THE TRIAL THAT IS NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
Reprinted to coincide with the release of the new Aaron Sorkin film,
this book provides the political background of this infamous trial,
narrating the utter craziness of the courtroom and revealing both the
humorous antics and the serious politics involved
Opening at the end of 1969--a politically charged year at the beginning
of Nixon's presidency and at the height of the anti-war movement--the
Trial of the Chicago Seven (which started out as the Chicago Eight)
brought together Yippies, antiwar activists, and Black Panthers to face
conspiracy charges following massive protests at the 1968 Democratic
National Convention in Chicago, protests which continue to have
remarkable contemporary resonance.
The defendants--Rennie Davis, Dave Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden,
Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale (the co-founder of the Black
Panther Party who was ultimately removed from the trial, making it seven
and not eight who were on trial), and Lee Weiner--openly lampooned the
proceedings, blowing kisses to the jury, wearing their own judicial
robes, and bringing a Viet Cong flag into the courtroom. Eventually the
judge ordered Seale to be bound and gagged for insisting on representing
himself. Adding to the theater in the courtroom an array of celebrity
witnesses appeared, among them Timothy Leary, Norman Mailer, Arlo
Guthrie, Judy Collins, and Allen Ginsberg (who provoked the prosecution
by chanting "Om" on the witness stand).
This book combines an abridged transcript of the trial with astute
commentary by historian and journalist Jon Wiener, and brings to vivid
life an extraordinary event which, like Woodstock, came to epitomize the
late 1960s and the cause for free speech and the right to
protest--causes that are very much alive a half century later. As Wiener
writes, "At the end of the sixties, it seemed that all the conflicts in
America were distilled and then acted out in the courtroom of the
Chicago Conspiracy trial."
An afterword by the late Tom Hayden examines the trial's ongoing
relevance, and drawings by Jules Feiffer help recreate the electrifying
atmosphere of the courtroom.
