A crowd of curious spectators stood in the pouring rain last Wednesday night to witness a new historical marker in Media Borough, at the former FBI office in Veteran’s Square, writes Nathan Stanley for templeupdate.com.

The marker commemorates a 1971 burglary by activists who took documents from the office that exposed an illegal FBI surveillance operation.

Anti-war protesters used the distraction of the March 8, 1971 Muhammed Ali-Joe Frazer “Fight of the Century” to break into an FBI Media Borough office and steal documents highlighting the government’s persecution of activists.

Former Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger, who broke the story, spoke about the event.

“It’s wonderful to see this new chapter added to the story of the Media Burglary.”

Medsger was joined by two of the original Media burglars, Bonnie Raines and Keith Forsyth.

They joined the crowd for a screening of the film 1971, a documentary on the burglary, and participated in a panel discussion afterward with the filmmaker Johanna Hamilton.

The panel was led by Temple Media Studies and Production professor and journalist  Marc Lamont Hill.

The historical marker joins 2,500 in Pennsylvania. It’s the second one for Media Borough.

Read more at templeupdate.com about the historical marker ceremony in Media.

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The International Spy Museum presents a feature looking at the 1971 burglary in Media.