College kids were rioting in those days, so the kids at Gallaudet, the world’s only college for the deaf, decided they needed to be part of what was going on. Gallaudet is in Washington, D. C. the political heart of the country. Why shouldn’t they be out there with those other students?
When they saw the students running and carrying signs, they followed along. Two deaf students, somehow got separated from the group and missed the arrival of the police. Someone threw a Molotov cocktail from a roof. The police thought the deaf students did it.
Came the words: “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
This was to happen over the years more than a few times, two of which were done by private individuals when they thought deaf people were trespassing. How much more dangerous is it for deaf people in prison, where a guard’s order is not immediately carried out?