Students occupy Wheeler Hall and the offices of the SIU ROTC program. 5/6/70
May Six 1970 was Day One
"As night fell, security forces held the high ground around Woody and Wheeler halls, reinforced by members of the Illinois National Guard. Students lined streets adjacent to the campus, many carrying bricks and pieces of lumber. The awkward standoff continued until after midnight. At least 55 people were injured during nearly eight hours of protest, including 18 police officers. None of the injuries were serious. Nineteen persons were arrested. All were identified as SIU students, except for one Carbondale High School student, one student from Michigan State University and one former SIU student. No one could imagine that it was only the beginning.
At 4:30 p.m., Jackson County Sheriff Raymond Dillinger requested that Illinois Gov. Richard Ogilvie order National Guard troops to Carbondale. That was about the time protesters at Wheeler Hall got the idea of marching through the downtown business district."
This from:
The edge of chaos
A social history of student unrest at Southern Illinois University in the aftermath of Kent State.
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