I.V. III
I.V. III began when indictments were handed down in early June
to those who had supposedly burned the bank. True to form and
very similar to Kunstler's description of how the Chicago 8
had
been picked to be prosecuted, the Santa Barbara 17 appeared
to be a list of the most outspoken and effective student and
community leaders, rather than a group that actually might have
been responsible for the fire. In fact, two of the 17 had been
in jail the night it was burned.
The indictments kindled widespread resentment in Isla Vista.
They were introduced into a climate already very sensitive to
possible judicial abuses. Robert Potter and James J. Sullivan,
authors of a booklet about the period entitled "The Campus
by the Sea Where the Bank Burned Down," said of the indictments
that:
"The timing was also unfortunate, many students felt, because
the trial seemed deliberately planned to be held after most
students had left the area for the summer. (Additionally) The
Bank of America's earlier offer of large rewards was felt by
many to have probably produced false information. Even the least
radical of Isla Vista's population angrily felt that the beleaguered
community did not need this further difficulty, especially at
a time when recently established projects were promising real
success with Isla Vista's problems."
The major recently established project was the birth of the
Isla Vista Community Council (IVCC), which, for the first time,
gave Isla Vistans at least an advisory vote in local governmental
decisions. Eighteen-year-olds didn't begin voting until 1972,
but any resident over 16 was permitted to vote in IVCC elections.
The Open Door Medical Clinic and Isla Vista Community Federal
Credit Union were also started that spring.
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