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| Stop the Draft Week, October 1967 |
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| Jerry Palmer, VDC |
On October 16, 1967, singer Joan Baez was arrested on the first day of Stop the Draft Week protests in Oakland. Baez was among thousands who protested throughout the week against the Vietnam War in Oakland and elsewhere. The protests, organized in part by a group calling itself "The Resistance," were among the most significant protests against the war to date and represented a turn in war protests into active resistance, including the burning of draft cards.
The focus of the Stop the Draft Week in Oakland was the Oakland Army Induction Center and protesters tried to block the entrance of the building via a sit-in. Baez was among those arrested on the first day of protests, which continued throughout the week in Oakland and throughout the country. The efforts culminated in a massive march on the Pentagon on October 21, 1967.
In Oakland, some of the protests included chaotic and violent interactions with the police, and seven people were arrested. Video from Baez's arrest can be seen below:
This Wednesday, October 18th, the California Historical Society in partnership with Shaping San Francisco and the Oakland Public Library will look back at the historic Stop the Draft Protests in Oakland and what they meant for the overall anti-war effort. Read more about that event and the speakers HERE.
Read more about the Stop the Draft protests below:
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