one of those students who witnessed what happened was laura davis back in 1970. she reflected on what she saw and heard in this oral history. laura: all of the people i was friends with that year had been at the demonstration. virtually all of us had witnessed the shooting take place. we heard of the campus was to be evacuated in i had a friend with three hours. a car, which was unusual at that time. hardly anybody had cars, but my friend jeff did. we drove home. i remember seeing a line of hundreds of cars trying to get into kent. >> trying to get into kent? >> trying to get into kent because they were filled with parents. my mother was in one of those cars. the news was broadcast on the radio immediately. a lot of students were from out of state, but a lot of students were from the immediate area. my mother did not own a car herself, but she was with her friend that day. they jumped into her car and she was trying to get into campus to find out what had happened to me and pick me up. they had blockaded the city at that point. at least coming into kent down route

i think laura davis made the point earlier that it had. there is another side to that. think the war was winding down, and nixon would have liked to have brought the troop some, but he did not know how to do it. tet offensive, things started sliding backward. -- itinitely polarized further polarized a polarized nation. do, i think it had a lot to with 18-year-olds finally getting to vote. energized a fading movement in a way. radicalized the democratic party so much that in 1972, they nominated george mcgovern, who did not have a snowballs chance of winning, when they could have nominated someone who could have actually given nixon a run for his money. in a way, they almost guaranteed a second term for nixon. of course, he blew the opportunity. it is a two-sided thing. time was a high school teacher in washington, d.c. students were juniors and seniors. one of the reasons it affected me so strongly then was it could have been my students. they were one year removed from the students i was teaching. i was not all that far removed. the story that laura told was repeated t

and i think laura davis talked about the point it had. there is a two side -- another side to that or several more sides. i think the war is winding down. he didn't know how to do it. the -- after the defense, things were sliding backwards, and it definitely polarized -- it further polarized a very polar sized nation at that point. and yes, i think it had a lot to do with an 18-year-old finally getting a vote, i think it would have been a fading movement in a way, but it radicalized the democratic party so much that in 1972 they nominated george mcgovern who didn't have a snowballs chance of winning, and they might have nominated someone that would have given nixon a run for his money. although he blew the opportunity. so, it is kind of a two-sided thing. i was, myself, at the time a high school teacher in washington dc when i was 25 my students were seniors, most of them juniors and seniors. these could have been my students, they were just a year removed from being students. and i was maybe not that far from being a guardsman, too. so w

host: from laura davis back in 2010. if you are on the campus of kent state university there is a museum dedicated to what 1970, givingay 4, you a sense of what life was like 50 years ago and what the campus went through. the book is titled "67 shots: kent state and the end of american innocence" from his home in virginia is the author of that book, howard means. thank you for being with us. howard: thank you for having me. host: what happened, why did four students die and nine others injured? howard: that's a big question. and the ultimate large sense of this, all of the toxic orders of the 1960's sewed together at can state university that weekend. it was an age of hate. an age of distrust, there was a generational divide. the museum that laura was talking about does a wonderful job of capturing all this. it has a wonderful walk you can take narrated by julian bond. if you are anywhere near the university you should do it. in a more immediate sense, you 's speech onnixon he announced the extension of the war into .amb

laura davis said when her father walked in and saw her and said they should have killed them all because i thought her father would say thank god you are all right. i feel so fortunate that my parents were against the war and that made them more against the war. means, did this turn the country against the war even guest: it is a good question. had. thursday -- there is another side to that. i think the war was winding down. nixon would have liked to have brought the troops home. he just did not know had to do it and still be dick nixon. after the tet offensive, things started sliding backwards. but it definitely polarized, further polarized, a very polarized nation at that point. withnk it had a lot to do 18-year-olds finally getting the vote. energized a fading movement. the democratic 1972,so much that, in they nominated george mcgovern, who did not have a snowball's chance of winning when they could have nominated someone who might have given nixon a run for his money. they almost guaranteed a second term for dick nixon, although he blew the opportunity. thing,ind of a two-sided at i

i think laura davis made the point earlier that it had. there is another side to that. think the war was winding down, and nixon would have liked to have brought the troop some, but he did not know how to do it. tet offensive, things started sliding backward. -- itinitely polarized further polarized a polarized nation. do, i think it had a lot to with 18-year-olds finally getting to vote. energized a fading movement in a way. radicalized the democratic party so much that in 1972, they nominated george mcgovern, who did not have a snowballs chance of winning, when they could have nominated someone who could have actually given nixon a run for his money. in a way, they almost guaranteed a second term for nixon. of course, he blew the opportunity. it is a two-sided thing. time was a high school teacher in washington, d.c. students were juniors and seniors. one of the reasons it affected me so strongly then was it could have been my students. they were one year removed from the students i was teaching. i was not all that far removed. the story that laura told was repeated t

especially my mind today, is the work of laura davis, carroll comes to mind, may she rest in peace.never miss a may 4th commemoration. i am so sorry that she is no longer with us and that we won't be together as a group and family this year. good health. joy to you, and peace. thank you from oregon. >> even in the face of violence of a national guard who had guns, students knew they had bullets and their guns, they were still standing in the face of violence and willing to speak about things that were passionate to them. even at the very local level, about a very federal issue. students my age should look at issues that are facing us today and act. why are we not more sad about the price of college tuition? why do i have to choose between getting an education and surviving? that should not be a decision i have to make, but those are things that have to consider. >> until i visited the vietnam memorial for the first time, i knew it was this big black slab of granite that you could see your reflection and. it had the names of all the soldiers that died in vietnam on it. i walked the e

most of whom i won't name, especially in my mind today is the work of carole barbato and laura davis.y she rest in peace, because she said she would never miss a may 4th commemoration, and i'm so sorry that she's no longer with us and that we won't be together as a group and as a family this year. so good health, enjoy to you and peace. thanks from oregon. >> even in the face of violence, even in the face of a national guard who did have guns and regardless of students knew that they had bullets in their guns, they were still stand in the face of violence, and they were still willing to speak about things that were passionate to them, even at the very local level at kent state university about a very federal issue. i think students my age should look at the issues that are facing us today and act. why are we not more upset about, you know, for instance, the price of college tuition? why do i have to choose between getting an education and surviving? that shouldn't be a decision i have to make, but those are things that i have to consider. >> until i visited the vietnam memorial for th

laura and marcus. >>> new overnight for you chp investigating a deadly crash in san leandro. this happened about 1:00 this morning on northbound 880 south of davis. the vehicle crashed into rocks that were under an overpass. there's no word on that second victim's condition. >>> monday morning police responded to a shooting near the country club. they found a man dead in the backyard. police so far have not made any arrests. >> it's wildfire prevention week and happening today people living in the north bay have a chance to learn what pg&e is doing to prevent the fires. the utility is holding an online event for customers in sonoma and napa counties. >>> one family devastated by the campfire plans to return home. they get the chance at least, greg and teresa vincent lost everything during the 2018 fire. now their luck has changed thanks to the help of a nonprofit, the vincents were welcomed back so they could live in one of the new 39 affordable homes. it's all about the vincents. >>> a federal judge is upholding california's ban on church services. the ban during the pandemic has not violated a constitutional right for churches to gather. kept

davis full pardon. just one month later, robert's mother, sandy, died in a car crash. she had said her greatest joy was seeing her son exonerated. laurabelieves there are untold others serving time in prisons who confess to things they incident did do. >> eyes are beginning to open. questions are beginning to be asked around the country. and that is what happened in robert davis' case. >> one night of your life made a hell of a ircht diabetdifferenc did you? >> it's a small town. have you ever run into randy he had? >> it is a small town. i haven't seen him. if i were to see him walking down the stroo eeet, i'd probab just keep walking. i don't have anything to say to him except for i'm innocent. i told him i was. >> that's all for this episode of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. >>> iffirst up on msnbc, the administration's efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the user. this morning, though, the reality check. as more states reopen, business as usual is anything but. at the pennsylvania state capital, not much social distancing by protesters, but the political distance could not be wider. >> staggered reopening. a broad