While at Kent State, Hammond authored a study of local politics entitled "Who Rules Kent?" and was active in the political events that culminated in the May 4, 1970 shootings at the university. He was indicted as one of the "Kent 25" and was lead plaintiff in the federal lawsuit "Hammond v. Brown" which resulted in the suppression of the Special Grand Jury report on the Kent State shootings. All charges against the Kent 25 were dropped in December 1971. In 1976 he took part in the "Move the Gym" demonstrations at Kent, on the site of the 1970 shootings.