2. Rock & Roll Dope #5
Poet-MC5 manager John Sinclair
and MC5 guitarist Fred Smith were brutally assaulted, beaten, MACEd, and
arrested by members of the National Security Police, the Oakland County
Sheriff's Department, and the Michigan State Police while performing at
a teen-club in Oakland County last Tuesday, July 23rd. The two victims
of police terrorism were charged with "assault and battery on a police
officer" and are presently free on $2500 bond pending their pre-trial
examination September 12th. The charge is a high misdemeanor and carries
a maximum two-year-sentence.

The scene took place at the Loft, a converted barn in Leonard,
Michigan, where the MC5 had been contracted to play a dance job. What
follows is Sinclair's account of the incident:
We had worked at the Loft twice before in the past
month or so and never had any trouble out there, just great crowds of
high-energy kids, you know? But the clubowner had bounced two checks on
us for a total of almost $400, and we were going to take him to court
and also try to get his place closed down by the musicians' union, because
he had beat a bunch of other bands around there too. This dude, Harold
Boumer his name is, called our booking agent and told him that he wanted
to settle everything with the bands he had ripped off, and he set up this
date for us to go out there the 23rd and play again in exchange for all
the money he owed us plus 40% of the gate for that night. We didn't want
to hang him up anyway - we just wanted to get our money, and we dug playing
out there because the kids are so far out. So we agreed to the deal and
drove out there the night of the 23rd.
When we arrived, and before we could even get out of
the van, we were confronted by this rent-a-pig named Capt. Kenneth Osborne
and told that he didn't want us to play "that song with motherfucker
in it." I told him that he didn't have anything to do with our show,
and that if he wanted to say anything to us he could say it through the
manager, because we worked for him and not for some rent-a-cop, right?
This pig had given me some shit the last time we were there anyway, about
moving the equipment out faster or something, and I didn't wanna talk
to him at all.
When we went inside Boumer ran up to me and apologized
for Osborne's actions. I told him that we would just as soon turn around
and go back home if there was gonna be any funny shit, because we were
giving this dude a break in the first place and we didn't haveta stand
for any of his pig's madness. Boumer said never mind Osborne, just play
the gig and I'll pay you your money afterwards. Well, we were supposed
to get it all in front, but he only had $100 and he said he'd give us
all the money that came in that night, because he had a full house and
he knew he'd have all the money by the end of the night.
So I took the $100 and the band went on stage to kick'em
out. The 5 smoked through the first 3 tunes and were really flyin', but
this chomp Osborne had the house announcer stop the show "because
of obscenity." We asked the people of we should stop, explaining
that we had come to play for them and we'd let THEM decide what we should
do. They told us to keep on playing, but we decided to play one more thing
and then go right into "Comm" so we could get out of there in
case this pig started any shit. We didn't wanna stop tight there because
we didn't wanna leave the people with nothing, you know, but on the other
hand we knew this fool was crazy and we wanted to get outa there as soon
as we could.
Meanwhile the rent-a-pigs apparently called the Oakland County
Sheriff's Department and told them there was a "riot" going
on because we wouldn't stop playing and were "inciting the kids to
violence." That was a bunch of bullshit, because what we actually
told them was that there were a bunch of crooks running this place and
they should never come back because the owners were cheating the bands
and pulling funny shit all the time, right? Anyway, Osborne and his flunkies
blockaded all the exits to the place so nobody could get out - evidently
they figured they'd better HAVE a riot situation when the real pigs got
there or else they wouldn't look so good, you know?
I had the equipment dudes pack up all the shit and
take it out to the van, and got the band changed and all the guitars and
shit packed up and sent them downstairs to wait for me. I didn't know
that the doors were shut off or anything, I was up there checking the
stage area to make sure all the equipment was taken care of and checking
the dressing room and all the stuff you have to do before you leave, so
you won't leave anything behind, you dig? I'm standing by the stage when
this dude Boumer comes up to talk to me. We sit down on the edge of the
stage, and he apologizes again for the police and asks me to bring the
equipment back up so we can play another set and he won't have to give
the kids their money back! WHAT?! I couldn't believe what I was hearing!
I told Boumer he was stone crazy if he thought we'd stick around that
madhouse for another minute - we wanted our money and if he didn't want
to pay it right there we'd see his ass in court. I also told him that
we were going to put the word out on him to all the bands in the area,
and that I was going to get the musicians' union to shut him down for
good - not just because he beat us out of the money, but because he couldn't
control his police and he was cheating all the people who went there.
Boumer kept talking, mumbling on about a second set
and dodging the money issue, when all of a sudden the rent-a-pigs and
a bunch of uniformed police in riot gear appeared at the top of the stairs
and started marching over to where we were sitting. Osborne was in the
lead, and he came up to me and started oinking in my face.
"Sinclair, get out of here!" Osborne grunted.
I asked him what the fuck he was talking about, looking at Boumer expecting
him to explain what was happening. Osborne oinked again: "I told
you to get out of here - NOW!" I told him I couldn't possibly leave
until I got the money. Osborne and his partner snatched me by the arms
and yanked me up, but I broke free for a minute and smashed him in the
face. Then the whole force jumped on me and beat me down to the ground.
Osborne squatted on top of me and kept hitting me in the face while the
other porkers were smashing me with nightsticks, blackjacks, fists and
booted feet while I tried to cover up my head and genitals. During the
melee an Oakland County pig, Donald Gilbert, badge number 81, squirted
me in the face with MACE, and another pig handcuffed me.
There were still about 100-150 kids on the dance floor
standing around in horror as this bloody scene flashed into action in
front of their eyes. They were just as dumbfounded as I was, and it all
happened so fast that it must've been hard to believe that it was really
happening. Girls were screaming and crying, everybody was trying to figure
out what was happening, and by this time the pigs were beating on Fred
Smith, who had run up from downstairs to help me when he heard all the
noise. Fred leaped into the pile of pigs who were beating on me, but two
of them pulled him off and beat his ass with clubs. They subdued both
of us, got us handcuffed and dragged us over into the corner before they
started clearing the room. A bunch of sisters, righteous MC5 addicts who
came to all our gigs, came over and started wiping the blood off of us,
but the pigs grabbed them and pushed them down the stairs. One sister
had a camera and I told her to get pictures of this shit, but the pigs
spotted her and grabbed her camera and broke it before they pushed her
down the stairs too. They beat up quite a few kids and shoved everybody
else out of the place, finally letting the doors be opened so people could
leave. [PHOTO : Leni
Sinclair]
They took me & Fred and put us in the car and started
for the county jail in Pontiac, with about 15 cars full of kids following
them all the way. One kid tried to set the place on fire he was so mad!
When we got to the jail they booked us on charges of assault and battery
on a police officer, but when Osborne tried to sign the arrest warrant
the desk sergeant told him that he wasn't a police officer and couldn't
legally arrest us. So one of the Oakland County pigs stepped up and said
he'd sign it - that was Gilbert, the one who MACEd me, right? All these
kids were milling around outside, but the deputies all went outside and
started threatening them, so they yelled up to us one more time and then
pulled up. When we got in court to be arraigned the next morning some
other pig's name was on one of the warrants too. We pleaded not guilty
and our people posted $2500 bond for each of us, which was the highest
bond the judge could set, you dig? We're gonna fight this as hard as we
can, and then we're gonna sue all these creeps. These fascist dogs are
trying to stomp ALL of us out - DON'T LET THEM DO IT!
[Printed in the
FIFTH ESTATE, August 1-14, 1968] [ LIBRARY
] [ MC5 GATEWAY ]

[PHOTO : Leni
Sinclair]
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