alternatehistory.com

October 30, 1968

Cobo Brawl: Wallace Rally Descends into Chaos

There was a fight at Cobo Arena last night, and it wasn’t a boxing match. Nine thousand Wallace supporters came to Cobo Arena in Downtown Detroit to see presidential candidate George Wallace and were greeted by a thousand hecklers. Trouble began even before Wallace made an appearance, starting when several of Wallace’s supporters grabbed a protester’s sign. In another incident, two men wearing Wallace campaign hats sprayed hecklers with mace. Soon after Wallace began speaking, the whole arena erupted into pandemonium. Fights broke out spontaneously between Wallace’s supporters and protesters in the crowd. Soon, fists, feet, and chairs were flying all over the place. Wallace himself had to cut his speech short.

“Let the police handle it!” shouted Wallace, trying to calm the crowd. “Well, you came for trouble and you got it! You better have your day now because after November 5 you’re through in this country. You are the kind of people that folks in this country are sick and tired of putting up with.”

After Wallace’s speech, the crowd spilled out onto the street. Protesters hurled rocks, bottles, and insults at police, and some threw chunks of concrete at a rented bus full of Wallace’s supporters. Police turned on the hecklers, beating them with their nightsticks. Several injuries were reported, including a girl who was hit in the back of the head with a police baton, and one young man received facial wounds and a broken arm after being beaten by five Detroit policemen. Ten protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct. [1][2]

Nevertheless, the high turnout for Wallace in a northern city suggests that his chances at winning the Presidency may be better than conventional wisdom suggests. While his base is in the south, Wallace has considerable support in much of the north, particularly amongst unionized factory workers. He is currently polling at 15% in Michigan [3], and his visit to the state earlier this month drew crowds numbering in the thousands. [4] Wallace’s popularity has led some to speculate that he might draw enough votes from his opponents to throw the election to the House of Representatives.