Confronting The Troops: a demonstrator jeers at National Guardsmen in front of Chicago's Conrad Hilton Hotel early today. About 800 troops armed with rifles surrounded the hotel, as 2,500 hippies and anti-war protestors gathered to demonstrate. NB: During the Democratic National Convention on August 28, 1968, around 10,000 demonstrators gathered in Chicago's Grant Park to protest. They were met by 23,000 police and National Guardsmen. At approximately 3:30 pm, a young man lowered the American flag that was there. The police broke through the crowd and began beating him, while the crowd pelted them with food, rocks, and chunks of concrete. The chants of some of the demonstrators shifted from "hell no, we won't go" to "pigs are whores." Tom Hayden, one of the leaders of Students for a Democratic Society, encouraged the demonstrators to move out of the park. This would ensure that if the police used tear gas on them, it would have to be done throughout the city. The amount of tear gas used to suppress the demonstrators was so great that it made its way to the Conrad Hilton Hotel, where it disturbed Hubert Humphrey while he was in the shower. The police sprayed demonstrators and bystanders with mace and were taunted with chants of "kill, kill, kill." The police assault in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel that evening became the most famous image of the Chicago demonstrations of 1968. The entire event took place live under television lights for 17 minutes, with the crowd chanting, "The whole world is watching."

On recto: typewritten title and date. On verso: date stamp.

Associated Press ID # 6808290826

Purchased by the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College from Edwynn Houk Gallery on June 25, 2022 with funds provided by Michael Mattis and Judy Hochberg.

This object has the following keywords:

• Anti-war Movements
• Vietnam War