Impact

Ina Jaffe’s article, “1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests”, exams the effects of the happenings in 1968 Chicago and compares the atmosphere of that Democratic National Convention to the (at the time of the article, upcoming) 2008 DNC. She notes similarities that range from tense politics, the unpopularity of the wars going on at the different conventions, and public protest of such issues. The article goes on to discuss in detail the events of 1968 Chicago. Accounts are given by witnesses and the familiar story of street violence is told. Not surprisingly, the impact of what happened on those August days and nights is lasting. Activist groups with names like “Recreate ‘68” are reminiscent of the enthusiasm seen at the Chicago protests and are trying to, hence the name, recreate the energy and sincerity of those protests of not only 1968, but the 1960s in general. According to those involved in those Chicago protests and planning to join the picketers for 2008, they remember their Chicago experience positively despite the fact that many interviewed got beat about he head or otherwise roughed up.

            I thought that parts of this article were pretty similar to others that I’ve read about this topic. The article’s not bad, it just discusses many of them same things that others did. What I did find different about this article was its examination of the current feelings of those who were involved in the protest movement in Chicago. Another interesting nugget of information that I gained from the article was how the city of Chicago denied the protestors permits that had been requested months and months in advance. What this shows, in my opinion, is a desire by the organizers to do things legally and correctly by city standards and a stubborn move by the city government to ignore and deny the many formal requests for an opportunity express organized protest. As Tom Hayden, one of the organizers, explains, “We were used to the idea that authorities would stall on permits, but I think some of us thought that the permits would come through at the end, so we went forward”(Jaffe). Overall, I found the article to supplement everything I’ve already read, but also to add to them with a few extra facts or reports.

Jaffe, Ina. "1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests." National Public        Radio (2008): n. pag. Web. 18 Apr 2010.   .