Security forces. The Democratic National Convention protests were a series of protests against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War that took place prior to and during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The protests lasted approximately seven days, from August 23 to August 29, , and drew an estimated 7, to 10, anti-war protesters in total. In the weeks after the March on the Pentagon , many left-wing [ 4 ] counterculture and anti-Vietnam War groups, as well as supporters of anti-war Democratic presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy , began planning demonstrations in response to the Democratic National Convention and the impending presidential nomination of Democratic nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Chicago authorities attempted to prevent the protests from occurring but were unsuccessful, and the city promised " law and order " to suppress the protesters. Despite the small size of the protests, [ 2 ] many demonstrators, reporters , and bystanders were met with unprecedented levels of police brutality and violence by the Chicago Police Department , particularly in Grant Park and Michigan Avenue during the convention.
The actions by Chicago police, the Illinois National Guard , and other law enforcement agencies were later described by the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence as a " police riot ". During the evening of August 28, , with the police riot occurring on Michigan Avenue in front of the Democratic party's convention headquarters and the Conrad Hilton hotel, television networks broadcast live as the anti-war protesters began the now-iconic chant: " The whole world is watching ".
In early , the National Mobilization Committee opened a Chicago office directed by Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden , who were leading political organizers at the time and former leaders of Students for a Democratic Society.
MOBE was run by a small executive board that set up a general framework for mass demonstrations, sent out invitations to the over groups on its mailing lists , and coordinated activities between the groups. MOBE recognized and supported all tactics from marching to civil disobedience. David Dellinger, MOBE chairman, believed that "the tendency to intensify militancy without organizing wide political support [was] self-defeating.
