[6] Five Yippies were taken to jail, including Jerry Rubin and Phil Ochs, while Pigasus was released to the Chicago Humane Society, and the Yippies were released after they each posted a $25 bond. I have a constitutional right to speak, and if you try to suppress my constitutional right to speak out in behalf of my constitutional rights, then I can only see you as a bigot, a racist, and a fascist, and I have said before and clearly indicated on the record. [31], Bruce Ragsdale writes that the defendants and their attorneys "sought to portray the proceedings as a political trial rather than a criminal prosecution" in their legal arguments, courtroom behavior, and numerous public appearances. Tragic tale of activist who hid after cocaine scandal. Five hours later, police officers raided a party organized by McCarthy workers in the Hilton hotel, and beat them viciously. "[1]:3[13], Bruce Ragsdale writes that the chair of the House Un-American Activities subcommittee (HUAC), Richard Ichord, "suspected communist involvement in the demonstrations," but the hearings[14] "devolved into a bizarre preview of the conspiracy trial when a shirtless, barefooted Jerry Rubin burst into the hearing room with a bandolier of bullets and a toy gun. Here, meet the real people behind the movie's characters. We are there! [1]:6 During his testimony on December 29, when asked about his arrest on August 28 for writing "FUCK" on his forehead, Abbie Hoffman testified, "I put it on for a couple of reasons, one was that I was tired of seeing my picture in the paper and having newsmen come around, and I know if you got that word on your forehead they ain't going to print your picture in the paper. Portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in Aaron Sorkin’s new Netflix film “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Sixties counterculture icon Hoffman occupies a distinctive place in Brandeis lore. [49] After the haircuts, Cook County Sheriff Joseph I. "[1]:2[6] From inside the International Amphitheatre, CBS evening news anchor Walter Cronkite reported: 'The Democratic convention is about to begin in a police state. [32] The defense called more than 100 witnesses, including participants and bystanders in the clashes between the police and the demonstrators.[1]:6. [24][1]:6, Phil Ochs, who helped organize some of the demonstrations, told the court he had acquired the pig, called Pigasus, to nominate as the Yippie presidential candidate before being arrested with Rubin and other participants. Hoffman treated Seale so inhumanely that Seale was separated from the other defendants. "[33] When asked by the prosecution about whether it was "a fact that one of the reasons why you came to Chicago was simply to wreck American society," he replied: The trial lasted for months, with witnesses that included 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. [1]:6[26], Seale originally retained the Black Panthers’ lawyer Charles Garry as his attorney, and Garry appeared at the defendants’ arraignment on April 9. 13 hours ago, by Nikita Charuza The high-profile case merely exposed his biased and abusive behavior, but The Trial of Chicago 7 deftly reveals his fate in its epilogue. [42], On February 14, the case went to the jury,[5] and the jury returned its verdict on February 18.[43]. 5 hours ago, by Chanel Vargas [27], While the jury deliberated on the verdict for the remaining defendants, Judge Hoffman convicted all the defendants — and their attorneys Kunstler and Weinglass — on a total of 159 counts of criminal contempt, imposing sentences ranging from less than three months for Weiner to over four years for Kunstler. [4] Protesters, journalists, photographers, and bystanders were clubbed and beaten by the police. The Black Panther Party and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference also sent representatives to protest racism. Lee Weiner faced the charges of conspiracy and making incendiary devices. [10][2] In the afternoon, Dellinger, Seale, Davis, and Hayden addressed thousands of demonstrators at the band shell in Grant Park. "[23] On November 5, the judge declared a mistrial for Seale,[27][23] and the Chicago Eight became the Chicago Seven, with Seale's case severed for a later trial that never occurred. [1]:9 The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the personal nature of the conduct at issue required all of the contempt charges to be tried before another judge, and that each appellant whose sentence exceeded six months was entitled to a jury trial on the charge. during her testimony, before Judge Hoffman forbade it, and recited the lyrics instead. by Yerin Kim I have a right to make those demands on my constitutional rights. Mehrere tausend Menschen erschienen mit Schildern und Bannern und in knüpfbatikgefärbten T-Shirts, machten Musik, tanzten und trugen Gedichte vor. Could We See Regé-Jean Page Return to Bridgerton in the Future? They never did. All defendants (and their lawyers) faced sentences for contempt of court. Quality manufacturing and unmatched customer service make Hoffman Richter your top choice. Hoffman would die of an overdose in April of 1989, an apparent suicide—and though fellow Chicago Seven defendant David Dellinger was suspicious of … In the film, Judge Hoffman is downright the worst — he is always at the ready to declare order in the court and hands out contempt-of-court charges left and right. Secondly, it sort of summed up my attitude about the whole thing—what was going on in Chicago. [12], 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 conducted investigations of the violence. [27][22] The judge also refused to allow Seale to represent himself, in part because Kunstler had signed an appearance for Seale on September 24 to be able to visit him in jail, so Kunstler's request to withdraw as Seale's attorney was an "absolutely discretionary" decision by the judge, and Judge Hoffman decided Seale was represented by Kunstler. [1]:11–12 In his opening statement, when prosecutor Richard Schultz mentioned Abbie Hoffman, Abbie Hoffman stood up and blew the jury a kiss, and the judge said, "The jury is directed to disregard the kiss from Mr. [6], By the weekend before the convention, about 2,000 demonstrators had set up camp in Lincoln Park. "[23][24], The government called 53 witnesses, including undercover police officer Robert Pierson, who worked as a bodyguard for Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, and testified that on August 26, 1968, he heard Abbie Hoffman say "If they push us out of the park tonight, we're going to break windows," and that Rubin, Seale, and Davis had urged crowds to resist the police or to use violence. [1]:3, The grand jury was encouraged by Chief Judge Campbell to focus on possible grounds for charges in four areas:[20], Over the course of more than six months, the grand jury met 30 times and heard some 200 witnesses. [7] On Saturday, August 24, Lincoln Park was cleared almost without incident, with Allen Ginsberg leading many protesters out of the park before the 11 p.m. Not much is known about Froines but he went onto teach at the University of California in Los Angeles. "[28] On November 15, the second day of the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, Abbie Hoffman brought a Viet Cong flag into the courtroom and then wrestled over it with deputy marshal Ronald Dobroski. [1]:1[2] In early 1968, the Tet Offensive against American forces in Vietnam occurred,[3] as well as unprecedented protests on university campuses,[4] and MOBE opened a Chicago office directed by Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden, who were former leaders of Students for a Democratic Society. Hoffman really did do all of these things during the infamous court case. "[29], On three days,[28] Seale appeared in court bound and gagged before the jury,[30] struggling to get free, and at times managing to loudly insist on his right to defend himself. [18][19] Daniel Walker headed a team of over 200 members who interviewed more than 1,400 witnesses and studied FBI reports and film of the confrontations. curfew. September 25, 1969", "Sharon Avery, Artists' Poster Committee of Art Workers Coalition, Michael Abramson: make a new year's revolution, kids! So who was Hoffman (no relation to Abbie Hoffman, by the way), and what happened to him? [2] After the rally at the Grant Park bandshell, several thousand protesters attempted to march to the International Amphitheatre,[4] but were stopped in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, where the presidential candidates and campaigns were headquartered, by what David Taylor and Sam Morris of The Guardian describe as "a phalanx of National Guard armed with M1 rifles, backed by machine guns and jeeps with cages on top and barbed wire frames in front. David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale were also charged with crossing state lines with the intent to incite a riot. Peace now! The Chicago Seven (formerly the Chicago Eight—one defendant, Bobby Seale, was being tried separately) are acquitted of riot conspiracy charges, but found guilty [23] On October 30, in open court, Kunstler declared, "This is no longer a court of order, your Honor; this is a medieval torture chamber. The Chicago 8 then became the Chicago 7. Hoffman’s suicide has many doubters, including fellow Chicago 7 member David Dellinger, as Hoffman would regularly lecture on how the CIA disguised their assassinations as suicides. Jerry Rubin, David T. Dellinger and Abby Hoffman appear at a press conference in New York on March 21, 1969. There are 500,000 of us dancing in the streets, throbbing with amplifiers and harmony. [11] Police pushed protesters through plate-glass windows, then pursued them inside and beat them as they sprawled on the broken glass. [36] Allen Ginsberg recited poetry and chants, including O-o-m-m-m-m-m, while providing testimony about his participation in the demonstrations. '[7], "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. [6], The number of demonstrators in Chicago during the convention week was about 10,000, far less than predicted, and according to Bruce Ragsdale, "police were determined to present a show of force and to enforce the 11 p.m. curfew in the parks. [7] Police hauled a young man down and arrested him, breaking his arm in the process. [55], "Trial of the Chicago 7" redirects here. Here's What We Know, This Is a Robbery: What You Need to Know About the Mind-Boggling Gardner Museum Art Heist, Prepare to Be Haunted By Netflix's New Doc, The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness, Sorry, Folks: Shameless Season 11 Probably Won't Be on Netflix For a While, defendants standing trial for the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests, reversed the defendants' convictions in 1972, shouting matches and excessive contempt sentences, declared that it would no longer assign new cases to him. Hoffman chooses Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) to be the one from the group to do so, believing him to be the most decent of the bunch (in part because he was the only one to stand for the judge when the others … He served on the bench for 35 years, with five years as a Cook County judge and 30 years as a member of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. "[6], On the morning of August 28, Abbie Hoffman was arrested for writing the word "FUCK" on his forehead. It should be nonviolent and legal. [4][9][8], On Monday, August 26, demonstrators gathered in Grant Park and climbed on a statue of General Logan on a horse, which led to violent skirmishes with police. , The Trial of the Chicago 7: Yes, Judge Hoffman Really Was That Awful, This Is a Robbery: The 4 Main Theories About Who Stole the Paintings at the Gardner Museum. However, he continued to work until his death. Attorneys Michael Kennedy, Dennis Roberts, Michael Tigar, and Gerald Lefcourt assisted the defense with pretrial motions. "[23], In the afternoon session of October 29, Judge Hoffman ordered Seale to be bound, gagged, and chained to a chair. [17], The Department of Justice report found no grounds to prosecute demonstrators, and Attorney General Ramsey Clark asked the U.S. attorney in Chicago to investigate possible civil rights violations by Chicago police. [23][44][22][1]:5 According to Bruce Ragsdale, "a nationwide protest of prominent lawyers convinced Judge Hoffman to relent and accept the new defense team of William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass. 7 hours ago, by Murphy Moroney [1]:4, Chief Judge Campbell was randomly selected as the trial judge after the grand jury’s indictment, but recused himself because of his familiarity with the evidence presented to the grand jury. Dellinger: 29 months and 16 days on 32 counts, Davis: 25 months and 14 days on 23 counts, Froines: 5 months and 15 days on 10 counts, Hayden: 14 months and 14 days for 11 counts, Rubin: 25 months and 23 days for 16 counts, Weinglass: 20 months and 16 days on 14 counts, Kunstler: 48 months and 13 days on 24 counts, During the trial, a poster created by Sharon Avery and featuring a photograph by, The 1969 song Someday (August 29, 1968) from the first, In 1972, playwright and screenwriter David Petersen's play. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7: Two weeks before it starts on Netflix, here it is in a few movie theatres.Nineteen across Canada, three here in B.C. All of the defendants were charged with and acquitted of conspiracy; Hoffman, Rubin, Dellinger, Hayden, and Davis 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. "[1]:5[23], On November 5, 1969, after Judge Hoffman declared a mistrial in the prosecution of Bobby Seale,[27] Judge Hoffman convicted Seale on 16 charges of contempt,[23] and sentenced Seale to three months in prison on each count — a total of four years, which may have been the longest contempt sentence in U.S. history at the time. For the 2020 film, see, Chicago Seven at a news conference, February 28, 1970, National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, 1968 Democratic National Convention protests, House Committee on Un-American Activities, National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, "The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts", "The Chicago Eight Conspiracy Trial: An Account", "The whole world watched: 50 years after the 1968 Chicago convention", "The whole world is watching: How the 1968 Chicago 'police riot' shocked America and divided the nation", "Brief History Of Chicago's 1968 Democratic Convention", "Moderates, Militants Walk a Bloody Route Together", "Wearing the American Flag on One's Sleeve", "Abbie Hoffman's Conviction For Defiling Flag Is Upset", "The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial: Historical Documents: Walker Report summary", "Indictment in the Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial", "A Special Supplement: The Trial of Bobby Seale", "The Chicago Eight Trial: Excerpts from the Trial Transcript", "The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial Biographies: Bobby Seale", "The Trial of the Chicago 7 Is a Riveting Movie. We are making love in the parks…. The Chicago Seven (originally Chicago Eight, also Conspiracy Eight/Conspiracy Seven) were seven defendants—Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner—charged by the United States federal government with conspiracy, crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot, and other charges related to anti–Vietnam War and countercultural protests in Chicago, Illinois during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. These convictions were later reversed on appeal, and some were retried before a different judge. However, they found Hoffman, Rubin, Dellinger, Davis, and Hayden guilty of crossing state boundaries with the intent to incite a riot. This Is a Robbery: Were the Stolen Paintings Ever Recovered? 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. The trial began on September 24, 1969. Hoffman stood by his actions in court, which included shouting matches and excessive contempt sentences. All of the convictions were later reversed on appeal. In Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7," Abbie Hoffman (Sacha … [27][22] Shortly before the trial began, Seale and other members of the Black Panther party were indicted in Connecticut on charges of conspiracy to murder a suspected police informant; because of this indictment, Seale was the only Chicago Eight defendant held in jail during the trial. Aside from Bobby Seale, who ended up not being tried with the others, Abbie Hoffman was the most problematic. [1]:6[25] Police officer William Frapolly testified about his undercover work while enrolled in an Illinois college, joining Students for a Democratic Society, the National Mobilization Committee, and other peace groups, and attending planning meetings where he heard nearly all of the defendants state their intention to incite confrontations with the police and to promote other civil disturbances; he also testified that Weiner and Froines openly discussed the use of incendiary devices and chemical bombs. The Trial of the Chicago 7 depicts Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) showing up to court in judicial robes, … [23] According to John Schultz, when the jury was allowed into the courtroom, juror Jean Fritz began weeping, and other jurors "squirmed hard in their seats at the sight. [1]:9[53] The court further noted, "the demeanor of the judge and the prosecutors would require reversal even if errors did not. (Original Caption) 11/5/1969-Chicago, Illinois-U.S. District Court Judge Julius Hoffman, who declared a mistrial for Black Panther leader Bobby … [4] Television cameras recorded the police brutality while demonstrators chanted "The whole world is watching,"[11] and Humphrey won the presidential nomination that night. Sign up for our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter. [23][25], On the morning of October 29, after Seale called Judge Hoffman a "rotten racist pig, fascist liar," the judge responded: "Let the record show the tone of Mr. Seale’s voice was one of shrieking and pounding on the table and shouting,"[28] and Seale replied, "If a witness is on the stand and testifies against me and I stand up and speak out in behalf of my right to have my lawyer and to defend myself and you deny me that, I have a right to make those requests. (Lee Weiner and John Froines were acquitted.) After the trial, five of the defendants were found guilty of inciting riots. (The end credits of The Trial of the Chicago 7 show that 78 percent of Chicago trial lawyers gave Hoffman a rating of "Unqualified" in a biannual survey.) [22][23], Seale protested the judge's actions, arguing that they were not only illegal, but also racist, telling the court on September 26, "If I am consistently denied this right of legal defense counsel of my choice, who is effective, by the judge of this court, then I can only see the judge as a blatant racist of the United States court. "[4][2] In March, representatives of various groups met in Lake Villa, Illinois, to discuss coordination of the demonstrations; Tom Hayden and Rennie Davis drafted a proposal stating "the campaign should not plan violence and disruption against the Democratic National Convention. In the most draconian moment of The Trial of the Chicago 7, he orders Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to be gagged and bound. He was only one of two members of the Chicago 7 acquitted by the jury on both of the counts charged against them. Peace now!" [4] 100 protesters and 119 police officers were treated for injuries, and 600 protesters were arrested. This page was last edited on 4 April 2021, at 04:50. The defense attorneys were William Kunstler, Leonard Weinglass of the Center for Constitutional Rights, as well as Michael Kennedy, Michael Tigar, Charles Garry, Gerald Lefcourt, and Dennis Roberts. (West Van, Langley and Victoria). The Chicago Eight became the Chicago Seve… In the fall of 1967, the Democratic Party selected Chicago for its 1968 national convention, and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE), chaired by David Dellinger, proposed anti-war demonstrations to protest the expected renomination of President Lyndon Johnson for the 1968 presidential election. Hoffman passed away in 1983 at age 87. "[39] These insults had followed Judge Hoffman stating that he intended to continue using the revocation of bail in response to the use of "vile epithets" in the courtroom, while the defense attorneys were arguing against the revocation of Dellinger's bail the day before, after Dellinger shouted a "barnyard vulgarity" at a government witness. The defendants frequently insulted Judge Hoffman , who often cut off the defense lawyers and made derisive comments about … Five of them —Davis, Dellinger, Hayden, Hoffman … [1]:1[4] According to Bruce Ragsdale, the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June "further shocked the nation and complicated the race for the Democratic nomination," and "by August, many Americans believed the nation was in the midst of a profound political and cultural crisis. Von den Yippies wurde auch ein Schwein, genannt Pigasus der Unsterbliche, in die Stadt gebracht, das als Kandidat für die Präsidentschaftswahlen der USA aufgestellt werden sollte. The jury found Davis, Dellinger, Hayden, Hoffman, and Rubin guilty of traveling between states with the intent to incite a riot. and then marched for ten blocks before police arrived and the demonstrators quickly blended into the regular crowds on the sidewalks. He presided over the Chicago Seven trial. it'll bring you closer together", "How the 1968 DNC protests in Chicago 'killed' protest folk singer Phil Ochs", "How Art and Law Can Work Together Beyond the Marketplace", "Real Events of '68 Seen in 'Medium Cool':Haskell Wexler Wrote and Directed Movie", "Disorder in the court: HBO movie re-creates raucous Chicago 7 trial", "Punishment Park was too good at predicting the future for a 1971 flick", "Aaron Sorkin Turned the Chicago 7's Militancy and Defiance Into Bland Liberalism", "FILM REVIEW; That Was a Heady Time on the Left, Right? Long before the Chicago Seven's co-counsel, William M. Kunstler, charged as the trial opened in 1969 that Judge Hoffman had recited the indictment … The presiding judge was Julius Hoffman, and the prosecutors were Richard Schultz and Tom Foran. You are synonymous with Adolf Hitler. "[22] Seale had been in Chicago for less than 24 hours over two days of the convention week[22] and had been invited shortly before the convention began as a substitute for Eldridge Cleaver, so the evidence against him was testimony from undercover police officer Robert Pierson, about a speech by Seale in Lincoln Park, where according to Pierson, Seale had urged his audience to "barbecue some pork," and Judge Hoffman, over the objection of the defense, allowed Pierson to give his opinion that this meant "to burn some pigs," i.e., police officers. On February 18, 1970, the seven defendants were acquitted of conspiracy charges but fined $5,000 each. Julius Jennings Hoffman (July 7, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. But even with the group's internal problems, the clear-cut villain in the movie is Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella). [1]:3, Paul Cowan of The Village Voice reports that by Thursday, Tom Hayden was in disguise by Grant Park, Jerry Rubin was in jail, and Rennie Davis was recovering from a beating by the police.