1968 : Student reaction to Martin Luther King, Jr. assasination
1968 : Student reaction to Martin Luther King, Jr. assasination
On the weekend of King’s death approximately 200 white students and faculty (from UNC and Duke as well as NCSU) gathered in the Brickyard intending to march on the State Capitol Building in an attempt to speak with Governor Dan Moore. The ultimate goal of the march was to present a petition to the governor that "show[ed] the Negro community that concern exists among whites by presenting written grievances to the governor." However, the march did not go forward as planned. After the Raleigh Police Department stopped the group at Winston Hall, Chancellor Caldwell pled with protesters to disperse peacefully, saying, "I wept tears when Martin Luther King died; I loved that man. But you don’t have to demonstrate by breaking the law." With threats of arrest looming, and National Guard troops waiting at the Velvet Cloak Inn to intercept the march should it reach that point, the protesters dispersed as requested. The following Monday, a smaller group went to the Capitol and presented the petition to an aide to the governor, who promised that the governor would read it.
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