Recently, I watched the new Netflix film The Trial of the Chicago 7. The movie portrays the events leading up to the Vietnam War protests at the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 1968 and the trial that followed. Eight advocates were charged with crossing state lines to incite a riot by Nixon appointed Attorney General John Mitchell. Notably, previous Johnson appointed Attorney General Ramsey Clark determined that it was actually the Chicago Police Department who started the riot, yet this was ignored by the Nixon administration and the resulting judge.
The tactics used in the case to disparage the advocates seem far from democratic. For one, defendant Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was denied counsel as his chosen lawyer was sick in the hospital for the duration of the trial. After making disruptions to the court, Seale was bound and gagged to his seat in an American courtroom, as ordered by Judge Julius Hoffman. Although he was soon issued a mistrial, his action made a mockery of our judicial system.
Additionally, it is believed that the government issued fake threats to two jurors that appeared to support the defendants. The threats claimed to be produced by the Black Panthers and as a result, the two jurors were forced to resign from their duties. Two new jurors were placed on the bench, one of which had a connection to the Chicago Police Department.
Judge Hoffman also denied the jury the right to hear the testimony of former AG Clark that basically exonerated the Chicago 7. These examples as well as many others clearly demonstrated the unfairness of the judicial system towards the activists. Hoffman’s court found the Chicago 7 guilty of inciting the riot, a decision that was overturned by the Court of Appeals.
Did American democracy play out in this scenario? I would argue no, even though the decision was eventually repealed. Judge Hoffman violated the independent role of the judiciary to fairly decide cases. He had a clear bias against the defendants and allowed egregious acts on behalf of the government to occur in his courtroom. It is undemocratic to bound and gag a man, to cherry-pick a jury, and to dismiss the testimony of a key witness. Although justice eventually prevailed, this film highlights the inadequate reach of American democracy.
This article was inspired by the film The Trial of the Chicago 7 and an article published that reveals the history vs. Hollywood of the film: https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/trial-of-the-chicago-7/
Sofia Rubinson 