Forty-One Years Ago, Bombings Shook Boulder

In 1974 the political atmosphere in the Colorado front range was marked by protests against the Vietnam War, police brutality, equal rights, and other issues. Six student and alumni activists from the University of Colorado in Boulder worked to improve conditions for students of color and were leaders of the Chicano movement for their own contributions. Forty-one years ago on May 27th, a bomb went off in Chautauqua Park in the car of one of those activists killing students Una Jaakola, Reyes Martinez, and Neva Romero.

Two days later, a bomb exploded in another car in the Burger King parking lot on 28^th Street killing all three students or alumni Francisco Dougherty, Freddie Granado, and Heriberto Teran. Their friend Antonio Alcantar survived the explosion but lost his leg following extensive injury and an amputation. There were never indictments for those responsible and many who were in the area at the time point to the FBI COINTELPRO program as playing a role.

Every year on the anniversary of the bombings, KGNU brings you voices of those who worked alongside those who became known as Los Seis de Boulder. This year, we bring you the account of David Young who along with his mother Dora Esquibel were students at CU at the time of the bombings. He speaks to KGNU about his memories and how CU was indifferent to students of color, as well as was the Educational Opportunity Program EOP that was founded at the University of Colorado, Boulder to support students but was said to instead, fail them.