A March in Lowell

This chapter examines how the Lowell organizing team decided it was time for a march to show that the antiwar movement had come to Lowell. While the young of Lowell seemed open to opposing the Vietnam War, many of their parents were still firmly in the camp of “America, right or wrong.” The march started at City Hall and then through downtown Lowell; the lead contingent was made up entirely of returned Vietnam veterans, but a modest number of student antiwar activists from outside of Lowell also showed up. However, the march quickly dissolved into a frightened and disorganized mess when they were met with violence. The violence against the march was quickly replaced by a joyful explosion of youthful revolt against authority as the crowd began to attempt to storm the Lowell Police Station. Eventually, the momentary youth revolt burned out, doused in part by the arrests, and calm slowly settled. Later, the author learned that the young people who also opposed the war were insulted by the march; the author realized that there is a need to be respectful of the people they wanted to reach and organize.