March 11, 1967: 54 years ago, Mar 11 1967, Berkeley anarchist group the Provos held their [...]

54 years ago, Mar 11 1967, Berkeley anarchist group the Provos held their first, abortive “be-in” at Constitution Park. Although the event, called “The Reversal of Planet Earth”, was officially cancelled due to rain, about 150 people still turned out to dance and play music

The Provos, who were modeled on San Francisco’s Diggers and took their name from a Dutch anarchist group whose name came from the word “provoke”, held a number of events in the park over the following years, offering free music and free food to all comers

The park, now officially known as MLK Park, has long been known as Provo Park, although the group itself is largely forgotten

Like the Diggers, they sought to combine countercultural festivals with radical political activity. For example, in August 1967 they helped the Oakland Direct Action Committee raise donations of food and clothes for the Black community in Lowndes County, Alabama

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