The "Chicago Seven" originated from a demonstration by the American people against the Vietnam War.
In 1968, the Democratic Convention was about to be held in Chicago. A number of civil rights organizations applied to the Chicago government to march, but they were not approved. However, tens of thousands of people still gathered in the park square, and there were violent clashes between the anti-war demonstrators and the police. When the police take off their badges and horns with a grinning smile, they no longer protect the people, but become a violent tool to suppress the people.
As the death toll in Vietnam continued to rise, so did the anti-war sentiment in the United States. The Nixon administration after the change of office decided to start with the investigation of the anti-war riot, and characterized the demonstrations as endangering society, civil organizations as terrorists, and anti-war people as conspirators. Attempts to use power and conspiracy to find a few civil rights leaders to kill the chickens and show the monkeys. So this is a political trial with obvious tendencies.
in "Seven Gentlemen"
Lenny Davis and Tom Hayden are the leaders of Students for Civil Society (SDS),
Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin are the leaders of the Youth International Party (Yippies),
David Dellinger is the leader of the Mobilization to End the Vietnam War.
Lee Weiner and John Frow were social activists.
Among them, Hayden and Hoffman were the main judgment targets of the entire trial.
But also on trial was Black Panther Party chairman Bobby Seale. He came to Chicago to give a speech and stayed in Chicago for only four hours, and did not participate in the demonstration. But the government did not like him very much, so they arrested him and tried him together. So there were actually eight people on trial.
During the trial, the judge forcibly tried the defendant Bobby despite the fact that his lawyer was unable to be present due to illness. In the court, not only was he not allowed to speak, but he was also violently beaten in a hut under the pretext of arresting him. He then gagged his mouth, handcuffed him and pulled him back to the courtroom. Everyone present couldn't stand it any longer, and they refused to stand when they left the court. Because of the unfair treatment suffered by black Bobby, the government was also afraid of provoking public anger and had to try him in a separate case halfway through. In this way, the defendants were reduced from eight to seven. Known as the "Chicago Seven".
The arrogant justices are domineering and domineering in the courtroom, and constantly abuse their power, and whistle black whistle on the charge of contempt of court, with obvious political bias, which is annoying. This trial is nothing more than a political show starring him, the purpose of which is to send the blacklisted "Seven Gentlemen" to prison.
To deal with the jury, the government replaced two of its sympathetic members of the "Seven Gentlemen" with intrigue.
The 37 witnesses brought in by the prosecution were all police officers who had been placed undercover in the parade in advance.
The lawyer finally brought in the former attorney general to testify in court. He revealed that during his tenure, there was an investigation report proving that the "Seven Gentlemen" did not conspire to incite violence, and that the riot was deliberately initiated by the Chicago Police Department. But the judge and prosecutors simply refused to let him speak to the jury, nullifying testimony in the defense's favor.
The debate between the prosecution and the defense in court was very exciting, and the lines were extremely sharp and humorous. The judge was angry and repeatedly warned of contempt of court.
The best part is that at the end of the film, the judge allows the defendant to make a final plea. The actor Tom Hayden did not appeal for himself, but stood up and read aloud the list of 4,752 soldiers who had died in the Vietnam War. All the audience ignored the judge's table-pounding roar and stood up one by one to applaud for a long time. Even the previously opposed prosecutor Richard Schultz stood up and paid tribute to the deceased!
In this "absurd" trial in 1970, which took six months and 151 days, the government disregarded justice and justice and forcibly convicted all seven people.
If you want to add a crime, why bother?
"We came for peace, but we were judged for our thoughts".
There will always be bad people in this world, but a good system can correct mistakes. In 1972, the "Seven Gentlemen" successfully appealed and were all released.
The pursuit of justice, truth, democracy, and freedom will never go out of style.
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