Happy hippies and costumed peace freaks assembled behind DeRoy Auditorium on Wayne University’s campus for the 2nd Annual Halloween March the night of Oct. 31. Led by John Schwartz, alias Jacob Odaryan, the march was to bring an absurdist dance of death to the festive evening.
Seventy-five freaks danced around DeRoy and stopped for a WWJ-TV newsman. “Help the poor, stop the war” chanted the marchers. They then danced down Cass Ave. Their chanting visibly disturbed Wayne’s Public Safety fuzz and stopped traffic on both sides of Cass. Black children running alongside the marchers dropped firecrackers in the street and some joined the zany throng.
The march continued up Cass to the General Motors Building. The chants: “While industrialists gather millions—enjoy, enjoy, Peasants are burning—enjoy, enjoy.” and “Help the poor, stop the war” sufficiently rattled the GM guards, enough that they sealed the entrances.
Across Grand Boulevard at slumlord Goodman’s St. Regis Hotel, marchers chanted “enjoy, enjoy” to people entering the Mauna Loa, a “Polynesian paradise” restaurant.
The march then turned west on the Boulevard and one block down confronted the theatre goers at the Fisher. Again guards sealed the doors. Theatre goers had to excuse themselves through the demonstrators to find a locked door and then go back through the crowd of demonstrators again. Some of the theatre goers were appropriately freaked, most just laughed.
By this time, squad cars with four cops each pulled up and watched the demonstrators closely lest they break some ordinance. The dance of death continued, now with police escort, north up Second to the studios of WJBK-TV. Here the marchers chanted “We want the truth.”
The marchers then headed back toward the WSU campus with ringing bells and dancing feet. All felt more provo actions are needed—so Detroit, be forwarded. [sic]