We weren't there but maybe two minutes and the mayor was there with this great big long club and went around waving it around.   He never used it on anyone but just kind of showing his influence.   The cops . . . btf:  The mayor of Muldraugh?
CH:   The mayor of Muldraugh, right.   The cops, after they arrested us, went all the way back in the corner of the parking lot.   We were in the middle.   And we had to wait until the warrants came, and we were completely encircled by this crowd.   They could have at any time attacked us if they had wanted to. btf:  How many people were there?
CH:   I think there were eight of us there and there was a crowd of about, starting out at about 15 or 20, and ending up at about 45 or 50.   There were a lot of high school students and a number of older citizens -- they all appeared to be from the area someplace.
They were baiting us the whole time.   They tried very hard to get us in a fight with them, I mean to the point that this one guy said,  "Goddammit, I wish I could make you mad so you'd try to hit me.   I'd like to beat the shit out of you, " you know.
I mean the situation said we had to be cool or we would've got our asses killed because the cops -- it was apparent they weren't going to do anything.
btf:  How many cops were there?
CH:  Well, there was a car of state troopers and two police cars, so I gusss there were probably four,  six --four or five cops there.
btf:  Did the state troopers make any move to intercede?
CH:   Well,  no, there was just one of them and he just stayed outside of the whole thing and mostly talked to the cops for a while.
btf:   These are the state troopers called by the KCLU?
CH:   No, well, yes, they were called the second night, after Friday night, but on Friday night, the state cops, there were four of them, and the two local cop cars were there, and neither of them did anything.
Coffeehouse Fact Sheet:  Timetable For Repression Aug. 30, 1969 -- Coffeehouse opens.
Sept. 2 - - Muldraugh City Council passes new law requiring police approval for a business permit. Sept. 5 -- Coffeehouse closed by police, and landlord refuses to accept rent on the advice of county attorney. Sept. 28 -- Coffeehouse reopened with large rally --and has remained open since.
Oct. 1 -- Judge rules in favor of landlord in eviction trial; $10, 000 cash posted for appeal.
Oct. 9 -- Fire bomb thrown in Coffeehouse; out of sheer luck, no damage.
Oct. 30 -- Grand jury indicts six people, including minister and wife, Vietnam veteran and ex-GI for violation of sanitary laws (not enough bathrooms even though Coffeehouse never tried to serve food) and for "maintaining a Common Public Nuisance frequented by evil people" (GI's ? ).   Possible sentences range up to one year and one month.
Oct. 30 -- Coffeehouse fire bombed again, causing slight damage; nightly guards stationed at Coffeehouse (GI and civilian volunteers).
Oct. 31 -- Four people sent to jail for 13 days for refusing to answer Grand Jury's preposterous questions. Nov. 4 -- Federal suit wins temporary restraining order and release of six indictees.
Nov. 12 -- People in jail for contempt released on bond by state court of appeals
Feb. 4, 1970 -- New Grand Jury in session to investigate the "red menace. "
Feb. 24 -- Retrial of eviction case is delayed; new indictments on "public nuisance" charge are delivered on the original six indicted -- two of them are rearrested;
blue-tail fly
In fact, Ridenour did point one of the members of the Coffeehouse staff out to the mob and said, "You get out of here. "  And they came after this guy.   About ten men had clubs --a lot of people were just standing around with clubs.   A woman was with him and they were able to get to the car but the rest of the eight people weren't able to get to their cars in the parking lot of Burger Queen because they had to get out so fast.
They beat this one guy up with their clubs.   He's okay, it wasn't a real serious thing.   But they did beat him up.
btf:  What were you doing that provoked the crowd into being there?
CH:  When the six of us were arrested, the GI's wanted to stop the harrassment and further arrests so they called a boycott of the Muldraugh businesses, and sent a letter to each of the businessmen asking that they sign a petition to stop the charges from coming down on us and also stop Ridenour and the MP's from harrassing the GI's who come to the Coffeehouse.
What happened Friday night -- they decided to leaflet Burger Queen with a leaflet that said,  "Please do not buy food here --to the townspeople and the GI's.   We ask you to boycott this business until the harrassment stops, btf:  Well, in view of how it did affect the community, how do you feel now about calling the boycott as strategy? Do you think it worsened the situation or what? CH:  It's pretty clear that we hadn't talked enough to the people of the town to let them understand what was going on so that when the boycott was called, the officials around here were able to use all the old rumors that they've they've been -using against us for a long time to mobilize at least some people to threaten us.   It seems pretty clear from what happened, but I mean we don't have too many means of power to get things changed and one of those means we can use right now is a boycott and so when it's necessary, you have to use something like that, btf:   In Frankfort (at the Student Mobe march against the war), Susan (Schermerhorn) also talked about other harrassment here, like Ridenour taking license plate numbers of GI's who come here and turning them over to
continued on page 14
indictees now face possible two-year sentences.
Mar. 5 - - GI's call boycott of Muldraugh businesses in order to end the harrassment; four GI's and two civilians are arrested while leafleting the Muldraugh Burger Queen; each is charged with "disorderly conduct" and bonds set at $500.
Mar. 6 -- GI's and civilians leaflet Burger Queen Again; three more arrested on disorderly conduct charges. Police Chief David Ridenour organizes vigilante mob to chase GI's and supporters from Burger Queen.   Ten men with clubs threaten leafleters; beat one civilian and take his camera and vandalize a car of the Coffeehouse staff. Mar. 8 - - Civilians leaflet again; no arrests --a victory!
Mar. 7-9 -- Three GI's transferred to Elizabethtown Jail; jailer tells eight thugs to harrass them.   One GI beat up and cut with piece of glass by another prisoner. Mar. 10 -- All GI's released on bond.   A civilian released on bond is immediately rearrested for "disorderly conduct" while in jail and "destroying public property" (allegedly, a lock was broken in jail). Mar. 11 -- Five of the GI's rearrested on the same charges   arising from the jail confinement. Mar. 12 -- Three-judge federal panel is appointed and set hearing for March 18.
Mar. 18 -- Three-judge court decides to take case under advisement to determine if federal court has jurisdiction.
Mar. 20 -- GI's and the civilian charged with destroying public property while in jail are convicted in Brandenburg and fined $75 each.   They are appealing.