentiments and convictions rooted in the national discourse of that era. Decatur residents were sporadic in giving their opinions about the war throughout its duration. However, public debate reached a crescendo in 1969, as emotions stemming from the war were channeled into dialogue surrounding a controversial legal case that involved the owner of the Decatur Herald and the Daily Review and a Millikin University art professor. This collision of patriotism and free expression provides a glimpse into the conscience of Decatur residents during the Vietnam War.

Here are links to all three parts of Walsh’s report.

Flag in Chains: A Collision of Sentiments (Part 1) | RE:DECATUR

Flag in Chains: A Collision of Sentiments (Part 2) | RE:DECATUR

Flag in Chains: A Collision of Sentiments (Part 3) | RE:DECATUR

Here are some more links of interest concerning Ferguson.

Marcia Chalelain presents a crowdsourced syllabus about race, African American history, civil rights, and policing. How to Teach Kids About What’s Happening in Ferguson – The Atlantic.

“This is only the beginning, we’ll be back tomorrow.” Juan Thompson reports on what happened Monday night. “Burn This Shit Down”: Mayhem and Protests Engulf Ferguson – The Intercept.

Two experienced attorneys explain what, in their view, are serious flaws with the grand jury process in the Darren Wilson case. Legal Experts Explain Why The Ferguson Grand Jury Was Set Up For Failure | ThinkProgress.

From Socialist Worker: The president who has ordered bombs dropped on seven countries and whose administration has directly assisted in the militarization of police departments like Ferguson’s across the country says there is never an excuse for violence. The American way of violence and injustice | SocialistWorker.org.

From WSWS: The entire process through which the grand jury arrived at its decision is a legal fraud. The outcome is not the result of fair judicial proceedings, but political calculations. No indictment for Ferguson cop who killed Michael Brown – World Socialist Web Site.

My friend Rob Usdin writes on the psychology of riots and those of us who look on. Blue Jersey:: Ferguson – The Psychology of Riots and Poverty.

The Morning News presents links to a bunch of Ferguson-centric articles.

One of my favorite Christian writers, Ben Irwin, says he’s done praying for peace in Ferguson, so long as “peace,” on the lips of those of us still clinging to our unearned privilege, means peace for us and our kind.