Jan. 25, 1972: 51 years ago, Jan 24 1972, hundreds of students at Stanford University [...]

51 years ago, Jan 24 1972, hundreds of students at Stanford University occupied the Old Union and took over the Faculty Club, where they held a “people’s banquet” with stolen food in solidarity with recently fired English professor H. Bruce Franklin of the Maoist group Venceremos

Franklin, an open and revolutionary communist, was a major influence in the student movement at Stanford. The university used Franklin’s participation in a disruptive anti-war action in 1971 as a pretext to fire him
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The actions, led by the Stanford Rehabilitation Society, coincided with the anniversary of Franklin’s firing, and demand his re-hiring. Protestors broke the windows of the Old Union and held it for four hours, while Franklin taught a class on “people’s culture”

After the police routed the demonstrators from the building, they moved on to the Faculty Club, where they held an “eat-in,” helping themselves to food. Many pocketed the expensive cutlery. The university claimed thousands of dollars of damage was done. Franklin was not rehired