Why this Democratic convention will not be like Chicago in 1968

In 1968, Craig Sautter, a 21-year-old philosophy student from Indiana University, drove to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, expecting an exciting day. However, he was unprepared for the chaos that awaited him. Just months earlier, the nation had experienced riots following the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. As Craig arrived in Chicago, he sensed the tension in the air, with thousands of protesters, police officers, politicians, and delegates all gathered to determine the next Democratic presidential candidate. The atmosphere was charged, and Craig, an anti-Vietnam War activist, was shocked by the violent scenes he witnessed. He recalled, 'We were mostly middle-class kids, or business people who were there in suits, protesting against the war. We never thought that the police would attack an unarmed group of people who were just singing and shouting. we were in disbelief. ' The protests turned violent, resulting in over 600 arrests and more than 100 injuries, including 119 police officers. The images of the clashes spread rapidly across television screens, leaving an indelible mark on the American psyche. 'People were chanting that the whole world was watching,' Craig added, now a professor at DePaul University who studies presidential conventions. As the Democratic National Convention returns to Chicago in 2024, many are drawing parallels to the events of 1968. Like then, there will be protests, this time against President Biden's support for Israel during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Additionally, there has been a significant shift in Democratic leadership, as President Biden has opted not to seek re-election just weeks before the convention. However, experts and veterans of the 1960s protest movement argue that the differences between the two events far outweigh the similarities. Chicago police have pledged to allow protesters to exercise their right to free speech during the upcoming DNC, as long as they do so legally. Some activists involved in planning the anti-Gaza war protests are inspired by the earlier activists from nearly 60 years ago. Hatem Abudayyah, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, stated, 'This is the Vietnam War of our era. ' The coalition comprises over 200 organizations, and its representatives have indicated that 'tens of thousands' of participants are expected to join the protests. The anticipated size of the protests has prompted the Chicago police department to issue a warning that they will not tolerate 'violent actors' or any incidents of vandalism or criminality. Nevertheless, Mr. Abudayyah believes that violence is not an inevitable outcome, citing the lack of evidence of violence during the coalition's protests over the past ten months since the conflict in the Middle East began. Others, however, have pushed back against the comparisons, arguing that any similarities are minimal. Elaine Kamarck, a long-time Democratic National Committee member and DNC delegate, told the BBC, 'Other than the fact that they're in Chicago, there are none. ' She emphasized that the police tactics during the 1968 convention were excessively aggressive, leading to accusations of a 'police riot. ' Just months prior, then-Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley had issued 'shoot to kill' orders in response to the riots following Martin Luther King's assassination. 'All hell was breaking loose,' Ms. Kamarck recalled, noting that the current situation is vastly different. Marsha Barrett, a professor of US political history at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, echoed this sentiment, stating, 'Daley had very strong control over police, and an antagonistic relationship with protesters. The city had set up a situation where there was likely to be a major conflict. ' In contrast, the current Chicago police have been in regular communication with DNC protest groups and have committed to protecting their rights to free speech, provided that the protests remain lawful. Craig Sautter explained that the understanding of police activity at that time was that they would use whatever force was necessary to overcome resistance. 'Now the police are better trained,' he added. 'They're not going to provoke anything unless some kind of violence breaks out. ' As protests raged outside the convention in 1968, members of New York's delegation protested the Vietnam War from within the convention hall. It remains unclear if any delegates will take similar actions in 2024. Abe Peck, who was the editor of the Chicago Seed, an underground newspaper linked to the Youth International Movement, recalled the violence he witnessed during the 1968 convention. 'We were in our office, which was in a dry cleaner's, and all of a sudden our window fragmented,' he remembered. 'Two shots were fired through it. Fortunately, nobody was hit. ' When they ran outside to investigate, Mr. Peck saw only one vehicle: a Chicago police cruiser. The incident was one of several that marked his experiences during the DNC, which also included police officers forcibly removing religious ministers associated with the counterculture movement. Mr. Peck noted that the violence of the past stands in stark contrast to the present. The rapid spread of information through social media today could create a public relations disaster if police were perceived as overly aggressive. 'Back then, there was a real delay in getting news out. Now, it's essentially instantaneous,' Mr. Peck explained. 'That's a big difference. ' The 1968 DNC resulted in the nomination of Hubert Humphrey, who ultimately lost to Richard Nixon in the general election. Don Rose, who was a spokesperson for the National Mobilization Committee to End the War, one of the main protest groups, highlighted another significant difference: the Vietnam War itself. Unlike the Gaza conflict, the Vietnam War saw tens of thousands of Americans drafted, many of whom were killed or wounded overseas. 'The country was far more divided on the Vietnam War at that time. The protests expanded greatly because of the draft,' Mr. Rose, now 93, stated. 'We were protesting at a convention that would nominate someone who could end the war with the stroke of a pen. ' The Democratic Party in 1968 was also deeply divided over the war, and when delegates arrived at the DNC, they had no idea who would emerge as the nominee. When Hubert Humphrey was finally chosen over anti-war Senator Eugene McCarthy, some in the audience even shouted 'No! ' The convention was marked by division and conflict, in stark contrast to the current Democratic Party, which is seen as more unified. Mr. Peck noted that recent DNCs can no longer be called 'nominating conventions. ' 'These are just confirmation conventions,' he said. 'They confirm what the people in states did at the primary levels. That's really different. ' Ultimately, Hubert Humphrey lost the 1968 election to Republican Richard Nixon. Looking back, Craig Sautter, who will be watching the convention on TV this year, believes that the protests of 1968 had an impact on the US that could never be replicated in 2024. 'People who watched were totally radicalized by it, and many, many more people became involved in trying to stop the war,' he said. 'A whole generation, whether they were there or not, were marked by it.