The Jambar
It was May 4, 1970 at Kent State University when 77 members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War. Four students, Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, Sandra Lee Scheuer and William Schroeder were killed expressing their right to peacefully assemble. Even in 2026, innocent civilians are killed for expressing their concern over the well-being of others.
In the aftermath of the shooting, dozens of photographs began to emerge of the event, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by John Paul Filo showing student Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of Miller. All four victims were under the age of 21, the voting age in 1970.
Rock artists Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young immortalized the event in their hit song, “Ohio.” The Steve Miller Band also released a track titled “Jackson-Kent Blues” discussing the shootings at Kent State and another shooting ten days later at Jackson State University.
The students were killed for protesting a war that the United States had no business being in. American troops committed countless atrocities in Vietnam, including the My Lai Massacre, a 1968 mass killing of 347-504 Vietnamese civilians under the order of U.S. Army Gen. Ernest Medina.
In modern times, the killing of protestors would seem barbaric to many. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to assemble peacefully.
Renee Nicole Good was a 37-year-old mother when she was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. According to President Donald Trump on Truth Social, Ross acted in “self-defense” and alleged Good attempted to run him over.
Video taken at the scene by Ross’ phone shows otherwise. While Good and her wife were antagonizing Ross, it is clear that Good attempted to drive away when Ross fired numerous shots into the car.
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sang, “Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming, we’re finally on our own.” But the question remains — are the American people truly on their own?
In a turbulent time where people are killed in senseless, extremist acts, it is easy to see the forest for the trees. The only time America was more divided was during the prelude to the Civil War. A 2024 article from Gallup showed that 80% of poll participants believed America was “greatly divided,” whilst 18% felt America was “united and in agreement.”
The only solution to division is change. America is a beautiful melting pot defined by its diversity. The sudden appearance of ICE agents in major cities has begun to turn America into a dark, desolate land, void of diversity and joy. Innocent civilians are targeted simply for their race or identity and imprisoned in overcrowded, inhumane conditions. This is not what America was meant to be.
Is “the land of the free” truly free when federal agents are shooting innocent bystanders? Is it free when children are detained in holding facilities designed for adults, separated from their families?
America is still capable of change, but only through the strength of its people. It was people who built America, and her people will choose to change or destroy it.