Kent in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

By Any Means Necessary

ROTC Building Site

— May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour —

By Any Means Necessary Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

1. By Any Means Necessary Marker

Inscription. Following a disturbance in downtown Kent on Friday, May 1, 1970, the mayor asked that the Ohio National Guard remain on standby. On Saturday evening, the Guard accompanied firefighters who put out a fire in the ROTC building. Sunday morning, Governor Rhodes and public officials vowed to use any means necessary to maintain order, and 850 guardsmen occupied the campus.

Sunday afternoon, sightseers took souvenir photos of the guardsmen. That evening, guardsmen used tear gas and bayonets to disperse students staging a sit-in. The next day, May 4, the Guard prepared to disperse a rally on the Commons. Officers ordered troops to load their M1 rifles.

“We are going to eradicate the problem. We're not going to treat the symptoms.” - Governor James Rhodes, May 3, 1970

Erected 2024 by May 4 Visitors Center. (Marker Number 2.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Notable Events • War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1970.

Location. 41° 9.074′ N, 81° 20.767′ W. Marker is in Kent, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on no nearby street. Touch for map.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is in this post office area: Kent OH 44243, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Freedom of Speech and Assembly (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Law and Order and Dissent (about 500 feet away); Site of the Shooting of Kent State Students May 4, 1970 (about 600 feet away); The May 4, 1970, Kent State Shootings Site (about 600 feet away); Further Tragedy Averted (about 600 feet away); Kent State Shootings Memorial (about 600 feet away); The Day the War Came Home (about 600 feet away); May 4 National Historic Landmark Site (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kent.

Also see . . . National Historic Landmark Site Tour.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

2. ROTC Site

The site of the ROTC Building on Kent State's campus.

This outdoor trail is self-guided and available any time the campus grounds are open. It includes seven exhibit panels that take visitors through the events of May 4, 1970. Along the trail that goes around The Commons and Taylor Hall, you will see campus landmarks like the Victory Bell, May 4 Memorial, Solar Totem #1 sculpture, the Pagoda, wounded student markers, and fallen student spaces.

(Submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.