"We were not prepared, and we handled the situation badly. I can only hope we learned something . . . Maybe next time we will have the foresight to stop the trouble before anyone starts swinging clubs.” *
Joseph Rumberg, Former Director
National Park Service
Western Region
“The Yosemite Park rangers, of course, did not use guns and pellets, but . . . on the holiday weekend of July 4, 1970, they did use ropes, chemical Mace and nightsticks in battle with more than 400 young people, a battle that at one point forced the rangers to abandon the entire eastern end of Yosemite Valley. It was the first riot in National Park history.”
Article by Robert A. Jones
New York Times
July 25, 1971
* Quoted from NY Times Article noted above.
A shirtless man, between 45 and 50 years old, wearing a black skull-cap, rested his feet on a picnic table while leaning back on a camping chair at the popular Lower Yosemite Falls Picnic area. Music blared from his “boom-box.” His female partner giggled as he gestured toward the walkway nearby. He called out to a park visitor walking innocently along the trail. The walker had been staring curiously toward the source of the din disturbing the peace of Yosemite Valley.
Without provocation, the black-beanied man shouted over the clamor of the music at the unsuspecting pedestrian, “Whadda YOU lookin’ at? You gotta a problem with somethin’? Yeah, YOU! Whadya lookin’ at?”
The passerby abruptly turned his focus away from the verbal barrage. His sudden awareness that his peering had initiated the trouble-maker’s taunts seemed to jolt him. His gait quickened and he maintained his gaze forward, clearly not wanting any part of a shouting match.
Within minutes, two Yosemite Park Rangers, a man and a woman, slowly approached the area where the attention-seeker and his friend had commandeered the ambiance. The Rangers kept their distance. They summoned the man and requested he turn down the volume of the music-player. He wasted no time in standing up and planting his feet in the direction of the Rangers. He repeatedly challenged the Rangers’ request to “have a seat” since he had a “right to stand.” He remained standing, defiant, and seemingly smug in his success in finding participants with whom to quarrel.
Not in the mood to have my afternoon hijacked by a man in the throes of a midlife crisis, my friends and I filled our water bottles nearby. We enjoyed a brief snack out of the range of the disturbance and then visited the restroom. About twenty minutes later, as we got on our bikes to go, I noticed that peace had prevailed in this portion of the Park. Surprisingly, the burly combatant had seated himself on the picnic bench. On either side of him sat a friendly Ranger, albeit a few yards away.
I thought to myself, “How nice! Things worked out okay!” The loud music had been extinguished, the man was seated as requested, and a dialogue appeared ongoing. I commended the Rangers under my breath for a work well done. Their professional conduct and training had turned a potentially difficult situation into one of resolution, to the relief of those nearby.
Rangers have the primary role in maintaining the peace that visitors come to expect at a National Park. Specialized training assists them in managing common visitor complaints, such as, “alcohol/drug related issues, fights/assaults/disorderly conduct, domestic violence, traffic issues, theft, [and] vandalism.”
Yet, formal Ranger training for law enforcement did not come in to existence until 1976, and, in times past, conflict did not always end so peacefully. This was particularly true during the summer of 1970 when the first “riot” in a National Park occurred in the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, in Stoneman Meadow.
Tension had been mounting for weeks between a younger crowd of visitors who enjoyed the convenience of “hanging out” in the Meadow and other campers who complained of “noise, drug use, fights, profanity, nudity, and sex.” Park officials also viewed the Meadow crashers as a threat to Yosemite’s peace and ecology, and that their non-compliance was contrary to expectations of how a National Park should operate.
An increasing lack of trust between young and old was a “symptom of tension which had been building in the Park and country for several years.” (Avedisian, 1998), Additionally, access to “public” spaces, especially in Yosemite, became intensely contested during the summer of 1970. This conflict heightened after several events on the national scene widened the mistrust of a younger generation towards those in positions of authority (e.g., the May 4th massacre of four students by the Ohio National Guard—see Part 1).
The conflict escalated in Stoneman Meadow during the Memorial Day weekend of May 1970. Although the Park Rangers ultimately retreated from an unruly crowd due to understaffing, the weekend passed without any major incident. However, rumors of a “Woodstock West” for the subsequent July 4th weekend in Stoneman Meadow kept Park authorities on edge. A request to have Army personnel standing by had been submitted.
As expected, on Thursday July 2nd, large groups of youths began to congregate in Stoneman Meadow. As had been done on the Memorial Day weekend, Park officials imposed a curfew starting at 7:00 pm. The justification for the curfew focused on littering, trampling of the Meadow, and disregard of Park rules.
Although some opposition arose, by 10:00 pm the Meadow had been cleared by Rangers on foot. The curfew did put the younger crowd back into the campgrounds earlier in the evening, prompting complaints from other campers. That night, nine arrests occurred for “disorderly conduct, drunkenness, narcotics violations, and assault on an arresting officer.” (Avedisian, 1998) By 11:30 pm, an uneasy quietness prevailed in the nearby campgrounds.
On Friday, July 3rd, the crowds in Yosemite Valley, and in Stoneman Meadow, in particular, increased dramatically. Assistant Superintendent Olson approved a horse patrol of 13 men to prepare to rid the Meadow of anyone defying the curfew. Thirty minutes after the curfew started, about 300 people remained as dispersal commands from the hand-held public address system went unheeded.
When the order to clear the crowd came, the thirteen horses and riders moved out from the trees and directed the people out of the Meadow. One eyewitness reported that the people exited the Meadow “pretty peacefully.” Nevertheless, even though the Meadow had been vacated, tensions mounted as the youth felt that their concerns had not been heard despite discussions held with Rangers in the campgrounds. Sixteen arrests were made for offenses similar to the night before.
On the Independence Day Holiday, the burgeoning crowds again overwhelmed the Valley. New arrivals to Stoneman Meadow added to the unstable peace that had prevailed on the previous two evenings. Curfew signs remained visible, but by early afternoon, angry guests uprooted them and tossed them into the Merced River to signal contempt for the restraints being placed on them. Park Rangers returned the signs to their place and stood guard near them as 7:00 pm approached.
Again, announcements to leave the Meadow echoed in the evening air as the curfew arrived. The commands went largely ignored. Meanwhile, 16 men on horseback, armed with mace and ropes, waited among the trees for the signal to clear Stoneman Meadow. Portions of the crowd became more belligerent. Avedisian reports that “fireworks were being set off, a motorcycle was driving around on the Meadow, and the crowd was getting noisier.” Spectators gathered around the perimeter of the Meadow as tensions rose, hemming in the revelers and minimizing escape routes.
By 7:20 pm, the Meadow remained filled with youth who had “all day to get high and drink so they wouldn’t move,” according to one eyewitness. Suddenly, the 16 men on horseback “charged” into the meadow followed by 21 park service men on foot.
Witnesses describe a chaotic scene of horses running down humans as if they were ‘herding cattle.’ At one point, the crowd fought back, throwing rocks and bottles. A knife and axe were used against some of the horsemen and those on foot. The situation deteriorated into violence and chaos between the two opposing groups (See video below).
Untrained for what had now turned into a riot, Park personnel retreated, emboldening many of the Meadow squatters. Ranger vehicles became objects of rocks and bottles as those on foot patrol tried to escape in confusion and disorder. One ranger described a group of youths trying to tip over the patrol car as they drove out, eventually escaping with all windows smashed out. The rioters replaced the curfew sign with one that said, “People’s Park.”
Rangers and Park personnel regrouped and closed roads and access to the area. Yet, a bonfire had been started near Sentinel Bridge in the middle of the road as darkness fell.
Local law enforcement agencies were called in for help. By 9:30 pm, a full-blown riot had erupted. Youths hurled stones and rocks from Stoneman Meadow toward Ranger patrol cars. Rioters even set up their own roadblocks. A Mariposa Sheriff and his deputy arriving as back-up via code three, got stuck at a roadblock of logs near Sentinel Bridge placed there by about 75 “hard core” rioters. The rioters stopped the vehicle and dragged the Sherriff out of the car before both he and his deputy could fire shots into the air to frighten the angry crowd and get free.
By the morning of July 5th, 146 staff from six different law enforcement agencies aided in the efforts to quash the riot.
By midday on Sunday July 5th the situation finally calmed. However, between the hours of midnight and 8 am, 138 arrests were made. A makeshift booking office had been set up at a nearby auditorium. Arrests involved disorderly conduct, assault on an officer, public drunkenness, illegal camping, and about 20 narcotics cases.
Multiple investigations about the cause and response to the riot followed. In the aftermath, training for Park Rangers became an essential recommendation to prevent a reoccurrence of the chaos that occurred in Stoneman Meadow in the summer of 1970.
Over fifty years later, I observed how the training received by Rangers produced a peaceful resolution to conflict about how best to enjoy the Park. Most would agree that loud provocations can be tolerated when produced by nature itself. A roaring waterfall, the boom of an unexpected rockfall, or the howling wind that brings down a mighty Redwood has its place in Yosemite and go unregulated by any human.
However, when loud provocations emanate from Park visitors and disturb Yosemite’s peace, Rangers act as vital resources to restore that peace. Whether in Stoneman Meadow or anywhere else in the Park, I appreciate friendly and trained Rangers who spring into action to maintain the peace we all come to expect in a National Park.
REFERENCES
Childers, Michael, "The Stoneman Meadow Riots and Law Enforcement in Yosemite National Park" (2017). Forest History Today, (Spring 2017).
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