Julian, California, 1969. No. 183: Cuffed At The Demonstration

I watched in the basement of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house at 535 Gayley–long since replaced by apartments.  I believe there were copious amounts of intoxicants consumed, legally in that darkened room, and illegally elsewhere in the house and off-premises. I was living at the time in a guest house in Holmby Hills, working as a gardener in exchange for free rent. I had quit the Navy ROTC in the spring quarter 1968, but had not been reclassified (I was and still have a I-D draft classification, having been lost somewhere between UCLA, the Pentagon, and my draft board in Pasadena). 

My lottery number was 183, right in the middle of the 366 dates.  I believe that was low enough to have gotten me drafted, but Dr. Martin Blazina at the Med Center had surgically repaired my knee in Jan. ’67, and he assured me that I could get a deferment so I wasn’t too worried.  As it turned out I was able to stay at UCLA through the spring of ’74 when I graduated from the law school. 

I managed to wander up Janss Steps in May of ’72 into the clutches of LAPD Metro squad during the demonstration (I believe) protesting the mining of Haiphong Harbor, but it didn’t ruin my legal career or even hinder my hiring as a deputy district attorney in Orange County.  I have a picture of my being cuffed which I used to keep on my wall when I was a prosecutor.