Spirit of ’68: march against war set for 50th of convention protests
A demonstrator at the Democratic National Convention fights off tear gas as he walks in front of a police barricade at the Conrad Hilton Hotel | Sun-Times file photo
Members of the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism discussed their plan to re-capture the energy of anti-Vietnam war protests and direct it against modern state violence at home and abroad at a press conference Tuesday.
They spoke at the base of the Statue of John Logan in Grant Park, the dramatic center-piece of events in 1968.
“This event … is not going to be about nostalgia,” said Rich Whitney, the co-chair of the Illinois Green Party and the initiator of plans for a semi-centennial protest. “Its going to be about how we can make our society better.
Air Force veteran Natasha Erskine spoke at the press conference about links between military recruiting and the Chicago Public Schools. | Adam Thorp/Sun-Times
Organizers of the event plan to address a broad range of issues, from American wars in the Middle East to the funding of the military at the expense of public services.