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1968 Democratic National Convention protests

The 1968 Democratic National Convention protests were a series of protests against Democratic presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey and the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War that took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The protests lasted approximately seven days, from August 23 to August 29, 1968.

1968 Democratic National Convention protests
Part of the 1968 U.S. presidential election,
the Protests of 1968, Opposition to the Vietnam War and political violence in the United States during the Cold War
Chicago police drag an anti-Vietnam war protester across Michigan Avenue on August 28, 1968, during the Democratic National Convention as the crowd chants "The whole world is watching".
DateAugust 23–29, 1968
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Parties
Lead figures
Casualties
Death(s)1 civilian killed
Injuries500+ protestors
100+ other civilians
152 police officers

Many left-wing[1] counterculture and anti-Vietnam War groups, as well as supporters of anti-war Democratic candidate Eugene McCarthy began planning protests, marches, and demonstrations in response to the convention. There were several attempts by local Chicago authorities to prevent the protests from occurring, however, they ensued anyway. Thus, the city promised "law and order" in order to submit the protesters. As a result, many protesters, reporters, and bystanders were met with unprecedented levels of police brutality and police violence by the Chicago Police Department, particularly in Grant Park and Michigan Avenue in Chicago during the convention. The actions by Chicago police, the Illinois National Guard, and other law enforcement agencies were later described by the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence as a "police riot".[2][3]

During the evening of August 28, 1968, with the police riot in full swing on Michigan Avenue in front of the Democratic party's convention headquarters, the Conrad Hilton hotel, television networks broadcast live as the anti-war protesters began the now-iconic chant "The whole world is watching".

Planning Edit

National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam Edit

In the fall of 1967, members of the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (often referred to as "MOBE"), which was directed by David Dellinger, proposed a massive anti-war demonstration to coincide with the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In early 1968, the National Mobilization Committee opened a Chicago office directed by Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden, who were leading political organizers at the time and former leaders of Students for a Democratic Society.[4]: 1–2 

MOBE was an umbrella organization that included groups who were opposed to American participation in the Vietnam War. MOBE was run by a small executive board that set up a general framework for mass demonstrations, sent out invitations to the over 500 groups on its mailing lists, and coordinated activities between the groups.[citation needed]

MOBE recognized and supported all tactics from marching to civil disobedience.[citation needed] MOBE's main aim was to get the largest turnouts at its functions. David Dellinger, MOBE chairman, believed that "The tendency to intensify militancy without organizing wide political support [was] self-defeating. But so [was] the tendency to draw way from militancy into milder and more conventional forms of protest."[5]

For Chicago, MOBE originally planned for two large-scale marches and an end of convention rally at Soldier Field. The goal was originally a massive show of force outside the International Amphitheatre. MOBE also planned to have workshops and movement centers distributed in 10 parks throughout the city, many in predominantly black areas, to allow demonstrators and participating groups to follow their particular focuses.[citation needed][6]

Youth International Party Edit

 
Yippie! button on display at the Chicago History Museum

The Youth International Party was one of the major groups in the organization of the protests. Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and a few friends engaged in conversation at Hoffman's apartment on New Year's Eve, 1967. They discussed the events of the year, such as the Summer of Love and the Pentagon demonstration. The idea of having a free music festival in Chicago was suggested to defuse political tension.[who?] Over the next week, the Youth International Party took shape. Its members, known as "Yippies" politicized hippie ideology and used street theater and other tactics to critique the culture of the United States and induce change.[7]

In preparation for the Chicago convention, the Yippies held the "Yip-In", and the "Yip-Out" at Grand Central Station in New York City. Both events were planned simply as "be-ins", with live music. The event was used to promote peace, love and harmony, and as a trial run for Chicago. The black banner of an anarchist group was hung on the wall, bearing the words, "Up Against the Wall Mother Fucker" in red. Police stood by watching the crowds. As the "Yip-In" progressed, relations between the police and Yippies became strained. Two people climbed a large clock and removed the hands; the police responded by clearing the station. They formed a skirmish line, ordered the people to disperse, and then started forcing their way through the crowd.[citation needed]

The "Yip-Out" was similar in purpose but held in Central Park. To obtain the permits and aid from New York City officials necessary for the event, Yippies performed a sit-in at the mayor's office until the Mayor would negotiate on permits. In the end, an agreement was made on staging, electricity, police presence, bathrooms, and other necessities for running a music festival. Police milled in the crowd giving considerable leeway to the proceedings which led to a peaceable day.[8]

The Yippies took a radical approach to the Democratic National Convention. They wrote articles, published fliers, made speeches and held rallies and demonstrations, to announce that they were coming to Chicago. Threats were made that nails would be thrown from overpasses to block roads; cars would be used to block intersections, main streets, police stations and National Guard armories; LSD would be dumped in the city's water supply and the convention would be stormed. However, none of these threats came to fruition. Nonetheless, city officials in Chicago prepared for all possible threats.[9] A vilification campaign led by Chicago authorities worked in favor of the Yippies' plan.[citation needed]

One of the Yippies' main tactics was to use street theatre to create an experience that drew the attention of mainstream America. Yippie activities were used to put across the message that the average American didn't have control over the political process. They tried to show this by purposefully participating in non-traditional activities that would not conceivably affect the decision-making process in the convention hall, unlike a "straight" protest with picket lines, marches, and rallies which could conceivably convince delegates of mass support for a program.[citation needed] On a Wednesday night, networks moved their coverage away from the Amphitheater where the delegates were voting on the nomination, to a "pitched battle" in front of the Conrad Hilton hotel.[citation needed]

Prelude Edit

Official responses Edit

In the buildup to the Convention, Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley repeatedly denounced the various anti-Vietnam War protest groups mobilizing for protest[10] and announced "Law and order will be maintained".[11]

Chicago's security forces prepared for the protests during the convention. Besides the standard gun and billy club, Chicago Police Department officers had mace and riot helmets. For the convention, the CPD borrowed a new portable communications system from the military, thus increasing communication between field officers and command posts. All summer long, police officers had received refresher training on crowd control and riot techniques. During the convention itself, Police Academy instructors were with the reserve forces, giving last-minute reminders.[12]

Mayor Daley, citing intelligence reports of potential violence, put the 12,000 members of the Chicago Police Department on twelve-hour shifts, while the U.S. Army placed 6,000 troops in position to protect the city during the convention[4]: 2 [13] and nearly 6,000 members of the National Guard were sent to the city,[14] with an additional 5,000 National Guard on alert, bolstered by up to 1,000 FBI and military intelligence officers,[15] and 1,000 Secret Service agents.[16]

To satisfy manpower requirements, the City put the force on 12-hour shifts, instead of the normal 8-hour shifts. This gave police commanders approximately 50% more field officers to deal with disturbances. Two-thirds of the officers would continue with the normal police duties with the remaining third available for special assignment. In the Amphitheatre, the City concentrated 500 officers filling various roles. In Lincoln Park, the number of officers patrolling during the daytime was doubled, but the majority of the officers assigned to the Lincoln Park area were held in reserve, ready to respond to any disturbance.[citation needed]

In suspected trouble areas, police patrols were heavy. Further away from the center patrols were less frequent. This allowed the police to shift easily and quickly to control a problem without leaving an area unguarded. While maintaining a public image of total enforcement of all city, state, and federal laws, the Narcotics division was quietly reassigned to regular fieldwork, curtailing anti-drug operations during the DNC.[17]

Police officials and Mayor Daley had worked with the National Guard to create a plan to effectively use the Guard. It would be called up at the beginning of the convention, but held in reserve at strategically placed armories or collection points such as Soldier Field. With the Guard in place at their armories, the CPD could request and receive assistance quickly.[18]

Permits Edit

Both MOBE and Yippie needed permits from the city in order to hold their respective events. The City had several reasons for denying permits to MOBE and Yippie and thus stalled issuing permits. The City was worried about a black rebellion, independent of the white protesters, during the convention. To avoid trouble, the City used its influence with black community organizations such as The Woodlawn Organization, the Black Consortium, and Operation Breadbasket to try to keep their constituents calm and peaceful. Some of the militant black leaders were encouraged to leave town during the convention to avoid being implicated in any violence.[19]

The City also believed that having large numbers of white protesters marching through the black ghettos with a heavy police or National Guard escort would inflame the ghettos and set off rioting. Therefore, the City categorically denied any permit that included parks in or march routes through black areas.[citation needed]

Another argument the City used to deny permits was that the permits asked the City to set aside local and state ordinances. A city ordinance closed the city parks at 11 pm, although this was not strictly enforced.[20] In a letter to Yippie, Deputy Mayor David Stahl gave eight rules for Yippie to follow, including submitting detailed plans and requirements, following all city, state, and federal ordinances, and toning down the rhetoric.[citation needed] The Yippies refused, so the City felt justified in denying Yippie their permits.[citation needed]

In a last-ditch effort, MOBE filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking it to force Chicago to issue permits for a rally in Soldier Field or Grant Park. Judge Lynch, Daley's former law partner, heard the case, and summarily dismissed the request,[20] citing that the city could deny permits on the basis of protecting "public comfort, convenience, and welfare".[21]

Protests Edit

August 22: Shooting of Dean Johnson Edit

The start of the convention week's violence is sometimes traced to the shooting of Dean Johnson by Chicago police officers. Dean Johnson, age 17, and another boy were stopped on the sidewalk by the officers for a curfew violation early on the morning of Thursday, August 22. When Johnson drew and fired a pistol at police (the gun misfired), police officers returned fire, hitting Johnson three times.[22] The Yippies and SDS hastily organized a memorial service for Johnson, but as one observer noted, due to poor planning "it turned out that no one had made any plans to actually do anything. We just milled around and began to fill up the intersection. Two squad cars pulled up and the cops got out and told us to keep moving ... but they were pretty gentle about it".[23]

August 23: Planned protests Edit

On Friday, August 23, Jerry Rubin and other Yippies attempted to formally nominate the Yippie candidate for president, Pigasus, a pig. By the time Rubin arrived with Pigasus, several hundred spectators and reporters had gathered on the Civic Center plaza. Police officers were waiting, and after the pig was released, Rubin, folk singer Phil Ochs, and five other Yippies were arrested.[15]

August 24: Marches Edit

 
A speaker with a megaphone addresses a crowd of protestors in Grant Park

At 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 24, continuous surveillance began in Lincoln Park. For the previous several nights, the police had cleared Lincoln Park at 11 p.m. and maintained a significant presence during the day. Women Strike for Peace attempted to hold a women-only picket at the Hilton Hotel, the main delegate hotel. Despite plans for buses from around the country to bring hundreds of picketers, only 60 or so women showed up.[24]

It was generally agreed upon to not attempt to stay in Lincoln Park after the curfew, but to rather take the protest to the streets.[25] At exactly 11 p.m., poet Allen Ginsberg led protesters out of the park into the streets. SDS leaders organized several hundred protesters to march through the streets chanting things such as 'Peace Now' while the police simply guarded Lincoln Park. When the crowd stopped at Wells and North Avenue, blocking the intersection, a police contingent arrived and cleared the crowd. Eleven people were arrested and several police cars were stoned before the crowd dispersed into the normal Saturday nightlife.[26]

August 25: Protests and music Edit

Anti-war demonstrators in Lincoln Park, Chicago. The band MC5 can be seen playing

On Sunday, MOBE had scheduled a 'Meet the Delegates' march and picket. At 2 p.m. there were between 200 and 300 picketers marching across the street from the Conrad Hilton, and another 500 marching south through the Loop chanting, "Hey, Hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today". After the police arrival, those who were picketing moved into nearby Grant Park to avoid a mass arrest situation. Once the marchers had reached Grant Park, there was a brief rally where Davis and Hayden claimed the day a success, and then went to Lincoln Park where the Festival of Life music festival was beginning.[citation needed]

At 4 pm, the Festival started with proto-punk band MC5, the only band who showed up for the festival. The police did not allow a flatbed truck to be brought in as a stage, fearing Yippies would use it to incite the crowd. When the concession stand owner insisted that Yippie stop using his electrical outlets to run the amplification equipment, confusion ensued. While Rubin and other Yippies tried to make frantic deals to get the sound back on, Hoffman used the confusion to try to bring in the flatbed truck. A deal was struck allowing the truck to be parked nearby, but not in, the park. The crowd that had gathered around and on the truck did not realize an agreement had been reached and thought the truck was being sent away. The crowd surged around the truck, pinning in the police officers.[citation needed]

Hoffman declared that the police had stopped the music festival, and proceeded to conduct a workshop on dispersal tactics to avoid arrest by police. As the next police shift came on duty, they were informed of the tense situation in the park. Due to the number, frequency, diverseness, and exposure of the threats made by the protesters, the police were concerned about facing protesters armed with unknown weapons and unknown intentions.[citation needed]

At 9 pm, police formed a skirmish line around the park bathrooms. This drew a crowd of spectators who heckled the police. The crowd rapidly grew until the police charged into the crowd swinging their batons, scattering the crowd. At 11 pm the police pushed the protesters out of the park. Most protesters left the park and congregated nearby, taunting the police.[citation needed]

Initially when the police reached the edge of the park, they maintained their skirmish line, however when a squad was ordered to 'clear' Clark Street to keep traffic flowing the police lost control. A running battle began. Yippie Jerry Rubin told a friend "This is fantastic and it's only Sunday night. They might declare martial law in this town."[27] Protesters, journalists, photographers, and bystanders were clubbed and beaten by the police.[13][28] Order was not restored in Old Town until early Monday morning.[citation needed]

August 26: Grant Park Edit

 
Protesters climb the General John Logan Memorial in Grant Park as demonstrations build in the area.

On Monday, August 26, demonstrators climbed on a statue of General Logan on a horse, leading to violent skirmishes with police in Grant Park.[14] Police hauled a young man down and arrested him, breaking his arm in the process.[13]

August 28: The Battle for Michigan Avenue Edit

Protestors were joined on 28 August by the Poor People's Campaign, now led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Ralph Abernathy. This group had a permit and was split off from other demonstrators before being allowed to proceed to the amphitheater.[citation needed]

"The Battle of Michigan Avenue", described by Neil Steinberg of The Chicago Sun-Times as "a 17-minute melee in front of the Conrad Hilton", was broadcast on television, along with footage from the floor of the convention.[13] The police violence extended to protesters, bystanders, reporters and photographers, while tear gas reached Hubert Humphrey in his hotel suite.[2] Police pushed protesters through plate-glass windows, then pursued them inside and beat them as they sprawled on the broken glass.[13] 100 protesters and 119 police officers were treated for injuries, and 600 protesters were arrested.[13] Television cameras recorded the police brutality while demonstrators chanted "The whole world is watching".[2]

At the convention several delegates made statements against Mayor Daley and the CPD, like Senator Abraham Ribicoff who, speaking from the podium, denounced the use of "Gestapo tactics on the streets of Chicago" in his speech nominating George McGovern.[29] The hard line taken by the City was also seen on the convention floor itself.[27] In 1968, Terry Southern described the convention hall as "exactly like approaching a military installation; barbed-wire, checkpoints, the whole bit".[30] Inside the convention, journalists such as Mike Wallace[31] and Dan Rather were roughed up by security; both these events were broadcast live on television.[2]

Humphrey won the presidential nomination that night.[4]: 3 

August 29: Ain't Marchin' Any More Edit

Paul Cowan of The Village Voice reports that after a speech by Eugene McCarthy in Grant Park that afternoon, a march was joined by delegates and McCarthy supporters but was stopped at 18th Street and Michigan Avenue by the National Guard. Arrests were followed by tear gas and mace, while marchers chanted "The whole world is watching" and retreated to Grant Park. In the park, demonstrators sang "God Bless America", "This Land Is My Land", and "The Star Spangled Banner", and waved "V" symbols above their heads, asking soldiers to join in. They never did. Phil Ochs sang "I Ain’t Marchin’ Any More", and demonstrators chanted "join us" softly. Five hours later, police officers raided a party organized by McCarthy workers in the Hilton hotel, and beat them viciously. According to the McCarthy workers, all telephones on their floor had been disconnected a half hour before, and they had no way to call for help.[32]

Investigations Edit

The city of Chicago, the U.S. Department of Justice, the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and the presidentially appointed National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence all responded with investigations of the violence.[4]: 3  Within days, the Daley administration issued the first report, blaming the violence on "outside agitators", described as "revolutionaries" who came to Chicago "for the avowed purpose of a hostile confrontation with law enforcement".[4]: 3 [33] The Department of Justice report, however, found no grounds for prosecution of demonstrators, and Attorney General Ramsey Clark asked the U.S. attorney in Chicago to investigate possible civil rights violations by Chicago police.[4]: 3 

In Mayor Daley's report, a list of 152 officers wounded in Wednesday's melee was presented. Their wounds ranged from an officer's split fingernail to an officer's infra-orbital fracture of the left eye.[34] Although the precise number of injured protesters is unknown, Dr. Quentin Young of the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) stated that most of the approximately 500 people treated in the streets suffered from minor injuries and the effects of tear gas. During the entirety of convention week, 101 civilians were treated for undisclosed injuries, by area hospitals, 45 of those on Wednesday night.[35]

On September 4, 1968, Milton Eisenhower, chair of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, announced that the commission would investigate the violence at the Chicago convention and report its findings to President Lyndon Johnson.[36][37] A Chicago lawyer, Daniel Walker, headed the team of over 200 members, who interviewed more than 1,400 witnesses and studied FBI reports and film of the confrontations.[37] The report was released on December 1, 1968, characterized the convention violence as a "police riot"[38] and recommended prosecution of police who used indiscriminate violence; the report made clear that the vast majority of police had behaved responsibly, but also said that a failure to prosecute would further damage public confidence in law enforcement.[37] The commission’s Walker Report, named after its chair Daniel Walker, acknowledged that demonstrators had provoked the police and responded with violence of their own, but found that the "vast majority of the demonstrators were intent on expressing by peaceful means their dissent".[4]: 3 

Aftermath Edit

Public response Edit

The American national news media, whose correspondents had been among the victims of police brutality at the convention, were at the forefront of criticism of the Chicago police. According to journalist Barbara Ehrenreich: "In a rare moment of collective courage, the editors of all the nation's major newspapers telegrammed a strong protest to Mayor Daley." National NBC newscaster Chet Huntley announced to the nation on the evening news that "'the news profession in this city is now under assault by the Chicago police'."[39]

However, to the surprise of the news media, and many of the people who had witness the Chicago "police riot", the general public did not take their side. "Polls taken immediately after the convention showed that the majority of Americans — 56 percent — sympathized with the police, not with the bloodied demonstrators or the press."[39] A poll taken for the New York Times "showed an “overwhelming” majority respondents supported the police in Chicago. "CBS reported that 10 times as many people had written to them disapproving of their coverage of the events as had written in approval."[10] Dailey himself received "scores of letters", praising him and especially attacking the press and demonstrators.[40]

One aftereffect of this "backlash", was soul-searching by the "media class" who "spent the next few years"[39] in "almost reverent" examination of the white working class/middle class, mostly non-coastal strata of population dubbed "the silent majority" (by soon-to-be-president Richard Nixon)[39] and "Middle America".[41]

Chicago 7 trial Edit

On March 20, 1969, several months after the convention (and after a new more conservative president, Richard Nixon was in office),[42] a federal grand jury announced the indictments of eight demonstrators—Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner (plus Bobby Seale who was tried separately) — and eight police officers.[43] : 4  The jury delivered a verdict on February 18, 1970.[44]

The trial "illuminated the deepening schisms in a country torn apart by the Vietnam War, tectonic cultural shifts and attempts by the Nixon Administration to quash peaceful antiwar dissent and protest".[42] The trial, the defendants, and their attorneys gained much publicity and were depicted during and after the trial in a variety of art forms, including film, music, and theater. Indignity, theater and hijinks during the event included presiding Judge Julius Hoffman ordering Bobby Seale to be bound, gagged, and chained to a chair, for refusing to obey the Judge's contempt citations. Abbie Hoffman standing up and blowing the jury a kiss after his name was mentioned, and later wrestling with a deputy marshal who was trying to remove a Viet Cong flag Hoffman had brought into the courtroom;[45] Abbie Hoffman and Rubin wearing judicial robes to court,[46] and removing them on the judge’s orders to reveal blue policeman’s uniforms underneath,[42] then throwing the robes on the ground and stepping on them.[47]

Over 100 witnesses were called by the defense, including singers Phil Ochs, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, and Country Joe McDonald; comedian Dick Gregory; writers Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg; and activists Timothy Leary and Jesse Jackson.[48][49]: 6 

All of the defendants were charged with and acquitted of conspiracy; Davis, Dellinger, Hayden, Hoffman, and Rubin were charged with and convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot; Froines and Weiner were charged with teaching demonstrators how to construct incendiary devices and acquitted of those charges While the jury deliberated on the verdict for the remaining defendants, Judge Hoffman convicted all the defendants—and their attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass—on a total of 159 counts of criminal contempt, and sentenced them to jail sentences ranging from less than three months to more than four years.[49]: 8  [50][51]

On May 11, 1972, the panel dismissed some contempt charges against the lawyers, and reversed all of the other contempt convictions for retrial with a different judge.[citation needed][52] On November 21, 1972, all of the criminal convictions were reversed by a United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit panel.[citation needed]

Seven police officers were charged with assault and one police officer was charged with perjury,[49]: 4  all were acquitted or had their case dismissed.[49]: 8 

Gallery Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "A look back at the 1968 Democratic National Convention". MSNBC.com. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  2. ^ a b c d Achenbach, Joel (August 24, 2018). "'A party that had lost its mind': In 1968, Democrats held one of history's most disastrous conventions". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ . Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Ragsdale, Bruce (2008). "The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts" (PDF). Federal Judicial Center.
  5. ^ Farber, p. 90
  6. ^ . History Matters. George Mason University. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Source: Congress, House, Committee on Un-American Activities, Subversive Involvement in Disruption of 1968 Democratic Party National Convention, Part 2, 90th Congress, 2d Session, December 1968 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1968).
  7. ^ Farber, David (1988). Chicago '68. University of Chicago Press. pp. 3–28. ISBN 0-226-23801-6.
  8. ^ Farber, 38
  9. ^ Stien, David Lewis. Living the Revolution; Yippie in Chicago. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1969
  10. ^ a b Kang, Jay Caspian (30 August 2021). "When the 'Silent Majority' Isn't White". New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  11. ^ "1968: a timeline of events".
  12. ^ Farber, 128–32; Walker, 106–20
  13. ^ a b c d e f Steinberg, Neil (August 17, 2018). "The whole world watched: 50 years after the 1968 Chicago convention". The Chicago Sun-Times.
  14. ^ a b Taylor, David; Morris, Sam (August 19, 2018). "The whole world is watching: How the 1968 Chicago 'police riot' shocked America and divided the nation". The Guardian.
  15. ^ a b Kusch, Frank (2004). Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 49–63. ISBN 978-0-226-46503-6.
  16. ^ "Brief History Of Chicago's 1968 Democratic Convention". CNN. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  17. ^ Walker, 106–112
  18. ^ Tuttle, 54
  19. ^ Walker, Daniel. Rights in Conflict. New York, E. P. Dutton & Co. 1968
  20. ^ a b Gitlin, Todd (1993). The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage. New York: Random House Publishing Group. p. 323. ISBN 9780307834027.
  21. ^ Cohen, Adam; Taylor, Elizabeth (2001). American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley. Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN 0759524270. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  22. ^ Farber, 165; Walker, 132
  23. ^ Stien, David Lewis. Living the Revolution; Yippie in Chicago. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merril Co., 1969. pp 37–42
  24. ^ Farber, 172
  25. ^ Farber, p. 172
  26. ^ Walker, 138–9
  27. ^ a b Blobaum, Dean (16 October 2011). "A Chronology". Chicago '68. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  28. ^ Schultz, John (1969). No One Was Killed: The Democratic National Convention, August 1968. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 81–92. ISBN 9780226740782.
  29. ^ Los Angeles Times, February 23, 1998
  30. ^ . pbs.org/newshour. Online NewsHour. Archived from the original on 2013-12-08. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  31. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (July 18, 2016). "What happened in Chicago in 1968, and why is everyone talking about it now?". The Washington Post.
  32. ^ Cowan, Paul (September 5, 1968). "Moderates, Militants Walk a Bloody Route Together". The Village Voice.
  33. ^ Ragsdale, Bruce (2008). "The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts" (PDF). Federal Judicial Center. p. 68-69. Document Source: "The Strategy of Confrontation: Chicago and the Democratic National Convention – 1968." Report prepared by Raymond F. Simon, corporation counsel, City of Chicago, Sept. 6, 1968, pp. 49–50
  34. ^ Chicago Department of Law. The Strategy of Confrontation; Chicago and the Democratic National Convention, 1968. Chicago, 1968. pp 65–66
  35. ^ Walker, Daniel. Rights in Conflict. New York, E. P. Dutton & Co. 1968. p 353
  36. ^ . Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017.
  37. ^ a b c Ragsdale, Bruce (2008). "The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts" (PDF). Federal Judicial Center. p. 69-70. Document Source: Rights in Conflict. Convention Week in Chicago, August 25–29, 1968. A Report submitted by Daniel Walker, Director of the Chicago Study Team, to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. Introduction by Max Frankel. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1968. pp. 1, 10–11
  38. ^ Max Frankel (1968-12-02). "U.S. Study scores Chicago violence as "a police riot"". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  39. ^ a b c d Ehrenreich, Barbara (1990). Fear of Falling. p. ?. quoted in Kang, Jay Caspian (30 August 2021). "When the 'Silent Majority' Isn't White". New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  40. ^ Dumke, Mick (21 August 2018). "POLITIC-IL INSIDER Protests and Blaming the Media. Sound Familiar? That Was During the '68 Democratic National Convention". Propublica. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  41. ^ Cimaglio, Christopher (1 September 2018). "Rethinking Middle America". Labor, Studies in Working Class History. 15 (3). Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  42. ^ a b c McDowell, Jeanne Dorin (15 October 2020). "The True Story of 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'". Smithsonian. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  43. ^ Epstein, Jason (1970). The great conspiracy trial; an essay on law, liberty, and the Constitution. Random House. p. 32. ISBN 9780394419060. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  44. ^ "The Chicago 7 and the Days of Rage". The Chicago Tribune. August 16, 2018.
  45. ^ Brodie, Howard (1969). "Abbie Hoffman's Tug-Of-War with a Marshall". Library of Congress: Drawing Justice: Political Activists on Trial. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  46. ^ Linder, Douglas O. "Testimony of Barbara Lawyer". Famous Trials. UMKC School of Law. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  47. ^ "Judge Julius Hoffman Dies". The Washington Post. July 2, 1983.
  48. ^ Linder, Douglas O. "The Chicago Eight Trial: Excerpts from the Trial Transcript". Famous Trials. UMKC School of Law. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  49. ^ a b c d Ragsdale, Bruce A. (2008). "The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts" (PDF). Federal Judicial Center.
  50. ^ Linder, Douglas O. "Contempt Specifications Concerning Attorney William Kunstler". Famous Trials. UMKC School of Law.
  51. ^ Linder, Douglas O. "Contempt specifications against Abbie Hoffman". Famous Trials. UMKC School of Law.
  52. ^ In re Dellinger, 461 F.2d 389 (7th Cir. 1972).

Further reading Edit

External links Edit

  • An excerpt from Chicago '68 by David Farber.
  • An excerpt from No One Was Killed: The Democratic National Convention, August 1968 by John Schultz.
  • An excerpt from Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention by Frank Kusch.
  • Art and Social Issues Offers a description of Bernard Perlin's Mayor Daley which depicts protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
  • August 27, 1968 recording of speeches and interviews broadcast by Bob Fass on WBAI, now hosted at the Internet Archive

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The 1968 Democratic National Convention protests were a series of protests against Democratic presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey and the United States involvement in the Vietnam War that took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago Illinois The protests lasted approximately seven days from August 23 to August 29 1968 1968 Democratic National Convention protestsPart of the 1968 U S presidential election the Protests of 1968 Opposition to the Vietnam War and political violence in the United States during the Cold WarChicago police drag an anti Vietnam war protester across Michigan Avenue on August 28 1968 during the Democratic National Convention as the crowd chants The whole world is watching DateAugust 23 29 1968LocationChicago IllinoisPartiesProtesters Youth International Party National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam Students for a Democratic Society Women Strike for Peace Southern Christian Leadership Conference Security forces Chicago Police Department Illinois National Guard US Army Federal Bureau of Investigation United States Secret Service Democratic PartyLead figuresAbbie HoffmanJerry RubinRennie DavisTom HaydenDavid Dellinger Richard J DaleyCasualtiesDeath s 1 civilian killedInjuries500 protestors100 other civilians152 police officers Many left wing 1 counterculture and anti Vietnam War groups as well as supporters of anti war Democratic candidate Eugene McCarthy began planning protests marches and demonstrations in response to the convention There were several attempts by local Chicago authorities to prevent the protests from occurring however they ensued anyway Thus the city promised law and order in order to submit the protesters As a result many protesters reporters and bystanders were met with unprecedented levels of police brutality and police violence by the Chicago Police Department particularly in Grant Park and Michigan Avenue in Chicago during the convention The actions by Chicago police the Illinois National Guard and other law enforcement agencies were later described by the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence as a police riot 2 3 During the evening of August 28 1968 with the police riot in full swing on Michigan Avenue in front of the Democratic party s convention headquarters the Conrad Hilton hotel television networks broadcast live as the anti war protesters began the now iconic chant The whole world is watching Contents 1 Planning 1 1 National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam 1 2 Youth International Party 2 Prelude 2 1 Official responses 2 2 Permits 3 Protests 3 1 August 22 Shooting of Dean Johnson 3 2 August 23 Planned protests 3 3 August 24 Marches 3 4 August 25 Protests and music 3 5 August 26 Grant Park 3 6 August 28 The Battle for Michigan Avenue 3 7 August 29 Ain t Marchin Any More 4 Investigations 5 Aftermath 5 1 Public response 5 2 Chicago 7 trial 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksPlanning EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam Edit Further information National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam In the fall of 1967 members of the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam often referred to as MOBE which was directed by David Dellinger proposed a massive anti war demonstration to coincide with the 1968 Democratic National Convention In early 1968 the National Mobilization Committee opened a Chicago office directed by Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden who were leading political organizers at the time and former leaders of Students for a Democratic Society 4 1 2 MOBE was an umbrella organization that included groups who were opposed to American participation in the Vietnam War MOBE was run by a small executive board that set up a general framework for mass demonstrations sent out invitations to the over 500 groups on its mailing lists and coordinated activities between the groups citation needed MOBE recognized and supported all tactics from marching to civil disobedience citation needed MOBE s main aim was to get the largest turnouts at its functions David Dellinger MOBE chairman believed that The tendency to intensify militancy without organizing wide political support was self defeating But so was the tendency to draw way from militancy into milder and more conventional forms of protest 5 For Chicago MOBE originally planned for two large scale marches and an end of convention rally at Soldier Field The goal was originally a massive show of force outside the International Amphitheatre MOBE also planned to have workshops and movement centers distributed in 10 parks throughout the city many in predominantly black areas to allow demonstrators and participating groups to follow their particular focuses citation needed 6 Youth International Party Edit Further information Youth International Party nbsp Yippie button on display at the Chicago History MuseumThe Youth International Party was one of the major groups in the organization of the protests Abbie Hoffman Jerry Rubin and a few friends engaged in conversation at Hoffman s apartment on New Year s Eve 1967 They discussed the events of the year such as the Summer of Love and the Pentagon demonstration The idea of having a free music festival in Chicago was suggested to defuse political tension who Over the next week the Youth International Party took shape Its members known as Yippies politicized hippie ideology and used street theater and other tactics to critique the culture of the United States and induce change 7 In preparation for the Chicago convention the Yippies held the Yip In and the Yip Out at Grand Central Station in New York City Both events were planned simply as be ins with live music The event was used to promote peace love and harmony and as a trial run for Chicago The black banner of an anarchist group was hung on the wall bearing the words Up Against the Wall Mother Fucker in red Police stood by watching the crowds As the Yip In progressed relations between the police and Yippies became strained Two people climbed a large clock and removed the hands the police responded by clearing the station They formed a skirmish line ordered the people to disperse and then started forcing their way through the crowd citation needed The Yip Out was similar in purpose but held in Central Park To obtain the permits and aid from New York City officials necessary for the event Yippies performed a sit in at the mayor s office until the Mayor would negotiate on permits In the end an agreement was made on staging electricity police presence bathrooms and other necessities for running a music festival Police milled in the crowd giving considerable leeway to the proceedings which led to a peaceable day 8 The Yippies took a radical approach to the Democratic National Convention They wrote articles published fliers made speeches and held rallies and demonstrations to announce that they were coming to Chicago Threats were made that nails would be thrown from overpasses to block roads cars would be used to block intersections main streets police stations and National Guard armories LSD would be dumped in the city s water supply and the convention would be stormed However none of these threats came to fruition Nonetheless city officials in Chicago prepared for all possible threats 9 A vilification campaign led by Chicago authorities worked in favor of the Yippies plan citation needed One of the Yippies main tactics was to use street theatre to create an experience that drew the attention of mainstream America Yippie activities were used to put across the message that the average American didn t have control over the political process They tried to show this by purposefully participating in non traditional activities that would not conceivably affect the decision making process in the convention hall unlike a straight protest with picket lines marches and rallies which could conceivably convince delegates of mass support for a program citation needed On a Wednesday night networks moved their coverage away from the Amphitheater where the delegates were voting on the nomination to a pitched battle in front of the Conrad Hilton hotel citation needed Prelude EditOfficial responses Edit In the buildup to the Convention Chicago mayor Richard J Daley repeatedly denounced the various anti Vietnam War protest groups mobilizing for protest 10 and announced Law and order will be maintained 11 Chicago s security forces prepared for the protests during the convention Besides the standard gun and billy club Chicago Police Department officers had mace and riot helmets For the convention the CPD borrowed a new portable communications system from the military thus increasing communication between field officers and command posts All summer long police officers had received refresher training on crowd control and riot techniques During the convention itself Police Academy instructors were with the reserve forces giving last minute reminders 12 Mayor Daley citing intelligence reports of potential violence put the 12 000 members of the Chicago Police Department on twelve hour shifts while the U S Army placed 6 000 troops in position to protect the city during the convention 4 2 13 and nearly 6 000 members of the National Guard were sent to the city 14 with an additional 5 000 National Guard on alert bolstered by up to 1 000 FBI and military intelligence officers 15 and 1 000 Secret Service agents 16 To satisfy manpower requirements the City put the force on 12 hour shifts instead of the normal 8 hour shifts This gave police commanders approximately 50 more field officers to deal with disturbances Two thirds of the officers would continue with the normal police duties with the remaining third available for special assignment In the Amphitheatre the City concentrated 500 officers filling various roles In Lincoln Park the number of officers patrolling during the daytime was doubled but the majority of the officers assigned to the Lincoln Park area were held in reserve ready to respond to any disturbance citation needed In suspected trouble areas police patrols were heavy Further away from the center patrols were less frequent This allowed the police to shift easily and quickly to control a problem without leaving an area unguarded While maintaining a public image of total enforcement of all city state and federal laws the Narcotics division was quietly reassigned to regular fieldwork curtailing anti drug operations during the DNC 17 Police officials and Mayor Daley had worked with the National Guard to create a plan to effectively use the Guard It would be called up at the beginning of the convention but held in reserve at strategically placed armories or collection points such as Soldier Field With the Guard in place at their armories the CPD could request and receive assistance quickly 18 Permits Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Both MOBE and Yippie needed permits from the city in order to hold their respective events The City had several reasons for denying permits to MOBE and Yippie and thus stalled issuing permits The City was worried about a black rebellion independent of the white protesters during the convention To avoid trouble the City used its influence with black community organizations such as The Woodlawn Organization the Black Consortium and Operation Breadbasket to try to keep their constituents calm and peaceful Some of the militant black leaders were encouraged to leave town during the convention to avoid being implicated in any violence 19 The City also believed that having large numbers of white protesters marching through the black ghettos with a heavy police or National Guard escort would inflame the ghettos and set off rioting Therefore the City categorically denied any permit that included parks in or march routes through black areas citation needed Another argument the City used to deny permits was that the permits asked the City to set aside local and state ordinances A city ordinance closed the city parks at 11 pm although this was not strictly enforced 20 In a letter to Yippie Deputy Mayor David Stahl gave eight rules for Yippie to follow including submitting detailed plans and requirements following all city state and federal ordinances and toning down the rhetoric citation needed The Yippies refused so the City felt justified in denying Yippie their permits citation needed In a last ditch effort MOBE filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking it to force Chicago to issue permits for a rally in Soldier Field or Grant Park Judge Lynch Daley s former law partner heard the case and summarily dismissed the request 20 citing that the city could deny permits on the basis of protecting public comfort convenience and welfare 21 Protests EditMain article 1968 Democratic National Convention This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message August 22 Shooting of Dean Johnson Edit The start of the convention week s violence is sometimes traced to the shooting of Dean Johnson by Chicago police officers Dean Johnson age 17 and another boy were stopped on the sidewalk by the officers for a curfew violation early on the morning of Thursday August 22 When Johnson drew and fired a pistol at police the gun misfired police officers returned fire hitting Johnson three times 22 The Yippies and SDS hastily organized a memorial service for Johnson but as one observer noted due to poor planning it turned out that no one had made any plans to actually do anything We just milled around and began to fill up the intersection Two squad cars pulled up and the cops got out and told us to keep moving but they were pretty gentle about it 23 August 23 Planned protests Edit On Friday August 23 Jerry Rubin and other Yippies attempted to formally nominate the Yippie candidate for president Pigasus a pig By the time Rubin arrived with Pigasus several hundred spectators and reporters had gathered on the Civic Center plaza Police officers were waiting and after the pig was released Rubin folk singer Phil Ochs and five other Yippies were arrested 15 August 24 Marches Edit nbsp A speaker with a megaphone addresses a crowd of protestors in Grant ParkAt 6 a m on Saturday August 24 continuous surveillance began in Lincoln Park For the previous several nights the police had cleared Lincoln Park at 11 p m and maintained a significant presence during the day Women Strike for Peace attempted to hold a women only picket at the Hilton Hotel the main delegate hotel Despite plans for buses from around the country to bring hundreds of picketers only 60 or so women showed up 24 It was generally agreed upon to not attempt to stay in Lincoln Park after the curfew but to rather take the protest to the streets 25 At exactly 11 p m poet Allen Ginsberg led protesters out of the park into the streets SDS leaders organized several hundred protesters to march through the streets chanting things such as Peace Now while the police simply guarded Lincoln Park When the crowd stopped at Wells and North Avenue blocking the intersection a police contingent arrived and cleared the crowd Eleven people were arrested and several police cars were stoned before the crowd dispersed into the normal Saturday nightlife 26 August 25 Protests and music Edit source source source source source source Anti war demonstrators in Lincoln Park Chicago The band MC5 can be seen playingOn Sunday MOBE had scheduled a Meet the Delegates march and picket At 2 p m there were between 200 and 300 picketers marching across the street from the Conrad Hilton and another 500 marching south through the Loop chanting Hey Hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today After the police arrival those who were picketing moved into nearby Grant Park to avoid a mass arrest situation Once the marchers had reached Grant Park there was a brief rally where Davis and Hayden claimed the day a success and then went to Lincoln Park where the Festival of Life music festival was beginning citation needed At 4 pm the Festival started with proto punk band MC5 the only band who showed up for the festival The police did not allow a flatbed truck to be brought in as a stage fearing Yippies would use it to incite the crowd When the concession stand owner insisted that Yippie stop using his electrical outlets to run the amplification equipment confusion ensued While Rubin and other Yippies tried to make frantic deals to get the sound back on Hoffman used the confusion to try to bring in the flatbed truck A deal was struck allowing the truck to be parked nearby but not in the park The crowd that had gathered around and on the truck did not realize an agreement had been reached and thought the truck was being sent away The crowd surged around the truck pinning in the police officers citation needed Hoffman declared that the police had stopped the music festival and proceeded to conduct a workshop on dispersal tactics to avoid arrest by police As the next police shift came on duty they were informed of the tense situation in the park Due to the number frequency diverseness and exposure of the threats made by the protesters the police were concerned about facing protesters armed with unknown weapons and unknown intentions citation needed At 9 pm police formed a skirmish line around the park bathrooms This drew a crowd of spectators who heckled the police The crowd rapidly grew until the police charged into the crowd swinging their batons scattering the crowd At 11 pm the police pushed the protesters out of the park Most protesters left the park and congregated nearby taunting the police citation needed Initially when the police reached the edge of the park they maintained their skirmish line however when a squad was ordered to clear Clark Street to keep traffic flowing the police lost control A running battle began Yippie Jerry Rubin told a friend This is fantastic and it s only Sunday night They might declare martial law in this town 27 Protesters journalists photographers and bystanders were clubbed and beaten by the police 13 28 Order was not restored in Old Town until early Monday morning citation needed August 26 Grant Park Edit nbsp Protesters climb the General John Logan Memorial in Grant Park as demonstrations build in the area On Monday August 26 demonstrators climbed on a statue of General Logan on a horse leading to violent skirmishes with police in Grant Park 14 Police hauled a young man down and arrested him breaking his arm in the process 13 August 28 The Battle for Michigan Avenue Edit Protestors were joined on 28 August by the Poor People s Campaign now led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference s Ralph Abernathy This group had a permit and was split off from other demonstrators before being allowed to proceed to the amphitheater citation needed The Battle of Michigan Avenue described by Neil Steinberg of The Chicago Sun Times as a 17 minute melee in front of the Conrad Hilton was broadcast on television along with footage from the floor of the convention 13 The police violence extended to protesters bystanders reporters and photographers while tear gas reached Hubert Humphrey in his hotel suite 2 Police pushed protesters through plate glass windows then pursued them inside and beat them as they sprawled on the broken glass 13 100 protesters and 119 police officers were treated for injuries and 600 protesters were arrested 13 Television cameras recorded the police brutality while demonstrators chanted The whole world is watching 2 At the convention several delegates made statements against Mayor Daley and the CPD like Senator Abraham Ribicoff who speaking from the podium denounced the use of Gestapo tactics on the streets of Chicago in his speech nominating George McGovern 29 The hard line taken by the City was also seen on the convention floor itself 27 In 1968 Terry Southern described the convention hall as exactly like approaching a military installation barbed wire checkpoints the whole bit 30 Inside the convention journalists such as Mike Wallace 31 and Dan Rather were roughed up by security both these events were broadcast live on television 2 Humphrey won the presidential nomination that night 4 3 August 29 Ain t Marchin Any More Edit Paul Cowan of The Village Voice reports that after a speech by Eugene McCarthy in Grant Park that afternoon a march was joined by delegates and McCarthy supporters but was stopped at 18th Street and Michigan Avenue by the National Guard Arrests were followed by tear gas and mace while marchers chanted The whole world is watching and retreated to Grant Park In the park demonstrators sang God Bless America This Land Is My Land and The Star Spangled Banner and waved V symbols above their heads asking soldiers to join in They never did Phil Ochs sang I Ain t Marchin Any More and demonstrators chanted join us softly Five hours later police officers raided a party organized by McCarthy workers in the Hilton hotel and beat them viciously According to the McCarthy workers all telephones on their floor had been disconnected a half hour before and they had no way to call for help 32 Investigations EditThe city of Chicago the U S Department of Justice the House Committee on Un American Activities and the presidentially appointed National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence all responded with investigations of the violence 4 3 Within days the Daley administration issued the first report blaming the violence on outside agitators described as revolutionaries who came to Chicago for the avowed purpose of a hostile confrontation with law enforcement 4 3 33 The Department of Justice report however found no grounds for prosecution of demonstrators and Attorney General Ramsey Clark asked the U S attorney in Chicago to investigate possible civil rights violations by Chicago police 4 3 In Mayor Daley s report a list of 152 officers wounded in Wednesday s melee was presented Their wounds ranged from an officer s split fingernail to an officer s infra orbital fracture of the left eye 34 Although the precise number of injured protesters is unknown Dr Quentin Young of the Medical Committee for Human Rights MCHR stated that most of the approximately 500 people treated in the streets suffered from minor injuries and the effects of tear gas During the entirety of convention week 101 civilians were treated for undisclosed injuries by area hospitals 45 of those on Wednesday night 35 On September 4 1968 Milton Eisenhower chair of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence announced that the commission would investigate the violence at the Chicago convention and report its findings to President Lyndon Johnson 36 37 A Chicago lawyer Daniel Walker headed the team of over 200 members who interviewed more than 1 400 witnesses and studied FBI reports and film of the confrontations 37 The report was released on December 1 1968 characterized the convention violence as a police riot 38 and recommended prosecution of police who used indiscriminate violence the report made clear that the vast majority of police had behaved responsibly but also said that a failure to prosecute would further damage public confidence in law enforcement 37 The commission s Walker Report named after its chair Daniel Walker acknowledged that demonstrators had provoked the police and responded with violence of their own but found that the vast majority of the demonstrators were intent on expressing by peaceful means their dissent 4 3 Aftermath EditPublic response Edit The American national news media whose correspondents had been among the victims of police brutality at the convention were at the forefront of criticism of the Chicago police According to journalist Barbara Ehrenreich In a rare moment of collective courage the editors of all the nation s major newspapers telegrammed a strong protest to Mayor Daley National NBC newscaster Chet Huntley announced to the nation on the evening news that the news profession in this city is now under assault by the Chicago police 39 However to the surprise of the news media and many of the people who had witness the Chicago police riot the general public did not take their side Polls taken immediately after the convention showed that the majority of Americans 56 percent sympathized with the police not with the bloodied demonstrators or the press 39 A poll taken for the New York Times showed an overwhelming majority respondents supported the police in Chicago CBS reported that 10 times as many people had written to them disapproving of their coverage of the events as had written in approval 10 Dailey himself received scores of letters praising him and especially attacking the press and demonstrators 40 One aftereffect of this backlash was soul searching by the media class who spent the next few years 39 in almost reverent examination of the white working class middle class mostly non coastal strata of population dubbed the silent majority by soon to be president Richard Nixon 39 and Middle America 41 Chicago 7 trial Edit Main article Chicago 7 On March 20 1969 several months after the convention and after a new more conservative president Richard Nixon was in office 42 a federal grand jury announced the indictments of eight demonstrators Rennie Davis David Dellinger John Froines Tom Hayden Abbie Hoffman Jerry Rubin and Lee Weiner plus Bobby Seale who was tried separately and eight police officers 43 4 The jury delivered a verdict on February 18 1970 44 The trial illuminated the deepening schisms in a country torn apart by the Vietnam War tectonic cultural shifts and attempts by the Nixon Administration to quash peaceful antiwar dissent and protest 42 The trial the defendants and their attorneys gained much publicity and were depicted during and after the trial in a variety of art forms including film music and theater Indignity theater and hijinks during the event included presiding Judge Julius Hoffman ordering Bobby Seale to be bound gagged and chained to a chair for refusing to obey the Judge s contempt citations Abbie Hoffman standing up and blowing the jury a kiss after his name was mentioned and later wrestling with a deputy marshal who was trying to remove a Viet Cong flag Hoffman had brought into the courtroom 45 Abbie Hoffman and Rubin wearing judicial robes to court 46 and removing them on the judge s orders to reveal blue policeman s uniforms underneath 42 then throwing the robes on the ground and stepping on them 47 Over 100 witnesses were called by the defense including singers Phil Ochs Judy Collins Arlo Guthrie and Country Joe McDonald comedian Dick Gregory writers Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg and activists Timothy Leary and Jesse Jackson 48 49 6 All of the defendants were charged with and acquitted of conspiracy Davis Dellinger Hayden Hoffman and Rubin were charged with and convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot Froines and Weiner were charged with teaching demonstrators how to construct incendiary devices and acquitted of those charges While the jury deliberated on the verdict for the remaining defendants Judge Hoffman convicted all the defendants and their attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass on a total of 159 counts of criminal contempt and sentenced them to jail sentences ranging from less than three months to more than four years 49 8 50 51 On May 11 1972 the panel dismissed some contempt charges against the lawyers and reversed all of the other contempt convictions for retrial with a different judge citation needed 52 On November 21 1972 all of the criminal convictions were reversed by a United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit panel citation needed Seven police officers were charged with assault and one police officer was charged with perjury 49 4 all were acquitted or had their case dismissed 49 8 Gallery Edit nbsp Chicago Police outside the Conrad Hilton nbsp This demonstration took place on August 10 1968 as Chicago was preparing to host the Democratic National Convention nbsp Illinois National Guard troops in downtown Chicago nbsp Illinois National guard troops off of Michigan Avenue nbsp People in Lincoln Park during the convention nbsp People in Lincoln Park during the convention being recorded by NBC nbsp Chicago police drag an anti war protester across Michigan Avenue on August 28 1968 during the Democratic National Convention as the crowd chants The whole world is watching See also Edit The whole world is watching Medium Cool a 1969 fictional movie using real footage of the Chicago Convention demonstrations as backdrop Protests of 1968 List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States Songs of Innocence and Experience a 1970 album recorded by Allen Ginsberg inspired in part by his witness of the protest Chicago SevenReferences Edit A look back at the 1968 Democratic National Convention MSNBC com 2014 08 28 Retrieved 2023 10 06 a b c d Achenbach Joel August 24 2018 A party that had lost its mind In 1968 Democrats held one of history s most disastrous conventions The Washington Post The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial Historical Documents Walker Report summary Federal Judicial Center Archived from the original on February 24 2017 a b c d e f g Ragsdale Bruce 2008 The Chicago Seven 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts PDF Federal Judicial Center Farber p 90 HAYDEN EXHIBIT NO 2 History Matters George Mason University Archived from the original on August 6 2020 Source Congress House Committee on Un American Activities Subversive Involvement in Disruption of 1968 Democratic Party National Convention Part 2 90th Congress 2d Session December 1968 Washington DC US Government Printing Office 1968 Farber David 1988 Chicago 68 University of Chicago Press pp 3 28 ISBN 0 226 23801 6 Farber 38 Stien David Lewis Living the Revolution Yippie in Chicago Indianapolis Bobbs Merrill Co 1969 a b Kang Jay Caspian 30 August 2021 When the Silent Majority Isn t White New York Times Retrieved 11 August 2023 1968 a timeline of events Farber 128 32 Walker 106 20 a b c d e f Steinberg Neil August 17 2018 The whole world watched 50 years after the 1968 Chicago convention The Chicago Sun Times a b Taylor David Morris Sam August 19 2018 The whole world is watching How the 1968 Chicago police riot shocked America and divided the nation The Guardian a b Kusch Frank 2004 Battleground Chicago The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention Chicago IL University of Chicago Press pp 49 63 ISBN 978 0 226 46503 6 Brief History Of Chicago s 1968 Democratic Convention CNN Retrieved April 28 2010 Walker 106 112 Tuttle 54 Walker Daniel Rights in Conflict New York E P Dutton amp Co 1968 a b Gitlin Todd 1993 The Sixties Years of Hope Days of Rage New York Random House Publishing Group p 323 ISBN 9780307834027 Cohen Adam Taylor Elizabeth 2001 American Pharaoh Mayor Richard J Daley Little Brown and Company ISBN 0759524270 Retrieved 17 July 2016 Farber 165 Walker 132 Stien David Lewis Living the Revolution Yippie in Chicago Indianapolis Bobbs Merril Co 1969 pp 37 42 Farber 172 Farber p 172 Walker 138 9 a b Blobaum Dean 16 October 2011 A Chronology Chicago 68 Retrieved 3 October 2012 Schultz John 1969 No One Was Killed The Democratic National Convention August 1968 Chicago IL University of Chicago Press pp 81 92 ISBN 9780226740782 Los Angeles Times February 23 1998 Terry Southern reports from the 1968 Democratic Convention November 1968 pbs org newshour Online NewsHour Archived from the original on 2013 12 08 Retrieved 2017 08 23 Gibson Caitlin July 18 2016 What happened in Chicago in 1968 and why is everyone talking about it now The Washington Post Cowan Paul September 5 1968 Moderates Militants Walk a Bloody Route Together The Village Voice Ragsdale Bruce 2008 The Chicago Seven 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts PDF Federal Judicial Center p 68 69 Document Source The Strategy of Confrontation Chicago and the Democratic National Convention 1968 Report prepared by Raymond F Simon corporation counsel City of Chicago Sept 6 1968 pp 49 50 Chicago Department of Law The Strategy of Confrontation Chicago and the Democratic National Convention 1968 Chicago 1968 pp 65 66 Walker Daniel Rights in Conflict New York E P Dutton amp Co 1968 p 353 The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial Historical Documents Walker Report summary Federal Judicial Center Archived from the original on February 24 2017 a b c Ragsdale Bruce 2008 The Chicago Seven 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts PDF Federal Judicial Center p 69 70 Document Source Rights in Conflict Convention Week in Chicago August 25 29 1968 A Report submitted by Daniel Walker Director of the Chicago Study Team to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence Introduction by Max Frankel New York E P Dutton 1968 pp 1 10 11 Max Frankel 1968 12 02 U S Study scores Chicago violence as a police riot The New York Times p 1 Retrieved 2007 12 31 a b c d Ehrenreich Barbara 1990 Fear of Falling p quoted in Kang Jay Caspian 30 August 2021 When the Silent Majority Isn t White New York Times Retrieved 11 August 2023 Dumke Mick 21 August 2018 POLITIC IL INSIDER Protests and Blaming the Media Sound Familiar That Was During the 68 Democratic National Convention Propublica Retrieved 11 August 2023 Cimaglio Christopher 1 September 2018 Rethinking Middle America Labor Studies in Working Class History 15 3 Retrieved 12 August 2023 a b c McDowell Jeanne Dorin 15 October 2020 The True Story of The Trial of the Chicago 7 Smithsonian Retrieved 14 August 2023 Epstein Jason 1970 The great conspiracy trial an essay on law liberty and the Constitution Random House p 32 ISBN 9780394419060 Retrieved 13 September 2022 The Chicago 7 and the Days of Rage The Chicago Tribune August 16 2018 Brodie Howard 1969 Abbie Hoffman s Tug Of War with a Marshall Library of Congress Drawing Justice Political Activists on Trial Retrieved 6 December 2020 Linder Douglas O Testimony of Barbara Lawyer Famous Trials UMKC School of Law Retrieved 6 December 2020 Judge Julius Hoffman Dies The Washington Post July 2 1983 Linder Douglas O The Chicago Eight Trial Excerpts from the Trial Transcript Famous Trials UMKC School of Law Retrieved 6 December 2020 a b c d Ragsdale Bruce A 2008 The Chicago Seven 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts PDF Federal Judicial Center Linder Douglas O Contempt Specifications Concerning Attorney William Kunstler Famous Trials UMKC School of Law Linder Douglas O Contempt specifications against Abbie Hoffman Famous Trials UMKC School of Law In re Dellinger 461 F 2d 389 7th Cir 1972 Further reading EditMiami and the Siege of Chicago An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968 Norman Mailer New York New American Library 1968 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demonstrations and protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention An excerpt from Chicago 68 by David Farber An excerpt from No One Was Killed The Democratic National Convention August 1968 by John Schultz An excerpt from Battleground Chicago The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention by Frank Kusch Art and Social Issues Offers a description of Bernard Perlin s Mayor Daley which depicts protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention August 27 1968 recording of speeches and interviews broadcast by Bob Fass on WBAI now hosted at the Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1968 Democratic National Convention protests amp oldid 1180594917, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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