In the two weeks prior to the Liberation of Albert Park (September 7th & 14th 1969), there were protest marches from Myers Park to the Civic Administration Building and then to the Central Police Station. The marchers were protesting about the politically motivated police raids of activists'(mostly PYM)homes and Progressive Bookshop.
The photo shows one of these two marches (hence the reference to searching homes).
The placards about Ho Chi Minh reflect the fact that Ho died on September 3, 1969.
Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese resistance to Japanese invasion in World War II, after the war when the French colonialists returned to Viet Nam he led the struggle against France for independence, which culminated in a massive defeat for France in 1854. The Geneva peace agreements which followed resulted in the temporary division of the country into North and South - with elections for a unified government to be held in 1956. However the US puppet regime of Diem refused to hold the elections, so the war of independence began again - with increasing US involvement. Ho remained the leader of North Vietnam and an inspiration for the National Liberation Front fighters in the South.
Whilst the war still raged when he died, by 1968 "corporate America" (as Chomsky puts it) had realised the US could not win the war, and secret efforts were being made towards a peace agreement. These were well in train by 1969, but were sabotaged by Nixon and a group of influential Republicans who knew that a Democrat led peace would mean Nixon would lose the presidential race. The result was that the war raged for another 4 years, millions died, the US attached Laos and Cambodia, carpet bombed North Vietnam and lost thousands more US lives.
Ho Chi Minh was much more a patriotic nationalist than a communist. In his "final testament" he wrote:
"All my life, I have served the Homeland, the revolution and the people with all my heart and strength. If I should now depart from this world, I would have nothing to regret, except not being able to serve longer and more. When I am gone, a grand funeral should be avoided in order not to waste the people's time and money."
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