The Trial of the Chicago 7(8)

The Vietnam War was a conflict that inspired a political movement like no other. President Lyndon B. Johnson had entered the war in the supposed attempt to “stop the spread of communism” given that this took place alongside the Red Scare. The Red Scare was a national fear of the spread of communism and the violence that it may bring. Foreign policy, economic interests, national fears, and geopolitical strategies also played a major role in the United State’s involvement in Vietnam. The war started in 1955 and did not officially end until 1975. The U.S. did not enter the war until November of 1964. This prompted the first U.S. military draft since the second World War, raising tension within the nation.  With the draft, alongside a war that many saw as pointless, people began to voice their disagreement. The Vietnam War was, arguably, the most protested war in American history. 

In August of 1968, the Democratic National Convention met in Chicago. They met after president, Lyndon B. Johnson, declared he was not running for reelection in hopes of deciding on a new nominee. In the days prior to the convention, multiple groups of anti-war activists planned to meet in the city’s parks. They were there to protest that the new democratic nominee should be anti-war. These groups included: the Youth International Party (Yippies), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Black Panther Party, and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE). All of these groups had the intention of putting an end to the Vietnam War. It is believed that all of these groups intended to protest peacefully and did not go to Chicago seeking violence. Regardless of intent, thousands of protestors showed up and proved difficult to control. Paired with the excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol, things quickly got out of hand. Sources say that the protests that eventually led to riots, were inspired by the death of Martin Luther King Jr. who was a prominent civil rights activist. King was assassinated on April 4th 1968 and the Chicago riots happened on April 5th and lasted until April 7th.  Eight men were arrested in connection to these riots and were tried with criminal conspiracy and incitement to riot.

Abbie Hoffman was the co-founder of the Youth International Party. Hoffman was arrested after the Chicago riots. He was arrested for wearing an American flag shirt when he showed up at a House Un American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearing on October 1st 1968. Hoffman had previously been expelled from his high school after turning in a paper that supported atheism. His teacher ripped up the paper causing Hoffman to attack him, thus, ending with his expulsion. Hoffman was able to attend Worcester college and graduated in 1955. While crossing state lines as part of the Chicago Seven, Hoffman was charged with conspiracy to start a riot. He did not, however, let this stop him from continuing to voice his criticism of the United States government. If anything, It could be argued that Hoffman used the publicity of the trial to further spread awareness of his ideas. The group, specifically Hoffman, used theatrics to make their point regardless of the serious nature of their situation. At one point, Hoffman and his companion, Jerry Rubin, entered the courtroom dressed in judicial robes with police uniforms underneath. When being sworn in as a witness, Hoffman extended his middle finger to the judge. It was not uncommon, however, for the defendants to blatantly disrespect the judge throughout the trial. 

Jerry Rubin was also a co-founder of the Youth International Party. Rubin is often viewed as an inarticulate stoner, but was known to say multiple clever phrases. It was Rubin who referred to the trial and protests as the “Academy Awards of Protest”. Before the trial, Rubin was a counterculture star who claimed that he “didn’t trust anyone over thirty”. He grew up in Cincinnati and went on to graduate from UC Berkeley where he became involved in the anti-Vietnam war movement. During the trial, he and Hoffman continuously disrupted the courtroom with various antics. This included impersonating and making various deprecating comments towards the judge. Rubin and Hoffman continuously used the trial as a way of showcasing the unjust government to the American people. This aligned with their previous protests. One of which being when they led thousands of protestors to levitate the Pentagon in an attempt to do an “exorcism to cast out evil spirits,”.

Tom Hayden was a founder of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Hayden devoted his life to what, at the time, seemed like radical ideals. He was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement along with the anti-Vietnam war protests. In the movie The Trial of the Chicago 7 Hayden is portrayed as an activist, but one who had respect for the law and authority. In reality, this was not entirely the case. In highschool, Hayden was almost denied his diploma after he orchestrated the letters in his school newspaper to spell out “Go to Hell”.  After highschool he attended the University of Michigan where he found his purpose. In 1960, Tom Hayden was able to speak briefly with Martin Luther King Jr. In his later writings, Hayden would recall the advice given to him: “Ultimately, you have to take a stand with your life”. This prompted Hayden’s thoughts of becoming involved with political and social movements.  Over the course of his anti-Vietnam war activism, he visited Vietnam multiple times regardless of travel bans. He, along with the rest of the defendants, was charged with crossing state lines to incite a riot. 

Rennie Davis was, along with Tom Hayden, a part of the Students for a Democratic Society. Davis was instrumental in the organization of the Chicago protests. He negotiated, unsuccessfully, to gain a protest permit before the events of the Chicao riots. During the protests Davis was beaten by Chicago police. As a strong supporter of nonviolence, his injuries further instigated the protestors desire to confront local law enforcement. It is believed that after witnessing Davis’ assault, Tom Hayden further riled up the protestors. This began the confrontational violence in Chicago, also referred to as the “Days of Rage”. Rennie Davis was hospitalized with a concussion after his assault.  He was later arrested in regards to the riot and tried with the other defendants.

David Dellenger was imprisoned during World War 2 for being a conscientious objector. Dellenger, afterwards, also helped found the Committee for Nonviolent Revolution, and worked in the civil rights movement. From there he moved to the anti-Vietnam war movements where he continued to promote peaceful protesting. He was the oldest defendant in the case by about 20 years, and some of the younger men saw his pacifistic views as too traditional. During the trial, David Dellenger was taken into custody for interrupting a witness and then proceeding to call prosecutor, Richard Schultz  “a snake” and “a Nazi”. Throughout the riots and the trial Dellenger reamined nonviolent and encouraged protestors to do the same. He was eventually arrested and tried with the other, originally seven, defendants.

John Froines and Lee Weiner are considered the odd men out throughout the trial. They were the only defendants that were acquitted of all initial charges. They were, however, charged with contempt of court. Their sentences were much less severe than the rest of the defendants. Froines and Weiner were accused of teaching protestors how to make Molotov cocktails. Molotov cocktails are self igniting bombs used mainly to create chaos. Weiner was the only one the defendants raised in Chicago. Some believe that Weiner and Froines were deliberately overcharged so that they would be found innocent. This is so that the jury would be more likely to find the other defendants guilty. In The Trial of the Chicago 7  the two are described as a way to make the jurors feel better about finding the rest of them guilty. As previously stated, the two were acquitted of all charges but served lighter sentences for contempt of court. 

Bobby Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party alongside Huey P. Newton. Seale is considered the eight defendant even though he was eventually tried separately. The lawyer that represented Bobby Seale in the pretrial underwent emergency gallbladder surgery. Judge Hoffman proceeded to deny the request for a postponement of the trial. On multiple occasions Seale expressed in court that he was being tried without his lawyer present. Due to his lack of representation, Seale argued that he should be able to cross-exam the witness that was testifying against him. It was after he had said this many times that Judge Hoffman had marshals gag him and handcuff him to his chair. After this, Seale was tried separately. His trial ended with him serving 48 months in prison. This was due to sixteen counts of contempt of court. His original charges, including the murder of a Black Panther Party informant, were otherwise dropped. 

Throughout the trial Judge Hoffman, who has no relation to the defendant Abbie Hoffman, was extremely biased in favor of the prosecution. The government’s prosecutors on the case were Thomas Foran and Richard Schultz. The malicious interpretation of Judge Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7 seems to prove rather accurate to the real story. Judge Hoffman had Bobby Seale gagged and bound and dismissed objections from the defense before they were made. He also excluded evidence, and dismissed witnesses and jurors. In one instance, fake threatening letters allegedly from the Black Panther Party were sent to the homes of two jurors who seemed to be agreeing with the defense. This was a staged attempt to dismiss the jurors, claiming that they would now provide a biased opinion since they had been threatened. Judge Hoffman also deliberately denied to let the jurors hear a vital testimony from one of the defense’s key witnesses. Due to the nature of the trial, all of the seven defendants were found guilty. Lee Weiner and John Froines were not found guilty of crossing state lines to incite a riot but did serve jail time for contempt of court. The other defendants, excluding Bobby Seale, each got five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Abbie Hoffman was found dead in his home after a supposed suicide. This was in April 1989. He was 52 years old. Jerry Rubin died in November of 1994 after being hit by a car. He was 56 years old. Rennie Davis is currently alive. He is 79 years old. Tom Hayden died of a prolonged illness in October of 2016. He was 76 years old. David Dellenger died in May of 2004 of Alzheimer's disease. He was 88 years old. John Froines is alive. He is 81 years old. Lee Weiner is alive. He is 81 years old. Bobby Seale is alive. He is 84 years old. 

Works Cited

Little, Becky. “7 Reasons Why the Trial of the Chicago 7 Mattered.” History.Com, 24 Sept. 2019, www.history.com/news/chicago-8-trial-importance.

Dessem, Matthew. “What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in the Trial of the Chicago 7.” Slate.Com, 15 Oct. 2020, slate.com/culture/2020/10/trial-chicago-seven-aaron-sorkin-accuracy-netflix.html.

Margaritoff, Marco. “Meet Abbie Hoffman.” Allthatisinteresting.Com, 3 Sept. 2020, allthatsinteresting.com/abbie-hoffman.

Storey, Kate. “After the Events of the Trial of the Chicago 7, Jerry Rubin’s Life Turned From Counterculture Activism.” Esquire.Com, 16 Oct. 2020, www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a34385900/jerry-rubin-the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-true-story.

Margaritoff, Marco. “‘The Radical Inside the System’ the Story of Chicago 7 Activist-Turned- Senator Tom Hayden.” Allthatisinteresting.Com, 16 Sept. 2020, allthatsinteresting.com/tom-hayden.

Park, Andrea. “‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ What Happened to the Real-Life Defendants?” Msn.Com, 19 Oct. 2020, www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-what-happened-to-the-real-life-defendants/ar-BB1abslr.