#RESIST - Student Activism @ DU

What later became known as “Woodstock West” began as a protest response to the Kent State Massacre, and was a continuation of ongoing Vietnam War protests at DU. On May 4^th, 1970, four students at Ohio’s Kent State University were killed by the US National Guard. By May 5^th, outrage over the killings had spread, and a 3-day strike was organized by AUSA (All-Undergraduate University Senate) with the stated purpose of “condemning the war in Cambodia and expressing sympathy to the students of Kent State University.” 

“Woodstock West” became a campsite that an estimated 12,000 students, faculty, staff, and Denver residents built on land that is now the Anderson Academic Commons. The camp was dismantled twice by the Denver Police Force as well as the National Guard, but was rebuilt by the protesters. The student protestors’ motto of “Build not Burn” signified their desire to build a peaceful community during the midst of the Vietnam War.