Let’s remember Seattle Liberation Front’s violent clash with police, on this day in 1970 (February 17)
HistoryLink, as always, with what’s important to note:
On February 17, 1970, approximately 2,000 protesters led by the new Seattle Liberation Front (SLF) clash with Seattle police during “The Day After” demonstration at the federal courthouse at 4th Avenue and Madison Street. Demonstrators pelt the courthouse and police with paint bombs and rocks, leading to 76 arrests and 20 injuries. The demonstration protests contempt citations issued against the “Chicago Seven.” Federal prosecutors later file conspiracy charges against SLF leaders, leading to the trial of the “Seattle Seven.”
The February protest was prompted by contempt citations handed down against the “Chicago Seven” (“Chicago Eight” counting Bobby Seale, who was tried separately) defendants charged with conspiring to plan a riot during the August 1968 Democratic Party convention in Chicago. (All of the defendants were ultimately acquitted of conspiracy but punished for contempt of court.)
Jeff Stevens, author and Facebook friend of moi, added some additional context in the Seattle Star:
Charges were filed on April 16 against Michael Lerner (b. 1943), Susan Stern (1943–1976), Charles Clark “Chip” Marshall III (b. 1945), Michael Abeles (1951–2016), Jeff Dowd (b. 1949), Joe Kelly (b. 1946), Roger Lippman (b. 1947), and Michael Justesen (b. 1950). These SLF members then became known as the Seattle Eight and, after Justesen disappeared, the Seattle Seven.
The SLF consisted mostly of former members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which had collapsed the previous summer due to internal dissent at its national convention. It was deeply ironic that the February 17 demonstration was organized to protest the Chicago Seven trial, since the Chicago defendants had also been indicted for conspiracy in planning protests during the August 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago — an event which had also turned violent. The Seattle event, along with several others held nationwide that same day, was called “The Day After” (TDA) in anticipation of the Chicago verdict. The violence in Seattle occurred despite the SLF’s stated wishes for a peaceful demonstration. The SLF had in fact been created as a nonviolent alternative to the Weathermen, the SDS-derived radical organization that openly advocated violent tactics against the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, the SLF was blamed for the February 17 riot, and the indictments thus followed.
There’s a wealth of information out there that I encourage everyone to dive into, because its’ so fascinating:
