Jailbreaks were demonstrations staged by members of Weatherman during the summer and fall of 1969 in an effort to recruit high school and community college students to join their movement against the United States government and its policies.

Purpose

Leading up to the

Days of Rage The Days of Rage were a series of protests during three days in October 1969 in Chicago, organized by the emerging Weatherman faction of Students for a Democratic Society. The group planned the October 8–11 event as a "National Action" ...

event that took place on October 8–11, 1969, the Weatherman collective used various methods of recruiting individuals to join them in Chicago. These demonstrations were intended to recruit high school students to join the organization at the Days of Rage and convince them to join the Weatherman. The institution of school had been specifically identified in the initial Weatherman statement as an oppressor of the youth of America.Berger, Dan (2006). ''Outlaws of America'', Verso. Weather members felt that the curriculum taught in United States schools promoted values such as sexism and competitive capitalism.Short, John G. (12 November 1969).
The Weathermen're Shot, They're Bleeding, They're Running, They're Wiping Stuff Out
. ''The Harvard Crimson'' (Cambridge).

Notable jailbreaks

Pittsburgh

In September 1969, a group of Weatherwomen, carrying the

Vietcong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

flag, marched on South Hills High School in Pittsburgh. While the mostly white, working-class students were on lunch, the group arrived and distributed leaflets which advertised the Days of Rage. A small group led by

Eleanor Raskin Eleanor E. Raskin ( née Stein; born March 16, 1946) was a member of the Weathermen. She is currently an adjunct instructor at Albany Law School. She was an administrative law judge at the New York State Public Service Commission. Background ...

interrupted a history class and proceeded to tell the students that what they were being taught by their educational institution was false information. Raskin declared the school a prison and called for the students to join the cause and participate in demonstrations in Chicago in order to bring the war home. A handful of students followed the women as they marched out of the school. By this time the school invasion had attracted the attention of a group of local construction workers. Verbal taunting led to physical skirmishes as the police arrived.Jones, Thai (2004). ''A Radical Line: From the Labor Movement to the Weather Underground, One Family's Century of Conscience'', Free Press. Raskin and twenty-five others, including

Cathy Wilkerson Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson (born January 14, 1945), known as Cathy Wilkerson, is an American far-left radical who was a member of the 1970s radical group called the Weather Underground Organization (WUO). She came to the attention of the police when ...

, were arrested.Wilkerson, Cathy (2007). ''Flying Close to the Sun'', Seven Stories Press. Charges included rioting, inciting a riot, and disorderly conduct. It was reported (and since disputed) that the women ran through the school topless.

Detroit: The "Motor City Nine"

Macomb Community College Macomb Community College is a multi-campus community college in Macomb County, Michigan. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college's offerings include university transfer, early college, professional certification ...

near Detroit was the site of another jailbreak led by a small group of Weatherwomen that included

Diana Oughton Diana Oughton (January 26, 1942 – March 6, 1970) was an American member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Michigan Chapter and later, a member of the 1960s radical group Weather Underground. Oughton received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr ...

. Nine women took over a classroom of forty to fifty students in the middle of a sociology final, blocked the door and lectured the class on imperialism and racism. The teacher's attempt to leave and contact the police was halted by the Weatherwomen who had been trained in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

.Barber, David (2008). ''A Hard Rain Fell: SDS and Why It Failed'', University Press of Mississippi. The "Motor City Nine" were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery.

Outcome

Jailbreaks were only slightly effective for Weatherman recruitment and became more well known for the resulting arrests that occurred. Members of

Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s, and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships ...

that had marched and protested alongside Weather members before the two groups split wished to further distance themselves from Weathermen due to their increasingly violent and chaotic methods.

References