What Really Happened Outside the 1968 Democratic Convention

The week of August 25-29, 1968, in Chicago was a collision of forces that had been building for years. The Vietnam War was killing hundreds of Americans each week. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated months earlier. And thousands of young Americans descended on Chicago to protest at the Democratic National Convention.

The Buildup

Mayor Richard J. Daley's administration had refused nearly all permits for marches and for sleeping in the parks. Roughly 12,000 Chicago police officers were on duty, backed by several thousand Illinois National Guardsmen, U.S. Army troops and federal agents. The city was effectively under military occupation before the first protester arrived.

The Yippie Festival of Life

Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin's Youth International Party (Yippies) had planned a "Festival of Life" in Lincoln Park as a counterpoint to what they called the "Convention of Death." The events included music, theater, and the nomination of a pig named Pigasus for president. The absurdist humor masked serious political intent.

The Battle of Michigan Avenue

On the evening of August 28, as delegates inside the convention hall nominated Hubert Humphrey, police attacked thousands of protesters gathered in Grant Park and on Michigan Avenue. Television footage of the violence reached a national audience that same night. Protesters chanted "The whole world is watching" as officers beat demonstrators, bystanders, and journalists indiscriminately.

The Walker Report

A study team led by Daniel Walker for the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence later concluded that what happened in Chicago was a "police riot." The report documented widespread, indiscriminate violence by officers, many of whom had removed their badges and name tags to avoid identification.

The Lasting Impact

The events of August 1968 fundamentally altered American politics. They contributed to Nixon's election, deepened the division between the antiwar movement and mainstream Democrats, and set the stage for the conspiracy trial that would follow. The echoes of that week continue to resonate whenever the right to protest is challenged.