1/31/2024 0 Comments Chicago seven![]() Of course they were threatened and then fined for contempt of court." ![]() "On several occasions they rose to make objections and were either told to sit down or overruled before they had completed their first sentence. "I was shocked by Judge Hoffman's treatment of the defense lawyers, Kunstler and Weinglass," said Charles Henry, professor emeritus of African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley, who attended the trial while in college. Justice Department’s initial lack of interest in prosecuting protest leaders. Linder, who has written extensively about the Chicago 7 trial, told PolitiFact that the judge was quite close to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who was furious over the U.S. Still, even at the time of the trial, Judge Hoffman’s behavior was widely denounced, and the disdain he exhibited for the defense played a pivotal role in the sentencing appeal.ĭouglas Linder is an author, historian and law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, as well as the creator of "Famous Trials," a website that covers and chronicles over 50 famous trials throughout history. For example, Seale was noted for calling the judge a "fascist dog," a "pig," and a "racist," among other things. Multiple scenes in the film show the defendants disrupting proceedings, but the film actually understates their antics. He was described in Joseph Goulden’s 1974 book about federal judges, "The Benchwarmers," as "impetuous and rude." The judge, played by Frank Langella in the film, was known for enforcing strict courtroom decorum and had a reputation for being a bit of a crank. Several accounts throughout history say he did. But the film’s portrayal of Hoffman being combative and biased is on the money.ĭid Judge Hoffman, who was 74 at the time of the trial, actually treat the defendants and their lawyers as poorly as the film portrays? In reality: The defendants were known to disrupt and mock the judge throughout the trial. Five - Davis, Dellinger, Hayden, Hoffman and Rubin - were fined $5,000 each and convicted of crossing state lines with the intent to riot, which carried a five-year prison sentence. 18, 1970, all were acquitted of conspiracy charges, with Froines and Weiner being acquitted of all charges. The trial drew widespread media attention and lasted nearly five months, from September 1969 to February 1970. Seale was eventually removed from the proceedings due to a mistrial, dropping the number of defendants to seven. The defendants included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Lee Weiner and Bobby Seale, who was a co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Originally the Chicago Eight, the activists featured in the film faced federal charges of conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intent to start a riot. ![]() curfew in the city’s parks, where many of the protesters were camped. 25-28 as Chicago police, armed with tear gas and billy clubs, tried to enforce an 11 p.m. involvement in the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.įour days of riots and violence broke out Aug. It tells the story of a group of activists who were on trial after they traveled to Chicago to protest U.S. In Aaron Sorkin’s "The Trial of the Chicago 7," which debuted on Netflix in October 2020, the answer is a mixture of accuracy and narrative embellishment. What happens when one of Hollywood’s most famous writer-directors undertakes retelling one of the most infamous trials in modern U.S. (We've also fact-checked Judas and the Black Messiah and Mank.) Warning, major spoilers and plot points ahead! With this year’s Oscars featuring historically based movies up for Best Picture honors, we wanted to help you sort out the facts from the dramatic liberties. ![]() Editor's note: Have you ever wondered if the movie you just saw - that claimed to be based on a real story or historical events - was really accurate? So have we.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |