Cold Open

It’s 10 PM, on October 8th, 1969, in the affluent Gold Coast area of Chicago, Illinois.

Walking carefully backward, 17-year-old student photographer David Fenton raises his camera...and snaps a picture of the crowd of protesters moving down the street.

David has spent the past year documenting The Weathermen, a radical left-wing group determined to overthrow the U.S. government. And today, it's the first of four “Days of Rage,” when The Weathermen plan to use violent protest to bring attention to their cause.

But as David looks at the group, he can see turnout is low. The Weathermen hoped tens of thousands of people would join them. But less than three hundred have turned up.

Still, those who are here don’t seem deterred by their small number. As David prepares to take another photograph, one of the activists in front of him pulls out a crowbar from underneath his jacket. He then runs to the nearest storefront…and smashes the glass window.

This first act of violence provokes another, and then another.

Moving as a pack, the Weathermen go on the rampage, destroying anything and everything in their path. Stores, cars, mailboxes. They’re all targeted.

But as the group reaches the center of the Gold Coast district, they suddenly come face-to-face with a wall of police officers. Who seemed to have been expecting a bigger turnout. They outnumbered the demonstrators five to one. But the protesters still aren’t frightened.

Rather than stop and turn back, the Weathermen begin hurling bricks and bottles at the police line. This is the confrontation they’ve come here for. And they’re just getting started.

With their violent protest, the Weathermen plan to “bring the Vietnam War to the streets of America”. In the aftermath of this riot, parts of downtown Chicago are certainly left looking like a warzone. But the Weathermen’s goals go beyond vandalism. They want to remake America, and believe the revolution will begin on October 8th, 1969.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is October 8th, 1969: Chicago’s Days of Rage.

Act One: Which Way The Wind Blows

It’s June 23rd, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, four months before the first “Day of Rage.”

In the South Side Coliseum convention center, 22-year-old Mark Rudd pushes his way through a crowd of fellow students. He’s trying to reach the podium, but he’s heckled and jeered as he fights his way to the front.

It’s the ninth annual meeting of the Students for a Democratic Society. But the mood in the hall is toxic.

These are turbulent times in America, with widespread anger, frustration, and fear among people on all sides of the political spectrum. In recent years, there have been numerous assassinations, riots, and brutal police crackdowns. And much of the discontent centers on the Vietnam War. While the majority of Americans supported the conflict in its early stages, as the years have passed and the death toll has grown, public opinion has shifted.

Opposition to the war is especially strong on college campuses. Many students see Vietnam as the single biggest issue facing America, and the far-left activist group Students for a Democratic Society has used outrage over the war to recruit tens of thousands of members across the country.

But in recent months, the Students for a Democratic Society or SDS has become deeply divided. Opposing factions have emerged and begun tussling for control of the organization. Mark Rudd is a leading member of one of the most powerful groups. They call themselves The Weathermen, taking their name from a lyric in Bob Dylan’s song Subterranean Homesick Blues. The Weathermen follow the ideologies of Che Guevara, the Black Panthers, and the Viet Cong. They believe only urban guerrilla warfare can bring real change to America—and that the other factions in the SDS are just getting in their way.

But now, though, after days of bitter arguments at the SDS national convention in Chicago, the Weathermen have forced out their rivals in a vote and are ready to take complete control of the organization.

So, ignoring the chants and jeers of the remaining opponents in the hall, Mark and the other Weathermen elbow their way through the crowd. When they finally make it to the podium, their leader, a young woman named Bernardine Dohrn, then steps up to the mic. She declares that The Weathermen have taken over the SDS, and any members who oppose their coup will be expelled. With this announcement, the Weathermen's takeover of the SDS is complete. And Mark and the others get to work making the organization an even more radical revolutionary group. Mark begins with a national tour of colleges and campuses, hoping to recruit fighters for what he calls a new revolution. Mark is convinced that direct and, if necessary, violent action is the only way to secure change, and he truly believes he can build an army of young men and women who will take up arms and wage war on the U.S. Government.

But he has to work quickly because their crusade is set to begin in just a few months’ time. A large protest has already been scheduled for early October in Chicago, as part of the Weathermen's attempt to “Bring The War Home.” So as he travels from campus to campus, Mark explains to students that if they attend the demonstration, they will see the power of the masses. And they’ll understand what people are capable of if they are willing to do more than just march and wave signs.

Mark and the other Weathermen want the protest in October to be a show of strength. But Mark’s passion for his cause has blinded him to reality. Most of the students he talks to don’t share his violent, radical politics. They may be happy to attend sit-ins for civil rights or march in opposition to the war in Vietnam, but few of them support a full Communist revolution—and even fewer want to be the ones risking their lives to take up arms against their government.

Still, when he returns to Chicago, Mark will tell the rest of The Weathermen that his tour has been a huge success. He will claim that thousands of angry young people are waiting to join them for the big rally. Mark will be convinced that not only will the protest be the biggest demonstration the United States has ever seen—it will also kickstart a revolution.

Act Two: Look Out, Kid

It’s just after 9 PM, on October 8th, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, two weeks after Mark Rudd returned from his tour of the nation’s campuses.

In the center of Chicago's Lincoln Park, Mark gazes into a roaring bonfire. Beside him, a man breaks up a park bench and throws pieces into the blaze. With every bit of wood that goes up in smoke, there’s a ragged, unenthusiastic cheer from the small crowd huddled around the fire.

There are probably only just a hundred and fifty people in the park. These young men and women have been waiting all day for their numbers to increase. But now that the sun has gone down, it’s clear that no one else is joining the Weathermen in their first day of rage.

Having spent the last few months trying to recruit as many people as possible for this demonstration, Mark is dejected by the low turnout. He had boasted that thousands—perhaps even tens of thousands—would turn up and that the protest would be the start of a nationwide revolution. But the Weathermen won’t be toppling any government tonight, with only a few dozen protesters at their side.

So, as those who have turned up await instructions, Mark stews on what already seems to be an embarrassing failure. He doesn’t want to blame himself, though. Instead, he insists he’s been let down by others on the left. Many activists and groups he hoped would be at least sympathetic to his cause have publicly criticized the “Days of Rage.” The Black Panthers have spoken out against the event. And anti-war organizers have said that the Weathermen are playing right into the hands of U.S. President Richard Nixon and his conservative allies. By threatening violence and promising a revolution, some say The Weathermen are damaging the entire anti-war cause.

But for Mark and the hundred or so supporters who have turned up in Chicago, the revolution will continue; instead of deepening their humiliation by backing down, they will show the country the power of even a small number of determined activists.

So, at just before 10:30 PM, one of the leaders of The Weathermen pulls out a bullhorn and signals the start of their march. The plan is to head toward the affluent Gold Coast area of Chicago. Mark won’t be joining them—his role tonight is to stay back and organize legal aid for anyone arrested by the police. But student photographer David Fenton is on hand to document every moment.

And he is able to witness what begins as chanting, singing, and marching quickly descends into a riot.

After the first storefront is smashed in, anarchy is unleashed. The hundred-strong crowd carries bats, pipes, and clubs, and they set about destroying as much property as they can with no regard for who owns the houses, stores, and cars they attack.

This mayhem lasts for about four blocks before a thick line of police halts the rampage in its tracks.

Photographer David finds a vantage point which allows him to capture both sides of the conflict with his lens. The Weathermen begin to throw bricks and rocks at the police. Who, at first, just hold their line and don’t react. But then things suddenly change. A glass bottle arcs through the air and then shatters on the street. A police officer clicks off his safety and then opens fire. He’s soon joined by others, and the street echoes to the sharp pop of gunfire and the screams of fleeing rioters.

David runs with them. But he hasn’t gone far when he remembers why he’s here. He finds somewhere he thinks will be safe, then raises his camera once again.

And through the viewfinder of his camera, it really does look like war has come to the streets of Chicago. Armed police chase down the Weathermen and wrestle them to the ground. Occasionally, an officer gets separated from his colleagues, and then the rioters take their chance to turn the tables. Everywhere David looks is chaos and violence.

So, by the end of the first night of the “Days of Rage,” 28 police officers will have been injured, six rioters will be in the hospital with gunshot wounds, and a further 68 will be under arrest.

But the Weathermen won’t be deterred by either the disappointing turnout or the violence they’ve unleashed. Instead, they will take to the streets again the next day and the day after that. The Chicago Days of Rage will continue.

Act Three: Duck Down The Alleyway

It’s October 11th, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, three days after The Weathermen first took to the streets.

After 72 hours of riots, Weathermen member Brian Flanagan runs flat out through the main business area of Chicago. Behind him, half a dozen police officers give chase.

As Brian sprints around the corner of Madison Street, he leaves the police trailing behind and thinks for a moment he’s escaped. But that’s when Brian sees a businessman in a suit, readying himself to become a hero. Taking a run-up, the businessman throws his full weight into Brian, who can do little to avoid the tackle, and crashes to the ground with the businessman on top of him.

As Brian struggles on the sidewalk, the police catch up, take out their batons, and begin beating Brian as he curls up into a fetal position and desperately tries to ward off their blows. Dazed and confused, Brian is then hauled to his feet, thrown into the back of a police wagon, and taken away.

Brian’s arrest comes on the fourth and final “Day of Rage” in Chicago. If there had been more protesters, the Weathermen might have stood a better chance of escaping arrest. But outnumbered, they’ve been easy pickings for the police. And every arrest has cost the radical group more and more money in attorney fees and bail payments. With their funds fast of evaporating, the Weathermen have no option but to call off their violent activities in Chicago.

But the failure of their revolution doesn’t encourage the Weathermen to change their beliefs. Instead, as they are increasingly shunned by the mainstream left, they radicalize even further. They change their name to The Weather Underground and then begin looking into how to make explosives. In the years that follow, the Weather Underground will be responsible for arson attacks and bombings, including explosions at the US Senate building and the Pentagon.

As a result, during the 1970s, the movement’s highest-profile members will be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. They will go into hiding and remain there until 1980, when the charges against them will be dropped after revelations about illegal wiretaps. This means that none of the Weathermen will face prosecution for the violence in Chicago, which was launched with dreams of a new American revolution but was exposed as a failure almost as soon as it began on October 8th, 1969.

Outro

Next on History Daily. October 9th, 1963. A landslide in Italy triggers a tsunami-like wave that kills over 2,000 people and sparks a long legal battle.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by William Simpson.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.