The Chicago Eight were indicted on charges related to the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots. The trial attracted national attention, with eight protesters and eight police officers indicted. The trial was marked by protests and contempt for the court. Five protesters were convicted, but their convictions were later reversed due to biased jurors. One officer’s charges were dropped, and the others were acquitted, leading to criticism of unequal treatment.
The Chicago Eight were a group of individuals indicted on conspiracy, incitement to riot, and several other charges related to the riots that occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The trial of the Chicago Eight in 1969 attracted national attention and proved to be the first test of the anti-rioting provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In addition to the eight protesters tried, eight police officers were also indicted on charges related to to the riots.
The 1968 Democratic National Convention was marked by violent protests that turned into riots. Both the police and protesters participated in the riot, making the city a very dangerous place. In the wake of the riots, a grand jury was convened to determine who was responsible, and the jury moved to indict the Chicago Eight and Eight policemen, formally taking them to court in March 1969, with the trial beginning in September of that year.
The eight men involved in the trial were Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, David Dellinger, Lee Weiner, John Froines, Rennie Davis and Bobbie Seale. The trial of the Chicago Eight was accompanied by massive protests outside the courtroom, leading the city of Chicago to request assistance from the National Guard. In the courtroom, the men showed great contempt for the court, sneering at the judge and jury, appearing dressed in judicial garb, and generally misbehaving, as far as typical courtroom behavior goes. Bobbie Seale was so contemptuous that the judge cut him off the trial, sentencing him to five years in prison for contempt of court and turning the Chicago Eight into the Chicago Seven.
At the conclusion of the trial in 1970, two of the men, John Froines and Lee Weiner, were acquitted outright. The other five were acquitted of conspiracy charges, but convicted of crossing state lines to incite a riot and sentenced to prison. In 1972, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the convictions, arguing that defense attorneys, Leonard Weinglass and William Kunstler, were not authorized to hand-pick jurors, meaning jurors with obvious bias were admitted to the process.
Of the eight police officers, charges against one of the officers were dropped and the other seven were acquitted. The unequal treatment of civilians and police officers has often been criticised, with protesters suggesting that the officers should be convicted and subjected to punishment for their role in the riot.
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