Lee Weiner
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Lee Weiner (born 1939) is an author and member of the
Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants – Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner – c ...
who was charged with "conspiring to use interstate commerce with intent to incite a riot" and "teaching demonstrators how to construct incendiary devices that would be used in civil disturbances"Alt URL
at the
1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...
. He was acquitted of all charges by the jury and convicted on seven charges of
criminal contempt Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
that were later overturned on appeal. In 2020, Weiner published a memoir, ''Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7''.


Early life and education

Lee Weiner was born in 1939 and raised on the
South Side of Chicago The South Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geographically, it is the largest of the sections of the city, with the other two being the North and West Sides. It radiates and lies south o ...
. Weiner is the only member of the
Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants – Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner – c ...
from Chicago. When the trial of the Chicago Seven began in September 1969, Weiner was a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, had previously graduated from the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
, studied political philosophy at
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
, and earned a master's degree in social work from Loyola University's School of Social Work in Chicago. At
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, Weiner worked for Howard S. Becker as a research assistant. As a caseworker, Weiner witnessed dire poverty in Black neighborhoods, and wrote in his memoir, "Every day ... the work I did drove punishing truths into my head about what was wrong in America." At the 1968 Chicago demonstrations, Weiner served as a marshal with the
National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam The Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, which became the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, was a coalition of American antiwar activists formed in November 1966 to organize large demonstrations in o ...
. In 2018, Weiner told Olivia Waxman of ''TIME'' magazine that "On Aug st28, during the huge battle on Michigan Avenue with the National Guard, I separated myself from the crowd to stand on the steps of the Art Institute and watch the crowd of people. It was the only time in my life I thought a revolution might happen in the United States."


Trial

First dubbed the "Conspiracy 8" and later the "Chicago 7", the defendants included
Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponent of the ...
and
Bobby Seale Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an African American revolutionary, political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization the Black Panther Party (BPP) ...
, as well as "little-known community activist and social worker" Lee Weiner. Each of the defendants contributed an essay to the 1969 book, "The Conspiracy," edited by Peter Babcox and Deborah Abel. In Weiner's essay, "The Political Trial of a People's Insurrection", Weiner writes:
J. Anthony Lukas Jay Anthony Lukas (April 25, 1933 – June 5, 1997) was an American journalist and author, best known for his 1985 book ''Common Ground (Lukas book), Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families''. ''Common Ground'' i ...
described Weiner as "a strangely remote figure who shunned most of the defendants' extracurricular activities." According to Professor Douglas Linder at the
University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law The University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law is the law school of the University of Missouri–Kansas City. It is located on the university's main campus in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, near the Country Club Plaza. It ...
, "Weiner rarely attended defense strategy sessions, perhaps out of a belief that their cause was hopeless. He spent most of his trial hours reading science fiction paperbacks or books on eastern philosophy. Weiner reacted to few courtroom developments, viewing the proceedings with a mixture of scorn and amusement." During the trial, a poster that said "Make a New Year's Revolution, Kids!" featuring Weiner and his girlfriend at the time, Sharon Avery, nude and with lights in their hair, was distributed "to the young people waiting out on the cold to sit in on our trial to thank them for supporting us," according to Weiner.
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...
was asked to testify at the trial, and Weiner wanted him to teach the courtroom about satire; Groucho said it would be "an honor" but declined, thinking his last name would bias the judge against him. According to Weiner, towards the end of the trial, "there was no question we would be put in jail. I ended up going, mostly for correcting my name. People always pronounced it ''Wee''-ner. It's ''Wye''-ner. When the judge would say ''Wee''-ner, I would shout out, "It's ''Wye''-ner," and he got pissed off and charged me with contempt, which was a perfect summary of my political stance. I was sentenced to two and a half months." While the jury deliberated, the judge cited the defendants and their lawyers for 159 counts of criminal contempt; Weiner was convicted on seven charges of criminal contempt. After being taken to jail following their convictions for contempt on February 14, 1970, the defendants "almost immediately" stood on top of tables in the common areas and gave speeches of "defiance", getting applause and laughter from fellow inmates, and were quickly put into isolation cells. With the exception of David Dellinger, jail officials cut the long hair of the defendants for 'sanitary reasons.' Weiner recalls Abbie Hoffman "yelled that we should fight, force them to pay a price, that our hair was a symbol of our freedom and of everything we believed and we couldn't just acquiesce," before being held down by guards for the haircut. On February 19, the jury acquitted all seven defendants of conspiracy and only acquitted Weiner and John Froines on all charges. On February 23,
Cook County Sheriff The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Office description Terms are currently four-years in length. Officeholders Election results , - , colspan=21 style="text-align:cent ...
Joseph I. Woods showed pictures of the defendants after their haircuts to an audience that according to John Kifner of ''The New York Times'' included "about 100 laughing and applauding members of the Elk Grove Township Republican organization at a meeting in the suburban Mount Prospect Country Club." The defendants were released from jail on February 28, 1970. Weiner's contempt convictions were later reversed and remanded on appeal. (at p. 8, p. 9, "In unsparing language, the court of appeals censured Judge Hoffman and the government attorneys for their open hostility toward the defendants and their failure to fulfill "the standards of our system of justice.") At retrial, Weiner was acquitted of all contempt charges.


Post-trial

After the trial, Weiner left Chicago after accepting an offer to teach in the sociology department of
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, and moved to Brooklyn with his girlfriend at the time, Sharon Avery. ''People'' magazine reports, "At a birthday party for Black Panther leader
Bobby Seale Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an African American revolutionary, political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization the Black Panther Party (BPP) ...
in 1972, Weiner was overheard joking that he was "starting a new Communist party in New Jersey." The remark turned up in print, and he was told that his teaching contract at Rutgers would not be renewed." Weiner completed his PhD in sociology and dissertation, ''The Professional Revolutionary: Notes on the Initiation and Development of Careers in Revolution Making'' in 1975. In the years following the trial, Weiner continued to work and protest for causes, including by participating in protests for Russian Jews and more funding for AIDS research. In the 1980s, while residing in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, he ran a home-based fundraising and direct-mail firm for political candidates and organizations. He founded a short lived communist collective in Brooklyn. He later worked for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith in New York for 15 years, and was a vice president for direct response at the
AmeriCares AmeriCares is a global non-profit organization focused on health and development that responds to individuals affected by poverty, disaster, or crisis. The organization addresses poverty, disasters, or crises with medicine, medical supplies and ...
Foundation in Stamford, Connecticut. He currently resides in Florida, and has offered commentary on similarities from his experience and protests in 2020 and 2021.


Memoir

Weiner has written a memoir, ''Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7'', published in August 2020 by Belt Publishing. An excerpt was published by ''Belt Magazine'' on July 23, 2020. According to Malik Jackson, writing for ''South Side Weekly'', "when reading Weiner's recollection of the demonstrations, which mostly took place on Michigan Ave. and in Grant Park, one is struck by the similarities between this imagery and the events we've witnessed on our own streets in recent years. There is the common instance of police charging crowds and trampling protesters, picking out individuals at random to beat with clubs. There were other instances of undercover cops blending into the crowd to overhear strategic discussions between marshals and subsequently stalking them—which is how Weiner was caught and indicted." ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' describes the memoir as "a welcome addition to the library of the countercultural left," noting "Weiner closes with a stirring paean to activism. 'While a political life isn't easy,' he writes, 'and while frustration, anger, disappointment, fear, and confusion are sometimes pieces of it, I believe there is no more self-respecting, fulfilling life to try to lead.'"


Media

*
Jeremy Kagan Jeremy Paul Kagan (born December 14, 1945) is an American Film director, film and television director, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life Born as the son of a rabbi into a Jewish family in Mount Vernon, New York. Kagan received hi ...
interviewed Lee Weiner in 1987 in '' Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8'' for a personal account of his experiences. * Oren Nimni and Nathan J. Robinson of '' Current Affairs'' conducted a live interview with Lee Weiner, who "speaks about his childhood as a red diaper baby, becoming involved with radical anti-war politics, and being put on mass-televised trial for conspiracy and inciting to riot outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention." * Malik Jackson of ''South Side Weekly'' conducted a live interview with Lee Weiner about his memoir Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago Seven. "In the conversation, Weiner discusses his life of activism beyond the famous trial where he and seven other organizers were targeted and tried for conspiracy in federal court for their role in the demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention." *"The story of the Chicago 7 trial" (Interview with Lee Weiner, ''CBS Sunday Morning'', October 4, 2020) * Phil Manicki interviewed Lee Weiner about his history as a protester, his work as a community organizer, the Chicago Seven, and more. * In 2021, Weiner,
Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...
,
Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen ( ; born 13 October 1971) is an English comedian, actor and performance artist. Known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haf ...
,
Dolores Huerta Dolores Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is an American labor leader and feminist activist. After working for several years with the Community Service Organization (CSO), she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with fellow activ ...
,
Baratunde Thurston Baratunde Rafiq Thurston (; born September 11, 1977) is an American writer, comedian, and commentator. Thurston co-founded the black political blog ''Jack and Jill Politics'', whose coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention was archived ...
,
Jill Wine-Banks Jill Wine-Banks (born May 5, 1943, as Jill Susan Wine
and
Olivia Munn Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress. After an internship at a news station in Tulsa, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her professional career as a television host for the gaming network G4, and on the series '' ...
participated in ''Chicago 7 Town Hall: Voices For Change'' by
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, moderated by
Katty Kay Katherine "Katty" Kay (born 14 November 1964) is a British-Swiss journalist, author and broadcaster. She presented BBC World News America and, with Christian Fraser, hosted '' Beyond 100 Days'' on BBC Four, BBC News and BBC World News. She h ...
.


Popular culture

* Weiner was portrayed by Robert Fieldsteel and appears in the 1987 film '' Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8.'' "The people who were growing up then are in positions of authority now," Weiner said in 1987, "and this was real important in people's lives. Politics is real, again, in people's lives. The message of the trial is that people can and should act politically. In almost every context, there's a way to act politically, effectively." * Marc Aubin portrayed Weiner in the 2000 film '' Steal This Movie!'' * Chuck Montgomery portrayed Weiner in the 2007 film '' Chicago 10'' *
Aaron Abrams Aaron Abrams is a Canadian actor and writer, who has worked in both film and television. Aaron Abrams has appeared in several regular and recurring roles for television, including ''Children Ruin Everything'', ''Masters of Sex'', ''Rookie B ...
portrayed Weiner in the 2011 film ''
The Chicago 8 The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants – Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner – c ...
'' * Weiner was portrayed by Noah Robbins in the 2020 Sorkin film ''
The Trial of the Chicago 7 ''The Trial of the Chicago 7'' is a 2020 American historical legal drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film follows the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines ...
''. When discussing "creative liberties with history" taken by Sorkin "that end up distorting it," Nathan J. Robinson of '' Current Affairs'' notes, "defendant Lee Weiner was extremely hairy and hippie-ish but is presented in the film as clean-cut and nerdy." Weiner told ''The Mirror'' he believes their story is highly relevant to 2020, and “It is a movie. It is not a documentary. The movie does work – it shows and tells people that resistance to injustice is both possible and necessary – whether it be on the streets with brutal police or in a biased, ugly courtroom."


References


Further reading

* Edited by Judy Clavir and John Spitzer. ''The Conspiracy Trial: The extended edited transcript of the trial of the Chicago Eight. Complete with motions, rulings, contempt citations, sentences and photographs.'' Introduction by
William Kunstler William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American attorney and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of the American Ci ...
and foreword by
Leonard Weinglass Leonard Irving Weinglass (August 27, 1933 – March 23, 2011) was a U.S. criminal defense lawyer and constitutional law advocate, best known for his defense of participants in the 1960s counterculture. He was admitted to the bar in New Jers ...
. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1970. .
OCLC OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...
16214206 * Edited with an introduction by
Jon Wiener Jon Wiener (born May 16, 1944) is an American historian and journalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent book is ''Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties'', a ''Los Angeles Times'' bestseller co-authored by Mike Davis (sch ...
. ''Conspiracy in the Streets: The Extraordinary Trial of the Chicago Seven.'' Afterword by
Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, becoming an i ...
and drawings by
Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer ( ; January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for Pulitzer Prize for Editori ...
. New York: The New Press, 2006. * Edited by Mark L. Levine, George C. McNamee and Daniel Greenberg / Foreword by Aaron Sorkin. ''The Trial of the Chicago 7: The Official Transcript.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020. .
OCLC OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...
1162494002 * Schultz, John. ''The Conspiracy Trial of the Chicago Seven.'' Foreword by
Carl Oglesby Carl Preston Oglesby Jr. (July 30, 1935 – September 13, 2011) was an American political activist, author, academic, and playwright. From 1965 to 1966, he served as president of the leftist student organization Students for a Democratic Society ...
. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2020. . (Originally published in 1972 as ''Motion Will Be Denied''.)


External links

* Linder, D.O.
Biography of Lee Weiner
''Famous Trials'', UMKC School of Law. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Lee Chicago Seven 1968 Democratic National Convention Yippies Living people 1939 births 20th-century American Jews Writers from Chicago 21st-century American Jews Northwestern University alumni University of Illinois alumni Loyola University Chicago alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Jewish anti-war activists Jewish American activists