Chain Of Fools: The 1968 Glenville Shootout
This short story is based on the true story of my grandparent's experience in the 1968 Glenville Shootout. On April 4th, 1968, civil unrest swept across the nation after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. On July 23rd, in Cleveland, a battle between Black nationalist group “The New Libya Movement” and Cleveland Police engulfed the neighborhood of Glenville. To this day it is unknown who started the shootout, however it is known that the New Libya Movement was a target of the FBI covert program COINTELPRO, designed to surveil and neutralize prominent Black freedom movements. My grandfather's church was just down the street from the New Libya Movements headquarters and his home near that of leader Ahmad Evans. His house became a center point of the shootout and the days of unrest that followed. This has been written according to recollections of my grandparents and official and publicly available federal reports. Some details have been created to fill in this narrative format.
“Reverend, start at the beginning. Where were you when the shooting began?” asked the tall slender man investigating the shootout.
Reverend Perryman replied “You see I was on my way to Akron. For six days they had been having violent riots. The national guard had finally left, and curfew had been lifted, but tensions were still high. I was going to meet several other clergymen to continue the effort to cool things down. As I cruised down 80 South I adjusted the dial on my radio and began to tap my finger against my steering wheel to the rhythm of the song. Arthea sang ‘I'm just a link in your chain. You got me where you want me. I ain't nothing but your fool. You treated me mean. Oh, you treated me cruel. Chain, chain, chain
chain of fools.’
“As the song faded and the wind crashing through the window once again flooded my ears, something caught my attention. The radioman reported ‘shots fired in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. Gunfire continues to be exchanged between police and assailants. Police are warning all residents to stay inside.’ My stomach flipped, and despite the wind in my lungs, I suddenly could not breathe. That was my neighborhood. What was going on? On a dime I turned around and high tailed it back home.”
The Investigator writing vigorously turned to the Reverend's wife and asked “Mrs. Perryman, how do you recall the events surrounding you fleeing your home?”
With still some shock in her voice the Reverend's wife replied “we live — excuse me — lived in the second-floor apartment. Our nine-month old son Warren was sleeping. It was only me and him in the apartment. Then I heard a loud bang. Smoke filled the room and I couldn't see anything. I was coughing so bad I couldn’t breathe either. I rushed to get Warren and pressed him against my chest. I heard gunshots in no particular rhythm, just the sound of bullets whizzing by. Hitting things I suppose. I didn’t know what else to do except shout ‘I’ve got a baby in here!’ But the shots continued for what felt like an eternity as I caught my breath to yell louder, ‘I've got a baby in here!” I couldn’t see much, my eyes were teary. Then I heard a policeman's voice beckon ‘stop firing, stop firing! We’ve got a woman in there.’ After a long pause he spoke again ‘Come on out lady.’ I ran down the steps at once and flung open the front door and sprinted across the street. I banged on the neighbor's door pleading, ‘Let me in!’ They didn’t open it right away, but eventually I got in and took cover away from the window. I looked down to check Warren for scratches and saw none.”
The investigator followed up skeptically “So there were no men in the house with you before you fled?”
The Reverend's wife simply replied, “No.”
With a perplexed look on his face the investigator moved on. “Reverend what happened when you arrived at the scene?”
With a long gaze in his eyes the Reverend responded: “I arrived to see police firing at my house. I had to find my wife and sons, so I attempted to run to get into the house. A policeman held me back. That man saved my life. He told me snipers were held up in my house and that I needed to take cover or get out of here. I asked him if my family was still in the house. He responded ‘The woman and the baby are safe. They're somewhere in one of them houses on that side of the street” gesturing in the opposite direction of the house. I ran to where he had pointed. It felt like every time my foot hit the ground the sound of another shot fired. It was almost dark, but there was heat coming off the ground. It felt like the Earth was smoldering, like a scene out of hell. I found my wife and my youngest son. She said our other son Michael, 11 years old, had left the house earlier and was nowhere to be found. I heard gunshots go on for hours. I saw my house burn all night! I heard men's voices screaming from inside. What happened? Who burned down my home?”
The investigator quipped “Well, Reverend, we’re not quite sure of that. All we know is that around midnight police raided the home and found one sniper dead. When they approached your second floor apartment they found the door locked. After shooting off the lock they found the door jammed by a steel wedge and barricaded by a bed and other furniture. They were unable to apprehend the second sniper and retreated. Your house then erupted in flames.”
The Reverend in quiet frustration said “Pshh, now I'm sitting here shuffling through this rubble. I'm just a link in your chain. You got me where you wanted me. I ain't nothing but your fool. You treated me mean and you treated me cruel. I'm nothing but a link in your chain of fools.”
The Investigator stopped scrawling on his notebook and stated, “Reverend excuse me, I didn’t catch that.”
As the Reverend sat there looking through what was left of his scorched belongings, his son Michael approached on his bike. In shock Michael ran across the rubble to where his father was seated. In silence the two simply stared at what was left of their home, still smoldering. The man investigating said “Reverend, the city will be out next week to get this all cleaned up.”
