For many in 1968, it felt like American was fraying at the seams. The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart. The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy left emotions raw. Then, 50 years ago this week, came the chaotic Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where police and anti-war protestors clashed in bloody riots.
Protest organizer Rennie Davis, who now lives in Berthoud, gives Colorado Matters a behind-the-scenes look at what happened during those violent days. Davis and other protest leaders, including Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden and Jerry Rubin, became known as the Chicago Seven. After a highly publicized trial they were cleared of charges they'd incited the riots.